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News & Events > Press Releases > The Heart Program Posts Real-Time Congenital Heart Surgical Results Online
The Heart Program Posts Real-Time Congenital Heart Surgical Results Online
As part of a longstanding commitment to ensuring that patients and families have up-to-the-minute data when choosing among pediatric cardiovascular surgery centers, The Heart Program at Miami Children's Hospital (MCH) has linked its cardiac surgical outcomes data with the hospital's new electronic medical record and the CardioAccess Centripitus database and dynamically linked these results to the hospital's website in real-time. The outcomes data is automatically updated with every case performed. This continues a commitment to real-time outcomes data transparency first implemented on the surgical program's website in 2002. Following the transition to the new MCH medical record system, the program's outcomes are once again made instantly available on the hospital website.
"We want to empower parents with the real-time, accurate and accessible information they need to make a confident decision about where to seek cardiac care. It is our commitment to the families who entrust us with their child's open-heart surgery and subsequent lifelong care," said Dr. Redmond P. Burke, Director of Cardiovascular Surgery at MCH. "To our knowledge, no other pediatric cardiovascular surgery program in the world makes congenital heart surgical results available online directly from their database. The transparency, accessibility, immediacy and inherent honesty of this approach is unique," he said.
The database, which organizes the information by age, operation and risk category, reports to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database and to the State of Florida Children's Medical Services Cardiac Subcommittee. The data is updated continuously.
"CardioAccess is pleased to be a part of this important step in providing real-time outcomes to the public using information from our new web-based software Centripetus," said Owen White, Senior Project Manager at CardioAccess. "This is the first time any program has made their results available to the public and in real time using the same software utilized for national reporting, allowing the families to make educated decisions as it relates to their healthcare options," he said.
"Real-time outcomes is an integral part of the Miami Children's Hospital Heart Program commitment to quality improvement, public transparency, and life-long care of patients with congenital heart disease and their families," said Dr. John Rhodes, Director of Pediatric Cardiology Services.
The Heart Program at MCH is listed among the nation's top programs for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery in the 2013-14 U.S. News and World Report "Best Children's Hospital's" rankings. No other program in Florida ranks higher. MCH is one of more than 100 North American pediatric heart centers that report procedures to a national registry, which provides benchmarking and quality improvement to participating centers. These clinical outcomes for congenital heart surgery can be accessed by visiting: http://www.pediatricheartsurgery.com/realtimeoutcomes/cvperformance.aspx
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians and more than 475 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children's Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession's most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.
Read Previous Read Next
The Heart Program at Nicklaus Children's Hospital Welcomes Congenital Heart Surgeon Dr. Robert Hanfland
Dr. Robert Hanfland, congenital heart surgeon, has joined The Heart Program at Nicklaus Children's Hospital.
Nicklaus Children's Hospital Pediatric Specialty Services Again Ranked Among the Best in the Nation
Five Nicklaus Children's Hospital specialty programs are again identified among the best in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2020-21 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings, posted online today.
From the Newsdesk
Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy: Tad's Story
Over the last two years, Theodore "Tad" Hartrick has spent months at a time at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Like Tad, there are many children in the state and in the nation who rely on access to pediatric care and Medicaid funding. Here is a message from the Hartrick family in support of this year's Speak Now For Kids Family Advocacy Week campaign.
The Heart Program at Nicklaus Children's Acquires FDA-Approved Amplatzer Piccolo™ Occluder to Perform Non-Surgical Closures of Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) in Premature Infants in its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
The Heart Program now offers the recently FDA-approved Amplatzer Piccolo™ Occluder to close PDAs in very premature babies in the Cath Lab. This self-expanding, wire mesh device is designed specifically to fit within the PDA of very low weight preemies with little risk of interference with adjacent structures.


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Red Hat shares rise after earnings beat
Published: Sept. 25, 2017 at 4:25 p.m. ET
Wallace Witkowski
Red Hat Inc. RHT, shares rose in the extended session Monday after the open-source software company topped Wall Street estimates for the quarter. Red Hat shares advanced 4.5% to $110.50 after hours. The company reported second-quarter net income of $96.9 million, or 53 cents a share, compared to $58.8 million, or 32 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings were 77 cents a share. Revenue rose to $723.4 million from $599.8 million in the year-ago period. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had estimated earnings of 67 cents a share on revenue of $699.6 million. For the third quarter, Red Hat estimates earnings of 70 cents a share on revenue of $730 million to $737 million. Analysts had estimated earnings of 70 cents a share on revenue of $710.5 million.
Moderna aims for COVID/flu booster in 2023, but Fauci and other virus experts warn of challenges to come this year
A panel of virus experts and Moderna's CEO Stephane Bancel gathered Monday in a virtual panel to discuss pandemic challenges and possible developments ahead for 2022.
Barron's: Cathie Wood Is Expecting a 'Bloodbath' in This Segment of the Market
Wallace Witkowski came to MarketWatch from the Associated Press in New York, where he was a business reporter specializing in pharmaceutical companies. He previously reported for trade publications in covering the drug and medical-device industries back to 1998. Based in San Francisco, his focus is on U.S. equities. Follow Wally on Twitter at: @wmwitkowski.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We went to Old Tucson and Saguaro National Park.
Here are some pictures from that trip.
We stayed in the Gilbert Ray Campground for $7.00 a day in space H-28.
We ate pizza at this place. A very friendly atmosphere in South Tucson.
This was another nice small family restaurant.


Choose from a selection of 6 holiday rentals in District 8. Use the search form to the left to filter the results and pick your choice of self catering accommodation in District 8.
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We're always excited when we get to work with a new artist at the coffee shop. Today we're introducing the work of photographer Justice Smithers: "String Figures."
Justice Smithers is an Oklahoma born and raised photographer, traditionally trained in darkroom techniques. Almost exclusively shooting portraits, he likes to tell stories with the human form, all while using a minimal approach and aesthetic.
"String Figures" explores the idea of positive and negative things that we carry with us from our childhood into our adult lives, inspired by string games he would play as a child. He felt that these simple games and figures were a good physical representation of childhood experiences, memories, and issues that we can all carry into adulthood.


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1. I work as a self-employed dry stone waller in the Eden Valley, Cumbria. I am concerned that the Agriculture Bill - and the debates that I have read - fail to adequately address the importance of dry stone walls in the landscape, the costs of maintaining these valued features, and the financial viability of those who work in this specialist sector.
2. Moreover, the bill fails to redress the fundamental inequalities in farming subsidies, and thereby risks reducing the very diversity and innovation needed to increase the economic output of our rural areas.
3. My experience is limited to predominantly upland grazing areas.
4. Here in Cumbria, as in many other parts, we are blessed with a rich and visible heritage of field walls. They are features of international repute and, to this day, remain the biggest change agriculture in this country has ever witnessed. It would be difficult to overstate the value of these features in terms of tourism alone, to say nothing of their cultural importance.
5. Dry stone walls are not permanent structures. Well built walls constructed with suitable stone can survive in serviceable condition for several hundred years. A poorly constructed wall might not last 20 years. With many existing walls being very old or in poor condition, poor quality repairs made now will have serious implications for maintenance of these important landscapes in the relatively near future.
6. As part of the Government's consultation on the future of agriculture, Defra has held up the Hedgerows & Boundaries Grant scheme as a potential example of future environmental land management funding. That scheme currently sets a flat rate of £25/m. Typical prices in this area are £30-35/m. Both figures are a poor reflection of the skill, effort and time required to build a sound wall (see appendix two).
7. Faced with untenable rates of pay in farming, a substantial proportion of wallers are diversifying into construction work (stone-facing, paving, etc.). Unlike farmers, who receive subsidies to persevere with unprofitable work, for dry stone wallers, this is one-way traffic. Several organisations have made efforts to encourage more newcomers to learn the craft of dry stone walling, yet without a fair income these efforts are in vein.
8. Historically, particularly during the enclosures, farmers repaid the cost of wall building in tithes or rent and therefore there was a natural incentive for walls to be soundly constructed. The effect of walling by grants, as with all forms of farming subsidies, is to insulate farmers from the consequences of the quality of work they undertake or commission. There is no obvious mechanism in the Agriculture Bill to ensure a move away from payments made regardless of quality or outcome, and towards a system where both farmers and the state have vested interest, ownership and responsibilities.
9.1 On many farms, income from agriculture is negligible - particularly in upland grazing settings. High levels of investment in machinery and buildings play a significant role in this.
9.2 Parliament will have to consider how to set a fair value for the delivery of public goods, and in the likely event that there is a discrepancy between that fair price and the level of support that farmers have become accustomed to, parliament or the relevant minister would then have to consider the merits paying above a fair price.
9.3 Not all current recipients of subsidies are the same. Clearly there is a different set of moral considerations around supporting well managed farm businesses (of any size) compared with the necessity of supporting poorly run farms, lifestyle farmers or those investing in land for its subsidy income or tax opportunities.
9.4 In the case of support for walling repairs, at present, grants are available help with the cost of wall repairs as a capital expense, with the farmer normally making up the shortfall out their wider income. Currently, there is no direct financial gain for the farmer.
9.5b cover the cost of the work, plus provide a fair income for the farmer.
9.6 Given that it is unlikely many farmers would be willing or able to do more than the most rudimentary wall repairs themselves, any future subsidy system as a whole would need to provide an appropriate income for both the farmer and the waller.
10. This approach also has implications for land values. Land prices are strongly influenced by their potential as a source of public subsidies. Clearly there would be little value in paying a farmer ongoing support to maintain a well built wall (since, if well built, it should give many decades of trouble free service). Therefore, logically, once a wall has been repaired, that land would loose that element of its earnings potential for many years, and consequently see a reduction in value.
11. Currently, the best mechanism we have for ensuring public investment is well spent is the number and diversity of farms - with sufficient diversity the motives of good farmers offsets the worst practices on other farms.
12. Many farms in our area have benefited from a range of extraordinary public financing. This includes annual payments often in excess of £50,000 (see appendix one), boosted area payments for rough grazing, and substantial unplanned payments such as from foot and mouth or the restructuring of grazing rights on MoD land.
13. All of these have allowed farmers to make investments in machinery, buildings and land purchases, at a cost which would normally be well-beyond the means of new entrants, smaller farm enterprises or indeed any self-sustaining business. My concern is that any future state funding will, for administrative purposes, be based on units of land area-thus further benefiting existing larger farms. This would undermining the intended purposes of removing the existing basic payment scheme and result in continued contraction of farm numbers.
14. For many years farm ownership has become an attractive, stable occupation, compared to wider forms of employment where job uncertainty and variable wage growth has increased. Increasing mechanization, reduced labour inputs and high levels of subsidized income have significantly offset the traditional drawbacks of farming - namely, the need to be continually present on the farm, and the high impact of natural conditions.
15. This level of security, combined with the high asset values accrued in farm ownership, has favoured incumbents over the benefits of competition and innovation.
16. It has long been said that farmers need support and encouragement to develop and disseminate best practices and innovation. I would argue that - financial speaking - no such impediment exists. Properly conducted, the removal of production targets should have facilitated significant reorganizations in farming as well as increasing profitability. The reasons it didn't owes more to demographic and social factors than the financial ability to do so.
17. The UK has a varied and renowned array of academic and research organisations with the capabilities to delivery affordable improvements in farming. Tackling the root causes of the lack of innovation in farming is vital, if money is to be freed up to fund public goods.
18.1 Removing inheritance tax relief on agricultural land. Given the low natural profitability of many farm businesses, the majority of recent farm expansions have very likely been made possible by state funding. This situation increases land prices and leads to the spending of substantial public funds without any realistic form of vetting or competitive tender. In turn, this absence of open competition is probably the single biggest cause of lack of innovation that farming faces.
18.2 I can see no reason why land purchased primarily with public funds should be exempt from tax when the value of that land is determined in large part by the fact of its exemption and its value as a source of subsidies.
18.3 Altering capital expenditure allowances rules, to ensure tax relief can only be reclaimed once that expenditure has been shown to generate a positive return on investment. Significant amounts of farm capital expenditure are currently made with a view to reducing tax bills and this leads to ad-hoc investment in high-input farming practices, which often result in farms becoming more reliant on subsidies.
18.4 Investment in new technology is, of course, important, and carries an element of risk. Exceptions could be made where investments are made through research-led business development schemes or trails, and this Bill could be a vehicle for that.
18.5 Ensuring that, where possible, subsidies for public goods are based on an equivalent of work undertaken, rather than as area-based compensation for a notional income lost. Many current subsidy schemes over estimate the amount farmers could earn if they were farming that land commercially, or the amount of work required to implement the schemes. This results in unnecessary spending of tax payers money, and has little relevance to the wider public who are generally more accustomed to working on an effort-equals-reward basis.
A1.1. During the recent house of commons debate (10th October) several members expressed views on what they saw as the low income of many farmers. I am concerned that farm income data is being misinterpreted. As an example, here in Appleby (postcode area CA16, year 2017), there were 183 recipients of CAP payments, ranging from £220 to £228,000. The total subsidy paid was £4,428,920 and the average therefore £24,201.
A1.2d Very small land parcel holders.
A1.3. If one discounts groups B and D (on the grounds of merely being a by-product of the subsidy regime) and account for group C on a pro rata basis, then the average payment (and consequently income) rises considerably and matches the affluence in farming that many see on the ground. In fact, around 75% of the total payments goes to 60 or so farms, with an average subsidy of £53,500.
A2.2 In almost all case the foundation stones need to be dug out and reset to horizontal (walls rarely fail with their footings still in good condition). The reason foundation stones fail (even in well built walls) is weight distribution. Walls are heaviest on their external faces, because the faces are built of large, dense stone, whereas the centre of the wall is filled with smaller infill, which inevitably contains more void spaces.
A2.3 This extra weight forces the front edge of the foundations to sink into the ground more quickly and causes the stones above to slip off over time.
A2.4 Digging out and resetting the foundations typically takes between a quarter and a third of the total build time, which is why many people omit the task. Building on poor foundations generally results in premature failure.
A2.5 Stones used in wall building should be placed with their long axis running into the wall. Running stones into the wall diverts the weight of the wall face into the centre of the wall, allowing more even pressure to be exerted on the foundations. Much of the modern farm walling that I see, involves running stones with their long axis along the wall (a practice known as 'trace walling'). This is done purely to save time; trace-walling one stone and roughly back-filling the void behind is significantly quicker than finding two walling stones and running their long axis' into the wall.
A2.6 Trace-walling severely reduces the strength of a wall, and usually results in the wall collapsing rather than slowly settling over time.


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Tyler: Lauren no more.
I could sort of feel it in the air last night, but I was worried it was just my imagination. The preliminary... whatever it is. It was like a small skin irritation that spread slowly from the middle of my body outward. I could actually feel it starting around 2 AM, but I was so exhausted I fell back asleep for a few hours while it, I guess, happened.
I woke up around 4:10 AM, woozy, but seriously alert once I realized it was probably already over with. I was sleeping naked on top of the covers, but it was dark in the room. I sat up and got lightheaded, because suddenly "up" was a lot further of a journey than it used to be. But I also didn't feel the familiar counterweight of my breasts pulled down toward the floor as I did so. My one arm went to confirm, it was a flat, lightly-haired chest, and the other rushed to my crotch to feel the new equipment there.
And I have to say I maybe was a bit too enthusiastic there, because I didn't know the exact dimensions of it, and... well, there's no easy way to put this. Within a minute of realizing I was a man again, I had punched myself almost full-force in the testes. Agh. Sort of a bittersweet homecoming.
I hobbled over to the bathroom mirror to find that the transformation was... mostly complete. There were still some vestiges of Lauren. My chest was flat, but the breast tissue was still converting into muscle, I suppose, because they were still very tender. And then there was my face... a really warped version of Lauren's, with a man's jaw and hairline. I had to look away... it was like being warped in a funhouse mirror, except for real. I actually had to look away, I found it a little disturbing.
I cleared my throat and said the first thing that came to mind, "Testing, testing. My name is Lauren. No, it isn't." Sufficiently deep, I supposed.
I checked my reflection again fifteen minutes later. I no longer looked like Lauren in any sense. In her place was this very tall, very skinny man with a wide, toothy mouth and short, curly, sandy blond hair. A chill went up my spine. I was almost overwhelmed.
There were two sets of luggage in the closet of my room: one man and one woman. The man was Alan Schmidt, 24, of Milwaukee, WI. The woman was Greta Johansen, 23, whose ID indicated she was from Minnesota. The ID also indicated she was 5'11, so I figured she would stand out.
I dumped out Alan's luggage and found something I could throw on - a pair of gym shorts and a tank top. I was about to head to Meg's room when I heard two knocks on my door.
I opened it and looked down - way down, at a face I had not seen in over a year, cheeks streaked with tears, I assume of joy. She looked slightly different, but it was her. She craned her neck up at me and gasped, "Holy..." then collected herself, and ask-stated "Ty?"
I grinned as widely as my new mouth could (which apparently is a lot.) "Yeah. Yeah! It's me!"
She fell into my long arms and I wrapped them around her. We laughed so hard in relief we couldn't breathe. "I was so worried! I was so worried." she just kept repeating. "I know, I know," I said back. My heart was beating faster and faster. I couldn't believe our luck. We had to get all this joy out of our system, though, because as far as we knew we had 11 newly-transformed people to explain things to. We kept saying back and forth "I can't believe it, I can't believe it..."
We didn't hear any signs of panic, yet, so we took a moment to read over Alan's "letter." It was actually just a brief paragraph summarizing Alan's understanding of the curse, followed by a series of bullet points:
Name, home address, e-mail address
Works as a driver for Thrio, an Uber-like service
Has lived with girlfriend Greta for the past year of their four-year relationship
Current whereabouts (To be discussed at a later date)
Parents Jack and Mary, 2 sisters Helen (27, married, 1 son) and Doreen (22, single) and a younger brother Jack Jr., (19, with a special note: "Jack is gay and you had better be nice to him. Mom and dad don't know yet." No problem.)
Allergic to strawberries, lactose intolerant (gee, must have sucked growing up in Wisconsin then.)
When you put it all out on paper like that, it seems like there's not that much to taking over someone's life. And in truth, that's just it... you're given their face and the strange trust of everyone around you that you are who you say you are, and that's half the work right there. The other half is simply not screwing up what's been given to you. There's this old saying I heard, "Leave the fridge fuller when you leave" that seems to have guided me during my year as Lauren.
I did laugh about being assigned a job as a professional driver... I don't mind driving, but I haven't done much of it this past year. Could be bad.
Once we felt settled with what had happened to ourselves, we decided it was time to start gathering people and explaining what we knew. We had made a few friends (and some not-very-friendly acquaintances) in our short time in Maine, so we felt it behooved us to help them handle this any way we could. At the very least, one of them would be in the body of Alan's girlfriend, with her appropriate clothes and "welcome" letter in my room. I brought it along with Greta's ID.
We figured "Greta" must be in one of the adjacent rooms. In the room to my left was Erin and Rosie. Since we were closest with them, I knocked on their door first. I was about to speak, but Meg went first, saying that if they heard a man's voice they might feel threatened.
"Rosie? Erin? Are you in there?" We heard the sound of some bodies moving around. "Listen, it's... Tasha... and Lauren... if something happened to you, it's okay, it happened to us too."
I stood behind Meg in a non-threatening position. The door opened a crack. A man's eyeball was visible. He looked us over, and gasped "Oh my God." He opened the door wide enough for us to come in.
He was white and about six inches shorter than me. Probably 150 pounds soaking wet, with short dark hair and a tan complexion, with a towel wrapped around his waist. Sitting on the bed was a tall African-American guy with his head in his hands and a blanket covering his lap.
We looked back and forth between the two: "So, who..."
"Erin," said the white guy, meekly holding his hand up. He pointed across the room, "Rosie." Rosie gave a slight embarrassed wave.
"I know the feeling," I said bashfully, "You might remember me as Lauren."
"I can't believe this," Erin gasped. "What happened? What is... did it happen to all of us?"
"Yeah," I said, "Sit down, we need to talk."
We gave them the short version, about how we had been at the Inn a year ago and it turned us into Lauren and Tasha, and how we came back to get our bodies back, emphasizing that it was possible - not a guarantee, but emphasizing that this definitely wasn't permanent.
We searched the room and found that the original owners of those bodies had left their luggage under the bed rather than in the closet. They were Brooklyn natives: Erin was now Chris DeVito, and Rosie was Ahmir Johnson.
The four of us then proceeded to the room to the other side of mine, but it had emptied. We kept knocking on doors and doing our best to reach out. It didn't appear that anyone besides Meg and myself were second-timers.
We found some young girls, ten-year-old twins. They identified themselves as Trevor's parents. I asked where Trevor was, and they brought me to him. In his room were a man and a woman - apparently the parents of the two girls. The man - probably about 36 or so, paunchy with a shaved head and a beard - stood and identified himself as Trevor.
I guess he didn't turn out too bad, considering the possibilities, and what happened to his parents. But aging close to twenty years overnight is not a perfect situation either.
We discerned they were the Jenkinses, from upstate New York, also parents to a 13-year-old boy who had not yet appeared. The Jenkins wife/mother was sitting cross-legged on the bed, weeping. I asked who Trevor that was, and he explained that he had met a girl at the club the night we went out, and had snuck her into his room a few nights since. That made me make an involuntary groan of exasperation.
I felt bad that he had brought someone else into this, but it was more or less the same thing that happened to me and Meg, so I was hardly in a place to judge. I paid her a little extra sympathy - not that everyone else didn't deserve some, but she wasn't even supposed to be at the Inn, and now she dragged into it. Her parents will think she went missing, and she has little choice but to go off with strangers and pretend to be wife to Trevor of all people.
I was starting to get stressed, taking stock of who was ending up where and making sure everyone was OK, when I spotted her, this tall, willowy girl with dark hair down her back. Greta. She was dressed in clothes that didn't really fit her long body.
"Hey!" I called out, probably too aggressively, "Hey, excuse me!"
She glanced at me and then went for the door.
I dashed after her, almost tripping over my long legs, "Hey! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I just... you're... sorry, I mean, who are you? Do you know what's happening?"
"We're leaving," she said sharply, "That's what's happening. I don't know who you people are or what you think you're doing here..."
"We changed. And you did too," I said simply, "We... we can explain. I can help. My name is Tyler, but when I came here my name was Lauren Sherman, you might have seen me around, an 18-year-old girl..."
Her eyes bugged out, "Lauren? You're that... you were... you have something to do with this?"
"I didn't... not exactly, but I know something about it. Sorry, who are you?"
Her demeanor relaxed and she held her arms out for a hug. "It's Kitty, darling!"
Oh, great.
I reluctantly let her hug me - we were practically eye-to-eye. I went on, "Yeah, it got all of us who were staying at the Inn... um, I don't mean to be rude, but what happened to your husband?"
"He's in the car," she sighed. "We were just going to go home, all this spooky stuff really freaked us out. My heart is still racing!"
She took me over to where a 13-year-old boy was sitting in the passenger's seat of her Lexus SUV, sulking. We had found the missing Jenkins kid.
I told them not to go just yet, we had a lot of stuff to sort out.
Sorry, this has taken a long time out of my day to write and I need to address some things. Will be back later. I can't wait until I have a minute to feel, somewhat shamefully, good about what's happened to me.
Posted by A.M. at 4:15 PM 1 comment:
Labels: Alan, Chet, Erin, Kitty, Lauren, Meghan, Rosie, Trevor, Tyler
Erin: Is this thing on?
I'm getting a weird vibe from this place. Those girls, Lauren and Tasha, keep exchanging weird looks and whispering something to each other but I can't figure out what they're going on about. They're nice, but also oddly guarded about what brought them to Maine, besides "Vacation."
They told me about this blog where people who stay at the Trading Post can share their experiences, but so far there haven't been many experiences worth sharing.
Of course, the blog itself is blocked from the Coffee Shop wifi I'm currently stealing for "pornography" so somebody must be having a good time here.
I'll start by telling my story: the short version. My name is Erin Henley. I'm 28, from deep in the heart of Indiana: a town so small it's hardly on the map. It's sort of a real-life Pawnee, for fans of Parks & Rec, except nobody as interesting as Leslie Knope lives there (I've met a few Ron Swansons over the years though.)
I swear I used to have ambitions to get out and be someone. (Or just be myself, somewhere other than Indiana.) Instead I ended up working for a food supply company in my hometown, in supply chain management, until recently, when my position was eliminated. I came out east to visit Rosie, my best friend since childhood, who has been going through some rough times lately. She has lived on the east coast for years, settling here after school, but she's always bounded around from job to job without really following her ambitions either, and neither of us are exactly winning in the romance department.
When she came to greet me in Portland, I hardly recognized her. She has put on, shall we say, a bit of weight since I last saw her five years ago (not that Facebook hadn't prepared me for this) and I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I suspect it's tied to some depression issues she hasn't told me about. I don't want to be too much of a Pollyanna about it, but I hope this vacation will cheer her up. She knows I'm here for her.
It's been fairly relaxing. Not too exciting, but the weather has been good and we've met some good (if odd) people. Still waiting on the potential for that romance thing, but I guess eligible bachelors don't really come to dainty B&B's in Maine. Not to meet women anyway...
Hopefully tonight she'll finally be up for that bar crawl I've been begging her to come on since we first talked about this trip. Then maybe she'll spill about what's been bugging her lately.
Posted by A.M. at 1:46 PM No comments:
Labels: Erin, Maine, Rosie
Tyler/Lauren: Cinderella
Yeah, still Lauren.
With any luck the changeover will be tonight. I'm sick of sleepless nights, waiting to find out what's going to happen. I want my new life to begin already, whatever it is.
A few more people arrived at the Inn in time for the weekend, but curiously not enough to set off the magic mojo that we're here for. I'm trying not to let it get to me. It's going to happen... I still don't think Meg is right to get freaked. Sure, we don't really understand anything about it... but we've got all these patterns worked out, I feel like we can make assumptions.
All this to say I'm itching to get a new change of clothes.
One of the groups that arrived after us (bringing the total to 10 or 11 for the weekend) had something I really dreaded... a teenage son, Trevor. He's taller than me, but pretty average-looking, with shaggy black hair and the rank odor of an average teenage boy. He caught up to me in the hall on Saturday and told me there was an all-ages party in town that night. Okay, cabin fever is really starting to get to me, so despite this obvious attempt to put the moves on me, I agreed to go along.
Meg disapproved, but I told her we could fight about it later.
It was okay. We arrived at 9. There was a band playing a few songs I recognized, stuff like "Bittersweet Symphony" and "When I Come Around." I mostly sat around the patio making chit chat, gravitating toward the girls until the got picked up one by one by the guys.
By 11, I was feeling pretty antsy. Some of what Meg was saying was getting to me, about needing to stay around the Inn, how it was unpredictable and how me not being there could really mess things up. I started to feel a bit self conscious... I may not be getting my body back like Meg, but I still plan to give Lauren hers. I thought about how Meg didn't even stay the night when she changed into Tasha... I wonder if I could have the opposite problem.
So around then, I went and found Trevor (who had made a few early, lame attempts to hit on me and then gave up) and told him I needed to go back to the Inn. He told me to chill, the night was just getting started, I was a big girl and my "sister" shouldn't worry about me. I told him I just wasn't feeling it anymore.
He told me to have a nice walk.
Ugh, okay. So in the moment I didn't really have a problem with this... it was a 40-minute walk back to the Inn, mostly in darkness, but I could stand it. But the longer I walked, the more I remembered I should probably be afraid. I have a certain amount of self-defence training, but I received it when I was bigger and could fight differently. Some basics are transferable but I guess I really wasn't thinking at first about how much of a target I could have been.
It hit me when I was about halfway home and I saw a group of guys coming the other way and I was seized with fear so strong I had to go hide in some bushes.
Now, they passed by, probably harmlessly, paid me no notice, and I felt not only the leftover panic-adrenaline, but also foolish. I wanted to sprint home, but I was in sandals.
Sometimes, being a girl doesn't agree with me.
When I got to the Inn, around quarter after midnight, Trevor's parents were playing cards. I debated telling them their son had left me to fend for myself, but instead explained that I had elected to leave on my own. I was pretty ashamed of myself, but they're going to have enough on their plate in the next few days... with any luck.
Today, Trevor feigned interest by asking if I had gotten home okay. Obviously I had. I asked him, coldly, if he had a nice time the rest of the night. He told me about this girl he was dancing with, "her tits were two-handers."
"How nice for you," I said, walking away. Meg and I had agreed to go to brunch with Rosie and Erin, and afterwards just lazed around talking about nothing in particular (which was a nice change of pace from some of the serious conversations we've been having lately.)
At one pint, Kitty came up to me and told me that I had woken her up when I came home the night before, and it was rude of me not to think of the others sharing this small space with me. I had to roll my eyes at that one. "Thanks for the input," I sighed in my most dismissive teen girl way possible, and tried to convince myself not to be glad if something really bad happens to her in the transformation.
This place is really starting to lose its appeal. The change better happen soon.
Posted by A.M. at 11:00 AM No comments:
Labels: Kitty, Lauren, Meghan, Tasha, Trevor, Tyler
Tyler/Lauren: Filling/killing time
The temperature shot up today, to the point where sitting in the stuffy Inn was no longer appealing to Meg. She finally relented and let me take her out in the sun.
We went down by the beach. Meg wore a modest one-piece under a pair of cutoffs and a tank top. It seemed designed to keep her stuff in. I wore a blue two-piece designed to do the opposite, under a flowery light dress.
Meg has asked from time to time, how I can be comfortable dressing this way, if I'm a man inside. The truth escapes me. One day I woke up and decided I was cool with it - it's as simple as that. Some days I don't, and just opt for jeans and a sweater, but having the option, why not explore it? It'll be gone soon anyway, and it'll just be part of my past.
Alternatively, I'm a girl forever and I should just embrace it anyway. Whatever - zen.
I think it's just a product of being among teens for so long. I got sick of girls hearing "Don't wear low cut tops because it'll distract the boys" that I started wearing them out of spite. I hated being told what to be, being treated like I was at fault for other peoples' backwards attitudes, like I had no agency in my life... the frustration of a real teenage girl. Nobody takes them seriously. And sometimes, they don't deserve it - they like a lot of shallow things, they're fickle, they have ever-changing atittudes based on what's hot at the time - but they also have a lot of ideas, more awareness of the world than they get credit for. Especially the amount of time these kids spend on the internet exposing themselves to new ideas and other cultures. No wonder they want to assert their independence, and I'm right there with them, in a form fitting bikini, if I wanna be.
It's not to flirt, I can tell you that much. If people need to glance, that's their business as long as they don't breach my personal space. No boys, no girls, nobody could approach me these days without being rebuffed. I'm not interested. I hate the idea that the way I'm dressed invites people to come talk to me. Perhaps it does send that signal, but my attitude will send the opposite one. And maybe these guys will learn a lesson.
I did some frolicking in the sand and surf, but the beach was crowded. Meg mostly stayed back in the shade, reading. She said that was something that kept her sane, spending an afternoon in the empty apartment, able to forget whose life she had when she was absorbed in a book.
Back at the Inn, we caught up with those girls I noticed the other day: Erin and Rosie. They both appear to be in their late 20's. Erin is petite and bookish looking with long dark hair. Rosie is a bigger girl, and didn't say much. I think she was expecting some rude treatment from the "hot girls." I hate people laying preconceptions on me just because of how I look, but I can't really blame them. That's the culture. Women are pitted against each other.
Erin commented that she had seen me around the other day and wondered "Who I belonged to," assuming I was with the middle-aged couple who checked in earlier. I scoffed. That would be Chet and Kitty. Chet's an upper-management type and Kitty has a "real housewives" vibe about her. They introduced themselves in passing when I said "You must be the ones making all that noise last night." He sort of half-apologized and slanted the blame onto Kitty.
Meg and I had a "girl's night" with Erin and Rosie. We mentioned it was our second time at the Inn in case that meant anything, but it didn't appear to. They talked about what brought them to Maine, and we gave a version of our story.
When we got to the Inn, Meg thanked me for getting her out of her room, but said she was still gonna be careful and make it an early night, and I admitted all that fun in the sun had worn me out too. We hugged good night, and I went back to my room to write this.
I regret being so friendly with Erin and Rosie, though... now I'm a little worried what might happen to them.
Posted by A.M. at 11:18 PM No comments:
Labels: Chet, Erin, Kitty, Lauren, Meghan, Rosie, Tasha, Tyler
Tyler/Lauren: Last days
This could be the last post written by the hands of Lauren Sherman.
It's kinda weird, looking down at these dainty little fingers and realizing they'll be different soon. Maybe they'll be rougher, manlier... fatter? Older, I hope.
I don't want to be a kid anymore. I don't want to be told what to do or when to go to bed. Lauren doesn't even have a particularly bad life, but it clashed badly with my desire to be free. I don't want to get up and go to school in the mornings, I want to work, contribute to society, find my own path. I'd prefer it to be as a male, but honestly I could deal with being a chick for another year. Maybe not one who looks like Meg as Tasha, but who knows.
And yeah, as Meg said in her post, I have a lot of hopes for what might happen if the stars line up and I get a body that works for me (and her.) I'm aware it might not work out but I don't care. There's no sense fretting it, since this whole experience has taught me how much shit in the universe is beyond our control. I don't mind floating on the breeze a while.
Meg said that I've become zen in the last few moths. Sounds cool.
She can feel free to hole herself up in her room if she wants, but as it's all the same to me, I've been wandering around the town. I've thought about trying my luck in a bar despite my ID saying 18, but the idea of going in unaccompanied looking the way I do scares me stupid, even after all this time (a weird effect of my current persona contradicting my old one: sometimes forgetting to be afraid.) We've got some beers back at the Inn, but I feel the desire to be sociable. The weather's nice enough to take a walk but, predictably for Maine, not nice enough to spend all day in a bikini. I don't mind that, but I did bring one, and some sundresses if it gets hotter.
I strolled down the boardwalk, had a coffee and did some people-watching (and using the coffee shop wifi to write this post) but there wasn't much going on. I texted Meg to say I missed her presence, and she said she'd consider coming out for a few hours... tomorrow, if we still looked this way. Ok, great.
For now, though, I'm heading back to the Inn. There were some new arrivals yesterday, some girls who are close to Meg's and my real ages that I might be able to talk to, before we all become God-knows-what. Wish I could warn them, prepare them for what's ahead, but if I want to be taken seriously I'd best not.
Still, maybe if I direct them to this blog, tell them to log in the way I did at first... maybe you'll get some more new names to memorize soon.
Labels: Lauren, Maine, Tyler
Meg/Tasha: Holding...
For reasons of scheduling, we waited until after the July 4th Weekend to trek up here. It was a long drive that exhausted us both, and I'm not really keen to actually go out and "enjoy" my vacation in any meaningful way. Which sucks, because after the inevitable shit hits the fan we are going to be too preoccupied to do anything anyway. And then there's the fact that we still don't really know what's going to become of Tyler.
He's being too casual about this for my liking. We had that whole talk about how it doesn't really matter how he ends up, but I think it does. He could find himself with a job or responsibilities he's not accustomed to, a family that he can't deal with, any number of things. I look at what's going on with Lane/"Kari" on the blog right now and I think that is the same future that awaits my friend. Not that he hasn't already been through enough. I could see the idea of being a bit numb to the possibilities now, but I feel like things are going to come crashing down.
But he's very quick to point out, he hasn't exactly got much choice in the matter. He doesn't get to pick his own body, and staying as Lauren is unthinkable. So it's a roll of the dice. I wish I could have his confidence.
I don't even feel sure if I'm going to get my body back. We arrived late on Tuesday, the only ones here from the looks of it, and I rushed to my room - at the far end of the hall from Ty's - and immediately tore it apart. And there it all was waiting for me. My clothes, my shoes, an ID saying "MEGHAN REIS." It's me in a bag. Just waiting for the cue. I want to thank Carrie for doing her best in this situation.
But I know things can go sideways, from reading old posts. I am camped out in this room, clutching my old life in case that's what it takes. Tyler is trying to talk me down and drag me out of the room, since the Inn does not yet appear to be "full," but so far I just can't bring myself to let this slip away. I would never forgive myself if I came home late one night and the transformation had already somehow been triggered and we lost our chance to leave these bodies with their rightful owners.
I've mostly just been enjoying the privacy, and I encouraged Ty to do the same. I've been in a scenario where I haven't had a good night's sleep in a bed alone in a year, and he's had to share a room with Lauren's little sister, as well as every other square inch of space with her family, so a little peace and quiet is really all I want.
We've been talking a bit, especially on the drive up. There was a lot I wanted to say, but I couldn't bring myself to spill it when we were in the car, because I didn't want him to feel trapped. It was hard to find ways to fill the silence for an 11-hour car trip (nearly 13 with breaks) but we talked a lot about our experiences this past year, things we liked and didn't like, things that surprised us, things we learned and maybe would carry forward in the future.
I learned a lot about being in a couple. About making sacrifices. Yes, I was resentful about some of those, due to it not being my relationship to sacrifice for, but still. I grew accustomed to putting someone else's needs before mine, and in return I found several occasions where he put my needs before his.
I learned what it was like to have someone look you in the eye, and tell you unconditionally that they love you, and honestly there were a few times I believed it was for me, not the woman I appeared to be. It kinda maybe messed me up a bit.
When we got to the Inn, it was nearly midnight and I was tired of driving. I laid down on the bed and clutched a pillow. I almost wanted to cry from happiness or exhaustion. Tyler started rubbing my shoulders, and that somehow made it worse.
"We were here a year ago," I said, "I can't believe how much has happened since then."
"Feels like just yesterday," he said.
"Or a lifetime ago," I answered. "So, did you check your room yet?"
"Enough bags for two people," he said, "It's only a one-person room, so who knows. I'm gonna wait before I go poking around in it."
"I don't know how you aren't just dying to know."
"I don't want to get my hopes up," he shrugged.
"I guess that's fair," I said. "It's just... what if you end up with someone that... God, how do I put this? ...Tyler, I think it's fair to say you have feelings for me."
He paused for a moment and bit his little lip, looking deep into my eyes with Lauren's soulful blue ones. "Uh huh."
I took a deep breath. "What if it doesn't work out?"
"It'll work out," he said, insistently.
"What if it doesn't?" I said, "What if you're a kid, what if you're an old lady. Do you expect me to be able to have a relationship with you like that? I don't want you to think I'm superficial, but there are limits, aren't there?"
"No, that's fair," he said, "I just don't think it's going to happen. If it does, we'll worry about it then."
I was getting frustrated. "What if you're someone who's married, what if you have to go across the country and keep pretending to be someone else again? Do you expect me to wait here for you?"
"We'll worry about it then."
"What if you realize you don't like the real me?" I could feel the tears really coming now. "What if you've gotten so used to seeing me this way that the real Meghan is a disappointment?"
He wrapped his skinny arms around me.
"I won't. You're not."
Then I said what was really bothering me. "What if I just want to be alone for a while?"
And he said, "Then you'll call me when you don't anymore."
That jerk was saying all the right things and it was pissing me off.
"I don't want you to feel like you waited for nothing," I said.
He paused for a while before saying, "You know my feelings. They haven't changed, except maybe gotten stronger the longer I've known you. You can do whatever you want with them, and obviously I hope things go a certain way. But it's up to you. Just know I will always be here for you, no matter what happens or what we look like."
"I don't want to hurt you," was all I said.
"It'll be okay," he said back, "It's all gonna be okay."
I almost believe him.
In the morning, I heard some other people start to come on. A couple, middle-aged I think, who were bantering loudly back and forth. It seemed sort of like a fight but maybe just the snippy way they communicate with each other is the result of being together for 20 or so years. There might be some others who stopped by to drop things off, but it's hard to tell how many from footsteps and murmured voices... I still have hardly left my room.
Labels: Lauren, Maine, Meghan, Tasha, Tyler
Lane/Kari: Gainful Employment
I think the reason a lot of people transformed by the inn come to this blog is because its a great resource. Its the collective stories and experiences of several people and odds are there is something contained in the archives that people can relate too. I've found tons of useful advice on how to be a girl after being a guy, and I breathed a sigh of joy when I got to the Anne-Marie posts about having to deal with motherhood, although I haven't read all of them yet.
I almost feel a duty to write here because nobody else has had to deal with not having a note to guide them. Its a lot more difficult to have to scratch out clues of who you are now without one so I'm hoping my posts can serve as a survival guide to piecing together a new identity.
Faced with the reality of not only being responsible for my own survival this year, but also the survival of a young, albeit very independent, teenager. Looking at our empty fridge and my even emptier purse, I was going to have to find out what Kari did for money. I assumed that after almost a month off I'd be fired but what skills and experience she'd have would be relevant in finding something else. I couldn't just go up to Ashley and say "By the way, do you remember where I work?" because she would look at me like she thought I was dumber than she already thinks I am. (The angst is strong with this one)
So, for future reference, here is a good way to find out if your new body has a job and where. I went looking for any banking information and found a debit card to a local bank. I made it down there on Saturday right before they closed and asked for a printout of my recent account activity. I didn't have to know my account number, I just had to show them ID to prove I was who I said I was (or at least looked like her) and I had a list of every checking account transaction for the last 6 months.
I got lucky because hidden among frequent withdrawals were regular deposits every two weeks, clearly some sort of direct deposit. The deposits were from "LTHRMAN FIN", which when you type into Google brings up "Did you mean Latherman Financial?" which is a small investing firm headquartered in Detroit. The phone number listed matched one that had been dialed but not saved by Kari's cell phone so I figured it was a safe bet that she worked there.
Hopefully that part can be useful, because now its time for the creepy part.
Monday morning I had put on the closest thing I could find in the way of work attire which was a pair of very tight knit gray pants that left little to the imagination in ways of curves and required a thong and a blouse that was the best combination of professional style and cleavage coverage out of anything I could find and hopped in my new bland car and drove a few miles up I-75 to downtown Detroit.
Latherman Financial's office was on the floor of a renovated office building in a fairly nice area of downtown. When I walked through the door the lady at the reception's eyes bugged out looking a combination of upset and relieved to see me. "There you are. He's been having me cover for you the whole time you were gone. I'm sick of answering phones."
I tried to hide the disappointment in my eyes, but I think I failed. She pretty much confirmed that Kari was the receptionist. When I had first seen that my new job was in finance, a field which I had experience in in my real life, I thought maybe I'd be able to lend my expertise. Clearly from Kari's car and apartment she couldn't have been something high powered like I was, but I would have liked to do some work that I enjoyed. Instead its gonna be a year of answering phones or worse.
But I'm getting ahead of myself...
I sincerely thought I was fired when I went in that morning and being told that Mr. Latherman wanted to see me by the receptionist (who I later found out was named Joanne) made me feel like I was about to face a firing squad. I entered an office which was nice, but was a bit modest for a CEO. I don't know what kind of finances or volume this company does but it can't be that high because my office had a nicer view and classier decorations at my own job.
Nick Latherman was a man in his 40s with a full head of hear with sophisticated graying who looked to be in pretty good shape. His face lit up when he saw me, which I was not expecting.
"You're back" He said "I was afraid we were going to have to report you missing"
"Mr Latherman I'm so sorry for--" I began
"Don't worry about it. You needed a break" He interrupted "And drop that Mr. Latherman stuff, its just us"
"There was an issue with the flight and--" I tried to explain
"Kari, you don't need to make excuses" He said in a calming tone "You deserved a vacation and that little inn was amazing."
I froze. "You...you know about the inn?" I asked slowly
"You didn't change hotels right? The little independent one on the beach in Old Orchard, right? It was so quaint and beautiful. I wish I hadn't had to get back here early and leave you there by yourself."
It took a minute for that to sink in for me so I'll spell it out for you.
1. Mr. Latherman, Kari's boss, was on the trip that had taken her to the Trading Post Inn but had left before the curse had taken hold and thus managed to avoid being transformed.
2. Mr. Latherman had taken his receptionist on a trip that probably didn't require a receptionist so Kari was probably with him for...other reasons.
I wanted to believe it wasn't so. That there wasn't anything going on between the two of them. I looked at the smiling pictures of his wife and daughter on his desk and hoped that he and Kari weren't having an affair but the way he was talking to me and the way he was looking at me made it clear.
I sat there in silence at this man who had probably seen this body naked more times that I had at that point, not knowing what to say or how to react or what the etiquette is when you find out your body has sex with someone else so I just quietly made my way back to reception.
I bluffed my way through the short work week, avoiding eye contact wher ever possible.
-Kari
PS: If you've noticed I changed my new name to Kari because after talking to people who know her its clear that "Karina" is the name on the ID only and that friends and family and everyone else calls her Kari, so I'm gonna go with that.
Posted by Jeannie at 12:39 AM No comments:
Labels: Kari, Lane
Tyler/Lauren: Prom and what comes after
I had to sign a lotta yearbooks this past month.
It was tough. I ended up writing a lot of "Have a great summer" and "So many great times!" to people who knew Lauren for years but barely talked to me in my time as her. It was one of the times during this whole thing that I felt the worst... like I was stealing all these goodbyes from her. Cheating her out of closure with the people who helped form her as a person.
I did write lengthy messages to the people I spent the most time with this year. I tried to pour my heart out to Dana, Karlee, Ginnifer and Mark, but even in all those messages I had to hold back and try not to explain to them that they kept me from feeling like dirt most days, and taught me about being a girl as I went along.
I ain't that sentimental, but I'm gonna miss them.
Prom wasn't that much of a story, to be honest. It was a nice night. I wore a black dress with a modest halter top, I spent hours at the salon with the girls getting ready that day. I posed for pics, I danced my ass off, I sang along with the songs I knew in the limo and faked it for the ones I didn't. I stayed out late drinking and talking about a future that wasn't gonna be mine.
It felt like a good place to leave off as Lauren. I was with Mark. He was a bit awkward, since I had made the boundaries pretty clear and he still seemed to be carrying a torch for me. I lost my inhibitions and danced with him. It was good.
Afterward, we crashed a party. Mark reverted to his wallflower state, but I was there for him. I was surrounded by friends but I was the only person there he had any connection to, and I didn't leave his side. We joked, we shared ideas, hopes for the future.
Around 5 AM, those of us who were still up drove to the reservoir at Highland Park to watch the sunrise. He and I wandered off and sat down by the water and fell silent and the mood sort of seized me.
"I've been having a really good night," I told him. "You're gonna make some girl really lucky at college next year. Trust me, you're gonna get snatched up quick."
After a pause he said "I could be making one girl very lucky right now... if she'd let me." He had this goofy, hopeful look in his eyes.
I smiled and pinched his cheek. "You're cute, man. But did you think that would work?"
"Nah, not really," he blushed. "But it came to me and I had to try."
"It's worth this much," I said, kissing his cheek. We sat quietly for a moment and then I opened my trap: "I almost would, you know."
"Almost would... what?"
"You know," I said. I felt butterflies welling up in me. "It's been... a while. And I haven't wanted to, much, until... like, now. But it wouldn't be fair."
"Why not?" he asked.
"I'm going away soon," I said. "And when I come back, it's... better if we don't have to deal with the aftermath of this. Of that."
"Who says there would be an aftermath? I think we could be cool about it..."
I sighed, "Years of careful study, I'm afraid. You deserve better than a one-nighter anyway. I know it doesn't feel like this is for your own good, but it'll save you some emotional anguish in the long run."
I could sense he wanted to argue that, but he was a bit too meek to do so.
So I went on, "There's something else. There's someone else. Someone I've been carrying a torch for for a long time. And I can't be with them right now... not right yet. They're a bit older, but really we're... it's like we're the same age. In a way. And once they leave... their... spouse for me, we can start over together. And I've been looking forward to that for a long time."
He raised his eyebrows and said, "Holy shit... are you fucking a teacher??"
"What? No!" I laughed, and then he laughed and we started naming every repulsive teacher we could.
Eventually we settled down and he circled back in our conversation: "Why did you tell me all that?"
"Because you deserve to know," I said, "Because you've been good to me, you're a really good dude. You make me laugh. You don't give yourself enough credit, you don't believe in yourself, but when you're with me, I can tell you're something special. And just because it hasn't happened for you yet... like, you need to know the truth, that it's me, not you. All you need to do is learn to open up with everyone you meet the way you do with me, and I promise before long, you aren't going to be able to choose which girl to bang."
He blushed again. "You don't have to... I mean, don't lie."
"It's not a lie. Trust me. I've been around. You're a good kid. It's only a matter of time before people see it. Sure, it's a jungle out there... people get hurt, people don't get what they want, people don't connect when they should or they make mistakes. But eventually, if you remember to be yourself, you'll find someone." I think maybe I lost him in there somewhere.
We got rides home and hugged goodbye. I slept all morning and spent the rest of the day packing. The end was in sight. Only days later I would be in Maine with Meg waiting my new destiny. Thinking about all I had been through over the past year... everything I had written about here and everything I hadn't. The things I'd seen and done, people I'd met. It felt overwhelming and I felt sad that I had to go.
I never thought I'd make it. And I damn sure never thought I'd miss it. And it wasn't even over yet.
Posted by A.M. at 3:02 AM 3 comments:
Labels: Dana, Ginnifer, Karlee, Lauren, Mark, Prom, Tyler
Tar Baby
fakeminsk


Let's have a closer look at all of them.
Arnos Grove N11, N14 is the first area in the borough to which we would like to bring your attention. It lies 7.5 miles away from Charing Cross. Formerly part of Middlesex, the area grew around Arnos Park which to this day remains the focal point of the district. Locals have access to various top-quality services and amenities which is why they can easily hire a trained handyman in Arnos Grove N11, N14. Bowes Road is the main artery of the district, where one can find most of the public bodies, as well as shopping facilities and entertainment venues of note. Arnos Grove is particularly well regarded in terms of the schools that are to be found here: St. Paul's Church of England Primary, Broomfield School, Our Lady of the Lourdes Roman Catholic School and Garfield School.
Chances are that if you happen upon the district of Botany Bay, you will also fall in love with it. And you will also be able to find a very nice, old house to move into almost immediately. The thing is that even though EN2 remains more or less in the periphery of Greater London, there are still dependable handyman firms in Botany Bay that will help you gladly to keep the property in order. The former village bears a distinctly suburban feel and it is very well connected to the rest of the capital. Its name is a reference to Botany Bay in Australia and it is possible that it was chosen because of the relative remoteness of the village from other inhabited settlements in the vicinity. So, the peace and quiet here are definitely guaranteed.
Another area that is very well serviced by licensed handymen, Brimsdown is part of the EN3 postal district in the London Borough of Enfield. The neighbourhood lies near the end of the Greater London Metropolitan area and considerable portions of it fall within the premises of the so-called Green Belt of London. It is a leafy suburb that has its origins in a small hamlet that was first recorded in the middle of the 15th century and came into particular prominence in the Victorian era when it was described as an integral part of the parish of Brimsdown. Transport links to Central London are comfortably accommodated by the Brimsdown railway station. In recent years the area has become a pretty popular filming location due to alleged poltergeist activity in the area.
We encourage you to take a closer look at the area of Bull's Cross EN2, EN3. Again, a relatively small former hamlet that is concentrated around the road of the same name, Bull's Cross came recently in prominence because the popular football club Tottenham Hotspur decided to relocate their training facilities to town. The availability of trusted handyman services in Bull's Cross EN2, EN3 is impressive. There are also several historic monuments, such as the 18th century Capel Manor, the Myddleton house and the Pied Bull pub, which are also going to catch your eye for sure if you happen to take a stroll through the district.
The last district that we would like to bring your attention to is Crews Hill EN2. Like the other places that we have talked about, Crews Hill is located in some of the northernmost parts of Greater London and it is relatively small – which means that you can feel quite comfortable here if you do not like the hassle and stress of the big city. The area has a very closely knit community that consists of only 566 permanent residents who lucky enough to have access to top-notch handyman services in Crews Hill EN2.The district is being serviced by the Crews Hill railway station, as well as a single bus route.


No, it is not. That at any rate was the conclusion reached by the China specialists attending the STAUFEN.INOVA Advisory Board event, CrossViews, held on 10th November 2011. Typically for CrossViews, this question was examined from various viewpoints and discussed, sometimes contentiously.
The five experts encouraged the audience to see the China market as an opportunity. The threats that are frequently published throughout the Western media are not totally unfounded, but by adopting a proactive business approach and with a «Yes» to China, Europe can continue to stand its ground in the globally competitive environment. As long as Europeans have innovations and high-tech to offer, we will remain a desirable partner for the Chinese.
That the future will be one of sharing rather than mutual crowding out, is a virtually unavoidable trend in view of the need to maintain the natural resources of our planet in the longer term.
CrossViews is a platform for exchanging insight between entrepreneurial personalities and is organised by STAUFEN.INOVA. In 2011, the invited specialists and guests focused on the question of "Is China buying up Europe?"
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text:
Italian Holiday Presale 2020
ITIHFN15-214
Thu, Apr 16, 2020 Bonus
Thu, Apr 16, 2020 $1,886 Get Lower Price Get Quote
Fri, Aug 07, 2020
Florence, Pisa, Rome, Venice, Verona
Visit the Vatican before the crowds, journey through striking Tuscan landscapes and cruise along the canals of Venice. You'll also encounter the Renaissance highlights of Florence and Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Day 1 - Arrive Rome (2 Nights)
Indulge all your senses in the imperial city of Rome, your introduction to a memorable encounter with Italy which will have you returning for more. Spend your afternoon relaxing after your journey, or explore the ancient city streets before joining your Travel Director and travel companions for a Welcome Reception. This evening, we take an orientation drive past Rome's most magnificent sights which we will have an opportunity to explore tomorrow.
Accommodation: Cicerone
Day 2 - Rome Sightseeing and Free Time
Our encounter with Rome begins in the Holy See as we visit the Vatican Museums in the company of a Local Specialist to admire the masterpieces that have been collected by Popes throughout the centuries. Gaining priority admission, we admire the magnificent frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel when it is less crowded and visit St. Peter's Basilica, the greatest church in Christendom, to see Michelangelo's sorrowful Pietà. Crossing the Tiber, we venture into Ancient Rome to visit the imposing Colosseum and view Circus Maximus, once the site of tremendous chariot races. Spend a leisurely afternoon exploring Rome. Sit on the Spanish Steps or toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain to secure your speedy return to Rome.
Day 3 - Rome – Venice
This morning, we venture through the valley of the Tiber north into the green and golden landscapes of Umbria. We pass the hilltop towns of Orte and Orvieto, travelling through Tuscany's terraced olive groves and the Appenine Mountains bound for Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic.
Accommodation: Novotel Mestre Castellana
Day 4 - Venice Orientation – Verona
We cruise by private launch to the city's most prominent sights, including views of the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica and the ornate Doge's Palace. 'Dive Into Culture' witnessing first-hand the intricate craft of glassblowing. Soak up the pageantry and elegance of Venice before continuing to Verona, home of Shakespeare's ill-fated lovers Romeo and Juliet, where we'll spend the night.
Accommodation: Leopardi
Day 5 - Verona – Pisa – Florence
Pisa's UNESCO-listed Square of Miracles is our first stop today where we will have the opportunity to view the Leaning Tower before arriving in Florence. Explore the birthplace of the Renaissance and home to the Medici dynasty, whose penchant for beautiful art and architecture created one of the cultural centres of the world. Tonight we 'Connect With Locals' over a Be My Guest dinner in the Chianti countryside.
Day 6 - Florence Sightseeing – Rome
We join a Local Specialist today to delve into the rich medieval and Renaissance history of Florence. Our sightseeing tour will take us to the Piazza della Signoria with its impressive sculptures and imposing palazzi. Wandering through the narrow streets, we encounter the multi-coloured marble Duomo and famous Baptistery. We'll learn about the quality and workmanship of one of this city's historic industries at a demonstration of Florentine leathercraft. Next, we'll view the 674-year-old Ponte Vecchio, a spectacular feat of engineering dating from the Middle Ages and today lined with jewellers, art dealers and souvenir shops. Our journey continues through Umbria to the valley of the Tiber River and back to Rome. Toast to a memorable holiday with newfound friends at a Farewell Dinner.
Accommodation: Grand Tiberio
Day 7 - Depart Rome
After breakfast, it's time to say a fond arrivederci to Rome, Italy and your travel companions as you return home with wonderful memories of this magnificent destination. Transfers are available. Conditions apply.
VIP ADMISSION to the Vatican Museums
CITY TOUR in Rome and Florence
ORIENTATION of Venice, Verona and Pisa
VISIT St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum in Rome
CRUISE by private launch to St. Mark's Square in Venice
VIEW the ancient sites of Rome, the Byzantine St. Mark's Basilica, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Santa Croce Basilica and the Duomo in Florence
6 hot buffet breakfasts
4 dinners (including Be My Guest) with local wine


text:
Heath Lambert wins rail project work
By Saxon East2010-04-14T00:00:00+01:00
Firm will advise on 49km Borders train line
Heath Lambert has been appointed as adviser for one of Scotland's largest transport projects.
The company, which has offices in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, will advise Transport Scotland on the insurance strategy to cover the Borders railway project, which is expected to cost between £235m and £295m. The 49km line will link Newcraighall station, Edinburgh, with Tweedbank in the Scottish borders, passing through Midlothian. Seven stations will be created.
Heath Lambert project team leader Mark Bourke said: "Our team has mobilised immediately and we are working closely with Transport Scotland and our co-advisers, namely Mott MacDonald, Dundas & Wilson, Ernst & Young, Turner & Townsend, and ERM. "
Heath Lambert's managing director for the project risks team, Mike Hawkes, said: "The team has a detailed knowledge of the legal and risk management issues involved in private finance, and has wide experience in working for governments, local authorities, lenders and project companies/contractors."
Project director Steve Milligan said: "The competitive dialogue process will get underway shortly. We look forward to working in partnership with Heath Lambert through this key development phase, which takes us nearer to delivering one of the first DBFM (design, build, finance, maintain) railways in the UK."
Heath Lambert wins £295m transport deal
Heath appointed as the insurance advisor for Transport Scotland's Borders Railway Project
Giles swoops on Cooper Gay's FSJ
Giles discussing acquisition of FSJ with Lloyd's broker
Bluefin unveils former Heath boss
Mike Bruce appointed chief development officer at Bluefin


text:
Elements |
Outbound Connections (Moderators: Sir Petey, Matty, Invincible, Chamillitary Click) |
Does Eminem have 3 classics?
Yes- Cuz Im a fuckin idiot who was introduced to Hip Hop when i heard "My Name Is"
Nah, maybe one classic, but definitely not 3
Fuck No...do i look like a dick rider to you
Author Topic: Does Eminem have 3 classics? (Read 536 times)
King Tech Quadafi
His Royal Highness
i think you betta recognize...
Hey Drama Queen, I did what ya asked..
stupid biitch thinks Em has 3 classics.....
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
- Lewis Carroll
DPGC2003
Crissy M
Re:Does Eminem have 3 classics?
1 classic and 2 very dope albums...SSLP was classic...MMLP and Eminem Show are very dope 4/5 albums...He was part of 2001 so he's been on 2 classics...
Rainstorm the back of the bank, bustin loose like Muggsy
Typhoons, Kurupt Calhoun
with a platoon of backwards ass buffoons
Ready to shoot anything that moves Kurupt-Trylogy
_E_A_Z_Y_
look, i respect him and dr. dre, but some beats on TES were bad ( some tracks sound like Pop- music ) the other two albums were good, but not classic!
elneckio
only the one :O
"just do what he says.. i find to my expense he's always right." ... Overseer 24/04/02
infinite59
Yes. Eminem has 3 classics. And no, I wasn't introduced to hip-hop with "My Name Is." I had been an avid fan since the Chronic dropped in 93.
Eminem's 3 albums are superior albums. Lyrically they are equal to "Illmatic" and the production is equal to "2001".
Quote from: Infinite Ibrahim Abdul Hamid on November 23, 2002, 06:48:29 PM
Slow your roll homie...Equal to Illmatic?...Production to 2001?...Your comparing his albums to THE BEST LYRICAL ALBUM OF ALL TIME...I like Eminem but he ain't seeing Nas in his Illmatic days...And the Eminem show has wack beats compared to 2001 which is 5/5 in terms of production...
ImmortalOne
mothafuckin made niggaz
Fuck no he doesnt have 3 classics. Do you know how hard it is to make 3 classics?? Even some of the all times greats, who are far greater than Em, dont have 3 classics. Making 3 classic albums is a rarity. And NONE of Em's albums are even close to Illmatic. Whoever says otherwise is a blatant dickrider.
I think Em is one of the best MC's alive today, but I dont consider any of his albums to be classic.
My list of artists who've made 3 classics:
Tribe Called Quest
« Last Edit: November 23, 2002, 07:29:57 PM by hellrazor »
check out my Jordan collection here:
http://www.dubcc.com/forum/index.php?topic=67063.0
Hatesrats™
Tha Drunk Gem-in-I
"Gz Up, Hoes Down"
"Nah, maybe one classic, but definitely not 3"
"Slim Shady lp" came outta nowhere and opened the door for this talented rapper but since then.......his comedy and shock value have became more like hitting repeat on "My name is..."
Eminem has alot of dope collab's & features on soundtrack's such as:
"Words are weapons"
"If I get locked up tonight"
"Don't approach me"
"Bad influence"
"Renegades"
"8-mile OST"...ect
which makes one wonder why he wastes such rhymes on his actual cd's and places filler's instead such as:
"The real slim Shady"
"I'm back"
"Amityville"
"KIM"
"Under the influence"
"Business"
"Square dance"
"Drips"
"Without me"
"Say what you say"
Dope beats....but what else..?
Those tracks ImO are not going to last in content and replay value over the years....the subject matter bout his wife and Mother will change over the years and names mentioned in those rap's will be forgotten over time and make one say why the fuck did they get mentioned?.....plus can you imagine a concert in 10 years with Eminem dissin' those peep's?....lol
If Eminem was to place the track's from "8-mile" for those highlited song's from "The Eminem show" then we would have 2 classic's instead of one....ImO
He's not GOD....
He's not Invincible...
He's just a good rapper remember there is plenty of those.
His Fanatic's are prick's who are using his name in a context that will take an entire lifetime to use along side with him.
The song "Stan" is a Gem cause of them...
I've heard worse....and better.
To me he is just another voice of the moment it happen's people this is music..
Where will u be in 10 years?
Hatesrats 2oo2
West Coast Veteran
Eminem is the God M.C. He has three classics. He has made the greatest songs in the history of mankind with "Cleaning Out My Closet" and "Lose Yourself". He is the best lyricist because he can spit multi-syllables and his subject matter is the most original ever. He got second place in the Rap Olympics although he used those lines before but he still was second place. WE COULD HAVE BEEN TOGETHER!
i mos definetley agree
Don Jacob
don status, bitch
illmatic is lyrically (rhyming wise) better and 2001 is produced better though
sslp=classic
mmlp=classic
eminem show=classic....your a musical scrub if you can't appreciate this album
« Last Edit: November 23, 2002, 11:06:47 PM by Don Jacob Corleone »
R.I.P. To my Queen and Princess 07-05-09
Quote from: hellrazor on November 23, 2002, 07:28:44 PM
2pac yes has 3 classics
tribe yes has 3 classics
Cube yes has 3 and then some classics
outkast yes has 3 and then some
but the only wu tang album that is classic is enter the wu.....the w and iron flag were straight up bullshit, wu tang forever was too long and a 4 mic album even if you trimmed of the fat....solo albums don't count towards a group classic, and if you want to know the truth i don't think gangstar have 1 classic......the closest they've come is 4.5, but i won't give any of their albums a 5
H2O proof MC
Muthafuckin' OG
I'm the muthafuckin man like homo erectus
I'm a big as fan of Eminem as anyone.....but does anyone else think that when hes on mixtapes, freestyles, guest appearences, that his shit is leaps and bounds ahead of his album shit? Oh and I think he has only dropped one classic album , with the others being great, but not classic in my opinion
This has to be the most foolish thing Ive ever heard on this board
=[Euthanasia]=
Bad Muthafucka'
I think as far as his albums go he has 1 legit classic (SSLP), the other 2 are great albums but not quite classics imo, maybe that will all change in a few years though, I mean alot of albums weren't considered classics by alot of people when they first dropped i.e "Illmatic". Classics are like fine wines, they get better with time lol. Naw but seriously, i'd give Em a classic rating for "Infinite" too, so i'd say he has 2 classic records right now. He's had plenty of classic songs though.
I think that if you take one of the 'O's' out of 'Good' it's 'God', if you add a 'D' to 'Evil' it's the 'Devil'. I think some cool motherfucker sat down a long time ago and said 'let's figure out a way to control motherfuckers'.
Karma: 11708
He does not have 3 classics.
It's kinda strange argumenting that SSLP is classic just because it was "new and fresh", when MMLP & ES was better both lyrically & beat-wise.
Dj Eskimo
<iframe src="http://gamercard.xbox.com/insertgamer
1 Classic album dat was SSLP... PERIOD.
<iframe src="http://gamercard.xbox.com/insertgamertaghere.card" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="140" width="204"></iframe>
http://www.myspace.com
Quote from: MILITANT TECH on November 24, 2002, 01:26:49 AM
trust me, theres been worse lol. and whats so bad about this topic?
Sub-Z
no he doesnt even have 1 classic
Quote from: Don Jacob Corleone on November 23, 2002, 11:04:09 PM
Cuban Linx and Liquid Swords count, because they were basically group albums with Raekwon and GZA on every song.....they're just as much group albums as Enter The Wu is.......
And Gang Starr dont have any classics?? ROFLMAO....Moment Of Truth is one of the greatest albums ever, and Daily Operation and Hard 2 Earn are definatly arguably classics.
Quote from: Grinch Nilla on November 24, 2002, 02:48:32 PM
LOL ooooooooooooooook
Em doesnt have a classic
Quote from: MILITANT TECH on November 24, 2002, 07:10:09 PM
There's an album that came out within the last few years...It's called the SlimShady LP...You should give it a listen...
P Nelson
40 illa
lol this board is funny... Ur always callin the debut albums classics but cant admit it if the rapper actually drops another classic.. in my opinion, we gotta give his albums some time before we judge


text:
[Back to Issue 11 ToC] [Back to Journal Contents] [Back to Biochemistry (Moscow) Home page]
[View Full Article] [Download Reprint (PDF)]
REVIEW: Engineering Artificial Biodiversity of Lantibiotics to Expand Chemical Space of DNA-Encoded Antibiotics
S. O. Pipiya1, S. S. Terekhov1,2, Yu. A. Mokrushina1,2, V. D. Knorre1, I. V. Smirnov1,2,a*, and A. G. Gabibov1,2
1Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
2Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received August 11, 2020; Revised September 28, 2020; Accepted October 6, 2020
The discovery of antibiotics was one of the fundamental stages in the development of humanity, leading to a dramatic increase in the life expectancy of millions of people all over the world. The uncontrolled use of antibiotics resulted in the selection of resistant strains of bacteria, limiting the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy nowadays. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were considered promising candidates for next-generation antibiotics for a long time. However, the practical application of AMPs is restricted by their low therapeutic indices, impaired pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, which is predetermined by their peptide structure. Nevertheless, the DNA-encoded nature of AMPs enables creating broad repertoires of artificial biodiversity of antibiotics, making them versatile templates for the directed evolution of antibiotic activity. Lantibiotics are a unique class of AMPs with an expanded chemical space. A variety of post-translational modifications, mechanisms of action on bacterial membranes, and DNA-encoded nature make them a convenient molecular template for creating highly representative libraries of antimicrobial compounds. Isolation of new drug candidates from this synthetic biodiversity is extremely attractive but requires high-throughput screening of antibiotic activity. The combination of synthetic biology and ultrahigh-throughput microfluidics allows implementing the concept of directed evolution of lantibiotics for accelerated creation of new promising drug candidates.
KEY WORDS: directed evolution of antimicrobial activity, DNA-encoded antibiotics, ultrahigh-throughput screening, microfluidics, lantibiotic bioengineering, drug discovery, antibiotic resistance
Copyright (C) 2020 BioProt Network
webmaster@protein.bio.msu.ru


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text:
EDITORIAL EXCERPT: The Barnaby Joyce affair — another case of #mediafail (except for IA)
By David Donovan | 8 February 2018, 11:00am | comments
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister is a hypocrite: that's one reason it was a story - another was all the other more serious allegations swirling around him
The New England by-election safely over, Australia's biased and complicit mainstream media have finally lifted the lid on Barnaby Joyce's affair with a young staffer and her pregnancy.
Of course, this was something Independent Australia readers read about months ago.
Independent Australia was alone amongst Australia's popular media in reporting these facts, which Ross Jones did on 19 November last year, after going to Tamworth for IA to investigate these and numerous other rumours swirling around the then candidate. With most of his electorate being oblivious to any of the scandals, Joyce went on to win the 2 December New England by-election,
The news was "broken" ‒ if such can be said about old news long in the public domain ‒ by Sharri Markson yesterday (7/2/18) in the Daily Telegraph. It was soon followed by reports in all the other Murdoch-owned publications.
'Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is expecting a baby with a former staff member,' wrote Markson in a frontpage splash.
'Mr Joyce has refused to comment on his relationship with ex-journalist Vikki Campion, 33, since it emerged last year that his decades-long marriage to Natalie Joyce, the mother of his four kids, had broken down.'
Markson then offered a positive twist on the affair:
'… friends say the new couple, who are living together, are madly in love.'
Because nothing says romance more than a powerful man cheating on his wife and knocking up an employee young enough to be his daughter.
Joyce is the same man who called same sex marriage "decadent" last year while campaigning for a "no vote" in the postal plebiscite.
He also said that marriage equality would leave his daughters at risk:
"We know that the best protection for those girls is that they get themselves into a secure relationship with a loving husband, and I want that to happen for them. I don't want any legislator to take that right away from me."
His right, note, not that of his daughters. A remarkable stance, given no marriage is secure with "decadent" individuals like Joyce around.
Front page of Courier-Mail, 21 October 2017 (Screenshot via @YaThinkN)
The tone of Sharri Markson's recent article was notably different to one she wrote for the same paper on 21 October last year, entitled 'Barnaby Joyce battles vicious innuendo as Coalition fears citizenship woe'.
Then, Markson attacked 'bitter old bastard' Tony Windsor for apparently spreading 'vicious' rumours about Joyce:
Tony Windsor is "showing himself to be a bitter old bastard", a Nationals source said.
Already, long-term rival Tony Windsor has published a series of provocative social media posts. The posts contain vicious innuendo about Mr Joyce's personal life.
Windsor of course, was simply telling the public the straight truth — something Markson and her Rupert Murdoch-owned publication seem to find impossible to do.
There is no doubt Markson knew the truth in October. Vikki Campion was a former colleague of hers, having worked as the deputy chief-of-staff at the Daily Telegraph prior to becoming Joyce's press officer. So, why did Sharri Markson not only conceal the facts, but attempt to discredit them as "vicious innuendo".
One explanation is that Markson and her politically partisan publisher were concerned Joyce might lose the New England by-election and put their friends, the Turnbull Government, at risk.
Markson alluded to this in her October article:
A senior Nationals source said there are concerns over a scandal in Mr Joyce's personal life and a dirt-file upsetting the conservative voters….
"The party is worried. Concerned. You can't afford to lose a seat even if it's New England when there's a one-seat majority ….
Another Nationals source said Mr Joyce's strategy was to ignore Mr Windsor, but admitted it was worrying given the conservative electorate….
That explains News Corp's abysmal contempt for the public's right to know — but what about the rest of the mainstream media? And there can be no doubt they also knew — we confirmed that with them directly.
Guardian Press Gallery columnist Katharine Murphy tried to explain the media silence in a Tweet on the day Markson's original story came out:
'There's something of a convention in Aus politics: unless there's criminality, coercion or abuse involved, private lives are private.'
1. There's something of a convention in Aus politics: unless there's criminality, coercion or abuse involved, private lives are private.
— Katharine Murphy (@murpharoo) October 21, 2017
This is nonsense, of course. There is no such convention — "something" or otherwise.
The media presented stories about Gareth Evans' affair with Cheryl Kernot and Jim Cairns' affair with Junie Morosi when there was not a hint of criminality, coercion, or abuse. The mainstream media also enjoyed reporting on the private life of Julia Gillard while she was prime minister, even outrageously asking her whether her hairdresser partner Tim Mathieson was a homosexual. The ABC then destroyed any notion of impartiality or discretion when it aired a tasteless and unfunny sitcom based on her supposed private life, called 'At Home With Julia'.
If what Murphy really meant was that there was sort of a convention to only report on the private lives of politicians if it was in the public interest, then the Joyce case clearly was.
Because as Markson said in her October piece:
'Mr Joyce, who was married in 1993, is Catholic and has spoken often of his conservative social and economic values.'
So, with a by-election then coming up in December, it was clearly in the public interest – especially those of the voters of New England – to know that their beloved candidate, who had preached the sanctity of traditional marriage throughout the land, was sleeping around on his wife with a married staffer and producing children out of wedlock. That he was, in other words, a hypocrite...
This is only half the story! The rest of this editorial, originally published as part of the Independent Australia weekly subscribers' newsletter, may be read in the IA members only area. All you need to do is subscribe to IA. It takes less a minute and costs as little as $5 a month or $50 a year — so little for such an abundance of quality journalism and other great extras!
Subscribe to Independent Australia HERE.
IA subscribers can read the rest of this article HERE.
You can follow managing editor Dave Donovan on Twitter at @davrosz.
This piece explains why the Maley piece is not "really good" but, in fact, "really, really bad". When will you MSM journalists start accepting responsibility when you get caught out censoring the news and not doing your job? Disgraceful.hhttps://t.co/xah6QNzIYp
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) February 8, 2018
POLITICS MEDIA
Barnaby Joyce Vikki Campion Nationals New England by-election Daily Telegraph David Donovan Dave Donovan Sharri Markson staffer pregnant
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