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Sarah M. Anderson
Contemporary Westerns with a Kick
Eleanore Gray
Writing as Maggie Chase
Their Emerald
The mayor of Brimstone, Raymond Dupree, has a secret—he's in love with his assistant, Hank O'Shea. The only person who knows the truth is Miss Emerald Green, the second-most famous Jewel in Texas. Raymond spends one night a week not with Miss Green but with Emmy, his closest confidant. She treasures her friendship with Raymond and although she wishes he could love her fully, she's content. But when Hank kisses Raymond, everything changes.
The risk of their forbidden love is too great and Hank decides Raymond has to marry Emmy. But Emmy can't give up her sexuality and she won't cuckold Raymond. But will Hank's proposal—Raymond and Emmy share him—be the solution to their problem?
Finalist, 2018 Passionate Plume contest, Historical Novel
January 2017 | ISBN: 978-1-941097212
Print ISBN: 978-1941097281
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Now available in Audio!
Their Emerald by Maggie Chase
Narrated by Rebecca Dimond
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"He's late," Mistress said with no other introduction. She smiled prettily but her voice was low and worried. "Have you heard from him? It's not like him to miss his night."
Emmy swallowed down her nerves. Raymond was a fair mayor—but he still had his enemies. Brimstone could be a rough town, as was this entire part of Texas, swelling daily with an influx of veterans of the Civil War and former slaves, all looking for work on the massive cattle drives.
One of the things Raymond had done as mayor was to enact restrictions on private guns inside the city limits in an attempt to clean up the town. This restriction had made him enemies more than anything else, but there were too many murders when Yankees and Rebels got to drinking in the saloons. The war had been over for two years now. Raymond had won his election by promising that, by 1868, Brimstone would be a respectable town.
Emmy didn't know where the Jeweled Ladies fit into this new, respectable future. They were as respectable as whores could be—but whores all the same. "I'm sure he'll be here."
For a moment, Mistress looked sympathetic—but the moment was short. She patted Emmy on the arm and said, "I've had an inquiry. If he doesn't show…"
Emmy made sure to school her features into pleasant blankness. "Oh? Who?"
The lines around Mistress's eyes tightened. "We shall cross that bridge when we get to it, dear."
She looked nervous, Emmy realized. And that terrified Emmy. Because Mistress knew how to handle men and handle them well. If someone could make Mistress nervous, then what could they do to Emmy?
"I will not be tied and whipped," she said in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper. "I will not. Send him to Sapphire." Sapphire was the girl who didn't just tolerate being whipped—she actually liked it. Needed it, she'd told Emmy once.
Emmy hadn't understood then and she didn't understand now—nor did she understand how men needed Pearl to do the same to them. But she'd been whoring long enough to know that different people needed different things in the bedroom and so, if Sapphire needed someone to bind her wrists, it only made sense that there were men out there who needed to bind her.
But that would not be Emmy. Not again. Never again.
Mistress smiled as if, no, of course the inquiry hadn't involved that. But Emmy saw the woman swallow. "He asked for you specifically."
To anyone else in the room, it looked as if Emmy and Mistress were just having a pleasant conversation, perhaps about the weather. But Emmy was seething. "I follow your rules, Mistress. You follow mine. That is the deal."
It had always been the deal. Mistress took in girls who had potential, intelligence and beauty and she trained them to be the finest of whores. It didn't matter their race—Mistress treated them all as equals. Each girl worked for as long as she wanted and then she could move on, usually with a fat bank account to support her. They had had men from London, even from Paris, in their parlor who'd said that the Jeweled Ladies were just as fine as the ladies of the night in Europe, if not better. It was a source of pride for Mistress.
The girls had to follow the rules. They gave up their names and became Jewels. They spent money on clothes and learned how to act in the parlor, how to please in the bedroom. They did what Mistress said, wore what she told them to wear, acted as she did. And in return, Mistress paid them handsomely and made sure that a girl never did anything with anyone she didn't want to. The Jewels were not just highly trained and polished to a shine. They had a say in who they spread their legs for. Mistress never forced them.
Until, it seemed, now. "You would be handsomely rewarded," she coaxed. "A hundred dollars, if not more."
Emmy's stomach turned. That kind of money was nothing to joke about—but she couldn't sell her sanity for a mere hundred dollars. If Mistress sold her time to someone who wanted to watch her beg, Emmy would…well, she would leave. It would be a blow to her plans, that much was for sure. But she had almost twenty-five hundred dollars saved in the First Macon County Bank—more than enough to start over. She'd be giving up the Jeweled Ladies and a lifetime of financial security but for Mistress to go back against her word like that would be a violation that could not be repaired.
Being a whore was not always bad. In fact, Emmy occasionally enjoyed large parts of it. Being the second most famous whore in Brimstone meant that she could command a higher price—which meant better clientele. She had a few regulars whom she liked being with and the rest was… Well, it wasn't worth the trouble it took to think over it.
Still, Tuesdays were her very favorite evening of the week because everyone else paid for a night with Emerald Green. Only Raymond paid for Emmy.
She knew she could go to Raymond and he would take her in. But a whore fleeing her madam could very well destroy his career. No, she couldn't do that to Raymond. She cared for him far too much.
There was another option, if she had to leave quickly. Free Cyrus Franklin was rumored to take in runaways and former slaves and help them on their way West. He'd helped Millie, who—briefly—had been Miss Topaz Gold before she'd disappeared. Maybe Franklin would be able to spirit her away and protect her until she could get her money and come up with a new plan.
Mistress smiled—but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sure he'll be here," she said, patting Emmy on the arm. "Let us not fret over something that most likely won't come to pass."
Fret? This was not fretting. This was white-hot rage burning on a pyre of fear. "Mistress—"
The bell over the front door jingled and both women paused, their ears cocked toward the entrance. "Mayor Dupree," Samuel's deep voice rumbled. "Let me help you with your coat, sir."
Emmy exhaled in relief.
Mistress patted Emmy on the arm again and smiled. Even with her polish and her makeup, Emmy thought she looked visibly thankful. "Excellent. Have a lovely evening, dear."
It took real effort to school her face into blandness, but Emmy had been trained by the very best. "And you as well, Mistress. I shall see you tomorrow."
Mistress sashayed off to greet Raymond. Samuel was the first line of defense for the Jeweled Ladies. But Mistress had the final say on who was allowed to patronize her establishment. As such, she preferred to be on a first name basis with each and every one of her customers. They were all friends here, she liked to say.
If only Mistress knew. Emmy turned from her window just as Raymond entered the parlor, that mischievous smile on his face. Oh, good. His spirits were high and he looked whole. She should not have worried. "Raymond," she said, putting a note of severity into her voice.
Unlike Mistress's meandering path to her, Raymond did not stop to exchange pleasantries with anyone else in the parlor. He made straight for her and, grasping her offered hand in his, he bowed low over it before pressing his lips to her knuckles. "I do hope you can forgive me, Miss Green. My tardiness is nearly unforgivable. I can only pray that you will not hold it against me this evening."
When she met his gaze, she saw that his eyes were unusually bright. She supposed that, to the outside observer, they looked like they did every Tuesday. But she could tell something had happened—and it was something good. "Shall we?" Which was a slight breach of their protocol. Normally, they shared a drop of sherry before they adjourned to her room. But they had already lost a half an hour and she was in no mood to wait to find out what had him so jubilant. Right now, she needed the comfort he provided.
Raymond stood and tucked her hand into the corner of his elbow. His gaze never left hers as they strolled out of the parlor and took the wide staircase that led up to the second floor. Emmy was the center of his world right now. Her only regret about her arrangement with Raymond was that there would never be anything more than this.
They did not speak until her bedroom door was shut firmly behind them and she had shot the lock. She stepped into Raymond and began loosening his necktie. "What has happened?"
"My darling Emmy, it is the most extraordinary thing." She undid the buttons of his waistcoat and shirt and then she turned so that he could work at the buttons at the back of her gown. They did this every Tuesday, undressing each other like an old married couple until he was in nothing but his drawers and she in her shift. As he unlaced her corset, she exhaled in satisfaction. Oh, how she loved Tuesdays.
"Tell me," she insisted. "Do not leave me hanging on your every word."
He held her hand as she stepped out of her gown and then picked it up and shook it out for her, draping it over the top of her dressing screen. He was so thoughtful like that. "You won't believe it. I scarcely believe it myself."
Emmy moved to the bed and pulled down the covers. "Raymond, you are teasing me. What's happened? I was worried about you when you didn't show." She left out the part where she'd been worried Mistress was going to break her word. She didn't want to distract Raymond from his happiness.
She slid into bed and held the covers for him. He climbed in after her and tucked his arm around her shoulder. She curled into his warm, broad chest but she did not rest her head upon him. Instead, she propped herself up and stared down at him. "Out with it."
His smile—oh. It must be very good. He brushed a curl away from her forehead and said, "He kissed me."
Shock stilled her hand from ruffling the scattering of hair upon his chest. Those three words had just changed her world. "Hank?"
"Hank," Raymond repeated, glowing with happiness.
"But I thought you said… He wasn't… Are you sure?" Because she had been sure. Raymond had been sure until today, apparently.
She loved Raymond. Raymond loved her. But his heart belonged to Hank O'Shea and Hank did not love Raymond. Not like that.
"I didn't think he was," Raymond mused.
Conflicting emotions washed through her. She ducked her head down to hide her confusion. Automatically, his hand came up and he began to stroke her hair and her shoulder. "How did it happen?" she asked, putting extra effort into keeping her voice light and happy.
She hated pretending because that was the one thing that she didn't have to do with Raymond. In the safety of this room, together they could be who they really were and she didn't want that to change.
But she wasn't sure she could be happy for him because if Hank O'Shea fell in love with Raymond the way Raymond already loved Hank, where would she be?
Alone. That wasn't entirely true because she would remain here, her services in high demand and her future assured as the handpicked successor to Mistress. But she would no longer be Raymond's confidant, his closest friend. She would no longer be his Emmy and that thought saddened her far more than she wanted to.
"He brought me paperwork to sign," Raymond said, still sounding as if he did not believe his good fortune. "He leaned over the desk to arrange the papers for me and…" He shrugged. "I didn't lean back. I asked a question and he turned his face toward me and I almost kissed him then and there, but I was afraid."
Emmy nodded against his chest. Raymond was rightfully terrified of being found out. Even as he was trying to make Brimstone more genteel, it was still a rough town and people who stepped outside of the rules dictated by society were punished swiftly and mercilessly. Emmy may have started out as a shield against the fate that awaited men like Raymond but she had thought that she had become much more than that.
"And he was as close to me as I am to you—except that we weren't touching." She could see it in her mind's eye, Raymond sitting in his office chair in his office and Hank O'Shea practically draped across his lap on the desk. It was a pose that she would've used to entice a man. Begrudgingly, she admired Hank's approach.
"What did he say?" Because she wanted all the details. She would not panic about this change until she knew for sure whether or not it would affect her.
She and Raymond had never shared more than this—kisses on the hand and forehead, long talks in bed. It was a different sort of intimacy than she was used to sharing with the men who paid for her time, and in many ways it was far more revealing than simply taking off her clothes and spreading her legs would ever be.
She didn't want to lose this.
She was being selfish. Raymond was not here for her. She was here for Raymond. He was her best customer and also her closest friend and she needed to work harder on being happy for him.
"He leaned in closer and he said, 'Is that really what you want to know?' And he held me with his gaze and…" Raymond's voice trailed off and, perhaps unconsciously, he held her tighter at the memory of holding someone else. "And I said no. That wasn't the question I meant to ask."
"What did he do next?" She had to admit, it all sounded romantic. She was happy for Raymond, she decided. One of the many things he shared with her over their time together was that he despaired of ever finding anyone who would accept him as he was—anyone besides her, that was.
"He said, 'I didn't think so.' And then he kissed me." He sighed, a noise of bone-deep contentment.
He didn't say anything else, but Emmy didn't need him to. She could picture it all. Lips and tongues and hands everywhere as Raymond first held himself back and then, under the assault of Hank's mouth, gave himself over to pleasure. Perhaps the first true pleasure he'd ever known. "Was it good?" she asked—not to torture herself, but because she really did want her friend to be happy.
He shuddered, a ripple of satisfaction that moved through his entire body. The bedclothes peaked around his midsection. He had never been so aroused in her bed before. "It was…amazing," he sighed. "Better than I ever dreamed."
And although she was worried about what this meant for her and him and their friendship, she smiled because no matter how much she loved Raymond, she could never bring him this happiness. "And?" Because of her experience, nothing that started with a kiss ever ended with one.
"And… And when it was over," he said going on in an attempt at seriousness, "he leaned back and asked if that was the answer I was looking for. And I said yes." He looked at her and cupped her face in his palms. "This changes things, you know."
"I know," she sighed. "But I am so happy for you, Raymond." For that was something she had learned long ago, to be happy for her customers and to keep her sadness for herself inside.
They snuggled together under the covers, talking about their days but studiously avoiding any talk of the future.
She would just have to do what she always did when things changed. She would hold her head up high and glide through life, not letting it touch her.
But this, she thought, would be harder than ever before.
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Text Copyright © 2014 by Sarah M. Anderson. Cover Art Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.


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Five Rounds with Emma
Hard Hitting Words with Emma Bramford
Tag: Kickboxing
The rise of the 'Killa Bee' 2.0 – Bryony Tyrell
Bryony Tyrell – Bellator weigh-In Credit: Bellator
First released 21st June 2019
On Saturday, June 22nd, 2019, Bellator MMA will be making their return to the SSE Arena in London.
Making her debut for the promotion will be U.K's Bryony Tyrell, and if you had told her six years ago that she would be on one of the world's largest MMA promotions and competing in front of her home crowd, I'm pretty sure she'd be laughing at just the thought.
Born and raised in Sevenoaks, Kent, Bryony has always enjoyed the thrill and excitement of extreme sports; from BASE jumping, Bungee jumping, and sky diving, to testing herself in mixed martial arts.
Holding a Masters Degree in nursing and a Degree in Molecular Cell Biology, the critical care nurse now based in Southampton has always had a passion for martial arts.
Starting in Kickboxing and Kung Fu 19 years ago, Bryony quickly fell in love with all aspects of martial arts so much, that, she added in Krav Maga, Japanese jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai before finally concentrating on Wrestling and Brazilian Jiujitsu, forming the mixed martial arts career she has today. "Martial arts are my passion in life. I love the contrast that they can be beautiful and deadly at the same time" Bryony said. "Anyone that practices a martial art to a high level knows that it involves incredible dedication and discipline, and also pushes your body and mind to the limits of endurance."
Originally part of U.K MMA pioneer (and ex UFC athlete) Rosi Sexton's mentoring scheme, Bryony went about taking Rosi's advice on training, nutrition, competing and training with Rosi. "I was very privileged to be on a mentorship scheme with Rosi. I gained invaluable advice at the beginning of my amateur career" said Bryony.
The 18th of May 2013 is a day that Bryony will forever have as a fond memory. It was when she made her amateur debut and found out exactly what she is capable of in the cage. "I think the only way to truly know how good you are at fighting is to compete. Being locked in a cage with another trained fighter who can use pretty much any style or technique against you is the ultimate test", Bryony said when recalling the first time she stepped into the cage.
Not only content with competing in amateur MMA bouts, but Bryony also tested her skills by competing in white-collar boxing bouts, Muay Thai bouts, and grappling matches to gain invaluable experience before turning pro in November 2015.
Holding a current professional record of 4 wins 3 losses and 1 draw, with all 3 of those losses coming from title fights with two of those athletes currently competing in the UFC and Bellator, Bryony is no stranger to adversity in the MMA industry.
Having started in her MMA career aged 33, Bryony was considered by some promotions and coaches to be 'too old' to be competing in the sport. Once Bryony turned pro at the age of 35 and started to win, it was only then that she began to believe in herself more and knew that 'age was just a number'. At least, to her anyway, and she set about proving just that.
Having gone 4-3-1 in her pro career, taking short notice fights and a title fight in a weight class above her usual weight division, Bryony felt that her current gym, Exile, had let her down. "I felt like the industry had written me off for being too old, and some of the coaches at my gym had said I was too old and slow after I lost the Cage Warriors title fight against Molly McCann. When they wrote me off because of that loss, I didn't think that was fair. It was quite demoralizing for me. The whole experience was quite demoralizing, and I just stopped the enjoyment of the sport.
On top of that, Cage Warriors wouldn't give me a fight at strawweight, and I felt I was not valued as a fighter, and not being given significant opportunities. It just wasn't worth the sacrifice anymore. So, I decided to retire in July 2018."
Since retiring from competitive MMA, Bryony thought that she'd feel better because of the less stress involved and would have more time to spend with her husband and two children. However, she felt like there was a massive hole in her life and felt very down, having nothing to work towards with the Adrenalin rush that she always knew she had. "Having just a normal life is not good enough for me. I know it is quite a selfish attitude to have especially the fact that I have got young children and an amazing husband and a stressful job. I need that buzz to make me happy."
Looking to replace that 'buzz' Bryony decided she would concentrate on achieving the top levels in grappling. After taking home silver at the IBJFF and silver at the UK ADCC, she didn't have the same drive for grappling as she did in MMA, stating that "I didn't put 100% in because I just didn't have that kind of fear factor that someone is going to smash your face in if you don't train properly, and it wasn't dangerous for me."
On May 30th, 2019 it was officially announced that Bryony had come out of retirement and will be competing on the Bellator London card on June 22nd at the SSE Arena, where she will face the current kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz in a flyweight MMA bout. A fight that has been over a year in the making, as Bryony initially accepted a short notice (1 week) fight against Denise back in February 2018 but had to withdraw due to being medically suspended after her fight with Molly McCann. It was suggested to Bryony that Denise wasn't matched up for the London card and did she fancy another fight. It was at that point that Bryony messaged her managers, who then contacted Bellator, and they came back with a yes straight away.
With ten weeks to prepare for the bout, Bryony went to Cross Face gym in Watford, training with head coach Dave Lee and Charlie Leary who is also on the London card. For the final two weeks of her training camp, Bryony flew out to Thailand to train at UFC athlete Johnny Walker and Leo Gosling's new gym Chokchai Muay Thai. "While Johnny and Leo were here in Southampton, I trained with them, so it made sense for me to go out and spend two weeks over at there new gym in Thailand. They have a few UFC athletes training there, and Jorge Kanella who is also on the London card. Being surrounded by world-class coaches and fighters, this fight camp has been on a different level to any other I've had. They treat me as an equal, and I'm keeping up with these guys who are top-level pro fighters, so it's been a massive confidence boost to come back to fighting after people had written you off. I've got some amazing people around me that believe in me, and I know I can win this fight."
With the advantage of having 16 MMA fights compared to Denise's 4 MMA fights, and factoring in that Denise is Bellator's kickboxing champion and has had numerous kickboxing bouts, Bryony realises that Denise is a superb striker, having watched a lot of her fights just purely to learn from her and improve her own striking. She is also a classy athlete and represents the sport incredibly well.
Feeling that this is a good match-up and an opportunity Bryony had been asking for throughout her MMA career, she now thinks that having dedicated her life to MMA and competing for the last five years, come June 22nd it will have paid off.
With the fact that Denise is a world champion kick-boxer, Bryony knows that it is unrealistic to think she could beat a multiple world champion striker on her feet, and therefore feels Denise will probably think that Bryony will want to get her to the ground as that is where she tends to do best. "She will be physically stronger than me and be powerful so it will be down to see who can implement their fight game, as always in MMA.
"It's going to be a fair fight as we both have had a good preparation for this bout. I think I am probably going in there as the underdog and that's fine with me as that's normal, but the nice thing for me is she may well be a top striker in Bellator and the promotion, but we are fighting in London in front of my home crowd, which is nice for me because it's rare that I get to fight in front of a home crowd. It is going to be amazing to have support there, and I'm also fighting on the same card as good friends of mine, Kate Jackson, Charlie Leary and Jorge Kanella, and Johnny and Leo are also going to be there. It is going to be amazing."
Aiming for a submission win, Bryony has one last thing to say. "Last year my fire went out, this year it's back with a vengeance! I am incredibly honoured and grateful for this opportunity on the world stage against such an impressive opponent. I got written off as a fighter. This year, I'm training alongside Bellator and UFC athletes treated as equal. Don't let anyone crush your dreams if you surround yourself with the right people you will succeed!"
Author Emma BramfordPosted on October 29, 2019 Categories Bellator, Blog, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Grappling, Interview, Kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, News, Uncategorized, WMMA, WrestlingTags BASE jumping, Bellator, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Bryony Tyrell, Cross Face Gym, Denise Kielholtz, Grappling, IBJFF, Japanese jiujitsu, Johnny Walker, Jorge Kanella, June 22nd 2019, Kate Jackson, Kickboxing, Krav Maga, Kung Fu, Leo Gosling, Molly McCann, Muay Thai, rosi sexton, Sky Diving, SSE Arena London, Thailand, UK ADCC, Walker MMA, Wrestling1 Comment on The rise of the 'Killa Bee' 2.0 – Bryony Tyrell
The First Lady Michelle Obama Incoporating Kickboxing Into Her Daily Routine
The First Lady, Michelle Obama has started literally, kicking her daily fitness routine into top gear by adding in the Martial Art of Kickboxing to her daily workout routine.
FLOTUS is all about action and the First Lady was responding to a challenge from her husband, President Barack Obama had set her, to show him five ways that she moves. The initiative is complete with the hashtag, #GimmeFive.
Go to http://letsmove.gov for more details on Michelle Obama's five-year campaign.
Author Emma BramfordPosted on May 21, 2015 May 21, 2015 Categories Kickboxing, News, VideoTags #GimmeFive, Barack Obama, FLOTUS, Kickboxing, Michelle Obama, The First Lady, The PresidentLeave a comment on The First Lady Michelle Obama Incoporating Kickboxing Into Her Daily Routine
Last Chance to Apply for IMMAF Pan American Championships of Amateur MMA
Don't miss out on the last opportunity to apply for the IMMAF Pan American Championships of Amateur MMA. Apply here: http://bit.ly/1CIwnUR
Due to challenges posed by local authorities, the event was recently moved back to 24th to 26th April in Toronto. The Canadian Combat Alliance has carried out incredible work to enable the event to go ahead.
The "Pan American AMMA Championships" will follow a tournament format and the event includes open contests for Amateur Mixed Martial Arts, youth and adult submission grappling, adult Brazilian jiu jitsu and karate. In addition, fans can enjoy traditional Muay Thai and kickboxing matches featured at the event.
IMMAF Pan American Championships of Amateur MMA
The Amateur MMA competition spans a three day period and is open to attendance from Pan American Nations. Amateur MMA competitors eliminated in the preliminaries on 24th April may participate in the BJJ or Muay Thai Championships on Saturday 25th April; and Amateur MMA Competitors eliminated on 24th April or 25th April may participate in the ISSGF Submission Grappling or Kickboxing Championships on 26th April. Finals for the IMMAF Pan American Championships of Amateur MMA will take place on Sunday evening (26th April) in the form of a carded show.
The contests are open invitationals, so that non-member countries from the American continents are welcomed to discover IMMAF and its worldwide Amateur MMA movement. Individual athletes from the American continent are also warmly invited to apply.
Now taking place on 24th to 26th April in Toronto
Open Invitational Tournament. Apply here: http://bit.ly/1CIwnUR
The event launches IMMAF's wider global program of Amateur MMA competitions. The Americas have been pivotal in the evolution of the sport of MMA. The region is also renowned for producing high calibre talent, which will make this first annual tournament particularly compelling ahead of the 2015 IMMAF World Championships in July.
The IMMAF Pan Americans will also see the piloting of the www.splitdraw.com tournament management system that will be used for the 2015 IMMAF World Championships at UFC® International Fight Week in Las Vegas in July.
IMMAF CEO Densign White said:
"The Canadian Combat Alliance has managed to keep faith and worked incredibly hard to make this inaugural event happen in spite of great obstacles. We hope that this event will be the first of many more to come over the years, as the IMMAF family expands its footprint in the Americas. We encourage all MMA athletes that are able to, to make the journey to support this historical event by taking part."
To register for the IMMAF Pan American AMMA Championships, please visit: http://www.panamma.com/index.php/registration2
For information about the Canadian Combat Alliance visit:http://www.canadiancombat.com/
For information about the United States Mixed Martial Arts Federation (UMMAF) visit: http://usammakif.org/
Author Emma BramfordPosted on April 16, 2015 April 16, 2015 Categories Amateur MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Grappling, IMMAF, IMMAF Pan American Championships, Karate, Kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, News, Press ReleaseTags Amateur MMA, April 24th to April 26th, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Canadian Combat Alliance, Densign White, Grappling, IMMAF, IMMAF Pan American Championships, International Fight Week, ISSGF, Karate, Kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, Toronto, UFCLeave a comment on Last Chance to Apply for IMMAF Pan American Championships of Amateur MMA
'Park is a good kicker, but as soon as I am inside kicking range, he will go to sleep' Chi Lewis-Parry on GLORY WS Debut
British athlete Chi Lewis-Parry will be making his GLORY World Series debut this Friday, April 3rd in Dubai on the Superfight Series 20 section of the card.
The 6ft 9in, 115 Kg heavyweight, who, is also still actively signed to Asian Mixed Martial Arts company ONE Championship, will be facing Yong-Su Park in his debut performance for GLORY World Series.
I caught up with Chi before he flew out to Dubai and all I can say is, we managed to cover, GLORY WS, Yong-Su Park, ONE Championship, Brandon Vera, Alistair Overeem, and much more, have a read.
Chi Lewis-Parry GLORY 20 DUBAI Photoshoot by James Law
I know you have had a family vacation in Canada, was there any 'slipping off', say to Tri-Star Gym to fit some training in or was it purely a family vacation?
I did think about it and it did cross my mind. I did contact Tri-Star but because I was only in Canada for seven days to see my family as it was my sons 2nd birthday, I would have been there a whole day. As anyone who knows me, family come's first.
It was announced on 24th February 2015, that you signed to GLORY World Series, congratulations. Can you talk me through how that opportunity presented itself to you?
I got a call from my management (Mogul Fight Management) whilst I was in Canada on vacation, stating that GLORY World Series were interested in me. I asked my manager to email me over the contract there and then so I could look it over, after going down to concierge to receive it, I signed it practically straight away and emailed back. I was more than excited to showcase my striking skills to the world.
Your opponent for your debut GLORY bout has now changed and you will now be facing Yong-Su Park instead of Xavier Vigney. How long ago did you know of the change and what was your initial reaction to the news?
I found out Vigney had pulled out before I had another opponent; obviously I was disappointed. I'd been struggling to get fights and thought 'oh no am I cursed' but it didn't take them [GLORY] long to get another opponent for me, within a week. It is a testament to GLORY as a promotion for how they got another opponent so quick. I didn't think for one second I wouldn't get a fight, I knew I would get one.
As for Vigney it would have been a one-sided fight if he was still my original opponent, he would have had nothing to trouble me with. When our paths cross meet again, and they will, he wont trouble me. I also see no problems with Park, 'he is a good kicker but as soon as I am inside kicking range he will go to sleep'. Everyone has got a punchers chance. Every fight starts standing on their feet. I do not see any of these fights lasting [Vigney and Park]. You can read that anyway you want. I am not arrogant or cocky in that way. Buy the fight you will see.
Yong-Su Park brings a lot more wealth and experience than your original opponent. I for one know you will welcome that, having said that, do you feel that there maybe any pressure on yourself now?
There is never any pressure. I feel pressure to hurry up and get a flight to Canada and go and see my son, watch him grow up. Everyday, is a day lost not watching him grow up. This is a guy fighting for whatever his reasons are, just like I am. His skillset vs. my skillset although, my skillset is ultimately better. He is a good kicker for which I am excited about and that is a good scalping for me, coming from a Taekwondo background and saying I knocked you out with my hands, I didn't kick you, what good were your kicks when you got knocked out?!
MMA fans know you for being signed to Asian Mixed Martial Arts company ONE Championship, now that you are also signed to GLORY World Series can you clear up the confusion between the two organisations and set the record straight?
I'm still very much with ONE Championship. I'm an active fighter within their promotion and I am very happy with them. I will be fighting for the title very soon, I don't doubt that for a second, they are fully aware that I have signed with GLORY WS and vice versa. They are both totally different promotions one in Kickboxing and one in MMA , ultimately both great promotions. I feel this is the dawn of a new era, not just for fighters, but for british fighters coming out and with that I am saying we can fight on the biggest kickboxing shows and the biggest MMA shows side by side.
You have always stated that you have a great friendship in Alistair Overeem who has been a wealth of support and knowledge to yourself. With you now competing in both MMA and Kickboxing do you see yourself aiming to achieve what Alistair has already achieved in both sports thus far?
Absolutely. That's exactly what goes through my mind. No one has done it since Alistair. It has come full circle. Alistair has been my inspiration, from watching him in the sport to becoming my friend and training partner. I am in the position where I can repeat what Alistair has done for which there has already been a mapped out plan and it is running its course, that is the penultimate, that is where I want to be. It's not like it can't happen, I have to get through some tough guys, guys who are worthy of being champion, but I am not focussing on anybody else, I am just focussing on me. I'm not even thinking about Park and what he can do, I am thinking about me and what I can do, where I am going and where I am going to be in a year from now. I'm not doubting that I can achieve the greatness on the level that Alistair Overeem has previously shown, that will happen. I will get a shot at Rico Verhoeven [current heavyweight champion] and I will be the ONE Championship Heavyweight champion.
Talking of Alistair Overeem, the performance he gave at UFC 185 was in my opinion reminded me of the old Alistair Overeem and what he is still truly capable of. What were your own thoughts on his performance that night?
Brilliant. I spoke to him after the fight and said "Dude you were a scary man before, but you looked monstrous out there despite you were caught in the third round you looked very elusive". Being down at Jackson's MMA you can see he is absorbing a lot of other styles in him, you can see Jon Jones in him a lot, he looked like an animal.
His [Overeem's] knees are hard, I know having sparred with him plenty of times, now I have to look for new patterns in him!
Being amongst one of the most mentally focussed athletes I have met and interviewed, where do you see yourself going in the ranks of GLORY World Series and ONE Championship?
In the title mix for GLORY and I will be the champion of ONE Championship. I will earn my stripes for GLORY World Series but I will definitely be in the mix as a title contender. The promotion is bigger, it will take a bit longer, but I am willing to earn my stripes, but I will be in the mix. ONE Championship it is a lot smaller division and I will be Heavyweight Champion.
In ONE Championship it appears Brandon Vera is hot on your list of opponents for whom you would like to respectfully challenge next, also it appears this is one the fans would also like to see, but he appears to be somewhat maybe, avoiding you?
I've had enough trying to be diplomatic about it, he is fat when he fights, he is out of shape when he is not fighting so he is probably super fat and super out of shape, therefore thinks this……This guy is on it, younger than me, he's hungrier than me, hes game. Eventually he has 3 options 1) Drop down the division and go to Light Heavyweight, 2) Retire or 3) Face me. I'm ready to face him.
Who would you like to face next at GLORY World Series? Is there anyone that you already have on your 'respectful achievement list' so to speak?
I'm happy to earn my stripes. I'm happy to face whoever GLORY World Series put in front of me. I'm sure they a plan for me.
At GLORY '10' Nick Diaz's good friend 'Joe Schilling' was taking part (for which he won) and he was quoted on saying "For me this is a little more of a hardcore sport than MMA or Boxing" with that in mind, what are your thoughts on the two different sports; MMA and Kickboxing?
You're going to come across a different level of striker in GLORY as that is all they do, for a guy to come from a MMA world to go against a 100% striker you will be naive to think you can out strike a guy who does this all the time, everyday. I have to break my training up, wrestling, jiu jitsu, striking so everything flows, my timing will be impeccable, so in that respect, yeah you're just standing there taking a beating, especially if you're losing, you can't take the guy down so you better man the fu*k up. Take care of business.
Your legendary training videos with best friend and training partner Danny Brennan; for people who do not know you or have not met you, can you describe the movement and motivation behind them?
I have a great relationship with Danny, we are the best of friends aswell as training partners. I was born a kid, I am still a big kid, I just like to have fun. When you're in the gym everyday, all day, just battering your body you need to have a bit of a laugh. That is the method behind my goofy antics.
Your training camp for your upcoming GLORY World Series debut, has that solely been based here in the UK or have you managed to train anywhere else at all?
I will eventually move it to the US at the end of the year. All my camps have been here. Nothing is broke. I've have not needed to fix anything so I've stayed here.
Lastly, is there any sponsors you would like to give a shout out to and anyone you would like to thank at all?
Golds Gym UAE, Hooligans United, JYNutrition, Danny Brennan, Nick Chapman, Ollie Beard at Uniq Physique Gym.
Thank you for your time Chi, as always I appreciate it.
You can keep up to date with Chi's movements by following his Twitter account here.
Chi's website page here.
You can help support Chi by heading over to his clothing line here.
GLORY 20 DUBAI and GLORY Superfight Series 20 take place on Friday, April 3 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The former airs in the US on Spike TV at 10pm ET while the latter airs via tape-delay on the CBS Sports network on Saturday April 4th. 8pm ET.
Uk viewers follow the link below:
Click here on how to watch GLORY 20 DUBAI from their LIVE stream from around 2.30pm on Friday, April 3rd, for only £6.74 ($9.99).
For the full fight card on GLORY 20 DUBAI click here.
Photo Credits: James Law
Author Emma BramfordPosted on April 2, 2015 April 27, 2015 Categories GLORY World Series, Interview, K1, Kickboxing, MMA, ONE FCTags Alistair Overeem, Brendan Vera, Canada, Chi Lewis Parry, Danny Brennan, Dubai, GLORY 20 DUBAI, Glory World Series, Golds Gym UAE, Hooligans United, Jackson's MMA, Joe Schilling, JYNutrition, Kickboxing, Last Man Standing, Mogul Fight Management, Nick Chapman, Nick Diaz, Ollie Beard at Unique Physique, ONE Championship, Park Yong-Su, Tri-Star Gym, Xavier VigneyLeave a comment on 'Park is a good kicker, but as soon as I am inside kicking range, he will go to sleep' Chi Lewis-Parry on GLORY WS Debut
SUPER FIGHT SERIES – FOUR MAN 9OKG DRAW REVEALED
On May 16th, London. Wembley Arena will play host to the first UK Super Fight Series, Cosmic Collision.
With a card stacked from top to bottom and a who's who from the world of Kickboxing and K1. This is the event of the year and not to be missed. Having five 4 man tournaments in different weight categories, with a cash prize for each of them in one night, this is one event you do not want to miss out.
Super Fight Series – The Face Off
Late last night [10.30pm] the draw was made for the four athletes in the 90kg Tournament division, to see whom would be facing each other of the £10,000 Winner Takes All Tournament.
Below is the outcome:
Micky Terrill Vs Joe McGovan
Lyndon Knowles Vs Andrew Tate
Stay tuned for the rest of the announcements.
Author Emma BramfordPosted on February 11, 2015 February 11, 2015 Categories Event Review, K1, Kickboxing, News, Super Fight SeriesTags Andrew 'Cobra' Tate, Cosmic Collision, ISKA, Joe McGovan, K1, Kickboxing, Lyndon Knowles, Micky Terrill, SSEArena, Super Fight Series, UK Super Fight Series, Wembley, Wembley Arena, winner takes allLeave a comment on SUPER FIGHT SERIES – FOUR MAN 9OKG DRAW REVEALED
'FAST AND FURIOUS' – GINA CARANO
A female that needs no introduction in the world of mixed martial arts.
Here is a montage of Gina's eight fights all finished by strikes.
Video Credit: Deadly Strikes
Author Emma BramfordPosted on February 6, 2015 Format VideoCategories K1, Kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, Video, WMMATags Deadly strikes, Gina Carano, K1, Kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, wmmaLeave a comment on 'FAST AND FURIOUS' – GINA CARANO
Meet Amateur Fighter Zowie-Marie Trevena – A True Pure Warrior!
Amateur Female Fighter Zowie-Marie Trevena currently works as a Personal Assistant for her niece and mother in-law to help them with everyday tasks, as they are both disabled her niece also has health problems as well as ADHD and Asperger's she is also a self-employed beauty therapist who can work between 30-40 hours a week with both jobs. Has two children and her partner Scott lives with her, but life was not so Rosie for Zowie. Here we get to find out about whom 'Zowie-Marie Trevena is, but first we start at the beginning.
"It just goes to show you can achieve anything you put your mind too" Zowie -Marie Trevena
EB. You are from Cornwall originally, what was it like for you growing up in what I would call a place I would go for a 'British beach holiday'.
ZT. I was a typical tomboy. Growing up on an estate I spent most of my time playing football, building camps or riding my bike to the beach to go surfing or my favourite past time… Cliff jumping!
EB. You were also quite into your sports and very active during your teenage days. Can you tell me about what other active sports you did?
ZT. I have always participated in football, rugby, rounder's', gymnastics, dance just to name a few, the only thing I could not do was long distance running, but that was back then!
EB. It was not all 'fun' for you growing up, you went through a 'rebellious' stage in your life. Can you tell me a bit more about this time?
ZT. I was quite rebellious back then and always strived to be different from everyone else. Quite often, I would go home with a new piercing, tattoo, random coloured hair and some new crazy hobby!
EB. This is when you came across a love of mine as well 'Modified Cars', 'Racing', 'Drifting'. Can you go into more detail?
ZT. I first got into modified cars when I learnt to drive in an Mk 2 Astra GTE at the age of 15, my ambition then was to get my licence and first car ASAP. Over the years I've had cars such as Peugeot 106 GTI's to Nissan Skylines, Subaru Impreza's and a few Japenese RWD cars that I used to drift or do track days in.
EB. You also came across the well-known 90's Rave scene and went off the 'Rails for a while'. Do you think this was due to your 'addictive personality' and wanting to be 'different' from everyone else?
ZT. When I was 16/17 I got in with a bit of a tougher crowd and started going to all night parties and raves in Plymouth and Newquay, but to be honest, some of those moments were the best days of my life. The feeling of oblivion and dancing the night away was immense… It was all about "One Love". To be honest I do not regret any of it.
EB. In 2002, you gave birth to a gorgeous Son, then in 2004 a gorgeous Daughter. Life must have felt quiet complete for you at this moment in time, two gorgeous children?
ZT. It was after the birth of my daughter that I suffered in the hands of a physically and mentally abusive partner. I lost my confidence, my zest for life and my self-esteem. The only thing that kept me going was the children and the fact I was studying at college.
EB. Was it as this point you decided you wanted to try out kickboxing?
ZT. Yes it was. I joined WAKT (West Area Kick Thai) run by Al Oakley in Camborne Cornwall. I spent six months training at WAKT and during that time, I met and married a soldier, which meant I moved from Cornwall to Hampshire. I wanted to continue my love for kickboxing and joined Impact Martial Arts run by Wayne Timlin. I spent 3/4 years training with them and was only two belts away from black belt before yet another disaster struck.
EB. Can you elaborate about this time in your life?
ZT. My marriage crumbled and my children and I found ourselves homeless.
For some reason, I had a gut feeling to move to Devizes in Wiltshire; to this day, I cannot explain it other than it felt right. It meant moving to an area where we had no family or friends, I had to change my job, the children had to move schools. It was a very hard and depressing time. However, it also gave me time to reflect on my life choices, the way I treated others, and a chance to put my children first before anyone else, including myself.
EB. You joined a new martial arts club, how was that?
ZT. I joined a local martial arts school, made new friends, my children also joined and we trained together. I then progressed to an instructor I'd already won gold and silver medals in the national and southern championships, however, I did not believe in the ethics of the club so left and joined Revolution Gym in Trowbridge which is run by my now coach Scott Clist.
EB. What changed for you being at Revolution Gym?
ZT. It is here that I began to think about fighting, and felt that even though I was 30 I had more to give. What also spurred me on was my ex said I would never be good enough to fight! Scott Clist is my coach at Revs, I joined Revs as the atmosphere was more relaxed and I could be who I wanted to be. Scott, has actively encouraged me to push myself, and never allows any self-doubt! Being part of Revs is like having an extended family! Sometimes with the hard training he gives us, it is nice to know you are not the only one vomiting at the end of a session!
EB. Sunday February 3rd 2013 was a huge achievement for you, can you tell me why?
ZT. I entered my first inter club, at Spartans, then in May 2013 I had my first K1 fight, and then I fought K1 again in August 2013 again.
EB. You have another fight coming up this Saturday February 22nd at Ulitmate lmpact Cagefighting 11, GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester against Lea Fendt, do you know much about your opponent?
ZT. I believe Lea, is trained by David Willmot, who has a fantastic reputation, so I expect my opponent to be tough! However, I am ready I have been training hard It has not been easy between working, running a home and spending time with my kids, but my partner and kids have been very understanding and a great support!
EB. The fight also co-insides the day before your 32nd birthday, how excited are you about this?
ZT. Pretty excited about fighting on my birthday. I Could not ask better people to spend it with. I have made many friends through fighting; these are people I admire and respect.
EB. You have a female fighter that you really look up to as your 'Hero' can you share this with us?
ZT. My hero is 'Rowdy' Bec Rawlings, she is also a mum of two who has overcome a Domestic Violent relationship. She has fought in the Invicta championships and has now signed to UFC in the straw weight women's division. It just goes to show you can achieve anything you put your mind too!
EB. Anyone you would like to Thank.
ZT. I'd like to thank my coach Scott Clist, the guys and gals at Spartans Gym for the additional training, Marc Smith at Pure Warrior for his support and last but not least, my partner Scott and my children. Without their support and understanding I wouldn't be able to train so much. Oh and I'd like to thank my training partner and corner "man" Polly Beauchamp for teaching me to push past those barriers!
Quick Fun Questions
EB. Favourite Food?
Got to be a Cornish Pasty!
EB. What song are you usually singing in the shower/bath?
You will never catch me singing… I'll leave that to my daughter!
EB. Most inspirational person?
There isn't one person who particularly inspires me… I seem to admire many people for different reasons.
EB. Dream Car?
If I could have my dream car … It would be an Skyline R32 GTS-T , I love my old skool jap turbos!
I would like to thank Zowie for her time given to myself to do this Interview. Thank you.
FULL FIGHT CARD
Tommy Cook v Leighthan Benskin MW Title
Laura Handy v Anya Baker k1 title eliminator
Terry Doyle v Ryan Legge
Chris Astley v Toby Harman
Shane Riley v Jamie Richardson
Mark Finney v Karl Evans
Undercard:
Sammy Donnelly v Helen J. Harper k1
Aman Sakhizadeh vs Michael Jones
Matthew Kaufman v Steve Smith k1
Matt Sansom v Matt Harthill k1
Paulina Malina v Katie Elkova k1
Daryl Grant v Euan Wallace
Jay Grazier v Matt Michal Figlak
Lea Fendt v Zowie Trevena k1
Jack Shore v Jack Machete Price
VENUE GL1 Leisure Centre, Bruton Way, Gloucester, GL1 1DT
FEBRUARY 22nd 2014
Doors open at 5pm, first fight 5.30pm
Afterparty: Liquid Nightclub, Gloucester (next door)
Standard Seats £25.00
V.I.P Table £360.00
Tickets still available click on the link below
http://www.ultimateimpactevents.com/index.php/mma/events/ultimate-impact-11
Photo credit: Zowie-Marie Trevena, Emma Bramford, Esther Lin and Steve Dyer, Ultimate Impact Events.
Author Emma BramfordPosted on February 20, 2014 Categories Interview, K1, Kickboxing, Ultimate Impact, WMMATags Dan Richards, David Wilmot, Domestic Violence, Drifting, K1, Kickboxing, Lea Fendt, Marc Smith, Modified Cars, Polly Beauchamp, Pure Warrior, Revolution Gym, Rowdy Bec Rawlings, Scott Clist, Spartans Gym, UIC 11. Paul Sutherland, UIC Events, Ultimate Impact Cagefighting, Zowie-Marie TrevenaLeave a comment on Meet Amateur Fighter Zowie-Marie Trevena – A True Pure Warrior!
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Felice Herrig vs Michelle Waterson '10 Years In The Making – Fight Girls' February 20, 2020
'CHOPPER' CHI LEWIS-PARRY TALKS ALAIN NGALANI [PART 1]
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Theresa May's Brexit deal, the product of two years of tortuous negotiations in Brussels, was on Tuesday night overwhelmingly rejected by the House of Commons by 432 votes to 202.
Mrs May's crushing loss by 230 votes, the biggest defeat inflicted on any government, sees the prime minister in a race against time to revamp and resuscitate her deal before Britain's scheduled departure from the EU on March 29.
Some 118 out of 317 Conservative MPs voted against the deal and Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader, immediately tabled a vote of no confidence in the government. He said the defeat of the deal had been "absolutely decisive".
Mrs May is expected to win the confidence vote, to be held on Wednesday evening, because neither the Conservatives nor the Democratic Unionists, the Northern Irish party that supports the prime minister in big votes, wants a general election.
Eurosceptic Tory MPs believe Mrs May's failure in parliament makes it more likely Britain will leave the EU without any formal deal with Brussels, allowing a "clean break". Greg Clark, business secretary, has warned that crashing out of the union without an agreement would be "a disaster".
Sterling weakened in Asia trading on Wednesday following the historic defeat for Mrs May's Brexit plan. The British currency weakened by as much as 0.28 per cent to $1.2825, erasing some of the gains from Tuesday after sterling sharply rebounded from a low of $1.2672.
Mrs May has until Monday to say how she intends to proceed and announced immediate talks with senior MPs from all parties to try to identify "genuinely negotiable" changes to the deal that could win the backing of the Commons.
France's President Emmanuel Macron said that Britain would be the biggest loser from a no-deal exit, adding that "one or two points" could be improved in the deal.
She also insisted the government was not "running down the clock" until March 29 to put pressure on MPs to change their minds, although there is a growing expectation in Brussels and Westminster that she will be forced to delay Brexit.
Mr Macron suggested that further UK-EU talks could lead to an extension of the formal Article 50 exit process. "They will take more time, maybe they will get past the European elections to try to find something else," the president said on Tuesday night.
Philip Hammond, chancellor, cautiously opened the possibility of delaying Brexit during a conference call with business leaders after the vote. Asked if Article 50 could be extended, he said the EU would only consider it if the government had a clear plan — and that would require reaching out to MPs first.
Following the failed vote, the EU was preparing to discuss further assurances over the backstop plan, which forces Britain into a "temporary" customs union to avoid a hard border across the island of Ireland if no EU-UK trade agreement is reached.
However, diplomats doubt whether even legal assurances, including potentially putting an aspirational time limit on the backstop, would make serious inroads into the ranks of the Tory rebels.
Some EU figures see the big margin of defeat as suggesting a cross-party consensus will be needed, built around a softer version of Brexit. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator, said he would welcome moves by MPs to seek "a deepened relationship with the EU".
With radical surgery likely to be needed, the prime minister is under pressure from cabinet ministers to test a number of different Brexit options in a series of indicative votes in the Commons.
Mrs May opposes the move, but senior cabinet figures and MPs are mobilising in support of various options, including a second referendum, a Norway-style economic partnership or a permanent customs union. Downing Street appeared to dismiss the customs union option, saying Britain needed "an independent trade policy".
Meanwhile pro-European MPs are mobilising to force the government to rule out any Brexit until a withdrawal treaty is in place, in an attempt to isolate Eurosceptic MPs who believe a no-deal exit could be managed.
Mrs May pleaded with MPs to support her deal at the end of a five-day Commons debate, saying it was "the most significant vote any of us will have been part of in our political careers" and that it would define Britain "for decades to come".


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Shattered Ice
Indie Artist Spotlight: Pop/Electro Pop/Dance artist Adam Tyler
From the pop boy band-esque single "I Won't Let You Go" to a darker, more gritty rock/pop Adam Lambert-esque single "Like A Drug," Adam Tyler shows us his range on his debut album "Shattered Ice" released back in August 2011 (download via iTunes or his website). Dance music fans can also enjoy a collection of "Like A Drug" remixes (download via iTunes or his website) that … [Read more...] about Indie Artist Spotlight: Pop/Electro Pop/Dance artist Adam Tyler


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Let Your Talent Advantage help you discover your natural strengths – the keys to success in every aspect of your life!
Posted on February 11, 2016	by Gary M. Jordan Ph.D.
Just Say No to New Year's Resolutions!
Posted on February 4, 2016	by Gary M. Jordan Ph.D.


As social networking becomes a dominant feature of daily life, the secret state is increasingly surveilling electronic media for what it euphemistically calls "actionable intelligence."
Take the case of Elliot Madison. The 41-year-old anarchist was arrested in Pittsburgh September 24 at the height of G20 protests.
Madison, a social worker and volunteer with The People's Law Collective in New York City, was busted by a combined task force led by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and Pittsburgh's "finest." The activist was charged with "hindering apprehension or prosecution, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of instruments of crime," according to The New York Times.
Did the cops uncover a secret anarchist weapons' cache? Were Madison and codefendant, Michael Wallschlaeger, a producer with the radio talk show "This Week in Radical History" for the A-Infos Radio Project, about to detonate a "weapon of mass destruction" during last month's capitalist conclave that witnessed the obscene spectacle of our masters avidly conspiring to impoverish billions of the planet's inhabitants?
Hardly! In fact, Madison and Wallschlaeger's "crime" was to set up a communications center in a hotel room that alerted demonstrators to movements by the police, who after all, had viciously attacked protesters--and anyone else nearby--with heavy batons, tear gas and a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), a so-called "non-lethal" weapon.
Kitted-out with police scanners, computers and cell phones, the intrepid activists used a Twitter account to assist protesters eager to elude a thrashing by some 5,000 heavily armed camo-clad cops who had sealed-off downtown Pittsburgh to keep the area safe--from the First Amendment.
Police deployed chemical irritants, including CS gas, and long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) in residential neighborhoods on narrow streets where families and small children were exposed. Scores of riot police formed barricades at many intersections throughout neighborhoods miles away from the downtown area and the David Lawrence Convention Center. Outside the Courtyard Marriott in Shadyside, police deployed smoke bombs in the absence of protest activity, forcing bystanders and hotel residents to flee the area.
Later, while some protests were ending, riot-clad officers surrounded an area at the University of Pittsburgh, creating an ominous spectacle that some described as akin to Kent State. Guild legal observers witnessed police chasing and arresting many uninvolved students.
The Times reported that after his arrest the FBI raided the home that Madison shared with his wife, Elena, and conducted an exhaustive 16-hour search of the premises seizing computers, books and a poster (horror of horrors!) of the old mole himself, Karl Marx.
"Anyone can tweet, but the truth is, sometimes speech can be criminal," John Burkoff, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
By that standard, anyone who has the temerity to question the legitimacy of a system that drives millions into poverty, wages preemptive war to secure (steal) other people's resources, destroys the environment or uses "speech" to oppose said crimes against humanity--and cheekily urges others to do the same--is, by definition, guilty, in "new normal" America.
Witold Walczak however, the legal director of the Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union told the Post-Gazette, "investigating the government and broadcasting information about it would seem to be a constitutionally protected communication."
The ACLU director elaborated, "If the police want to communicate privately, there are certainly ways to do that, and police radios are not one of those. How can it be a crime? It's not a secure communication."
The good professor had another take on the matter and told the Post-Gazette, "Were they sending it to people simply to protest, or to commit further crimes?"
"Further crimes"? What crime? Oh yes, legally protesting the depredations of the capitalist system, that crime!
That such a statement can be uttered by a purported legal expert is rather rich with unintended irony. Burkhoff's maneuver to cast the best possible light on repressive police operations is all the more absurd given the fact that none other than the Obama administration's State Department had stepped-in and pressured Twitter to forego a service upgrade, and downtime, just scant months earlier.
But context as they say, is everything. Champions of other people's freedom (particularly when they are geopolitical rivals), the State Department intervened and told the instant messaging service in no uncertain terms that Iranian protesters relied on Twitter to monitor police movements in Tehran and other cities as protests over disputed elections took center stage in the Islamic Republic.
The New York Times reported back in June that the U.S. State Department "e-mailed the social-networking site Twitter with an unusual request: delay scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran."
According to Reuters, "Confirmation that the U.S. government had contacted Twitter came as the Obama administration sought to avoid suggestions it was meddling in Iran's internal affairs as the Islamic Republic battled to control deadly street protests over the election result."
Twitter said in a blog post it had delayed the firm's planned upgrade because of its role as an "important communication tool in Iran."
A day earlier, President Obama had said he believed "people's voices should be heard and not suppressed"--in Iran.
Message to the American people: Official enemy: Twitter good! Official friend (grifting multinational corporations and the criminals who do their bidding in Washington): Twitter bad! How's that for an imaginative interpretation of the "new media paradigm"!
"Go massive. Sweep it all up. Things related and not"
Echoing the execrable logic of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, America's premier political police force, the FBI, executed a search warrant on Madison that authorized agents to look "for violations of federal rioting laws," according to the Times.
Madison's attorney, Martin Stolar, told the Times that "he and a friend were part of a communications network among people protesting the G-20." Denouncing the raid, Stolar averred that "there's absolutely nothing that he's done that should subject him to any criminal liability."
On October 2, Stolar argued in Federal District Court in Brooklyn "that the warrant was vague and overly broad. Judge Dora L. Irizarry ordered the authorities to stop examining the seized materials until Oct. 16, pending further orders," the Times reported.
This is not the first time however, that the secret state has sought to curtail text messaging by activists during large-scale demonstrations.
In 2008, as a result of the heavy repression of legal protests--and subsequent lawsuits by victims--during the far-right Republican National Convention in New York City in 2004, lawyers representing N.Y.'s "finest" demanded that M.I.T. graduate student Tad Hirsch and the Institute of Applied Autonomy, the inventors of TXTmob, turn over all "text messages sent via TXTmob during the convention, the date and time of the messages, information about people who sent and received messages, and lists of people who used the service," The New York Times reported last year.
The FBI however, already possess the technological ability to hack into Wi-fi and computer networks as Wired revealed in April, citing internal Bureau documents released to the magazine under a Freedom of Information Act request.
According to a follow-up story by the publication, the Bureau's Cryptographic and Electronic Analysis Unit, CEAU, has deployed software called a computer and internet protocol address verifier, or CIPAV, that is "designed to infiltrate a target's computer and gather a wide range of information, which it secretly sends to an FBI server in eastern Virginia."
Antifascist Calling reported in 2008, that when a whistleblower, security consultant Babak Pasdar, stepped forward and blew the lid off the Bureau's massive telecommunications' surveillance network, the agency's so-called "Quantico circuit" in Virginia, he revealed that major wireless providers, including AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, had handed the state "unfettered" access to the carrier's wireless networks, including billing records and customer data "transmitted wirelessly."
According to Pasdar's sworn affidavit, Verizon provided the FBI with with real-time access to who is speaking to whom, the time and duration of each call as well as the locations of those so targeted.
Madison's attorney, Martin Stolar averred that "a number of documents and other properties" seized by the FBI have "nothing to do with the governments investigation into what the search warrant characterizes as violations of 'federal rioting laws'."
According to Stolar "the seized items include political writings, notes, political associates and ideas, materials protected by the attorney-client and social work privileges, as well as property belonging to other persons residing in the premises which have no connection to any pending or contemplated criminal investigation." Stolar declared that "the illegality of the search is in the overbreadth of the seizures and the vagueness of the term 'federal rioting laws'."
In other words, driftnet surveillance of American citizens is the norm for our secret state minders; an unambiguous sign of America's slide into an extra-constitutional police state.
While Madison and Wallschlaeger's arrest came as a result of actions undertaken by the Pennsylvania State Police, one cannot rule out that (a) informants had tipped off the cops to the pair's activities, (b) CEAU had penetrated protest organizer's computer net and therefore, were well aware of what the duo were up to, or (c) through some combination of the above, the FBI and presumably, their local fusion center allies, alerted PSP who then conducted the raid and shut the anarchist's communications center down.
Federal Computer Week noted September 30, that the Department of Homeland Security "is establishing a new office to coordinate its intelligence-sharing efforts in state and local intelligence fusion centers," and that the secret state's new "Joint Fusion Center Program Management Office will be part of DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis."
• Develop ways to assess threats and trends by gathering, analyzing and sharing local and national information and intelligence through fusion centers.
• Coordinate with state, local and tribal law enforcement leaders to ensure that DHS is providing the correct resources to fusion centers.
Since Bushist--and now, Obama--securocrats designated fusion centers "a central node for the federal government's efforts for sharing terrorism-related information with state and local officials," the federal government has pumped some $327 million in taxpayer-funded largesse into these spooky "public-private partnerships."
In Pennsylvania for example, the Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC), is described by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) as a "component of the Pennsylvania State Police."
Washington Post investigative journalist Robert O'Harrow Jr., the author of No Place to Hide, revealed that "Pennsylvania buys credit reports and uses face-recognition software to examine driver's license photos" and have "subscriptions to private information-broker services that keep records about Americans' locations, financial holdings, associates, relatives, firearms licenses and the like."
One can only wonder whether these or other intrusive surveillance tools, including the CEAU's CIPAV software were deployed against Madison and Wallschlaeger prior to their Pittsburgh arrest.
But gathering information on fusion centers is often an exercise in Kafkaesque futility. Investigative journalist G.W. Schulz reported that when the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) attempted to obtain information from the Colorado Information Analysis Center on that state's fusion center, they ran into a brick wall.
CIAC spokesperson Lance Clem refused to release what should be public documents to CIR claiming that releasing the records would be "contrary to the public interest" and "not only would compromise [the] security and investigative practices of numerous law enforcement agencies but would also violate confidentiality agreements that have been made with private partner organizations and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies."
As of this writing, it cannot be determined with any certainty what role the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center played in repressing G20 protests. However, if past fusion center practices in Denver and St. Paul during last year's Democratic and Republican National Conventions are any guide, their management of pre-G20 intelligence along with their federal partners, was in all probability considerable.
One lesson that can be gleaned however, from the federal witch hunt targeting activists Elliot Madison and Michael Wallschlaeger, is that dissent in post-9/11 America, as during the COINTELPRO-era of the 1960s and '70s, has been criminalized.


text:
The 1950 Albanian National Championship was the thirteenth season of the Albanian National Championship, the top professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1930.

Overview
It was contested by 12 teams, and Dinamo Tirana won the championship.

League standings

Note: 'Shkodra' is Vllaznia, 'Kavaja' is Besa, 'Lezha' is Besëlidhja, 'Vlora' is Flamurtari, 'Korça' is Skënderbeu, 'Durrësi' is Teuta, 'Tirana' is SK Tirana, 'Fieri' is Apolonia and 'Spartak Pogradeci' is Pogradeci

Results

First round

Second round

Top 6

Bottom 6

References
Albania - List of final tables (RSSSF)

Kategoria Superiore seasons
1
Albania
Albania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Born in New Westminster, Maureen Foss has lived in several western Canadian locales and made her living as a hospital activity worker. Now retired, she focuses her attention on writing. She is the author of the novels The Rat Trap Murders (Nightwood) and The Cadillac Kind (Polestar), as well as a number of award-winning short stories. Her latest book is Scribes (Caitlin). Foss lives with her husband Dave in Garden Bay on BC's Sunshine Coast.


text:
Mamba is a simple dynamic typed, programming language

### Installation requirements ###

* Python3
* ply
* py2exe

### Features ###
* Variables (duh)
* Functions
* Flow control statements
* Loops (for in, for, inf loop, while)
* Loop exit statement
* Compound operators
* Pythonic sequence (array, string) slicing

### Data types ###
* Integer
* Float
* String
* Boolean
* Arrays

### TODO ###
* Modules

### Language description ###

#### Variables ####

variables are dynamically typed immediately declared upon use `number = 42;`

### Operators ###

logic: `and` `or` `not` `in` `not in` `>` `>=` `<` `<=` `==` `!=`

arithmetic: `+` `-` `*` `/` `**`(Power)

binary: `~` `^` `|` `&` `>>` `<<`

ternary: `test ? true_value : false_value`

#### Functions ####

functions are declared via the following grammar

    fn func_name( [<arguments>,] ){
        < statements >
    }

    fn random(){
        ret 4;
    }

return value is specified with the `ret` keyword which, as expected, immediately halts function execution upon being called. Functions can have their private functions which are inaccessible to the outer scope.

#### Flow control ####

Mamba supports `if` statements for flow control via the following syntax

    if < expression > {
        < statements >
    }

nb: Brackets are mandatory, while parenthesis on the expression are optional

### Loops ###

Mamba supports two kind of loops, `for` and `while`

** for syntax **

    for variable in sequence {
        < statements >
    }

nb: sequence accepts arrays and strings

    for variable in low -> high {
        < statements >
    }

down to loops are constructed as

    for variable in high <- low {
        < statements >
    }

nb: loop indexes are inclusive

** while syntax **

    while < expression > {
        < statements >
    }

there is also the alternative `for` syntax

    for {
        < statements >
    }

which acts as an infinite loop (which internally is expressed as a `while true {}` statement)

All loops can be prematurely exited via the `exit` statement when necessary

### Arrays ###

Arrays have dynamic length and can be declared via the  `[ ... ]` expression

### Printing ###

Printing is supported via the `say` keyword which accepts a list of values to print. Note that `say` doesn't
add spaces nor newlines after printing.

### Standard library ###

#### 1. Constants ###

* `e`
* `pi`

#### 2. Globals

* `argv`

#### 3. Functions

* `ask(prompt)` *shows the prompt and returns the result as a string*
* `int(x [, base])`
* `float(x)`
* `round(value, precision)`
* `abs(x)`
* `log(x)`
* `rand`
* `randrange(lo, hi)`
* `sin(x)`
* `cos(x)`
* `tan(x)`
* `atan(x)`
* `str(x)`
* `substr(str, start, length)`
* `len(str)`
* `pos(substr, str)`
* `upper(str)`
* `lower(str)`
* `replace(str, find, replace)`
* `format(string [, ... ])`
* `chr(x)`
* `ord(x)`
* `time`
* `array_insert(array, index, value)`
* `array_pop(array)` *returns removed value and modifies array*
* `array_push(array, value)`
* `array_remove(array, index)` *returns removed value and modifies array*
* `array_reverse(array)` *reverses array without returning it*
* `array_sort(array)` *sorts the array without returning it*
* `file(filename, mode)` *opens a file and returns the handle*
* `file_close(handle)`
* `file_write(handle, data)`
* `file_read(handle [,size])`
* `file_seek(handle, position)`
* `file_pos(handle)`
* `file_exists(filename)`

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, and the Unique Risks of Celebrity Marriages
Mary Rose Somarriba
Art Credit: via NY Daily News
When I found out the news of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's separation, I had the same reaction as when I heard the news of Heidi Klum and Seal in 2012. I was bummed.
Not because it affects me personally, of course. I was bummed foremost because, for me, any divorce is sad news. Marriage is generally happy news, evoking hope for a new start. Divorce is generally sad news, evoking second thoughts and regret.
But second, I was bummed because these couples were on the longer end of the Hollywood-marriage spectrum; these couples at least appeared on the outside to be holding on to the commitment of marriage over the years, despite its challenges, not just for the kids but to keep their promise to each other.
Gwyneth and Chris always seemed to have a happy marriage. Heidi and Seal yearly celebrated their marriage anniversary renewing their vows. But even good marriages suffer the strains of the world, and theirs were no less impervious. What's sad is when you see a difference between one's express intentions and one's actions.
Certainly every marriage and relationship is unique, and no outsider can say with true certainty what exactly caused the separation of any couple. But we do know what components are essential for couples to keep a healthy relationship, such as quality time on a regular basis, and we know that before the separation of Heidi and Seal, they spent several months apart doing separate projects. Seal was on his world tour, and Heidi was working on her many new projects since Project Runway. According to one source, "they rarely saw each other and it wouldn't be unusual for them to go months without spending any real quality time together. Ships that pass in the night would be an overstatement [sic]."
Heidi and Seal's seven-year marriage might have been longer than the one-year marriage of Katy Perry and Russell Brand, but they nonetheless appear to have the same cause of death: spending long times apart. The relationship suffers a slow and fatal lack of nourishment, much like a plant that's not exposed to water or sun.
The particular risk for celebrities is that long times apart are often coupled with a lot of attention and affection from others, and they risk letting this admiration fill the space that their spouse's attention once filled. It's what average people might encounter if they have a long-distance job assignment alongside an attractive and attentive coworker. For celebrities, the love affair forms with their fans. For average people, a long time apart doesn't always coincide with a mistress waiting in the wings. For celebrities, though, a long time apart always coincides with attention from others; their fans and celebrators never leave.
I would have no basis to discern the causes of Katy Perry's short marriage with Russell Brand if she hadn't closely documented its slow decline in her 2012 autobiographical film Part of Me. One imagines that Katy thought sharing that personal sadness of her declining marriage in the film was an emotionally intimate thing to share with her fans. But for me it made for a very sad movie—watching Katy tossed in the current of her increasing popularity, running from city to city in an epically long tour, breaking records on Billboard lists, pressured to make the show go on by her staff, who are most embarrassingly captured overriding and ignoring her requests for weekly personal days with her groom. Soon Katy got sucked in by all the attention and started prioritizing her work and fame over time with her husband. Not long after, she was dumped by text (also depressingly captured on film). If one's most intimate communication with their husband is squeezed into forty characters or less and one's communication with fans is recorded in high-def, it's fair to say the love affair is dangerously close to ending the marriage.
In Vogue's April cover story, Kim Kardashian reveals the hardest part of her relationship with Kanye West is "trying to keep the outside world from breaking into our bond." Considering her mother's the executive producer of a show meant to keep the outside world involved in their personal lives, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim's concerns are legitimate and don't bode well for her second marriage. It turns out being the #worldsmosttalkedaboutcouple might not always equate to being the happiest one.
Other Hollywood couples find it takes not only intention but action to safeguard their marriage. When Glamourinterviewed No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani for the October 2009 cover story, they asked a provocative question about her marriage with rockstar Gavin Rosdale, to which Gwen replied smartly: " I don't really like talking about Gavin because, why would I do that? It's the one place you need to really protect yourself: your family and your marriage."
Other stars, like actors Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr, prioritize their marriage over career opportunities. According to IMDb, Sarah "turned down a lead role in [the 2007 film] Stardust because she didn't want to be apart from husband Freddie Prinze Jr. The star married Prinze Jr. in 2002, and the couple made a vow to avoid conflicting work schedules so they could spend more time together."
Sarah says, "I turned it down because it was Freddie's turn in New York. I would have loved to have done it—are you kidding? But it was Freddie's turn."
Do techniques like these make marriages bulletproof? No, but they certainly reveal a wiser, humbler approach, treating with a healthy fear the unique risks that face celebrity marriages.
FamilymarriageRomance
Gentlemen Speak: What's the Real Deal On Submission In Marriage?
Why 'As you wish' has become a refrain in our house.
By Timothy P. Carney
True Love in Practice: How Married Couples Celebrate Valentine's Day
What does the holiday of true love look like when you add in careers, bills, and kids?
By Mary Rose Somarriba
Does Kim Kardashian Really Not Smile Because of Body Shaming?
Is the face you present to the world authentic or prescribed?
Married in a Single Society: The Power of Marriage as Models of Strength
3 Tips That Helped a Child Of Divorce Build a Strong Marriage
We don't have to inherit our parents' marital mistakes
By Alysse ElHage
5 Things That Can Help Keep a Marriage Together Through the Worst of Times
Because every marriage faces "for worse" times at some point.
By Kathryn Wales
Why I Don't Talk About My Kids On Date Night
We took some proactive steps to improve our marriage and family life when kids arrived.


text:
Missed an entire month... in more ways than one!
Can't believe I went more than a month without posting but I've been in dental reconstruction hell, as well as very busy at work. That said, here's a few new and old things that I've been cranking in the Basement Studio recently.
Can't believe we lost J.J. Cale. Without question one of the finest songwriters of my generation but also one of the nicest gentlemen I've ever had the privilege to meet.
Black Joe is back with another collection of tender love ballads... yeah, right!
This will be our next best kept secret to cross over to mass adulation, or at least they should based on this terrific new album!
One of my absolute favorite pop rockers is getting ready to release his first ever covers album.
The new album isn't due until November but Brendan sent me a few tunes to tide me over until it arrives. This one should be a hit, whatever the hell that means!
I am completely in love with this record... here's the title track.
Not only is Jason Isbell one of the finest young songwriters on the scene. He just married Amanda Shires, who is pretty damn terrific as well! Great new record.
They're back!!!!!!!! The rock album we all need right now, pushed forward by one of the best pure rock drummers on the planet, Jon Wurster.
Believe it or not this marks the first time the legendary PHJB have recorded an album containing all original material. Produced by Ben Jaffe and Jim James.
The Jayhawks... revisited.
A pair of remastered and expanded albums from The Jayhawks arrived today, the two that many would point toward as the high point of the band's recorded output, "Tomorrow The Green Grass" and "Hollywood Town Hall." But regardless of where these rank in the catalog, they are the two records that made me a fan forever. Here's a few tunes from "Hollywood Town Hall" that you should know.
'Take Me With You When You Go'
"Settled Down Like Rain"
And here's a previously unavailable in the U.S. Bonus Track -
"Leave No Gold"
Here's "Blue" from "Tomorrow The Green Grass" -- how is this not a standard by now?
'Blue'
The bonus disc is comprised of the infamous "Mystery Demos"... a few tracks would surface on later projects. Here's "Won't Be Coming Home".. which would later surface on Golden Smog's first full length.
Golden Smog's version of 'Won't Be Coming Home'
And let's not forget that "Tomorrow The Green Grass" had the band's killer cover of "Bad Time"
Which will of course, lead us back to the original version.
The original 'Bad Time'
I think the only way to end today is with a killer new version of a classic from the legendary Wanda Jackson, produced by Jack White.
'Shakin' All Over'


Veronica Armstrong-Archives-Breastfeeding is not creepy. SHE is.
Breastfeeding is not creepy. SHE is.
UK Parenting Magazine Deputy Editor Calls Breastfeeding "Creepy" I am not one of the Lactivists that believes in sweetly bringing people over to my side of the breastfeeding cause. I am tired of the myth of the "Breastfeeding Nazi" and radical militant Lactivist. Where are these women that are forcing vulnerable new mothers to breastfeed regardless of medical, societal, and personal issues?
Do they have a uniform? Carry weapons? Are they like the Hells Angels of breastfeeding? Do they get jumped into this gang?
This imaginary woman exists solely in the imaginations of those that feel guilt over their inability or decision not to breastfeed. Their accusations are unfair.
The myth is used to bully those of us that refuse to allow society to relegate us to the figurative and literal commode to do the most natural and beneficial thing in the world.
Kathryn Blundell is the enemy of breastfeeding. She perpetuates the myth of what she calls the "Milk Mafia". Choosing to formula feed is a personal decision for a woman as is the decision to breastfeed. Along with any personal decision there are facts to either support or refute it. Blundell felt the need to defend herself from the fictitious "Milk Mafia" by choosing to attack mothers and science. The benefits of breast-feeding and the inadequacies of formula are so well documented that I needn't state them.
Blundell feels guilty because she should. The kind of woman who can mention her breasts as they relate to nursing in the same breath as she mentions their use to a former lover is creepy.
If the pleasure of a man or her reflection in the mirror means more to her than the health of her child then perhaps she was better off with her "fun bags" in a dimly lit bar rather than as the editor of a parenting magazine and mother.
There are women that choose to formula feed for many reasons that are perfectly acceptable by any sane person's reasoning. They include inability to breastfeed due to past sexual abuse and related body issues, medical reasons, lack of support, and many others. The last thing a woman faced with any of those issues needs is to be lumped into a corner with a selfish creep like Kathryn Blundell.
There is no milk mafia. Blundell is defensive because she knows she is wrong. Formula is not poison but it is far from optimal. Those of us that formula feed (Yes. I currently formula feed but i will expound on that later) are fully aware that what we are providing out children is second to breastmilk. We love our children no less however due to circumstances beyond our control we welcome the second tier nutritional supplement.
There is no milk mafia Kathyrn. You chose not to breastfeed because you care more about yourself than your child. Own it. I can respect honesty even if I vehemently diagree with the message.
Your lies regarding the benefits of breastfeeding do not help your selfish cause. I as a current formula feeder do not want to be associated with women like you. I do what I have to in order to keep my child healthy and thriving not because I am a vain and creepy sensationalist.
YOU are creepy. The Lactimafia Don has spoken.


text:
Linux Foundation Public Health Initiative (LFPHI) to fight COVID-19 and future potential pandemics
August 17, 2020 August 17, 2020 Staff Writer
By Shrey Fadia, Analyst and Consultant, Artin Arts
The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates innovation through open source, recently launched an initiative in July, called Linux Foundation Public Health Initiative (LFPHI).
LFPHI is supporting projects like "COVID Shield" and "COVID Green" to improve interoperability across various initiatives. With this capability, different state-level applications in the USA should be able to able to communicate data and exchange information with each other to stay updated.
Dan Kohn, LFPH general manager, said, "While we're excited to launch with two very important open source projects, we think our convening function to enable collaboration to battle this pandemic may be our biggest impact."
During this global pandemic, many tech companies are rushing into building applications that can notify people about potential exposure locations. The Google Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) system will tell people if they have come in close proximity to people diagnosed with COVID-19.
However, privacy is the biggest concern in these applications and that lack of trust has led people to resist such applications. One of the examples is Australia's contact tracing app, which had some feature bugs and that limited its adoption. On the other hand, Norway blocked the contact tracing app over privacy issues by its data protection authority.
"The public health infrastructure in the U.S. has been radically under-invested in for the last 20 years," said Kohn. "Now there's understandably billions of dollars flowing into that space, and as a neutral open-source organization, we hope to help monitor and shape some of those investments in ways that ensure they're interoperable," or compatible.
COVID Shield was developed by a volunteer team at Shopify and will be deployed soon in Canada. A team developed COVID Green at NearForm as part of the Irish Government's response to the pandemic. After being deployed by Ireland's Health Services, about 1/3rd of the country's adults accepted it, which is remarkable.
"During this grave global crisis, I'm committed to having all parts of the Linux Foundation community support LFPH," said Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin. "Open source provides an architecture for global collaboration, and that's what's needed to build, secure, and sustain critical components of our stressed public health infrastructure. The Linux Foundation has long enabled cross-industry collaboration in over a dozen verticals, and Dan Kohn, who led the Cloud Native Computing Foundation to rapid growth that defined a multi-billion-dollar industry, is an ideal choice to lead this effort."
Looking at the efforts made by LFPHI, it seems that Linux Foundation will offer more ways to coordinate not just with this ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 but also potential future pandemic. The most important key in making this successful is public adoption and their perception of such applications, and that may be solved by addressing privacy concerns in the future.
About the author: Shrey Fadia is an engineer, analyst, consultant and writer covering the most disruptive fields in technology today including AI, IoT, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Communications Platforms as a Service and more, with a special interest in innovations that improve lives. While working towards his Master of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton, NY, Fadia has published numerous articles on advances in software-based solutions in several industry publications.
While working towards his undergraduate degree in engineering in India, Fadia and a team of other students developed a Smart Wheelchair leveraging sensors and affordable features including retrofitting existing equipment to make mobility possible using gesture mechanisms and obstacle avoidance. Their innovation was featured at an IoT Evolution World Expo in 2017. Fadia is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant at State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton, NY while consulting for companies as a Senior Analyst for strategic tech communications firm Artin Arts, based in NYC.
Tagged COVID-19
Tons of COVID-19 Response Technology is Available, but are Companies Using Them?
COVID-19 Highlights the Need for Home Office Security
To Fight COVID-19, Nepalese Engineer Develops Artisanal Respirators and Sanitizers
Vibrent Health Wins NIH Contract for COVID-19 Contact Tracing
September 17, 2020 September 17, 2020 Rich Tehrani
Using AI to Better Understand COVID-19 Frontline Workers' Mental Health


Is your child being bullied at school? It could be happening more often than you think, and who is doing some of the bullying may also surprise you. The Weekly Reader recently published responses from 50,000 of it's fourth through sixth grade readers. The survey is not scientific, but it does indicate how pervasive bullying is. Bullying was defined as name-calling, pushing, shoving or hitting, making threats or having things stolen. Forty-four percent of the fourth graders for example, said they were called names, and 6% said they had things stolen, but what is more worrisome is how many kids were victims of more serious forms of bullying. Thirty-four percent said they had been pushed, shoved, or hit, and sixteen percent said they were threatened. Most of the time, the bullying occurred at school (41%) or on the playground (26%). However, what should concern parents is that only twenty-eight percent of the fourth graders told their parents about the incidents and just sixteen percent told a teacher. In other words, if parents don't check in with their children on a regular basis about bullying, they might not know about a problem their child is having.
The most surprising finding from the Weekly Reader kids survey however, is who is doing the bullying. Most of us assume its only boys who engage in this type of behavior, with girls doing it very rarely. While the survey shows that most of the time it is boys or a group of boys bullying, (65%) a significant part of the time (24%) it was only girls or a group of girls involved. So, before a bullying victims parent automatically assumes a talk is needed with teachers or the other kids parents about little "Sam's" behavior toward their child, it might be wise to check to see if it isn't really "Samantha" that needs a talking to.
Many schools conduct domestic violence awareness programs these days, but in almost all of these programs instructors contend that 95% of the time it is only boys who are violent in dating relationships. This is far from the truth. By failing to discourage violence started by girls against their boyfriends, such programs only encourage reciprocal violence by their male dates.
Parents then, need to be more aware of the high incidence of school bullying at the lower grade levels, and they also need to be more aware of the high levels of teen dating violence. It also means that it isn't just "Sam" who needs to be told that it isn't right to hit girls, or other boys, but "Samantha" needs to hear this as well.
Philip W. Cook is the author of Abused Men-The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence (Praeger Publishing).