From this weekend (7 and 8 April), "walk in clinics" are being held at each medical centre ,on a rotating basis. This weekend Junction Health, 1A Trader's Lane, Cromwell are on duty.
The clinic hours are 10.00am to 3.00pm. No appointment is necessary. Outside the clinic times patients should phone their own GP surgery where the call will be picked up by a call centre with nurses who triage the urgency of the call. Visitors can phone any of the clinics.
Please note that higher charges will be incurred at these weekend clinics.
Dunstan Hospital does not have an Accident and Emergency Department, do NOT present straight to Clyde. Please phone your GP, come to a clinic, or in the case of an emergency dial 111.
The shingles vaccine is now free for 65-80 year olds.
We now have an automatic defibrillator on site, in addition to the ones dotted around town.


text:
Let's Write a Story!
Thread starter Whirlwind
Sports, Games and Health
Running full tilt into the room, they pulled up short next to a group of people robed in shimmery white gowns. They were all different kinds of people, apparently from all over the world. And they were singing, each their own song. There were all kinds of musical intruments, some she recognized, some quite foreign to her. There were all kinds of music, too, from full throated gospels, to chants and humming. There was classical symphonies (did she recognize Handel's Messiah?), and the latest pop. Everyone was singing and making thier own music, yet at the same time, it all came together. Point and counterpoint, weaving and interweaving into a beautiful tapestry. Reminded Dolly of the tapestry of her life, but this was a different weave.
Everything has a pattern, she realized. She looked around and saw no walls, no ceiling, only an endless sea of people.
Dolly was captivated by a young girl, face turned upward and shining, singing a haunting melody in a clear high voice. She could tell it was a language she never heard before, yet somehow, was able to understand it. The girl was singing about God and His glory and Jesus and His beauty.
Beauty? Dolly always heard that Jesus was not much to look at, the bible said so. Yet, here was this lovely song about His beauty. Ah, the beauty of His love, the work of the cross, redemption.
Yes, beautiful.
Her heart swelled in gladness and she joined in the girl's song. But Dolly's melody parted from the young girl's and took on a life of its own. Rising and falling, sweet and gentle. She looked over at Bill. He seemed to be engrossed in a Gregorian Chant with a marching band kind of flare. His face was shining, too. Was hers? Where was Ranwell and Brason? Oh, there they were! Behind them, belting out their own tunes.
She forgot everything else for the moment and got lost in her song.
Then, from the right, waay off in the distance, she could hear a roar.
A lion?
The ocean?
It was growing louder and louder, coming in waves, getting closer and closer. The people on the far right picked up the roar and echoed it. The people next to them roared and it continued in a long wave until it swelled and filled the ear and drowned out the music.
Excitement buzzed thru them. Someone was coming!
(Your turn! Whirlwind, you have a talent for this! I can tell! Hey! Anybody else want to jump in, feel free!)
This is it! she thought and sang out and beamed out from the core of her soul. This is it! The rapture! Countless in celebration, diverse people, millions upon millions of minds of individual thought...all of us knowing that we aren't of our own, but belonging to Him!
"It's not the rapture," Ranwell said over her shoulder, smiling. "You're filling with joy and light. You're becoming what you've meant to become since the first breaths of time. You are, you have always been His. What you feel in your heart? That's just the beginning. The tip of the iceberg. No, an iceberg doesn't even compare. It's only the small speck at the top of eternity."
They danced and praised Him. Dolly shut her eyes and lost herself in the overwhelming joy, spinning in her dance. Shouting with her soul. Crying tears of redemption that weren't coming from her eyes...but from her very spirit.
When Dolly opened her eyes again, she had no idea where Bill was in the crowd of people. Usually, this would worry her. But for now, for some reason, it didn't worry her at all.
Bill was here, somewhere. In the millions. So were people that she knew - people she had smiled at on the streets when she was a young girl. There was Derek, the old butcher that her mother used to tease about the prices of his products when Dolly was only a small girl. There was Viola, who Dolly hadn't seen since...oh, the second grade?
They smiled at her, lost in their own dance. "It's all starting to make sense," Dolly said to a person next to her. He turned around, a cleancut American boy, and replied to her: "One."
What did that mean? She didn't know. But at the same time, thoughts were beginning to enter into her. Thoughts that took no brain to imagine and bring to understanding. One.
"It's too big for us to understand," Dolly told a small girl.
Four people around her replied to her at the same time and in the same tone of voice that it almost sounded like an echo of one voice: "And at the same time, we're beginning."
While Dolly spoke this time, eight other people around her spoke out the same thought: "We're made for His joy."
Sixteen other people responded: "We're made to love Him and to be loved by Him."
Dolly and 150 others spoke out: "The Beginning and the End."
"The Alpha...and the Omega."
The rumbling around them continued...it shook every molecule in the air, trembled every spirit. It shook loose any doubt, and it splashed refreshing water over any weakness. Shells around the last few doubts cracked and fell away.
"No eye has seen," a thousand people spoke at once.
"No ear has heard," two-thousand responded in unison.
"And no mind can conceive," tens of thousands called out together.
Dolly spun and danced and sang out. She felt herself coming apart at the very threads of physical existence. She felt that it was right, that there was nothing to fear here at all. She knew that it was a return to where she belonged, a place that she had forgotten about completely during her time alive.
The universe, it seemed suspended around them and it pounded with rhythm and song. Angels and man danced and praised Him. Every cell of every being in every corner of this place vibrated with His love and grace.
"It's too much!" Dolly screamed out in laughter, her eyes squeezed shut. "It's too much!"
Dolly, who had known nothing but the existence of her own physical body for so long that she had forgotten all else, suddenly felt her human body come apart and separate into a dust; from which exploded the real Dolly. The rough skin and calluses of existence had been pulled back to reveal the child, Dolly, refreshed and new.
Dolly collapsed under her own weight, under the intense beauty of the event, and wept in a joy so complete and perfect that she was sure it would never end.
When she came to, she found herself hunkered over, weeping, panting, refreshed, and new, repeating over and over: "God...God...God."
She opened her eyes and found herself in light. From all sides, there was nothing but light.
Ranwell stepped out of the light and gently grabbed her by the hand. She wanted to ask him where Bill was, she wanted to ask him what had just happened. But immediately, before those thoughts could complete themselves in her mind, the answers came and she knew.
Ranwell nodded his head at her, grinning. "There's Someone that I want you to meet, Dolly," he told her.
(Sorry for being late...I was out in the field yesterday and then had to serve my civic duty this morning... This is a gift you have, Fluffy! Given to you by God above. A talent. Go with it, use it for His glory. You are so blessed!)
(Whirlwind, it is YOU that has the gift! I wish I could write like you do. But you know, each to his own gift, huh? We each write in our own style that God has given us. Hey! I like your style!)
Gazing around in wonder, Dolly held tight to Ranwell's hand.
Meet who? She wondered. Could it be....? She didnt dare formulate that thought. No way. Could it be....?
Light was all around, everywhere. Filling everything, every corner of her being.
"You'd better drink some of this." Ranwell handed Dolly a beautiful flask of gleaming silver.
Without questioning, she drank deeply of a clear, cool something. It was more than water. It felt alive, yet refreshing.
"What is this?" She asked after wiping her mouth.
"Dont you know?" Ranwell smiled gently. He took the flask back and continued leading the way.
Energy surged thru her body and she felt light as a feather. Dolly felt like she could run for ages without stopping!
She couldnt see any other people, but it felt crowded. The floor turned from grey stone to a crystal clear tile. It looked like she could see straight thru to miles and miles of crystal. Tripping over her feet, Dolly couldnt help but stare in wonder at the floor.
Thunder pealed. It was answered by another. It rolled and rolled.
Again!
There was a doorway ahead.
Suddenly, Dolly was afraid.
"Do you need another drink?" Ranwell asked solicitously.
"No, no. Well, maybe just a sip." She really didnt need it, but it tasted so good! And besides, it was an excuse to pause a moment before going thru the door.
Where was Bill? Was he going thru a door, too?
"What is that?" Dolly asked Ranwell.
"You'll see."
Dolly looked up at him sceptically. Wait a minute. Where were his glasses?
"You've got me this far, I'll trust you farther." The words were out before she could pull them back in. But why not? They were true!
They went in.
(Your turn!)
(I'm so, so sorry...but God is calling me away from my computer to do some work for the Lord. My nephew, called me last night and is severely depressed and wants to come to know the Lord. I'm so glad about this! I'm spending time with him today to explain to him how much God loves him. It's incredible! How we learn to pass on this wonderful news! How God calls us when He thinks we're ready to share. I love Him! Somebody continue this story, please? I want to read when I get back - probably tomorrow. Thanks so much and God bless! )
Whirlwind! What an awesome opportunity!! May the Good Lord give you just the right words to touch this young man's heart. Lord, open Whirlwind's nephews heart and eyes to the truth of Your word, and Your love for him. Plow up the soil of his heart and prepare it for Your message of hope. I pray for this young man's soul, Oh Lord, that it will be saved from destruction and he learns of the infinite love and care You have for Your children. AMEN!
Whirlwind, when you get back, we expect a full report! AMEN!:groupray:
(Well, I waited, and it would seem no one else wants to join in. Cant stand it any longer! I"m gonna go for it! Sorry if its out of turn!)
Thru the door, Dolly took a few steps and stopped, awestruck. Light was everywhere, more intense in here. She couldnt see a ceiling or walls, the room was so vast. Or was it a room? She seemed totally disoriented.
Then, out of the light, a figure stepped. It was a man, but she couldnt see his face. He started walking toward her.
Could it be? No. How arrogant for her to think so! But could it?
The figure walked closer and closer with deliberate steps, his face getting a little bit clearer with each step. Power emanated from this man. But she sensed it was power under control. If it was let loose, she knew, somehow, that it would cause her to come apart at the seams. Electricty buzzed up and down and fizzed in spirals all around her.
She felt ridiculous as she couldnt decide whether to get on her knees, fall flat on her face, stand in awe or jump up and down. "It's just like the song 'I Can Only Imagine'!" She thought to herself as she bobbed up and down, first to one knee, then back up in a jump. What should she do?
Just when his face started to make sense...
BREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEPBREEP!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Dolly jolted upright in her bed. No! No! No! It cant be a dream! It just cant!
Oh why did they put the alarm clock all the way across the room so that they had to get out of bed to turn it off? So they had to get out of bed and not roll back over, is why.
Sigh. She got up and turned it off.
Bill snorted, smacked, and snored.
"Bill!" Dolly shook him fiercely. "Wake up!"
"5 more minutes." Bill mumbled and rolled over. "I'm dreaming of Jesus."
Dolly snatched her hands back. She might have missed her chance, but she wasnt about to ruin Bill's.
She stumbled to the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink.
"That must have been some dream." She told her reflection. Her curlers were all over the place. "I must have tossed and turned all night!"
Dolly started to reach for the water, then sharply pulled back. What was that? Something stuck between her fingers.
She dashed to the room they used as a home office and shoved her glasses onto her face. Thoughts of Ranwell crossed her mind and she threw an apologetic thought his way and looked closer at her hands.
Yes, right there, between her fingers. A few grains of sand, glinting and glimmering in the light from the desk. She remembered the weight and the texture of the sand of her life in her hands.
It wasnt a dream! It really happened! She grabbed a piece of tape and carefully picked up the grains with it. Lovingly, she taped it inside the cover of her bible and dated it.
thumpscrritchh!
Dolly ran to the hallway. "Ranwell?" Empty. "Brason?" Still empty.
She went back to the bedroom and shook Bill again. "Sorry to interrupt your interview, but you have 30 minutes to get showered and dressed for work!"
"Ok, ok!" Bill grumbled and kicked off the covers. "Wow! What a dream I had!"
"Bill!" Dolly yelled as she grabbed the tape dispenser. "Check your hands!"
"Let me look!" Dolly snatched his hands and looked at them closely. There! Under the fingernails! She carefully dug out the grains and taped them. "See? It wasnt a dream! It really happened!"
"So why are you saving those grains?"
"Proof!"
Bill scratched his head. "If it was for real, we got a lot to talk about."
"And no time!" Dolly shoved him toward the bathroom. "Shower! Shave! Work!"
"Alright, alright! But I've got lots to tell you!" Bill pulled off his pajamas and headed for the shower.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Dolly called after him.
"I'm still hungry for a banana split!" Bill ducked just as a slipper flew past his head. "No, really! I thought about it all night!"
"I'll meet you for lunch and we can talk over dessert, how about that?"
"As long as its a banana split!"
Dolly shook her head and went to make breakfast.
www.sonshineshelters.org
Can't sleep... thought I would give it a go.
As Dolly entered the kitchen, an unfamiliar feeling came over her. It started at her head and flowed like warm water down through her body. As if she walked in front of a large heater, but it was all on the inside. She dismissed it and focused on the task at hand. She cracked the eggs into the frying pan, thinking to herself, "when did I learn to crack eggs with one hand"? As the eggs started to sizzle in the pan, her thoughts suddenly drifted back to her childhood. A vision entered her mind of one warm summer day in the park. Thinking, "I must have been about 5 or 6 years old". She was playing on the swings by herself. "I didn't have many friends back then" "I was so clumsy… the kids always teasing me".
Then she saw herself leaving to go home. She knew mother would have dinner on the table soon. She didn't have far to go. Just across the street and 4 houses down. In her mind, she watched herself walk into the street, like she had so many times before. She didn't hear or see the car coming. Traveling much faster than what a normal commuter would be driving. And then she turned her head and saw the black sedan barreling down the middle of the street. Paralyzed with fear, she could only stare at what she knew was a car, but with the black paint and tinted windows, it looked different. The headlights were like squinting eyes, and the grill as an evil smile. It almost seemed to be alive.
Just then, out of nowhere, someone grabbed her and pushed her back to the curb. They hit the ground and rolled to a stop. He stood and helped her up. He was slightly taller than her and a year or two older. "Are you ok? That jerk didn't even slow down". Dolly thanked him for saving her, explaining how she didn't see anything until it was almost too late. "I've never seen you around here before, do you live close by"? "I just moved into the area, a couple blocks down the street and was just on my way home". Asking if she was going to be ok, he said he had to get going. "Yes, I'll be ok". He turned to leave and started walking away. Dolly yelled, "Hey… I'm Dolly… what's your name"? The boy turned with a smile and said, "I'm Ranwell… I'm sure I'll be seeing you again". Dolly remembered that she never did see him again, unless… could it be…
Bill walked into the kitchen. "HEY… THE EGGS ARE SMOKING". Dolly quickly snapped out of it and turned the stove off. "Bill… your aren't going to believe this".
Mark_18
Wow you guys are Gooooood!
Who am I,
Ranwell is such a common name, I'm sure it was a different person... lol.
Standing by. Sorry, but I can't write well enough, I'll wreck the story.
GrannyG
This is fun! Thanks for such a good read. I'm enjoying it very much and very impressed. If I felt I could contribute without spoiling it, I would, but continue on, please.
(Mark, I didnt know Ranwell was a common name? Where at?
Granny, thank you, and Mark for the compliment! This has been fun! Feel free to join in at any time!)
Dolly turned off the stove and reached for a box of dry cereal. "Your not going to believe what I just remembered!"
"That you saw your guardian angel sometime in the past?" Bill asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Sipping on a cup of coffee, he cleared his throat. "I had the same 'rememberies'."
Dolly stood there with her mouth hanging open.
"Hey! Are you ever going to take those curlers out?" Dolly's mouth flapped open several times. She considered several retorts and possible missiles, but declined after a moment.
"Eat your cereal and get to work!" She finallly said. "Your going to be late!"
"I dont like this kind."
Dolly grabbed a couple of poptarts and began pulling him toward the door. "Go! Go! Your boss is going to be angry with you!"
"Wait! Wait!" Bill dug in his heels.
"What now?"
Bill puckered up. "Give me a smooch."
Laughing, Dolly kissed him a good one and sent him on his way.
Men. She thought to herself. Her hand wandered up to her hair. Hard to believe her curlers were still there, even if they were everywhich way!
Got to get dressed myself!
In the bathroom, she was wondering how she was going to fix the mess that had become her hair overnight when she saw something that made her stop.
It was there in the mirror just a split second ago...but now it was gone. It might not have even been there in the first place, and it was probably nothing, but a part of her kept insisting that it had been there and she should be careful.
For a while, as she was undoing the curlers in her hair, she thouht she had seen...
Knock it off, she thought. The dream, breakfast, old memories. You woke up this morning, and this is a day just like any other day that you've ever gotten out of bed.
But the sand...another part of her thought. These are the days of your life, each one of them accounted for, remember?
Pffft! Sand is sand. How many grains of sand are there on the beaches across the world, and you're going to be a little surprised that there's sand on both of your hands this morning?
Something, she thought, dropping her curlers into the sink one by one, something was wrong.
Dolly held out her hand level in front of her and saw that she was trembling, as if in shivers. She clenched her fist to try to stop herself from shaking.
In the mirror, her reflection, her hand didn't clench but continued to shake. And on this side of reality, Dolly held her fist to her chest. On the other side of the mirror, in the reflection, in chaos and terrifying definition, she watched as the "other" Dolly threw her head back into a fit of painful convulsions.
"No," she whispered, staggering back, away from the mirror. In high, sharp clacks, the mirror began to crack in a psychotic spiderweb pattern. The earth trembled.
Dolly felt doom and dread pressing into her from all sides as she sunk to the floor and sheltered her head from the falling debris.
She had no idea what was happening. She could feel something bad rushing towards her now, something the complete opposite of what she'd felt just minutes ago. The reverse. The negative. The depression and the lack of all things good. In the mirror, flames were licking at the glass from the reflection. The smooth surface warbled. And all she could do was whisper: "Please, God! Let me still be dreaming!"
(Feels good to be back! This forum is like air...and I was holding my breath all the time I was gone! Your turn! Welcome, Who Am I! You guys are doing great! I can't wait to see where it all winds up...)
Dolly cowered on the floor as a great wind swept thru the room.
She cried out a one word prayer, "Jesus!"
Flickering shadows flew around the ceiling, being chased by white light. Once in a while, she felt something brush against her, like wings of a bird.
What? Sing when I am scared spitless?
Again, a voice deep inside her.
"Jesus loves me this I know..." Her voice was weak and trembling, but she continued. "Rock of Ages, cleft for me...Onward Christian soldiers...Aaand He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own!"
Dolly's voice strengthened, and she felt a peace settle over her like a warm blanket. She started singing the same song she had shared with that young girl. That wonderful, haunting melody.
Grabbing the edge of the sink, she shakily pulled herself to her feet. The mirror was gone. In its place was a scene so awful, her mind couldnt understand what she was seeing. She turned away from it and leaned against the counter. Still singing, she planted her feet as a hard gust of wind hit her and wouldnt stop.
Dolly leaned into the wind. Dimly, like hearing it underwater, she could hear sounds like swords clashing, shouts and grunts.
A growling sound at her left ear! Something foul was standing right beside her! Singing louder, a strange thought came to her that emboldened her.
"You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength!" She growled back, baring her teeth in a wild grin. The foul thing stopped growling.
"I can do all things thru Him Who strengthens me!"
The foul thing retreated an inch.
"Greater is He Who is in me than he that is in the world!"
The white flashes of light grew bigger and brighter.
She heard a sibilant whisper when the gale abated a bit. "Why arent you afraid of me?"
Dolly spoke to the wind, "Do not be afraid of that which can kill the body, but be afraid of that which can kill not only the body, but the soul, as well. Besides, I refuse to be afraid of a CREATED thing when I am protected and cherished by the CREATOR!!!"
Abruptly, there was nothing. The foul thing was gone. The wind had stopped. Even the mirror was restored.
A single white feather drifted lazy down in front of her. Dolly picked it up, and fingered it wonderingly. Bill is never going to believe THIS!
She won! With the Lord's help, with God in her heart, she won! She could feel the victory in her spirit. She could sense His presence with her.
Still gasping from the shock of it all, Dolly closed her eyes and hugged the feather before something horrible dawned on her.
"Bill!" she screamed. And with a few curlers still in her hair, Dolly bolted for the front door of their home.
On the freeway, Bill was signaling for his exit and making sure that his briefcase didn't slide off the seat next to him when the pavement fell away revealing fire and brimstone.
His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he felt the tires immediately begin to melt against the molten rock that had become the pavement beneath him. Heat radiated. Flames licked. Bill's car fishtailed on the slime of its own melted tires and came to a clunking rest in what used to be the shoulder of the road.
It's not real, he thought. This is what, he thought in the insanity around him, the earth is going to look like if there's ever an all-out nuclear war. This is how we're all going to be punished.
The morning rush-hour traffic around him faded out with a series of heat waves, seeming to dissolve into non-existence. It's as if the other cars, the other drivers, had never been there at all. In fact, as he watched one of the cars that was just preparing to pass him on the highway continued on its way merrily, vanishing as it climbed an invisible slope in the road.
The blue sky was infected with gigantic plumes of black smoke, jetting upward and out in sinister spires. Heat, in deep waves, flashed like digital cameras being fired all around him.
They say, Bill thought, that in the last minutes of your life, after you sip in your last breath, that your brain is oxygen-deprived. Storms of electrical impulses take place in brain tissue that is confused in its own death. And when we reach out and touch something...are we really touching it? Is it really there? We're trusting those electrical impulses to convey messages from the world around us to us, our being. But if there's a storm of impulses, what is going to do inside of our minds?
Maybe, Bill thought, I'm really dead. I'm not here. I never flew with an angel, I never kissed Dolly goodbye this morning. Those were just storms. I'm really in bed, clinically dead. My brain is attempting to jump start itself by throwing off random electrical impulses. But in my mind...this is what it's producing.
It was like he was in an oven with the heating elements above and below him glowing and glaring an angry red-orange. Instinctively, Bill loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt to try to get some air circulating.
The air inside the car was increasingly hot. And in the rearview mirror, he could see droplets of sweat already forming on his forehead.
"Where am I?" he whispered.
Fire and molten rock and smoke, as far as he could see behind and in front of him. To the left was a wall of crumbling, radiant cinder. To the right, a cliff.
It seems real, he thought. The heat, it's becoming unbarable! The air is too hot to breathe!
He felt the car around him sag as the metal began to relax its shape under the hot. The soles on his shoes began to run like black melting candle wax.
Bill began to scream.
Just then, someone tapped politely on the driver's side window. The rearview mirror shattered in the building heat, and Bill looked out the window to see a stately-looking gentleman, wearing a black business suit, slightly bowed at the hips to peer in at him.
"I'm sorry to bother you, my friend," the man in the black suit said. And oddly, Bill had enough time to realize that this man was beautiful, flawless. "But it looks as if you're in a pinch there."
Bill began to wheeze and clawed at his throat, trying hard to harvest what oxygen he could out of the blasting air around him.
"I can help you," the man said. He frowned then, and tapped on the glass again. Bill wondered how this man could be so relaxed when the world was burning around them. "Are you listening to me? Can you hear me? I said I can help you. Roll down your window, my friend. That looks awfully painful, my goodness. Roll down your window and take my hand, good sir! I'll get you out of this dreadful place at once!"
(Your turn! Thanks for making this so much fun! )
Maybe this man in the suit is reality. The only part of reality that I am percieving. Maybe he is a lifeline to sanity.
Still, something nagged at Bill at the back of his mind. Like a mouse chewing inside the wall, scritch scritch scritch
He hesitated. What was it? He couldnt think in all this heat!
"Sir?" The strange man tapped, more insistently now. "You really must get out of the vehicle."
Bill's skin began to crisp and yet still he hesitated.
"Oh, Jesus, help me, please!" Bill whispered because his throat was arid. No moisture in the air at all. His tongue felt like a thick piece of wood, but he managed to rasp it out.
The man's face changed. It was no longer genteel concern, but hatred and anger. "Get out of that car!" He screamed.
Bill stared in wonder as the man's face transformed from a gentleman to a snarling madman.
The car was melting around him, yet the madman couldnt reach him. Bill felt like if he did, he was doomed.
"Get out of that car!" The searing pain was almost forgotten in his fascination with the change in the man. He still wore the same suit, and seemed unaffected by the heat, but he no longer resembled a concerned citizen.
Suddenly, without even thinking about it, Bill started to sing his Gregorian chant. His tongue thick and wooly, throat screaming in pain,he sang of the Son of God and the blood that was shed. He rejoiced in the saving power of God's grace and the mercy that was shown to man.
The madman screamed a gutteral scream and vanished. Along with the heat, the fire, and smoke.
Cool air rushed in thru restored air conditioner vents. The streets as they were, green and bustling.
Bill gulped in the cool air and checked himself over. No burns, no blisters. Not even the smell of smoke.
Water. He needed a drink of water, badly!
But he was so badly shaken, all he could do was sit there, shaking.
What just happened?
Dolly! He had to get back to Dolly!
(your turn! Whee!)
(Someone? Who Am I? Violet? Bookworm? Anyone? )
(Yeah! Anyone? Surely it wont just be us!)
(If no one else has anything, I've got an idea for the next installment. But if someone else has something, I would rather they do it. Keeps it interesting! You never know what is going to happen next! ha!)
(Well, alrighty, then!)
Bill turned around as quickly as he could and sped back home. He almost missed Dolly passing him on the road. Stopping quickly, he got out as she whipped a u-turn in the middle of the street.
They gave each other a quick hug of relief. Cars sped by, barely missing hitting them, horns blaring, voices yelling.
"Lets go home!" Bill shouted over the noise of the traffic. "We're in danger, here!"
Dolly ran back to her car and followed him home.
Once there, she sat heavily on the couch. Looking around, she appreciated anew the quiet comfort the room brought. Bright sunshine poured in thru the curtains, splashing on the blue rug. The cat was curled up in the square of light, belly up, paws over his face. Well, HE feels safe, for the moment!
Bill brought her a glass of ice water. He had already finished one, and was working on another.
Taking turns, they haltingly told each other what had happened.
Bill finished off his water and chewed on the ice. He was going to have ice all the time, now.
"Why,Bill?" Dolly asked at last. "Why is this happening to us?"
"Dont know for sure."
"You said you talked to Jesus?" Dolly swallowed back her jealousy and chose to be glad for him. "What did He say?"
"I dont remember." Bill shrugged ruefully. "I'm sure I'll remember when its time to. Until then, I think we can assume that our visit to heaven was to prepare us for this. There is something bigger about to happen. Maybe these were tests to see how we would handle it."
"You think God was testing us?"
"Maybe." Bill rattled the ice in his glass. "Maybe the enemy is testing us to see how much of a threat we are to him!"
Dolly was quiet for a moment, digesting all this. "What do you think is going to happen?"
"Dont know. But I"d better call in to work and tell them I wont be coming in!" Bill hoisted himself up and returned to the kitchen.
Dolly could hear the water running again. Peace settled over the room as she rested her head back. She was glad Bill was going to stay home with her.
RRRRRRREOW!
The cat leaped up, hissing, back arched. He was spitting at something only he could see.
"Bill!" Dolly cried out. "You'd better get in here! Bill!"
Bill didnt answer, and she was afraid to get off the couch. Where was he?
(I'm sorry Fluffy! I've been on the road a lot in the past few days as a part of my job. I'm currently in a motel in Vancouver, WA. I promise I'll scribble up some more on this when I get back, okay? It sounds grrrrreat! )
The cat hissed again, its fur flared, and it turned and bolted down the hallway.
Dolly rose slowly from the couch, watching after the cat, and called out over her shoulder again, "Bill?"
Nothing. Running water in the kitchen sink. The clock on the wall seemed to have turned up its own volume, each tick seeming louder than each tock.
Dolly frowned, cocked her head, and listened to the clock. Tick-tock! Tick-tock! The sound seemed so loud that it almost drowned out the swish of running water from the kitchen faucet.
Something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, whatever it was. She backed away from the wall, away from the hallway, walking in reverse towards the kitchen where'd she'd probably find Bill quietly sipping down a glass of water one polite swig after another, holding up his finger to let her know that he'd be done momentarily, don't go anywhere.
She rounded the corner in reverse, and saw that the kitchen was empty. The cupboard doors stood open. The tap was on, pouring water into an empty sink. The fluorescent lights cast an artificial light on the green-yellow kitchen tiles, making them seem more yellow than green now.
"Bill, you answer me right now!" Dolly called out. In two or three steps, she was at the sink, and she turned the water off. In the place of the sound of rushing water, there was only the clock and the dry hum of the refrigerator. "Bill, darn it!"
Panicking never got anybody nowhere, she remembered her mom saying. That was one of her mommyisms, one that Dolly only remembered when it seemed to apply. If someone ever asked her for a list of her mother's mommyisms, Dolly would have been able to give them a long list of them, only to leave this one out to be remembered later on. Keep your head screwed on right, there was another one. Don't fly off the handle. "Bill!" Dolly shrieked, alarmed at the urgency in her own voice.
Nothing. But where was Bill's pile of clothes, if what she suspected had happened really happened. Wasn't he supposed to leave his shoes? His tie? Wasn't there supposed to be a mound of frumpled clothing on the floor? The smash of the water glass on the linoleum when he vanished in the blink of an eye?
And then it dawned on her. The thing that she couldn't quite put her finger on while listening to the clock tick a few seconds ago, she knew what was strange about it then. The clock, the sound of the clock was still there. So was the fridge. The sound of water running in the sink. But Bill's breathing, his footsteps, that sound was gone.
So was the sound of cars occasionally passing on the street outside. The sound of airplanes taking off and landing at the airport in the distance. The sound of children screaming, lawnmowers, cell phones ringing, horns honking, ambulances out in the city, bike bells. These were all sounds that filled in the gaps, filler-sounds. The mind, she thought, doesn't even realize that these noises are there...until they're gone.
"Bill!" Dolly called out, her voice wavering on the edge of tears as she began to make her way towards the front door. Down the hallway, probably from underneathe the bed, Kitty answered in reply - a pathetic sound that reminded Dolly of the tone in her own voice right now. "Bill?"
Dolly opened the front door of their home and saw nothing. Cars stopped in the street. Lawnmowers stalled on half-mowed strips of grass. Bikes lying dead on their metal ribs on the sidewalks. Further down the street, there was an empty baby stroller with a bottle dribbling onto the seat. In the sky, there was a great contrail streaked in a straight line across the blue - a line that suddenly took a mad, jagged dip. Dolly watched as the jet fell, and when it finally dropped behind the skyline, she felt herself walk out onto the grass.
"What about me?" she called out in a desperate whisper. "God, what about me!?"
There was no answer. The earth had gone silent, asleep. The air seemed still, packed onto her too tightly.
"You forgot me!" Dolly screamed at the sky, sobbing. She sank onto the grass, falling hard onto her knees. "You forgot me!"
(your turn - sorry it took so long to get back...working on a big project at work and I was force to travel; something I dislike because I miss home so much. But hoo-hey! Here it is! )
(Wow! That was GOOD!! I'm gonna have to take some time to think on this one! Whew! Anybody else care to jump in, go right ahead! I"m gonna be going thru some ideas.)(P.S. I"m glad your back, Whirlwind! I was missing this, but didnt want to jump in out of turn, too much!)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Van Vleck
Tidehaven
Bay City Mag
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Bay City, TX (77414)
Partly cloudy. High 92F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..
Partly cloudy. Low 78F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program Applications being accepted
Nominations for the 2019-2020 Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program (TASSP) have opened for next year's class (fall 2019/spring 2020 academic year). This scholarship supports students who choose to participate in a college ROTC program and commit to serve in our armed forces. I have had the honor and privilege of nominating several students for this scholarship in previous funding cycles and witnessed them grow into outstanding leaders who embody the values of dedication, service, and sacrifice for their country and their fellow Americans.
A student must meet the eligibility criteria listed below in order to receive an initial award. He or she must also enter into an agreement requiring a four year commitment as a member of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Merchant Marine or a commissioned officer in any branch of the armed services of the United States.
Annually, the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor may each appoint two students, and each State Senator and each State Representative may appoint one student to receive a conditional TASSP scholarship. A maximum of 185 students may be appointed each year. A student may receive up to $10,000 for the 2019-2020 academic year and, dependent on funding available, students may receive up to four years of awards.
In order to be considered for a TASSP, a student enrolling in higher education straight from high school must meet two of the following four academic criteria at the time of application:
• Be on track to graduate, or has graduated high school with the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) or the International Baccalaureate Program (IB);
• Have a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
• Achieve a college readiness score on the SAT (1070) or ACT (23);
• Be ranked in the top one-third of the prospective high school graduating class.
Students must be enrolled in a college or university in the fall 2019/spring 2020 academic year in order to be nominated for a TASSP during the current nomination cycle.
For more information on specific requirements, please click here: http://www.hhloans.com/index.cfm?ObjectID=8FB593C7-EE1E-7872-00A8808886543AEE
I am proud that the State of Texas allows me the opportunity to give back to students who plan to serve our nation in the military. I look forward to nominating a student in my district so that they will obtain a quality education that will prepare them for a bright future in our armed services.
If you would like to be considered for nomination for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program, please email your cover letter and resume to my District Director at nancy.wollam@speaker.texas.gov by July 19, 2018. You may also contact Nancy at 979-848-1770 with any questions.
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text:
U n b r o k e n
prose poems
This is a Universe by John Michael
I – Instantaneous Eternity Universe
There is a universe where humans never evolved to tell time, and everything happens all the time and all at once. Every person lives their entire lives for an instantaneous eternity. It's like they're binge watching their life stories while playing games on their phones. They miss out on the details, but they get the gist of it. Every once in a while they'll notice new things: I never caught that joke before, about my kid's meningitis. Or Haha, you can see the boom mic on the night I lost my virginity. Or Wait I thought he was… So then who… Ohhhh, okay. That makes way more sense, I always wondered why he did that. They are always wondering why who did what because they can't separate cause and effect, but they never wait in line.
II – Static Infinity Universe
There is a universe where humans evolved to tell time too well, and everything happens all the time and all at once. In this universe, everyone looks like their lifetime, with a fertilized egg in back and wrinkled corpse in front. They look like worms loafing about a 10-dimensional polygon. It is their duty to self-actualize the universe by carving out its whole shape. It will take a very long time. It is static, but it goes on for infinity. Sometimes one of the human-worms will say to another how'd it go today, Tom? and Tom will respond Covered about one percent, Craig and Craig will say how much is one percent of infinity? and they'll laugh and laugh. Luckily, they have a shortcut. For example, say you are in this universe. You will be going to work one day staring out the window of your car or train or whatever you ride to work and then you will be back in 7th grade getting beat up by Anthony. Except this time you fight back because you know you won't get into Harvard even without any suspensions and Haley hears about how you held your own and starts IMing you after school. Unfortunately, this means that exact scenario will never actually happen and you will be returned to your commute as if nothing happened. They have never started and they will never finish and they will always need more babies.
III – Time Warehouse Universe
There is a universe where there is no time for humans to evolve to tell, and everything happens all the time and all at once. The universe is composed of universe-sized freeze frames stacked on top of each other like a vast, cosmic warehouse. Everything from the molecules to the planets to the galaxies are totally motionless and no force can possibly move them. Everyone is a statue who has never accomplished anything and where and in what moment of time they get stuck is decided by chaos and more than likely alcohol. There's a lot of awkwardness in this universe because a husband will go in for a kiss with his wife and she'll recoil and ask who he is and he'll be like I'm your husband and she'll be like I'm not your wife, you're talking about her and point to herself in one of the stacks in the past or future. Actually she didn't do that. She can't move and her husband can't kiss her. No one said anything or even breathed.
John Michael doesn't have a Boston accent. He is a New England separatist, a Red Sox diviner, and a writer of prose. His work has appeared in NANO Fiction, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and Pom Pom, among others. You can read more of his work at www.johnmichaeltxt.com
John Michael
Iris Tree Smokes Hashish, 1916 Dreamsympathy
Check out our sister publication, Unlost Journal, founded because we love found poetry and feel it isn't being given nearly enough attention in the literary world.
© 2015 – 2020 U n b r o k e n | Contributing Authors.
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Want to introduce your kids to classical music but don't want to put them off for life? In April you can experience the music from the Jungle Book played by a live orchestra at the Cologne Philharmonie. The film will be shown at the same time, so even if your kids aren't interested in watching the orchestra, they'll still be entertained. The Deutsche Filmorchester Babelsberg will supply the music, conducted by Christian Schumann together with a choir and soloists Lars Redlich and Enrico de Pieri. The film and songs are of course in German, but they're just as enchanting in German as they are in English.


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Defenders Of Asgard Review
Defenders of Asgard is a viking themed slot game from High 5 games. High 5 Games has created a game format that is simple but effective. Norse mythology is the source of inspiration for this video slot. Defenders of Asgard takes place on a 5x3 grid, with 10 active paylines on every spin. Find out about the game such as the technical and bonus features, as well as the overall theme while we join the Asgardians in this review of the Defenders of Asgard online slot.
Defenders Of Asgard Technical Features
Defenders of Asgard uses a 5x3 grid and 10 active paylines. The minimum wager is 0.20 and the maximum is 200. A range this wide makes the game appeal to all types of players. The Defenders of Asgard RTP is listed as 96% which is around the industry average and variance set to high. The maximum possible win is 4,423 times the wager.
Select your bet using the +/- buttons found at the bottom of the reels. The Defenders of Asgard slot also uses a standard autoplay feature. This allows the game to take up to 500 spins. There is also a turbo mode that can increase the game speed. You need to land at least three of the paying symbols for a win on the base game.
The highest-paying symbols in the game are Odin and Thor. The God of Thunder and his father award up to 250 credits for combinations of five. The game gives 50 when you land four and 15 for three copies.
Frigg and Freya are two goddesses used in this game; they pay out 200 for combinations of five. You get 40 for four, and 10 for three. Finally, all of the royal symbols pay the same. The Ace, King, Queen, Jack and all pay 40 for five, 10 for four, and 5 for landing three.
Dragon Dreams Review
Defenders Of Asgard Bonus Features
In order to trigger the bonus spins, players need to land three or more of the game's Scatter symbols. Three Scatters will give you 10 Defenders of Asgard bonus spins. Four Scatters will give you 25. Scatter symbols can only be landed on reels 2-5. It is possible to retrigger the bonus spins.
Wilds
The Wild symbols in the game all have a credit value and can also have multipliers associated with them. If you get five of them in a row, you can win up to 1,000 credits. The wilds can also have a multiplier of up to 10x.
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Reels will be nudged down at random to assist players in achieving a winning combination. If it is triggered at the appropriate time, this benefit can be extremely valuable. It may also assist in the activation of additional bonuses.
Defenders Of Asgard Theme And Design
The game is Viking-themed and filled with Norse mythology characters. Defenders of Asgard uses the traditional set-up for the reels. Odin and Thor are the game's highest-paying symbols. Frigg and Freya come in second and third, respectively.
The card royals are the lowest paying symbols. The reel is designed with mountains as the background which adds to the Nordic feel.
Tales Of Asgard: Freya's Wedding Review
Defenders of Asgard has great graphics and an uncomplicated gameplay. It offers a max potential win of 4,423 times the wager. Those are enough to get players interested however, this online slot offers more.
It has bonus features that allow you to take home more wins making the game even more fun and keeps players interested. The Nudge bonus feature is unique to the game and sets it apart from counterparts with the same theme.
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Learn all about Knight Rider, its features, gameplay, and more! Click this review before playing at Genting Casino. 18+ | Play Responsibly


text:
All Bars, Restaurants Closing in Illinois and Ohio Due to Coronavirus
The coronavirus continues to spread, affecting the government, schools and sports organizations. Now it's affecting restaurants and bars.
All bars and restaurants are now closing in Illinois and Ohio. Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine announced the closures on Twitter.
He tweeted, "We will be issuing an order closing all bars and restaurants in #Ohio beginning at 9:00 tonight." DeWine added, "Establishments can stay open for carry-out and delivery. What we can't have is people congregating and seated."
Establishments can stay open for carry-out and delivery. What we can't have is people congregating and seated. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady pic.twitter.com/3EaBWeeMdr
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 15, 2020
DeWine wasn't the only government official to announce closures of bars and restaurants.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ordering bars and restaurants to close their dine-in operations on Monday.
During a press conference, Pritzker said, "We are working with restaurant owners and food delivery services across the state to see if restaurants can safely keep their kitchens open, so the restaurants can continue food delivery to people at their homes."
The closures come amid school closings, lawmakers encouraged to practice social distancing and declarations of health emergencies.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) also announced that all bars, pubs, and wineries in the state will close. The state is also putting restrictions on restaurants.
DeWine acknowledged the impact these closures have on employees.
He tweeted, "I'm aware that this will impact many, many good workers. I can't tell you how sorry I am, but we will work to mitigate the suffering. It is our goal for everyone to get through this."
Additionally, lawmakers are calling for more action.
"Every day we delay, more people will die. If we do not act and get some distance between people, our healthcare system in #Ohio will not hold up." DeWine added, "The loss won't only be those impacted by #COVID19, but the danger is also to everyone else who needs hospital care for other issues."
States continue to deal with school closures. According to reports, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced public schools in New York City and surrounding counties are set to close.


KIEV, Ukraine — Armed men described as Russian troops took control of key airports in Crimea on Friday and Russian transport planes flew into the strategic region, Ukrainian officials said, an ominous sign of the Kremlin's iron hand in Ukraine. President Barack Obama bluntly warned Moscow "there will be costs" if it intervenes militarily.
The sudden arrival of men in military uniforms patrolling key strategic facilities prompted Ukraine to accuse Russia of a "military invasion and occupation" – a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis.
In a hastily arranged statement delivered from the White House, Obama called on Russia to respect the independence and territory of Ukraine and not try to take advantage of its neighbor, which is undergoing political upheaval.
"Any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilizing," Obama said.
Such action by Russia would not serve the interests of the Ukrainian people, Russia or Europe, Obama said, and would represent a "profound interference" in matters he said must be decided by the Ukrainian people.
via Ukraine says Russian tries to seize airports, base | abc7.com.
I told you Putin wasn't just going to shrug off the loss of access to Sevastapol.
There will be costs, serious costs! They may not be asked to sit at the head table at Mooch's next "Let's move" dinner. Or perhaps they will be on the second round of "holiday" cards.
Sitting at dinner with Mooch? Your mind has a truly cruel bent. Were you, perhaps, Torquemada in a previous life?
I'm not so sure this is an attempt to grab Crimea. Russia can't hold Crimea without taking a good chunk of Ukraine proper. If they did that – and a cursory glance at the numbers doesn't look good for Russia – it could prompt the US and/or EU to live up to their promises and go to war against Russia (stop snickering, it could happen). If the EU and US ignore their promises to Ukraine, the other states that have broken away from Russia would band together in a mutual defense pact and probably start developing nuclear weapons.
I'm not sure that Putin thinks having a pissed of neo-NATO on his borders is worth Black Sea access. Especially if he can get the same access simply by negotiating with the new government to honor the existing agreement. That's what I think these new troops are, a bargaining chip and a subtle reminder that Putin could grab the whole thing.
I think we're gonna see Crimea as an "autonomous" state, de facto part of Russia. And while we can complain about the Obama administration response, I'm not sure the US had any cards to play.
Which is why any other nation that wishes to remain independent of Moscow is going to start working on nukes.


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Die National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (kurz: NARTH) ist eine nicht-kommerzielle Vereinigung mit Sitz in Encino, Kalifornien, USA, die der Ex-Gay-Bewegung zugerechnet wird. Die Vereinigung betrachtet Homosexualität als eine veränderbare Orientierung und sieht sich selbst als Interessenvertretung von Homosexuellen, die diese zu ändern wünschen. NARTH sieht die Kritik an ihren Behandlungsmethoden hauptsächlich als politisch motiviert an. Mitglieder sind nach eigenen Angaben in erster Linie Psychoanalytiker, Psychiater, Psychologen und Sozialarbeiter, die sich mit psychologischer Behandlung und Forschung über Homosexualität befassen sowie weitere Einzelpersonen, die die Ziele von NARTH unterstützen.

Geschichte
Der Psychiatrieprofessor Benjamin Kaufman sowie die Psychologen Charles Socarides und Joseph Nicolosi gründeten im Jahre 1992 NARTH für wissenschaftliche Studien über mit Homosexualität verbundene Probleme sowie "reparative Therapie". Aus ihrer Erfahrung und der ihrer Ansicht nach politisch motivierten Haltung der American Psychological Association (APA) sahen sie deren wissenschaftliche Integrität nicht mehr gewährleistet. In der Zwischenzeit haben sich noch Vertreter anderer Theorien über die Ursache und Veränderbarkeit von Homosexualität angeschlossen.

Der Verein ist 2003 gemeinsam mit anderen Organisationen der Ex-Gay-Bewegung der Initiative Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality (P.A.T.H.) beigetreten.

Ende März/Anfang April 2007 wurden alle relevanten Hinweise auf den in weiten Teilen der Szene wegen seiner Fernsehauftritte in Ungnade gefallenen ehemaligen Therapeuten und Lehrer Richard Cohen, die bisher auf der NARTH Webseite zu finden waren, herauseditiert und seine Artikel gelöscht.

Der Vorstand besteht derzeit aus neun Mitgliedern, von denen vier Leiter von anderen mit dem Thema befassten religiösen Organisationen sind.

Des Weiteren existiert ein 28 Personen umfassendes wissenschaftliches Beratungskomitee zu dem unter anderem Jeffrey Satinover und Gerard J. M. van den Aardweg zählen.

Sichtweise der Homosexualität
Auf ihrer Homepage stellt NARTH fest, dass sie mit der American Psychological Association (APA) darin übereinstimmt, dass "biologische, psychologische und soziale Faktoren" die sexuelle Identität bei den meisten Leuten in einem frühen Lebensalter formen. NARTH legt jedoch die Betonung mehr auf die psychologischen Einflüsse. Als exemplarische Beispiele für psychologische Faktoren werden Probleme in der frühen Familienbeziehung, sexuelle Verführung sowie ein wahrgenommenes Missverhältnis mit gleichgeschlechtlichen Gleichaltrigen angeführt, welche in eine Störung der Geschlechtsidentität münden können. Nach der Ansicht von NARTH ermutigt die Gesellschaft verunsicherte Jugendliche, sich selbst als schwul zu bezeichnen. Diese Ermutigung könne auch eine Beeinflussung darstellen, welche zu einer homosexuellen Entwicklung führe. NARTH erkennt an, dass biologische Faktoren wie pränatale Hormoneinflüsse oder genetische Faktoren die sexuelle Orientierung beeinflussen können, sagt aber auch, dass solche Faktoren nicht bedeuten, dass Homosexualität normal, Teil des menschlichen Designs, unvermeidbar oder unveränderbar sei. Laut NARTH unterstützen die Ergebnisse wissenschaftlicher Forschungen die Idee, dass Homosexualität keine gesunde, natürliche Alternative zur Heterosexualität sei. In dieser Idee sieht NARTH eine "uralte kulturelle Norm".

Da NARTH zur Zeit ihrer Gründung hauptsächlich die reparative Therapie vertrat, spielt diese immer noch eine große Rolle. Die Washington Post berichtet, dass Vertreter der reparativen Therapie darin einig sind, dass sie Homosexualität "nicht als angeboren ansehen, sowie darin, dass sie sie niemals als normal bezeichnen". Psychologen der reparativen Therapie, die stets bemüht sind zu betonen, dass sie die "Freie Wahl" ihrer Klienten unterstützen, sehen darin jedoch keinen Widerspruch zu ihrer Ansicht, dass Homosexualität pathologisch sei. Homosexuelle seien somit aus ihrer Sicht "dem Schicksal verfallen, ein jämmerliches, ungesundes Leben zu führen". NARTH betont jedoch auf ihrer Webseite, dass nur manche der in ihr vertretenen Therapeuten Homosexualität als pathologisch betrachten, während andere die Frage der Pathologie von Homosexualität offenlassen.

Nach David Leaman soll man sich nicht selbst als homosexuell bezeichnen, solange man nicht aktiv einen "homosexuellen Lebensstil" gewählt hat, denn gewisse Zweifel an seiner Sexualität bedeuten noch nicht, dass man homosexuell ist.

Über die genauen Ursachen von Homosexualität gibt es unter den Mitgliedern unterschiedliche Ansichten.
 Einige halten den Zustand für eine Entwicklungsstörung, insbesondere für eine "Geschlechtsidentitätsstörung" nach ihrer Auslegung, welche zu einer romantischen Idealisierung und Sexualisierung derjenigen Eigenschaften führt, welche der Einzelne in sich als mangelhaft erfährt. Diese Ansicht ist bei Vertretern von Reorientierungstherapien im Ex-Gay-Bereich weit verbreitet.
 Andere, wie zum Beispiel Uriel Meshoulam, enthalten sich eines Urteils zur Pathologie und meinen, dass man einfach nur die subjektiven Probleme des Klienten ansprechen und ihnen bei ihren unglücklichen Konstruktionen und Einstellungen zu ihrer Sexualität helfen soll. Viele lernen dadurch sich selbst und ihre Sexualität neu zu definieren und ihr Potential zu erweitern.
 Wieder andere wie etwa Mark Stern sehen Homosexualität nicht als Funktionsstörung, sondern als verfehltes Potential – Homosexuelle verschlössen sich gegenüber einem Teil ihrer selbst und sagten "Nein" zur Fortpflanzung.
Der Gründer und Leiter Joseph Nicolosi vertritt den Standpunkt, Homosexualität sei eine Entwicklungsstörung und potentiell vermeidbar. Sie basiere auf einer Art Geschlechtsidentitätsdefizit und repräsentiere einen "Drang zur Reparatur" dieses Defizits.

Meistens beziehen sich die Angaben von NARTH auf männliche Homosexualität. Weibliche Homosexualität wird selten erwähnt.

Kritik
Im Gegensatz dazu sind führende psychiatrische und psychologische Fachgesellschaften der Ansicht, Homosexualität stelle keine Störung dar. Der bei Ex-Gay-Watch mitwirkende Timothy Kincaid kritisiert dort die Ansichten von NARTH scharf. Manche Mitglieder von NARTH zeigten eine verblüffende Ignoranz gegenüber in der heutigen Zeit lebenden homosexuellen Menschen und manche demonstrierten eine Abscheu, die durch Begriffe ausgedrückt werde, die er als hasserfüllt beschreibt.

Auf der Webseite von NARTH gibt es mehrere Dokumente, in denen der seit 1983 aus der APA ausgeschlossene, in zahlreichen Studien mit wissenschaftlich stark umstrittenen Methoden bis unwissenschaftlich agierende Paul Cameron ohne Hinweis auf seine wissenschaftliche Fragwürdigkeit als Mitautor von Quellen zitiert wird.

In einem Artikel von Dean Byrd, "president elect" von NARTH, wird der Genetiker Francis Collins in einer Art und Weise zitiert, die den Eindruck erweckt, Collins sei der Meinung, dass Homosexualität geändert werden könne, da sie nicht genetisch determiniert sei. Collins stellte daraufhin richtig, dass der gegenwärtigen Forschungsstand sehr wohl darauf hinweise, dass Homosexualität eine Korrelation mit genetischen Faktoren habe. Es seien zwar auch andere Faktoren als DNA involviert, aber er habe keineswegs impliziert, dass diese Faktoren sich verändern ließen. Laut dem Reorientierungstherapeuten Warren Throckmorton ist letztere Aussage zum derzeitigen Stand der Forschung diejenige, die an das Publikum weitergeben werden sollte. Insbesondere sei zu bedenken, dass es auch irreversible Formen des Lernens gibt, z. B. die Prägung, also Verhaltensweisen, die zwar nicht angeboren bzw. genetisch fixiert sind, aber dennoch nicht veränderlich.

In drei Dokumenten wird, wie in vielen konservativen Medien üblich, eine Studie aus dem Jahre 2003 von Maria Xiridou aus einer Amsterdamer Klinik für Geschlechtskrankheiten so zitiert, als würde sie Aussagen über die extrem geringe Partnerschaftsdauer und so gut wie nicht vorhandene Treue von durchschnittlichen homosexuellen Männern machen. Dabei basiert die Studie auf einer Kohorte von explizit nicht monogamen und relativ vielen HIV-positiven Männern, die ausgewählt wurden um Trends schneller erkennen zu können.

NARTHs Therapiekonzept
Zielgruppe von NARTH sind Klienten, die den starken Wunsch haben, ihr Bedürfnis nach gleichgeschlechtlichem Geschlechtsverkehr und nach gleichgeschlechtlichen Zweierbeziehungen abzubauen. Da Homosexualität von NARTHs Therapeuten als Störung verstanden wird, fördern sie diesen Wunsch nach einer sexuellen Umorientierung und bieten hierfür Reorientierungstherapien an. Anders als die übrigen Psychotherapeutenverbände halten sie solche Therapien für wirksam, ethisch vertretbar und nicht bedenklich. NARTH nimmt für sich in Anspruch, das Recht der Klienten zu verteidigen, selbst die Richtung der Behandlung zu bestimmen. Das Leiden der Klienten an der Dissonanz zwischen ihrer sexuellen Orientierung und ihrer sonstigen Weltanschauung wird deshalb nicht ergebnisoffen mit unterschiedlichen Mitteln – darunter auch mit bejahenden Ansätzen – behandelt, selbst wenn dies aus Therapeutensicht erfolgversprechender wäre.

Nicolosi leitet von seiner klinischen Erfahrung ab, dass das Ansprechen von tieferliegenden emotionalen Bedürfnissen und vermeintlichen Identitätsdefiziten eine Abnahme gleichgeschlechtlicher Fantasien und Verhalten zur Folge habe. Für Viele folge daraus ein Erwachen von heterosexueller Ansprechbarkeit. Die Veränderung geschehe langsam und dauere normalerweise mehrere Jahre. Ein Drittel seiner Patienten würden "geheilt": Sie hätten keine gleichgeschlechtlichen Sexualkontakte mehr und die Intensität und Häufigkeit gleichgeschlechtlichen Verlangens wäre vermindert, aber verschwinde nicht zwangsläufig. Ein weiteres Drittel habe signifikante Veränderungen erfahren. Sie verstünden ihre Homosexualität, hätten ein gewisses Maß an Kontrolle und dabei noch immer gleichgeschlechtlichen Sex. Das letzte Drittel erfahre keinerlei Veränderungen. Aussagen über den weiteren Lebensverlauf der ehemaligen Patienten über weitere "Heilungsfortschritte" oder mögliche "Rückfälle" gibt es keine, da die klinische Erfahrung nur auf den Zeitraum der laufenden Behandlung begrenzt ist.

Kritik
Nicolosis vermeintliche Erfahrungen widersprechen dem Konsens aller großen nationalen Fach- und Berufsverbände, der besagt, dass die sexuelle Orientierung nach der frühen Kindheit nicht mehr entscheidend veränderbar ist. Diese ist in der frühen Kindheit biologisch und möglicherweise auch durch psychologische Einflüsse bestimmt. Dabei betrachten sie solche Einflüsse, wenn sie zur Homosexualität führen sollten, nicht als schädlich.

Die Idee einer Reparativen Therapie wurde von verschiedenen konservativen Organisationen angenommen und recht aggressiv beworben, wodurch sich verschiedene Berufsverbände genötigt sahen, öffentliche Stellungnahmen dazu abzugeben. Es wurden dabei ernste Stimmen über mögliche Nachteile für die Klienten laut. Der Surgeon General of the United States David Satcher und die Fachvereinigungen American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, die American Counseling Association, und die Mental Health America haben sich einhellig gegen den Ansatz der Reparativen Therapie ausgesprochen und geben auch mögliche Schäden zu bedenken.
Zwei ehemalige (Robert Perloff, 2004; Nicholas Cummings, 2005) Leiter der APA bekräftigten jedoch, dass die Amerikanische Psychologenvereinigung keine Probleme damit habe, wenn Psychologen ihre Klienten therapeutisch begleiten, um diesen zu helfen, ihr selbstbestimmtes Ziel der Entwicklung ihres heterosexuellen Potentials zu erreichen. Auch der jetzige APA-Präsident, Gerald Koocher (2006), hat sich zu diesem Thema geäußert, allerdings etwas differenzierter als seine Vorgänger.

Die US-amerikanische Psychologin Lisa Diamond, die Studien zur sexuellen Identität von Frauen veröffentlicht hat und an der University of Utah tätig ist, wehrt sich 2008 gegen den Missbrauch ihrer Daten durch die NARTH. Sie beschuldigt insbesondere den US-amerikanischen NARTH-Mitgründer und Psychologen Joseph Nicolosi der missbräuchlichen Verwendung ihrer Daten und verantwortungslosen Fehlinterpretation.

Nahestehende Organisationen

Nachdem sich die American Academy of Pediatrics im Februar 2002 zum Wohle der Kinder für die rechtliche Möglichkeit der Adoption eines Kindes durch den Partner in einer gleichgeschlechtlichen Partnerschaft ausgesprochen haben und keine negativen Effekte auf die Entwicklung der Kinder dabei sahen gründeten Dissidenten im Oktober 2002 das sehr namensähnliche American College of Pediatrics (ACP), welches sich nach ihrem Gründer in der christlich-jüdischen Tradition sieht. Die geschätzte Mitgliederzahl liegt 2010 bei 200.

Fünf der sieben Mitglieder des Pediatric Psychosocial Development Committee sind oder waren führende Mitglieder von NARTH (A. Dean Byrd, Joseph Nicolosi, George Alan Rekers, Arthur A. Goldberg und Rick Fitzgibbons). John Raney agiert auch als Autor und Begutachter der Zeitschrift des umstrittenen Paul Cameron., Aufgefallen sind sie vor allem im April 2010 mit ihrer Website Facts About Youth und einer diesbezüglichen Aussendung an Schuldirektoren. Die Selbsteinschätzung der Webseite als "nicht-politische, nicht-religiöse" Darstellung von aktuellen Fakten zum Thema wird von Warren Throckmorton nicht geteilt. Er sieht sie als einseitige Darstellung mit alten Forschungsergebnissen und einer Dominanz von reparativer Therapie. Die AAP kritisierte die Seite und die Aussendung, weil sie nicht die wissenschaftlichen und medizinischen Erkenntnisse berücksichtigt. Einige wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen werden nach eigenem Gutdünken fehlinterpretiert und drei Wissenschaftler (Gary Remafedi, Francis Collins Warren Throckmorton)  haben diese fehlerhafte Interpretation ihrer Werke öffentlich kritisiert.

Weblinks
 National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (Offizielle Website von NARTH)
 deutschsprachiger Artikel von Narth

Einzelnachweise

Ex-Gay-Bewegung
Interessenverband
Homosexualität in den Vereinigten Staaten
Non-Profit-Organisation
Organisation (Los Angeles)
Gegründet 1992
Encino

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday has a new Feature-- A YouTube Channel
Don't worry, it is easy to find. Just go to YouTube and search for Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday.
Check Out the YouTube Channel
Book Clubs as Inclusive Spaces with YA Literature by Dr. Jody Polleck
Dr. Jody Polleck is an associate professor and the program coordinator for literacy education at Hunter College. She began her work with urban adolescents in 1994 as an outreach counselor in Washington, D.C. for homeless youth. In 1999, she received her Master's in English education and worked as a high school reading and English teacher for emerging readers and writers. In 2002, Jody received National Board Certification for adolescent English language arts; and in 2003, she accepted a full-fellowship to New York University where she completed her doctoral degree in English education. Jody is a 2019 Fulbright scholar. Her current research focuses on differentiated, culturally responsive-sustaining literacy instruction. She has published in over 25 books and journals including ALAN Review, Contemporary Issues in Technology and and Teacher Education, English Journal, High School Journal, Journal of Teaching Writing, Literacy Research and Instruction, Preventing School Failure, Reading and Writing Quarterly, Reading Horizons, and Teacher Education Quarterly.
My work with book clubs began in the late 1990s. I taught a (terribly named) high school course in Florida called "Intensive Reading" to an amazing group of young people who unfortunately had not passed our state mandated reading exam. When I was given the class, my principal at the time said, "Just get them to pass in March and then do whatever you want". And so I eagerly marked down the days until I had some freedom from test prep—to allow students moments of joy with reading and each other. It was this freedom that brought me to book clubs—or literature circles—as we used to call them and I began to see the power of such spaces. I witnessed students' heads lifted with a new enthusiasm to come to class to just read and have conversations.
I worked with young people like Franz, who called himself "the Haitian Sensation", who ran a Christopher Pike book club. Franz facilitated with authenticity, asking questions about how his peers connected to the books. He would shake his head, making deep eye contact as he responded often with "that's deep man, that's deep." For six years, I integrated these experiences into my classroom, providing students with rich literature and time to discuss their lives and the books.
Since then, for over 20 years, I have researched and facilitated youth-led book clubs, both in and out of the classroom, where I use young adult literature to engage students, to elevate their literacies, to create lifelong relationships, and to enhance their emotional and social development in culturally affirming ways. Research tells us book clubs increase students' reading comprehension—and their appreciation and motivation for reading. These spaces also enhance students' perspectives and prepare them to live in diverse societies. They allow young people space to grapple with tough issues of oppression and discrimination, and they provide them with forums to develop their sense of agency and advocacy.
The success of this work, however, is due to offering youth culturally, neurologically, and linguistically diverse texts that speak to their intersectionalities. From The New Kid by Jerry Craft which centers the experience of a tween Black artist who disrupts racial microagressions in his new school to I am J by Cris Beam which explores the world of a Latine transgender teen to Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, which centers the life of Jane who not only fights zombies but battles racial and gender discrimination.
In my recent book, Facilitating Youth-led Book Clubs as Transformative and Inclusive Spaces, I argue that we can use young adult literature and book clubs as places for academic and social-emotional development. We can also use them as spaces for social justice, where we support students not only in their relationship building but help them to enhance their sense of agency, creating opportunities for us to activate and enhance their inner activist.
In my own experience, I've seen this development time and time again within book club spaces. While working with young Black and Brown Muslim men in Brooklyn, I witnessed them collectively advocate for themselves after the George Floyd murder, and while reading Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed, they also advocated for the women in their lives. I've seen this while reading Scythe by Neal Shusterman with an international group of students who collaborated online via zoom around ways to help vulnerable populations during the pandemic while also sharing strategies for getting more young adults to vote. I have worked with culturally and linguistically diverse young women in the Lower East Side of Manhattan who talked about taking more activist roles not just in their families and school communities but within their friend circles as well. We shared conversations from how to resist bullying to dismantling systemic racism and white supremacy.
In Facilitating Youth-led Book Clubs as Transformative and Inclusive Spaces, teachers will learn how to integrate book clubs into secondary schools with the purpose of nurturing students' literacies, critical consciousness, and social-emotional development. I provide educators with resources for creating and sustaining book clubs that serve as critical forums where adolescents can develop as readers while simultaneously working to build relationships with their peers. Grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogies and healing-centered engagements, I offer suggestions for facilitation approaches that embody humanizing practices. I also include practical strategies from sample lesson plans and reflective questioning techniques to suggestions for diverse young adult literature that connects to our students' intersectional identities. In addition to practical strategies, I center the voices of students who have participated in book clubs, sharing their experiences as they engaged with texts and each other. Most importantly, I discuss how we can use young adult literature and books to center joy, where students have opportunities to connect with one another, to inspire, and to laugh.
Book clubs, whether small or large, will most certainly be challenging but the risks are worth the benefits as we collectively work for equity within our school communities. In 1857, Frederick Douglass told us that "if there is no struggle, there is no progress," and 150 years later, our current abolitionist warrior Bettina Love tells us "to want freedom is to welcome struggle" (p. 9). Pedagogies and support systems grounded in equity are not easy, but they are a must. We must remember to ground our work in love—and consider ourselves as what Ginwright coins as "soul rebels," where we work on challenging "conventional educational and political strategies" and embark on journeys that allow us "to discover practices that heal and transform classrooms, organizations, and communities". Our healing as humans, as members of a collective, must be entrenched in social justice. That change can be housed in book clubs where we begin and end with the heart and with radical love. And so I close out this blog today with visions of joy. Joy for book clubs; joy for texts and conversations; joy through laughter and friendships; joy in imagining and creating innovative and equitable spaces; and joy in the hope for our future.
(Note that this book comes with a supplementary website where teachers can access resources and materials: https://educateforaction.com/resources-from-the-book. To obtain a copy and get a 15% off discount, please enter the code FRINGES, using this website: https://www.tcpress.com/facilitating-youth-led-book-clubs-as-transformative-and-inclusive-spaces-9780807767504. Offer expires on 1/31/2023.)
Dr. Gretchen Rumohr
Chief Curator
Gretchen Rumohr is a professor of English and department chair at Aquinas College, where she teaches writing and language arts methods. She is also a Co-Director of the UNLV Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. She lives with her four girls and a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier in west Michigan.
Dr. Steve Bickmore
Creator and Curator
Dr. Bickmore is a Professor of English Education at UNLV. He is a scholar of Young Adult Literature and past editor of The ALAN Review and a past president of ALAN. He is a available for speaking engagements at schools, conferences, book festivals, and parent organizations. More information can be found on the Contact page and the About page.
Co-Edited Books
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Longhorn Out of the Microsoft Corral?
Screen shots of an alleged early version of Microsoft's next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, were posted to the Web this weekend.
Microsoft still has yet to deliver the second release candidate (RC2) of Windows .Net Server 2003, but that doesnt mean work on the version of Windows due in 2005, code-named Longhorn, has come to a standstill.
Over the weekend, a couple of Windows enthusiast Web sites, led by Winbeta.org, posted a handful of screen shots of an alleged early version of Longhorn. The Winbeta site was down almost all day Monday, with a message claiming the site was "in maintenance." But other Windows sites, including Binks Windows, ieXbeta.com and xBetas.com all were sporting alleged Longhorn screens, too.
Several developer sources who said they had seen previous sneak peeks of Longhorn said the posted screens looked authentic.
A Microsoft spokesman said on Monday that the company declined to comment on the authenticity of the screen shots.
The posted screens show off the new, simplified Longhorn user interface, including the dockable task pane, which the screens label as "Sidebar." Sidebar also can function as a movable task bar.
Previously, members of the Windows community had speculated that this dockable pane was based on a Microsoft-Research-developed technology, code-named Sideshow. It still is not clear how and even if Sidebar and Sideshow are related.
The newly posted screens also highlight Longhorns inclusion of Avalon, the .Net-based successor to the Win32 subsystem, as well as the Yukon file system, which the screens label as "WFS," or Windows file system.
Longhorn is still in the pre-alpha stage. Microsoft has not announced a beta-release target date. But the Redmond, Wash.-based software vendor has been demonstrating Longhorn for some of its major customers and closest third-party software developers under nondisclosure, say sources.
One third-party developer, who requested anonymity, said the Longhorn shell, or user interface, is taking shape quite nicely. Microsoft is developing a Longhorn compositing video application-programming interface for apps written with .NET that is similar to Apples Quartz on Mac OS X, he says.
With Longhorn—as the posted screens make clear—storage gets top billing. Microsoft has said that one of the companys primary goals with the Longhorn release is to make it easier for users to find files and data and other information, whether stored locally, remotely or out on the Internet.


BepiColombo will be launched on an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. It will use the gravity of Earth, Venus and Mercury in combination with the thrust provided by electric propulsion, to reach Mercury. This animation illustrates the journey, highlighting the flybys the spacecraft will make before arriving in Mercury orbit in December 2025.


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Ed Sheehan Shares List of Everyone on Collaborations Album
Ed Sheeran 's new album "No. 6 Collaborations Project" will be out on July 12th. And so far he's released two singles from it. The first was "I Don't Care" featuring Justin Bieber. Video of Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber - I Don't Care [Official Video> The second was "Cross Me" with...
Billboard Music Awards: Vote Now for Top Touring Artist
Who played the biggest tour of the year?
Ranked: The Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows
A look at the Super Bowl halftime shows that were bigger than the game
Bruno Mars Providing 24K Meals for Thanksgiving
There is some "24K Magic" in the air after Bruno Mars announced he is providing meals for 24,000 residents of his hometown of Hawaii for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Ludacris, Migos and Aerosmith Highlight New Super Bowl Spectacle
The Super Bowl has been a monster sporting event for years - with a big musical spectacle in the middle of it all. Now the music is becoming an even bigger part of the weekend. The first-ever Bud Light Super Bowl Music Festival is set for January 31st through February 2nd. That's three nights of...
Ed Sheehan Serenades Bruno Mars on His Birthday
You know you've made it when you get to have a superstar like Ed Sheeran sing to you for your Birthday! Bruno Mars celebrated his 33rd Birthday yesterday while on tour in Nashville. Ed stopped by to hang out with the Birthday boy while he enjoyed some cake and a serenade! You know you've made it...
Who Did Bruno Mars Replace Cardi B With For The '24K Magic' Tour?
It will take four artists to step in for the "Bodak Yellow" star
Bruno Mars Hints At Cardi B's Replacement
Since Cardi B had to pull out last week due to the intense nature of being a mom, Bruno Mars' '24K Magic' tour has had to find a replacement act to open during the final leg of the show.
Cardi B Announces She Will Not Tour With Bruno Mars
Well, looks like Cardi B has learned the first lesson of parenthood -- it's tough! The new mom, with Migos hubby Offset , took to Instagram to let fans know that she will not be hitting the road with Bruno Mars this fall. Citing both her doctor's advice and her own physical ability to be on tour,...
Bruno Mars Forced To Flee Stage After Fire Breaks Out
Bruno Mars and his band, The Hooligans, were performing a stunning show Tuesday night at Glasglow Green in Scotland when a small fire broke out on stage.


Anna's Honey 12oz Clover Honey Bear is filled with all natural clover honey. Bees raised on Pacific Northwest wild clover produce this gourmet honey. Clover honey is sweet, light and almost clear in color. Use this light clover honey to sweeten hot or cold tea, beverages, or breakfast cereal. The easy-to-use, squeezable honey bear bottle makes it easy to sweeten your foods naturally with lightly sweet Anna's Clover Honey.


Hairballs are a fact of life for some cats and their owners. But are hairballs really normal for healthy cats? Or could frequent hairballs signal a more serious concern?
You probably know a hairball when you see one — an unpleasant-looking, slimy, cigar-shaped wad of matted fur that's easily mistaken for something you might scoop from your cat's litter box. Saliva, stomach juices (aka gastric secretions like mucus) and digested food are also common components of hairballs.
Hairballs are a natural byproduct of grooming. Cats are fanatical groomers, and the little backward-facing barbs (aka papillae) on their tongue act like a hairbrush, grabbing loose hair and pulling it into the mouth.
The cat's digestive system has evolved to handle some amount of hair swallowed during routine grooming. Under normal circumstances, swallowed hair moves through the digestive tract along with food and exits the body in stool. But when cats have a lot of hair or are shedding, some hair accumulates in the stomach, where it forms a hairball that irritates the stomach lining. Once the hairball reaches a certain size, your cat typically throws it up.
Very little information has been published about the incidence and causes of hairballs in cats. However, veterinarians and cat owners know from experience that long-haired cats are more likely to have hairballs than short-haired cats.
COULD IT BE MORE THAN JUST A HAIRBALL?
Some veterinarians are not concerned about those cats that throw up a hairball once every few weeks. Other veterinarians consider only one to two hairballs per year to be normal and harmless. But if your cat is bringing up a hairball once a week or more, veterinary specialists in feline medicine like Dr. Scherk now recommend having your cat examined by a veterinarian because they believe that frequent hairballs are a sign that something isn't right.
Additionally, not everything containing hair that a cat vomits is a considered a hairball. Contrary to what some cat owners believe, puddles of clear, frothy or yellow liquid with strands of cat hair aren't hairballs. They are "vomit with hair," writes Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP (Feline Practice), a board-certified feline medicine specialist in Vancouver, Canada. Anytime a cat is repeatedly vomiting (with or without hair), a veterinarian should be consulted.
When frequent hairballs are observed, feline medicine specialists consider them to be a result of excessive grooming — which can be triggered by stress or anxiety, skin allergies, pain or external parasites — or an underlying disease that results in abnormal movements of the digestive tract (poor intestinal motility). Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and intestinal lymphoma are diseases that can affect intestinal motility, increase the risk of hairballs and cause vomiting.
Gary Norsworthy, DVM, DABVP (Feline Practice), a board-certified feline specialist at Alamo Feline Health Center in San Antonio, Texas, has learned that cats who experience chronic vomiting — with or without hairballs — may have chronic small bowel (small intestinal) disease. Small bowel disease starts with mild inflammation in the intestines that, if left untreated, advances to severe inflammation, also known as IBD. And in some cats, IBD progresses to lymphoma. He recommends that cats who are vomiting two or more times per month for several consecutive months should have an ultrasound of their abdomen. If any abnormalities are noted during the ultrasound procedure, then biopsies of the small intestine are warranted.
So before starting a hairball remedy, have your cat examined by your veterinarian to confirm that the hairball vomiting is just about the hairball and not a more serious condition. Mild intestinal inflammation and IBD are treatable conditions, and there are no good reasons why your cat (and you) needs to put up with chronic vomiting.
There are steps you can take to reduce your feline friend's hairball issue. Just be aware that no single remedy helps all cats.
Regularly brush your cat. Routine combing or brushing, especially of long-haired cats, can help reduce the amount of hair that your cat consumes during grooming. Many cats enjoy being brushed, and it's a great way to bond with your kitty. But for those cats who dislike being brushed, consider wearing grooming gloves as you gently pet your cat.
Give your cat a specially formulated hairball remedy gel or treats. A wide variety of options are available to help eliminate and possibly prevent hairballs. While some products use petrolatum as an intestinal lubricant, others use a combination of omega fatty acids and fiber.
Feed a "hairball diet." For stubborn cases, you may need to feed a cat food formulated specifically to control hairballs like Diamond Naturals Indoor Cat Hairball Control Dinner for Adult Cats or Diamond Naturals Indoor Cat Chicken & Rice Formula. These foods are high in insoluble fiber to help move swallowed hair through the digestive tract.
You and your cat don't have to live with frequent hairballs. They aren't normal. If you have any questions about your cat's hairballs or vomiting frequency, please talk with your veterinarian.


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NOTICE: from 0.2.0, pastry will be restarted as a full-function framework.

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/leungwensen/pastry.png)](https://travis-ci.org/leungwensen/pastry)

## description
Easing SPA(single page application) development.

## [license](doc/license.md)

## [releases](https://github.com/leungwensen/pastry/releases)

## [wiki](https://github.com/leungwensen/pastry/wiki)

## [contributors](https://github.com/leungwensen/pastry/graphs/contributors)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


One of the most common mistakes people make when thinking out their kitchen lighting is to make one fixture serve all purposes, with no variation in setting or placement. The result is usually a glaring spotlight feeling that overpowers everything, including family and guests!
According to experts in lighting design, the most effective kitchen lighting incorporates four different types of light (also known as layered lighting) that should work together as a blended unit. The lighting should cover four distinct types: task, ambient, accent, and decorative light. When all four lighting layers are incorporated into your overall kitchen design, you'll create a warm and inviting environment that complements the look of your kitchen to combine workspace practicality and entertaining capability.
For performing every day routine tasks like preparing food, cleaning, and doing dishes, task lighting is what comes to mind first in kitchen designs. While it's an important and integral part of your kitchen, make sure it's placed in a way that doesn't impede your efficiency or create darkened workspace areas.
Depending on the purpose and function of the lighting, you'll want to consider where certain types of lights will be installed. For tasks such as preparing food, reading recipes, and accessing cookware, you'll want to locate bright, focused lighting under overhead cabinets, over islands, cooking areas, and in pantries.
Soft, under-cabinet lighting helps give the kitchen a warm glow when not in task mode. Other popular options include long, linear bulbs, strip lights, halogen lights strategically placed, or a string of lights in a decorative fixture. Ambient lighting creates a warm, inviting glow that takes the harshness off of appliances and fixtures, and softens everything, including people's faces.
We're entering the era when "smart" is a buzz word attached to almost everything. Smart phones, smart appliances, and smart homes are creating a future that helps us conduct our lives with digital ease and immediacy. The same is true for smart lighting systems that utilize preset capabilities that let you control the lighting scene in your kitchen remotely from your car, bedroom, or mobile device. Lighting can be preset to turn on and off at certain times throughout the day for various uses: morning breakfast, daytime tasks, food preparation, or evening dinners or entertaining.
Whether you're upgrading your lighting or remodeling the entire kitchen, the choices in lighting scenes you have to make your kitchen a spectacular focal point of your home are continually expanding.
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These pages will hold information and pictures, maps etc of all the campsites used at the tracks. Le Mans, Spa, Silverstone, COTA etc. we will try and give as much detail as possible to help you with picking where to stay or use.


On a sweltering summer day, the worst thing that can happen is an AC breakdown. The best way to avoid this is by giving your AC proper servicing. When an air conditioner remains idle for months, it ends up accumulating leaves and dirt and needs maintenance to run properly. Getting your air conditioner checked by a professional not only helps in keeping your AC clean but also saves your energy bills from taking a huge hit.
Preparing your AC before warm weather proves to be beneficial in the long run. Follow these simple tips to keep your AC running efficiently throughout the spring and summer months!
Start with the cleaning of the condensation pipe. Since this pipe carries condensation, it often gets clogged, resulting in the condensation backing up into the system. An excellent way to combat this problem is to make sure that the pipe drains properly. Clean it with algaecide for proper flow. You must also clean your AC's outside unit, as it collects dust and other debris if left uncovered. Clean lightly soiled units with a garden hose and heavily soiled units with an air-conditioner cleaner before the summer rolls in!
Air conditioners, or any machine for that matter, run more efficiently when they have been kept in a proper place. Put your AC in a shaded space, as the air there is colder than the surrounding air. Doing this allows your AC to have an easier time cooling your home rather than when placed in a sunny area.
A clogged filter needs to work harder to supply the same amount of cool air. As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to check the air filter once per six months and replace if needed. This becomes especially important in summers as the filter has to function continuously to filter dust and allergens circulating in the air. Changing filters is an easy way to conserve energy and save money on HVAC usage.
If you want to make significant energy savings, you can opt for a programmable thermostat instead of a regular one. With a programmable thermostat, you can alter the settings to reduce the use of air conditioning or heat at times when you don't need it. For example, when you are traveling or away for work. Thankfully, such thermostats are pretty easy to install by yourself. If you have a regular thermostat at home, make sure to keep heat-producing appliances such as lamps and TV sets away from the thermostat. The thermostat can sense the heat from these appliances causing the AC to run longer than necessary.
If you notice the wire in the insulation areas frayed or missing, replace them immediately. It is not easy to do the entire cleaning and preparation work on your own. The more appropriate option is to get your central air conditioning inspected, cleaned, and tuned by a licensed, bonded, and insured HVAC professional.
At Mid Atlantic Heating & Cooling, we can take care of all your AC cleaning, repair, and maintenance work. Just reach out to us with your concerns, and our experts will solve them efficiently and on time!


Theft waiver (TW) – 1,950 EUR.
These amount will be held against you car while you rent and will released after.
* If you cancel less than 24 hours in advance, you'll receive a refund minus $56 for fully prepaid bookings.
If you intend to cross the border, you can drive to Northern Ireland (UK) only. As for fuel terms, your car will be filled to the full when you pick up and you need to return it full.
Notice! Credit cards – American Express, MasterCard, and Visa cards – are suitable for payment. And, a deposit amount of 350 EUR will be charged against your card for the period of booking.
Check out the rest of the fleet of 5-seaters!
As you can see, there are plenty of offers which can place 5 passengers. Basically, you just need to look up for this icon and you'll find your car! But, read rental conditions of each deal attentively when you choose your car!