The Third phase of joint EU/UNDP Project "Community Based Approach" was officially launched in Zakarpatska oblast. The presentation took place on 17 October during regional seminar under participation of head of oblast council Ivan Baloha, head of oblast state administration Vasyl Hubal, UNDP in Ukraine Senior Programme Manager Oksana Remiha, Community development specialist of EU/UNDP Project "Community Based Approach" Olena Ruditch, heads of rayon state administrations and rayon councils; and heads of village and city councils.
The launch event gathered together regional and local authorities, civil societies, private sector and media to discuss cooperation for promoting community-led local sustainable development further to improve the living conditions of people in Zakarpattia.
Head of oblast state administration Vasyl Hubal underlined that this cooperation is very importantfor the region. "EU and UNDP issue costs for communities to improve the level of living. Communities jointly with local authorities define priorities for using these funds for communities' welfare. Oblast authorities supported and will further support these initiatives. I am sure that joint work of local authorities, community leaders will enable implementation of the Third phase in time», -underlined Vasyl Hubal.
During the launching of the Third phase of the CBA Project a Partnership Agreement was signed with Zakarpatska oblast state administration, Zakarpatska oblast council and UNDP. The main goal is the willingness of local communities and local authorities to implement the community based approach in a full-scale. In terms of the agreement 8 rayons will be selected based on the results of a competition for participation in the project for the next 4 years. The Application form can be found: http://www.cba.org.ua/three/ua/news/announcements/2616-application-form-for-rayons-for-partnership-with-cba.
Third phase of the Project will support local authorities in dissemination of best practices and experience in participatory planning and further dissemination of the community based approach in Zakarpatska oblast. The Project activities will focus on rehabilitation of social and communal infrastructure in the area of energy efficiency, health care, environment, water supply, rural economy.


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The Trinity River, with downtown Dallas peeking through the trees. (Credit: Justin Terveen)
Cataloguing the Problems Courted by Trinity Watershed Management
The latest snafu with the second Santiago Calatrava-designed bridge is just the most recent problem for the city agency in charge of the Trinity River.
By Matt Goodman Published in FrontBurner January 31, 2018 3:44 pm
Back in 2015, this magazine called Trinity Watershed Management "the city's most inept department." City Hall's overseer of all things Trinity River is supposed to protect Dallas from flooding, yes, but also extends its reach into the Trinity River Corridor Project. Which means that it's the agency over the Great Trinity Forest, just as it's the agency in charge of the Calatrava bridges spanning the river, as it would've been over the failed Trinity Toll Road, and so on and so forth.
As any adept reader of Dallas news is now surely aware, the second Calatrava bridge, the yet-to-open pedestrian bridge known as the Margaret McDermott, isn't open because of problems with the suspension cables. First reported by Jim Schutze of the Dallas Observer, heavy winds vibrated those cables with such vigor that it resulted in the failure of three anchor rods. Those rods got swapped out, but the supervising engineer still won't sign off on opening the bridge to the public—because the rods failed so quickly, concerns arose above the how vulnerable the rest of the cable system was to wear.
Your feet should've been on that bridge last summer. The City Council wouldn't have known about this had Councilman Scott Griggs not started asking questions and finding documents. The emails that Griggs got his hands on showed that the construction included "value engineering" measures—someone bought cheaper parts. Despite the knowledge that the bridge would be exposed to high winds, recommended fatigue tests weren't even performed until last year, about a year after the rod first failed.
Which brings us back to Trinity Watershed Management.
The department is overseen by Sarah Standifer, who, Schutze reported, has been in back-and-forths with the state and architect Santiago Calatrava for two years concerning who is at fault for the problems with the bridge. The state has pinned them firmly on the city. Standifer was promoted from interim director to the permanent gig in August 2015, after the city of Dallas ditched the job requirement that called for TWM's chief to have an engineering degree. Standifer does not have an engineering degree.
In that 2015 story, Michael J. Mooney ran down a series of unfortunate incidents overseen by the agency—the hiring of a man who had been convicted of animal cruelty to run the operations of the Texas Horse Park; the accidental draining of a wetland pond in the Trinity that was home to federally protected wood storks; the death of about 400 large carp in the Pavaho wetlands in West Dallas, the result of pumping the water out without preserving the fish.
Since then, TWM has courted its fair share of controversy. Let's take a look at some of the big ones.
The Problems with Bidding Out the Very Pricy Mills Creek/Peaks Branch Drainage Relief Tunnel
In 2016, City Auditor Craig Kinton announced that he discovered TWM didn't follow proper bidding procedures in finding a contractor to build a 5-mile tunnel under the city to mitigate flooding. The $209 million job was the largest at City Hall; the winning contractor would be charged with building a giant storm drain that stretched from Baylor to Uptown. TWM recommended a company, Southland Mole, that Kinton found had 18 OSHA violations. The company also planned to hire a subcontractor who served two years in jail for attempting to defraud the city alongside the late former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill. Another contractor, Odebrecht Construction, had bid more than $20 million less than Southland, but the city wasn't sold on whether it had the experience to pull off the job. (Southland Mole disputes Kinton's findings, and Trinity Watershed Management argues that it properly vetted the contract.)
Concrete and the Trinity Don't Mix
In August of last year, the concrete walkway beneath the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, known as the Trinity Skyline Trail, was closed because erosion was threatening to send it sailing into the river. Then, earlier this year, environmentalist and Trinity defender Ben Sandifer found that the concrete Buckeye Trail near Bonton was also slipping into the river, the result of erosion. The city put the concrete trail there under the premise that it was doing what the Americans for Disabilities Act required it to. Now, the river is taking it.
The Giant Pit in the Trinity Forest
The city whacked down hundreds of mesquite, pecan, oak, and bois d'arc trees in the name of digging an 855,000 square foot borrow pit that was used to mine dirt for the Trinity Forest Golf Club, now the home of the Byron Nelson. The course sits on top of the city's former dumping ground. So when the city dug out that borrow pit and the rains came, it turned into a giant lake. A potentially hazardous lake, as a matter of fact, one with a depth that nobody seemed to know. So the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality assigned an investigator to see whether the project is in line with state environmental regulations.
The Fiasco of the Standing Wave
This is yet another issue where Jim Schutze's stubborn drum-beat turned out to be the right rhythm. In 2011, the city spent $4 million installing a concrete funnel that sped up the river near the Santa Fe Trestle and sent the water over a drop-off, creating a fake simulation of whitewater rapids. To allow boaters to continue to use the river, the city's design included bypass channels—but the velocity and turbulence of the water got the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' attention. Federal law mandates the Trinity be navigable, and the Corps said those bypass channels weren't safe. Which means the city has to get rid of them. So, six years later, the city has approved spending $2 million to tear out a portion of the rapids. The full removal will be around $4 million—the same ballpark cost of putting the thing in. Trinity Watershed Management oversaw its construction before handing it off to the parks department. (It's also worth noting that D editor Tim Rogers did survive his time in the rapids.)
Gonna Be An Intense Lunch at Wild Salsa, Apparently
How To Approach the Trinity: Wild Dallas vs. the Status Quo
Matt Goodman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Be alerted when Jean-Michel Blais - Dans Ma Main (Vinyl LP) is back in stock.
A notification will be sent to when the Jean-Michel Blais - Dans Ma Main (Vinyl LP) is back in stock.
Dans ma main, the sophomore release by pianist and composer Jean-Michel Blais, is an expansive album of post-classical piano with strands of electronic detail. Blending his conservatory skill and precise pop sensibility with synthetic accompaniment, Blais creates unique environments where the piano's intimacy can be subtly disrupted at any time. Dans ma main weaves together expressive piano with austere synths in a double-helix of acoustic and electronic arpeggiation, tethering techno, industrial, ambient, and new age music to Blais' solo piano essence.
Dans ma main explores an everyday life awash in spirituality, stemming from Blais' interplay with music as therapy. Compelled by the cathartic air that audiences exude in his pin-drop performances, Blais considers how music has served as a tool of wellness in his own life. From his prior career in special education, to the role classical and ambient music played soothing the Tourettic symptoms he experienced as a child, Jean-Michel's new compositions subconsciously call upon these periods of his life, reimagining a serenity he had only experienced seated at the piano. Decidedly not limited to the keys as his compositional palette, Blais' music is imbued with an emotional depth that belies its wordlessness. His playing and composition are poetic in themselves, with an inspired understanding of the inherent lyricism in instrumental music.
The result, as Blais' body of work unfurls, is the creation of a new musical forum where freshly sounded notes bounce back instantly with the magic and wisdom of shared space. Dans ma main captures but one moment of this infinite lineage, but with it comes the reminder of all the energy we hold in our own hands, in this moment. As Blais says: "Like pieces of an unclear puzzle, a melting mirror, hope lays right there, into our singular hands, with which we love, we fail, we pray, we steal, we give, we try, we pay, we pluck, we muff, we scratch, we touch, we play, we hold each other's hands."


Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet meet Friday in the semifinal of the 2015 Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic is coming off a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, which lasted just under two hours. Djokovic has dropped just two sets this tournament and has played more than five hours of tennis his last two matches. Djokovic has won at least 74 percent of his first serve points and 57 percent of his second serve points. Djokovic has combined for 17 aces and 70 winners in his last two matches. Djokovic has shown little weakness this tournament and has been in control of every contest besides his match against Kevin Anderson. Djokovic has 19 or less unforced errors in his last four matches. Djokovic has lost in the semifinal of a grand slam three times since 2012. Djokovic looks to reach his fourth career final at the Wimbledon.
Richard Gasquet is coming off a marathon five set match over Stan Wawrinka, which took three and a half hours. Gasquet has dropped three sets this tournament and has combined for over six hours of tennis his last two matches. Gasquet is winning at least 74 percent of his first serve points and 52 percent of his second serve points. Gasquet has combined for 25 aces and 113 winners in his last two matches. Gasquet showed great resolve in his last match and won the final two sets to pull off the biggest win of his career. Gasquet has combined for 45 unforced errors in his last two matches. This is just the third grand slam semifinal appearance of Gasquet's career. Gasquet has never reached the final of a grand slam.
These two have played 13 times in the past, and Djokovic has won 12 of those meetings. The most recent match was in this year's French Open, a match Djokovic won in straight sets. Djokovic has beaten Gasquet nine straight times and eight of them have come in straight sets. Gasquet's only win over Djokovic came in the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, and this will be the first time they play on grass.
You have to give Gasquet credit for the way he's playing, as he's made it farther than anyone expected and is playing some of his best tennis in years. However, he has to be gassed after Wednesday's match, and Djokovic has shown no signs of giving his opponent a chance besides the match against Anderson. Look for Djokovic to win this rather easily.


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Home Teams Borussia Dortmund German World Cup star wants to play for Manchester United someday
German World Cup star wants to play for Manchester United someday
Borussia Dortmund star Mats Hummels has admitted that "maybe someday" he would join Manchester United.
The German international has been long been linked with a move to Old Trafford. The Red Devils' incoming manager Louis van Gaal had made the centre-back top transfer target in the summer transfer window, according to the Manchester Evenings News.
However, Hummels has put an end to recent speculations and has confirmed that he will not join United this summer and has open the door for a future move.
"Maybe it will be some day, but I don't expect it to be like that this summer. I never think about that or talk about it because it is something that isn't important for me right now," Hummels said, as reported in The Telegraph.
United have only three first choice central defenders in the squad – Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. The departure of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic has left a void in the heart of the Reds Devils' defence.
The former Barcelona and Bayern manager wants United chief executive Ed Woodward to sign Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen. The Telegraph reports the Belgium international has agreed a deal in principle to join the Red Devils.
Meanwhile, Hummels was on the scoresheet during Germany's 4-0 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in their opening group stage fixture of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller was the star for Joachim Low's side as his hat-trick helped German seal a comfortable win.
Hummels believes if his teammates could work as a unit, Germany could go long way in this ongoing event in Brazil.
"If we are concentrated and focused, both defensively and offensively, then we are a good team and that is the way we play," the 25-year-old said.
"If we can do that in every game, we are going to have a good chance to be very successful. The thing is to work as a team. If we work defensively as we should, then our attacking play is so good that we have a chance to beat every team," Dortmund stat added.


aka happiness. Take a look at a few of them and subscribe with an rss feed to get your daily dose of refreshing ideas.
Healthy Joyful Living: Our blog on all ideas related to living a healthy joyful life for you and your family. Read back archives for traveling and living in France.
The Happiness Project: Here, author Gretchen Rubin shares her personal quest to find more happiness in her life.
Happiness Blog: Visit this blog to get some secrets to a happy life from blogger Michele Moore.
How of Happiness: Look at happiness from a psychological perspective on this blog.
Powerfull Living: Learn new ways to pursue happiness and success in your life here.
My Simpler Life: On this blog, a simple-living educator shares her tips on leading a simpler life.
Zen Habits: Learn how to pare down your life and focus on the things that truly matter on this popular blog.
Remodeling This Life: Try out this blog for tips on clearing out your emotional clutter and living simply.
It's hard to feel good mentally when you don't feel good physically. These blogs offer advice on tuning up your body and steps you can take to live healthier.
Everyday Athlete: No matter your level of fitness, you can learn to move with purpose on this blog.
Laughing Yogini: Learn more about yoga and doing it to improve both your mind and body here.
Out of Bounds: Give your thoughts a nice place to call home with this blog focusing on brain health.
Inspired Health and Happiness: You'll find great recipes and tips on living a healthier and more joyful life here.
Dawn's Memories: From detoxing to skin care, this blog will show you how to take care of your whole body.
Eat This!: Learn more about the foods you're putting into your body on this blog.
Healthy Green Lifestyle - A blog (run by my cousin) from upstate New York on Healthy Green food, cooking, gardening and more. She is a trained naturopathic and comes from a family of chefs.
If you like blogs, but get overwhelmed, I suggest you subscribe to their rss feeds and insert them in a google reader. You can then read them at your leisure.


I guess I have to disagree. In my experience, big/small seems irrelevant.
factors come from the people involved.
corporations, out of my 30 in the data processing industry).
> co." rule, and wildly varying ideas of what "the good of the company"
> anything remotely resembling a good greater/other than self.
> in sales, and multiple physical locations.


This is an ongoing work in progress. It is a collaborative effort between the author and all those who have come in contact with him throughout his life (and who care to contribute to the story). It may be worth mentioning, however, that all contributions are filtered and edited by the author's own sense of narcissism.
At the end of the story you will find a text-entry widget. If you have come in contact with the author at some point throughout your life, you are encouraged to relate your perspective on the window(s) the author's life which you have observed.
As Morgan Freeman is currently occupied with other humanitarian endeavours, we ask that the reader take it upon the reader's self to mentally narrate the story that follows in Morgan Freeman's voice of their own accord.
On an early morning in Brampton, Ontario, M. Scott Johnstone was born into this world. The date was auspicious, August 13th, 1980, and on this day Scott's first appearance brought forth the coming of a new era. His mere existence helped instill in his parents the good sense to move from the hustle and bustle of rural Ontario life to the cultural and environmental Mecca that is Victoria, British Columbia.
Scott's early years were spent playing in the sun and shade of the townhouse community on Panther Street. Many Go-Bots and Transformers were transformed, and every day a variety of He-Man and Rambo action figures would triumph over the evil forces of Skeletor and other nefarious bad-guys.
A number of LEGO blocks and Tinker Toys later, Scott's family moved to a house on San Lorenzo Avenue, where Scott would be destined to meet one of his life-long friends, Nev Gibson. This friendship would later prove to be the cause of an unending amount of stress and torment to both their parents, as Scott and Nev spent almost every waking hour conspiring to develop schemes to trap, injure, or otherwise defeat their parents. The two boys never thought so far ahead as to plan what to do once such a victory had been achieved, but they were nevertheless intent on seeing their evil plans come to fruition. The only thing that stood between them and total victory was a veritable cornucopia of distractions such as computer games, hornet's nests, and simply playing with the garden hose.
It was around this time that Scott was enrolled in piano lessons, and at the same time was also enrolled in French Immersion at Campus View Elementary School, where he gained a broad understanding of language fundamentals – not just English and French, but the schema of language in general. This was instrumental in his development with regards to the spoken languages of human tongue, the unspoken languages of programming, and the outspoken languages of music and art.
In his fourth year of tutelage at Campus View Elementary School, our intrepid hero found himself yearning to find distinction among his fellow classmates and social peers. It was in consideration of this yearning that the decision was made to transform the bland and run-of-the-mill arrangement of follicle by-products growing from his scalp into something that would be held in infamy for years to come; this era would be recorded in history as the month when Scott sported a mohawk.
It was during these early developmental years when a Japanese company which would later become an entertainment giant was only just beginning to find its footing in the North American marketplace. This company produced an electronic gaming device called Nintendo, and that device would prove to be a fundamental platform which shaped the course of Scott's weekends for years to come.
In the Gregorian calendar year of one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-three, Scott progressed from elementary school into the intimidating new world of Cedar Hill Junior Secondary School.
Armed with a thorough understanding of the French language, Scott was able to bypass the eight-grade French class in his junior high and he progressed directly to the ninth-grade French class where his friend Yousuf Mohammed had already established a foothold in the precarious landscape which made up the junior high social scene.
Scott found himself immediately welcomed into an environment of fun and excitement, spending his afternoons in French class not studying French, but rather taking up arms as a soldier in the covert war which took place behind the teacher's back at each and every moment the teacher had her attention focused on writing grammar lessons on the chalk board.
This covert war could only be described as a campaign of attrition, with officers and soldiers on both sides of the classroom beleaguered by a prolonged onslaught of paper darts launched by elastics from the opposing forces at every opportunity. Each day fresh soldiers would dig into their fox-holes, using their binders as armor, and when the bell rang at the end of class not a single warrior was left alive on the battlefield (as they had all skipped out to buy brownies from the vending machine before trundling off to their next classes).
Being blessed with this camaraderie among the ninth-graders (the established middle-class of the junior high) Scott found himself in a unique position to help his elementary school classmates who had been having trouble acclimating themselves in the rugged new environment of junior high. Acting as a nexus between the established social order and the awkward newcomers would prove to be an ongoing theme which carried itself forward throughout Scott's life.
And so it was that the precession of the Equinoxes did bring about continued growth, and this inevitable growth did lead to our intrepid hero once again taking flight from the stomping grounds he had made his own, so as to explore the brave and challenging world of Mount Douglas Senior Secondary School.
In this new venue of social and mental development, Scott gravitated quickly toward two areas which would occupy the lion's share of his time at the establishment; Mr. Penner's computer lab, where he would spend endless hours developing HyperCard programming challenges with his friend Quy Gnuyen, and in Mr. Hannay's physics classroom, where he found solace in the freakishly tall film-makers fellowship with young enthusiasts Jeremy Lutter and Ben Rollo.
This was a very interesting period in Scott's life, as he had recently earned his driver's license and was now a member of the upwardly mobile teenage hooligan class. This increased mobility allowed Scott to begin leading a double life, engaging in theatrical projects with his film-making friends in the Gordon Head municipality by day, as well as being involved in all manner of late-night shenanigans in the Glanford/Colquitz municipality with his alternative circle of friends which he had cultivated via his childhood friend Nev, whose family had moved into that region.
That circle of friends in the Glanford/Colquitz region acted as a melting pot which culminated in the formation of a band of brothers which would later come to be known as one of the most nefarious bands of adolescent nogoodniks ever to sully the annals of history. This outrageous group of miscreants branded themselves "The B-Team" and their exploits would be remembered as some of the zaniest hijinks ever to have ensued in the dark streets of this small town community.
It was the closeness Scott felt with his camerades in the Glanford region which inspired him to convince his parents that it would be in his best interest to transfer him from Mount Douglas Senior Secondary School to Spectrum Community School, under the guise of wanting to pursue Spectrum's Video Arts program. There he would forge an alliance with his B-Team cohorts which would later come to be the cause of boundless antics and tomfoolery, the likes of which could never be published on such a public biography as this.
Disenfranchised with the scope of reality which had been set before him, Scott had entered a precarious stage of development in his life. Faced with the options of continuing his education at the cost of accepting crippling debt or going straight into the work-force and accepting a lower ceiling of potential achievement, Scott chose instead a third option – he decided to go into business for himself.
Having been introduced to the friendly community of cannabis advocates and distributors in downtown Victoria, Scott saw an opportunity to become involved in the anti-prohibition movement at an early stage (and to make a respectable profit while doing it).
Scott spent a number of years helping the cannabis community overcome the century-old stigma that had been erroneously spread throughout North America as a result of corrupt political propaganda campaigns, and eventually became involved with the Cannabis Buyers Clubs of Canada. He quickly became a fixture within the CBCoC and helped his friend and mentor Ted Smith grow the dispensary into a commercial-scale enterprise, expanding its reach from helping hundreds to thousands of chronically ill Victoria residents in need of care. It was at the Cannabis Buyers Club that Scott met a young woman named Tara Elson, who would later become his wife and the mother of his two sons.
While working with the anti-prohibition movement, Scott began developing a musical career as a DJ, using the monker inhaler. He produced a series of mixset CDs and released his debut album, "Syntax Error" in the Gregorian calendar year of two thousand and two.
This was a tumultuous time in the anti-prohibition movement, and community activism was not without risk. In this same Gregorian calendar year of two thousand and two, the Victoria Police Department conducted a search-and-seizure operation at the Cannabis Buyers Club, during which Scott was arrested and charged with Possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of tafficking.
Mercifully, the law enforcement climate in Victoria was much more enlightened than that of other regions of North America at that time, and Scott spent only one night in a holding cell before being released to await his trial. When the case was put before a judge, the judge rightfully dismissed the case in the interest of the community and Scott was once again a free man. This result was a great relief to Scott and his family, not only for the sake of his own freedom, but also because he had recently found out that he would soon become the father of his first child.
No longer involved with the Cannabis Buyers Club and the anti-prohibition movement, and with a child on the way, Scott found himself at a crossroad and enrolled in an associate degree program at CDI College to become a Network Administrator, intent on developing a future in the IT industry which was beginning to emerge as the latest prominent field.
After completing his education at the top of his class and earning his associate's degree four months ahead of schedule, he was ready to enter the field and begin his career. Unfortunately, the reality became clear that there was still not yet enough growth in the IT industry in Victoria at that time for Scott to find a foothold, so he spent the next few years trying his best to make ends meet, fixing computers for anyone who needed his services under the banner of Alliance Consulting.
With little work and an infant son, Scott found himself in need of supplementary income. Resilient in spirit and resourceful in nature, he once again went about creating a new business to help support his new family – a private cannabis dispensary, offering the highest quality products to a select group of Victoria's elite socialites.
Tensions between Scott and his wife Tara became such that they chose to separate and eventually they divorced, after having conceived their second child. Given the still-precarious nature of cannabis prohibition at that time, they agreed that the children would live with their mother and visit with Scott on weekends.
M. Scott Johnstone had been living in an apartment, managing his two companies for a few months, when an old flame came back into his life; a young firecracker named Maria, who then became the greatest love he would come to know in his lifetime.
Scott and Maria quickly created a harmony together, enabling Scott to resume producing music as inhaler, and when he wasn't occupied with running his computer support business and his private cannabis dispensary, he would most often be found in his basement studio, practising the art of mixology and developing original material.
It was during this period that Scott began performing at events such as the Diversity Music Festival, and in the Gregorian calendar year of two thousand and five he released his second album, "Dirty Sounds of the Underground".
All was progressing well for Scott until one fateful day when a failed robbery attempt at his dispensary office drew the Victoria Police Department onto the scene to investigate. Still considered technically not legal, Scott's cannabis dispensary was closed down and Scott was once again thrust into the ambiguity of dharmic upheaval.
With the dispensary closed and with the paltry income from Alliance Consulting not being enough to support himself, Scott chose to take a position as a sub-contractor for Geeks On The Way, a Canada-wide home PC service company.
Acting as the first Geeks On The Way technician to service the Victoria, BC area, Scott developed a strong reputation for excellent customer service, but it wasn't long before he began to feel as though he had progressed as far as he could in the home PC service trade, and he aspired to climb the proverbial ladder of the IT industry.
It was this aspiration that led him to venture into the realm of corporate Information Technology. He found a position as an IT Generalist with Aviawest Resorts where he gained a thorough understanding of enterprise-level networking concepts and Linux system administration, and he helped to implement and administrate the IT infrastructures in such luxury resorts as The Parkside Hotel & Spa and The Pacific Shores Resort & Spa.
After having developed his skillset in enterprise-level network administration, and always having been most comfortable when in control of his own destiny, Scott once again set out to further develop his own business. He re-branded Alliance Consulting as NetworkSense Consulting and shifted its focus from in-home PC support to corporate system and network support.
An immediate success, NetworkSense Consulting helped numerous Victoria businesses grow their IT infrastructure from small-business models to enterprise platforms, and helped already-established corporate enterprises move their existing infrastructures onto the newly emerging cloud frontier.
In the Gregorian calendar year of two thousand and ten, NetworkSense Consulting expanded to take on three sub-contractors; a PHP and MySQL specialist, an SEO specialist, and a Web & Graphic Design specialist, so as to grow its reach from the local business pool to the global marketplace. NetworkSense began fielding remote cloud-based server administration contracts from the US, the UK, Europe, Australia, and numerous other countries world-wide.
While the success of international expansion helped to keep a roof over his head, Scott's passion was still in the realm of music and entertainment. In the Gregorian calendar year of two thousand and twelve he released a third original album under the inhaler moniker, titled "Like A Boss".
In the late months of the Gregorian calendar year of two thousand and thirteen, our intrepid hero was imbued with inspiration to verge out of the realm of electronic music production and into the dangerous domain of live performance. With this in mind he assembled a troupe of talented musicians to form a good old-fashioned rock'n'roll band. As a tip of the hat to the enlightened souls who inspired these raucous gandharvas, they called themselves Illuminaughty.
Even now this ensemble of miscreants is actively toiling away to create a new breed of rock'n'roll rebel, a strange new monster to rattle the cage of society and remind everyone that we're all here to have a good time. They have yet to produce their debut album, but when it becomes available you better believe this Morgan Freeman voice is going to love it.
© 2019 Scott Johnstone, all rights reserved.


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Date of Web Publication 30-Jun-2014
Keywords: Bacterial index, Cytokines, Leprosy, Mercurius solubilis
Chakraborty D, Dinda AK, Sengupta U, Das P, Chakraborty T, Sengupta J. Therapeutic effect of Mercurius solubilis on immune status of a borderline leprosy case. Indian J Res Homoeopathy 2014;8:100-6
Chakraborty D, Dinda AK, Sengupta U, Das P, Chakraborty T, Sengupta J. Therapeutic effect of Mercurius solubilis on immune status of a borderline leprosy case. Indian J Res Homoeopathy [serial online] 2014 [cited 2022 Jan 21];8:100-6. Available from: https://www.ijrh.org/text.asp?2014/8/2/100/135643
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) affecting the peripheral nerves leading to impairment of their motor, sensory or autonomic function. [1],[2] The disease is characterized by a spectrum of clinical manifestations determined by the host immune response to M. leprae. [3] While at the Lepromatous (LL) pole, the hosts lack effective Cell-Mediated Immunity (CMI) to M. leprae allowing bacilli for unlimited proliferation, at the Tuberculoid (TT) pole, the hosts exhibit a strong CMI to M. leprae leading to elimination of mycobacteria. Borderline leprosy patients who lie between the tuberculoid and lepromatous poles are immunologically unstable. At least 30% of borderline patients experience episodes of up-regulation of M. Leprae specific CMI with acute inflammation of existing skin lesions and nerves, and is termed as Type 1 reaction (T1R) or reversal reaction. [4] These episodes are often recurrent with increased CMI to M. leprae resulting in the elimination of bacilli leading to immunological upgradation of the patient towards a more tuberculoid type of disease. Most of the time, T1R is accompanied by local tissue damage, acute inflammation of pre-existing skin lesions and acute neuritis. [5] The neuritis may often become rapid and severe leading to permanent nerve damage. World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) regimen with combination of rifampicin, clofazimine and dapsone for treatment of leprosy. If a reversal reaction is found to occur in the course of disease progression in borderline forms (Borderline Tuberculoid, BT; Borderline, BB; and Borderline Lepromatous, BL), steroid (prednisolone) is the only drug of choice along with MDT. Prednisolone, known to suppress CMI and inflammatory processes, leads to reduction in compression around the affected nerves, inhibiting scar formation in the nerve and thus helps in the recovery of nerve functions in T1R reaction. Thus, steroids and dapsone used for treatment of leprosy have no potential to up-regulate, rather these have the role to play in down-regulation of the immune status of the host. [6] Levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ are significantly raised in paucibacillary cases, whereas IL-10 is found to be increased in multibacillary cases. In multibacillary cases, levels of IL-10 were found to decrease after one year of MDT. Thus, serum cytokine estimation may have a significant role in classifying various forms of leprosy and can be used to monitor therapy. [7],[8]
In this communication, a case of BL leprosy treated with Mercurius solubilis in 200 potency, with detailed follow up observations recorded after a period of two years has been presented.
A male patient of 56 years reported to the OPD of the Institute with multiple hypoaesthetic, hypopigmented macular lesions on the face [Figure 1]a and b and on other parts of the body.
Figure 1: (a) Before treatment infiltration present on both eye brows and macular patch present on face; (b) Active nodules present on ear lobe
Nodular type of lesions on the whole body and both the ear lobes were present. Swelling of both hands and feet with infiltration in eye brows was also noted along with complaint of pain in the nasal septum. As a whole, the signs and symptoms were expressed in the form of bilateral symmetrical presentation. Both ulnar nerves as well as peroneal and tibial nerves were thickened and tender.
On the day of registration, slit skin smears taken from both the ear lobes and both the hands and legs were positive for AFB with an average BI of 4+. Skin biopsies were taken from the edge of lesions before the onset and at the end of the treatment. The skin biopsies were fixed in 10% buffered formal-saline solution and processed for paraffin sectioning at 5/u thickness following standard techniques and stained with routine haematoxylin and eosin as well as stained for AFB. Lepromin testing was carried out with standardized Dharmendra antigen which evokes both early (48 to 72 hours) and late (3 to 4 weeks) skin reaction. [9] Venous blood sample (5 ml) was taken for estimation of interleukins (IL; IL-2, IL-4, IL-10) and other pro-inflammatory cytokines like Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) employing standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Kits.
The sensory nerve function testing of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet was carried out using ball-point pen as described by Jean Watson at twelve standard points on each palm and on eleven points on the soles. [10] On the palm, five points were taken as supplied by the ulnar nerve and seven for the median nerve.
Touch sensation was tested using a standard set of coloured Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. The monofilaments used were 200mg, 2g, 4g, 10g and 300g. Normal reference values were 200mg for hand and 10g for foot. The sensory test carried out on hands and feet showed complete loss of sensation to touch, pressure and pain.
Histopathological findings before treatment revealed normal epidermis. Dermis showed involvement of nerve bundles with perineuritis, endoneuritis and formation of granulomatous lesions in the nerves with foam cells. Multiple granulomas with foam cells were noted in the dermis. These features were suggestive of BL type of leprosy [Figure 2]a. The stain for AFB was positive.
Figure 2: (a) Photomicrograph of the pretreatment skin biopsy showing normal epidermis, infiltration of dermis with histiocytes and lymphocytes. There is nerve involvement with perineiritis, endoneuritis and formation of granulomatous lesions in the nerve cell with foam cells. x400; (b) Photomicrograph of the post treatment skin biopsy showing unremarkable epidermise. There are few aggregates of lymphocytes in the dermis. No granuloma or foam cell is identified. x400
Before treatment, lepromin testing showed negative reaction [Figure 3]a. On the basis of clinical signs and histopathology, the case was confirmed as a case of BL leprosy.
Figure 3: (a) Pretreatment lepromin (0mm) reaction after 3 weeks
The patient was subjected to detailed case taking which revealed,
A. Particular symptoms
Head - Headache of throbbing nature which aggravated in the heat, when exposed to sun and in a closed room
Eye - Low vision at night
Nose - Pain at the root of the nose with history of nasal bleeding
Mouth and Tongue - Moist, flabby, tendency of ulcer formation, profuse salivation, saliva was viscid and foetid, gums were painful with bleeding and with pain at night
Face - Swelling of face with reddish lesions on face and forehead
Stomach - Occasional colicky pain worse at night
Abdomen - Occasional pain in lower abdomen in summer with history of dysentery
Stool - Occasional dysenteric stool with occasional bleeding per rectum; slimy stool with mucus
Urine - Occasional burning during micturition.
Extremities (upper ): Anaesthetic, hypopigmented macular patch present on hands, neuralgic pain in both ulnar nerves, swelling of both the hands with stiffness.
Extremities (lower): Swelling of both the feet with tendency of ulcer formation, neuralgic pain greater at night. Thickness of tibial and peroneal nerves was present.
Skin : Presence of anaesthesia in lesional areas. In general, skin was moist but dry in lesional areas without any sweating. Tendency of ulcer formation and little injury led to suppuration.
Nervous system : Both ulnar nerves as well as peroneal and tibial nerves were thickened and painful. Pain aggravated at night and during cold season, ameliorated by rest and pressure. Bones of hand and feet were very sensitive and painful and mild pressure led to pain.
B. General symptoms
Mental symptoms : Melancholy, hopelessness, lack of confidence, depression, anxiety at night. Anxious and fearful. Restlessness and weak memory. When asked a question, he was unable to reply properly.
Sleep - Complained of disturbed sleep, sleepless night.
Dreams : Bad and violent dreams at night, especially dreams of dead persons and murders .
Mouth: Moist mouth and salivation
Thirst : Profuse
Tongue: Thick, moist coating, flabby, teeth-indented. Ulceration of tongue
Sweat : Profuse sweating day and night without relief. The complaint increased when exposed to sun in summer. Offensive sweat caused discomfort < from least exertion
Appetite: Normal.
Liking : Nothing specific.
Response to heat and cold - High sensitivity to extreme heat and cold, all complaints aggravated in summer as well as in winter, preferred moderate climate and temperature, felt better under shade
General Agg . - All the complaints aggravated at night
Physical condition - Weak, lean, thin and emaciated.
The past history of the patient did not reveal any sexual illness or any drug or mercurial poisoning whereas skin disease with suppression was reported by the patient. It was also revealed further that the patient had close contact with other leprosy patients earlier.
The family history revealed that both the parents died long ago and father was suffering from leprosy. Four other family members were also found to be affected with leprosy.
Selection of Medicine
After thorough clinical examination and detailed case study, the selection of medicine was done according to William Boericke [11] and Kent's repertory. [12]
Based on Accumulated Similar Symptom (ASS), the selection of medicine, Merc. sol. in 200 potency was made and one dose weekly was given for two years as described by Chakraborty et al. [13]
Post Treatment Evaluation
Clinical examination after six months (17.09.2008) revealed appreciable improvement in clinical signs and symptoms. Patches were found to have disappeared on both the extremities (upper and lower) and sensations were regained. The most remarkable sign was the disappearance of swelling of lower extremities and infiltration on eye brows [Figure 4]a.
Figure 4: (a) After treatment no infiltration and macular patch seen on face. Appearance of face looks normal; (b) After treatment ear lobe looks inactive, nodules are very small and dry
No signs of psychological depression was recorded in the appearance with complete absence of patches on the face. No swelling was recorded. The only particular symptom, low vision of the eye was reported by the patient.
Nodular lesions on both the ear lobes diminished remarkably [Figure 4]b. After two years on 23.03.2010, clinical sign showed regain of sensation to touch, pain and pressure and their test responses were normal.
Pathological and Immunological Investigations
After one year of treatment, slit skin smears were positive for AFB and BI was 1.8, and after two years of treatment, slit skin smears were negative from all sites with 0 BI. After one year of treatment (18.03.2009), the numbers and sizes of granulomas reduced with lymphocytic infiltration. After two years of treatment (23.03.2010), no granuloma was noted in the dermis except for the presence of occasional clusters of lymphocytes [Figure 2]b. The stain for AFB was negative.
Estimation of different cytokines (IL2, IL4, IL10, IFNγ and TNFα) showed appreciable changes in post treated cases [Table 1].
Table 1: Criteria for selection of medicine
At the end of two years, the only particular symptom, low vision of the eye was reported by the patient. No signs of psychological depression were recorded with complete absence of patches on the face. No swelling was noticed.
General symptoms as recorded:
Mental symptoms: Very confident. No anxiety and depression was reported
Thirst: Normal
Sweat: Normal
Appetite: Normal
Liking and Aversion: No significant change
Response to heat and cold: Normal response was noted
Sleep and Dreams: No disturbed sleep was reported
Physical condition: Good health.
During the period under treatment no acute illness was reported by the patient.
After completion of two years, the patient was subjected to follow up for another six months which did not reveal any significant change in clinical manifestation.
This case study reports successful treatment of a case of BL leprosy with two years of homoeopathic treatment. All lesions disappeared without any episode of reaction. The slit skin smears were negative with 0 BI . The nerve function impairment of hands and feet got reversed with complete regain of sensation. The efficacy of the single homoeopathic medicine, Mercurius solubilis in this case is considered remarkable because of its ability to influence host immune response.
The immune system of the host gets adversely affected in leprosy posing major therapeutic challenge to the researchers. After completion of WHO recommended MDT for 6 months in paucibacillary leprosy and one year in multibacillary leprosy, clinically, most of the patients do not feel themselves as cured because of the existence of their lesions and loss of sensation even after completion of MDT. Even the immune status of the lepromatous type of leprosy remains unaltered. Furthermore, presence of viable M. leprae has been convincingly detected from such lesions after completion of MDT. [14] Out of the three drugs included in MDT, dapsone and clofazemine are known bacteriostatic drugs, probably due to which the affected person does not get rid of the residual effects of the disease, and dapsone has also been found to lower the CMI status of the patients. [15],[16] However, rifampicin is known to kill 99.9% of M. leprae within a month's time. [17] In spite of this, relapses are not uncommon among the treated cases.
Therefore, it may be concluded that the present homoeopathic treatment with Merc. sol. in leprosy cases where neuritis has already developed, may save the patients from the grave consequences of nerve function impairment and development of deformity. The medicine in this case was found to be effective in reducing the load of M. leprare as was evident from the fall of BI from 4+ to 0 within two years. Whether this remarkable reduction in BI is due to the direct effect of the drug on M. leprae or due to the immunomodulation of the host, remains to be worked out. The lepromin response recorded after two years indicated that this medicine has up-regulated the immune status of the host which is not observed with MDT. This treatment specifically brought down the levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IFNγ and TNFα) and increased the levels of suppressive cytokine IL-10 and IL-4. IL-10 is known to down-regulate IFNγ and TNFα. [18] IL-4 down-regulation appears to influence the B cells for reduced production of antibodies. [19] The difference in cytokine levels of blood before and after treatment is also suggestive of some effect of the drug in modulating the mechanism on the host immune system, which needs to be studied. Studies revealed that treatment with multi drug has been found to cause a reduction in serum cytokines correlated with a reduction in the bacterial burden [7],[8] and the medicine used in this case is equally effective in bringing down serum cytokines and bacterial burden.
MDT is used as an important instrument to reduce the burden of active cases of leprosy. However, affected people remain at risk of neuropathy resulting from immunological reactions caused by M. leprae antigens during and even after successful anti-leprosy treatment. In National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), there is no effective treatment suggested for prevention of disability caused by neuropathy, except the use of prednisolone for nerve function impairments that takes place during the period of MDT treatment.
Therefore, at this crucial juncture of leprosy elimination, this alternative therapeutic approach may be a justifiable proposition and would be of great help to treat the leprosy patients with nerve function impairments thus fulfilling the ultimate goal of WHO. [20]
This work is a part of a project 'Role of homoeopathic medicines in up-regulation of host immunity using leprosy disease model' funded by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The authors are thankful to the Secretary, Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India for providing funds for the project. The authors are grateful to the Director General, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy for providing technical guidance.
1. Van Brakel WH, Khawas IB. Nerve damage in leprosy: An epidemiological and clinical study of 396 patients in West Nepal-Part 1. Definitions, methods and frequencies. Lepr Rev 1994;65:204-21.
2. Job CK. Nerve damage in leprosy. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis 1989;57:532-9.
3. Ridley DS, Jopling WH. Classification of leprosy according to immunity: A five-group system. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis 1966;34:255-73.
4. Lienhardt C, Fine PE. Type 1 reaction, neuritis and disability in leprosy. What is the current epidemiological situation? Lepr Rev 1994;65:9-33.
5. Ridley DS, Job CK. The pathology of leprosy. In: Hastings RC, editor, Leprosy. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 1985. p. 100-33.
6. Naafs B. Bangkok Workshop on Leprosy Research. Treatment of reactions and nerve damage. Int J Lepr 1996;64:S21-8.
7. Moubasher AD, Kamel NA, Zedan H, Raheem DD. Cytokines in leprosy, II. Effect of treatment on serum cytokines in leprosy. Int J Dermatol 1998;37:741-6.
8. Madan NK, Agarwal K, Chander R. Serum cytokine profile in leprosy and its correlation with clinico-histopathological profile. Lepr Rev 2011;82:371-82.
9. Watson JM. Essential action to minimize disability in leprosy patients. London: The Leprosy Mission International; 1988.
10. Sengupta U, Ramu G, Desikan KV. Assessment of Dharmendra antigen II. Standardization of the antigens. Lepr India 1979;51:316-22.
11. Kent JT. Reperatory of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica. New Delhi: Indian Publishing Co; 1978. p. 72, 73, 418, 633, 1240, 1241, 1252, 1253, 1300, 1303.
12. Willium B. Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Meteria Medica. 9 th ed. Seth Dey and Co, Calcutta; 1976. p. 327,433, 433,752, 916, 969.
13. Chakraborty D, Chakraborty T, Das S, Sengupta J. A randomized double blind clinical trial of a homoeopathic medicine in the treatment of traphic ulcer and neuropathy in leprosy. Indian J Res Homeopath 2009;3:54-64.
14. Shetty VP, Suchitra K, Uplekar MW, Antia NH. Persistence of Mycobacterium leprae in the peripheral as compared to the skin of multidrug- treated leprosy patient. Lepr Rev 1992;63:329-6.
15. Sengupta U, Ghei SK, Venkatesan K, Bharadwaj VP. In vivo effect of DDS on phytohaemaglutinin (PHA) induced lymphocyte transformation cultures in normal healthy volunteers. Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis 1979;47:167-70.
16. Ramu G, Sengupta U, Desikan KV. Influence of sulphone therapy of lepromin reaction. Lepr Rev 1980;51:207-14.
17. Ellard GA. Chemotherapy of leprosy. Br Med Bull 1988;44:775-90.
18. Pestka S, Krause CD, Sarkar D, Walter MR, Shi Y, Fisher B. Interleukin-10 and related cytokines and receptors. Ann Rev Immunol 2004;22:929-79.
19. Wills-Karp M. Immunologic basis of antigen induced airway hypersensitiveness. Ann Rev Immunol 1999;17:255-81.
20. World Health Organization. Final push strategy to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem. Questions and answers, WHO Document, 2 nd ed. Geneva: WHO; 2003.
1 Haemangioma Successfully Treated in a Bitch with Mercurius solubilis: A Case Report
Álvaro Millán Macías
Homœopathic Links. 2021;
2 Mercurius solubilis attenuates scopolamine-induced memory deficits and enhances the motor coordination in mice
Simranjeet Kaur,Anudeep Kaur,Gurjit Singh,Rajbir Bhatti
International Journal of Neuroscience. 2017; : 1
RajK Manchanda
Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy. 2014; 8(2): 73


text:
Where the Beltway Ends
Category Archives: Deals and Steals
by wherethebeltwayends | October 28, 2012 · 3:39 pm
An Understated Tribute to Sacrifice: the Women's Titanic Memorial
D.C. is home to dozens of memorials, many bursting with grandeur and stateliness. But some of the most poignant moments that our city offers are found in the lesser-known memorials that are more off the beaten path.
One of these is the Women's Titanic Memorial, located along the southwest waterfront at approximately 4th and P SW. It was erected by the female survivors of the sinking of the Titanic, to pay tribute to the men who lost their lives in order to save women and children.
The monument is comprised of a figure wrapped in a billowing shroud, with arms up and out (not unlike Kate Winslet's iconic pose in the movie "Titanic.") The inscription notes that the statue is erected by the "Women of America," and movingly, the back reads "To the young and the old/the rich and the poor/the ignorant and the learned/all who gave their lives nobly/to save women and children." Almost all of the 1,514 people who lost their lives in the ship's sinking were men (1,352 altogether).
Originally located at the southern end of Rock Creek Park, it was funded and built by the Women's Titanic Memorial Association in 1931. It was moved to its current location in 1968 to make way for the Kennedy Center, and is one of dozens of memorials across the world to pay tribute to those killed in the disaster of the Titanic.
One of the best things about this memorial is its location. It is located at the end of the waterfront pathway—technically the Southwest Waterfront Park—which ends just as Fort McNair begins. It is a quiet, contemplative spot, framed by rows of trees planted when the waterfront was at its heyday as a bustling commercial center. And the view is across an arm of the Potomac of the green and lovely Hains Point.
Although it was a British liner, the Titanic was carrying many emigrants seeking to call America their new home. And thus, while a quiet tribute, the Titanic Memorial fits in well with the ethos of our historic city, one that honors and remembers those who helped our nation become what it is today.
To visit: A 10-minute walk from the Waterfront metro stop, or the red line of the Circulator stops nearby.
Filed under Activities, Deals and Steals
Tagged as DC, Hains Point, Maine Avenue, memorial, monument, National Parks, outside, southwest, statue, Titanic, waterfront, Women's Titanic Memorial
by wherethebeltwayends | August 5, 2012 · 6:17 pm
The Congressional Cemetery Offers a Reflective Look at DC's More Ordinary History
Washington, DC had an interesting beginning, founded not by pilgrims or pioneers, but by an act of Congress in 1790 to establish a "federal city" that would be the seat of government. Over time, the new city found its character, but almost entirely lost to history are the stories of the people who helped build it into a real, thriving place where everyday life occurred. Luckily, the Congressional Cemetery preserves theses narratives, and many more.
The cemetery, tucked between the Potomac Avenue and Stadium Armory metro stations along the Anacostia River, has been called "America's first de facto national cemetery." Founded in 1807 as the Washington Parish Burial Ground, the need for a close graveyard was a sign that the young capital had grown into its own.
Today, the Congressional Cemetery, which is still open for new burials, is the final resting place for approximately 55,000 individuals, who lie in 30,000 burial sites and under 14,000 headstones. Famous figures interred at the site include J. Edgar Hoover and John Philip Sousa. Others include Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Robert Mills, designer of the Washington Monument; and Belva Lockwood, who in 1884 was either the first or second woman to run for president (apparently there is debate on this topic, see here).
A number of more "ordinary" interesting characters buried at the Congressional Cemetery who have added their unique flair to DC include Mary Ann Hall, a high-end brothel owner; Marie Claire Fuller, a once famous silent film actress who died forgotten in a mental institution; and Matthew Brady, the father of photojournalism who covered the Civil War.
All of this and much more history can be learned during free Saturday tours at 11am, March through October. Additionally, Civil War tours are held once a month on the afternoon.
In addition to the vast history that the Congressional Cemetery provides, the 35 acres of grounds are a serene haven in the midst of the bustling city. Many nearby residents walk their dogs in the park, and birds and squirrels are easily observed in the large oak trees.
Whether you are a history buff or just curious to get a glimpse of the past, the Congressional Cemetery will offer you new insight into both our city and our nation.
To visit: 1801 E Street SE, (202) 543-0539, a few blocks from the Stadium-Armory and Potomac Avenue metro stations, and close to the 96 and other bus lines. Open every day from dawn until dusk.
Filed under Activities, Deals and Steals, Museums
Tagged as Anacostia, architecture, cemetery, city, Congressional Cemetery, DC, Eastern Market, graveyard, headstone, historic, historic preservation, history
by wherethebeltwayends | July 7, 2012 · 1:27 pm
A Bit of Nature Within the City: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Washington, DC is a surprisingly good spot for green spaces. From Rock Creek Park to the Capital Crescent Trail, our city has many natural havens. But one of the best and least known of these spots is hidden in Anacostia—Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.
Kenilworth, located on the banks of the Anacostia River, is a 14-acre set of gardens adjacent to 77 acres of marshland. The park is best known for its unique water lilies, lotuses, and other flowering plants on the garden ponds.
It also has a restored tidal marsh, one of the city's last tidal wetlands. A boardwalk out into the marsh provides a glimpse into the unique habitat—on my visit, I saw an osprey with a large fish in its talons alight on a branch across the marsh.
Kenilworth in managed by the National Park Service and therefore has excellent visitor outreach such as a small visitor's center and binoculars available for loan. It also provides garden tours and opens early every morning at 7am for birders. And you'll be sure to see some interesting avians—I caught a glimpse of a brilliant orchard oriole on my walk.
The history of the gardens dates back to 1882, when Civil War veteran W.B. Shaw decided to use his farmland to create a series of water ponds and gardens. After his death in 1921, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers threatened to dredge the gardens to deal with the silt that had filled the Anacostia River, but Shaw's daughter formed a citizen's activist group that saved the site. She also convinced Congress to buy the gardens for $15,000, which the National Park Service acquired in 1938. Since then, it has been essentially unchanged.
Kenilworth has different attractions for the different seasons. As its website says: "Spring is the best season for wildflowers in the marsh that borders the athletic fields and gardens. Summer is the season for the Aquatic Gardens. Winter, when leaves are off the trees, is the best time for birding at any of the sites. "
One of the best things about Kenilworth is that it is metro accessible. From the Deanwood metro station, it's about a 10 minute walk to the park entrance. It's a special place in our city that is definitely worth losing yourself in for a few hours. Bring your horticulture knowledge and a birding guide and you'll forget that the city and highway 295 are less than a mile away.
To visit: 1550 Anacostia Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20019. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Metro accessible via the Deanwood station. The park is also accessible from the back on the river with a canoe or kayak. Free to visit.
Tagged as Anacostia, birding, DC, flowers, green, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, lillies, marsh, metro, National Park Service, nature, outside, park
by wherethebeltwayends | June 2, 2012 · 4:04 pm
Teeing Up At The Miniature Golf Course On Hains Point
I'm often surprised by some of the amenities that DC doesn't have, like cheap bowling (although luckily that can be found just across the pond at Ft. Myer). Add to that list lots of mini-golf—there are only two spots in the city to get your putt-putt on: the indoor course at the H Street Country Club and the outdoor course on Hains Point near the Mall.
The East Potomac Golf Course is known best for its nice public golf course, one of three in DC. But on its grounds is also an 18-hole mini golf course for those of us who prefer putting to driving. The course opened in 1930, making it one of the oldest courses in the nation. In addition, it's on the National Register of Historic Places as the "oldest continuing operating miniature golf course in the country."
Other than the history, there's not too much to say about this mini golf, which is fairly standard. It's quite old, seen for example in the fact that some of the carpet is warped, some of the features are broken, and there is debris like leaves and sticks on the ground. But, it all adds to the charm. And hey, it's the only place you can play outdoor mini golf in our fine city!
Prices are $6.50 for adults, $5 for kids, and $5.50 for groups of 20 or more. There was not a crowd when we visited in May, although staff told me that it gets busier later in the summer. The course is able to host kids' birthdays and other such functions.
Also on site are a pro shop and a snack bar that serves beer. After an exhausting game of mini golf, there's nothing like sitting and cooling off in the afternoon shade with a cold one.
To visit: 972 Ohio Drive SW, (202) 554-7660. Open April-October, only on weekends during the spring and fall, times vary (see here) but are generally 11am-7pm. About a half hour walk from the Smithsonian and Waterfront Metro stations. A car or bike are the easiest options.
Filed under Activities, Arts and Entertainment, Deals and Steals
Tagged as DC, East Potomac Park, fun, golf, Hains Point, mini golf, National Mall, outside, putt putt
by wherethebeltwayends | March 24, 2012 · 11:26 am
Bahn Mi Bliss at the Eden Center
Every city has its neighborhood cultural hubs, from Little Italy in Boston to Koreatown in New York. One of D.C.'s best ethnic hotspots is Eden Center, located in Falls Church, Virginia. This large indoor and outdoor mall complex is home to approximately 120 Vietnamese stores, ranging from restaurants to groceries to souvenirs to salons. As its website says, it is "the heart and soul of the Vietnamese-American Community for the entire East Coast."
Because there's so much going on at Eden Center, especially on weekends, it's a bit overwhelming to visit and pick a restaurant. Let me suggest Song Que ("song whey"), a delightful bahn mi shop that also features various grocery/deli items like finger foods to go, hard-to-find fruits, and snacks.
Bahn mi is best described as a French-influenced Vietnamese sandwich, featuring meats, tofu, and pickled vegetables on a baguette. Options include ground pork, lemongrass beef, and Vietnamese meatballs. Song Que is somewhat unique in terms of bahn mi at Eden Center and elsewhere in that it has a great vegetarian option—the caramelized tofu skin sandwich.
Also worth tasting are the bubble teas that come in all sorts of flavors, like mango, yellow bean, and jackfruit. Song Que is nice in that it has table and seats in the back, which many of the other takeout food options at Eden Center do not.
After your sandwich, stroll around the mall, and especially go to the grocery store, called the Eden Supermarket. It's a treasure trove of many different ingredients for Asian cooking at amazing prices. Other great restaurant choices at Eden Center included pho, seafood dishes, and soups. Here's a listing of all of the options.
Eden Center, formally the Plaza Seven Shopping Center, started reaching its height when thousands of immigrants settled in the area in the 1970s after the Vietnam War. Indeed, the clock tower at the Eden Center is an exact replica of that in Saigon. It's a great place to step out of America for a couple of hours, and experience the delights and flavors of a different culture.
To visit: 6751 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA (Song Que is located at 6769 Wilson Boulevard), hours vary by store—call for details. About a one mile walk from the East Falls Church metro, or 1A/1B/1E/1F bus west from the Ballston metro).
Filed under Activities, Arts and Entertainment, Daytripper, Deals and Steals, Local Food, Restaurants
Tagged as bahn mi, bubble tea, DC, Eden Center, Falls Church, grocery, pho, restaurant, vegetarian, Vietnam, Vietnamese, Virginia
by wherethebeltwayends | January 30, 2012 · 10:36 pm
A Moment of Remembrance at the Pentagon Memorial
Washington, D.C. has many memorials, to commemorate both the large and the small moments in history. One of the most touching of these is the Pentagon Memorial, a tribute to the men and women who died when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the structure on September 11, 2001.
What makes this memorial particularly special is how moving it is, due both to its design and what it represents. It is comprised of 184 stone benches, arranged in order of the birth years of the passengers and Pentagon staff who were killed. The first bench that visitors come upon is that of Dana Falkenberg, born in 1998 and thus just three years old when she died. Three of the benches are for children, a fact which becomes starker when seeing the physical divide between the three benches and that of the next oldest passenger, who was born in 1979.
Brochures at the memorial give more information about the subtle features that the architects included in the design. For example, the words "SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 9:37 AM" at the entrance are etched into a piece of limestone recovered from the wreckage. And, the benches are positioned so that for those who died at the Pentagon, both the victim's name and the building are in full view, whereas for those who were passengers on the plane, the name and direction of the plane's approach are both in view.
The design of the Pentagon Memorial was conceived by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, and selected from 1,100 submissions. The memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2008.
Located on the on the southwest side of the Pentagon's sprawling complex, the memorial is a 5-10 minute walk from the Pentagon Metro stop. It can also be accessed by car, though see here for details on driving.
To get there: Pentagon Metro or many buses from Arlington. Open 24 hours. Free.
Tagged as memorial, Pentagon, Pentagon Memorial, September 11
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RockOUT is an LGBT Youth Group developed in association with The Drum Youth Centre in Kilkenny. It's supported by BeLonG to Youth Services.
If you would like to be involved and get to meet other LGBT young people and allies in a safe and fun location we would like to hear from you, and what your ideas would be for the group.
You can email Melissa in confidence at melissa.faulkner@foroige.ie or text or call me on (086)7736976 or visit me in The Drum Youth Centre, Mac Donagh Junction Shopping Centre in Kilkenny or contact BeLong To at www.belongto.org for further group details.


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A economia da Escócia na Alta Idade Média, é a situação econômica na Escócia entre os anos de 1058 e 1286. O ano de 1058 viu a ascensão de Malcolm III ao trono da Escócia. Seu reinado marca um afastamento cultural, econômico e político significativo da Escandinávia para a Inglaterra e o continente europeu - mais notável em seu casamento com Margarida, irmã de Edgar Ætheling, que foi o principal rival dinástico de Guilherme I, duque da Normandia, pelo trono da Inglaterra após a conquista normanda da Inglaterra em 1066. O final deste período é marcado pela morte de Alexandre III em 1286, que levou indiretamente às Guerras de Independência da Escócia. Este período corresponde aproximadamente à Alta Idade Média na Europa, que é geralmente atribuída aos séculos XI a XIII e ao Período Quente Medieval, que afetou diretamente a economia agrária escocesa.

História da Escócia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Sunday Scoop Week of 4/3/16 - What's Happening This Week or Coming Up Soon
Now at Kelsey Theatre: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Fridays, Apr. 1 & 8, 2016 at 8pm
Saturdays, Apr. 2 & 9 at 8pm
Sundays, Apr. 3 & 10 at 2pm
$18 adult; $16 Senior; $14 child/student/vet
For more information or to order tickets click here
Now at the Player's Theatre
Beauty & the Beast the musical by Sgouros & Bell
115 MacDougal St.
February 14 - April 26 only
Saturdays at 3p / Sundays at 11a
Special show on April 26 at 2p
FREE Family Workshop 1 Hour before all matinees
Tickets: $32-$52 (use code: Beauty to save 20%)
SUNDAY SPECIAL - SAVE $10 - Use Code: SUNDAY!
For more information click here,
To order tickets click here.
Lakewood BlueClaws/ Brookdale Community College Free Exhibition Game
First Energy Park
2 Stadium Way
Monday April 4th beginning at 6:35
Admission is free and seating will be general admission.
Gates open at 6 pm and the concession stands will be open.
For more information go to click here
Wonderful Town Next at Musical's Tonight Wonderful Town
Lion Theatre
410 W. 42nd St.
April 5 -17
Wonderful Town (1953) has a book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein.
Sisters Ruth (Elizabeth Broadhurst) and Eileen Sherwood (Savannah Frazier) move to New York City (from Ohio) to seek careers in writing and acting, respectively. Ruth's first assignment is to interview Brazilian sailors and the result is a city-wide conga line and a brief stint in jail for Eileen. Their notoriety also results in a gig at The Village Vortex run by Paul Binotto. The visitors to their Greenwich Village basement apartment include a prostitute who used to live there (Piera Calabro), football player and upstairs neighbor (David Wiens), his live-in girlfriend (Jillian Gottlieb), her disapproving mother (Leslie Alexander) and modern painter/landlord(Perry Lambert). Dinner guests include an earnest magazine editor (James Donegan), a slime-ball newspaper editor (Leland Burnett) and the local Walgreen's manager (Ian Lowe). Bob likes Ruth, Ian likes Eileen and Chick likes anything in a skirt. Joining in the fun are Brekken Baker, Neville Braithwaite, Joshua Downs,Abby Hart, Isaac Matthews, Dallas Padoven, Ryan Rhue, Eric Shorey and Allyson Tolbert. To find out which boys get which girls – come join us.
Songs include: Ohio, One Hundred Easy Ways (To Lose a Man), A Little Bit in Love, A Quiet Girl, It's Love, Wrong Note Rag
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
5 (7:30) 6 (2:00/7:30) 7 (7:30) 8 (2:00) 9 (2:00/7:30) 10 (2:00)
12 (7:30) 13 (2:00/7:30) 14 (7:30) 15 (2:00) 16 (2:00/7:30) 17 (2:00)
Tickets are $26.25 and can be purchased at the Box Office or Telecharge (212) 212-239-5200
Questions? Contact Mel Miller – musicalstonight@aol.com
Visit them on the web at www.musicalstonight.org
Upcoming at the State Theatre
15 Livingston Ave.
Wed. April 6 Holy Holy
Sat. April 9 Swan Lake
Moscow Festival Ballet
Sun. April 10 Love on Broadway
Todd Ellison's Broadway in Concert
For more information or to order tickets click here.
After Hours Art at Children's Museum of the Arts
103 Charlton St.
Thursday April 7, 7-9 PM
Join CMA Teaching Artists for an exclusive grown-up night of music, drinks, and art-making in the museum's gallery and surrounding studios!
General Tickets $10.00
CMA Member and Young Contemporary Members: $5.00
For more information go to buy tickets go to cmany.org
When Words Fail Music Speaks/ A Holocaust Narrative
at Manhattan College
Manhattan College Parkway
Riverdale NY 10471
On April 12th at 5 pm
Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Center at Manhattan College in the Bronx
"When Words Fail, Music Speaks / A Holocaust Narrative'.
This is a one-act play based on the true story of Jewish-Czech composer, Raphael Schachter, an organizer of cultural life in the Terezin ghetto, Hitler's model concentration camp near Prague. It depicts his preparation of doomed chorus members to perform Verdi's Requiem for an audience of Nazi officials.
Through his music, he raised the spirits of the prisoners in the camp and enabled them to escape the horrors and depravity that was their everyday life, if only for a moment.
He also damned the Nazis through his interpretation of Requiem which became a mutiny against their tyranny. A musical equivalent of a riot..
Presented in two scenes, this powerful and dramatic play gives the audience the opportunity to witness the event as it unfolds. It is both historical and educational. You see it, you hear it, you feel it and you live it!!!
It will be presented in Hayden Hall in the first floor lecture hall. There is no charge for the event.
News from Boneau/Bryan-Brown
A Broadway legend returns to the stage this spring
Barbara Cook: Then and Now
Conceived by 3 time Tony Award winner James Lapine
Directed by 10 time Tony Award winner Tommy Tune
Performances Begin Wednesday, April 13
Opening Night Wednesday, May 4
Strictly limited engagement through Sunday, June 26
New World Stages - Stage One
Ticket prices are $110.00, with premium tickets available at $135.00 and are available by calling Telecharge at 800-447-7400 or visitingwww.telecharge.com
For more information go to www.BarbaraCookThenandNow.com
News from Michelle Tabnick Communications
LABAlive Presents
BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG
at the Theater at the 14th Street Y
April 7 & 9, 2016 at 8pm
LABAlive presents BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG created by LABA fellows Rebecca Margolick and Maxx Berkowitz on April 7, 2016 and April 9, 2016 at 8pm at the Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E 14th St, New York, NY. BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG is a new performance piece combining dance, interactive media and film from dancer Rebecca Margolick and composer and graphic artist Maxx Berkowitz. The work is an exploration of solitude, beauty and chaos and the way in which technology amplifies and minimizes those states of being. Tickets are $20 (drinks included) and can be purchased at www.labajournal.com/calendar or by calling 646-395-4310.
News from DKC/O&M
THE NEW 42ND STREET
TO HONOR
DOUGLAS DURST, BRUCE C. RATNER,
DANIEL R. TISHMAN, MORTIMER B. ZUCKERMAN
WITH THE MARIAN HEISKELL AWARD
AT THE NEW VICTORY THEATER
CELEBRATING CORA CAHAN
PRESIDENT OF THE NEW 42ND STREET
WITH THE NEW VICTORY ARTS AWARD
SARAH JESSICA PARKER, KELLI O'HARA, BILL IRWIN,
MARK LINN-BAKER AND TILER PECK JOIN FESTIVITIES
The festivities will begin at 6:30PM with cocktails and a strolling supper at the New 42nd Street Studios, followed by a celebratory musical performance at The New Victory Theater directed by Jeff Whiting and produced by Open Jar Productions, which will include special appearances by Kelli O'Hara, Bill Irwin, Mark Linn-Baker, Tiler Peck and other members of the Broadway community. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please contact Bari Lasky at BLasky@New42.org or 646-223-3085.
News from Richard Hillman PR
"THE AMAZING MAX"
STARRING MAX DARWIN
RETURNS TO NEW YORK FOR SPRING ENGAGEMENT
THEATER AT BLESSED SACRAMENT
152 WEST 71ST STREET (JUST EAST OF BROADWAY)
7 PERFORMANCES ONLY!
The Amazing Max, the "awesome and hilarious live magic show for the whole family" (PBS Kids) starring magician Max Darwin (aka "The Amazing Max") will return to New York this spring for 7 performances only at the Theater at Blessed Sacrament (152 West 71st Street – just East of Broadway). Performances begin on Sunday, April 10 and continue through Sunday, May 1.
Tickets are $59.50 (Premium) and $32.50 - $44.50 (Orchestra). Premium ticket holders receive access to the VIP "Magic Lounge" (which opens 25 minutes before the start of each show) and children receive Amazing Max memorabilia, participate in a magic lesson, and take home a magic trick! Additionally, premium tickets include priority front row seating. They can be purchased online atwww.theamazingmax.com or by calling 866-811-4111 or 212-352-3101. The show is recommended for children ages three (3) and up.
The performance schedule for The Amazing Max is:
Sunday, 4/10/16 @ 3:30pm
Saturday, 4/16/16 @ 3:30pm
Sunday, 5/1/16 @ 3:30pm
For more information on The Amazing Max, visit www.TheAmazingMax.com.
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Funtivity Friday- Nature Walk
Giveaway: Win a $50.00 Little Caesars Gift Card!
Lucy the Elephant and Literally Alive's Beauty and...
Where-To-Go Wednesday - Lucy the Elephant and Lit...
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Giveaway: Win $50.00 Amazon for Mother's Day!
Funtivity Friday - Art Projects: Umbrella Pictures
NYC Kids Tour: Greenwich Village Tour
Where-To-Go Wednesday - NYC Kids Tours: Tour of Gr...
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Broadway Up Close Tour and Cagney
Giveaway: Win Two Ticket to a Meet and Greet with ...
Where-To-Go Wednesday: Broadway Up Close and Cagney
Tips for Tuesday - Movies: Zootopia
Giveaway: Win $150.00 Amazon!
Funtivity Friday - Can You Write ...


Throughout the Nordic countries, you will find unique destinations, which offers unforgettable Northern Lights experiences.
From October to March Nordic destinations like Kiruna in Sweden, Tromsø in Norway, Rovaniemi in Finland, Reykjavik in Iceland, Svalbard and Lofoten in Norway attract tourists from all over the world to discover this unique natural phenomenon.
The best way to discover the Northern Lights is leaving the towns behinds you. The local Northern Light experts offer all kinds of tours and activities, where you can get some unforgettable experiences, videos or pictures of the unique colouring phenomenon that crosses the sky.
Get a unique Northern Light hotel experience in connection with your stay, where you really feel one with the pure nature. In destinations like Kiruna, Tromsø or Rovaniemi, every year before the Northern Lights season, designers arrive from all over the world and create outstandingly shaped ice hotels. Make a reservation as soon as possible, because these accommodations are very popular.
What are the Northern Lights actually and how does this colourful phenomenon occur in the sky?.
The bright beautiful dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres.
What to pack for a Northern Light adventure journey can be difficult. Things like warm clothes, thermal underwear, sunglasses, face cream, include good cameras, good warm gloves etc... are essential on the list.
The best season for unique Northern Lights experiences is between October and March. In connections with the rapid development of the transport infrastructure worldwide, your dreams about Northern Light adventures get more and more realistic.
Nearly every day you can reach destinations like Kiruna, Tromsø, Rovaniemi or Reykjavik from different airports in Europe, and a lot of tour operators attracts with good offers getting here.


One of the most common questions we're asked is how does a Pond work? Won't it turn green?
This vital piece of equipment contains the Pump,skimmer net and a filter pad that acts as the first line of defense against debris.
One the most important pieces of equipment. The unit contains filter mats, bags of lava rocks were beneficial bacteria will colonize, and aquatic plants, which act as another layer of filtration. Once the water passes through these elements it tumbles back into the pond itself resulting in the tranquil sounds of the waterfall and imparting oxygen into the water.
These help anchor the liner and keep the ponds' shape. They also protect the liner, keeping it unexposed from the UV rays of the sun.
These are vital to the success of the eco-system, as they create oxygen and absorb nitrates.
Koi! No Pond is complete with out them. Not only do they give character, their waste helps fertilize plants naturally and they consume insects.
Acts a sort of "Ground Cover", but more importantly, serves as home for colonies of helpful bacteria, which help keep the water clear.
(Pt.'s 1&2) 1.) By building the pond in this fashion safety is increased and 2.) The underlayment layer along with the "fish-safe liner" keeps the pond from being absorbed by the earth.
This element blends the pond into your landscape. It helps conceal the liner/underlayment layer and serves as a planting area, which dramatically impacts the overall look.


Ventanas Carretero was founded in 1976 in Villanueva de la Jara (Cuenca province) by Agustín Carretero Picazo, positioning itself as the first manufacturer of aluminium systems in the region and soon becoming a benchmark name in the trade.
On 7 October 1990, with the opening of the factory on the N-320 highway, the company started a new phase, and eight years later, in February 1998, the founder's son, Alberto Carretero Talaya, joined the firm.
In 2009, we started manufacturing PVC systems to satisfy market demands, and four years later we introduced a high-production machining centre due to a significant increase in manufacturing.
Today, Ventanas Carretero has an extensive distribution network, and our success has been further consolidated thanks to window exports to countries such as Aruba, Equatorial Guinea, France and Guinea Bissau. All this was no chance occurrence. Our success lies both in our manufacturing technology and tools, and our daily efforts and quality work.
¿Take a tour of our company?


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The Making Of El-Diablo
Barr Gimba October 21, 2018 Leave a comment
Content	written on October 21, 2018	by Barr Gimba
Book Title: The Making Of El-Diablo
Genres: General
Chapters: The Making Of El-Diablo (Chapter 1, 2)
2,124 words (~12 minutes reading time)
This post has 67 reads
A hall, a large hall shaking its head to a notoriously overblown human reactions and smelling like a conflated Chinese bouquet spoiled by a rain of stinkingly rich Hausa perfumes; oh goodness me, only God knows what that will taste like on the human's sensitive ears. People, a lot of people having a loud yet ludicrously alluring sound feasting on the sensitivities of their earlobes; are here from far and near to witness the Kamu, a Hausa traditional pre-wedding event, of Farid and Farida.
In the midst of it all, a guy; a fairly tall, and what ladies refer to as "chocolate in complexion" guy stands, like a lone wolf shining like a group of stars seen from a well-polished magnifying glass. Salim Suleiman is a household name in Northern Nigeria. He is an MC per excellence, collecting millions to perform at events and earning a great youthful followership that has bought to his idea and that of his childhood friend Jay, a musician, of a "Pussy, Money, Weed" and a "Young, Wild and Free" life.
"… And now with the clock ticking and only a closing prayer from concluding what has been a wonderful time with y'all!"
"This wonderful time is about to get even more wonderful for all the beautiful single ladies here today…"
The youths in the hall cheer without being asked to while the older people look in amusement; this difference of ideals between the young and the older generation is mostly seen whenever Slim, as he is widely called, is performing.
"To all the young ladies here today that want to have a similarly interesting wedding as this one… This is your moment, this is your time to give dem boys a wow moment, this is your time to make a mark on this event, this is your time to get on this floor and make it shine… Let's make it shine, ladies! Come up here, crème de la crème. Come up here… Let's do something for the gram!"
His eyes ferry his controlled spirit to the East and then to the South, then to the West and to the North like an overconfident General moving an overambitious pawn too far away into enemy territory in a game of chess, but out the girls came, almost as if in competition with one another.
"Fine boys like us, we no too dey follow women…"
"Na dem dey rush us! Na dem dey rush us!" The guys in the hall completed his sentence.
They arrange themselves in a curvy line with their backs facing the seated bride and groom and faces smiling to what a younger Salim would say "the scanners below my Eyebrows." The fair, the not so fair, the dark, the not so dark, they came and surely, they will dazzle him or the crowd, or both.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you a Rolls Royce of the finest works of nature, a Rolls Royce of sumptuous beings, a Rolls Royce of Ladies… with me as the driver, of course! We are next in line in doing the getting married thing" he laughs cheekily.
A loud shout of "Kunji direban mata" is heard from among a section of boys seated in the crowd and the hall erupts with laughter and confusion as to what Slim is going to do with the girls.
He sends a dark-skinned girl with a flat chest away then calls her back immediately after she turns and he sees her hips. "Wasa nake miki" he said in an accent that will make you believe he is a white man over-confidently trying to speak a foreign language in the hope of wooing a woman, this is followed by a sheepish grin that depicts a man buried in the gaiety of the moment.
"There is something about females that despite my elephantine experience with them, I still cannot fathom, They came out here on my request and without my help they have managed to form the kind of sight I was praying we will avoid; a rainbow, the kind of which dreams are made of… sparkling and nerve calming."
With his Arab-like face making its way to the centre of this delicacy.
"They are like the physical embodiment of the Nursery Rhyme 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and guys, Farid has gotten his twinkling star, when are we going to get ours? What are you doing with our lives? Why have you let Slim to carry all the girls even though I don't feel like I can marry them all"
The last few seconds of his speech brought more laughs than necessary from the young people; they always laugh at what he says and thus, fueling his fire or better put, the elixir of immortality his activities need to keep sprouting.
A selfie stick, the colour of which girls have always loved since the beginning of time; pink! he brings out along with his phone, with the two gadgets having to now shamelessly continue their long and boring mating process in the eyes of the world. Slim puts his microphone-holding left arm around the same girl he sent away earlier, oh how fortunes change rapidly in this cussed world! They lead the group to a promised land of up to six pictures; with the ladies changing from one undignified pose to another after every shot.
He gaits forward effortlessly, more Leonardo Di Caprio than Napoleon from Animal Farm, albeit with the intention being more or less same with the George Orwell's character than winning the Oscar.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming here for Farid and Farida. You have certainly made their wedding event a memorable one. May Allah bless you all and I wish you all journey mercies back home."
He goes straight out of the hall without even caring to drop the mic. He receives a standing ovation, as if he is a football cult hero playing his last game in front of his fans. The groom, however, gazes at him furiously, having endured more than two hours of what he sees as Salim's narcissism. Marriage events are about the bride and groom, this wasn't.
The groom's only solace being that his marriage won't be seen as boring. He turns to his left and sees the embarrassing glee on his wife's face; "a hailer" he should have called her, a title that has become rather synonymous with blind followers of a person in Nigeria. The Groom can only stare at his bride in disbelief.
"What?" she asks, realizing there is more to the awkward look than meets the eye. "The lady that marries him would be so lucky!" she adds, giving the Groom a reason to boycott her room on their first night, probably.
As he ponders on the answer to give her, Slim reenters the hall and with it, tantrums from the crowd. Alongside him is Jay, real name Jamil Idris. Slim's childhood friend and the biggest music talent in Africa since Wizkid in 2011. Perhaps, on the path to being more successful than Wizkid as he became the First African to see his album go platinum in 2021 and already has more followers on social network than the former musician. Unnoticed is J-Lo, Slim's manager and bestie, with each holding a mic.
The Governor of the state, Zulkifil Salis, is sitting in his personal living room at the Government House, Kaduna. Alongside him is the Deputy Governor and three aids, Musa, Abdul and Ayomide.
They are watching NTA International and discussing the path to take at the end of the Governor's tenure as the 2023 elections is less than eight months away.
"It is a fucking circus, our party. A lot of people with unbridled ambition are out to confuse the delegates and we have to assume the worse now. We have to!" The Governor, looking a bit concerned says.
"We should keep pushing, boss!" says Ayomide, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, probably irking the Governor who is expecting a smart response from his well-paid aids.
"Ay, we wouldn't have been in this mess if our goddamn plan is working. We have to think outside the box now as we are in the endgame now not the fucking nascence we left your mind in, alone, not thinking straight and certainly on the verge of being deluded… We cannot afford to lobby by being nice, the endgame comes with a degree of terror… We have to be the hunter and not the hunted… Now wake the fuck up and give me some goddamn ideas!!!" For which Ayomide nods.
"So, yes, we shall keep pushing but Aso Rock has been known to offer shelter to those who don't deserve it, we simply cannot let that happen again…"
The Governor continues, making a defiant gesture with his finger.
"we need to find the right place, apply the right pressure at the right fucking time and get ourselves a winner. The drug pusher and wheelbarrow pusher are both pushing something but certainly only one is benefiting from pushing. I want every dickhead aspiring for the presidency to retreat to his shell with his tail between his legs when my campaign train come grinding all the eggs lying on my way"
"And surely, we will crush even the female aspirants trying to fetch water from the fountain of men, boss" Ayomide, continuing with his trademark input.
"Our party has Governors in only six states in the north, thereby making a collective control of the northern delegates a hard nut to crack… Certainly, every Northern Dick and Harry, sorry dignitary, would be seen in the coming days assuming he has a say on how and when we should stage our convention…" The Deputy Governor, speaking for the first time pauses and looks into the eyes of the Governor for tacit approval which he believes he has gotten, then continues.
"Like you, the other five Governors are in their final tenure but unlike you, they are going to either the senate or political obscurity as they have already gone over their boundaries by becoming Governors… and we should fear such people, people that lack ambition, Your Excellency… erh, for a start, none of them has shown the willingness to support us or to go against us…"
"Cos they are probably waiting for the guy with an offer not worth refusing… You see…" Ayomide cuts in before a rapidly dangerous stare from the Deputy Governor grapples the naval of his mouth into submission.
"We need to bring the influential persons close to us and those not close to us close" They all sip a strikingly stupefying dose of silence after Musa's surprising contribution even though it turns out to be unsurprisingly irrelevant.
"Tell me, Musa… Who is the most influential person in the South-South?" The Deputy Governor asks him.
"The Governor of Rivers!"
"He has even made himself the King of their unofficial forum" Ayomide adds.
"You see, Mr Ayo, great leaders don't put themselves in power, the people put them. The Kaduna people gave us this blessed leader, the same way man made the Peacock the King of all the domestic animals and the same way the people of Nigeria want to see him in Aso Rock"
The Deputy Governor's lips have barely closed when Ayomide decides to chip in once again.
"… only if their dreams would come true"
"And we would make that dream a reality for them, His Excellency has made the decision to make Moses Alabo his running mate when we win the primaries." The Deputy Governor explains and the Governor endorses it with a warm nod.
"Such a person would rather go for a second term next year and then give the presidency a shot in 2027, don't you think?"
"Five years with His Excellency and you still question his impeccable judgment, Ayomide?" Abdul says, after finally getting the kind of condition in which he thrives. Mr Ayomide opens his mouth to explain when the Governor starts talking.
"The tiger doesn't wait to completely devour his prey before he goes out hunting again… You don't expect an ambitious person like Alabo to remain hidden in Rivers for so long, the stage is poised for him to enter the limelight he deserves"
"The Vice Presidency is like a bird in hand then and his own presidential ambition is the proverbial two birds in the bush then?" Ayo, finally getting to grips with the plan, asks.
"You are so good at tapping from the abyss that is His Excellency's wisdom." Abdul quickly replies Mr Ayo.
Tell me what you think of it please, I haven't written anything in a while… I am afraid my pen has become rather rusty.
19500cookie-checkThe Making Of El-Diablono
Author: Barr Gimba
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