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July 3, 2015

Mary Kirkwood

Hi, my name is Mary. I would like to share my story about how COPD changed my life for the better.

I am 56 years old, divorced and a mother of three. Until recently, the only time I had ever been in hospital was when I was having my children, 27 years ago.  Having said that, throughout the years I have suffered with chronic asthma and my weight has always been a problem with both challenges stopping me from doing a lot of things.  In the past I was often depressed and spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself.

About 18 months ago I had terrible trouble sleeping.  Five minutes after lying down I would have to get up.  This went on for weeks. It got to the point that I was exhausted during the day from lack of sleep. I tried a few different natural sleeping medicines and even got sleeping tablets from my GP but I still couldn’t sleep.  The lack of sleep made me so depressed I would have been happy to go to sleep and never wake up.

One night I had enough. I just couldn’t cope with how I was feeling so I rang an ambulance. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what.  They took me to the hospital and within minutes of arriving I was rushed to the resuscitation room. I knew then that I was in trouble.

I remember the nurses putting a mask over my face and the next thing I recall is waking up in ICU three days later.  My diagnosis: COPD with CO2 retention.  When I sleep my oxygen levels drop and my carbon dioxide levels rise which means I now have to sleep with a biped machine with oxygen attached.

I went home 11 days later and still didn’t understand what it all meant so I started researching COPD and CO2 retention, spending my days and nights online learning everything I could.  After months of research I found a support group and the people there were amazing.  I learnt so much from them and soon realised that this wasn’t the end of my life but the beginning of a new chapter.

One of the first things I did was booked myself in to Pulmonary Rehabilitation three days a week.  The education was very helpful and the exercise side was hard (I won’t lie) but well worth it in the long run. I started swimming every day in a heated pool. I joined a dance class (line dancing) and started tai chi which teaches you how to focus and stay positive. In the process of strengthening my mind and body I lost the weight I needed to lose.

Today I look forward to waking up mentally, emotionally and physically stronger than I have ever been before. Through my support group I learnt that COPD wasn’t my end but my beginning;  it didn’t control my life anymore, I control it.  I haven’t felt this good in years!

I wanted to help people like me in my area so I started my own lung support group.  I finally found my purpose in life and that is to help and support other people who have the same struggles with COPD.  It hasn’t been an easy road with a lot of bumps along the way and sometimes you wonder if it’s all worth it.  All I can say to that is yes! It’s absolutely worth it!

I will leave you with a great quote…..

“I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she will make the same effort, and have the same hope and faith.”  Mahatma Gandhi


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News & Views » Local News

Letters to the Editor

Our mailbag bulges with responses to the Pot Issue

Expert testimony

In Higher Ground (Nov. 2), former Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon says, "I can't think of anybody who has died from marijuana." I also can't think of a case where somebody died from an overdose of LSD. The problem with marijuana, and LSD for that matter, is its effect on thinking and behavior. And it's this behavioral toxicity, such as impaired ability to pay attention while driving, that's the real problem with marijuana. The only reason marijuana is used in the first place is because it has a primary effect on the brain, the central nervous system. After all, people don't use marijuana because they like to have bloodshot eyes. The central nervous system effects include impaired attention, impaired depth perception, amotivation and more. Knowing these effects, I certainly do not want my doctor, dentist, police officer, child-care worker or professor to use marijuana.

And frankly, to suggest that almost all the "problems and violence" associated with drug use result from the laws is indicative of pharmacological ignorance. Stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine mimic the body's activation of the sympathetic nervous system. It's this system that's responsible for the body's fight-or-flight response. In fact, they are correctly termed "sympathomimetics." These drugs cause the user to feel that they are in danger. But the user is responding to the drug, and not the environment. And people who feel threatened, feel paranoid, are dangerous and often violent. PCP ("angel dust") has similar effects.

Like Ike McKinnon, I also am a retired police officer. I also know and respect Dr. Michael Whitty. (In the interest of full disclosure, Mike Whitty was one of my U of D professors many years ago.) But when it comes to drug legalization, including that of marijuana, professors McKinnon and Whitty are wrong. —Thomas E. Page, M.A., drug recognition expert emeritus, retired, Los Angeles Police Department, Detroit

Cheers for Ike

Re: Police Chief Ike McKinnon's turnaround, it's commendable and it adds important credibility when law enforcement officers speak out against cannabis (marijuana) prohibition, persecution and extermination. The few to benefit from caging humans for using the God-given plant include the drug-testing industry, police unions concerned with job security and gangs concerned with profit. Nearly everyone else, including our children, suffers due to cannabis prohibition.

Ending cannabis prohibition is one of the most important issues of our time. —Stan White, Dillon, Colo.

Re: "High stakes" (Nov. 2), the clear stupidity of people like state Attorney General Bill Schuette — in making a career of opposing marijuana — is seen when we examine a few facts. First off, contrary to any myths promoted by the drug warriors, cannabis is the least toxic drug known to mankind. There has never been a fatality attributed to marijuana in 5,000 years of recorded use.

Claims that marijuana is "dangerous" are myths and propaganda coming from drug warriors worried about losing cushy jobs chasing potheads, who need no protection from cannabis. It is long past time to abandon reefer madness and to set marijuana free.

Marijuana prohibition was founded on absurd fictions such as the notion that "[Smoking] one [marihuana] cigarette might develop a homicidal mania, probably to kill his brother." However, the drug crusaders cannot point to a single homicide caused by just smoking marijuana.

State Attorney General Bill Schuette would do citizens a better service by abandoning his reefer madness campaign and focusing law enforcement on real crimes such as rape, child molesting, drunk driving, car theft, burglary, assault, murder and other crimes that really injure people. —Ralph Givens, Daly City, Calif.

Oblivious to facts

Your superb summary of the medical marijuana controversy featured the intransigence of AG Schuette, who bloviates, "Across Michigan, our communities are struggling with an invasion of pot shops near their schools, homes and churches,"

This statement is so oblivious to the facts that it is appalling from such an official.

Taxpayers have paid Monitoring the Future (MTF) to survey some 2 million teens aged about 14 to 18 since 1975 to provide regular reports. The short summary of that data is to say that virtually any teen who has wanted any drug for at least 35 years has been able get it by simply asking a few peers. In the words of MTF, "[M]arijuana has been almost universally available to American 12th graders over the past 33 years."

The MTF questions let 12th graders name which ones of 17 factors had an influence on their decisions. MTF says, "The reason for not using or stopping marijuana use cited by the fewest seniors [less than 7 percent] over the 29 years of data included in this analysis was availability." Indeed, the number who say the drugs are "easy to get" vastly exceeds those who actually use them.

So Schuette is desperately trying to keep patients from a valuable, often essential, medicine in order to protect teens by getting them to buy drugs from some of the million other teens that now sell drugs in our nation's schools? Does he celebrate himself with a drink of far more dangerous alcohol? —Jerry Epstein, Houston, Texas

Bottom line

All of the praise of marijuana's powers to alleviate such a wide variety of ills merely serves as evidence of why the power of the corporate — read pharmaceutical — medical establishment uses its lobbying influence to insure that it will not compete with their products.

Look to the bottom line. In Australia and some European countries, strains of periwinkle are prescribed as effective cancer-fighters; in this country, however, scores of components of periwinkle have been extracted from their plant source and registered and marketed as cancer-fighting drugs. Not that this approach saves more lives, but it does effectively give monopolies (through patent) to pharmeceutical companies — for much higher prices than you'll see in your local health shop! (Look: The bottom line!)

It's rather like not selling a plate of food to someone who's starving when you've got the only-game-in-town, and can sell them — by the spoonful — enough to keep body and soul together ... till the next payment.

For some, the top 1 percent, it doesn't get any better! —Bruce Saunders, Detroit

Brain Dwayne

Upon reading you recent article, "Valley of the Doll" (Oct. 26), once again I am astounded at this magazine's obsession with image over substance in Detroit's music scene. I am wondering who Duane the Teenage Weirdo blew to get this article into your paper. First, admitting his ideas are "not executed well," his songs "cheesy," his fan base "small" — then showing some gay bar promo Boy George rip-off pictures makes me wonder who is making music decisions at Metro Times and, secondly, if there is anyone actually in the music scene at all covering it. I am beginning to see why Internet blogs are starting to gain the only legitimacy in this town when writing and reviewing acts, because frankly, reading your paper's music articles is more like reading a band's promo packages instead of actual "in-the-scene" beat writing. Get it together, MT, you just lost another reader. —Lauren Klein, Detroit

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Riverside Grocery Kid Friendly

Hours: Open year round

Restaurant Details

Riverside Grocery is a 100-year-old general store located on the South Channel of the St. Clair River on Harsens Island. Riverside Grocery offers great food, beer, wine, liquor, pop, snacks, ice cream and a Marathon marine gas dock.

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The Insane Clown Posse did the Mannequin Challenge and we can all go home now

Just when you thought the Mannequin Challenge had wafted away into the Internet graveyard, the lovely folks at Psychopathic Records completed the Internet challenge and it's as glorious as you'd expect.

Of course, the people at Psychopathic Records feature the Insane Clown Posse, aka our lovable Juggalos, so it's pretty fun to see some of the crew frozen with their juggalo makeup on.


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Tired of Being Tracked and Bombarded with Ads? Ghostery

I have “do not track” enabled (in Safari, Preferences => Privacy => Ask websites to not track me). Fat chance—ad trackers and advertisers totally ignore this. That setting is all but useless and toothless.

I do not object to a reasonable number of ads on a site that are tailored to that site and relevant to that site. That’s totally fair and appropriate.

But I do object to poor response time, ads that follow me around the web across unrelated sites, a willful crossing of what I deem a “red line”: having ads follow me around the web with trackers that clearly are recording all my online site visits. That is offensive.

Experience anything like this?

  • A certain stock charting web site I was seeing annoying delays, making me wait a second or two for every one of 30 tabs or so, an irritating experience.
  • Products I had looked at on a certain photography store kept following me around on a dozen different other websites.
  • A vast array of ads cluttering some sites, including obnoxious animated ones, including ones resulting from tracking from other sites.
  • On my laptop in the field using my iPhone as a personal hotspot, response time is massively faster for some sites (personal hot spots can have latency issues and tabs can just die). The benefits are HUGE when the signal is at moderate or low strength.
  • And so on.
Ghostery tracker and ad blocker

If this is the Google and Facebook model, it seems doomed because it disrespects customers. I won’t put up with this any more. So I finally installed Ghostery:

  • The stock charting site works instantaneously; it was using a dozen or so trackers, all of which I disabled.
  • The photo products I looked at no longer follow me around on all sorts of other web sites.
  • Most all ads just vanish, cleaning up the godawful mess on some sites..

Because I’m not sure which trackers are the bad actors, they all lose—I just shotgun all of them to disabled using Ghostery. I’d rather be fair, but I am just not going to sort through 13 different ad trackers and half a dozen beacons (whatever those are) just because some ill-conceived site has no respect for my experience.

Now I know that “free” means “somehow has to pay for it” and that means ads are needed. As noted above, I accept that core idea, but not the ugly attempt to practically force me into buying something as well as the eerie feeling of being tracked no matter where I go—unacceptable.

Accordingly, this is justice: an advertiser willing to cross that red line deserves to have their ads become unseen, for tracking to no longer work, etc. Good riddance, my browsing experience is faster and cleaner now with Ghostery. I didn’t ask for the mess, but the red line means I have now cleaned it up in the only way I could.

Chris R writes:

What an excellent recommend that ‘Ghostery’ extension is, installed it on my browsers here and as you say works immediately, speeds the browser up too! .. result! Here’s another good extension you might like, it’s called - SearchLock it prevents Google from storing all your information on search you may do using your browser, you can now keep your searches to yourself -

MPG: I hve not yet tried SearchLock.

Jeff K writes:

I used Ghostery for a few years , I don't like tracking or long page
load times either.

Even though I found Ghostery useful, and free, I just uninstalled the
extension due to it's acquisition by Cliqz!

Whether I'm right or wrong about this I spent the $10 on 1Blocker after
some good references from like-minded people.

The app is very effective, very fast and customizable with the database
updating over the net so you don't have to update the app.

Keep up your impressive work.

MPG: on the Ghostery home page one will find “Ghostery© is a Cliqz company. Learn more about Cliqz”. Cliqz has an agenda for sure. Its news page says a few things, including “Cliqz GmbH has been majority-owned by Hubert Burda Media, one of Europe’s leading media corporations. In August 2016, Mozilla joined as a strategic minority investor”. Clearly it’s worth paying attention to this area as the acquisition by a for-profit corporation seems at odds with the original mission. The major risk would of course be having a plugin like Ghostery be repurposed for tracking of its own. At this point, I have no position on this matter other than it raises issues I’d rather had not come to pass, and I don’t like rabbit holes and it does what I want it to do for now.

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Encouraging Health and Happiness

Make ahead for a Busy Week- Spring Pasta Salad

Spring Pasta Salad – Fresh Peas, Salmon and Herbs

Imagine a decadently rich creamy pasta salad that’s actually good for you. Well, here you have it. The secret is in the dressing, which has a base of tangy thickened yogurt that’s the ideal foil for the rich salmon. Sweet peas stud the dish with beautiful color, and dill and scallions make it delightfully fragrant and flavorful.

Yield : Makes 4 servings

  • 2/3 cup plain Greek-style nonfat yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (14-ounce) can wild red salmon, drained, skinned and boned, and cut into chunks
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, defrosted
  • ½ pound bowtie or corkscrew pasta, cooked according to package directions and cooled
  • 2 scallions (white and green parts), minced (about ¼ cup)
  • 8 cups chopped red leaf lettuce

Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, mayonnaise, lemon zest, dill, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk to incorporate. Add the salmon, peas, pasta, and scallions and toss to incorporate. The pasta salad will keep up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To serve, mound 2 cups of the lettuce onto each plate or into to-go containers and scoop about 1¾ cups of the pasta salad on top.

Greek-style yogurt is simply yogurt that has been strained so it is ultra thick and creamy. It is perfect as a base for creamy dressings, dips, and spreads. It’s now in major markets nationwide. If you can’t find it, don’t worry. It is simple to make. Just put plain, nonfat yogurt into a strainer lined with a paper towel. Set the strainer over a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours depending on how thick you want it. You need about 1 1/3 cups of regular yogurt to make 1 cup strained. It keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.

Excellent source of Fiber, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Thiamin, Viatmin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin K. Good source of Copper, Potassium, Vitamin B6, Zinc.

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Friday, 7 January 2011

Greed is gruesome: Madam Miaow gets supersized

I'm just a girl who can't say no. No, not a popular breakaway hit from the musical Oklahoma, but a dawning realisation that I like to indulge. Which can lead to a peculiar leftist angst as my ascetic consideration for the planet and the holy temple of my bod does battle with my inner gannet.

A glutton for everything except punishment, I like to wolf down things that are bad for me. I recently stayed in the arty seaside resort of St Ives and found myself conducting a Supersize Me experiment as I relinquished my usual balanced diet for the regional Cornish produce of pasties, clotted cream and scones, clotted cream ice-cream with clotted cream and the local cider brew. I would have snaffled one of the marauding seagulls as well had I caught one with a nice ready-made stuffing of pasty and ice-cream purloined from unsuspecting tourists. It was only after two weeks when my skin turned to parchment and my eyes sprouted bags like luggage that I snapped out of it and into a mini-detox.

At these moments I'm more gorge than gorgeous. Take burgers, f'rinstance. Bad for the planet, bad for me, but every so often when the moon is full, I need my cholesterol indulgence. Okay, it may be largely connective tissue, fat and cancerous tumours, but mashed up with a dollop of ketchup or "relish", it slips down a treat, barely hitting the sides.

That's how I came down with dysentary as a kid, on the grand tour of China with a stopover in Karachi. "Drink bottled water, wash the fruit and DON'T EAT THE MEAT!" warned my mother. Hah! Mothers, what do they know? So I'm waiting for the taxi to take us to the airport when I spy a burger stall and come over all tunnel-visioned seeing nothing but the patty glistening in the 100 degree noonday sun. I'm halfway through when it occurs to me that this may not be the sensible thing to do and, sho 'nuff, a week later, I find myself convalescing in a Beijing hospital, the details of which I shall spare my sensitive readers.

And this summer, I did it again! In Scarborough for a concert, I dived off with the sound techie's partner for seaside fun on the beach, partaking of the seafood which included big fat oysters. One oyster tasted different. Not bad, but different. Ignoring everything I have been told about shellfish I still ate it with all my alarm bells screaming at once. Just as well I didn't feed it to the seagull lurking at my feet, as I was tempted to do ... he would only have flown off, exploding his guts all over the tourists, and that is so not a good look. In any case, he sensed something was wrong and waddled off. Animal instincts? Yes, please.

So that's why I spent 24 hours purging myself of toxins (don't ask!) before the gig. Not such a hot thang now, was I? Green in consumption habits, good. Green in face, doubleplusungood.

First published in New Internationalist magazine.

Gwei Mui said...

I can so relate - every once in a while I crave the all those bad foodie items. I indulge and pay the price. I now have a similar relationship with alcohol. I'm no spring chicken anymore lol

Biluś said...

Ha - great post! Bit miffed however, as I was purging myself of toxins just today, as it happens, and now my will has gone and I'm going to make me a veggie burger... don't feel too bad cos I know I'll also sink a bottle of cheap red to make me feel better. Purge tomorrow!


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Nominations due Feb. 20 for next Maine Teacher of the Year

The nomination deadline is just days away for the 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year.

Members of the public can enter educators who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and nurturing the achievement of all students at through Feb. 20. To be considered, a teacher must hold at least a four-year degree and be employed by a Maine public school – including a public charter school or publicly supported secondary school.

The eventual winner of the state’s highest teaching honor, which is awarded by the Maine Department of Education through a program administered by Educate Maine, serves as an advocate for teachers, students and the efforts underway in Maine’s public schools to prepare students for success in college, career and civic life.

The selection of Skowhegan Area Middle School special educator Jennifer Dorman as the current Teacher of the Year was the first that began with an online public nomination process that fielded nearly 400 entries and included recognition at the county level. Previously, only school principals and superintendents could put forth a candidate for consideration.

The 2016 Maine Teacher of the Year will be selected from the 16 county honorees, who will be whittled down to eight semi-finalists and then three state finalists before the ultimate winner is announced by Maine’s Education Commissioner at a surprise school assembly in the fall.

Maine Teacher of the Year is a program of the Maine DOE that since 2013 has been administered by Educate Maine, a business-led organization whose mission is to champion college, career readiness and increased education attainment. Funding is provided by Bangor Savings Bank, Geiger, Hannaford and Unum with support from the State Board of Education and the Maine State Teacher of the Year Association.

For more information about the Maine Teacher of the Year program, visit


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(THE CONVERSATION) On Apr. 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while assisting striking sanitation workers.

That was almost 50 years ago. Back then, the wholesale racial integration required by the 1964 Civil Rights Act was just beginning to chip away at discrimination in education, jobs and public facilities. Black voters had only obtained legal protections two years earlier, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act was about to become law.

African-Americans were only beginning to move into neighborhoods, colleges and careers once reserved for whites only.

I’m too young to remember those days. But hearing my parents talk about the late 1960s, it sounds in some ways like another world. Numerous African-Americans now hold positions of power, from mayor to governor to corporate chief executive – and, yes, once upon a time, president. The U.S. is a very different place than it was 50 years ago.

Or is it? As a scholar of minority politics, I know that while some things have improved markedly for black Americans since 1968, today we are still fighting many of the same battles as Dr. King did in his day.

The 1960s were tumultuous years indeed. During the long, hot summers from 1965 to 1968, American cities saw approximately 150 race riots and other uprisings. The protests were a sign of profound citizen anger about a nation that was, according to the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, “moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.”

Economically, that was certainly true. In 1968, just 10 percent of whites lived below the poverty level, while nearly 34 percent of African-Americans did. Likewise, just 2.6 percent of white job seekers were unemployed, compared to 6.7 percent of black job seekers.

A year before his death, Dr. King and others began organizing a Poor People’s Campaign to “dramatize the plight of America’s poor of all races and make very clear that they are sick and tired of waiting for a better life.”

On May 28, 1968, one month after King’s assassination, the mass anti-poverty march took place. Individuals from across the nation erected a tent city on the National Mall, in Washington, calling it Resurrection City. The aim was to bring attention to the problems associated with poverty.

Ralph Abernathy, an African-American minister, led the way in his fallen friend’s place.

“We come with an appeal to open the doors of America to the almost 50 million Americans who have not been given a fair share of America’s wealth and opportunity,” Abernathy said, “and we will stay until we get it.”

So, how far have black people progressed since 1968? Have we gotten our fair share yet? Those questions have been on my mind a lot this month.

In some ways, we’ve barely budged as a people. Poverty is still too common in the U.S. In 1968, 25 million Americans — roughly 13 percent of the population — lived below poverty level. In 2016, 43.1 million – or more than 12.7 percent – do.

Today’s black poverty rate of 22 percent is almost three times that of whites. Compared to the 1968 rate of 32 percent, there’s not been a huge improvement.

Financial security, too, still differs dramatically by race. Black households earn $57.30 for every $100 in income earned by white families. And for every $100 in white family wealth, black families hold just $5.04.

Another troubling aspect about black social progress – or should I say the lack thereof – is how many black families are headed by single women. In the 1960s, unmarried women were the main breadwinners for 20 percent of households. In recent years, the percentage has risen as high as 72 percent.

This is important, but not because of some outmoded sexist ideal of the family. In the U.S., as across the Americas, there’s a powerful connection between poverty and female-headed households.

Black Americans today are also more dependent on government aid than they were in 1968. Currently, almost 40 percent of African-Americans are poor enough to qualify for welfare, housing assistance and other government programs that offer modest support to families living under the poverty line.

That’s higher than any other U.S. racial group. Just 21 percent of Latinos, 18 percent Asian-Americans and 17 percent of whites are on welfare.

There are, of course, positive trends. Today, far more African-Americans graduate from college – 38 percent – than they did 50 years ago.

Our incomes are also way up. Black adults experienced a more significant income increase from 1980 to 2016 – from $28,667 to $39,490 – than any other U.S. demographic group. This, in part, is why there’s now a significant black middle class.

Legally, African-Americans may live in any community they want – and from Beverly Hills to the Upper East Side, they can and do.

But why aren’t those gains deeper and more widespread?

Some prominent thinkers – including the award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and “The New Jim Crow” author Michelle Alexander – put the onus on institutional racism. Coates argues, among other things, that racism has so held back African-Americans throughout history that we deserve reparations, resurfacing a claim with a long history in black activism.

Alexander, for her part, has famously said that racial profiling and the mass incarceration of African-Americans are just modern-day forms of the legal, institutionalized racism that once ruled across the American South.

More conservative thinkers may hold black people solely accountable for their problems. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson is in this “personal responsibility” camp, along with public intellectuals like Thomas Sowell and Larry Elder.

Depending on who you ask, then, black people aren’t much better off than in 1968 because either there’s not enough government help or there’s way too much.

I don’t have to wonder what Dr. King would recommend. He believed in institutional racism.

In 1968, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Council sought to tackle inequality with the Economic Bill of Rights. This was not a legislative proposal, per se, but a moral vision of a just America where all citizens had educational opportunities, a home, “access to land,” “a meaningful job at a living wage” and “a secure and adequate income.”

To achieve that, King wrote, the U.S. government should create an initiative to “abolish unemployment,” by developing incentives to increase the number of jobs for black Americans. He also recommended “another program to supplement the income of those whose earnings are below the poverty level.”

Those ideas were revolutionary in 1968. Today, they seem prescient. King’s notion that all citizens need a living wage portends the universal basic income concept now gaining traction worldwide.

King’s rhetoric and ideology are also obvious influences on Sen. Bernie Sanders, who in the 2016 presidential primaries advocated equality for all people, economic incentives for working families, improved schools, greater access to higher education and for anti-poverty initiatives.

Progress has been made. Just not as much as many of us would like. To put it in Dr. King’s words, “Lord, we ain’t what we oughta be. We ain’t what we want to be. We ain’t what we gonna be. But, thank God, we ain’t what we was.”

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About this blog

Hi and welcome!

I’m glad to see you here and I hope that you find something useful. If you like something, please be my guest to post a comment.

The intention was to make of Marcio Kenobi a photo blog. All that I love in the world would be here in images: movies, music, nature, animals, photo, books, arts, poetry, people, etc. And of course, make of this Blog a space to share my love for the Star Wars movies, and other things about fantasy and sci-fi.

And now the sad new…

I’m sorry, but this Blog is closed. I will not make more posts for a while. My time is too short now and I can’t spend it here anymore, because I have another things to do in my free time. But I’m happy because I know I made good posts here that attracted the attention of thousands of people since this blog started on May, 2011. See the stats for February 27, 2016.

There are much things for you see here. More than 550 posts not even all about Star Wars or fantasy and sci-fi. So, please take a look in the left column and search for what you like clicking on tags and categories. I hope you like such as I of all of that.

From now on – with all those new movies coming soon and all fresh news about Star Wars, I’ll take care and use my secondary blog Mos Eisley Chronicles to continue sharing all my love for the Star Wars movies and its Expanded Universe. So, it doesn’t matter if you are a Padawan or a Jedi Master, a Lord Sith or a Knight of Ren, if you like Star Wars maybe you want to visit Mos Eisley Chronicles and see my personal collection of pictures, news and all kind of info about Star Wars.

Thanks for visiting All That I Love and come back anytime. Hope to see you again some day. May the Force be with you.

kenobiAbout the author: Marcio Kenobi (mkenobi) is a Brazilian Jedi Master fighting the tyranny and trying to bring more pop culture to the Old Republic. Join me!

More about Marcio Kenobi:

ASSIM ERA HOLLYWOOD (Portuguese Blog for classic movies)
CULT MOVIES (Portuguese Blog for revered films and fantastic cinema)

Disclaimer: All images posted here were found on other sites on the Internet and I suppose that all of them are in public domain. If you are the owner of any image posted here, please contact me and it will be removed from this blog as soon as possible.

  1. tigerclaws says:

    I really enjoyed reading and going through your blog!!

    A very comprehensive, encompassing, well written and archived blog… Keep up the great work!

  2. Thanks for enjoy this blog

  3. Bart says:

    I enjoyed your blog. I re-posted many of your images on my Pinterest page. Are you on Pinterest?

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The Afghan Girl

Posted: January 31, 2012 in countries, photo, photographers
Tags: , , , ,

Front cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine

Sharbat Gula (born ca. 1972) is an Afghan woman who was the subject of a famous photograph by journalist Steve McCurry. Gula was living as a refugee in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographed. The image brought her recognition when it was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine at a time when she was approximately 12 years old.

In 1984 journalist Steve McCurry photographed 12-year old Sharbat Gula in the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan.

Pashtun by ethnicity, Sharbat Gula was orphaned during the Soviet Union’s bombing of Afghanistan and sent to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan in 1984. Her village was attacked by Soviet helicopter gunships sometime in the early 1980s. The Soviet strike killed her parents — forcing her, her siblings and grandmother to hike over the mountains to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in neighboring Pakistan. She married in the late 1980s and returned to Afghanistan in 1992. Sharbat Gula had three daughters: Robina, Zahida, and Alia. A fourth daughter died in infancy. Sharbat Gula has expressed the hope that her girls will receive the education she was never able to complete.

Gula was known throughout the world simply as “the Afghan Girl” until she was formally identified in early 2002.

At the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in 1984, Sharbat Gula’s photograph was taken by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry on Kodachrome color slide film, with a Nikon FM2 camera and Nikkor 105mm F2.5 lens. The pre-print photo retouching was done by Graphic Art Service, based in Marietta, Georgia. Sharbat Gula was one of the students in an informal school within the refugee camp; McCurry seized a rare opportunity to photograph Afghan women and captured her image.

Although her name was not known, her picture, titled “Afghan Girl”, appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic. The image of her face, with a red scarf draped loosely over her head and with her piercing sea-green eyes staring directly into the camera, became a symbol both of the 1980’s Afghan conflict and of the refugee situation worldwide. The image itself was named “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the magazine. The identity of the Afghan Girl remained unknown for over 17 years; Afghanistan remained largely closed to Western media until after the removal of the Taliban government by American troops and local allies in 2001. Although McCurry made several attempts during the 1990s to locate her, he was unsuccessful.

Sharbat Gula, April 2002

In January 2002, a National Geographic team traveled to Afghanistan to locate the subject of the now-famous photograph. McCurry, upon learning that the Nasir Bagh refugee camp was soon to close, inquired of its remaining residents, one of whom knew Sharbat Gula’s brother and was able to send word to her hometown.

The team finally located Sharbat Gula, then around the age of 30, in a remote region of Afghanistan; she had returned to her native country from the refugee camp in 1992. Her identity was confirmed using biometric technology, which matched her iris patterns to those of the photograph with almost full certainty. She vividly recalled being photographed — she had been photographed on only three occasions: in 1984 and during the search for her when a National Geographic producer took the identifying pictures that led to the reunion with Steve McCurry.

Sharbat had never seen her famous portrait before it was shown to her in January 2002.

The Photographer Steve McCurry. Official Site:

National Geographic
Thanks to my buddy Tormendadepedos for sharing the photo sharbat-gula-2

PART 1/4:

PART 2/4:

PART 3/4:

PART 4/4:

  1. Tormenta De Pedos says:

    Vaya post,digno de un profesional,
    de veras estoy impresionado por la calidad,la informaccion exahustiva
    y el trabajo de busqueda.
    Thumbs up!!!!

  2. DAVID MORAN says:

    buen trabajo. pura calidad en fotografia.

  3. […] on Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this […]

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The 144 Paths: Aries South Node – Libra North Node Through the Houses

Aries – 1st House South Node : Libra – 7th House North Node

Came into life knowing you could take care of yourself ardently, competitively, as a leader. Are learning to give over some of your power to others – for example, a significant other, very close friends, an open enemy – diplomatically, with fairness, in a cultured manner.

Aries – 2nd house South Node : Libra – 8th house North Node

Came into this life knowing how to use initiating energy to make money for yourself, how to pioneer your value systems, how to go out and support yourself. Are learning how to use refinement to get support from others, how to use mathematical methods to make money for others, how to maintain balance in the face of desperation or death.

Aries – 3rd house South Node : Libra – 9th house North Node

Came into this life knowing how to be competitive, pioneering, and a leader in your local environment, with your siblings, in factual matters, with your cars, as a teacher. Are learning a balanced approach to seeking broader horizons, e.g. approaching a religious belief system peacefully, bringing the energy of harmony to bear on the joint ideas of humanity, being cultured while traveling to foreign locales or dealing with foreigners, seeing relationships inherent in your life philosophy.

Aries – 4th house South Node : Libra – 10th house North Node

Came into this world knowing how to use martial energy to protect the home and homeland, knowing how to be innovative at things like gardening, mothering, and cooking. Are learning to be concerned about you outside reputation and to build a reputation as a person who is fair, peace oriented, and beautiful.

Aries – 5th house South Node : Libra – 11th house North Node

Came into this world knowing how to grab the spotlight competitively, aggressively, how to pour energy into creations, how to actively play. Are learning to set balanced and fair goals for yourself, to make friends with charm and refinement, to be a detached member of the audience.

Aries – 6th house South Node : Libra – 12th house North Node

Came into this world knowing how to be energetically useful, to be actively busy, to put your energy into living in and by the world. Are learning to withdraw from the world with peace, to bring beauty to bear on the inner world, to relax culturally and socially.

Aries – 7th house South Node : Libra – 1st house North Node

Came into this world knowing how to initiate relationships, how to bring initiative to bear on giving power over to others, how to be aggressive with open enemies. Are learning to be gracious in your personality, to make your body beautiful, to be fair in your actions.

Aries – 8th house South Node : Libra – 2nd house North Node

Came into this world knowing competitive, angry desperation, leadership when it comes to the occult, being first when it comes to being supported by others. Are learning to build your own value system based on fairness and harmony, to apply charm and balance to earn your own money, to buy and sell beautiful possessions.

Aries – 9th house South Node : Libra – 3rd house North Node

Came into this world knowing pioneering religious beliefs, an assertive life philosophy, energetic world travel. Are learning to approach your local environment beautifully, to approach your siblings and cousins lovingly, to get out and about in your local environment charmingly and fairly.

Aries – 10th house South Node : Libra – 4th house North Node

Came into this world knowing how to be energetic in the public eye, how to be pioneering in your profession, how to lead in management. Are learning how to make a beautiful home, to protect your family charmingly, to recognize your roots in a balanced way.

Aries – 11th house South Node : Libra – 5th house North Node

Came into this world knowing how to be assertive making friends and in groups, energetic in setting goals, pioneering in your aspirations. Are learning to play beautifully, to perform harmoniously, to create in a balanced way, to be on stage rather than in the audience – peacefully, to be sweet to children.

Aries – 12th house South Node : Libra – 6th house North Node

Came into this world knowing the competitive power of behind the scenes actions, withdrawing from the world into self awareness, being angrily self destructive, being pioneering in your sorrow. Are learning staying busy and involved in a balanced way, bringing harmony and beauty to bear on your daily routines, finding relationships in and at your work.

The 144 paths: Introduction

In the next series of blog posts, I will describe the 144 possible combinations of South Node / North Node sign and house placements, starting with the South Node in Aries and the North Node in Libra through the houses.  In astrology, signs, for example Aries and Libra, represent adjectives or approaches, while houses, for example the first house and the seventh house, represent persons, places and things or nouns.   The 144 paths that I describe are mainly based on keywords for the 12 signs and the 12 houses.


text:
Tai Chi for Kids

Tai Chi for Kids

Move With the Animals : Eight Simple Tai Chi Movements Parents Can Teach Their Children for Health, Imagination, and Play

Book - 2001
Rate this:
Teaches the basics of the ancient Chinese exercise of Tai Chi through a story, illustrations, and simple, step-by-step directions.
Publisher: Rochester, Vt. : Bear Cub Books, c2001.
ISBN: 9781879181656
Characteristics: 32 p. : col. ill.

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text:
It’s the classic story of a good thing gone bad.

In his fantastic book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell made mention of a study by Anders Ericsson which revealed that masters in all different fields held something in common: they all put in massive amounts of practice. This practice seemed to be the factor that separated the greats from the merely good in many different areas of work. The Beatles’ time spent learning their chops in Hamburg was the primary case in point. “10,000 hours” was the shorthand Gladwell used for this phenomenon, and it quickly entered the public consciousness.

Somewhere along the way, the meaning of this “10,000 hours” thing subtly changed. What started out as a description of what masters seemed to have in common soon became a piece of advice kicked around the internet. If you just put in your 10,000 hours, the internet experts say, you can be a master too.

I don’t think it works exactly like that.

Take The Beatles for example. It doesn’t matter how many hours a band practices now, they will never be The Beatles. So much of The Beatles’ success had to do with the times they lived in. The fledgling rock and roll format needed a face and The Beatles provided it. Nowadays we’ve already got a Beatles. We don’t need another one.

It’s also important to remember that masters like The Beatles started with a healthy dose of innate talent. Practice will get you so far, but there’s no substitute for mad skills. I know in my case, I am not very good at sports. At all. I’m sure if I put in 10,000 hours of practice, I could learn to hit a baseball pretty well. But it doesn’t matter how much I practice – Chipper Jones I am not.

I’ve had many conversations after Third Day shows that went something like this.

“How long were you guys together before you got signed?”
“About five years.”
“Oh cool. My band has been together for three years. I guess we’ll get signed in another two years.”

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way either.

“10,000 hours” is a great description for the journey taken by masters of the craft; meanwhile we’ve turned it into a destination. In doing so, we’ve taken the life out of it.

Here are a couple of ideas for redeeming the great idea behind “10,000 hours”. I’m using music as an example because that’s what I know. Feel free to substitute whatever “your thing” is:

1) Instead of focusing on the destination, focus on the journey – If you’re in a band and want a record contract, take a look at what bands with deals do. They make music and they do shows. Make a genuine effort to get really good at those two things. Get obsessed with it – obsession can be a good thing, you know. Make sure to get feedback from people who know what they’re talking about: A&R people, music publishers, etc. Then and only then is the time to start thinking about putting in 10,000 hours.

2) Why wait 10,000 hours? Go ahead and live your dream now – Ask yourself “what do I want?” What do you want to gain by achieving this goal? You say you want a record deal, but why? After thinking it through, you may find that you want to get up and play in front of people. Find an open mic night at a local coffee shop, and you won’t have to wait 10,000 hours.

3) Who cares what anybody thinks. Do what makes you happy. – If you love singing but you’re not a great singer, sing anyway. If that brings joy to your life that translates into other areas where you’re a “master”, I say go for it!

OK, I’ll step off my soapbox. Tomorrow I’m going to tie this all together with a post about what I’m passionate about: books and blogs and the written word. I sure hope you’ll join me…

Are you with me on this whole 10,000 hours thing? Or do you think I’m off my rocker? Either way, I’d love to hear about it. Use the comments section below to keep the discussion going!


text:
Day: July 12, 2016

Just Keep On Dancing?

If there was ever any doubt that the “markets” are nothing more than a HFT (high frequency trading) cesspool of central bank funded front-running; today is that day when all doubt has been erased.

Whether or not one accepts that fact is a choice they have to make for themselves. Only you can decide how long you want to “dance,” as there seems to still be music playing in the casino ballroom.

Why all the dancing and music references? Well, it’s only because I, unlike most, remember 2007 with a little more clarity. To many ’07 is ancient history. To many others – the scars are still clearly visible.

Those scars which now far too many want to brush off as “temporary discomforts” came just after the so-called smart crowd wanted to profess just how solid everything was. Questioning real estate, CDO’s, CDS’. MBS’ _______(fill in the blank) and such was for the “ill-informed” or, for those who “just don’t get it.”

Tuning into CNBC™ at this time was an abject lesson in “It doesn’t get any better than this!” TV. It was boom-time (again.) And just the mere questioning as to how much longer that “boom” could go on was met with scorn, ridicule, and a whole lot more. For those with short memories (or were still in school circa 2000) the tech boom collapse was still fresh in many a business persons mind, not to mention many a 401K balance report..

As the markets went higher and higher in what seemed out of frustration as to answering all the nay-sayers questioning the run, Chuck Prince, the then CEO of Citigroup™, spoke the now infamous line as reported in the FT™. To Wit:

“When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated. But as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance. We’re still dancing”

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that now immortal line was uttered July 9, 2007 And here we are, once again, almost to the day some 9 years later. And we are “dancing” again.

Actually, “dancing” probably no longer fits the description. Maybe calling this a “rave party” is more accurate. For these party goers aren’t dancing ecstatically based on some simple monetary libation. No, these party goers are jacked up on monetary stimulants far more powerful than any bodily ingested chemical reaction could ever deliver. We are now entirely enveloped in the monetary equivalent of central banker “ecstasy.” A monetary stimulant so powerful it would make Timothy Leary envious.

Just to put things into some context, here’s the S&P 500™ as shown via the SPX shortly after today’s open. (click on image to enlarge) To Wit:

Screen Shot 2016-07-12 at 10.58.28 AM

S&P 500™ July 12, 2016 via the SPX shortly after the opening bell

I put a few annotations (just for context.) As you can see the peak on the left is the top of the “Dot-Com bubble” and its resulting aftermath. Then, up we go again into the next bubble phase now known as the “real estate bubble.” And right there at the top is where Chuck Prince made his most notable remarks. What follows is what is now known as “The Great Financial Crisis.” So what happened next? Great job creation? Great GDP prints month after month, year after year? Wage growth? Nope. All of it has been nothing more than the ability to front run central bank money printing of trillions, upon trillions, upon trillions of dollars. That has been the only “fundamental” catalyst. Period.

And today? Right there at the tip-pity top is where we currently are. Again, (just for context) we have never, ever, ever, been so high. We’re so high even “Ravers” are saying “Wow man!”

So why are we here? One word “Ben-zai-nomics” What is that you say? Well (just for context) remember how and why we went up here in the first place? Hint: Then Fed. Chairman Ben Bernanke deployed monetary maneuvers in the war against free markets which were once only a thought experiment to be contained within the hallowed halls of academia. Then, (much like Oppenheimer,) Mr. Bernanke unleashed the theoretical to the real world and QE was both created, unleashed, and deployed creating the equivalent of a monetary nuclear reaction to which the markets (and the world for that matter) had never seen. And much like that monetary dooms day weapon – we thought we seen the last of it. Until last night that is.

We now know none other than Mr. Bernanke has been at it once again. No, not here in the U.S., but in Japan. It would seem to be the case that Mr. Print, then Print some more has convinced the finance powers that be, in Japan, to deploy the equivalent of “helicopter money.” The result? Hint: Top of the chart, right hand corner, “You are here.”

What happens next is anyone’s guess. However, since it’s all guess’ and opinions now seem to be near worthless as compared to central bank largess. I’d like to offer up my own 2-cents.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, but for those who may need to hear it again here it is: China.

Does anyone think for a moment that China is going to sit back and say “Oh look, Japan is devaluing and deploying helicopter styled money-making their goods and services cheaper and more affordable. Good for them.”

Want a little more “context?” China was just told “Yeah that whole South Sea thing you say is yours? Sorry… no.” And they are far from saying “Oh well, that’s the way it goes I guess.” In actuality – they are far from happy, rejecting the entire process and outcome stating “China will never accept any claim or action based on those awards,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said.

Think China is going to take into consideration any turmoil a further devaluing of their currency is going to have on the west? You know, as to not want to upset the “apple cart?” Especially after what has transpired Monday and Tuesday? Give that a thought through, and a long one at that.

If China decides tomorrow, or in the very near future to send its own message in just one short blast of Yuan devaluation of any magnitude? The music stops. And you can quote me on that.

Just on a side note – didn’t the band play on during the Titanic disaster? Sorry, just thinking out loud.

© 2016 Mark St.Cyr


text:
weather at Vauvert, France

Translate- it works!

Like to follow this blog...? After a few 'unwanted' e-mails I'm afraid you will have to become a fo

For your information.

After a few 'unwanted and unnecessary e-mails I'm sorry, but to place a comment you will now have to become a 'FOLLOWER" - People can be and are nasty creatures.
At the bottom of this Blog I've put 4 links - on the right hand side - They will take you to various news sites from various countries. Keep up to date.....! The same links are just below.
Due to poor health, I have decided to use this site mainly, and the site below for some of my postings....just click on it and choose the article to read from the list!
I'm to be found on 'Facebook' as 'Ian Mitchell' and......
I've started using "Twitter" (mr le Marquis) much more, and you can be a part of it. On all my Websites you'll find, somewhere (generally at the top of the page) "Twitter Updates"- This gives you links to click on which will take you to interesting things....Try it!
This site is OPTIMIZED for use with Google Chrome. It may be that users of Internet Explorer will have difficulties to read the text - change to Chrome or Firefox - they're better and safer anyway.
All photos and articles are available as free downloads for individuals. Commercial users please contact:
To view/download a photo in original size, click on the photo and the page should open- This does NOT always apply to the photos in the side bar, with the exception of the Slideshow.
To make it easier for you (you may have to go to 'listen live' etc):
A General link - choose from various radio news stations in English....
Or in French:
Or in German.....

A little trip through life

Come and take a little trip with me - through my life and with a few other people as well.....You can listen to the music if you don't like the photos....!
Jan/ian (Mr le Marquis - Iwmpop ) Personal Slideshow: Ian’s trip from Le Creusot, Burgundy, France to Nîmes was created by TripAdvisor. See another Nîmes slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Blogger oh Blogger oh Bother!

Yesterday I wanted to put a couple of articles on the spot, and couldn't!
Told me it was all full up, so I went off to look at the help group, to see if there were any solutions!
What I saw were hundreds of notes from people in the same situation! From all over the world, Australia to Greenland!!
The theories went from terrorist attacks on Google Blogs, to somebody asleep on duty at Google!!
I suppose they'll get it sorted out sometime, whilst waiting, my literary ideas are literally being lost in my memory!!
Never mind - I suppose we should be all right for Christmas with Ron and Eff!! Uh Oh Trouble Inga Problem

Well, we'll see how it goes - have patience with me!

Communication is a problem subject at the moment, I'm trying to get Sky TV and I've now found out that I can have it with no problem from a new company here in France.
Now my problem is to find the money to buy the Sky Digi box (at 250 euros!!!) but at least I know now that for the reasonable monthly price of 14BP, I can watch CRICKET live, whilst lying in the sun of the S of France, and that quite legally! I can even pay the monthly fee direct from my French Bank Account - all of which was illegal until recently!
Anybody else out there who is interested can get in touch with me and I'll give you the contacts!
If ever, that is, Blogger publishes this!!

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text:
Comic book reviews for the week of 4/24/17( Spoilers Abound)

I have been gone from the blog for a while.  Mostly because Marvel comics has felt very uninspired for a very long time.  And it pain’s me to say that a lot of it has to do with diversity in comics.  Marvel has been trying to attract younger readers of different ethnicities.  So, on order to do this, they killed off heroes we love and replaced them with knock off replacements.  For instance, Bruce Banner was killed by Hawkeye in Civil War 2 and replaced with an Asian teenager who is now referred to as the totally awesome hulk.  Tony Stark has also been replaced by a teenage African American girl.  This has alienated many long time readers and Marvel sales have plummeted.

The good news?  Starting in August, Marvel will be starting an event called generations, which will bring together legacy characters with today’s counterparts.

But things are slowly starting to change  Marvel actually put out a mini event called Monsters Unleashed that was fun to read.  The story followed a young inhuman boy that had the ability to summon monsters by drawing them.  All the Superheroes were forced to fight these monsters when all they had to do was rely on the young boy to create new monsters to fight the already created monsters.  The mini series lead to its own ongoing series which I highly recommend.  It just started a few weeks ago so if you’re new to comics, it’s a great place to start.

Marvel has also just begun a new event called Secret Empire where Captain America is being manipulated into believing he’s the leader of hydra.  I’ve not read it but I hear it’s amazing.

So let’s get started on this week’s comics.

1.  While X-men Gold #002 is not as controversial as it’s first issue, it seems that this time the author ( instead of the artist ) is attempting to add to the controversy.  If you are unaware of this controversy, Ardian Syaf, the penciler of the book, hid references from the Koran in his art that were anti-semetic in nature.  His contract was immediately terminated causing the value of the book to skyrocket.  Syaf is still the penciler of the book but it’s only because the issue had already been sent to the printer.  Syaf, despite his own religious views, is a very good artist, and to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about firing someone who practices freedom of expression in a society that values that trait.  Still X-men is about inclusiveness so it’s not the best place to express those views.  X-men Gold follows the team of Kitty Pryde, Storm, Nightcrawler, Collosus, Prestige and Old man Logan.    The book is mostly about trying to start over as the mutants faced the difficult challenge of trying to rebuild after a war with the Inhumans.

As any reader of the X-books might know, Xavier”s school is now in the heart of Central Park.  The Gold team is dispatched to the United Nations headquarters where they are attacked by a new team of brotherhood of evil mutants.  Of course the whole conflict is televised which prompts a political pundit to call for the deportation of all mutants.  And here is where the controversy begins.

It is not hard to figure out that this issue is a slam on Trump and his desire to deport illegal aliens.  I don’t even think it tries to hard to mask that intentionally.  And, as I mentioned that I’m all for freedom of expression, but I also think that there are so many different voices decrying the same thing, it can get tedious.  I am not a trump supporter by any means but the disdain for the man, warranted or not, is overbearing at times.  I think this comic takes the issue right up to the line of being too much but doesn’t quite cross it.  I’m just wondering how many other groups Marvel can alienate through this title.  I guess we will see.  Grade: B+

2.  X-men Blue #002 is not as controversial.  As many of my readers know the original 5 x-men were transported through time to stop Cyclops from the present from starting a war between mutants and humans.  Once they got to our present, they couldn’t return to their time frame.  The team is technically lead by Jean Grey but their benefactor is Magneto.  Magneto is now an anti hero and wants peace between humans and mutants.

This entire issue is based on the duplicity of Jean grey.  She acts one way around magneto while secretly training her team to fight magneto.  But it also shows Magneto secretly working on a project that questions his motives as well.

All in all, this was a good issue.  Sometimes the art in this book annoys me.  I haven’t been able to put my finger on it yet but I think it has to do with the book feeling like it’s trying to be anime like.  Grade: B.

3.  Weapon X #002 is quick becoming one of my favorite books.  The reason:  It’s Greg Land’s book.  Who is Greg Land?  One of the best comic book artists in the business.  What do I love about this book?  Well, to start, the cover of this issue is very reminiscent of hulk #340 where you see the reflection of the hulk in Wolverine’s claws except, in this issue, sabretooth”s image can be seen in old man Logan”s claws.

This issue is divided into two plotlines.  For reasons that have not been completely revealed yet, the Weapon X program is trying to capture Warpath, Lady Deathstrike, Domino, Sabretooth and Old Man Logan.  They have sent adamantium machines against Old Man Logan, Sabretooth and Warpath to study their powers and capture them.    What makes this interesting is Old Man Logan can’t detect the monsters through smell so he h as s to be extra careful when fighting the machines.

In this issue we learn that the machines sent to capture the mutants have new features that weren’t seen in the first issue.  The feature Is  actually a bit creepy but youll have to read the issue to figure out what it is.

The writing and pacing of this story is really good.  There is enough tension in both of these issues that leave you wanting more.  And while I’m a huge fan of Greg Land,  I’m not sure this was his strongest work.  I’m giving this issue an A-

4.  Hulk has been one of the more annoying and bizarre comic books of the last few months.  It turns out that since Bruce Banner is dead and Jennifer has come out of a coma she has started practicing law again.  Her first case back is a client named Maisie that mysteriously summons monsters to kill people that give her a hard time.

This issue(#005) we get a little back story from when Jennifer comes out of her coma and we get more of the Maisie story.

What makes this book annoying is there has been no hulk yet and we are already 5 issues into the series.  I don’t really have a lot more to say.  Grade: B-


text:
VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is basically a proxy set up on a remote hosting server and when you connect to it, all your Internet traffic will go through it. In this way if you open a website, the IP address which will be accessing the site will be the one of the hosting server and not your own. This service allows you to open internet sites, download files or access online services that are restricted exclusively to certain counties given that the hosting machine your connection goes through is located in one of these countries. Using a Virtual private network shall also increase your online security because you won't be revealing your actual IP address and location when you access any content on the internet. Even though there are firms which provide only Virtual private network services, we have chose to include VPN access to all internet hosting packages which we offer and at no additional charge, so you can use the service totally free if you already host your sites on our hosting machines.

VPN Traffic in Shared Web Hosting

The VPN access is available as standard irrespective of the shared web hosting plan you sign up for and you'll discover the settings, the login credentials and a list of our hosting servers inside the Virtual private network section of your Hepsia hosting Cp. With just a few clicks you could access any content which is blocked inside your country or which is restricted only to a certain country as we have servers that you could use all around the globe. That way you'll have the freedom to access social networks or online streaming services no matter what since it'll appear that you're in Europe, in North America or any other location which you see in your Cp as we keep adding hosting machines on a regular basis. The Virtual private network filter tool, which you could enable at any time, will block all undesired content such as advertisements or big images, which means less traffic and faster loading speeds for the content that you would like to view.

VPN Traffic in VPS Servers

All Linux VPS servers which are set up with our sophisticated in-house built Hepsia Cp come with Virtual private network access at no additional charge on top of the monthly VPS fee and you can find everything you will need in order to use this service within the VPS section of your account. This includes the hostname and the login info for the VPN client on your end and the locations of all servers that we have as to allow you to choose the most suitable one based on what and where you would like to access. The connection will constantly be encrypted, so you'll not have to worry that somebody could see what internet sites you visit or where you really live. The VPN filter, that you could enable through Hepsia, will filter advertisements and will compress graphics in order to save you traffic and to increase your browsing speed. With this 100 % free service, you can use any online service regardless of whether it is blocked within your home country or if the access to it is restricted exclusively to selected countries.


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Five Nights At Freddy’s- film material?

Warner Bros recently announced the purchase of film rights to Five Nights At Freddy’s—an indie horror game people love to hate and hate to love, (and also frequently post exaggerated reactions to in ‘Let’s Play’ videos on YoutTube,) effectively causing the Internet to lose its collective mind. While it’s easy to argue how video games and Hollywood are usually a match made in one of the deepest circles of Hell, this could go either way.

For an FNAF film- Phil Gorski

One absolutely crucial thing the FNAF movie has going for it that previous video game movies lacked, is that Scott Cawthon, the trilogy’s creator, will have creative input. Consider that Scott successfully created three largely successful indie games in the span of about one year’s time. Now consider how much more potential this movie has with him writing it.

An understandable argument from naysayers is that it’s going to be very difficult to create a movie based around five six-hour work nights at what is arguably the most frightening pizzeria ever conceived. As mentioned above: this will have a longer time for planning and writing, which means there will likely be some deviations from the gameplay elements. This is a good change, as it means that all of the potential for story development and presentation from the FNAF games will be here and it will be present without having to figure out the dozens of mini-game Easter egg puzzles that Scott is so fond of including. Much of this movie’s success will hinge upon how well Scott’s game creation translates into writing for a movie. This larger medium, with its longer running time, might be exactly what Five Nights at Freddy’s needs to really get the whole story out in a way that can be appreciated beyond FNAF’s cult fan-base.

Five Nights At Freddy’s has huge potential to be exactly the sort of movie we need right now. It’s subtle, intelligent and anxiety-inducing horror, boiled down to its simplest form- childhood fears given life. Also it’s not a sequel, nor is it a prequel, a remake, a reboot, a rehash, a prequel-sequel, or a sequel-prequel, like so many of the horror films were sick of. If this goes well, and the smart money says it has all the potential punch above its weight at the box office, it could be a nice shove in the right direction for Hollywood.

Against an FNAF film- Jaime Parra

Buying rights to popular videogames and books isn’t exactly uncommon in the world of movies. It’s happened before with the rights to The Sims series (though a Sims move seems un-thinkable,) but notably, obtaining them doesn’t always guarantee a movie. For starters, sometimes just having the idea stashed away somewhere means you can create something based on it later, but primarily, sometimes the idea is eventually deemed ‘not movie-worthy’.

In the case of Scott Cawthon’s Five Night’s At Freddy’s, the idea seems a poor one. Not because it can’t be done, but rather because it’s unlikely to be done properly due to the terrible track record of the modern horror genre. While we get a few great horror movies here and there, the vast majority are cookie-cutter, incredibly boring and exploitative movies. This in itself wouldn’t be enough to dismiss the idea of course, but that’s when you need to delve deeper into the game itself to understand why it wouldn’t work as a modern horror movie.

For those of you who are unaware of Five Nights At Freddy’s, (or FNAF,) it’s a horror game built around the simple idea of a single night guard having to avoid possessed animatronics inside a tacky, themed restaurant. Due to the small budget the game had, the gameplay focuses exclusively in one room, where you need to utilize cameras to keep track of the animatronics whilst simultaneously trying not to use up your allotted amount of electricity, which will allow you to temporarily close the doors into your office (and save your skin,) in necessary. Every little noise and small eye-catching detail would distract and make you nervous, cleverly building up the tension as they approach.

Horror movies nowadays are infamous for over-utilizing jump scares, and game-to-film adaptations are not exempt.

This subtlety before a large scare is hard to replicate, especially in horror movies, but coupled with the fact that the game itself is recognized for being one of the few instances of good, gaming, ‘jump scares’- a movie adaptation would need to put them in somehow, which could soon turn repetitive. Horror movies nowadays are infamous for over-utilizing jump scares, and game-to-film adaptations are not exempt. One of the worst instances was in-fact the sequel to Silent Hill, which much to the joy of internet reviewers everywhere had a jump-scare per scene change, including one that utilized a pop-tart coming out of a toaster. (No, that’s not a joke, look it up.)

Couple this with the fact the animatronics themselves are very hard to re-create in person, and we could get another huge problem on our hands: The main scare being entirely CGI. Now, that’s not to say CGI couldn’t be done or may not be needed, but consider the abuse this technique receives in horror movies nowadays, sometimes completely completely undermining the novelty of a good horror film’s monster.

Never say never though, FNAF could actually enter production and become something great, if the games subtleties were reproduced on screen. However given the current track record of both horror and game related movies, don’t hold your breath.

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Dasgupta receives 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award

Neil Dasgupta

Assistant Professor Neil Dasgupta has been selected to receive a 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award.

The 3M Nontenured Faculty Award was created over twenty-five years ago by 3M’s Technical Community in partnership with 3Mgives’s Giving Program to invest in individuals who will lead university teaching and research programs in the future. This award recognizes outstanding new faculty who were nominated by 3M researchers and selected based on their research, experience and academic leadership.

3M Non-Tenured Faculty Awards encourage the pursuit of new ideas among non-tenured university professors, giving them the opportunity to interact with their peers and 3M scientists. Science and Engineering Faculty Day presents the opportunity to 3Mers to stay in touch with the creative ideas that are stimulating some of the nation's brightest minds. 3M grants the awards as part of 3M’s support of innovative research in higher education.

Related professors


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Category Archives: snacks.

Even better when homemade.  Very easy and once you have the ingredients in your pantry or spice drawer you’ll be making them all the time.  This is a good base recipe that can be easily modified with different vinegars or aromatics.  Shoot for 1/4 cup seasonings for each pound of pickles.

Basic Pickle Recipe

1 lb kirby cucumbers, halved

2 cups water

1/2 cup white vinegar

3 tablespoons salt

3 garlic cloves, smashed

2 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

handful fresh dill

bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

Place cucumbers in a bowl or pot with garlic, mustard seeds, caraway seeds, dill, bay leaf and peppercorns.  Set aside.  Boil water, vinegar and salt until salt dissolves and pour over cucumbers.  Place a small plate over pickles to submerge them.  Cover bowl or pot and leave at room temperature 24-36 hours until crunchy and pickled.  Transfer to fridge.

Truffle Parmesan Popcorn

Truffle Parmesan Popcorn

2 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1 teaspoon truffle oil

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese, grated

In a large pot, heat popcorn kernels in oil until they pop.  Toss popcorn with truffle oil and grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Candied Ginger Candy

I find the store bought version too caked with sugar.  These are also a bit spicier and taste very much of ginger.

Candied Ginger

Large bunch of ginger, about a 1 lb

2 cups sugar plus a bit more for sprinkling

2 cups water

Slice ginger, not too thin. (Otherwise it ends up too crispy.)  Place in a pot and cover with water.  Boil for 15 minutes and drain.  In the same pot mix sugar and water, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 40 minutes.  Drain well.  (Save the liquid – its ginger simple syrup now and would be good mixed with club soda and slice of lime as ginger ale.)  Roll ginger in as much sugar as you like and lay out on baking sheet or foil to dry.  Drying may take up to 2 days.

Vinegar Chips

These are mild in vinegar flavor.  For more of a kick soak in white vinegar instead of water.  Vinegar powder can be hard to find.  I ordered mine from

Vinegar Potato Chips

4 idaho potatoes or 6 yukon golds

canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper

3 tablespoons vinegar powder

Wash and dry potatoes.  Slice very thin with a mandolin.  Thoroughly rinse slices and soak in water for 30 minutes.  Pat dry or give them a spin in a salad spinner if you have one.  Heat oil in a pot to 300 degrees.  Working in batches, fry slices until light golden brown.  Remove from oil and place on towel.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and vinegar powder.

pear bleu puff tarts

I wanted to make homemade poptarts and had a puff pastry dough in the freezer. Perfect. I also made a raspberry version.

Pear and Bleu Cheese Poptarts

1 package puff pastry dough, thawed

1/4 cup mascarpone

1/4 cup bleu cheese

two pears halved, cored, sliced

flour for rolling out dough

egg yolk and milk (for the wash)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently roll out pastry on floured surface very thin. Use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut poptart squares. (Mine were huge portions at 5″ x 6″. I recommend smaller portions)

In a bowl, mix bleu and mascarpone cheeses and smear on what will be the bottom pastry square. Layer with slices of pear. Drizzle with honey. With a pastry brush or finger, brush small amount of water along the pastry edges. Create a sandwich with another square. Press along edges to seal. Repeat with remaining squares until you have all your little poptarts sealed up and ready for baking. Poke holes in top layer with a fork.

Mix egg yolk and about a tablespoon of milk together for the egg wash. This will create a pretty golden brown glaze. Lightly brush each square with egg wash. Bake for about 20 minutes.  They will be golden, flaky puffs of heaven.

In a Pickle

On a trip to Trader Joe’s last week I was forced to purchase an eight ounce container of jalepenos even though I only needed one. Eight ounces is about 8-10 chilies.  I ended up sneaking in one or two here or there but was still left with a small surplus, enough for escabeche or pickled jalepenos.

Pickled Jalapenos

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

6 jalapenos,halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon thyme

2 tablespoons  kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon corriander

1 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 cup vinegar (white or cider)

1 1/2 cup water

Saute onions until clear, about 2 minutes.  Add remaining veggies and cook 2 minutes more.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 30 minutes.  Cool.  Will last about one week refrigerated.

These little lovelies can be difficult to find. I stumbled on these shishito peppers at dean and deluca. Padron peppers could also be used and are almost identical. Both are small delicate peppers that generally are mild in taste although every one in ten you might find a spicy one.

Blistered Peppers
1/2 lb (or any amount) shishito or padron peppers
coarse salt
olive oil

Wash and dry peppers. Some one told me each pepper should be pricked with a pin before cooking but this seems fussy and I never do it. In a pan heat a drizzle of olive oil and add peppers. Cook until they blister and deflate. Salt to taste. Serve hot. Eat everything but the stem.

Tamari Almonds

Salty snack.  Tamari is a gluten/wheat free soy sauce.

Tamari Almonds

1 lb raw almonds

1/2 cup tamari sauce

Toss almonds in sauce and spread on baking sheet.  Roast in oven at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Mix every 10 minutes during cooking.  Cool.

apple sauce with ginger and black pepper

This last December, like all Decembers I packed up my knife, micro plane, husband and puppy and made the long journey upstate to Ithaca, New York to cook and spend another delightful Christmas holiday with my family.  Ithaca, besides being a borderline boring place to grow up, I realized after moving away to NYC; is a place of great, fresh food with an abundance of  locally made goods and farm fresh produce.  With the seasonal hiatus of the union square green market, it has been weeks since I had seen a good apple.  Upon leaving Ithaca, my mother in true Mazzarella fashion proceeded to give me a verbal tour of the refrigerator asking what I would like to bring back to brooklyn.  I have assured her that although we are without a Wegman’s, we are with a Wholefoods.  During this listing of condiments and snacks I did learn that my parents purchase apples BY THE BUSHEL at a nearby farm and were willing to part with said bushel.  A lovely farewell present.

I eat at least one apple a day.  Whether its crunchy slices pressed onto a peanut buttered toast for breakfast or a giant whole one for an afternoon snack or shredded into a carrot apple cake for dessert or layered into a tart also for an appropriate anytime snack or meal or as my favorite midnight snack: Apple sauce.   Possibly one of the easiest snacks to prepare and (as most homemade foods, much better than its store bought counterparts.

Recipe for Gingered/Black Peppered Apple Sauce:

  • Apples (any type and amount)
  • Water
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Ground Ginger (more) + Nutmeg (less) + Cinnamon (less)

Wash, Peel, Core and Cut apples into Quarters.

Place apple pieces in a pot with about half and inch of water.  Cover and bring to boil then uncover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until apples are soft.  Add fresh ground black pepper and spices to taste.  (I made this batch a little peppery and quite spicy with the ginger.  The cinnamon will help bring out the sweetness).

Mash. Cool. Try to resist eating the entire batch.


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5 Incredible Indian Para-athletes You Should Know!

We have rounded up 5 sports persons whose never-give-up attitude will change the way you look at struggles.

  1. Deepa Malik

Arjuna awardee and Asian champion in shot put Deepa was diagnosed with spinal tumor and was paralyzed from chest down about 12 years ago. Since then she has undergone three spinal tumor surgeries and 183 stitches between shoulder blades, but none of it has stopped her from taking up new challenges. Watch our editor-in-chief’s interview with the brave heart here.

2. Karamjyoti Dalal

Karamjyoti had been suffering from spinal cord issues since she was six. She took up discus throwing just over a couple of years back and from being unranked then, she finished a mighty impressive 4th at the IPC Para-athletics championships in 2015. Read her inspiring story here.

3. Devendra Jhajharia

Devendra was was electrocuted at the age of eight, resulting in amputation of the left arm. He was spotted by Dronacharya Awardee coach RD Singh in 1997 who encouraged him to take up sport full time. His moment of glory came in Athens 2004, when in his first Paralaympic Games, where he went on to set a new world record with a distance of 62.15m, eclipsing the old mark of 59.77m. Watch his awe inspiring Josh Talks here.

4. Suyash Narayan Jadhav

When he was in sixth standard, Suyash suffered serious injuries to his upper limbs after getting electrocuted by unprotected wiring at a construction site. He continued to compete in differently-abled competitions domestically and began to show promise. Last year, he became the first Indian para swimmer to record the ‘A’ qualifying mark for 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Read his story here.

5. Farman Basha

The Bangalore-born Farman is already an Arjuna Awardee and holds a diploma in electronics and television engineering. He was diagnosed with Polio when was a toddler, which lead to permanent physical impairment of his lower body. Read his motivational story here.

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Photo credit: yosuke muroya

Unicorns: From Imaginary Horses To Tech Startups

While scrolling through my Twitter feed this morning, I saw an interesting trending hashtag: #NationalUnicornDay. I did what everyone trying to find excuses to not work would do, I clicked on the hashtag. There, I saw what you would expect: pictures of unicorns (Lady Gaga deserves a special round of applause for the effort she put in to celebrate this special day — see picture bellow).

Yet, it got me thinking, How this cute imaginary horse — according to the myth it would actually be a “ wild ass” with a single horn — has become a popular term used to describe certain tech startups?

What Is A Unicorn

Let’s start with some etymology. The term unicorn comes form uni, which means single, and cornu, which means horn.

This imaginary animal first appeared in Western literature in 400 B.C. It is described by Ctesias as “a horse, with a white body, purple head, and blue eyes, and on its forehead was a cubit-long horn coloured red at the pointed tip, black in the middle, and white at the base”. Still according to the myth, it was believed that “those who drank from its horn were thought to be protected from stomach trouble, epilepsy, and poison”.

In our modern culture, unicorns look way nicer — no purple head, and no scary red, black, and white horn. These white stuff animals and cartoon characters now leave shining rainbows behind them.

Yet, after more than 2,000 years of evolution, the term unicorn has faced its biggest change in 2013. Popularized by aileenlee in her article “Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups”, it is now used to describe a Tech Startup valued by public or private investors at $1 billion or more.

How Did We Get From An Imaginary Horse To A Tech Startup?

While developing her article for Tech Crunch (“Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups”), aileenlee decided she had to come up with a name that would best describe tech startups valued at $1 billion or more. After coming up with few terms “home run” or “megahits” she settled with “unicorn”. But why did she chose this mythologic term?

One of the reasons she chose this term is because of its mythologic conotation. In one of her interview, aileenlee says how startups have a mythical and playful feeling. She also mention the notion of rarety. Unicorns are rare, as startups valued at more than $1 billion — at the time of her article, only 0.07% of the tech startups had made the cut. Another reason, she mentioned, is the impact of the term. Unicorns have been in the imaginary of people for centuries. It’s instantaneously associated with magical thoughts, and it’s a well-known term.

This term is nothing but the imaginary of one person. Even though certain persons in the industry criticize it, it only makes tech startups look cuter. What’s funnier than thinking about Marc Zuckerberg riding a My Little Pony unicorn — with all the respect I have for what he accomplished.

Photo credit: Charles Rodstrom

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