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Summer Lectures with USCHS
U.S. Capitol Historical Society
Sat, Feb 8 11:00 AM
TAPS Togethers: US Capitol Tour (DC)
United States Capitol, Washington
Wed, Mar 11 1:00 PM
PCOS Advocacy Day 2020
Capitol Hill, Washington
#CharityCauses #Rally
Wed, Feb 19 6:00 PM
SHPE National DC Office Welcome Reception
SHPE DC Office, Washington
#Business #Party
Tue, Feb 25 12:45 PM
WoTRS Cultural Outing: U.S. Capitol Tour Sponsored by Representative Don Beyer
Representative Don Beyer's Office, Washington
#Community #Performance
New Year's Day Tour of Capitol Building Grounds! Wednesday, January 1, 2 pm
Supreme Court of the United States, Washington
#Holiday #Tour
Interfaith Text Study on the Holyland
Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, Washington
#Spirituality #Seminar
Wed, Jun 10 8:00 AM
iStand 2020: Ignite. Fight. Reunite!
Camp Congress for Girls DC 2020 featuring a Day on Capitol Hill
550 C Street SW, Washington
#FamilyEducation #Retreat
The Comments Section (A Stand-up Comedy Show)
Capitol Cider House, Washington
Type End Quantity
RSVP for June 19 with Debra Hanson more info
No physical or electronic ticket required.
1 hour before event ends Free
RSVP for July 17 with Nancy Sheppard more info
No physical ticket is required.
Thank you for registering! See you March 27th!
Share Summer Lectures with USCHS
The U.S. Capitol Historical Society is pleased to announce two upcoming brown bag lectures covering Capitol-related topics that span a century of history.
On Wednesday, June 19, Debra Hanson (Virginia Commonwealth University) will present "Daniel Boone, Andrew Jackson, and the 'Culture Wars' of the 1820s" in Ketchum Hall at 200 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002. On Wednesday, July 17, Nancy Sheppard (author and editor) will offer "Airship ROMA: A Forgotten Tragedy" at a The National Churchill Library and Center at The George Washington University. Both talks will be from noon to 1 pm.
They are free and open to the public; pre-registration here is requested.
Light refreshments will be provided; please feel free to bring your own bag lunch.
In the course of his lifetime, and in the wake of his death in 1820, Daniel Boone joined a select group of Americans elevated to the status of a national hero in the early republic. At the same time, the nature, meanings, and legacy of his life and adventures were widely disputed. Using images of Boone produced in the 1820s—including the "Conflict of Daniel Boone and the Indians" bas-relief located in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda—as key evidence, this presentation will examine the contested legacy of the frontiersman in relation to Andrew Jackson's rise to power, issues pertaining to continental and commercial expansion, and the contentious debate over "how the new American republic was to respond…to the indigenous peoples who possessed prior claim to the land." Presenter Debra Hanson is an art historian specializing in American art, architecture, and visual culture of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. She currently teaches Art History at VCU's Middle Eastern campus in Doha, Qatar. Hanson has been awarded numerous fellowships from the U.S. Capitol Historical Society to conduct research at the Capitol and has written and presented extensively on the intersections of art, architectural space, politics, and historical narrative within the Capitol.
In March 1921, Maj. John G. Thornell and his crew were detailed to Italy to procure a new experimental airship for the U.S. Army Air Service that was to be stationed out of Langley Field, Virginia. With the enthusiastic support of the U.S. Congress to highlight not only lighter-than-air development, but also our continued friendship with the Italian crown, ROMA was celebrated as the shining gem of America's dirigible fleet. However, fraught with troubles, ROMA never lived up to expectations. On February 21, 1922, she barreled towards the ground, exploding in an incredible conflagration, claiming the lives of the majority of the officers, crew, and civilians on board. This was the single deadliest disaster of a U.S. hydrogen airship. Congress waged an extensive investigation to find out what happened to ROMA and how it could prevent another disaster of its kind. But with anger raging towards the unnecessary loss of life, Congress was unfairly vilified in the aftermath. Once the investigation concluded, the War Department buried the stories of ROMA and her crew, leaving their memory and sacrifice in the line of duty virtually erased from history. Author & historian Nancy E. Sheppard is a two-time award nominated non-fiction author, historian, and public speaker based out of southeastern Virginia. She has devoted her career to telling the forgotten tales of her home region as well as those in military history. Aside from her work as an author and historian, she is the editor-in-chief and photojournalist for the Yorktown Crier-Poquoson Post and serves as a voting member of the York County Historical Committee.
Physical tickets are not required.
Have questions about Summer Lectures with USCHS? Contact U.S. Capitol Historical Society
The National Churchill Library and Center (NCLC)
Washington DC, DC 20052


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» Home » News » An Arthur Rimbaud Drift
« Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel, by Edmund - The Star Cried Rose »
An Arthur Rimbaud Drift
Poet in the City, as an innovative poetry charity, is championing efforts to save 8 Royal College Street, the house in Camden formerly occupied by the celebrated French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine.
It was whilst living at No 8 in 1873 that both poets produced some of their most important work, probably including Rimbaud's Une Saison en Enfer and Illuminations. Rimbaud and Verlaine are as important to French poetry as Wordsworth and Coleridge are to English poetry, and like those poets have a continuing impact on culture worldwide, generating scholarly research, exhibitions, books, films, and theatrical and musical works.
A unique opportunity has arisen for the rebirth of this 4 storey Georgian house and its development as an important cultural centre, celebrating Anglo-French cultural connections. The house, which retains its original structure, is only a few hundred yards from the new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras and could be a magnet for the millions of French visitors arriving there. Michael Corby, the new owner of No.8, has just completed a sympathetic restoration of the property and supports the idea of developing it as a cultural space, supporting poetry and valuable educational and social engagement work in schools and the local community.
Poet in the City is leading efforts to secure the future of the house as a cultural centre. It has joined forces with Gerry Harrison, the former Camden councillor, Aidan Andrew Dun, the poet of King's Cross, and the many artists, poets and supporters who have campaigned over a number of years to save the house and secure its recognition as an important Anglo-French literary landmark.
The charity has established a group known as the Friends of No 8 and is actively seeking a corporate sponsor or other entity willing to take a 10 year lease in the property with a view to its development as an important exhibition space, home for poetry, and community resource.
If you would like to know more about the Rimbaud and Verlaine house, receive details of sponsorship (in French or in English), or become a Friend of No 8, please contact Poet in the City, c/o Dechert LLP, 160 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4QQ, telephone 07908 367488 or info@poetinthecity.co.uk or visit the Poet in the City website at www.poetinthecity.co.uk
In the meantime, you may like to participate in a guided walk about Rimbaud being led by the distinguished poet Niall McDevitt :
Niall McDevitt leads a poetic walk following in the footsteps of the legendary Frenchman's 14 months in London with - and without - his fellow poet and sometime lover Paul Verlaine.
Sun 22 February meeting at 2pm by the Eleanor Cross in the forecourt of Charing Cross station. £5/£3(unwaged)
(Please note: this walk will take a few hours and cover a few miles on its course to the Rimbaud/Verlaine House in Royal College Street. No lightweights! Please bring ideal overcoats, ideal footwear, ideal sandwiches, ideal beverages etc. Treat it as pilgimage.)
"HERE IS THE HOLY CITY, SEATED IN THE WEST!"
In association with FRIENDS OF NO.8, a collective whose aim is to run the Rimbaud/Verlaine House as a cultural centre in honour of the poets.
Une Saison en Enfer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Germany and EU expand military deployment in Africa
By Gregor Link
The coronavirus pandemic is acting as a catalyst in the scramble by the great powers to redivide Africa. German imperialism sees the crisis as an opportunity to assert its global geopolitical interests by force of arms. In the last few days, the Bundestag (parliament) decided to extend or prolong two military operations. Besides Libya, Mali and Somalia, German forces may operate in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger in the future.
Sahel region
On Friday, by a large majority, the Bundestag gave the starting signal for a massive escalation of the German military deployment in the Sahel region of west Africa. The stationing of 1,100 Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) soldiers in Mali under the umbrella of the United Nations (UN) MINUSMA mission was extended. At the same time, the training of African troops has been expanded.
The Bundestag resolution provides for the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) programme, which has been running for seven years, to be extended until May 2024 and extended to the entire Sahel region. This means that in the future, European soldiers will also train the armed forces of the pro-Western regimes in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. The European Council had already created a corresponding mandate a week ago.
In Mali, the EUTM "training mission" has so far built up an army of 20,000 troops. However, in a recent editorial, Lorenz Hemicker, political editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, considers the results achieved so far to be insufficient. He complains that the Malian armed forces are not yet capable of "fighting insurgency on their own," although the Bundeswehr informs the government troops "about the best tactics in local and house fighting."
For this reason, the new mandate provides for the mission to be strengthened by Germany with 100 additional soldiers. The troops of the Bamako regime, which is hated by the population, will thus be able to go into action in the future accompanied by up to 450 German "trainers." In this way, the Bundeswehr is provoking violent clashes between German soldiers and local oppositional militias, which in turn could provide the pretext for the deployment of armed combat drones in the region. A currently unarmed Heron combat drone has been in service with the Bundeswehr in Mali since 2016.
In addition, the EUTM mission is being transferred from Koulikoro in southern Mali directly to the war zone in the interior of the country. The new base will be in Sévaré near Mopti, where the heaviest battles between government troops and militias are raging. Only a few kilometres away, unknown persons murdered the inhabitants of the village of Ogossagou last March, including many women and children.
As eyewitnesses told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk radio at the time, the murderers included heavily armed men in uniforms of the Malian army. They were equipped "with bulletproof vests and modern weapons, as the Malian army has them," a witness reported. The Malian government troops, according to their own statements, had "withdrawn" from the village a few hours earlier and did not return to the scene of the massacre until hours later—although the villagers had sent desperate distress calls to the authorities.
For years, the Malian regime has been demonstrably committing atrocities against the civilian population. A report to the UN Security Council spoke of at least three "attacks on civilians" in 2018, including a "suspected mass execution with 44 dead" and an attack on a cattle market in which "12 civilians were killed." UN investigators also discovered several mass graves. In 2019, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, which also supports military action, wrote that the regime-supported "militias…terrorise the population in order to impose its influence in disputed regions."
This policy is now being extended to Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad in the interest of German and European imperialism. A strategy paper of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) states that "the regional security forces" are indeed "part of the problem"—but "without them, it is not possible."
Since "overcoming the corona crisis will temporarily push everything else into the background," the German government should work towards "including countries like Burkina Faso and Niger and better linking all missions [in the Sahel]. The focus initially should be on civil and medical projects, rather than military capabilities [emphasis added]."
In other words, under the pretext of the fight against COVID-19, Bundeswehr troops and the murderous "regional security forces" trained by Europe should "link up" their combat strength with the UN mission MINUSMA and the French military mission code-named Barkhane.
MINUSMA comprises up to 15,200 foreign soldiers and police officers who were stationed in Mali "following Opération Serval" in order to "stabilise" conditions. Barkhane, the successor mission to Serval, in turn officially includes 3,000 French soldiers for "counterinsurgency" measures and the killing of "Islamists," as well as special forces and mercenaries of the Foreign Legion.
In addition to access to gold, uranium, and labour, involvement in the region, from the German point of view, is particularly concerned with combating so-called "illegal migration"—i.e., using armed force to fight desperate refugees.
People fleeing from ethnic violence and colonial oppression and seeking a way through the Sahara meet watering points that are blocked by the Nigerian military. The result is a gigantic death strip right across the African continent. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that the number of people who die in the desert is at least twice as high as the number of dead migrants in the Mediterranean. The organisation estimates that more than 30,000 people "disappeared" in the Sahara between 2014 and 2018.
In Niger, which has been armed to the teeth by Germany in particular, the Bundeswehr also maintains a military base that, according to media reports, acts as a "hub" for all German military operations in the Sahel region. Chancellor Merkel had thanked Nigerian President Issoufou Mahamadou in 2018 for the "highly successful cooperation" in the "fight against illegal migration."
Germany is directly involved in this bloody "fight." For at least half a year now, elite German navy troops (KSM) have been on combat duty in the country and training special units of the Nigerian military. The secret mission had previously taken place without a Bundestag mandate, but with the extension of EUTM, a mandate has now been created for the so-called Operation Gazelle.
Those who do not die of thirst in the Sahara are threatened with enslavement. In Mauritania, whose troops will in future also be trained by European soldiers, slavery was legal until 2007, though the economic structures of it still exist. According to estimates by local anti-slavery organisation SOS Esclaves, there were still 600,000 slaves in Mauritania in 2010.
On Wednesday, the Bundestag extended the European "Atalanta" mission off the coast of Somalia by another year, by an overwhelming majority of 536 parliamentary deputies. This means that up to 400 German soldiers will continue to participate in the European Union's so-called anti-piracy mission, which has been ongoing since 2008. The German and European naval forces are defending imperialist interests in a region that has suffered unprecedented social devastation due to Western overfishing, unilateral trade agreements and decades of civil war.
"Through its presence in the sea area off the Horn of Africa, the EU...protects European interests and contributes to the stabilisation of the region," reads the German government's mission statement. Among other things, the mission plans to use armed force to shield UN food supplies from unauthorised access and to fight local "pirates" with naval forces.
The military mission has not failed to have its effect over the past 12 years. According to a report by weekly Die Zeit, which welcomes the mission, the number of attacks on transnational trawlers has "decreased enormously" in recent years. Illegal fishing by foreign fleets, on the other hand, has continued to increase in the slipstream of European warships, according to UN sources.
Somalia and other countries in East Africa are currently suffering the worst floods in 40 years. The massive rains have caused dams to burst, which in turn have destroyed infrastructure and homes, forcing people to stay in home-made huts. Nearly 1 million people have been affected, and 400,000 have lost their homes.
The flood disaster is also hampering the humanitarian work of the UN, including the fight against COVID-19, and has created the conditions for the second plague of locusts since the beginning of this year. Twenty million Somalis are at risk of starvation, and almost 3 million are refugees. The country's infrastructure has been largely destroyed after three decades of armed conflict.
As for COVID-19, the country is threatened by the epidemic. The US Johns Hopkins University lists the country in second last place in its Global Health Security Index (GHS Index), which represents the state of preparedness to deal with epidemics in 195 countries. The university currently measures the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Somalia at 1,731. The number of cases has been rising rapidly since the beginning of April, and the number of unreported cases is likely to be high; the 67 officially registered fatalities include the Minister of Justice of the state of Hirshabelle.
Although the imperialist powers have created the conditions for this maelstrom of displacement, natural disasters and pandemic in the last decades, they are now using the devastating situation as a pretext to prepare a geopolitical redivision of the region using military force. The Atalanta mission also fulfils a "deterrent function" in this respect, Die Zeit notes.
"Germany and Europe face several challenges in dealing with COVID-19 in the Horn of Africa, but there are also opportunities," notes a current strategy paper published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Germany has proven to be a "reliable partner" for the East African regimes and should now "lead the way" in taking on the role of "coordinator" within the EU.
In this context, the paper suggests "hosting a Sudan conference," as the country on the Red Sea is of "enormous strategic importance" for the entire region. At the beginning of May, the Bundestag sent almost 300 Bundeswehr soldiers to Libya, where such a conference was held in January chaired by Germany.
The Libya conference and the new scramble for Africa
Protests erupt in Ghana over US military agreement
Pentagon concealed role of US special forces in deadly Niger offensive
AFRICOM envisions two years of open-ended warfare in Somalia
German federal and state governments reject consistent lockdown measures
Germany's Christian Democrats choose new leader
Neo-Nazi arms networks spreading across Europe
Massive rise in unemployment in Germany during the pandemic
After COVID-19 kills tram driver in Berlin, transit workers in Germany demand more security
Dutch government falls as deaths mount in COVID-19 pandemic
EU responsible for refugee disaster in Bosnia: People without food, in sandals in the snow
Germany leads Europe in daily coronavirus deaths
Vaccine distribution mired in delays across Europe
European politicians and media downplay coup in the United States
Africa's one million coronavirus cases "the tip of the iceberg"
African economies in free fall as coronavirus pandemic worsens
Africa's elite build VIP hospitals for themselves, leaving workers to die
German defence minister supports combat operations in Africa
Ugandan President Museveni arrests opposition rival Bobbi Wine
Ethiopian military seizes control of regional capital after offensive against Tigray province
Ethiopia slides towards civil war as Tigray conflict escalates
Zambia seeks suspension of debt service payments in Africa's first pandemic-related default
Floods inundate Sudan amid escalating economic crisis
Tunisian regime deploys army as protests spread 10 years after Arab Spring
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
South Africa: COVID-19 cases soar with little prospect of widespread vaccination


We offer premium waxing at our beauty salon in Darlington that is designed to make your waxing treatments easier and virtually pain-free.
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With just six weeks to go until the New Year concert on Saturday, 8 January 2011, you'd be right in assuming the pressure is on to get the singing down pat, but our regular fans will also recognize that we put in loads of work to perfect the choreography as well. This season we're debuting two pieces with entirely new moves and, in a choir where moving is ninth or tenth nature, the end result really is the hard work of all the Pinkies.
No-one works harder than our choreographers Karin, Oli and Rachel though, but in between rehearsals they stopped for minute and sat down in front of the camera for a heart-to-heart chat. Watch the interview for a behind-the-scenes look at how they got into dancing, where they get their inspiration from, what they get out of working with the choir, and what you can expect to see at 'A Burst of Song'. And if you look closely, you'll also catch a glimpse of the Pinkies rehearsing Proud Mary!
Wondering whether their — and our — hard work has paid off? Get your tickets and come see us in the new year!


I didn't know that they still made 5400 RPM hard drives for desktop computers! They save $10 by using a slow HD?
Last edited by mitchflorida August 4, 2018 at 02:19 PM.
Looks like an error on their page. Scroll down & it shows it's a 7200. I hit HP's website & it confirms that it is 7200 also. Seems like a decent deal for a basic desktop.
Another discrepancy is that HP's website says the memory is not expandable, but Staples' website is correct: It is indeed expandable.
I bought this last month at the same price and have been happy so far. I have not added a discrete GPU yet and managed the low PSU, but with an m.2 NVMe SSD running a clean Windows 10 installation it's super fast and quiet and in a very small form factor too. You can fit a low profile 2 slot passive cooled card because the slot is not at the very bottom of the motherboard.
Its 2.5" bc of the form factor.
Nice post OP. It's also eligible for the Visa Checkout promo, discussed in the following thread, so the price drops to $374.99.


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My band Still Steady
Still Steady is a band I started while I was still with the now on-hiatus Masha. It will be the band that would enable me to play other music genres that I also love hehe!
A Little History:
In 2015, I recruited Masha's drummer Tobs and my former officemate Mike to play the bass to start the band. I then posted online to look for a singer/songwriter. Luckily, Ryan saw and responded to my ad and we were able to start the band.
The music we play is a combination of indie, alternative, rock, reggae and ska music. We spent a year practicing and writing our own material before releasing our first song to the public.
This first song is called "No One Gets It on Their First Try". It was written by our vocalist/guitarist Ryan Gonzales. It's about chasing your dreams and being positive along the way. We recorded this song with Nick Lazaro at La balls Studio in Makati City, Philippines back in around May to July 2016.
The song became part of Philippine radio station Jam 88.3 FM's regular playlist (thanks to their Fresh Filter show) and eventually was ranked #58 in Jam 88.3s Top 88 Tracks of 2016!
Still Steady is composed of:
Ryan Gonzales - vocals/guitars
Tobs Tobio - drums
Mike Trampe - bass
Paulo Rodriguez - guitars
Our songs are all on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer, Youtube, Amazon, Google, etc.
You could also listen to it at https://soundcloud.com/still-steady/no-one-gets-it-on-their-first-try
For more info on the band:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/stillsteadyband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/stillsteadyband
I would love to know what you think of our music! Send me a message or leave a comment below. Thanks and Peace!
Labels: alternative, band, indie, life, music, OPM, recording, reggae, rock, ska, song, Still Steady


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Irène Tolleret, née le  à Béziers, est une vigneronne et femme politique française. Membre de La République en marche et de Territoires de progrès, elle est élue députée européenne en 2019.

Biographie
Irène Tolleret est diplômée de l'ESSEC. Elle poursuit une carrière de directrice marketing dans le secteur du vin en France et en Angleterre.

En 2003, elle achète avec son mari un petit domaine viticole en Occitanie, dans l'Hérault. Elle s'engage pour la valorisation de la richesse viticole de la région et se bat pour l'extension géographique du Pic Saint-Loup.

Parcours politique
Peu après les élections municipales de 2014, elle est élue maire de Fontanès, dans l'Hérault. Représentante de sa commune au conseil communautaire de la communauté de communes du Grand Pic Saint-Loup, elle y est vice-présidente chargée des relations et affaires européennes. Elle est élue en 2017 dans le canton de Lodève conseillère départementale, membre de la commission permanente. Elle est classée divers gauche.

Pendant son mandat, elle monte la candidature de son territoire au fonds européen LEADER et devient présidente du GAL (Groupe d'action local) du Grand Pic Saint-Loup, un organisme chargé de la gestion du fonds européen pour le développement rural FEADER.

Irène Tolleret est élue députée européenne aux élections européennes de , sur la liste de La République en marche conduite par Nathalie Loiseau, en neuvième position. Candidate inattendue selon la presse, elle souhaite pouvoir représenter la ruralité sur la liste macroniste. Elle démissionne de son mandat à Fontanès peu après sa prise de fonction.

Au Parlement européen, elle siège au sein des commissions du développement régional, de l'agriculture et du développement rural et des droits des femmes et de l'égalité des genres.

Elle co-préside l'intergroupe Vins, Spiritueux et Produits alimentaires de qualité du Parlement européen.

Elle a co-fondé le European Food Forum, un groupe de travail qui réunit les filières, les transformateurs, les distributeurs et les députés européens de tous les groupes politiques autour de la filière alimentation.

En 2020, elle remporte le MEP Award et est ainsi élue eurodéputée de l'année par The Parliament Magazine pour son travail en faveur de la sécurité alimentaire. Elle est la seule eurodéputée parmi les eurodéputés français à être distinguée cette année-là.

Dans le cadre du plan de relance France Relance, elle est membre du comité national de suivi du plan de relance, du comité régional Occitanie de suivi du plan de relance et du conseil d'administration de LEADER France.

La Haute autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique saisit la justice, en , de la situation de la nouvelle élue au Parlement européen pour non respect de ses obligations déclaratives.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Liste des députés européens de France de la  - Liste des députés européens de la

Liens externes

Femme politique française
Personnalité de Territoires de progrès
Personnalité de La République en marche
Membre individuel du Parti démocrate européen
Député européen membre de La République en marche
Député européen du groupe Renew Europe 2019-2024
Député européen élu en France 2019-2024
Conseiller départemental de l'Hérault
Maire membre de La République en marche
Maire de l'Hérault
Vigneron
Naissance en août 1967
Naissance à Béziers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Klopp revealed on Wednesday that he will depart the club at the end of the season, bringing to an end a seven-year success-laden spell at Signal Iduna Park, and his team responded with a professional display.
Dortmund beat Paderborn at the Westfalenstadion, with Mkhitaryan and Kagawa both getting on the scoresheet.Shinji Kagawa was on the scoresheet as Borussia Dortmund put talk of Jurgen Klopp behind them with a 3-0 win over Paderborn on Saturday.Despite dominating and producing some fine football, Dortmund saw a host of chances go begging in the first half, a familiar source of frustration this season for the side who began the weekend 10th.After a less than convincing first half, the hosts spring to life in the second with three goals to pick up a vital three points. It was a flash in the pan of the team that graced the pitch at the Signal Iduna Park just a short year ago, leaving the home fans with plenty to cheer about.


I've discovered that a friend, a 30-year-old woman, is a picky eater. She looks perfectly healthy but eats mainly plain pasta, cheese pizza and French fries. Is this a type of eating disorder? If so, what can be done about it?
While not officially recognized as an eating disorder in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the American Psychiatric Association's compendium of mental and emotional disorders, adult picky eating may be listed as one in the next edition of the DSM. Based on what I've read, these adults prefer the kind of bland foods they may have enjoyed as children – plain or buttered pasta, macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, French fries, and grilled cheese sandwiches – and typically restrict their eating to a very small number of foods.
These habits have been defined as constituting a "selective eating disorder," and researchers at Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh have established an online registry in order to learn more about the problem and determine how widespread it is. As I understand it, researchers haven't been able to say whether picky eating as an adult is an extension of childhood habits, a manifestation of obsessive compulsive disorder, or a consequence of those affected being "supertasters," meaning that they have more tastebuds and an abnormally acute sense of taste that puts them off a broad array of foods. Unpleasant childhood associations with food also may play a role.
I've read that among 1,700 members of an online support group for adult picky eaters, there has only been one report of semi-successful treatment. We probably need to know a lot more about this problem and its origins in order to treat it. A combination of assertiveness training and a systematic introduction of new foods works very well for young children who are picky eaters. This is being tried on adults, but I've seen no reports on how effective it is.
Adult picky eaters are usually embarrassed about their eating habits and skilled at hiding them. They may avoid dinner parties and dining in restaurants with friends and co-workers. They also worry about being bad role models for their children. Overall, this can be a socially isolating disorder.
As for nutritional consequences, most adult picky eaters avoid fruits and vegetables (except for French fries) and have such a limited repertoire of foods that they can't possibly approximate a healthy, balanced diet. So far I've seen no reports of illness associated with this problem, perhaps because we know too little about it, but it seems clear that many years of eating only nutrient-poor foods would increase the risk of health problems.


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Timeline: Longest Lakers season ever could end…
AnalysisAnalysis Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the author and may offer interpretations and conclusions.
Timeline: Longest Lakers season ever could end with a title tonight
Timeline of the longest, most unusual and most difficult season in Lakers history
The Lakers' LeBron James, center, and Quinn Cook wipe tears from their faces while watching a video tribute to former Laker Kobe Bryant before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers in late January at Staples Center. It was the first game for the Lakers in nearly a week, and it was preceded by a series of emotional tributes. After the game, they spoke to the media for the first time since Kobe Bryant's death five days earlier. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
By Kyle Goon | kgoon@scng.com |
PUBLISHED: October 9, 2020 at 12:29 p.m. | UPDATED: October 9, 2020 at 5:40 p.m.
Editor's note: This is the Friday Oct. 9 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon, who is among the few reporters with a credential inside the NBA bubble. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
There are many ways to paint this picture, but here's a small one: On Wednesday, it was Devontae Cacok's birthday.
The Lakers rookie out of UNC-Wilmington is now 24. One of the team's travel party in the bubble, he's now had his second birthday of this NBA season.
A year ago, the Lakers were in China, figuring out if the exhibitions scheduled in Shanghai and Shenzhen would go off as planned. Tonight, they have a chance to win an NBA title in a game taking place in a bubble in Florida. It's been a year beyond imagining — filled with trials and joys and unbelievable grief and isolation. And it might end tonight.
Before the season is over, it's meaningful to look back at all of the major highs and lows, and take a moment to meditate on what it's all been building toward. If the Lakers win a championship tonight, it will be a well-earned finish to an absolute marathon, the longest season in NBA history in one of the most challenging years any of us can ever remember:
The Lakers finish assembling a roster after missing out on Kawhi Leonard, but their core of Anthony Davis and LeBron James is the base of an aspirational title team with many veterans. Rob Pelinka tells the media, "Anything short of a championship is not success." At his introductory press conference, Davis echoes similar sentiments wearing a blazer and chain, saying "winning championships … that's the only goal."
At that press conference, Pelinka refers to Davis as "a pillar of this franchise for many years," even though Davis is only technically under contract for one. It's indicative of how the Lakers have given Davis power within the organization — he and James were among the voices considered when signing free agents and assembling the team.
DeMarcus Cousins, who Pelinka and Frank Vogel describe as an "X-factor" of the team, tears his left ACL in a pickup game in Las Vegas. The Lakers take two weeks to find a replacement: Dwight Howard, who has shuffled through NBA teams for years since leaving the Lakers in 2013 during free agency after one disappointing season. The Lakers sign him to a non-guaranteed contract, a surprising reunion for a big man who was once thought to be the future of the franchise before his departure.
The Lakers open camp, with James saying the Lakers expect to run their offense through Davis. James also breaks a long public silence about last season, saying that the front office "kept their blinders on" and "did a helluva job" at building a contender through withering criticism and uncertainty about the franchise's leadership.
The Lakers travel for two preseason games to China, which become incredibly fraught when Houston general manager Daryl Morey tweets in support of protests in Hong Kong. The Chinese government comes down hard on the NBA, taking games off the air and removing marketing. The Lakers play two games against the Nets and return home, after which James calls Morey "misinformed" — though he later walks back that comment, he is still criticized for a perceived double-standard of declining to speak out on the authoritarian government in another country (as a postscript, the Chinese government is airing Game 5 of the Finals on CCTV after a yearlong suspension for the NBA).
The Lakers begin their season with a loss to the Clippers as Leonard plays brilliantly at Staples Center (even though the Clippers "home crowd" greets him with boos). But after, they roll off a seven-game winning streak, the first of several winning streaks that will come to define their regular season.The Getty fire threatens homes in Los Angeles, including James' Brentwood estate. He and his family evacuate in the middle of the night and search for a hotel (Davis also evacuates, but is able to return more quickly). James later pays for a taco truck to station by the first responders' base camp in appreciation.
The Lakers become the top team in the West quickly, thanks to a number of tight wins, including four one-possession wins in a five-game stretch. That includes a victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Staples Center with two special guests: Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
Davis returns to New Orleans at the tail end of a four-game road trip, scoring 41 points after a lot of build-up the day before Thanksgiving. He also gets the game-sealing steal. He is cheerful afterward, pleased to see his former New Orleans teammates, and calls the game "fun." James can't help but mention how his return to Cleveland during the 2010-2011 season was much harder.
The Lakers continue ripping off wins, starting the month with a three-game road trip to Denver, Utah and Portland — two of which will become playoff opponents. They also win 14 straight road games, including a one-possession thriller against the Miami Heat that sees Davis notch the game-winning deflection against Jimmy Butler. It still seems a far cry from a Finals preview at the time.
But injury strikes on the back end of the month, as Davis rolls an ankle, James strains his groin, and Kyle Kuzma continues to oscillate in and out of the lineup with injuries. That leads to losses against high-profile contenders, including at Milwaukee, then at home against the Nuggets and the Clippers. The Lakers 0-2 record against the Clippers is seen as an indictment of their championship dreams, even though they continue to lead the Western Conference. James turns 35 toward the end of the year, looking physically vulnerable.
On the first day of the new year, former commissioner David Stern dies, rocking the NBA. James, who battled with Stern especially in the 2011 lockout season, compares his influence to Dr. James Naismith, the creator of basketball. The solemn moment belies a Lakers season that quickly gets back on track, as the Lakers power through a number of January opponents — even winning games without James or Davis on the floor. Howard, who has been a surprise key bench player, sees his contract become guaranteed.
An East Coast road trip gets into the dog days of the season, as the Lakers lose to Boston and Philly, then seen as two of the Eastern powers who might reach the Finals. But there is a powerful moment on the trip, as James passes Bryant for No. 3 on the all-time scoring list in NBA history. After James tells reporters of how he held Bryant up as an example as a teenager, Bryant tweets: "Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother."
It is the last message the world ever hears from Bryant, who is killed the next day in a helicopter crash in Calabasas with his daughter and seven other people on his way to a basketball tournament at his academy. The Lakers learn of his death mid-flight from Philadelphia. Los Angeles and much of the basketball world is thrown into sudden mourning, as monuments and murals spring up all over the city. The Lakers' game against the Clippers is delayed out of grief (the game won't be played until July 30), and instead, a Hall of Fame panel including Shaq, Jerry West and Dwyane Wade gather on a TNT broadcast to remember Bryant.
When the Lakers finally do take the court on the Friday after Bryant's death, an emotional tribute with Usher, cellist Ben Hong and videos of Bryant's greatest moments are played before a drained loss to Portland. Lawrence Tanter reads every player in the starting lineup as Kobe Bryant, and Nos. 8 and 24 are lit up by spotlight. James delivers a heartfelt address to the crowd, finishing with: "In the words of Kobe Bryant, 'Mamba out.' But in the words of us, 'Not forgotten.'
In the ensuing weeks, it becomes clear that the remainder of the Lakers' season will be shadowed by Bryant's death, both as inspiration and as an emotional burden. Every opposing arena has a tribute to play. That continues into All-Star weekend, where the All-Star MVP award is named after Bryant, its greatest winner, and the Hall of Fame has a somber nomination of Bryant as a finalist. While Davis enjoys an All-Star homecoming, the Lakers' first-place coaching staff gets a nod, and Howard gets a long-awaited return to the dunk contest, Bryant's death looms over everything.
There is a moment to collectively celebrate Kobe and Gianna's lives at Staples Center on Feb. 24, a combination of their jersey numbers. There's a number of high-profile speakers, including Shaq, Michael Jordan, Diana Tsaurasi and Geno Auriemma. But no one is more powerful than Vanessa Bryant, a widow and grieving mother, who recalls Kobe and Gianna in vivid detail and intimacy.
The start to the month is the Lakers' most promising yet: They dispatch Zion Williamson on the road, then beat the Bucks and the Clippers in back-to-back home games. It's seen as the most definitive proof yet that the Lakers are truly capable of beating the league's best teams and winning a championship. A signing of Markieff Morris and his integration into the roster is seen as an incremental move at the time. MVP buzz builds for James after dominant performances.
But the threat of COVID-19 which has been encroaching from the sidelines suddenly mounts an ambush: As the league talks about pulling fans out of games, Utah's Rudy Gobert tests positive for coronavirus prior to a game in Oklahoma City. It drives Adam Silver to immediately suspend the season.
The Lakers are driven physically apart by the announcement, which requires isolation and closes team facilities. While they work out from home and keep in touch digitally, there's a growing sense of uncertainty that they'll ever be able to resume their season when they appeared at their height. James says that he would never get over it if the Lakers aren't able to finish.
The union and the NBA come to an agreement to resume at Disney World, which many players have doubts about but agree to in order to save the league's season revenue and their own paychecks. Just as the NBA announces the agreement, COVID-19 cases begin spiking in Florida, adding to the anxiety.
The death of George Floyd sets off national protests, of which NBA players become a part. Many players who might otherwise be on the court find themselves more invested than ever in off-court concerns, including racial equity and justice. Starting guard Avery Bradley is at the center of a movement of players questioning if a return to play is distracting to these interests — he later opts out, one of the most prominent players on a contending team to do so. Howard nearly follows him, but after much meditation announces he's joining the Lakers in the bubble on CNN.
James is reportedly at the heart of the movement to get players to participate, even as he structures a voting rights initiative to address other off-court issues. On the 22 teams that attend the bubble, most players decide to participate. The Lakers add J.R. Smith, a longtime James teammate, to replace Bradley.
The Lakers arrive in the bubble, an alien environment without fans. Aside from the logistical challenges of a small traveling staff, the team also struggles with conditioning and physical rhythm. It's clear that they are not in the same sync and fitness they were in March when the season went on hiatus. They open the seeding games with a win over the Clippers, but struggle to show their championship form early on.
Behind the scenes, a number of factors add to the strain, including isolation from their families and frustration with continuing instances of racial injustice, including the Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake cases. While there are moments of levity, about a month into the bubble, the Lakers and the NBA at large start showing signs of stress. It bleeds into the Lakers' first-round series against Portland, which seemingly comes to an emotional head in Game 4, a celebration of "Mamba Day" in Bryant's memory, but which is overtaken by frustration about the shooting of Blake in Kenosha, Wisc. James vents after the game, saddened that a big night for the Lakers organization is overshadowed by the case.
It has a league-wide effect: Two days later hours before a closeout Game 5, the Milwaukee Bucks sit out of their own playoff game against the Orlando Magic, setting off a work stoppage that is followed by other NBA teams and leagues across the country. A fiery union meeting that night results in the Lakers and Clippers seemingly ready to walk out. By the next day, James has changed his mind, and is part of the player contingent working with the owners to secure additional initiatives to encourage voting in November. Four days after they were supposed to close out the Trail Blazers, the Lakers finally win to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
The Lakers look like they could be pushed by the Houston Rockets, who top them in Game 1 of the series. But Vogel and the team goes small with Davis at center, eventually bottling up James Harden and Russell Westbrook with an attentive defensive plan. Howard and starter JaVale McGee barely play, but stay active on the bench.
Howard especially has a role in the next series, when the Lakers take on the surprising Denver Nuggets in the conference finals after the Clippers collapse in seven games. Howard takes on defense against All-Star Nikola Jokic, bothering him with physicality. Davis has a star moment, hitting a buzzer-beater to win Game 2 to finish with 31 points and his biggest playoff performance ever to that point. James has his own dramatic finish, hitting four straight fourth-quarter shots to beat the Nuggets in a closeout Game 5 and get the Lakers back to the Finals for the first time in 10 years.
James said afterward that he was fueled by doubters after the Lakers missed the playoffs in his first season in L.A.: "I heard all the conversations and everything that was said about why did I decide to come to L.A — the reason I came to L.A., it was not about basketball. All those conversations, just naysayers and things of that nature. I understood that, with the season I had last year and my injury, it just gave them more sticks and more wood to throw in the fire to continue to say the things that they would say about me. But it never stopped my journey and never stopped my mindset and never stopped my goal."
Now the Lakers have the Heat on the brink and a championship almost in hand. There have been more pages to this season than any one ever before. It's time to see how it ends.
— Kyle Goon
Editor's note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon, who is among the few reporters with a credential inside the NBA bubble. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
A final Finals review
Jeanie Buss in her own words – The Lakers' owner opened up about 2020, the front office, her relationship with LeBron and her support for social justice causes.
How the Lakers could celebrate – A parade seems unlikely, unfortunately.
One win away – How the Lakers are staying on task.
Eye of the Brow-holder – Anthony Davis approves of what Rob Pelinka has done ahead of an offseason of negotiations.
Frank Vogel's journey – Mark Whicker dives into the Lakers' head coach's career so far.
Growing his voice – LeBron James' history with social justice issues traces back to his time in Miami.
"Must-win" – The LeBron text that alerted his teammates before Game 4, as Mirjam explains.
Game 4 win – A gutsy performance, especially on defense, as the Lakers took a 3-1 lead.
KCP hits a rhythm – An important role player in an important moment.
Meltdown vs. Miami – A Game 3 letdown as the Heat got hot behind Jimmy Butler.
Lakers don't have all the stars – Mark Whicker wrote how Miami has their own alpha in the series.
Still in command – Jim Alexander put the loss in perspective for the Lakers, who are still up 2-1.
Missing from the wings – Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have struggled in this series.
No Bam, No Goran again – A difficult decision for the Heat with two injured stars who want to play.
No comeback kids – Perhaps tempting fate, I wrote about how the Lakers haven't been strong in the fourth quarter, but have managed to hold leads.
Rebounding woes – Mirjam on the Heat's desire to get on the boards more consistently.
Back against the wall – Jim on how Pat Riley understands the underdog role well when dealing with injury.
Overwhelming Game 2 – How the Lakers got the upper hand despite a strong second half from Miami.
Jimmy almost did it then – Mirjam on Butler's Game 2 effort.
Old-timers – Mark on Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard keeping a ring hunt alive.
A pair of Finals streaks – The connection Phil Handy and Andre Iguodala share.
Jealousy not an issue – LeBron explained why he gets along so well with Anthony Davis.
Game 1 lessons – Our last newsletter fished out the important components of Game 1 of the series.
Off on the right foot – How the Lakers dominated Game 1 against the Heat.
Miami medical – Mirjam wrote about Heat's difficulty with injuries.
Another level – Mark hit on how the Lakers are looking down at their challengers.
Adam Silver speaks – A look at what's most important for the NBA to bring fans back to games.
How LeBron has stayed on track in the bubble – He's called it "probably the most challenging thing I've ever done."
Kyle Goon | Lakers reporter
Kyle Goon is a Maryland native who kept traveling west in search of stories. Kyle has been a Lakers beat reporter since 2018, and was one of a few reporters inside the NBA bubble in 2020. He previously worked at The Salt Lake Tribune covering the Utah Jazz and Utah Utes. He is a University of Maryland alum.
kgoon@scng.com
Follow Kyle Goon	@kylegoon
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Welcome to Men's Wedding Bands!
Tayloright LLC (dba Men's Wedding Bands) 1634 E Sandhill Dr Washington, Utah 84780
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Mens Wedding Bands carries a wide variety of styles of bands to suit the most discerning buyer. We carry rings made of Platinum, Palladium, Cobalt, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Tungsten, Ceramic, Stainless Steel, and Titanium.
Our materials can also accompany a wide and eye-catching variety of inlays such as Carbon Fiber, Steel, Silver, Rubber, 18 kt White or Yellow Gold, Platinum, Wood, and other exotic inlays.
The factories we have chosen to provide our ring materials are known for their patented, copyrighted creations and carry lifetime warranties against workman defects and breakage.
If you have a special style of ring in mind that you do not see among our wedding band portfolio, please contact a member of our sales and customer service staff who will be happy to help you!
Mens Wedding Bands, Since 2003
Platinum is one of the most precious metals in the fashion jewelry industry and is hard enough to be virtually free of minor blemished and scratches for the life of the finished product - such as a man's or woman's fine ring. Costing more than other precious metals because of its rare and beautiful eye-catching appeal, this premium metal is known to be the world's most desirable metal category in fine jewelry!
Platinum is more rare than gold and can only be found in certain locations in the world. Because it is so strong and dense this material is used in a number of other areas including in the medical community. Platinum is pure at about 96% in fine metal scales and when compared to gold - another fine metal - it is far more pure with virtually no alloys. This makes Platinum the perfect metal to wear for those who are converned with allergies when wearing gold or other materials. It is typically the alloy content in these other less-pure metals that causes skin irritations.
If you are looking to make a fashion statement that very few can make because of the high cost of this pure metal - you might consider wearing a platinum mens wedding band - it will last a lifetime and will never cause you to have skin irritations or become tarnished and blemished as easily as some of the fine metals can become. If you have other questions about Platinum or any of our other fine metal rings please contact a member of our sales and customer service staff at 801-755-1661.
Palladium is another precious metal often associated with white gold in that it has a white lustrous finish and is easy to wotk with which is why so many fine mens rings are made with Palladium. Like Platinum, its bright shiny white look stays strong and durable although it is not as heavy as Platinum allowing it to be made into larger pieces of fine jewelry.
Palladium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1801 and has gradually become known as a precious metal category the same as white gold and Platinum.
White and Yellow Gold
There are many colors of gold including the two most popular - white and yellow. Yellow 18 kt gold has the same amount of gold as white 18 kt gold - they are both 75% pure gold. What changes in these two metals is the type of alloy used to make the gold. For white gold, typical alloys used would be silver and palladium (see paladdium above). Yellow gold is made typically using copper and zinc as the alloy mixture. Some years ago nickel was used extensively when manufacturing white gold but many people had allergic reactions so they changed to silver and palladium even though these alloys are more expensive because they are more rare than nickel.
White gold these days is far more popular than its twin - yellow gold. People seem to like the look of the lustrous white finish without paying the higher prices for platinum and palladium. White gold is also a more sturdy and durable finished product than yellow gold in that the alloys used to make white gold are stronger and less resistant to wear and discoloration. Another stunning and eye-catching benefit of white gold is that when diamonds are set in this white, shiny material the result is to make the diamonds to appear more white and firey. Just the opposite for yellow gold in this color tends to send a yellow cast on the diamonds which makes the diamonds appear to be a lesser quality on the color scale than they might actually be.
Quick Reference - What types of jewelry are suitable for gold?
Ladies engagement rings preferred gold type is 18kt
View yellow gold engagement rings
View white gold engagement rings
Men's engagement rings preferred gold type is 18kt, though 14kt and 9kt are also suitable
Ladies wedding rings preferred gold type is 18kt. Ladies wedding rings are normally made in the same metal as the engagement ring
View yellow gold wedding rings
View white gold wedding rings
Men's wedding rings preferred gold type is 18kt if it falls in your budget. Otherwise 14kt and 9kt are both suitable.
View yellow gold men's wedding rings
View white gold men's wedding rings View men's two tone white and yellow gold wedding rings
Ladies and men's dress rings 18kt, 14kt and 9kt are each suitable
Earrings, pendants, bracelets and necklaces 18kt, 14kt and 9kt are each suitable
Stainless Steel has been a popular source of mens rings and wedding bands for centuries because it is a faily easy metal to create and fashion into a huge variety of fashion jewlery - for men and women alike.
Stainless Steel takes from 8-12 hours to be created in intense heat in an oven to product the type of product that can be used for rings. This melted product is typically eveolved in an elctronic oven under high temperatures. Virtually all stainless steel is comprosed of at least 10.5% Chromium with another variety of alloys addes such as nickel, nitrogen and iron.
One of the many reasons stainless steel rings are sought after these days is that because the metal is in rich abundance the price of the finished product - in this case a mens ring - is low with regard to comparative materials such as cobalt, ceramic, tungsten, etc.
Stainless Steel rings are comprised of what is commonly referred to as 316L and they are almost impervious to staining and corrosion because of the Chromium content of the steel. They are thus low maintenance, cost effective and because the metal is softer it is easy to form into a wide variety of fashions, shapes and designs to catch the fancy of men and women throughout the world!
For a more complete overview of the features and benefits of tungsten carbide please refer to the "Tungsten" tab above.
This sought after material in the mens ring category of fashion jewelry is interesting to follow over the past decade in that it has triped in popularity and shows no signs of falling behind any of the other competing metals such as titanium, ceramic, stanless steel or cobalt. In fact even the white and yellow gold categories have seen part of thier market share eaten into because of the popularity of what is referred to as the contemporary metal category of which tungsten carbide is a huge compotent. Whether it is referred to as tungsten carbide or its shortened name "tungsten" you will find rings made from this substance in virtually all stores whether they are online or in store.
Most people in today's world wide shopping space have heard of tungsten and know something of its property(s). It is best know for it absolute dependabilty with respects to its scratch resistant properties and its ability to maintain its lustrous finish and shine forever. There are no other rings that we know of in today's marketplace that have these same characteristics for scratch resistance and lustrous shine that never goes away; virtually all other rings eventually show wear and lose the brilliance of theri shine. In this respect tungsten as been referred to as the ring with the diamond finish - meaning that it is as hard as diamonds nad once crafted it keeps its luster - much like a diamond.
Another striking benefit of tunsgten rings for men or women is that they are faily cost effective. Most tungsten rings are sized in 4 and above so that matching rings can be purchased for husband and wife and they size all the way to 16 for the larger hands and all at fair prices - mostly $300 and below while some in this category might even come with genuine stones. If you like color to your tungsten you are now in for a pleasant experience - most tungsten rings are made in classic gray colorations but the newer versions come in white and black and now have white/black tungsten combinations for the most eye-catching beauty yet in this material.
Commercial pure titanium is roughly 99% pure titanium or better when considery the type of titanium used in the manufacture of rings - whether they be just plain mens rings or the more fancy wedding bands with diamonds in them. Aluminum and Valadium are the other alloys typically making up a titanium ring. Nothing here to be allergic to! Titanium rings have the unique characteristic of being the highest weight to strength ratio of any material on the market as they are extremely lightweight making them an extremely comfortable ring to wear on any finger!
You have probably seen the common forms and colors of titanium rings on the market - a silvery gray color that looks almost liek tungsten but weighs far less. This being the common color - you can now also see titanium in a brilliant black color that is ever growing in popularity - particularly in the United States. The black titanium is crafted to not show scratches and has a huge following in the young-age market - not as much in the 50+ market these days.
Another unique feature of titanium is that it is scratch resistant and dent and mar resistant as well - far more than the more "precious metals" such as white, yellow gold, platinum and palladium. Add to this fact the added value of being corrosion resistant and hypoallergenic and you have several reasons why titanium is proving to be the up and coming fashion ring of the century - possibly only 2nd to tungsten carbide which is far heavier and bothers some people who have sensitivies to allergies.
Like tungsten, cobalt and some of the other "contemporary" metals it is wise to know your size when buying a titanium wedding band in that they are not actually re-sized - one has to receive an entirely new ring in a new size if the first size is too large or too small. Titanium is simply too hard of a metal to re-size like one might do with a white or yellow gold band.
Cobalt in today's fashion ring market is in high demand - extremely high demand and for many reasons not the least of which is the fact that a finely crafted ring with high-grade Cobalt is very hard to differentiate from the finer precious metals such as white gold and platinum. Cobalt has a most unique shiny-white finish that dazzles. Add to this fact that the outer finish is not rhodium plated so their is not finish to wear off over time like platinum.
Cobalt does not have allergic properties in that the alloys do not appear to cause any allergies. Cobalt has an amazing ability to remain round without bending like some of the softer precious metals will do over time. It is harder than platinum but not as hard as tungsten so that the outer finish is scratch resistant but not so much so as the other popular contemporary metal - tungsten carbide.
Ceramic for rings? Many people think of kitchen appliances and utencils when they think of ceramic. And they think of white - nothing but white. In today's fashion world where experimentation is king, ceramic in all kinds of colors and shapes dots the landscape of fashion for men and women. You will see white of course, but you will also see black and red and tourquoise and all kinds of brilliant and colorful designs these days in ceramic rings.
Ceramic for other types of products has a clay base and this is not the ceramic used for mens wedding bands! Often called Titanium Carbide (not Tungsten Carbide) - ceramic for rings is not just hypoallergenic but is virtually scratch proof and has a brilliant long-lasting shine that mirrors that of tungsten. In fact diamond polishing tools must be used to finish the fine ceramic ring.
So if you are styling and want to try a new look you might shop the world of ceramic - these rings are created to meet every mood and every pocketbook - ranging in price from the low $30's to the high $700's depending upon what other types of metals you might want your ceramic to be crafted with. At mensweddingbands.com we have some brilliant and stunning ceramic rings made with not just tungsten carbide but with 18 kt yellow gold - a sure eye-catching delight for the most discerning of buyers!
Sterling Silver is also referred to as Silver 925 or just 925. The reason for this is because sterliing silver that is used for jewelry and particularly for custom rings must use at least 92.5% pure silver. The balance of the finished product is made up of an alloy such as copper which is the most widely used.
If a craftsman were to try and use raw or 100% pure silver the end product would not look as stunning nor would it last as long. Adding the 7.5% copper allows fine artisans to mold the finished silver piece into a mastepiece and what is even more important the finished piece - because it has been crafted with a copper alloy will not to discolor or tarnish like pur silver used to do when that was the only method of creating pieces from silver.
Because sterling silver is lighter and more mallable the end result is more exquisite and stunning. You will love the new designs that mens wedding bands has added - they are priced to sell and warrantied for life - including finger sizing!
What do you think of when you think of a diamond ring? Expensive? Unique and eye-catching? Stimulating and fresh? Desirable? Worldly and charming? Whatever your thoughts a diamond ring for the man or woman in yoru life is sure to be a hit whether it is a black diamond, a colorless white dimaond or even if it is a smaller one with a few defects seen by the naked eye. Diamonds are forever and they remain one of the hottest and most sought after ring enhancements anywhere on the planet - their rarety and unique patterns make them dazzling!
Diamonds are actually crystals made up of carbon atoms that form in the earth and receive their shape and size and clarity based upon a number of factors. Sometimes crystals form together and their growth pattern in this environment make them very difficult to create a stunning and perfect finished product with. Other times extreme heat will affect shpe and size or even splits in the earth;s outer layer will affect the final growth pattern of the diamond. Whatever happens during growth - the end product can be truly stunning when it finds its way into the craftsman's hands!
It is interesting to note that some forms of carbon atoms even in pure forms result in totally different products than the diamonds we are speaking of - considering the lead pencil - made of pure carbon atoms like the root of the stunning diamond but the atoms are arranged differently and the result is a black fibery substance ideal for pencil lead instead of to be placed in a yellow or white gold ring to be worn as an adornment for life.
Why are diamonds so desirable other than for the look? As you know, diamonds are extremely hard. In fact on teh Mohs hardness scale they are a 10. No known substance on earth naturally occuring is harder than a diamond. That is why diamonds last so long and why they rarely scratch - they are so hard no other substance or metal can scratch them other than another diamond. Furthermore, diamonds resist stains and blemishes and are extremely difficult to break or chip. Even harsh chemicals that can burn through most other materials, metals and fabrics will not even tough the diamond - in fact these same chemicals are sometimes used to clean the diamonds in that they have no ill effects due to the properties of the diamonds that we have listed above.
There are many other characteristics of diamonds that one needs t know about when buying including cut, clarity, color and carat (weight). Please refer to "Our Diamonds" above to learn more about our standards when selecting diamonds for our wedding bands.
Tayloright LLC (dba Men's Wedding Bands)
1634 E Sandhill Dr
Washington, Utah 84780
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