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LabMed
Primary Amenorrhea due to Enzymatic Deficiencies
Alison Woodworth
Amy Pyle
Amenorrhea is the absence of menstrual blood flow. Primary amenorrhea should be considered in a patient with secondary sex characteristics who has not experienced periodic menstruation by 15 years of age or 5 years after breast development. Patients who have not developed secondary sex characteristics, especially absence of breast development, and have not established periodic menstruation by 13 years of age should also be worked up for primary amenorrhea.
Amenorrhea and premature ovarian failure may accompany disorders arising from mutations in enzymes with reproductive effects. This includes such disorders as nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH; 21-α, 17α-hydroxylase, and 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiencies), disorders of sexual development (aromatase, P450scc, and 17-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17βHSD-3) deficiencies), and galactosemia (galactose-1-phosphate uridyltranferase deficiency).
In CAH, defective enzymes in the adrenal hormone synthesis pathway alter the formation and regulation of certain steroids, including androgens. In classical, or prenatal, 21-α hydroxylase deficiency, the most common cause of CAH, mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoid synthesis is impeded, shunting precursors down the androgen pathway. Thus, XX-females with CAH can be virilized in utero and born with ambiguous genitalia. In nonclassic, or late-onset, 21-α hydroxylase deficiency CAH, adult and adolescent women present with signs and symptoms similar to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and sometimes primary amenorrhea.
In 17α-hydroxylase deficiency, deoxycorticosterone, progesterone and aldosterone are elevated, but androgens and estrogens are decreased. Thus, adolescent and adult women with 17α-hydroxylase deficiency present with absence of secondary sexual characteristics and primary amenorrhea. In 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency, all adrenal steroid synthesis is impaired, thus, clinical manifestations begin in infancy.
In nonclassic 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency, however, adolescent women present with hirsutism and/or menstrual irregularity. A very rare form of CAH, lipoid CAH, results from a deficiency in P450scc (or 20,22-desmolase), the first enzyme in the steroid synthesis pathway. Individuals with this deficiency demonstrate a host of clinical manifestations from lack of steroids, including lack of virilization. Therefore, females may only undergo limited sexual development and may not menstruate. There are cases of nonclassic lipoid CAH that may present later in life.
Disorders of sexual development can manifest as virilization of females (46,XX) as in aromatase deficiency, or lack of virilization of males (46,XY) as in 17βHSD-3 deficiency. Aromatase catalyzes the formation of estrogens from androgen; thus, without aromatase, androgens accumulate and estrogens are inadequate. Aromatase-deficient 46,XX females, therefore, present in infancy with pseudohermaphroditism, clitoromegaly, and lack of pubertal development (including primary amenorrhea), and in adulthood with severe estrogen deficiency and virilization.
In 17βHSD-3 deficiency, testosterone is not synthesized in the testes, preventing virilization and formation of external genitalia of 46,XY males. Thus, at birth, these infants are often identified and raised as female. However, virilization may initiate at puberty, presenting as hirstutism and amenorrhea. These individuals have abnormal external female genitalia, often including a blind-ending vagina and clitoromegaly. Due to the lack of virilizing hormones, males deficient in P450scc (lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia) do not form normal external genitalia, and, therefore, may be raised as female. Thus, at puberty, these individuals may present with lack of menstruation.
Galactosemia is a metabolic disease resulting from a deficiency of galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT). Common clinical manifestations are observed in infants exposed to lactose and include poor growth and feeding, emesis, diarrhea, hepatomegaly, jaundice, lethargy, hypotonia, and cataracts. Although the mechanism is unclear, primary ovarian insufficiency, hypergonadotropinism, and amenorrhea are associated with galactosemia.
What Tests Should I Request to Confirm My Clinical Dx? In addition, what follow-up tests might be useful?
The diagnostic work-up for primary amenorrhea should begin with a detailed history and measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to rule out pregnancy in patients with secondary sex characteristics. Patients without secondary sex characteristics and/or a negative pregnancy test should have a thorough external physical exam looking for ambiguous genitalia and/or hirsutism and a pelvic exam or ultrasonography to determine if a uterus is present. Patients with a detectable uterus should be evaluated for hypothyroidism and prolactinemia.
A high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) result suggests the primary amenorrhea is due to primary hypothyroidism and should be followed with fT4 analysis. A reduced fT4 confirms hypothyroidism. An elevated prolactin result should prompt a physician to perform an MRI in search of a pituitary adenoma. Prolactin inhibits gonadotropin function, thus, causing amenorrhea in nursing mothers and patients with prolactinomas. Patients with normal TSH and prolactin should be evaluated for gonadotropic function by measuring luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). High concentrations of FSH and/or LH are suggestive of primary ovarian failure.
The diagnostic work-up for CAH begins with determination of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), which should be elevated in nonclassic 21-α hydroxylase deficiency, along with 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA-sulfate, androstenedione, testosterone, and progesterone.
In 17α-hydroxylase deficiency, deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, and progesterone are elevated, but not 17-OHP. Also, patients with 17α-hydroxylase deficiency may have elevated aldosterone, causing hypertension and hypokalemic alkalosis.
In nonclassic 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency, DHEA and DHEA-sulfate are elevated and androstenedione is low. A standard ACTH-stimulation test in a patient with 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency should generate abnormally elevated concentrations of delta-5-17-hydroxypregnenolone.
In lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia, all steroids (mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, androgens, and all metabolites) are markedly low or undetectable and unresponsive to any stimulation.
The laboratory assessment of disorders of sexual development, specifically aromatase, 17βHSD3, and P450scc deficiencies, should begin with measuring LH and FSH. In pubertal females with aromatase deficiency, basal and GnRH-stimulated LH and FSH are both elevated, as are testosterone and androstenedione. Serum estradiol concentrations are extremely low. 17βHSD-3 deficiency is suggested by a low testosterone:delta-4-androstenedione ratio at baseline and following hCG stimulation, however, variable results may be obtained. Therefore, any suspected case of 17βHSD-3 deficiency should be confirmed by karyotyping or fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of the SRY gene to determine genotypic gender and sequencing of the HSD17B3 gene.
Diagnosis of galactosemia is generally made in infancy in follow-up to an abnormal newborn screen. Laboratory tests diagnostic of galactosemia include elevated plasma galactose and plasma and urine galactitol. Other findings consistent with galactosemia include high amino acids concentrations (particularly phenylalanine, tyrosine, and methionine), hyperbilirubinemia, coagulopathies, abnormal liver function tests, galactosuria, glycosuria, aminoaciduria, and albuminuria. Elevated LH and FSH have been reported for some females with galactosemia.
Are There Any Factors That Might Affect the Lab Results? In particular, does your patient take any medications – OTC drugs or Herbals – that might affect the lab results?
False-positive and false-negative results in urine pregnancy tests can occur and may result in a misdiagnosis. False-negative results occur is urine that is too dilute. To ensure an appropriate urine specimen, perform urine pregnancy testing on first morning voids and check the protein concentration by measuring the urine specific gravity and/or urine creatinine. False-negative results may be caused by the variant effect. This phenomenon occurs when high concentrations of hCG isoforms in urine (hCG beta core fragment) are not recognized by both antibodies in the assay. Instead, they interfere with one antibody and cause a false-negative result. One can test for the variant effect by diluting the urine sample and repeating the testing.
Premature infants may have 17-hydroxyprogesterone concentrations above the normal range, causing a false-positive screen for CAH on newborn screening. Determination at a later age should generate accurate results. Rare adrenocortical tumors may secrete hormones, such as 17-hydroxyprogesterone, producing elevated concentrations not associated with CAH.
Prolactin is mildly elevated by stress, herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in the chest wall, and numerous drugs, including dopamine agonists, proton pump inhibitors, antipsychotics (risperidone, phenothiazines, haloperidol), antihypertensives (methyldopa, reserpine, verapamil), estrogens, and illicit drugs (amphetamines, cannabinoids, opiates, etc.). Any of these may lead to dysregulation of gonadotropins, amenorrhea, and infertility.
LH and FSH are episodically released from the pituitary, and concentrations may vary, depending on when they are measured. First morning specimens are recommended. LH and FSH concentrations change throughout the menstrual cycle, even in amenorrheic patients. It is recommended to measure LH and FSH early in the follicular phase of the cycle, if possible.
Concentrations of LH and FSH change dramatically during puberty. Results should be evaluated in the context of age and tanner stage specific reference intervals. Drugs, such as anticonvulsants, clomiphene, and naloxone, may falsely elevate LH, whereas smoking, cimetidine, clomiphene, digitalis, and levodopa may elevate FSH. Artificially low LH and FSH results may occur in patients taking oral contraceptives and hormone treatments. Phenothiazines reduce FSH concentrations, whereas digoxin decreases LH.
Because of lack of precision and correlation with standards in women and children, the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society recommends measurement of testosterone by a quantitative high performance liquid chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry assay. Markedly elevated DHEA-S (>800 mcg/dL) and total testosterone (>200 ng/dL) suggest a virilizing tumor. Furthermore, testosterone values are affected by age, race, body mass index (BMI), and time of day and menstrual cycle. Thus, results should be evaluated in the context of age-, race-, and BMI-specific reference intervals and collected in the morning and early in the menstrual cycle if this can be determined.
As is the case with many immunoassays, heterophilic antibodies can cause false-positive results. Therefore, caution should be taken when elevated hCG, TSH, prolactin, LH, and/or FSH results do not match the clinical picture.
What Lab Results Are Absolutely Confirmatory?
In cases of amenorrhea with any abnormal findings on physical exam, cytogenetics (FISH and/or karyotyping) may be employed to determine the patient's genotypic gender (e.g., 46,XY or 46,XX).
A full steroid metabolite profile measuring 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, androstenedione, cortisol, DHEA, testosterone, deoxycorticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, and corticosterone is instrumental in diagnosing patients with all forms of CAH.
Suspected aromatase deficiency may be confirmed by in vitro aromatase activity assays and/or sequencing of the CYP19 gene. Likewise, sequencing of the HSD17B3 gene is recommended to confirm a diagnosis of 17βHSD-3 deficiency.
Galactosemia can be confirmed by testing GALT enzyme activity in red blood cells and/or GALT gene sequencing.
In patients with primary amenorrhea, enzyme-deficiencies must be differentiated from other causes of hypergonadotropic (high FSH and LH) hypogonadism (low estrogen). Infectious and iatrogenic causes of primary ovarian failure should be ruled out by checking for a history of ovarian surgery, chemotherapy, or irradiation or past viral infection, such as AIDS or mumps. Personal or family history of autoimmune disease, such as Addison's, thyroid, DM I, SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, Crohn's disease, and Sjogren's syndrome, may suggest autoimmune destruction of the ovaries. Detection of antiovarian antibodies in serum of patients with primary amenorrhea and ovarian failure is not recommended because of lack of correlation with disease state or onset.
Concentration of adrenal steroids and metabolites can be affected by use of drugs and supplements. Androstenedione concentration may be elevated by use of androstenedione and DHEA-S supplements. Testosterone concentrations are elevated by many drugs, including danazol, androgenic progestins, valproic acid, acetazolamide, minoxidil, and oral contraceptives. Testosterone concentrations may be reduced in patients taking anabolic steroids. 17-hydroxyprogesterone and other metabolites may be suppressed by use of exogenous glucocorticoids. Thus, glucocorticoid use may mask late-onset CAH.
Are There Any Factors That Might Affect the Lab Results? In particular, does your patient take any medications - OTC drugs or Herbals - that might affect the lab results?
Next post in LabMed
Primary Amenorrhea due to Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)
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Kevin Karschau est un joueur international allemand de rink hockey.

Palmarès
En 2016, il participe au championnat d'Europe.

Référence

Joueur allemand de rink hockey
Naissance en octobre 1990

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Diffuser held over geraniums to cast an open shadow.
If I had my preference, and a direct line to the Sun God, I'd order "cloudy bright" or "early morning" or "approaching twilight" for every garden photography job. Soft light is flattering to most subjects, but particularly to plants and gardens. Unfortunately, I can't control the weather. That means I'm often forced into having to work in less than ideal light.
One of the most common situations I'm faced with is mid-day sunshine. It feels wonderful on my face (at least here in the Pacific Northwest where we think 75° is hot) but I don't like the way gardens look under a clear blue sky. Why wouldn't I wait for the light to be more flattering? Sometimes there's no choice, like when I've traveled to another city or am on a garden tour. It's a professional photographer's job to come back with publishable photos, regardless of the conditions.
Two techniques I use to get better garden photographs on sunny days are to use a polarizing filter to cut glare or to use a diffuser to soften the light. Both of these help to reduce the contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of a photo. That's important, because cameras don't have the ability to capture as wide a brightness range as our eyes can see.
The traditional use of a polarizing filter is to darken a blue sky in landscape photos. It does a great job at that, working best when you're pointing your camera roughly 90° to the sun. There's much less effect when you're aiming either toward or away from the sun.
But more important to the garden photographer is that a polarizer also cuts glare on foliage or other reflective things. Have you noticed that when you wear polarized sunglasses you can see past the reflections on the surface of a lake? The same thing happens with foliage.
To use a polarizing filter, mount it on the front of your lens (or just hold it there if your camera doesn't have a filter ring). Then rotate the filter until you see the effect you like. A quarter turn goes from no effect to full polarization. I've found through experience that I prefer to keep a little bit of the reflections on foliage rather than eliminate them completely, which looks unnatural to my eye. The photos here show my garden without a polarizer, with reflections eliminated completely, and partially reduced.
I use a polarizer in the garden most often when photographing wide or mid-range views. I almost never use it for plant portraits or blossom details. For those I prefer a collapsible diffuser.
I like to think of my collapsible diffuser as a "portable cloud." Mine opens up to 36" x 48" and collapses to fit in my camera pack. I like the larger size because I can cast a bigger shadow and photograph larger subjects under its shade. I use a diffuser that cuts the light by one stop, which I think gives a more natural looking appearance than a two-stop diffuser.
In practice, a diffuser is really easy to use. Open it up, hold it between the sun and the subject, and make an exposure. To my eye, the best result is when the diffuser is as close as possible to the subject. Having my camera on a tripod and using a cable release leaves both hands free to hold the diffuser in the right place.
A diffuser works to cut contrast, but in a different way than a polarizing filter. Two things are happening under the diffuser. First, there's less light hitting the brightest parts of the subject. Second, the spreading effect of the diffuser means there's also more light hitting the shadow areas.
Diffuser softens bright areas and opens up the shadows.
I use a diffuser a lot when photographing plant portraits or blossom details. These are the kinds of shots you can make mid-day without a lot of background and the diffuser is perfect for lowering contrast and helping get pleasing results.
If you don't have a commercial diffuser, you can use a white fabric shower curtain. But you'll need an assistant and it's awkward to hold. If the fabric isn't truly white, then you can have color balance problems, too.
Any decent camera shop should have a selection of diffusers, or you can order from your favorite online retailer if there's no camera shop nearby.
It's still summer, which in our part of the country means lots of sunny skies. So I'll keep both my polarizing filter and my diffuser handy whenever I'm out photographing in bright sunlight.
This video clip shows the effect of rotating a polarizing filter on foliage. The first is without a polarizer, the second with about half strength polarization, and the third with full strength polarizaion.
Mark Turner has been photographing gardens professionally for more than 20 years. His work has been published in numerous magazines and books. He's the photographer and co-author of two popular field guides published by Timber Press, Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest and Trees and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest. He lives, gardens, and currently makes more of his family's income photographing families in Bellingham, Washington.
This article is based in part on Mark's presentation at the 2017 GWA Conference in Buffalo.
Excellent! I just got a polarizing filter and didn't clearly understand it.Thanks for your tips.


We've had some requests from departments to look into improving publication pages. We've looked at the data to better understand how publication pages are being used and made changes to the design. We will be rolling these out on GOV.UK gradually and monitoring how successful they are.
We found that attachment previews (eg the thumbnails you see for PDF attachments) aren't that useful when it comes to helping people differentiate between documents, and they also slow down page loading times. So we're testing replacing the attachment previews with clear metadata displaying document type, file size, number of pages, and an accessibility notice.
We had a hypothesis when we approached work on this page that attachments made the page too long, and that we'd need to look at reducing the height of attachments. But we found out that the majority of publications have only 1 attachment, and this number tails off fast (stretching all the way to 152 – with only a single incidence). Given that most pages have a low number of attachments, we prioritised making information about attachments clear, over reducing the height of attachments.
Whether a document had been replaced was previously not shown to users unless the author had published a change note. The date attachments were changed will now be displayed under the attachment.
We know that the change log tends to be short. A very high percentage of documents have just a single change note. Given that the number of changes to documents are low, we're experimenting with having the the change log displayed all the time (so you don't have to click to expand it). We're also improving the visibility and readability of change notes by expanding them from one column into two.
The page detail currently lives at the bottom of the page, which has a risk of being missed when it's pushed down pages with multiple attachments. So we're moving page detail to the top of the page under the summary. We've removed the "Detail" heading, in case you were looking for it in the screenshot.
Please note that the design below is a work in progress (and content displayed in the prototype isn't accurate).
I like the "visibility for updated documents" feature. Will it also work like an archive feature? So the previous versions would be available to download? This is something we would be able to take advantage of as a lot of our documents are updated on a cycle basis and some previous documents need to be accessed still for audit purposes.
Hi Steve. This change won't introduce the ability to access older versions of attachments. That would be a separate issue, and something we probably need to think about as part of our approach to archiving. Thanks.
Are there any plans to have a content clinic or basecamp discussion on this? Publications are the primary format for most departments, but I'm not sure some of these changes will suit everyone.
Hi Simon. If there are specific issues with this which you think will cause problems for users, or there's anything here that you know would cause problems for you, we'd love to hear about it. Thanks.
Thanks Roo. I've posted my comments in the content basecamp.
Thanks for this update. I'm pleased to see these changes, including moving the 'detail' to the top so users can check if this page is what they need before being presented with the attachments.
Can you explain how you intend to roll out 'gradually' - this change could affect contact centre staff who need to advise customers what to look for and click on.
Also, is there a way of checking in bulk if wording in the 'detail' needs altering eg 'the above documents' will now be below.
Look forward to hearing how these are received by users.
Hi Andrew. By 'gradually', we're treating this as several smaller changes that we can make to these pages over time (ie we *don't* mean rolling out the new design in its entirety to a growing subset of pages). There isn't a detailed plan for which bits of the design will happen when, but we've broken the work into smaller pieces which we'll be gradually implementing.
Moving the page detail to the top will make a huge difference to us. Thank you.
Is 'having different publication dates for different attachments' in this iteration, or is that still to come? Will it include different change logs, or retain a single change log per publication?
I notice in the screenshot there is a 'View online' option for the ODS file.
Will a document's 'updated' date depend on whether it has been publically or silently updated?
The page looks clean, but not sure you've run this by screen-reader users. Having the file type and size in the hyperlinked document title could be an issue for assistive technology users, i.e. it won't inform them that the link will open a PDF, and potentially a large, data-chewing one.
Thanks for the update. It's good to hear that the summaries will be moving above attachments. I think that will be a big improvement.
I can see the rationale for increasing how visible public change notes are for documents that aren't often updated but we have a couple of documents that are replaced daily with a public change note ('register of licensed sponsors: workers' and 'register of licensed sponsors: students'). Just wondering whether such a long visible list of change notes will work for these documents. What do you think?


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The Real Count of Monte Cristo Meets the Real Tom Sawyer
Anthony Sacramone	Read This Here	 2 Oct 2012 30 Mar 2017
No, not in a new issue of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but in this post.
So everyone knows the tale of the Count of Monte Cristo, yes? YES? Well, turns out that Alexandre Dumas, also the sorta author of The Three Musketeers, based the Edmond Dantès character on his father, Thomas-Alexandre, born in Hispaniola and the son of a Norman aristocrat and a slave named Marie-Cessette. "Alex" left what is now Haiti in servitude but became a warrior of merit in Revolutionary France.
Valiant, resolute and born to lead, Dumas was swiftly promoted to the rank of general, commanding the Army of the Alps that carried the Revolutionary war against Austria and its Piedmontese allies into Italy itself. 'Brave Dumas is tireless,' reported an admiring fellow officer, after a victorious assault on the Mont Cenis pass; 'everywhere he shows up the slaves are defeated, and soon Italians will be worthy of their ancestors.'
Having found a devoted wife in Marie-Louise Labouret, daughter of a hotelier in the garrison town of Villers-Cotterêts, Dumas followed his new commander-in-chief, Napoleon Bonaparte, on the ill-starred 1798 expedition to Egypt. The First Consul was scarcely a friend to persons of colour, as the hapless Haitian rebel leader Toussaint L'Ouverture would soon discover, but for the time being Dumas's fearless impetuosity served its purpose. Nemesis struck when the black paladin, in a face-off between the two men over mismanagement of the campaign, showed himself ready to place duty to France above abject submission to the Man of Destiny. 'Blind is he who does not believe in my fortune,' snarled Napoleon, implicitly pronouncing the general's doom.
On the way home from Egypt, Dumas was captured and imprisoned at Taranto by officers of the Holy Faith Army, a ragtag-and-bobtail force busy massacring republicans, liberals and Jews in the name of King Ferdinand of Naples. Two years of frantic petitioning by Marie-Louise Dumas proved useless and the dungeon door was only unlocked when French forces finally seized control of southern Italy, allowing her husband to totter homewards, wracked with the cancer that would soon kill him. Inevitably his appeals for financial assistance were ignored and, though not cashiered from the army, he was pointedly cold-shouldered by his brother officers. 'Whatever my sufferings and pains,' Dumas declared, 'I will always find enough moral force to fly to the rescue of my country at the first request the government sends me.' No such summons ever arrived.
Did Napoleon, morally contemptible as he was, effectively kill the general? Dumas's son, a yet more famous Alexandre, certainly believed so. …
The blackguard Corsican! Betrayer of the Revolution! Midget inspirer of pastries! Loser at Waterloo! May Satan inflame your piles for all eternity!
On another literary front, Tom Sawyer — yes, wooer of Becky Sharp, friend of Huck Finn — was actually a Brooklyn-born fireman with a taste for drinking and gambling and Turkish bathhouses.
Sawyer, 32, who was born in Brooklyn, had been a torch boy in New York for Columbia Hook and Ladder Company Number 14, and in San Francisco he had battled fire for Broderick 1, the city's first volunteer fire company, under Chief David Broderick, the first fire chief. Twain perked up when Sawyer mentioned that he had also toiled as a steamboat engineer plying the Mexican sea trade. Twain well knew that an engineer typically stood between two rows of furnaces that "glare like the fires of hell" and "shovels coal for four hours at a stretch in an unvarying temperature of 148 degrees Fahrenheit!"
Sawyer had proved his heroism February 16, 1853, while serving as the fire engineer aboard the steamer Independence. Heading to San Francisco via San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and Acapulco, with 359 passengers aboard, the ship struck a reef off Baja, shuddered like a leaf and caught against jagged rocks. "Don't be afraid," Captain F. L. Sampson told the passengers on deck. "You'll all get to shore safely." He pointed the ship head-on toward the sand, intending to beach it. In the raging surf the vessel swung around broadside.
Sawyer raced below deck and dropped into two feet of water. Through a huge rent, the sea was filling up overheated boilers below the waterline, cooling them rapidly. Chief Engineer Jason Collins and his men were fighting to keep steam up to reach shore. After the coal bunkers flooded, the men began tossing slats from stateroom berths into the furnaces. Sawyer heard Collins cry, "The blowers are useless!"
Loss of the blowers drove the flames out the furnace doors and ignited woodwork in the fire room and around the smokestack. Steam and flames blasted up from the hatch and ventilators. "The scene was perfectly horrible," Sampson recalled later. "Men, women and children, screeching, crying and drowning."
Collins and James L. Freeborn, the purser, jumped overboard, lost consciousness and sank. Sawyer, a powerful swimmer, dove into the water, caught both men by their hair and pulled them to the surface.
Wait till it's learned that the White Whale in Moby Dick was actually a hobo who accosted Melville in a bakery but who led thousands of Union soldiers to their deaths in the Civil War because he was color blind.
Published 2 Oct 2012 30 Mar 2017
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2 thoughts on "The Real Count of Monte Cristo Meets the Real Tom Sawyer"
In fact Napoleon himself was a fictional character, invented out of whole cloth by a committee at the Congress of Vienna, in order to cover up a disastrous food poisoning incident involving Camembert cheese.
I have every reason to believe you're making that up, but as I am only 84% certain, I'll let it go for now.


Shishimai (Lion Dance) and other folk entertainment is staged at Shikinaen Garden on Sunday.
The 14th Friends of Shikinaen meeting is coming up Sunday, as hundreds of Okinawans gather to salute the World Heritage Site on Okinawa.
Designated as a World Heritage special scenic spot, "Shikinaen" is the pride of the Mawashi area of Naha City. The grounds are often used for traditional performing arts by youth organizations and cultural groups. The Friends of Shikinaen citizens' group is organized to promote traditional culture in the Mawashi area, creation of new culture, healthy training of youth and activation of the area, and education of, and preservation of cultural properties.
While dance performances centering on the traditional performing arts are popular when hosted by young students of the Mawashi area, an experience corner and an opening-a-shop corner are also prepared. A photo exhibition will also be held at the Sunday event, which runs from 11 a.m. ~ 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The gardens of Shikina-en are located on a small hill to the south of Shuri Castle in Naha. The gardens were laid out in 1799 to embellish one of the residences of the Sho family, rulers of the Ryukyu Kingdom. They were used for the reception of an envoy from China the following year. The residence and its gardens are also known as Shichina-nū-Udūn (シチナヌウドゥン?) or Southern Gardens (南苑?), as opposed to the Eastern Gardens or Uchayaudūn, laid out on a small hill to the east of Shuri Castle in 1677.


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Taylor Swift Named NSAI's Songwriter-Artist of the Year
Garth Brooks, Tanya Tucker, Jimmy Wayne Honor Hall of Fame Songwriters
by Craig Shelburne 10/18/2010
Taylor Swift accepted her third trophy as the songwriter-artist of the year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) at a private gala celebration in Nashville on Sunday night (Oct. 17). Swift was recognized for writing "Fifteen," "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me." Her award was presented early in the evening, prior to the previously-announced induction of Pat Alger, Steve Cropper and the late Paul Davis and Stephen Foster into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Swift did not perform at the event, but the Hall of Fame inductees were later honored with renditions of their most popular songs performed by the likes of Garth Brooks, T. Graham Brown, Tyler Bryant, Jim Lauderdale, Tanya Tucker and Jimmy Wayne.
In addition, Chris DuBois was named songwriter of the year for his contributions to Brad Paisley's "Then" and "Welcome to the Future," as well as Craig Morgan's "This Ain't Nothin'." Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me," written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, claimed song of the year honors.
After acknowledging a successful year for Douglas, who was seated at the table next to hers, Swift addressed the audience from a podium.
"Since I can remember, my favorite thing in the whole world was a good story — going back to when my mom and dad would read me stories when I was little, and then discovering poetry in English class," she said. "Then I discovered this town called Nashville, where they tell the coolest stories. In my opinion, they tell them in the most magical ways.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so generous with me. Whether it was telling fairy tales or sad stories or stories that were just about my life and what I was going through, you've been wonderful to me. And I'm having a blast telling stories."
She added, "Right now, my story is that in about 30 minutes, I'm getting on a plane to go to Paris and then London and then Germany and then New York. And then after that, I have seven days and five hours and 22 minutes until my album comes out."
Amid a round of applause, Swift implored, "Please wish me luck because I am a nervous wreck. I can't thank you enough. I can't thank the songwriters enough for inspiring me, the publishers for being so incredibly supportive. [Sony/ATV Music Publishing] has always been wonderful to me. Thank you for standing up and clapping. That was really nice. And I just really appreciate getting to be here with you guys. Thank you so much."
Near the end of the night, Alger's early songwriting career was recalled by producer Allen Reynolds, who detailed Alger's initial success in Nashville by writing Kathy Mattea's "Goin' Gone," Don Williams' "True Love" and Hal Ketchum's "Small Town Saturday Night," which were promptly sung as a medley by Jimmy Wayne. But it might be impossible to salute Alger without Garth Brooks, who divided his time onstage between providing descriptions of their collaborative process and delivering the fruits of their labor — solo acoustic versions of "Unanswered Prayers," "That Summer" and "The Thunder Rolls."
Brooks noted, "I love this guy, and me and him should not love each other. We're as different as night and day can be. This poor guy has been tormented by me over the last couple of decades. I'll give you an average writing session for us. Pat is sitting with his pen and his paper, poised. I've got a little rubber ball that I'm bouncing off the wall, right above his head. … I'm crawling underneath the chairs and desks like I'm 5 years old, because that's what I do. Alger's sitting there about ready to kill me, coming up with all these wonderful lines, thousands of them that you never use.
"But that's Alger's thing. Alger understands the craft. That's what I love about Pat Alger. Pat Alger doesn't care how or when it gets done. I'll even go so far as to say, even if it does get done. This is what I've always loved about you, partner. He understands that what it is, is what it is. And if you make it to be something it isn't, it's never going to live and breathe."
Brooks also told the crowd that "The Thunder Rolls" was about to go on a Tanya Tucker album, but her producer didn't think the song was finished. When her project was retooled, Alger and Brooks reclaimed the song — and wrote a fourth verse, which Brooks only sings in concert. Just before concluding with its performance, Brooks said, "I can't even imagine my career without this song, but even more than that, I can't imagine my career without you, Pat."
During his induction speech, Alger introduced his family, thanked his friends and confirmed that Brooks' ball-bouncing anecdote was absolutely a fact. "I have to tell you, I've worked with a lot of fantastic songwriters, and there's not a finer one I've ever worked with than Garth," he said.
Several of Steve Cropper's soulful songs were resurrected by newcomer Tyler Bryant, who admitted he'd never been so scared to perform. Yet he did a fine job with "In the Midnight Hour," famously recorded by Wilson Pickett, and the instrumental "Green Onions," perhaps the most enduring tune in the catalog of Cropper's band, Booker T and the MG's. Bryant and his ensemble also backed T. Graham Brown, whose gritty take on "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" made the crowd believe every word. Cropper shares the writing credit with the late Otis Redding for that classic, which has been played on the radio more than 6 million times. During his time at the podium, Cropper reminisced about saving up money to buy his first guitar, then told the audience that his always-supportive father was in the crowd, celebrating his 90th birthday.
The late Paul Davis was the subject of a handful of candid stories told by friend and frequent collaborator, Paul Overstreet. After that, fellow songwriters J. Fred Knobloch, Kyle Lehning, Ed Seay, Ronn Price, Anthony Martin and Jennifer Kimball offered a medley of Davis' memorable material, such as "Cool Night," "I Go Crazy," "Ride 'Em Cowboy," "'65 Love Affair," "Bop" and "Sweet Life." Tanya Tucker then stepped out to sing "Love Me Like You Used To," her 1987 country hit co-written by Davis and Buddy Emmons. Davis' son, Jonathan Paul Davis, accepted for his father, who died in 2008.
Songwriting pioneer Stephen Foster joined the Hall of Fame 146 years after his death. His music was remembered by the trio Mockingbird Sun with a medley of "Oh Susanna," "Farewell My Lilly Dear," "Beautiful Dreamer" and "My Old Kentucky Home." In addition, Jim Lauderdale delivered a bare-bones rendition of "Hard Times Come Again No More." Vanderbilt professor of musicology Dale Cockrell accepted the award, calling Foster "the most important composer" and "an American genius." In addition, former BMI executive Frances Preston was personally honored with the Mentor Award, which will now be named for her.
At the beginning of the event, NSAI also recognized "The 10 Songs I Wish I'd Written," chosen by professional songwriters. Due to a tie, 11 hit singles with Nashville roots were honored: Easton Corbin's "A Little More Country Than That" (Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, Wynn Varble); Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor" (Jim Collins, David Lee Murphy); Lady Antebellum's "I Run to You" (Tom Douglas, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott) and "Need You Now" (Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott); David Nail's "Red Light" (Dennis Matowsky, Melissa Peirce, Jonathan Singleton); Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice" (Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas); Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" (Jessi Alexander, Jon Mabe); Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me" (Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin); Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" (Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill, Nathan Followill); Lambert's "White Liar" (Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert) and Swift's "You Belong With Me" (Liz Rose, Taylor Swift).
View photos from the Nashville Songwriters Association International gala.
Craig Shelburne
Tags: Brad PaisleyCraig MorganDavid Lee MurphyDavid NailDon WilliamsEaston CorbinGarth BrooksHal KetchumJason AldeanJim LauderdaleJimmy WayneLady AntebellumMiley CyrusMiranda LambertPaul OverstreetT. Graham BrownTanya TuckerTaylor SwiftTim McGraw
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Welfare Secretary Amber Rudd has admitted cruel Conservative benefit cuts have driven desperate, penniless families to foodbanks.
Well, at least that is a start.
For years the Tories have evaded responsibility and lived in a fantasy world – denying the terrible misery they have caused.
Their austerity policy and sanctions on Universal Credit and benefits have caused innocent victims to turn to charity.
People have been stigmatising, claimants demonised and low-paid workers short-changed.
And all the time neighbours have been turned against each other in the Tories' usual callous policy of divide and rule.
That Rudd's admission is progress is depressing and she must match action to her words.
What about an apology to those left hungry and despairing by policies she voted for? How about it, Secretary of State?


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John Billingsley, known for playing Doctor Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise, may not be on-screen much these days, but he's plenty busy working behind the scenes for a charity that helps care for those in need. This charity, the Hollywood Food Coalition (HFC), is the beneficiary of an upcoming event, TREK*Talks, hosted by TrekGeeks and Roddenberry Podcasts. The event will feature dozens of Star Trek alumni coming together for a live-streamed telethon to help raise awareness for HFC and charity work in general.
Billingsley was kind enough to sit down with TrekNews.net for an extended two-part conversation about the importance of HFC, his passion for charity work, his time on Enterprise, and more.
Check out the first part of that interview below.
"I'm in my 60s, and I wanted to kind of segue myself out of the full-time acting career to my second love, which is civic service."
Working With Charity
Billingsley is the board president of Hollywood Food Coalition. It's an organization based in Los Angeles County that takes great pride in the fact that, since 1987, they have served meals every night to those in need. The organization works to rescue food that would otherwise be wasted, and it also distributes basic necessities like clothes, shoes, and blankets to those who need them.
We asked John how he came to be such a key player in this altruistic organization, and it all started with… a fruit salad.
"About five years ago, I walked through their doors to make a fruit salad that they could use for their services, and be careful what you wish for… you crack your knuckles and say, 'what can I do to help?' and suddenly you're the board president! I've always been, to an extent, involved with social service work. I was looking for an organization to give more of my time to. I'm in my 60s, and I wanted to kind of segue myself out of the full-time acting career to my second love, which is civic service. It's always been really important to me."
TrekNews sat down with John virtually ahead of the massive TREK*Talks event on Saturday.
John explained how he immediately fell in love with the Hollywood Food Coalition and its mission. When he and his wife, Bonita Friedericy (who played the scientist "Rooney" in the Enterprise episode "Regeneration"), joined the cause, they used their connections in the film and television business to help HFC expand its outreach. The organization started reusing food from television and movie sets; oftentimes, unused food gets thrown away and placed in a landfill, which is harmful to the environment and simply wasteful. Repurposing food in vast quantities is just one of the ways HFC carries out its mission.
"We got together a group of about 40 or 50 people from the TV industry, and they'd pick up thousands of pounds of food a week, and it was used to augment HFC's nightly meal to our clients," John explained. "Nowadays, we're gathering about two million pounds of food every year and we use it not only for our events, but we share it with almost 100 not-for-profits. The idea is to augment their capacity to serve meals to their clients."
"You're not going to beat that alcohol addiction if you can't feed yourself"
This food-sharing network – called Community Exchange – is just one way the Hollywood Food Coalition helps thousands of people on a regular basis. John points out that food is the first step to helping people tackle other challenges in their life.
"You're not going to beat that alcohol addiction if you can't feed yourself," he noted.
But HFC does much more than just give people food. It works with mobile clinics to provide medical and vision care, and it points people in need to where they can find rent assistance programs, substance abuse programs, housing, and employment services.
The Power of Trekkies
If you think HFC sounds like an organization straight from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, you're not alone. In fact, John hopes TREK*Talks inspires Star Trek celebrities and fans alike to pursue whatever charitable or volunteer causes they are passionate about, as such kindness and altruism is a staple of the Star Trek utopia.
"To me, the whole Trek conceit this is a perfectible universe. It's the idea that we're able to get to the point where we get along, that we are actually able to one day come together and say, 'now let's do better,'" John said. "We all have to ask ourselves how are we making that difference individually? That's where major change starts."
TREK*Talks aims to raise awareness and money for this noble cause. The impressive guest list includes Star Trek alumni from behind and in-front of the camera from almost all the series, as well as real-life scientists who are there to talk about "the real deal." Panels will include one dedicated to Deep Space Nine, one exploring the creative minds behind the shows, one that's a chat with directors (including Jonathan Frakes), one with writers from various Star Trek shows, and one talking with some of the familiar voices from recent animated Star Trek shows, among others.
In John's eyes, the event is already successful based on the dozens of celebrities who have agreed to partake in the event.
"Because so many Star Trek folks have offered their time for this event, I would love to believe a lot of people will come and watch, listen, and hopefully are inspired by the work we do and perhaps generously donate to our cause," John said.
Of course, John has a lot of help behind the scenes to make HFC as successful as it is. Case in point: fellow Star Trek alum David Livingston (the most prolific director in the entire franchise, with 62 Star Trek directing credits to his name), is a fellow board member. John explained how David's amazing photography skills helped illuminate the threat facing people in need.
"A few years ago before he was part of the Hollywood Food Coalition, David took street shots of people facing homelessness," John explained. "The photos were lively and colorful, and they remind you that every human being on the street is living a life. The tendency is to sometimes look at people, and a little filter activates over our head and turns them into black and white. David reminded us visually of the color and the vibrancy of every human soul."
One of David Livingston's photos. This picture was taken by David in a purely private capacity and reflect his interest in documenting the lives of people who are experiencing homelessness. They aren't photos of Hollywood Food Coalition clients or guests: HoFoCo goes to some lengths to protect the privacy and anonymity of the people who rely on HoFoCo for services.
Sounds like a scene out of Deep Space Nine's "Past Tense," doesn't it?
"I introduced David to our organization, and he fell in love with it," John continued. "He's been really instrumental in making TREK*Talks happen. David knew a lot more people in Star Trek than I did."
You can watch the telethon on Saturday, January 15th starting at 3 p.m. EST on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Check out the TREK*Talks website for more details, including how you can donate.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the second part of our interview with John, where we talk about his chance at a lunch with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, his advice to young actors making their way into the Star Trek franchise, if he would go to space, and much more!
Stay up-to-date with all the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and more with TrekNews.net.
In this article:John Billingsley, Star Trek: Enterprise


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When She Woke
By Hillary Jordan
Fiction (US), 352 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial, Oct. 16, 2012
In the mid-21st century, a young woman in Texas awakens to a nightmare: her skin has been genetically altered, turned bright red as punishment for the crime of having an abortion. A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated but "chromed" and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path northward to safety, through an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love.


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Nicola Adams announces retirement: "I didn't let anyone deter me from my Olympic dream"
Nicola Adams has announced that she's made the "difficult decision to step down from the ring" after doctors warned her that any further impact to her eye could lead to permanent vision loss. Today we remember the sporting icon's achievements, looking back to when she spoke to Stylist's Alexandra Jones in 2016 with the Rio Olympics ahead of her.
The date is 20 April 2016, and boxer Nicola Adams doesn't walk into the room, she breezes. She's carrying a sports bag that dwarfs her, yet bounds around the team, shaking hands and dispensing the mega-watt smile that has become her calling card (her nickname is 'The Baby-Faced Assassin'), with a nigh-on feline poise. In fact, she has a grace that makes everyone else in the room look a bit lumpen.
Though only 5ft 5 and a slight eight stone, Adams, 33, is everything you would expect from an Olympian: fit, of course, but also confident and entirely self-assured. She has the kind of glowing skin and hard abs that no amount of lunchtime yoga will ever replicate. Divested of her bag she is restlessly energetic – she bounces on her toes, fiddles with her zips, flicks through her phone – as if downtime is an alien concept. She also makes a point of snapchatting every part of the shoot from the dressing room to the set. "I'm a bit of a Snapchat addict," she grins.
We're meeting on Easter Monday – the only day before the end of May where she has a window long enough for us to shoot and interview her. So, amid a packed schedule of training and tournaments, we've snagged five hours on the proviso that we start at 7am and finish before midday (giving her time to get back to her training gym in Sheffield for an evening sparring session) and book her a hotel with a gym – she has the Stylist team staring shame-faced into our triple-shot flat whites when she explains that she's already done an hour-long workout before arriving). We would usually describe anyone else with all these commitments as 'busy'. Adams, though, is a much rarer thing: she's supremely dedicated.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly she's also supremely confident. Before the shoot, we'd had the idea to create a 'blood, sweat and tears' theme for Adams' cover photographs; to visually represent the sacrifices and hard work it takes to become an Olympic athlete. But the suggestion of blood leaves the positive-thinking Adams nonplussed. "But I don't get hit," she tells us flatly before changing the subject. Unsurprisingly, not winning is not an option Adams has ever considered. Proved entirely in 2015, when she made history by becoming the first woman to win gold in consecutive Olympic (2012), Commonwealth (2014) and European Games. But her confidence shouldn't be confused as arrogance. In fact, Adams is extremely likable.
"Everyone always asks how I deal with the pressure, but I just do", she says at one point, followed by a peel of infectious laughter. "I'm a positive person," she agrees.
If you've ever watched Adams you'll be familiar with this zeal radiating around the ring when she fights – rather than trash talk and cold stares, which sends her into each fight smiling, bouncing and looking positively energised. "I try to imagine what I must look like to an opponent," she muses. "I guess seeming as if I'm having the time of my life must be intimidating. But I look at some fighters and I'm like, 'Why so serious? Who took the jam out of your donut?'"
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It's that upbeat outlook – along with some stern words from her mum, Denver, who raised Nicola and her younger brother, Kurtis, single-handedly – that she credits for getting her to the Games in 2012. "I saw my mum working hard and it inspired me that you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it."
Adams' Olympic boxing journey began when she was 25, when she became the first female boxer to win silver at the 2007 European championships, followed by another silver medal at the world championships the following year. She had already dedicated her life to boxing and knew – if women were ever allowed to box at the Olympics – she'd be front of the queue. But when that ground-breaking moment finally came on 13 August 2009, Adams' nightmares – not dreams – were becoming realized. Instead, she was lying in bed, strapped into a brace, moving "as little as possible for 12 hours a day and dosed-up on painkillers. I had fallen down a flight of stairs and broken a bone in my back." The historic announcement was something Adams had dreamed of since taking up boxing aged 12 and one that now seemed out of reach. "I went from doing 300 sit-ups a day to not being able to lift my shoulders off the floor. I thought, 'It's all over, I'll never be in good enough condition to qualify for the Olympic squad.'"
A year later, Adams still hadn't boxed. She could barely jog, let alone dance around the canvas, and punching was out of the question. As the last trial for the Team GB squad loomed, she was warned it was her final chance of qualifying. Unable to let her dream slip away she went back to the ring, using morphine patches ("I was only supposed to have one, but I stuck two on") and painkillers to "just do it." Amazingly, the coaches saw her potential and she qualified for the team.
Despite being in so much pain for days after the qualifying match, Adams put everything she had into her recovery. "That fall was the darkest point of my life," she recalls. "But all through the physio and through the months that I couldn't box, I just kept thinking: I want to win." Her will power paid off and just two years later, after she thought she'd never box again, she was stood in the Olympic ring, fists raised to the sky celebrating her win over China's Ren Cancan 16-7 in the flyweight finals, a 10,000-strong home crowd cheering her name.
"From the beginning people told me that women's boxing would never be an Olympic sport. But I was like, 'Nope, I'm happy with my dream.' I just didn't let anyone deter me from it," she explains. "I just never considered doing anything else." That single-mindedness is particularly bold because when Adams started boxing aged 12, women were still banned from boxing professionally. The 116-year ban on women's boxing was only lifted two years later in 1996. And it would be another two years before British boxer Jane Couch proved at an official tribunal that denying women professional boxing licenses on the grounds that PMT made them unstable (as the British Boxing Board of Control claimed) was sexual discrimination.
"There weren't any female idols in boxing when I started out," Adams says. "My heroes were Mohammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard." And with no government sponsorship available before it was added to the Olympic schedule in 2009, Adams spent the majority of her career doing odd jobs to make ends-meet. She was an extra on Coronation Street, worked as a painter and decorator. She would train twice a day and borrowed money from her mum to attend tournaments around the world ("there were better female boxers outside the UK; I wanted to fight the best").
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The secret to her success, as it turns out, isn't that complex: it's 'train hard, train often.' "From 7am to 7pm, five days a week," she says. "Each day starts with a three-mile run, then sprints – which get more intensive each week. I'm never comfortable in training, pain barriers are always being broken. It's the only way to improve, it's not pleasant," she laughs.
Around lunchtime Adams "might do six sets of 10 press-ups with a 15kg weight on my back" followed by a two-hour boxing technique and sparring session in the evening. "I spar with men, they tend to be faster and stronger so it keeps me focused.
"There are days when I don't feel like doing it," she says. "But I stick to my regime. I want to win."
It's impossible to talk to Adams at any length without the W word making an appearance: winning. "When I'm going into a competition, it never even enters my mind that I might lose. I'm very competitive. When it does happen, I am a bit of a sore loser." So is that focus something she was born with? "I think so. Even when I play board games at Christmas, I still have to win. I'm still known to sulk if I don't come out on top."
Before a fight, Adams uses her Olympic podium moment to visualise success. "I remember feeling happy, overwhelmed and relieved. Before I go into the ring now, I just imagine winning, feeling that all over again. And when I've done that I try to stay relaxed – I'll have Drake Summer Sixteen on and joke with my team."
As well as a gruelling regime, being an Olympic athlete has forced Adams to her relinquish control over her weight, diet and even her holiday plans (she only gets two weeks off for Christmas). All are dictated by a packed schedule (up to 30 fights per year) and a team of coaches.
She starts with her morning weigh-in ("I box at 51kgs and have to be within a 5% margin of that weight at all times."). Then meals are a variation of chicken and vegetables and come pre-prepared from a delivery service, except for her sacred morning bowl of Frosties. "Frosties were non-negotiable," she laughs.
I muse that having to give up so much of your freedom must get frustrating. She owns a house in Leeds but is rarely there as she trains all week in Sheffield. "Sometimes it does. I've been over my top weight a few times because I've let my diet slip. I even had a cheeky Big Mac after winning Olympic gold. And answering to a coach about every single thing I've eaten isn't easy but I'm used to it."
It's a rare moment that she allows her focus to slip. At the shoot she doesn't eat anything, although she does admit she's eaten half the Easter egg we left in her hotel room. "When I'm tempted to throw off my training diet for a rack of Jack Daniels ribs at TGI Fridays or a piña colada, I just stop and think to myself, if I follow the rules, I might become the first British person – man or woman – to win two Olympic gold medals in boxing." And that simple, focused thought, means that in 100 days' time, Nicola Adams looks set to make history once again. We'll be sure to have the Big Mac on standby.
What it feels like to be hit by Nicola Adams
Jack Bateson, GB flyweight boxer and sparring partner, says:
"When you get punched by someone like Nicola you immediately feel your heart start to race and your breath quicken and a huge adrenaline rush ensues.
It makes you feel immediately frustrated and eager to fight back, but that's where you risk losing your focus.
It definitely hurts when she punches you. It hurts when anyone punches you, but that's what we're there for – we expect it.
Men and women fight separately as there are differences in strength, but Nicola is on par with men. She's very strong but her power is mostly in her speed. She can box on the inside [a defensive, close-body tactic that's difficult to get right] really well. In fact, there's nothing in the ring that she doesn't excel at."
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Portrait photography: Chris Floyd
Styling: Koulla Sergi
Make-up and hair: Jaimee Thomas at Frank Agency using Elemis
Photography Assistants: Tori Ferenc and Andras Bartok
Opener fashion: hoodie, £48, American Apparel, all other kit, Nicola's own
Alexandra Jones is a freelance journalist and the former commissioning editor at Stylist magazine. She writes features on everything from dating to global feminism. She has bad taste in films, a penchant for pickled foodstuffs and a spiralizer that has yet to be unboxed.
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"Just take that first step because if you don't try it, you're never going to know what you can achieve."
Poorna Bell: "How weight training helped me find inner strength after my husband's suicide"
One writer shares how she found positivity when surrounded by wreckage.
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For Dad: His Own Wing Chair!
Home → For Dad: His Own Wing Chair!
Looking for a unique Father's Day gift? How about "Dad's own chair"? Looking for special accent chairs? "His & Her Chairs" are stunning! Handsome and commanding the versatile wingback chair is as popular today as in the 1700's.
So he's a casual man and needs a chair to relax in! The type of fabric selected gives a wing chair its distinct style.
The wing chair's come a long way! We love the look of this midcentury modern chair which is a great focal point in any setting.
For the traditional man with a twist!
What dad doesn't love a bargain!
"Amazing! DecoratorsBest just keeps getting better. I'm going to tell all of my friends!"


Like most mountains (as we saw earlier this year), these volcanoes look stunning in Google Earth. They're listed below in alphabetical order. Click the "KML" link for each one to view it for yourself in Google Earth.
Are there are volcanoes that you find particularly interesting? Leave a comment and let us know!
Mount Egmont in New Zealand is one of my favorites. The volcano isn't so interesting, but the park boundary and surrounding land use pattern is amazing.
Not sure if it goes as a volcano, but the Caldera de Taburiente on Spanish island La Palma is Europe's biggest Caldera.
What about Popocatepetl located between Puebla and Mexico State in Mexico?
Hello, a few months ago I carried out with Google Earth a video on the beauty of the volcanos. I think it can enrich your article.
All my friendships of France.
I spent the night in this dead volcanoe with my girlfriend in 1989.
Just super volcano calderas, such as in west Texas and Yellowstone. Those things really amaze me with their massive size.
I agree that Popocatepetl should have been included in the list, the decade started with an eruption by this volcano on december of 2000.
What about the Great Mt. St. Helens in the US.
my comment is,the Afar volcano is the very amazing and very interestng to see live.
Fogo Volcano in the Cape Verde Islands.


This page shows businesses on Fraser Road. Click on a business to bring up its details and a map showing its location.
Four Way Auto Services is a vehicle recovery company which collects broken down vehicles and transports them to a suitable place for repair.
Gordon Reid is a car dealer which buys and sells a variety of vehicles.
J Cooper & Son is a garage offering repairs, fitting and other auto services.
Map showing Fraser Road in Aberdeen.


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Let's Bring Back Emotional Advertising
By: Barry Klein | 2,867 Reads |
This winter, many of us were confined to the house by bad weather, and it's likely that you were exposed to some outrageously expensive TV commercials in the Super Bowl and the Olympics, or in the network programming that helped pass the time, even entertained at times. But unlike some of us (curmudgeons like me), you probably haven't noticed that the commercials to which you paid attention and liked the most were softly emotional and told a heartwarming story... even if they had little to do with selling the product advertised.
Did the friendship between a puppy and a Clydesdale make you want to buy a Budweiser? How many boxes of Cheerios were sold by the dad agreeing to get the little girl a puppy when her sibling was born? Did lots of people switch to Visa after Morgan Freeman's unique voice told the stories about the athletes?
So, why did those marketers spend so much money to produce and buy the time for those commercials? They will tell you that it's all about building the brand with the large audience to which those ads were exposed. But the opinion here is that it is entirely possible to deliver a message that communicates emotionally and sells products, too.
Just look at the P&G "Thank You, Mom" campaign, which could be a textbook case of outstanding marketing. They are delivering a selling message about their brands, and putting it all together by saluting mothers (their primary target audience) with extremely well-produced, interesting commercials. Admittedly, there are few companies who could benefit from a similar message, but P&G approved the idea and the budget, and ran the campaign. Brilliant.
Now let's look at recent restaurant advertising. McDonald's Olympics ads were a pitch for 20-Piece Nuggets at $4.99. Would it have been more memorable to create an ad that featured athletes working out and enjoying the nuggets afterward because they "Deserved a Break?"
Burger King could have shown an athlete arguing with a coach and then having something "Your Way"... after the argument.
Or why couldn't some chain do a commercial about their support of a worthy cause with the people who benefited discussing what they like best on the chain's menu? Subway shows sports celebrities endorsing their sandwiches, but without any connection to reasons why. (Okay. I'll stop trying to create commercials now ...)
At one time a large portion of restaurant advertising did attempt to capture the emotions of the audience, delivering some sort of selling message at the same time. A good example is the original Subway campaign in which Jared lost weight by eating at Subway. When Jared appears today, people may not even remember the original campaign.
Or, Cliff Freeman's early campaign for Little Caesars' "Pizza, Pizza," with its interesting attitude that has recently been revived. Then there's Dave Thomas and his folksy, homespun, self-deprecating commercials for Wendy's. Audiences couldn't help but connect with this lovable guy who said he had "The Best Burgers in the Business."
Restaurant advertising today seems to be the same for all brands: beautiful food photography of a new product or recipe, with a price that is supposed to be a value, but available for a limited time only. There are so many similar commercials that it is hard to remember what brand is offering which product. Has restaurant brand management abandoned the principle of communicating why consumers should patronize their brand? Yes, it is a challenge to reinforce the brand story and sell products in the same ad. And it's a lot easier to just make it a product/price message with a cute twist that makes the viewer smile.
But when was the last time you watched a comedy act and then bought something that was mentioned? Funny isn't usually funny when you watch it repeatedly. If humor is the emotional attraction for the campaign, you'd better be ready to produce a lot of commercials and change them often; maybe even eliminate the "crotch crash" that represents the competition, and sneak in a brand-building, positive reason to come to your place, in addition to selling the product.
The current buzz in the marketing world is all about "engagement." It seems that the best way to achieve that engagement is to strive for a bit of emotion in the communication, even if it slightly diminishes the cutesy twist. Let's not forget that a restaurant meal is at least partially entertainment - a break in the pressure of the consumer's day. And doesn't emotion practically define entertainment? An advertiser that brings emotion back to messaging should really stand out in today's marketplace, and reap the sales benefits.
Barry Klein, principal at Klein & Co, is best known for creating the Ronald McDonald character and led the "You Deserve A Break Today" advertising campaign for McDonald's. In his current occupation as a marketing consultant, he has developed business-building concepts, new products and more for Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, Quiznos, Cadillac, Ruby Tuesday, Friendly's, Perkins, Payless ShoeSource and others. Contact him at bkleinco@comcast.net or 630-323-5866.
Published: April 22nd, 2014
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Home Media Rights Monitor UNESCO Releases Summary of Research Addressing "Media and Elections in Digital Times"
UNESCO Releases Summary of Research Addressing "Media and Elections in Digital Times"
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has released a five-page summary of a forthcoming research on untangling the issues of "media and elections in digital times".
The summary emphasised that increasing digitization of societies has led to unprecedented opportunities to enjoy the right to freedom of expression: seek, receive and impart political information and ideas, which are the lifeblood of elections. It added that "the internet has made it easier for politicians, political parties and the electorate to communicate with each other more directly and more quickly than at any point in history," and that the accuracy of information can be checked and corrected faster, more thoroughly and by a greater number of actors than ever before.
It however pointed out the growing concerns about the effects on public debate arising from misuse of digital technologies and fragmentation in the communications environment in spite of this development.
It cited "political micro-targeting of individual voters is driven by aggregated personal data, which is not always obtained in lawful ways" as one of such concerns adding that little effort is required to generate disinformation and to make it to go viral.
It identified three trends.
The report noted the convergence of three critical trends: journalists under fire; information under attack; and election integrity at risk.
It goes further to state that new developments highlight the need to safeguard the integrity of electoral processes, as well as the role of the media during election periods as well as addressing disinformation and misinformation.
It cited two Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 21 which guarantees the right to election and Article 19 which guarantees the right to freedom of expression, saying these two rights come together during elections.
The report identified the challenges in the three trends that have converged and proffered some solutions.
To the challenges that were identified with distortion of democracy as a result of disinformation, it recommended strengthening the range of responses from multiple actors: States, media, internet intermediaries, civil society and ensuring that any measures or initiatives taken are fully in compliance with the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by international human rights law.
On the challenges of increasing threats and violence against journalists, it called for revival of initiatives such as the "South African Media Code of Conduct for Politicians".
It also recommended the development of regional platforms similar to the Council of Europe's Platform to promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists as well as promoting campaigns such as by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media to protect female journalists online (#SOFJO).
To the challenges of elections facing disruption, it recommended continuous development of the media and information literacy skills of citizens, and involvement of electoral management bodies; ensuring that international legal standards on privacy, data protection and freedom of expression are strictly adhered to in political advertising; developing policies such as the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa, adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights; developing and implementing forward-looking standards for transparency in political advertising online; and ensuring the protection of journalists so that they can carry out their public watchdog role effectively during elections.
To download the summary, please click on Media and Elections in Digital Times.
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Gautam Bhatia
Art as Obsession
2 Jun 2020 2 Jun 2020 Posted by Gautam Bhatia
In 1970 American artist Michael Heizer began building the world's largest earthwork sculpture in a barren desert in Nevada. Heizer has spent the last 50 years on 'City' – moving dirt and cement in miles and miles of bleached emptiness, an emptiness that contains concrete ramps, earth pits, mounds, and a geometry so despotic, so alluring and vast, it is visible only from the air. In building it, the mad obsessed artist, has driven himself to the brink of death The man is 75 now, but his structure is still incomplete.
I have never understood this kind of obsession. I don't know what drives a person, especially an artist into a sort of dementia only she or he can understand.
Sure there are writers who project the same madness into their craft, but usually it is directed towards a specific end – a long linear procedure that sways from side to side, but – like a building – is consciously building up. Scientists too I can understand, whose research or experiment stem from a desire to solve a difficult riddle. In the search they lose track of time, their routines, their families, the presence of fellow scientists and friends.
A biography of Einstein talks of when he would lock himself in his lab at Princeton for days on end, ignoring his house keeper's persistent knocking on the door to remind him that he needed to eat and sleep.
He would continue to work himself to such exhaustion, that he would finally give into the house keeper's refrain, and emerge from the lab. Then, seating himself at the dining table, and with his mind still absent, he would eat and eat; and continue to eat, till finally the house keeper had to remind him 'Dr. Einstein, it is ok to stop'.
The adrenalin rush to remain in the clouds, and entirely absent from daily routine comes with its own rewards. Einstein's discovery of his formula was perhaps worthy of many missed shaves, missed toilet breaks and missed meals; a mountaineer death-wish is to die climbing the highest mountain. The theory of personal conquest is linked to sort of indescribable joy that is less public achievement than some inner undefined drive.
While the physical challenge of a climb, the page filling of a writer, or the formulations of science are understandable, the artist's goal is ambiguous and filled with inner dread, and a huge potential for misunderstanding. The line between futile effort, public display of stupidity and personal glory wears thin when a goal is unclear in the artist's mind. 'I could have done that', says a puzzled viewer of a precious white canvas with a single dot that hangs in a museum.
'Then why didn't you?' Of course the curse of the obsession also brings with it the possibility of misreading and a public that may view the eventual result as underachievement. 'Michael Heizer at 75 has nothing to show but some ramps and mounds for 50 years of work', some will say. Others may say, 'Michael Heizer has so much to show, so monumental, the mounds and ramps. What a remarkable achievement, and in barely 50 years'! The perspective of art is clouded by uncertainty. Even the artist doesn't know what he has done? Or why?
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Home » Sport » Bob Stoops has advice for Urban Meyer: 'Have some patience' in retirement
Bob Stoops has advice for Urban Meyer: 'Have some patience' in retirement
NEW YORK – A bearded Bob Stoops strolled through a hotel lobby Tuesday afternoon, looking relaxed and happy. But the former Oklahoma coach had some advice for Urban Meyer, who's joining him in retirement.
"It's not easy, let me tell you," Stoops said. "I'd tell him, 'Have some patience.' It takes time. It's such a drastic difference. It takes a lot.
"I'm still not adjusted – but there's still time."
Although their circumstances were different, there were some parallels.
Meyer, 54, announced his retirement Tuesday morning after seven years at Ohio State. The Buckeyes promoted offensive coordinator Ryan Day.
Stoops was 56 when he stepped away in June 2017, after 18 years at Oklahoma. He handed the program to offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who has taken the Sooners to consecutive Big 12 championships and two College Football Playoff appearances.
"Our transition has been incredibly smooth," Stoops said. "I'm happy for that, and happy that our program continues to thrive."
Day served as the Buckeyes' interim head coach for the season's first three games, while Meyer was serving a suspension after the school's investigation into Meyer's handling of domestic violence allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith.
Meyer called Day an "elite" coach who is primed to continue the Buckeyes' success. Stoops declined to make the comparison – "That's for them to say, not for me," he said – but Meyer's comments sounded similar to the way Stoops described Riley when he stepped away.
"It was obvious to me (Riley was ready)," Stoops said, "and I think that's why I got the feeling that I did. … To me, it was important that our program continue in a great way. I thought, 'You know, this is an opportunity for me to do what I want to do in life, whatever that may be.' But bottom line, here's an opportunity for me to step away and leave it going as smoothly as possible.
"I not only was looking out for me, but looking out for the program and me. I found the right blend that, 'You know what? This is perfect.'
"Hopefully for Urban, it works out great for him."
Stoops added: "I'm happy for him, and if this is the right thing for him and his family, then great. He's done an awesome job and I'm excited for whatever else comes to him."
Stoops noted that Meyer spent a year out of coaching after resigning at Florida in 2010, so "he knows" what it's like. But he said the most difficult part of retirement after coaching is "all of it."
"The intensity, the competition, the challenge of this," he said. "But also for all of us that played as well as coached, it's been 40 years of my life I've been with a gang of guys. It's like, you always had your crew and all of the sudden you don't have a crew anymore. You've got your players and your coaches and a fraternity of guys you're constantly interacting with every single day, and all of the sudden you go to being alone. So that's not easy to handle."