Claims Arising From Emergency Room Errors.
Claims Relating to Hospital Negligence.
Claims Which Arise from Post Surgery Infections or Other Infections Caused by Negligent Care.
Medical Malpractice Relating to Failure to Diagnose or Misdiagnosis of Serious Medical Conditions.
Claims Arising from Lack of Informed Consent.
Claims Relating to Improper Selection and Administration of Anesthesia.
Medical Malpractice Relating to Mental Health Professionals.
Medical Malpractice Relating to Surgical Errors.
Medical Malpractice Relating to Nursing.
Nursing Home Negligence and Elder Abuse.
Medical malpractice cases can be very complicated and expensive and prosecution of a claim requires a team of experienced professionals. The Law Offices of William D. Black are committed to helping our clients rebuild their lives if they have been victimized by malpractice. We have the knowledge, experience, and financial resources needed to successfully pursue medical negligence cases. If a medical provider has committed malpractice and you or a loved one have been seriously injured as a result thereof, we can build a strong and persuasive case on your behalf and get you the award or settlement to which you are entitled.
When a person is injured or facing a critical medical condition which takes them to the emergency room, the last thing they would expect is that their condition will be worsened by the visit. Unfortunately, however, emergency rooms are the site of thousands of errors every year, many of which can cause unnecessary patient harm and at times even death. Because of overcrowding and short staffing, poorly equipped emergency rooms and poorly trained staff consisting of physicians and nurses, many emergency room patients become victims of malpractice or wrongful death while being cared for in the emergency department.
Last year more than 240,000 people died from medical malpractice- related incidents across the country and almost half of those were a result of errors made in a number of emergency rooms. Emergency room errors are common and in many instances overlooked. Because of the increasing number of patients and the need to prioritize or "triage" patients by order of medical urgency, many things can go wrong in any emergency room setting. However, as long as the patient eventually receives the proper care, which usually requires admission to the hospital for further testing and treatment, the errors which take place in the emergency room seem to have little consequence. However, when the patient is improperly discharged from there and advised that there is nothing wrong, or when a diagnosis of a significant adverse condition is missed or overlooked, the initial medical errors in the emergency room can have significant consequences and repercussions.
Some of the life-threatening conditions seen in the ER most often include abdominal, chest or shoulder pain; infections and fevers; orthopedic injuries, obstetric and gynecologic emergencies and headaches.
If an infection is not diagnosed and treated right away, it can lead to the bacteria taking over the body and causing a reaction in and damages to the vascular system. This can lead to very low blood pressure and lack of blood and oxygen to the major organs such as the brain heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and extremities.
Diagnosing and treating an injury or ailment can be difficult, even when the correct treatment plan is administered. When medical professionals administer an improper treatment, the patient's recovery may be further complicated and their health may be put at serious risk. At the very least, an incorrect treatment will delay the patient from getting the correct treatment. In the worst case scenarios, the new treatment plan could cause additional health complications and lead to serious injuries or even death. Misdiagnosis can also lead to the wrong drugs being prescribed.
The failure to properly diagnose cancer can result in considerable pain and suffering and the need for extensive treatments that may not be necessary otherwise. It is important to determine not only that cancer is present but specifically what kind of cancer is involved. Successful recovery in this type of medical malpractice case requires evidence that an earlier diagnosis would have led to a significantly different and improved outcome from what actually occurred. Fortunately, medical providers and research specialists continue to make advancements in cancer diagnosis and treatment. There are now many effective options for treating almost all types of cancer. The fact that these treatments are available, however, does not always mean they are implemented or if so, implemented correctly.
When an attorney evaluates a possible case of failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis, he or she should complete a full investigation of the medical records and the treatment timeline to determine exactly when a prudent physician exercising reasonable care should have diagnosed a disease or referred the patient to a specialist. This will help to determine whether there is a provable case.
Battery occurs when a physician performs or initiates a particular procedure or therapy to which the patient has not consented. Lack of consent and lack of informed consent are different issues. The critical issue in a battery claim is whether a patient gave consent. Consent defeats a batter claim, even if undisclosed complications occur.
Lack of informed consent occurs when a physician fails to inform his or her patient about all of the risks and ramifications of a procedure before the procedure is done. Many states require written consent, what about Arizona. Whether a physician in Arizona has a duty to disclose a particular risk depends on the circumstances. It is a question of medical judgment and must be established by expert medical testimony. A good medical malpractice attorney should be able to review and evaluate the validity and/or enforceability of the informed consent document which may have been signed by the patient.
Errors in the administration of anesthesia often times cause a high risk of injury to the patient during a surgical procedure. Anesthesia errors can lead to brain injuries, organ failures or other serious health problems. In some instances they lead to death by asphyxia or heart failure. Anesthesiologists must be fully advised and knowledgeable about all aspects of anesthesia to properly administer it. They must also be completely aware of the patient's health condition and other medications being prescribed. Many say the anesthesiologist is the most important doctor in the operating room, since his or her orders can supersede those of the surgeon. It is a recommended procedure for a potential surgical candidate to interview and check the references not only of the surgeon, but also of the anesthesiologist to be used. The anesthesiologist's responsibilities pertain not only to the operating room, but also to the recovery room, since it is not uncommon for patients to develop certain problems post-surgery.
Mental health professionals are subject to malpractice liability for their errors and omissions the same as any other health care provider. The Arizona Medical Malpractice Act requires proof that the health care provider failed to exercise that degree of care, skill, and learning expected of a reasonable, prudent health care provider in the discipline or class to which he or she belongs within the state acting in the same or similar circumstances. In addition, the provider's failure to follow the accepted standard of care must be the proximate cause of the injuries. There are seven main groups of mental health professionals recognized under Arizona law: psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, social workers counselors, marriage and family therapists and substance abuse counselors.
Sexual relations between a mental health professional and a client is one of the leading causes of tort litigation against mental heal professionals. Such sexual relations are strictly forbidden and may result in criminal liability as well as disciplinary action against the professional's license. It seems unthinkable that a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professionals would consider taking advantage of a patient who comes to them because they are weak or vulnerable, but unfortunately, it happens more than you think. The duty to refrain from sexual relations with a client in some instances may even extend to a period after treatment with the mental health professional concluded. There are several Arizona statutes relating to this subject. Claims relating to sexual assault by a physician in general are generally not covered by medical malpractice insurance.
Some common injuries resulting from surgical errors relate to foreign fluids such as urine, bile, or feces that enter the abdominal cavity, through a cut intentionally made during surgery. This can lead to serious infections and sepsis, or septic shock, all of which in some instances can cause a patient's death. These kinds of mistakes should never happen, but they do. Hospitals do not always have systems in place to prevent these types of surgical accidents or they may not properly implement what systems they do have.
Orthopedic surgery errors such as failure to properly take x-rays or read x-rays properly, failure to refer to subspecialists such as hand surgeons or foot surgeons, improper casting of bones, etc.
Plastic surgery is usually an elective procedure and is used by many to fight off the aging process. It can also be used for reconstructive purposes after a person has been in an accident which has resulted in skin damage involving lacerations, abrasions and severe burns. This has led to an increase in the number of physicians undertaking this specialty. Not all of these surgeons, however, seek or are given an adequate amount of training. Unfortunately, this means that many of these physicians in practice do not have the experience and expertise necessary to successfully perform these delicate procedures. Examples of common surgeries are breast augmentation, breast reduction, tummy tucks, eye lifts, face lifts, liposuction and nose jobs.
Nursing malpractice occurs when a nurse fails to adequately perform his or her medical duties and that failure harms the patient. Some of the most common examples of nursing malpractice are failure to follow physician's orders in caring for patients or administering medications, failure to properly monitor and assess a patient's condition and injuring a patient with medical equipment. Nurses are generally not popular targets in malpractice cases because if they are not covered by hospital insurance, their collectability is sometimes limited. Generally there is some greater sympathy for a nurse as well, since they are ordinarily dedicated and hardworking. There are many hospital insurance policies which do cover them, however, as agents and/or employees of the hospital so there are some cases where they are important defendants.
Arizona enjoys a strong and successful reputation as a retirement state, and thus there are many nursing homes housing many of our senior citizens. As a result the Arizona state legislature has added certain statutes to the law relating to nursing homes which when combined with the medical malpractice law provide significant protections for the elderly or dependent adults. The Arizona statutes say that families of patients who die as a result of negligent care in a nursing home can sue for damages for the pain and suffering experienced by the decedent before death. In all other types of wrongful death cases, the family cannot collect any damages for such pre-death pain and suffering. However, recovery for pain and suffering in a nursing home or elder abuse case is permitted. In determining whether problems exist, an attorney must carefully study the facility's history of violations of both federal and state law to determine if there is a pattern of neglect. Staffing and training deficiencies can often be proven to be the underlying cause of nursing home injuries.
Nursing home abuse can also constitute elder abuse. It can also take a variety of other forms: Illegally taking, misusing or concealing funds, property or assets. Signs of elder abuse can frequently be subtle. Seniors who are being abused oftentimes fail to report it or are not physically able to do so. Unexplained injuries, bedsores, a broken hip or frequent falls can become reasons to suspect elder abuse or nursing home negligence. If these facts are present, it would be advisable to contact an attorney to discuss and explore pursuing a potential claim on the victim's behalf.
The fact that a medical procedure has a bad outcome does not necessarily indicate that medical malpractice caused the result. But when a personal injury or wrongful death occurs because of ignorance, negligence, or improper use of method and practice, the victim or the victim's family deserves answers. Our attorneys at The Law Offices of William D. Black will work diligently to obtain those answers, reasonable compensation, and ultimately justice.


text:
Last Update September 12, 2015
Emelogu and Virginia Tech hold the lead and beat West Virginia 87-82
Virginia Tech guard Ben Emelogu (15) struggles with his headband under the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia, in Blacksburg, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Daniel Lin) LOCAL TV OUT; SALEM TIMES REGISTER OUT; FINCASTLE HERALD OUT; CHRISTIANBURG NEWS MESSENGER OUT; RADFORD NEWS JOURNAL OUT; ROANOKE STAR SENTINEL OUT(The Associated Press)
West Virginia forward Remi Dibo, right, knocks the ball away from Virginia Tech guard Devin Wilson (11), center, as West Virginia's Juwan Staten, bottom, looks up at the action during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Blacksburg, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Daniel Lin) LOCAL TV OUT; SALEM TIMES REGISTER OUT; FINCASTLE HERALD OUT; CHRISTIANBURG NEWS MESSENGER OUT; RADFORD NEWS JOURNAL OUT; ROANOKE STAR SENTINEL OUT(The Associated Press)
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Freshman Ben Emelogu scored a game-high 22 points to lead Virginia Tech past West Virginia 87-82 on Tuesday.
Adam Smith added 19 points for the Hokies (1-1), who rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first half. Smith scored seven of Virginia Tech's last nine points.
Smith's three-point play with 33.2 seconds to play gave the Hokies an 83-79 lead, and after West Virginia's Remi Dibo hit a 3-pointer with 23.7 seconds left to cut the lead to one, Smith hit two free throws to push the lead to 85-82 with 16.2 seconds remaining.
West Virginia (1-1) had a chance to tie the game, but Nathan Adrian's 3-pointer was short and Virginia Tech's Devin Wilson got the rebound. He made two free throws with 5 seconds left to seal the game for Virginia Tech.
Wilson finished with 16 points for the Hokies. Dibo led West Virginia with 17 points.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The moment I saw this dress, I knew it had to "bee" mine! Both the honeybee print and the loose babydoll cut are great for spring. I paired it with fun glitter and suede booties and a soft chambray leather tote. Just a simple outfit perfect for when I just want to throw on a dress and call it a day!
Honeybee print dress c/o OASAP.
Reese tote in chambray calfskin leather c/o Lauren Merkin.
Alvarez glitter and suede booties by To Be Announced from Solestruck.
I can't think of a better piece to wear in welcoming spring than this blazer by Gentle Fawn. I mean, it just screams spring to me, don't you think? I love the pink floral graphic, the white collar, and that it is super lightweight which is perfect for this transitional season. I paired it with a white lace cropped tank, vintage pink high waisted silk shorts, and some pink and white accessories. This effortlessly chic look is also great for transitioning from day to night as well, slip on a pair of flats to run errands during the day and then change into a pair of heels and add some jewelry for going out at night!
Jazz floral blazer c/o Gentle Fawn.
Lace cropped top c/o Red N Bold.
Vintage high waisted silk shorts by Bloomingdale's.
White satchel handbag by Street Level c/o Handbag Heaven.
Strappy studded heels by Wild Diva.


text:
1 Swimmer Dead, 1 Missing After Jumping Off 'Jaws Bridge' Sunday
By Andrew Rich
Photo: Shari Small (WBZ)
EDGARTOWN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — One swimmer is dead and one remains missing after a group of four people jumped off the "Jaws Bridge" on Martha's Vineyard Sunday evening, police said.
Massachusetts State Police said the four swimmers jumped off the bridge, which connects the towns of Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, at 11 p.m. Two of the swimmers were rescued from the water, but the other two did not surface after jumping.
The U.S. Coast Guard, state and local police, and several fire departments conducted an all night search for the missing pair involving boats, helicopters, and diving teams.
The body of one of the missing swimmers, aged 26, was recovered from the water early Monday morning, state police said. The search for the fourth swimmer, aged 21, is ongoing.
State police later confirmed that the deceased victim and missing victim were brothers working as seasonal employees at a restaurant on the island. Multiple reports from Jamaica say the brothers were from Clarendon, Jamaica.
WBZ's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) has more.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App


We rely on adult volunteers to help ensure that the organization remains structured and runs smoothly. LGLLS is always looking for responsible and enthusiastic individuals to support and coordinate Little League events and activities. As a volunteer, you should have an interest in the safety, well-being, and overall development of children. By reading further, you will discover that the benefits of volunteering are endless. You will also gain a better understanding of why you should become involved, who volunteers are, what you can do, and how you can sign up.
Anyone can apply to become a volunteer. Whatever talents or skills you have, we can use them! Any community member who wishes to become a volunteer may apply.
All parents of children involved in Loudoun Girls Little League Softball are strongly encouraged to volunteer. As a parent volunteer, you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your child in a safe, fun-filled environment. When you apply to become a volunteer, you give the local Little League organization the right to conduct necessary background checks.
Can I Volunteer if I am age 12 or older?
Yes, you can! We do offer programs for Middle School and High School students to gain community service hours through volunteering with the league. Please contact the LGLLS Vice President with any questions.
Parents, take a minute to fill out the volunteer form while registering your child. If you've already registered, you can return to the registration site, login, and update your volunteer preferences.
No experience is required to become a volunteer, just a willingness to help and a committment to follow through. Most of the volunteer opportunities require little or no training. LGLLS provides coaches and umpires with instructional training at no cost to the participant.
We can only have an effective program with the efforts of our volunteers. Please be involved! Please visit our Volunteer tab for more information.


text:
.SUFFIXES:
.PHONY: test clean valgrind

export PYTHONPATH := .:$(PYTHONPATH):$(PATH)

DEPS=*.c \
     *.h \
     setup.py \
     unittests.py

test: stamp/regression_py2 stamp/regression_py3

stamp/build_py2: $(DEPS)
	python2 setup.py build_ext --inplace
	touch $@

stamp/unittests_py2: stamp/build_py2
	python2 unittests.py
	touch $@

stamp/regression_py2: stamp/unittests_py2
	python2 regression/issue_5.py
	python2 regression/issue_8.py
	python2 regression/issue_9.py
	python2 regression/issue_10.py
	python2 regression/issue_26.py
	python2 regression/issue_56.py
	touch $@

stamp/build_py3: $(DEPS)
	python3 setup.py build_ext --inplace
	touch $@

stamp/unittests_py3: stamp/build_py3
	python3 unittests.py
	touch $@

stamp/regression_py3: stamp/unittests_py3
	python3 regression/issue_5.py
	python3 regression/issue_8.py
	python3 regression/issue_9.py
	python3 regression/issue_10.py
	python3 regression/issue_26.py
	python3 regression/issue_56.py
	touch $@

benchmark: benchmarks/benchmark.py stamp/build_py2
	python2 $^

devbuild2:
	python2 setup.py build_ext --inplace

devbuild3:
	python3 setup.py build_ext --inplace

valgrind:
	python -c "import sys;print(sys.version)"
	valgrind --leak-check=full --track-origins=yes --log-file=valgrind.log python unittests.py

pip-release:
	python setup.py sdist upload

clean:
	rm -f stamp/*
	rm -rf dist build

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package org.drip.regression.curveJacobian;

/*
 * -*- mode: java; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 4 -*-
 */

/*!
 * Copyright (C) 2014 Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
 * Copyright (C) 2013 Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
 *
 *  This file is part of DRIP, a free-software/open-source library for fixed income analysts and developers -
 * 		http://www.credit-trader.org/Begin.html
 *
 *  DRIP is a free, full featured, fixed income rates, credit, and FX analytics library with a focus towards
 *  	pricing/valuation, risk, and market making.
 *
 *  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 *   	you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 *
 *  You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *  	http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 *  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 *  	distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 *  	WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 *
 *  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 *  	limitations under the License.
 */

/**
 * CashJacobianRegressorSet implements the regression analysis set for the Cash product related Sensitivity
 *  Jacobians. Specifically, it computes the PVDF micro-Jack.
 *
 * @author Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
 */

public class CashJacobianRegressorSet implements org.drip.regression.core.RegressorSet {
	private java.lang.String _strRegressionScenario =
		"org.drip.analytics.definition.CashDiscountCurve.CompPVDFJacobian";

	private java.util.List<org.drip.regression.core.UnitRegressor> _setRegressors = new
		java.util.ArrayList<org.drip.regression.core.UnitRegressor>();

	@Override public java.util.List<org.drip.regression.core.UnitRegressor> getRegressorSet()
	{
		return _setRegressors;
	}

	@Override public boolean setupRegressors()
	{
		try {
			_setRegressors.add (new org.drip.regression.core.UnitRegressionExecutor ("CashJacobian",
				_strRegressionScenario) {
				org.drip.analytics.date.JulianDate dtStart = null;
				org.drip.analytics.rates.DiscountCurve dcCash = null;
				org.drip.quant.calculus.WengertJacobian wjPVDF = null;
				org.drip.quant.calculus.WengertJacobian aWJComp[] = null;
				org.drip.product.definition.CalibratableComponent aCompCalib[] = null;

				@Override public boolean preRegression() {
					int NUM_CASH_INSTR = 7;
					double adblDate[] = new double[NUM_CASH_INSTR];
					double adblRate[] = new double[NUM_CASH_INSTR];
					double adblCompCalibValue[] = new double[NUM_CASH_INSTR];
					aWJComp = new org.drip.quant.calculus.WengertJacobian[NUM_CASH_INSTR];
					java.lang.String astrCalibMeasure[] = new java.lang.String[NUM_CASH_INSTR];
					aCompCalib = new org.drip.product.definition.CalibratableComponent[NUM_CASH_INSTR];

					if (null == (dtStart = org.drip.analytics.date.JulianDate.CreateFromYMD (2011, 4, 6)))
						return false;

					adblDate[0] = dtStart.addDays (3).getJulian(); // ON

					adblDate[1] = dtStart.addDays (4).getJulian(); // 1D (TN)

					adblDate[2] = dtStart.addDays (9).getJulian(); // 1W

					adblDate[3] = dtStart.addDays (16).getJulian(); // 2W

					adblDate[4] = dtStart.addDays (32).getJulian(); // 1M

					adblDate[5] = dtStart.addDays (62).getJulian(); // 2M

					adblDate[6] = dtStart.addDays (92).getJulian(); // 3M

					adblCompCalibValue[0] = .0013;
					adblCompCalibValue[1] = .0017;
					adblCompCalibValue[2] = .0017;
					adblCompCalibValue[3] = .0018;
					adblCompCalibValue[4] = .0020;
					adblCompCalibValue[5] = .0023;
					adblCompCalibValue[6] = .0026;

					for (int i = 0; i < NUM_CASH_INSTR; ++i) {
						adblRate[i] = 0.01;
						astrCalibMeasure[i] = "Rate";

						try {
							aCompCalib[i] = org.drip.product.creator.CashBuilder.CreateCash (dtStart.addDays
								(2), new org.drip.analytics.date.JulianDate (adblDate[i]), "USD");
						} catch (java.lang.Exception e) {
							e.printStackTrace();

							return false;
						}
					}

					return null != (dcCash = org.drip.param.creator.RatesScenarioCurveBuilder.NonlinearBuild
						(dtStart, "USD",
							org.drip.state.creator.DiscountCurveBuilder.BOOTSTRAP_MODE_CONSTANT_FORWARD,
								aCompCalib, adblCompCalibValue, astrCalibMeasure, null));
				}

				@Override public boolean execRegression()
				{
					for (int i = 0; i < aCompCalib.length; ++i) {
						try {
							if (null == (aWJComp[i] = aCompCalib[i].calcPVDFMicroJack (new
								org.drip.param.valuation.ValuationParams (dtStart, dtStart, "USD"), null,
									org.drip.param.creator.ComponentMarketParamsBuilder.CreateComponentMarketParams
										(dcCash, null, null, null, null, null, null), null)))
								return false;
						} catch (java.lang.Exception e) {
							e.printStackTrace();

							return false;
						}
					}

					return null != (wjPVDF = dcCash.compPVDFJack (dtStart));
				}

				@Override public boolean postRegression (
					final org.drip.regression.core.RegressionRunDetail rnvd)
				{
					for (int i = 0; i < aCompCalib.length; ++i) {
						if (!rnvd.set ("PVDFMicroJack_" + aCompCalib[i].getComponentName(),
							aWJComp[i].displayString()))
							return false;
					}

					return rnvd.set ("CompPVDFJacobian", wjPVDF.displayString());
				}
			});
		} catch (java.lang.Exception e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		}

		return true;
	}

	@Override public java.lang.String getSetName()
	{
		return _strRegressionScenario;
	}
}


text:
Twilight Language: An Appreciation
Printed in the Winter 2017 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: Levenda , Peter, "Twilight Language: An Appreciation" Quest 105.1 (Winter 2017): pg. 26-31a
Reflections on the mysterious punning language behind much of medieval art—and alchemy.
By Peter Levenda
The idea that words in foreign languages—especially ancient languages—contain great power is not new. One only has to examine the great magicians' spell books—the grimoires—of the Renaissance era and earlier to see that Hebrew and Greek were used extensively in magical diagrams and spells composed by persons who did not have much understanding of the languages themselves. What we know as "abracadabra" or voces magicae were often nothing more than real words in foreign languages that were garbled, misspelled, and mispronounced. Popular grimoires such as the Keys of Solomon and some of the texts that can be found in truncated form in such classic works as Francis Barrett's The Magus (1801) contain inscriptions in pidgin Hebrew and Greek alongside invocations in Latin. Often Hebrew characters themselves are poorly copied from other sources by persons with no knowledge at all of that language, so that the result is often an indecipherable scribble.
Of all the texts that comprise the Western esoteric "canon," however, the ones most inaccessible to modern readers are those of alchemy. The alchemical authors did not need to resort to voces magicae in order to encode their work: they wrote in the vernacular. Yet the language of alchemical texts is deliberately obscure, meant to be understood only by those who presumably already know their secrets. They are texts that, at first glance, seem to be intended to deceive and confuse. Like the patter of such comedians as the American "Professor" Irwin Corey and the Mexican actor Cantinflas, they use recognizable words with appropriate syntax and grammar, but the result is meaningless speech that only sounds real but which, upon closer inspection, seems devoid of any real content.
At least that is how alchemical texts are often regarded. Commentators such as the Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung have compared alchemical language to the language of dreams and have insisted that they represent unconscious psychological processes. In a sense, that position relieves alchemical authors of the responsibility of being precise or clear in their writings. It also reduces the expectation that a nonpsychologist would be able to interpret an alchemical text. Viewing alchemical works as dream journals (to put perhaps too fine a point on it) requires us to see alchemists as a kind of secret society of people suffering from some form of mental instability who are exchanging reports of their dreams and then arguing with each other about them! While this may seem like an unkind interpretation of Jung's work, it's reasonable when one realizes that his informants when it came to dream interpretation were his psychotherapeutic patients.
Other observers have suggested that alchemical texts are written in a coded language that enjoys an ancient pedigree—an argument that insists on a logical context for alchemical texts rather than a purely psychological one. Robert Graves has written about a Druidic "language of the trees" that he believed to be the true language of poetry and myth, a thesis he expanded to book-length form in The White Goddess. The twentieth-century alchemist Fulcanelli has described coded instructions that are embedded in the design and ornamentation of the Gothic cathedrals in his enormously influential books The Mystery of the Cathedrals and The Dwellings of the Philosophers. More recently, in The Secrets of Nostradamus, David Ovason has examined the "green language": the code in which the quatrains of Nostradamus are written (texts often as obscure as any alchemical treatise). In Hamlet's Mill, Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend have gone to great lengths to suggest that the myths of Europe, Africa, and Asia are coded texts describing ancient astronomical events.
In the fourth century CE Leyden Papyrus—a Greek occult text with alchemical elements—we read of something called the "language of the birds":
<quote>I invoke You in the names which You have in the language of the birds, in that of the hieroglyphics, in that of the Jews, in that of the Egyptians . . . in the hieratic language.<end quote>
It is this ancient source that provided the inspiration for Fulcanelli's use of the same term to refer to the "hieratic language" of the Gothic cathedrals. The classical literature of Greece and Rome refers to persons who had the ability to speak with birds and animals, an idea that presupposes a form of consciousness among the beasts that is capable of being understood by humans. It is a kind of metalanguage that does not depend on a vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, as do human languages, but which can transmit information through other means.
The citation above associates the language of the birds with hieroglyphics, Hebrew, and Egyptian: in other words, with written texts that were deemed mysterious or resistant to interpretation. Alchemical texts are written in the vernacular, however. They are written in Arabic, Latin, Greek, and eventually in modern European languages such as German and English. The type of allusive language that Fulcanelli invokes as examples of the "language of the birds" is in the vernacular as well. It employs puns as a kind of Kabbalah that relies more on the sound of words than on their dictionary meanings.
Fulcanelli's most famous and often-repeated example is that of ars gothique as the homonymous argotique: in English, "Gothic art" as "argot": slang or cant. To him, words that sound alike mean the same thing and can be used to explain and expand the meanings of each other.
Fulcanelli said that this secret alchemical language permeated medieval symbology and iconography. One comparatively simple example is the Crusaders' motto Dieu le veut, "God wills it." To Fulcanelli, this has a hidden meaning, whose pronunciation is virtually the same —Dieu le feu, "God the fire"—which, he says, "explains and justifies the badge adopted by the crusader knights and its color: a red cross borne on the right shoulder" (Fulcanelli, Dwellings, 201n.; emphasis Fulcanelli's).
Although French is peculiarly well-suited to puns of this kind, they extend beyond the bounds of the French language. Another example cited by Fulcanelli is the name of the famous fifteenth-century alchemist Nicolas Flamel, whose "very name speaks like a pseudonym chosen on purpose." Flamel evokes flamme, "flame," the alchemical fire, whereas Nicolas harks back to the Greek níkÄ", "victory," plus lâos, "stone," alluding to Flamel's alchemical success as "conqueror of the stone" (Fulcanelli, Dwellings, 265).
Fulcanelli values the type of slang known as cant, which was used as coded language by marginalized or specialist populations. It was a debased form of the vernacular which was employed by criminal gangs, for instance, as a kind of in-group jargon. The term cant—which derives from the Latin root cantus, "song"—is used to describe language that is insincere or hypocritical: in other words, deceitful communications. The example of the singsong pleas of beggars is the usual example of this usage.
Fulcanelli's work is replete with examples of this type of communication. Moreover, he points out that this argot is used in a visual sense as well. In other words, the artistic details of the Gothic cathedrals—statues, ornaments, orientations—are a kind of slang in stone. To Fulcanelli, there is no way to extricate the visual aspect of the cathedral from the purely auditory quality of the spoken words used to describe it, and this multivalent approach is the key to understanding alchemy and its peculiar terminology. What one sees in the stonework of the cathedrals, and other medieval buildings, are clues that are decipherable only to those who speak its associated language, a language, that, moreover, requires a grounding in the classical literature of mythology, religion, and popular folklore. This connection between symbols and texts is as modern as anything by Eco or Derrida.
To take another example, there is a carving on a fifteenth-century building in the French city of Thiers. It is known as the Man of the Woods. Here is Fulcanelli's description (in part): "This simple man with abundant, disheveled hair, and unkempt beard, this man of nature whose traditional knowledge lead [sic] him to despise the vain frivolity of the poor insane people who think they are wise, stands above the mound of stones which he tramples underfoot. He is the Enlightened one for he has received the light spiritual enlightenment" (Fulcanelli, Dwellings, 251; emphasis Fulcanelli's).
Nevertheless, the idea that important information needs to be encoded in some form, and made inaccessible to the general population, is problematic. It is a challenge to the general notion of communication as the transfer of information. The coded works of the alchemists seem to argue for a system of communication that is the transfer of deception: a system that undermines the social contract implicit in the idea of communication.
Had the alchemical texts been written in a real code—a substitution cipher, for example, in which one letter equals another, or letters are represented by numbers—then the authors' intention would have been more obvious. The problem with alchemical texts is that the code is not obvious from the start. The authors of these texts seem to be saying something, and using language "in the clear" to do so, and that is where the real deception lies. One reads along waiting for the text to become clear—waiting for the key to the code, so to speak—and finishes by realizing that there is no key, and that the text remains as inaccessible at the end as it was at the beginning. It seems like a trick, an elitist sort of ludibrium at the expense of the unsuspecting reader. It is a work of deception, certainly, but, paradoxically, is not a lie.
Recent approaches to the problem of language and its sudden development among primates suggest that the initial function of language was to deceive. The lie, according to these studies, is at the heart of language. Language is a symbolic system that uses symbols to represent things that may or may not exist in "reality." Language is a medium that is based on fiction: the mere fact of tenses—past, present, and future, not to mention all the variations of these basic three, for instance, the subjunctive mood or the future perfect tense—suggests an imaginal realm of possibility rather than a report on tangible events occurring at this precise moment: "He will have bought that car by then" as opposed to "I am hungry" or "there is danger."
Other aspects of language are also enablers of deception. Metaphors, for instance, are themselves false statements which are intended to be taken as false even though they are used to describe real events or conditions. Their utility as a form of communication is based on the general acknowledgement by the audience—the consensus—that the metaphor is not true in any kind of real sense, but is only an imaginary statement that nevertheless points towards the truth. Metaphor, as the carrier of a kind of mini-myth, serves as shorthand for the truth.
Indeed, the philosopher Sallustius (also of the fourth century CE, the same period as the Leyden Papyrus) wrote, "One may call the world a myth," a sentiment that has gained popularity recently in the relatively new field of consciousness studies. From this perspective, the world we experience with our physical senses is a fabrication, a construct, that is not representative of reality but only of a model of reality. This idea is at the heart of alchemy, and of the twilight language employed by alchemists to reinforce that idea using the best tool at their disposal.
In an article published in this magazine a few years ago, Cherry Gilchrist addressed the idea of esoteric orders and secrecy. She pointed out that one of the usual reasons given for secrecy in occult lore was the desire to protect sacred and powerful knowledge from the profane in order to protect the world from amateur magicians. Another reason given was the necessity of maintaining a degree of security as a safeguard for the practitioners themselves, for their "psychological well-being" and to provide an environment conducive to the operations of the work (Gilchrist, 93). The article revolved around the idea of esoteric orders and secret societies and the social organization of occult practices and initiatory bodies—in other words, around ritual and ceremonial secrecy. Indeed, in England and Ireland, a jargon called Shelta was discovered among a class of Irish "gypsies" called Tinkers. It has been linked (see Sinclair) to the original stonemasons as a secret language that apprentices had to learn before they could progress to the third degree of their craft: a craft that eventually developed into today's most famous secret society, Freemasonry.
The idea that language itself evolved out of ritual is a relatively modern one, but one that has attracted some academic attention (see Knight, 68–91). Music, dance, and mime were employed to communicate ideas: that is, something intangible but nevertheless important to the group. These cumbersome and time-consuming methods were gradually replaced or enhanced by language, which sought to do the same thing.
In fact language was used to reinforce an insider/outsider dichotomy in which "we" know what our language/words/symbols mean but "they" don't. In some cases, this was made necessary by political or cultural considerations. Ritual practices that society would consider blasphemous, obscene, or even criminal would have to be concealed, not only during the operations themselves, but also in any discussion of them. So strategies such as cant or argotique or even Shelta were employed as a spoken code. In India, where Tantra was considered an antinomian and transgressive practice, the same need for a coded language obtained.
But there is no alchemical secret society. Alchemists in the West were not initiated, did not belong to groups that met underground, and did not derive their training in a structured way from other alchemists. So the usual reasons given for ritual secrecy do not apply in this case. Alchemists, in fact, learned their art from texts, and in this way they were peculiarly modern.
With alchemy, we have a rich literature that is full of both language and art. These media are equally obscure, with alchemical art often being described as "surreal," and indeed the Surrealist movement of the twentieth century embraced alchemy as a kind of proto-Surrealism. But alchemical literature and art seem to insist on using communication to create distance between the author and the reader, an approach that seems counterintuitive. Why did it become necessary or desirable to employ language to render communication less rather than more effective?
The answer to this question is to be found in the very nature of language itself and in particular a subset known as "twilight language."
Twilight language is the medium in which the texts of Indian alchemy and Tantra are written. It is a language that exists in the realm between what is "real" and what is "imaginary." In my book The Tantric Alchemist I have shown how the twilight language of India can be used to great effect when applied to European alchemical texts, but for now we will focus on the nature of that language itself.
The term "twilight language" comes from the Sanskrit sandhyā-bhāṣā, which some scholars also have translated as "intentional language." This is an interesting idea in light of the above, for it implies a language that defeats the purpose of language: a text that is composed of metaphors, obfuscation, and misdirection but which paradoxically is intended to reveal a hidden truth.
Speakers of a common language collaborate in the multitude of deceptions that are present in their speech. We use language to disguise our feelings, to conceal our true natures, to present ourselves in the best possible light. We deceive—ourselves and others—to such an extent that when giving evidence in a court of law we are required to take an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—as if only the penalty of perjury would inspire in us a desire, finally, to be truthful about anything. (Interestingly, the word sacrament comes to us from the Latin root sacramentum, meaning "oath," a word that also came to mean "mystery." Fulcanelli would approve.)
When this is the case, how does one present knowledge in such a way that there can be no mistaking either the intent of the author or the truth of the subject? If one writes a text the way most authors write texts, it can be assumed that there will be something left out, something embellished, something extraneous to the matter at hand. We expect this, without even being conscious that we do. We write the way we speak, and we read the way we write. Most of the time that speech is unintentional: it comes naturally, fluidly, but full of the possibility of error, exaggeration, metaphors that can be misunderstood, and even deceptions of which the author herself or himself may not be aware. If, however, we write with intention—with knowing how each word will be recognized, understood, and interpreted—then writing transcends the normal function of language. It becomes a kind of mathematics or scientific notation, in which emotion and psyche play no role. It strives to tell the truth.
In order to do that effectively, new terms and concepts need to be introduced that will strain the normal function of language. Just as hallucinogenic drugs strain the senses and reorganize their operation, the hallucinatory texts of the alchemists force the reader to find new meanings and significance for everyday words. To make matters worse, alchemical texts often contradict each other, which only adds to the general confusion and the exasperation with which many observers treat the entire field. Yet, while one alchemical text may contradict another, each text itself is internally consistent.
Alchemical works are replete with terms such as "our mercury" and "our gold," which are ways of signaling that the elements we know by these names are not the ones intended by the authors. This forces the reader to abandon any notion that it is possible to derive chemical compounds through a simple reading of the text. The search for a formula to turn lead into gold seems doomed to failure from the very start when terms are not defined or identified. Add to that the confusion created when impossible concepts are introduced, such as the Green Lion or Red Dragon, and you are reduced to considering the entire subject one of fancy and imagination that has no relevance to the "real," or at least to the physical, world.
The twilight language of Indian and Chinese alchemy, however, does provide us with a key to understanding the arcane scriptures of the European alchemists for the simple reason that they employ precisely the same terminology. You will find references to dragons, mercury, gold, and all the instrumentation of the alchemical laboratory familiar to readers of Western alchemical works, such as the writings of the seventeenth-century Welsh alchemist Thomas Vaughan; the Turba philosophorum ("The Crowd of Philosophers"); the Rosarium philosophorum ("The Rose Garden of the Philosophers"); or the works of Michael Maier. The value of the twilight language rests in the discovery that the Tantrikas and the Chinese alchemists were referring not only to chemical—that is, to laboratory—processes but were insisting on biological analogues. The alembic, retort, and other lab equipment found in the secret rooms of the European "puffers" are all present in the human body as depicted in the charts and diagrams of Indian and Chinese alchemy. In fact, one will come across constant references to "semen," "seed," and "menstruum" as well as other biological (and especially sexual) terms in European alchemical literature, particularly in the works of Thomas Vaughan.
Is that, then, the key to understanding alchemy? Well, almost. Are references to semen and the menstruum meant to be taken literally after all? Well, yes and no. Twilight language is meant to be both literal and figurative. Biological references are only part of the puzzle; otherwise twilight language would not be necessary.
What the alchemical texts conceal, and what twilight language reveals, is a "science" and an "art"—we really do not have a word in the English language that encompasses both—that is a study of reality itself. This is not the materialist reality of the scientist alone, and it is not the reality of the artistic or religious spirit alone. Twilight language is a kind of notation that describes both physical reality and the consciousness that perceives it. To try to derive single definitions for the terms one finds in Fulcanelli or in any of the other alchemical authors is to miss the point entirely. Each term in the twilight language is multivalent as well as multivocal. Twilight language describes a process, and it is that process that is identical for everything in creation, since everything in creation proceeded from the same First Cause.
Alchemical authors constantly refer to creation, and it is important to pay attention. Alchemists attempt to reimagine, revisit, and recreate the moment of the Big Bang (or however one wants to characterize that initial impetus that gave rise to everything we know). To the alchemist, creation is ongoing. It has not stopped. The alchemists know that the universe is constantly expanding and that we are part of that expansion. Alchemists attempt to mimic that process, and it is a process that includes not only chemical transformations in the laboratory but psychobiological transformations that mirror the chemical versions.
Twilight language describes this process in a way that is applicable to all fields of human endeavor. "Our mercury" is everywhere, as is "our gold." While it seems almost insipid—a kind of New Age "we are all one" sentiment—the alchemist means it literally, and demonstrably. It is a way of telling the absolute truth, using the same language that we employ to lie and to deceive, and turning it on its head with all its metaphors and tenses and literary allusions by making it purely intentional and deliberate. It is the paradox of twilight language that makes it so compelling, and in that tension between the word and what it represents—between the symbol and the thing symbolized—is found the truth.
De Santillana, Giorgio, and Hertha von Dechend. Hamlet's Mill: An Essay Investigating the Origins of Human Knowledge and Its Transmission through Myth. Boston: David R. Godine, 1969.
Fulcanelli. The Dwellings of the Philosophers. Translated by Brigitte Donvez and Lionel Perrin. Boulder, Colo.: Archive Press, 1999.
——. The Mystery of the Cathedrals. Translated by Mary Sworder. Las Vegas: Brotherhood of Light, 1990.
Gilchrist, Cherry. "The Open Secret of the Esoteric Orders." Quest, summer 2013, 90–93, 120.
Graves, Robert. The White Goddess. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1948.
Jung, C.G. Alchemical Studies. Translated by R.F.C. Hull. Princeton: Princeton/Bollingen, 1983.
Knight, Chris. "Ritual/Speech Coevolution: A Solution to the Problem of Deception." In James R. Hurford, Michael Studdert-Kennedy, and Chris Knight, eds. Approaches to the Evolution of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, 68–91.
Levenda, Peter. The Tantric Alchemist: Thomas Vaughan and the Indian Tantric Tradition. Lake Worth. Fla.: Ibis, 2015.
Ovason, David. The Secrets of Nostradamus. London: Random House, 1997.
Sinclair, A.T. "The Secret Language of Masons and Tinkers," The Journal of American Folklore, 22:86, Oct.–Dec. 1909, 353–364.
Peter Levenda is an author specializing in esoterica and historical investigation. His esoteric works include such titles as The Dark Lord; The Tantric Temples; and Stairway to Heaven: Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists, and the Art of Spiritual Transformation.


text:
History of Grange Park
Grange Park was Toronto's first elite neighbourhood. It is named after Grange House, built in 1817, by D'Arcy Boulton Jr., a member of one of early Toronto's wealthiest and most prominent families.
Grange House, now part of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the mansions on Beverley Street, are the sole reminders of this neighbourhood's early rise to prominence.
In the late 1800's, Grange Park's upper class gentry headed for the newer more fashionable suburbs in Parkdale, Rosedale and the Annex.
By the early 1900's, Grange Park's large estates had been transformed into rows of modest workers' houses that became home to many new Canadians.
Jewish immigrants were followed by Eastern Europeans and most recently the Chinese; who migrated to Grange Park after Toronto's first Chinatown at Dundas and Elizabeth Street was razed in the 1960's, to make room for the new City Hall.


The Central Community College volleyball team lost to Indian Hills Community College, 3-1, on Thursday afternoon. The contest was the first match of a triangular with Northeast Community College.
The Warriors took the opening set, 25-19, before the Raiders took the second set, 27-25. Indian Hills claimed the match with final scores of 27-25 and 25-16 in the third and fourth sets.
Jacie Laetsch and Abbe Mancuso led CCC in kills with 15 and 14, respectively. Maddie Davis recorded 27 assists, while Lydia Parmenter finished with 17 digs.
With the loss, the Raiders are now 17-18 on the season.


As I looked out my living room window this morning, my first reaction was disappointment and dismay. Another morning, another snowy landscape, another hour of clearing snow from the driveway and sidewalk. It's February, I'm in the Great Lakes region of the USA, so I shouldn't be surprised.
I looked at the calendar – not a good thing to do around here in February – and I realized that it's 43 days until the vernal equinox – the supposed first day of spring. It may be springlike in some places on that day, but there's a really good chance it won't seem like spring around here. March 21st is normally, wet, cold, windy and cloudy; there's not usually much spring in the air around here.
I look at things that way and then, when I really think about it, we spend most of our lives waiting for something. And is the waiting really all that bad?
I can remember being a kid and waiting for Christmas. Weeks seemed like months, days seemed like weeks – it seemed like it took forever for Christmas to come. It came and went and before I knew it, I was sitting around the house the day after Christmas bored and wanting to do something with my friends.
Now, I look back and all that waiting seems inconsequential – and like it never even happened. Those days of Christmas waiting were decades ago. All those months, all those weeks, all those days of waiting all seem like they passed far too quickly now.
Isn't it funny? Is funny even the right word? Life is strange sometimes. Sometimes it seems so unfair.
Seems we do a whole lot of waiting in our lives. We wait to get paid (unless we are very wealthy and then I'm sure those who are rich have something to wait for). We wait to get test results back from the tests the doctor ordered. We wait for a movie to come or a favorite show to come on… but then the older we get the shorter the waiting gets, until we all never wait for anything again.
I though long and hard about waiting here's what I think. I think waiting makes whatever you're waiting for much better or much worse than it really ever could be. Someone once said (and I'm too lazy to look up who it was) that (and I paraphrase) "a coward dies a thousand deaths; a hero dies but one". I believe in that philosophy.
If you've ever dreaded something – like surgery or a painful exam or a funeral or something you really did not want to have to face – and you let it chew at you day after day, then you're like the coward who died a thousand deaths, aren't you? I've done that, we've all done it. And what good did it all that worrying do? Not one bit. When I worry and fret over some upcoming even, then I'm the coward dying a thousand deaths. Whatever I'm dreading, can't be nearly as bad as mulling it over and over and living it over and over in my mind before it happens. It is what it is, worry or not.
And on the opposite side, what about the good things we look forward to? Waiting seems so hard to do, yet waiting makes it all the better. It's like endless appetizers before a grand dinner. LIke rainy days make us appreciate sunny days more, and unbearably cold winter days make summer so welcome, waiting gives a chance to savor whatever we're looking forward to – so that we can enjoy it even more. I can't tell you how many times I've looked forward to something – so excited waiting for it – only to be disappointed when it came. But even if I was disappointed, I had all that savoring before day actually came.
Waiting for the class bell to ring in school, made walking out of school at the end of the day even better. Savoring those final minutes before the bell set me free… some of my favorite moments of school savoring the slow hands of the clock counting down the minutes to freedom.
So do take time to savor the weeks and days and hours leading up to the things you are looking forward to – those moments you savor are gifts to your memory.
And for those things coming up that you're dreading, don't make them worse by worrying about them. It's not easy not to worry, but if you remember you'll be much better off being the hero who only has to endure the dreaded day or event once, than the cowards who worry and fret so much they end up reliving the event over and over in their minds before the event or day even happens.
One more thing. Life has a way of evening things out. The things you look forward too are often not quite as good as you imagined – but the imagining was so much fun. On the other hand, the events you dreaded probably weren't as bad as you thought they'd be.
It's a cold, windy, snowy, cruel February day here today. But I'm not going to worry about how much more winter I've got to endure – I'm going to imagine tulips and daffodils and dandelioins and the green, green grass of spring. I'm going to imagine spring and savor it, no matter what it looks like outside today.
And when spring does come, it probably won't be anywhere near as good as I'm imagining it will be right now.
Who cares? I'm loving the savoring.
I have known a great many worries most of which have never happened.
It is always after the event that those words come to the fore when I am able to breath a sigh of relief and think that the world is not such a bad place after all.
three times in as many months. I think perhaps I also am getting old. Have a great day and think of the beautiful Spring days to come.
Bravo! I live in the Great Lakes Region, too, and think you are much better off dreaming about the flowers of spring while it is still miserable and cold outside. Spring in the Great Lakes is grand but very short, so having a memory of its beauty is probably much better than waiting for its scent and faux warmth which I have found disappointingly brief. However, summer follows….wonderful summer……..lol.
I grew up in Jackson MI until I was seventeen when I joined the Corps. As for weather I didn't know any abetter.
I spent three years in California and three years in Okinawa. All warm weather. My last duty station was at Mt. Fuji Japan for cold weather training. I had put MI weather out of my mind during those six years. Mt, Fuji put the memories all back. I never went back to live there; just to visit relatives. And then in the warm weather.
I now live in Oregon where the snow and ice days are very few and far between. The only thing I do miss about Michigan is the changing colors in the fall. I tell people here in Oregon about the weather in Michigan, "They die of frostbite in the winter, heatstroke in the summer, and if those two don't get you, the Mosquitoes will. Give me good ole Oregon rain anytime. Come visit sometime and you will stay.
The time does seem to get shorter by the day. We have decided that is one of the perks of being in our early 80's. I think when I am reasonably happy time flies but if I am worried about someone or something it seems to drag.
This was another great piece TC.


My name is Josh and I play guitar for A Story Told.
We all grew up in the West Virginia music scene. Finding friendship through our love of music, it just made sense for the five of us to get together and see if we could create something special. And here we are three years later!
Our musical influences are everything when it comes to our sound. We're all huge fans of pop punk and bands such as Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy, but also mainstream pop music such as One Republic. We attempt to combine what we love about each genre to create something that is unique to us.
Seeing people relate to what we have to say and find emotional connections with our message has definitely been the coolest and most meaningful aspect of releasing music.
We had the chance to play main stage at Warped Tour in 2016. Hands down one of the craziest and most memorable performances to date.
The goal for this band has always been to create music that impacts people in the way that our favorite bands have impacted us.
We are very DIY when it comes to this band. We do our own recordings. We film our own music videos. We even take our own photos. This allows us to create products that are 100% us.
We'll be hitting the road heavily in 2018 in support of our most recent record Good Looks!
Just a HUGE thank you to everyone that continues to support our band! A Story Told has become something so much bigger than we imagined and the support is what makes it.
Romancer Releases Official Music Video For "Nausicaa"
We are excited to send you the new highly anticipated EP from Jessie Munro. Entitled On My Own the EP features 6 beautiful tracks highlighting Munro's stunning soulful vocals with sleek, modern-electro R&B and pop/rock instrumentation. Co-written and produced by Jonah Summerfield, On My Own tells the story of living through bleak heartbreak, with relatable honest lyricism and beautifully poetic melodies, it's an EP of reflection and contemplation. Narrating the feeling of being alone, the pain of unrequited love and finding courage and confidence to move on, the release is an authentic story of a lost love.
As a Berklee College of Music graduate, Munro has established a sound of musical maturity, drawing influences from Charlotte Day Wilson and Carole King. Munro has garnered acclaim from publications such as The Line of Best Fit and Culture Collide to name a few.
Thanks for listening and for your support!
Leading single 'Under Fire' features a strong, melodic bassline which rides fluidly atop the driving drums and Munro's soulful, dreamlike vocals. Thematically, the song focuses on the pressures of social expectations and constantly feeling scrutinized by others. Munro reflects on how she felt she was "under fire" from everyone in her life and the song is the realization that other peoples opinions aren't always definitive. Inspired by Lianne La Havas and her technique of fusing lyrics with melody, Munro explains "the intent of the lyric is brought to life with a melody that evokes that same emotion" and this is clearly apparent throughout the single.
'If Your Eyes Could Talk' showcases ethereal soundscapes and minimalistic melodies, which still pack an impact through Munro's smokey vocals, delivering a song of quiet intensity. Featuring notes of jazz and pop all underpinned by a soul underscore, the track is brought to life with it's refreshingly vibrant chorus. The single succeeds in sonically portraying the emotions of a relationship and is a truthful depiction of a breakup, which establishes Munro's signature sound and sets the tone for the rest of the EP.
Munro has come a long way from coming in sixth place in CBC's search for Dorothy in its 2012 Over the Rainbow series, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Having already performed to sold out audiences across the globe, as well as receiving critical acclaim, the singer is now ready for the next chapter of her musical endeavour, with On My Own currently available worldwide.


Brandi Carlile is out on tour in support of her new album, Bear Creek. She brought that tour to San Diego last week and filled the local House of Blues. I photographed Brandi two years ago and was looking forward to photographing her again. The first big difference of the night was that this time around there was no photo pit. And instead of the 5 songs we had last time, this show was limited to 3.
When Brandi took the stage, the lights were rather dim. I was positioned off to the left in front of the stage and had a pretty good angle with the 70-200mm f/2.8. The D4 was pushed to ISO 3200 and handled the low light really well.
I spent the first song and a half shooting from the front left, then moved across to the other side of the venue and ended up shooting the last half song from the balcony.
Since we had no photo pit and the rules were the first 3, I tried to get as many different angles as possible.
All photos taken with the Nikon D4 and 70-200mm f/2.8 and the D700 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 on Hoodman CompactFlash cards.


Using the best current technology and innovative teaching methods, including differentiated instruction, Valley View provides a strong academic foundation with a core curriculum of language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics.
Art offers opportunities for creative self-expression, the development of perceptual awareness, including art appreciation, and recognizing beauty in both the natural world and the constructed environment.
Students learn to manipulate color and form using a wide variety of materials, tools, and techniques in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, printing, and architecture. Information on the role of art in human history and the development of artistic styles and periods is integrated into every lesson.
Our Bible curriculum is designed to nurture each child's spirituality and to strengthen individual faith.
Bible classes focus on personal communication with God, gratitude for God's gifts, and faith in God's love for every person. Classroom learning is enriched through encouraging a personal relationship with Jesus, daily personal prayer, formal worship, and service to others.
Daily class worship and Friday morning Chapel provide activities to illustrate lessons from the Bible and help to reinforce these values. Each class sponsors several Chapel programs during the year.
Every classroom is equipped with several networked computers with Internet access and CD-ROM capability, as well as software that supports the core curriculum. Students in grades 5-10 use laptops in a 1-1 environment.
Kindergarten students begin to learn control of the mouse and navigation of computer menus through games which encourage them to practice phonics and language skills.
Students in Grades 1 and 2 learn keyboarding skills and basic word processing, graphics, and spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Word, KidPix, and PowerPoint.
In Grades 3 and 4, students improve their keyboarding skills and increase their confidence using multiple software applications. They do research using appropriate search engines and design basic PowerPoint presentations.
In language arts, our students learn critical thinking, effective communication, and the skills necessary for proficiency in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, phonics, reading, and writing. Always building on what each child knows, we present individual students with materials that will offer a challenge yet permit success. Each student's progress is closely monitored through monthly evaluations.
Our balanced reading program consists of four components that are used each day: reading aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading.
New texts are introduced by reading aloud. Students are invited to share the reading when they encounter words and phrases they know.
In guided reading the teacher helps a small group of students of similar ability to read a book. At each session, the children learn basic reading skills, including phonics and comprehension. The teacher helps them develop strategies to deal with increasingly difficult texts; these strategies include recognizing familiar words by sight and understanding the meaning of words from other clues in a sentence. The children also learn to correct themselves if a guess doesn't make sense.
Our goal is to help each child advance to fluency, capable of reading silently and independently and filled with enthusiasm for books.
Mathematics is taught using a program that encourages discovery of mathematical concepts, emphasizes the traditional learning of basic arithmetic facts and gives a strong foundation in computational skills, particularly mental computation.
In Kindergarten, our goal is to nurture students' emerging abilities to count, match, sort, order, compare, see patterns, do simple addition and subtraction, and understand space and time. They learn to graph, measure, tell time, read a calendar and perform simple money exchanges.
In Grades 1-4, students advance their knowledge of mathematical concepts in 13 topic areas: problem solving, communication, reasoning, connections, estimation, number sense and numeration, whole number operations, whole number computation, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, statistics and probability, fractions and decimals and patterns and relationships.
Each year, our students' grasp of mathematical concepts deepens with repeated exposure at increasingly higher levels to the same topic areas.
Music instruction for students in Grades K-2 emphasizes singing and rhythmic movement. The children learn folk songs, dances, and movement games from the United States and around the world. They also explore rhythm with speech, rhymes and body percussion and advance to using basic percussion instruments.
In addition to these activities, students in Grades 3 and 4 begin to read music in several keys. They also study music theory and history.
In Kindergarten, students will explore letters and sounds, and will focus on one-to-one letter-sound correspondence in order to decode words, phrases, sentences, and stories. They will also learn common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, etc.).
First Grade students will move on to read and spell regularly spelled one-syllable and two-syllable words, as well as grade appropriate irregularly spelled words. They will also learn to read and spell with final -e and vowel teams, as well as consonant digraphs.
Kindergarten through 4th grade physical education is integrated into the daily schedule of classes. At every grade level, we help children develop and refine their movement and object control skills, stress the importance of physical fitness for a healthy life, emphasize safety and encourage self-discipline, cooperation, sportsmanship and respect for equipment and property.
Kindergarten students work on skills like skipping, jumping, galloping, and jogging. In Grades 1 and 2, students learn to play simple ball games and to pace themselves while jogging longer distances. Students in Grade 3 and 4 continue to increase their endurance in jogging and are able to play complete games. During these games they learn skills, including rules and scoring, that will prepare them to play soccer, volleyball, basketball, and field games.
Our science curriculum combines life science, earth science, physical science and chemistry.
Students at each grade level receive progressively more sophisticated instruction in the scientific method. They gather existing information, form hypotheses and predict expected outcomes, experiment and collect data, organize results, and draw conclusions based on their own work. Each year they become increasingly confident using the equipment and tools of science. Every student in the school is expected to participate in the Science Fair.
Age-appropriate instruction emphasizes activities using hands-on inquiry techniques and field experiences.
Kindergarten students, for example, grow their own plants and watch live caterpillars turn into butterflies.
Students in Grade 1 learn about the properties of solids and liquids and study the life cycles, structures, and behaviors of a variety of insects and animals.
In Grade 2, students become aware of scientific laws as they study balance and motion and study weather and the propagation of plants.
Students in Grade 3 make a comprehensive study of their own skeletal and muscular systems and explore the properties of water.
In Grade 4, studies in earth science focus on rocks and minerals, landforms, erosion and deposition of land and volcanoes and earthquakes. Students learn about lever and pulley systems in physical science and explore the history of scientific ideas and inventions.
As our students mature at each grade level information is introduced that will help them understand human and environmental interaction, the movement of people, goods, and ideas and cultural development through science and mathematics, literature, art, music, dance, and language. Students also master specific skills, such as the reading of globes, maps, graphs, and diagrams and they learn to use the research tools and methods of historians.
Kindergarten students start their exploration of culture and history by studying themselves, their families, and their communities. They begin to understand human diversity as they talk about how people are the same and how they are different. Classroom activities focus on developing leadership skills and good citizenship and on nurturing the children's sense of responsibility to improve the human condition.
In Grade 1, we help students understand the concept of "history" as it relates to themselves and to their families as well as to our country, focusing on Colonial America.
Students in Grade 2 study individuals who have "made history" and learn the goals of government and democracy.
Our curriculum for Grade 3 focuses on human rights, minorities, and social classes; students develop an appreciation for our democratic, pluralistic, society as they study the American Constitution and American ideals.
Students in Grade 4 make a yearlong study of the Regions of America by looking at the history, geography, and natural resources of each, as well as the communities present there today.


text:
Arc Flash Training
Arc Flash Risk Assessment
Electrical Safety Services
What is Arc Flash?
What is NFPA 70E?
Employer Deemed Responsible for Electrical Worker's Death
Queensland, Australia electrical worker, Danny George Cheney, was electrocuted on December 5, 2009. His coworker, Macquin Parungao, sustained four electrical shocks while attempting to save him. The coroner had found that Cheney's employer was to blame for his death, as he was not equipped with the proper tools to safely perform the tasks he was given. He was also found to lack the proper training for his new job position that he had been promoted to, which resulted in him not following the Activity Method Statement (AMS). If he had been given the proper training and equipment, his death may have been avoided.
Last week, coroner Kevin Priestly found the tragedy occurred because Mr Cheney's employer, John Holland, had not adequately trained him in a new role he had recently accepted.
A month before the incident, Mr Cheney had been promoted and moved to a new project.
The coroner found while "a number of factors" likely contributed to the death, the workers did not have the correct equipment with them when the accident happened, and that Mr Cheney had not followed the Activity Method Statement (AMS) — a plan designed to ensure safety on worksites.
However, the coroner ruled mistakes made by Mr Cheney were caused by a lack of adequate training relating to his new position.
"Mr Cheney deviated from the requirement in the AMS, likely due to a number of operational factors but most importantly because of a gap in his knowledge about the difference between earthing and bonding, and the circumstances in which each is applied," he wrote.
"Mr Cheney was exposed to different practises and procedures during his work with John Holland but had received no formal training on those matters. He had no formal qualifications that covered those matters.
"Mr Cheney adopted what he thought was an alternative method of earthing, without adequate safety equipment and in an apparent desire to get the job done. The conductors were not effectively earthed and Mr Cheney was electrocuted."
Click here for the full story.
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text:
Home Authors Posts by Charles Stone
https://charlesstone.com
Both my wife Sherryl and I have a heart for pastors and pastors' wives. We've taught hundreds of pastors and their wives in the United States, Canada, Nicaragua, Colombia, Haiti, Cuba, and Mexico. I've been a pastor for 40 years serving as Lead Pastor, a Teaching Pastor, an Associate Pastor, and as a Church Planter.
3 Ways Leaders Break Unhealthy
Charles Stone - July 20, 2019 0
When You're In the Belly of a Big Fish
Charles Stone - July 6, 2019 0
Church Growth Dan Reiland - January 29, 2023 0
Communication Vanderbloemen Group - January 29, 2023 0
Communication Charles Stone - January 28, 2023 0


text:
import {
  makeCommunicationKernelspecs,
  makeKernelspec
} from "@nteract/types/core/records";
import * as actionTypes from "../actionTypes";
import createImmutableMapReducer from "./createImmutableMapReducer";
import { combineReducers } from "redux-immutable";
import * as Immutable from "immutable";

import type { KernelspecProps } from "@nteract/types/core/records";

// Communication state.
const communicationKernelspecsLoading = (state = false, action) => {
  switch (action.type) {
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS:
      return true;
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS_FULFILLED:
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS_FAILED:
      return false;
    default:
      return state;
  }
};
const communicationKernelspecsError = (state = null, action) => {
  switch (action.type) {
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS:
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS_FULFILLED:
      return null;
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS_FAILED:
      return action.payload.error;
    default:
      return state;
  }
};
const communicationKernelspecs = combineReducers(
  {
    loading: communicationKernelspecsLoading,
    error: communicationKernelspecsError
  },
  makeCommunicationKernelspecs
);
export const communicationKernelspecsByRef = createImmutableMapReducer(
  action => action.kernelspecsRef,
  communicationKernelspecs
);

// Entities state.
const entitiesKernelspecs = (state = Immutable.Map(), action) => {
  switch (action.type) {
    case actionTypes.FETCH_KERNELSPECS_FULFILLED:
      return Immutable.Map(action.payload.kernelspecs).map(
        (kernelspec: KernelspecProps) => makeKernelspec(kernelspec)
      );
    default:
      return state;
  }
};
export const entitiesKernelspecsByRef = createImmutableMapReducer(
  action => action.payload && action.payload.kernelspecsRef,
  entitiesKernelspecs
);


Get Long Lasting, Natural Looking Lashes Provided by Our Skilled Estheticians. Call (512) 643-9171 to Schedule an Appointment!
Individual eyelashes made from synthetic material are applied to your existing lashes using a semi-permanent glue. The lashes come in various lengths, thicknesses, and degrees of curl to deliver a full beautiful lash line. Expertly applied eyelash extensions comfortable and so natural looking no one will be able to tell that you are wearing them.
What are the benefits eyelash extensions?
Eyelash extensions instantly give you sexier, younger and refreshed-looking eyes. There is no longer the need for curling or applying mascara resulting in a low-maintenance, faster beauty routine.
How are eyelash extensions applied and maintained?
The application process is very relaxing. Similar to other spa treatments, you lie down on a plush table and simply close your eyes. One at a time, a technician glues a synthetic lash to one of your natural lashes. Over time as your natural lash sheds, the extension will fall out with the lash. To maintain a full appearance, it is recommended every 2-3 weeks you refill your lash set. An initial full set of eyelash extensions takes around 90 minutes to apply, refills can be completed in as little as 30 minutes.
A medical-grade adhesive is used to apply the semi-permanent eyelash extensions. The adhesive is based on highly-tested and approved derma-bond technology, used by physicians to bond skin together. It has been specially formulated to reduce skin irritation on sensitive areas of the body such as the eye. Our special formula bonds faster, is longer-lasting, has less fumes and is more resistant to water than other products. It is black in color to mimic a dark mascara-like look.
For clients withe delicate eye areas we offer a colorless glue to reduce fumes and possible irritation. An allergic reaction is rare and is usually the result of incorrect eyelash extension application, seasonal allergies or improper at-home care. Clients are advised to remove contact lenses prior to an eyelash extension application.
Why should I get my eyelash extensions at Glo Med Spa?
Applying extensions is a highly technical and skilled procedure. A bad extension job can be painful and damage your lashes. Unlike some of our competition, our technicians train for months, are held to strict quality-control standards, and use the safest products. Our combination of superior skill and high quality products will show in the longevity and the beautiful, natural appearance and feel of your lashes.


Hotel sales & marketing alliance innovates and differentiates with new sales and marketing strategy based on popular leisure travel niches and social media communities.
New owners of the Big Pineapple have closed the national icon for renovations, hoping to reopen for Christmas with a new product set to attract more people to the coastal Queensland region.
Looking for an after work haunt to wash away the workday?
Taiwanese entrepreneur Steven Pan, Chairman of Regent Hotels & Resorts, was last Thursday voted 'Travel Personality of the Year' at the 21st TTG Travel Awards 2010.
Best Western's Riverside Apartments located in the heart of Melbourne now offer meeting and conference facilities through the Polygon Functions and Meeting Centre.
The Best Western Hotel Stellar (Sydney, NSW) has received international commendation for its levels of quality and service.
Pegasus Solutions has extended its marketing capabilities to include travel agency advertising through a new agreement with Amadeus.
The world-acclaimed Zeffirino Ristorante and renowned wine cellar Maxxium will stage a five-course wine dinner on 22 October 2010 (Friday).
To meet Hong Kong's growing appetite for artisan cheeses, boutique wines and handcrafted breads, Classified will expand its operations and open three new outlets.
A box office hit for Travelodge Choose-days!
In a world first, incoming BIG4 Holiday Parks CEO, Ray Schleibs, went undercover for the first few days of his new job.


Our menu features tender, juicy steaks, slow roasted prime rib, succulent shellfish, the freshest of salads, irresistible desserts and of course, an outstanding wine list.
Casual dining setting with over 100 menu items including gourmet pizzas made with our signature hand pressed dough. Plus mouth-watering pastas and a wide variety of appetizers, salads, entrées & desserts. Eat in the dining room or in the sports bar.
Neighbourhood pub; a welcoming place to meet friends for a pint, some fine food and a good time. Brilliant!
Offers mouth-watering hickory smoked ribs, AAA steaks, signature chicken and pasta dishes. Lodge setting is the perfect place for a delicious meal.
Specializes in authentic Chinese cuisine. Proudly serving Mississauga for over 20 years.
Where tried and true classics find exciting new life. From chipotle sirloin, to our pork chops with lingonberry sauce, to the cedar plank salmon, we've tweaked everything you'd expect - and then some - to create delicious new combinations.
Renowned for its winning combination of an energetic atmosphere, delicious menu and fantastic beverages. We have joined such guest favourites as wings, burgers, sandwiches and steaks, with innovative dishes from around the world.


Our office has combined and now services the States of Ohio and West Virginia. Carmen Ceretta, Dave Jackson, Lindsey Kehres and Richard Brentzel were all agents prior to Dustin Burgess becoming the agency owner. Dustin maintained the former staff, and has grown since taking over in October, 2011. We now have locations in Alliance, Ohio, Canton, Ohio, and a new Financial Associate working in Columbus, Ohio to meet the growing demands and convenience of our customers. In September 2015 Dustin acquired A-Z Insurance Agency in Akron, Ohio. We are a full service group that offers: Auto, Home, Life, Health, Commercial, and Farms. Our office specializes in the protections of both small and large farms. We want to manage your risk and make insurance much easier to understand. Once you call, click, or stop by our offices you will experience true customer service.
To begin our process, we take time to get to know clients and their insurance needs. Our agents are responsive to client requests, striving to put together a package to cover and protect assets they hold most dear to them. This personalized step ensures an accurate policy is pursued, from the start.
Along with clients, we also partner closely with Nationwide Insurance and a selection of other providers, including Progressive and Alfa. For our clients, this transforms into direct communication with a local agent, accompanied by an established insurance product.
The business insurance program we institute is flexible to address the requirements of a variety of specific industries. From golf courses and auto repair shops to restaurants and contractors, we have the ability to customize coverage to reduce the impact of loss. For small to medium-sized operations, we typically recommend a business owners policy (BOP). A BOP bundles critical coverages into a single policy, such as commercial general liability and commercial property.
Our agents also have the capacity to write comprehensive farm insurance policies and provide a selection of financial services. To learn more about the assistance we offer, contact our agency at your convenience.