Several antidiabetic drugs (i.e., sulfonylureas; SU, rosiglitazone) have been reported to be associated with increased risks of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) are newly available antidiabetic drugs. Most studies only compared DPP4i with a placebo or SU, or targeted a specific CVD event of interest (i.e., heart failure; HF). Comparative research of CVD risks of DPP4i with other antidiabetic drugs (i.e., metformin, thiazolidinediones, meglitinides, acarbose, and insulin) remains scarce. This study was aimed to assess comparative risks of CVD, including ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) and HF, and hypoglycemia of DPP4i with other antidiabetic drugs.
We utilized Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 123,050 T2DM patients newly prescribed oral antidiabetic treatments were identified in 2009–2010 and followed until 2013. Outcome endpoints included a composite of CVD events: hospitalizations for ischemic stroke, MI and HF, and hypoglycemia. Time-varying Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to assess the time to event hazards of various antidiabetic drugs, adjusted for patients' demographics, comorbidity, diabetic complications, and co-medications. Additional analyses were performed for the patients with and without CVD history, respectively.
DPP4i users had significantly lower CVD risks as compared to that of non-DPP4i users (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.83, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.76–0.91). Compared to DPP4i users, meglitinides (aHR 1.3, 95 % CI 1.20–1.43) and insulin users (aHR 3.73, 95 % CI 3.35, 4.14) had significantly higher risks for composite CVD, as well as those for stroke, MI, HF, and hypoglycemia. Additionally, metformin users had significantly lower risks for composite CVD risk (aHR 0.87, 95 % CI 0.79–0.94), as well as those for MI, HF, and hypoglycemia, as compared to those of DPP4i users. Although there was a trend toward low CVD risks in pioglitazone users, the role of potential confounding by indication cannot be excluded.
DPP4i-treated T2DM patients had lower risks for CVD as compared to those for non-DPP4i users, except metformin users.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are highly prevalent complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which are the leading of deaths in such individuals . However, with emerging trials evaluating cardiovascular effects of antidiabetic drugs, not all the drugs appear to reduce CVD risks in T2DM patients. Sulfonylureas (SU) have been reported to be associated with increased CVD risks [2, 3]. The meta-analyses of clinical trials  and observational studies  showed that rosiglitazone was associated with excess myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF) risks, although a recent large prospective trial, the RECORD, did not have sufficient data to determine if it yields a higher risk for MI as compared to metformin or SU . Conversely, the cardiovascular benefits have been seen with several antidiabetic drugs: metformin for T2DM patients with overweight , acarbose for the patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) [8, 9], and empagliflozin in those at high risk of CVD events .
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) are newly available oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs). DPP4i suppresses the breakdown of incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, achieving glycemic control. The CVD risks associated with DPP4i treatment have been investigated. DPP4i was shown to not have increased risks for ischemic stroke and MI [11–19]. Recent trials noticed that saxagliptin (SAVOR-TIMI 53 trial ) and alogliptin (EXAMINE ) had a higher risk for heart failure (HF) as compared to placebo, while a large observational study of 127,555 T2DM patients in Italy showed a significantly lower HF risk of DPP4i as compared with SU . However, most studies only compared DPP4i with a placebo [12, 13] or SU [11, 15, 17, 18, 21], or targeted a specific CVD event of interest (i.e., HF ). Research that assesses comparative CVD risks of DPP4i with other antidiabetic drugs (i.e., metformin, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), meglitinides, acarbose, and insulin) remains scarce.
The present study utilizes a comprehensive national cohort of diabetic patients in Taiwan to evaluate the risks of CVD, including stroke, MI and HF, and hypoglycemia associated with DPP4i as compared with those of other antidiabetic drugs.
We used the Longitudinal Cohort of Diabetes Patients database (LHDB) 1996–2013, retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), provided by Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes. Taiwan's NHIRD is population-based and derived from the claims data from the National Health Insurance program, a mandatory-enrollment, single-payment system that covers over 99 % of Taiwan's population. The LHDB consists of a random sample of 120,000 de-identified diabetes incident cases from 1996 to 2013, who were tracked back to 1996 and followed up to 2013 to establish a longitudinal cohort. The LHDB is most representative of Taiwan's diabetic population and provides the opportunity to conduct longitudinal studies to evaluate long-term outcomes of diabetes treatments.
We identified patients aged ≥20 years with T2DM diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, ICD-9-CM = 250.0X–250.9X, X = 0 or 2) from 1999–2013 LHDB. We further selected cases with any antidiabetic drug exposure during 2009–2010. The first claim date of an antidiabetic drug prescribed in 2009–2010 was defined as the index date. Patients who had any antidiabetic drugs before the index date were excluded, in order to include new users of antidiabetic drugs. The observation for each case started from the index date to the date of death or the end of 2013. The maximum follow-up time was 5 years (2009–2013) and the minimum was 3 years (2011–2013). The primary outcome of interest was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) (a composite of CVD events including hospitalizations for ischemic stroke [ICD-9 codes 430–438], MI [ICD-9 codes 410, 412], and HF [ICD-9 codes 428]) and individual components of CVD. The secondary outcome was a hospitalization for hypoglycemia (ICD-9 codes: 250.8, 251.0, 251.1, and 251.2).
Medication utilization was identified using drug_no in the NHIRD and linked to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System used to classify active ingredients of antidiabetic drugs: metformin, SU, DPP4i, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, meglitinides, acarbose, and insulin. Patients were considered as unexposed to antidiabetic drugs (no antidiabetic drug exposure) if there was a gap of 30 days or more between two consecutive antidiabetic drug refills ("grace period").
Population characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviation, frequency, and proportion. The crude incidence rate of CVD was calculated as the total number of CVD events during the follow-up period divided by person-years at risk. The person-years at risk was defined as the sum of patients from the index date (the first antidiabetic drug claim) to the diagnosis of the first CVD event, death, or the end of 2013, whichever came first. The time-varying Cox proportional hazards model was applied to evaluate the time to event for the effect of exposure to antidiabetic agents, adjusted for patients' baseline characteristics: age, gender, comorbidity from 1 year prior to the index date (via Charlson comorbidity index; CCI ), diabetic complications (via adapted Diabetes Complication Severity Index; aDCSI [23–25]), CVD history, and co-medications for CVD, including α-blockers, β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, anti-platelet agents, anti-coagulants, diuretics, digoxin, and nitroglycerin.
The aforementioned baseline characteristics were treated as fixed effects in the Cox model, while antidiabetic drug exposure in the follow-up period was the random effect. Time-varying exposure to antidiabetic drugs was based on the expected duration of each prescription by using the "days supplied" field in the NHIRD. We first analyzed the outcomes of various antidiabetic drugs (i.e., DPP4i vs. non-DPP4i exposure, which included metformin, SU, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, meglitinides, acarbose, and insulin, and non-antidiabetic drug exposure). Second, we assessed the comparative outcomes of antidiabetic drugs, where DPP4i served as the reference for comparison with other antidiabetic drugs. We attributed outcome events to the drugs the patient was expected to be receiving at the time of the event. We assumed no legacy or carryover effects of remote exposure to any of the antidiabetic drugs. Subgroup analyses were stratified by patients' CVD history. Hazard ratios (HRs) and associated 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for cluster variance were computed. The significance level of this study was set at 0.05. SAS software (version 9.4) was utilized for the aforementioned analyses.
A total of 123,050 new users of oral antidiabetic drugs were included (Fig. 1), where metformin was the most commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug, and followed for a total of 362,656 person-years.
Table 1 shows the patients' characteristics according to antidiabetic drug exposure at any point during the study. We identified 28,508 (8.1 %) patients who received DPP4i. Meglitinides users were relatively older and had more comorbidities and diabetic complications as compared to those exposed to other antidiabetic drugs.
Table 2 shows CVD risks for each antidiabetic drug as compared with non-exposure to a given antidiabetic drug (e.g., DPP4i users vs. non-DPP4i users). DPP4i, SU, acarbose, metformin, and pioglitazone users had significantly lower CVD risks than those of their counterparties (non-exposure to these drugs), while meglitinides and insulin users had significantly higher CVD risks as compared with those of patients without exposure to these drugs. There was no statistical difference in CVD risks between rosiglitazone users and non-rosiglitazone users.
Table 3 shows the comparative CVD and hypoglycemic risks of antidiabetic drugs, where DPP4i served as the reference. DPP4i users had a significantly lower risk for MACEs than that of meglitinides and insulin users, but higher than that of metformin and pioglitazone users. Also, DPP4i users had a significantly lower stroke risk than that of meglitinides and insulin users, but higher than that of pioglitazone users. DPP4i users had a significantly lower MI risk than that of meglitinides and insulin users, but higher than that of metformin users. DPP4i users had a significantly lower HF risk than that of meglitinides and insulin users, but higher than that of SU and metformin users. DPP4i users had a significantly lower hypoglycemic risk than that of meglitinides and insulin users, but higher than that of metformin users. Subgroup analyses for the patients with and without CVD history (Tables 4, 5) show trends similar to those from the primary analysis (Table 3).
This was a large cohort study with a long-term follow-up to assess CVD and hypoglycemic risks of DPP4i as compare with other antidiabetic drugs. DPP4i users had significantly lower CVD risks as compared to non-DPP4i users. DPP4i users had significantly lower CVD risks than that for those treated with meglitinides and insulin, but not than that for those treated with metformin and pioglitazone.
Several studies have evaluated CVD risks in DPP4i users as compared to those of non-DPP4i users, which are similar to the approach in the first part of our analysis (the results presented in Table 2). Eurich et al.'s study, based on commercially insured US claims, showed that sitagliptin users did not have increased risks for CVD-related hospitalizations as compared with those of non-sitagliptin users (0.90, 95 % CI 0.77–1.07) . Kim et al. utilized US commercial insurance claims data and found that DPP4i users had significantly lower risks for composite CVD events (including stroke, MI, and HF) (0.87, 95 % CI 0.79–0.96), with similar trends observed in patients with CVD history . Chen et al.'s study utilized Taiwan's NHIRD 2009–2011 and found that DPP4i use in T2DM patients with stroke  or MI  history was not associated with increased CVD risks as compared with non-DPP4i users. Consistent with the aforementioned studies, the present research based on Taiwan's NHIRD 1999–2013 found that DPP4i users did not have increased risks for CVD as compared with non-DPP4i users (Table 2).
We further performed comparative analysis of CVD risks of antidiabetic drugs. DPP4i users appeared to have lower CVD risks as compared with those of insulin and meglitinides users, but higher CVD risks than those of metformin and pioglitazone users. Eurich et al.'s study found that insulin users had significantly higher risks for CVD-related hospitalizations than those of non-insulin users (HR 2.15, 95 CI %: 1.85–2.51) . Several possible reasons may explain the high CVD risks in insulin users. First, a harmful effect of insulin on the vascular endothelium has been suggested and increased insulin dosage appeared to be associated with increased CVD risks . Second, hypoglycemia is a common side effect observed in insulin users. Hypoglycemia has been associated with increased CVD risks. The present study found that insulin-treated T2DM patients had 4.55 times higher hypoglycemic risk as compared to that of those treated with DPP4i (Table 3), which might in part explain higher CVD risks in insulin users.
Meglitinides have been related to variable degrees of undesirable CVD risks . Repaglinide, a meglitinide that acts by closing ATP-dependent potassium channels, appears to be associated with a risk of adverse cardiovascular sequelae similar to that for SU . Additionally, we found that meglitinides users appeared to be older and advanced diabetic patients, in terms of comorbidity and diabetic complications, as compared to those treated with other OHAs (i.e., DPP4i) (Table 1). And, meglitinides users had a significantly higher CVD risks as compared with non-meglitinides users (Table 2). Meglitinides users might thus have poor prognosis and higher CVD risks as compared to those on other OHAs such as DPP4i (Table 3).
Previous evidence showed that metformin users had significantly lower CVD risks as compared with non-metformin users, with a possible mechanism being the attenuation of atrial cell tachycardia-induced myolysis oxidative stress . Limited research has compared the CVD risks of DPP4i users with those of metformin users. A recent clinical trial showed that, in terms of glycemic control, metformin monotherapy was superior to DPP4i monotherapy; however, no difference in CVD risks between the two treatment groups were noticed, in part due to the limited study period (i.e., 12 months) . This observational study with a relatively long follow-up time showed that metformin appeared to be associated with significantly lower CVD risks as compared to DPP4i.
TZDs (i.e., rosiglitazone,pioglitazone) have been associated with increased risks for stroke, HF, and all-cause mortality [33–36], which appeared to be largest in the elderly (i.e., >60 years) and in patients treated with rosiglitazone . Practice guidelines state that rosiglitazone and pioglitazone are not recommended for diabetic patients with pre-existing heart diseases or at risk for CVD (i.e., decreased ventricular function) . Accordingly, the patients who receive TZDs are likely to be underlying at low CVD risks. Based on our cohort, we found that TZDs users had relatively lower hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary artery diseases, HF, and stroke at baseline as compared to those of patients exposed to DPP4i (Table 1), which might explain lower CVD risks in TZDs-treated patients (e.g., pioglitazone) as compared with those of DPP4i users. In other words, there appears to be potential confounding by indication regarding TZDs use, which might influence our comparative analysis of CVD risks between TZDs and DPP4i. Although we adjusted for patients' baseline comorbidities (i.e., CVD history) in the analysis and stratified the analysis by patients' CVD history, other unmeasured biases (e.g., weight gain, diet, exercise, physicians' behaviors) for CVD outcomes may still exist. We were thus unable to determine whether DPP4i use is associated with lower or higher CVD risks as compared to TZDs because potential confounding by indication could not be excluded.
A recent review of vitro studies and preliminary trials concluded potential cardiovascular benefits of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (i.e., acarbose) in diabetic patients , particularly for those with IGT [8, 9]. Intervening on postprandial hyperglycemia, a key component of mechanisms linked to increased CVD incidences [39, 40], acarbose was associated with a favorable impact on CVD surrogate markers [41, 42]. Our analysis showed that acarbose use was associated with lower CVD risks as compared to non-acarbose use (Table 2). However, lack of previous research evaluated comparative CVD risks between DPP4i and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. Although we found no significant difference in CVD risks between DPP4i and acarbose (Table 3), further study is needed to confirm our findings, especially for diabetic patients with IGT.
Today, most studies compared the CVD risks of DPP4i with SU as a group [17, 43, 44], not individual SU. However, individual SU appear to have different degrees of desirable or undesirable cardiovascular effects. Glimepiride, a third-generation SU, might provide potential cardiovascular benefits because of its favorable glycemic control, especially postprandial glucose lowering effects , anti-oxidative properties , and maintaining myocardial preconditioning . In terms of reducing CVD risks, glimepiride or gliclazide with a specific influence on pancreatic ATP-sensitive K+ channels might be superior to glibenclamide , which blocks mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ channels in cardiac myocytes, resulting in the inhibition of ischemic preconditioning . Also, a previous population-based cohort study showed that glipizide was associated with increased CVD risks as compared to other SU. Hence, further study is anticipated to assess whether pharmacological differences between individual drugs translate into differences in their associated CVD risks. Our additional analyses showed that, as compared to glibenclamide, gliclazide had a significantly lower risk for MACEs, and gliclazide and glimepiride had a significantly lower risk for stroke (Additional file 1: Table S1). In this regard, we further compared the CVD risks of DPP4i with individual SU. The results showed that, as compared to DPP4i, glipizide and glibenclamide had significantly higher risks for MACEs and stroke (Additional file 1: Table S2).
First, laboratory data (e.g., HbA1c) were not available in the NHIRD claims data. However, we used surrogat indicators to adjust for patients' baseline diabetes severity, including aDCSI and diabetes duration. Second, because of the nature of an observational study, potential confounding by indication could not be eliminated. Also, potential residual confounding by incomplete adjustment for unmeasured biases (i.e., lifestyle risk factors, physicians' preferences and behaviors) for study outcomes may exist. Third, another class of incretin drug, namely GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), was not analyzed. GLP-1 RA was introduced to Taiwan's national formulary in 2013. Since our data were only available up to the end of 2013, GLP-1 RA users only accounted for a small proportion of our study population. Fourth, potential misclassification may exist when defining CVD events based on Taiwan's NHIRD. However, previous validation studies for the identification of CVD events (i.e., MI , stroke ) from the NHIRD showed high sensitivity and positive predictive values. Fifth, individual DPP4i might be associated with variable degrees of desirable or undesirable cardiovascular outcomes . The SAVOR-TIMI 53 trial reported an increased HF risk in saxagliptin-treated patients , which was not seen with other DPP4i. The present study analyzed individual DPP4i as a group because our preliminary analyses showed no significant difference in comparative risks for MACEs and HF of individual DPP4i (sitagliptin, vildagliptin, saxagliptin, linagliptin) (Additional file 1: Table S3). Further study is anticipated to clarify the mechanisms underlying the difference in CVD risks among individual DPP4i. Lastly, our results might only be generalizable to a Chinese population under universal healthcare insurance coverage.
Understanding comparative effects of antidiabetic drugs provides a basis for guiding clinical care for T2DM patients. The present study shows that the use of DPP4i was not associated with increased CVD risks and that DPP4i-treated patients appeared to have lower CVD risks as compared with non-DPP4i users, except metformin users.
HTO and KCC contributed substantially to the study concept and design, acquisition of data, analysis, and interpretation of data. CYL contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data. HTO wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and CYL and JSW critically revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
We gratefully thank National Cheng Kung University and its affiliated hospital for all their support.
12933_2016_350_MOESM1_ESM.docx Additional file 1: Table S1. Hazards ratios of cardiovascular diseases as compared individual sulfonylureas with glibenclamide as reference. Table S2. Hazards ratios of cardiovascular diseases as compared individual sulfonyureas with DPP4i as reference. Table S3. Hazards ratios of cardiovascular diseases as compared individual DPP4i with sitagliptin as reference.


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Country Music Lends Down a Hand concert coming Wednesday at Casey Jones Village
The mission of the local Down Syndrome Association of West Tennessee is to reach out to the families of children with Down syndrome in the area and help them with things they don't normally get to enjoy.
Country Music Lends Down a Hand concert coming Wednesday at Casey Jones Village The mission of the local Down Syndrome Association of West Tennessee is to reach out to the families of children with Down syndrome in the area and help them with things they don't normally get to enjoy. Check out this story on jacksonsun.com: https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/2019/06/24/country-music-lends-down-hand-concert-casey-jones-village/1545072001/
Brandon Shields, Jackson Sun Published 5:38 p.m. CT June 24, 2019
A couple of students from the West Tennessee Down Syndrome Association and Camp Imaginarium dance during last year's Country Music Lends Down a Hand concert. (Photo: GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun)
THREE WAY — Two members of the Jackson Police Department bring a couple of their canine officers out of the car and in front of a group of kids.
Some of the kids are scared of the dogs. Others are eager to try to meet the dogs. But they're all in for an educational experience as the officers are visitors to Camp Imaginarium, which happens each summer at Camp Clark Williamson in north Madison County.
And about a couple dozen children sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of West Tennessee got to enjoy the space for the past two weeks for their own summer camp.
"This is something that's been going on for 15 years that gives these children something to enjoy that's for them, and they look forward to it all year for this," said Amber Williams, who coordinates the camp. "There aren't many things they get to do that is for them, and we're glad to give them this experience."
Students from the West Tennessee Down Syndrome Association and Camp Imaginarium enjoy dancing during last year's Country Music Lends Down a Hand concert. (Photo: GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun)
The camp is designed to be in two groups for ages 5-22.
Williams is a special education teacher at South Gibson High School and enjoys working with the children. Teachers from other schools in Trenton, Milan and Jackson are there helping as well along with volunteer helpers from the surrounding area.
The mission of the local Down Syndrome Association of West Tennessee is to reach out to the families of children with Down syndrome in the area and help them with things they don't normally get to enjoy, and this camp is one of the biggest ways they get to do that.
The camp is an all-day event for five days a week for two weeks. The children enjoy a lot of activities similar to any other camp, including swimming and nature walks.
They also get to do various activities through which a volunteer will come each day and help them out.
This year's Country Music Lends Down a Hand concert is June 26 at Casey Jones Village. (Photo: GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun)
There will be a concert Wednesday at the Casey Jones Village Amphitheater, which has become a summer tradition in rural West Tennessee that benefits the Down Syndrome Association. Country Music Lends Down a Hand concert features local performers Kimberlie Helton Band, Rev. Jessie and the Holy Smokes, Tyler Goodson & Hub City Magic and Tommy McClure.
"The kids love the concert because most of them love country music, and they get to do their own performance every year with a dance," Williams said.
There's also a separate camp earlier in the summer for adults with Down syndrome, beginning at age 18, where they learn life skills, such as riding public transportation and doing work to hold a job.
The adults will perform a dance to the song "Achy Breaky Heart," made famous by Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. The younger camp will dance to a song that also has a connection to Cyrus, "Old Town Road," which Cyrus sings with Lil Nas X.
"My favorite part of camp is singing and dancing," said camper Hallie Nelson, a sophomore at Jackson Christian. "I'm going to wear a green shirt and a cowboy hat at the concert.
"I love going swimming here, and they help me swim in the deep end."
The concert starts at 6 p.m. June 26. Tickets are $15 at the gate for ages 6 and older. Tickets purchased in advance at Casey Jones Train Museum, Bumpus Harley Davidson Jackson, Helms Motors Lexington and Anytime Fitness Milan & Jackson are $10. Food vendors will be on site.
Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.
Read or Share this story: https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/2019/06/24/country-music-lends-down-hand-concert-casey-jones-village/1545072001/
Flash flood hits Jackson, heavy rain causes two sink holes
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I haven't seen many baseball games in my life. The last one I did see, in 2009, I brought my camera along. This is Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, pitching against the twins in that July 2009 game.
Another non fiction book, this time tackling the most famous woman in history.
Why is Fantasy ascendant over SF?
In my recent entry on why I like Fantasy and SF, I ended with a tease: I had a theory on why Fantasy is currently ascendant over SF.
It's been quite a week all around, with revolutions, snowstorms, earthquakes and more.
So, to finish out the week, I present a depiction of the Bodhisattva Kuan-Yin from the fabulous Asian art collection at the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts.
This is a reaction to the Steve Davidson (Crochety Old Fan) blog post on Grasping for the Wind. A continuing conversation of sorts on the SF Signal community (http://www.community.sfsignal.com) has convinced me that while he and I have some things in common, in some respects, we are not fellow travelers.
To keep it positive, rather than getting pugnacious about the matter, I am going to keep it positive and tell you why I like both SF and fantasy.
Today's picture is of the famous swinging bridge in Jay Cooke State Park in northern Minnesota. This time, I captured it decked in snow.
Unfortunately, the trails beyond the bridge are strictly cross-country ski-only in winter: hiking is prohibited.
Via tor.com, the 2010 Nebula Award Nominees.
This building, today's picture, makes a subtle political point.
This is the brand new Jay Cooke State Park Visitor Center. The old building was in dire need of maintenance, and so a new building was built for one of the underappreciated gems of the Minnesota State Park system.
And, if the axe-swinging Republicans now in charge had had their way a couple of years ago, this beautiful building would never have been built.
Every picture tells a story, or so they say. I like to think this one does, since this candid shot of the ice climbers at Gooseberry Falls catches them all in mid-preparation, mid-conversation, and mid-gesture.


It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mary Rose Larson after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Our beloved wife, mom, grandma and great grandma "GG".
Mary is survived by her best friend and husband of 53 years Ken, her daughters, Deb (Pete), and Deneen (Greg), grandchildren Holly (Joe), Melissa, Jordan and Nic, and her pride and joy great granddaughter Hannah, brothers David (Marj) Swaluk and Ted (Marian) Swaluk and numerous nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her parents Jack and Elfreda Swaluk, and brother Richard Swaluk, who all lost their battles with cancer as well.
Mary was a realtor in Port Alberni for 30 years and after retiring from real estate, she opened 'Rainy Day Framing'. Mary enjoyed travel and she and Ken made an amazing 32 trips to Hawaii, as well as travels to Hong Kong, Italy and California to list a few.
A special thanks to the health nurses at VIHA.
There will be a Celebration of Life held on Sunday, July 28, 2013, 1 PM – 4 PM at the Alberni Valley Golf Club.


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Maroon Couture
The Silver Spoon
SHS Exchange Chronicles
Maroon on the Mic
Captured: Photo Gallery
Take a Book, Leave a Book: Book Kiosks in Scarsdale
The stand on the Brite Avenue Tennis Courts designed by Michelle Foligno
Alicia Xin and Katherine Shi
Across Scarsdale parks, rising senior Danielle Kohn '21 has installed vibrant book kiosks. The idea behind it is to give residents of the Scarsdale community an outlet to share their love of literature and indulge in a good book. "I'm someone who really enjoys literature and reading, so it was my way of being able to share my passion with my community and allow other people who also have a passion for reading and literature to kind of build a community within a community based around reading," she explained.
Kohn was inspired to take on the project when she began seeing kiosks in neighboring towns. She was further influenced when plans for the Scarsdale Public Library's renovation were announced. Since the library would be off-limits for a few years, installing book kiosks seemed like the perfect way for Scarsdale residents to continue sharing their love of books.
Kohn had initiated the project two years ago, however placing the kiosks around town required thorough work. "I had to go to a bunch of different boards within the community and get approval from friends of the library and the parks and rec department. Then, I had to secure funding for it and then after I had to find artists who were willing to decorate it," said Kohn.
Her plans were finalized in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and unexpectedly yielded positive results. Kohn explained, "It's a heartwarming thing to have in our community and I think that people have been even more receptive to it than they would've been had it come earlier". After the first few weeks, Kohn already started seeing her impact. "The last time I checked on the kiosk in Scarsdale Village, I saw one book in there with a note that someone had written, saying: 'this is one of my favorite books, I hope the person who reads it really enjoys it.' Since they've been installed and in use, I've definitely achieved my goal of creating something that will foster a greater sense of community within our town."
In the future, Kohn plans to install a fifth kiosk, and possibly even more after that. Additionally, she plans to recruit volunteers who are willing to check up on an assigned kiosk regularly in order to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Although Kohn is graduating from SHS in 2021, her book kiosks symbolize her presence in the Scarsdale community. "This project really meant a lot to me because it was like leaving my mark on my community before I went off to college, so it's really great for me to know that even after I leave Scarsdale and I'm not physically here anymore, there will still be a part of me left in my community."
Alicia Xin, Writer
Katherine Shi, Writer
Scarsdale High School
Apr 18 / Boy's Tennis
John Jay Cross River
Byram Hills
Apr 9 / Boy's Tennis
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Archive for August, 2014|Monthly archive page
Judo and the Brooklyn Monk (Parts 1 to 3)
In Uncategorized on August 3, 2014 at 10:39 am
At Long Island Judo and Martial Arts, Sensei Gary , a Grand Master of Judo, gives Antonio Graceffo, The Brooklyn Monk, an intro into the gentle art of takedowns and submissions. The Monk is very interested in judo takedowns because he is exploring similarities between judo and Chinese wrestling, which also uses a gi type jacket. Also extremely interesting to Antonio was to explore the ground fighting component of judo. Generally, when you think of judo, you think of throws. But judo has a system newaza ground fighting, where fights are won by choke, submission, or domination.
Watch Judo and the Brooklyn Monk (Part 1) on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP6RsGNNMqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QomUdtPGWwc&feature=youtu.be
Warrior Odyssey, the book chronicling Antonio Graceffo's first six years in Asia is available at amazon.com. The book contains stories about the war in Burma and the Shan State Army. The book is available at http://www.blackbeltmag.com/warrior_odyssey


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Roy Jones Jr. Not Eligible to Run for Mayor of Pensacola
BlackAmericaWeb.com
Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. wants to be the mayor of Pensacola, Florida but according to the Pensacola News Journal, he is not eligible for the position.
The PNJ reports:
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford says boxer Roy Jones Jr. can't run for mayor of Pensacola, despite what he told celebrity gossip website TMZ.
TMZ reported this morning that the boxing superstar plans to run for mayor of Pensacola in the upcoming election.
According to the report, Jones has prepared all the necessary paperwork and has attained 5,000 signatures supporting has mayoral run.
Problem is, the self-proclaimed Captain Hook isn't a resident or registered voter of Pensacola and well, that's sort of a hard and fast rule if you want to be mayor.
The Pensacola city charter says that anyone wishing to throw their hat into the ring for the mayor's job must have been a registered voter in the city limits for a year before the filing date for the position ends in June.
Sorry, Roy! Maybe next year you can run.
(Photo: AP)
Roy Jones Jr. Not Eligible to Run for Mayor of Pensacola was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
Florida Pensacola Roy Jones Jr.


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Street Articles Home | Relationships | Reconnecting | Get Him Back - I Love My Ex Boyfriend, But Is He A Hoarder?
"I love my ex boyfriend so much," Lana tells you, "and I know we're meant to be together. But I worry - is he a hoarder?"
You search for the right words, wondering if what your closest friend wants is reassurance - hoarding? Tony? No, he's just messy, with way too much stuff, he loves to shop. Or is Lana finally ready to face up to the truth? Should she even be trying to get him back? Or thinking of moving on?
It doesn't make it any easier that you were the one who introduced them, a year or so ago. He was so charming and easy-going, good at his work, and none of the women in your office could figure out why this hottie was single. Lana was almost instantly smitten.
Tony moved into her condo on their third date. Now her beautiful space, once so airy and open with the high ceilings and gorgeous view, looks nothing like it did BT, Before Tony.
"It's not like those people on TV, climbing through rooms waist high in trash," Lana says. "But, still..." She pauses, looking sadly at her open-concept living room, where the view is now mostly blocked and there is not a single spot without something - a jumble of books, tools, new dishes, still in the box, brochures, a stack of mail, motorcycle parts, clothing, extra furniture, two aquariums with tubes and boxes in them, sports gear, an extra TV and, everywhere, more stuff. It looks relatively neat - it's just there's so much of it - enough to fill three rooms this size.
Way too much to fit in the cabinets and closets, also crammed with stuff - plastic bags, twist-ties, plastic cutlery, more paper...every room is like this. How can they live this way? Why doesn't Lana simply pitch it all?
She says Tony saves every newspaper and magazine, every tour brochure, in fact everything that comes his way. He shops at night online - many of the things he buys never make it out of the box. He has bikes in pieces and half-finished projects all over Lana's place and in three crammed storage lockers as well as at his apartment, which he kept "because it's so convenient," though he mostly lives at her place. As do his three dogs, plus all their dog stuff.
The dogs are still at Lana's, but Tony isn't. Last week, they had another fight about this jumble. He went back to his place, which (oddly) she says she's never been to. She misses her ex boyfriend. He's called to say he's picking up the dogs - but so far, he hasn't shown up.
"You know," she says now, "there's so much that's good about him. He's kind, and fun to be with, and my family all adore him, I know I want to get him back. But...well, any time I try to talk about all this stuff everywhere and never finishing anything, he just treats it like a big joke and changes the subject. Or, lately, he gets mad.
"I love Tony, but this just isn't how I want to live," she says sadly. And who can blame her? You're not a therapist, but you've read enough to know that Tony has some serious issues - but what are they, exactly? And can't he see how much this upsets Lana? Doesn't he love her enough to get himself organized and get rid of the stuff?
Though reality TV shows have brought a lot of attention to the problem of hoarding recently, these shows tend to show extreme cases - people living incredibly dysfunctional lives with their 37 cats, or with narrow paths through towering piles of clothing, broken junk, rotted food and garbage. Usually, these hoarders don't and can't hold a job or maintain relationships.
Often, they're on the verge of eviction. If they're married, their partner is usually also a hoarder. But did you know there are many thousands more people like Tony, who by all outward appearances live 'normal' lives, but still struggle and also feel victimized by their own milder versions of hoarding? It's true.
They may not live in filth, surrounded by towering piles of trash, but they do compulsively keep everything and buy more, which can also cause serious problems with debt and threaten their careers and relationships.
You've taken a few college psychology courses or done some reading, so you recognize that it may be that Tony also has other problems, such as anxiety, depression or attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as it is also known. This last one could account for his many unfinished projects and also his lack of focus.
Another possibility that could explain Tony's endless collecting of things he has no use for is that he suffers from a compulsive disorder. There are treatments for all of these conditions involving therapy, sometimes with prescribed medications. For people willing to work hard to get better, there is hope. They can lead productive and happy lives.
But there is no quick fix; and love alone, as Lana recognizes, isn't the answer. Neither is denial. Her ex boyfriend surely doesn't choose to be this way, but it is in Tony's power to acknowledge he has serious problems that (among other difficulties) will likely cause him to lose things he seems to want, including Lana.
So which does he want more - Lana and their life together, or all this junk? How much does he want to change? How willing will he be to face up to his difficulties and work with a therapist to do everything in his power to deal with his problems and challenges?
And if her ex boyfriend refuses to face up to his hoarding, the unfinished projects, the stuff, the unhappiness he is causing Lana and other people in his life? What if he can't, or won't, follow through? Lana is smart enough to realize that then nothing between them will improve and over time Tony will likely get worse. Any bump in life (these come to every couple sooner or later) could send him spiralling downward.
Will his hoarding, or whatever his problem actually is, be the elephant in the room in their relationship? Is this the life partner Lana truly wants and the man she deserves? Will she continue to enable his behaviour?
Or will she insist her ex boyfriend seek professional help, if he wants her back? Should she refuse to get him back in her bed and her life unless he sincerely tries to change? That's what she's asking you. Can this relationship be saved? You ache for Lana - but only she can answer that.
Get him back? Or say good-bye? Learn what men want and what they need - does your ex boyfriend still love you? Can your relationship be saved? Find out!
Article Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/reconnecting/get-him-back-i-love-my-ex-boyfriend-but-is-he-a-hoarder
Are You A Prepper Or A Hoarder?
There is a rumor that may be more true than not that some political interests may have your interests at heart, or not. One of them is if you are a hoarder of food you may be considered an enemy of the state, whatever that may be. Therefore it might…
By: Haggard Ryder in News and Society > Pure Opinion Dec 18, 2011
How To Organize Your Room For Clutter Free Living
You want to decide how to organize your room and you just don't know where to start. This is a frustration many people experience, especially those who are apartment living. Apartments rarely feel like there is enough space to enjoy clutter free living. Sometimes it is hard enough trying to…
By: DianneB in Self Improvement > Organizing Jun 04, 2011
Prune Your Shrubs Or Beware Of A Bush Ambush
Bushes are always planted with the best intentions. The landscapes of newly built homes are often punctuated with perfect dots of bushes near the front door and under windows. For a few years these plantings maintain their manners and keep within their designated space even without proper pruning and trimming.…
By: Lisa Marie in Home and Family > Gardening Aug 24, 2012
The Effects Of Hoarding: On Hoarders And the People In Their Lives
Compulsive hoarding affects more than the hoarder. The effects of hoarding are also felt by their families, their friends, and others with whom they have relationships. If you're living with a hoarder, you are probably frustrated in your attempts to clear out the clutter surrounding you. After all, it's not…
By: AnnMarie in Self Improvement > Organizing Mar 05, 2012
How to Help A Hoarder: Patience, Please
Family and friends are often at a loss as to how to help a hoarder they know. When a loved one hoards, remember that, unless the behavior is life-threatening, they have a right to do so. Hoarding is confusing and confounding to those who don't collect things in this way.…
Hoarding Disorder: Recognizing the Syndromes Of Hoarding
There is a difference between having a hoarding disorder and being unorganized. The features of each may seem similar but the motives behind the clutter are vastly different. Hoarders have a compulsive disorder that is distinguished by three basic criteria: Hoarders find it very hard to give anything up. They…
De - Clutter Room By Room | Tips From Expert Cleaners In Melbourne
It is a well-known fact: kids and chaos go together. Something more, it is almost impossible to keep the clutter at bay, if you have young children at home. Still, no one wants to live like a hoarder, surrounded by toys, study books and clothes (washed and dirty mixed together…
By: Megan Steel in Home Improvement > Cleaning Tips and Tools May 23, 2013
That weekend was Amazing!
I just spent the most amazing weekend with my wife! I know this might sound strange but ever since my two-year old daughter was born it has basically been a relationship between wife and daughter and me playing the bystander. Don't get me wrong I love my wife and daughter…
By: alstallio in Relationships > Reconnecting Jun 08, 2016
How to Get Your Girlfriend Back – Consider Couples Counseling
You just got out of a serious relationship. She ended it and you want to win her back. You are probably scratching your head trying to figure out how to get your girlfriend back. You have tried the simple things – chocolate and flowers did not work. She wants more…
By: Brad Miller in Relationships > Reconnecting Jun 18, 2012
Can I Get My Ex - Girlfriend Back?
If you are asking that question, then you obviously have some doubts, and rightfully so. Well you are going to have to ask and answer some tough questions. First of all...have you figured out what caused the breakup to begin with? Was it you...was it her...probably a combination of both...right?…
By: Stbrac1 in Relationships > Reconnecting Dec 26, 2011
Your Girlfriend Left You - Seven Winning Ideas on How to Get Her Back
Your girlfriend just left you and you are at a loss for what to do next and how to get her back. You want her back, but just are not sure what steps to take to get there. It can be very rough sometimes when a relationship ends before you…
Five Lessons From Guys Like You – Learn How to Get Your Girlfriend Back
Sometimes the best advice comes from guys who have "been there, done that". They are the best teachers on how to get your girlfriend back. Here is a collection of the best advice from guys who have learned the hard way what to do and not do. Take this advice…
Get My Ex Back – The Power Of Opening Up Your Life To Possibility
If how can I get my ex back is the one thing on your mind after a breakup, the only thing you might want to do is hide out on the couch or in front of the computer. But, after an initial day or two of moping or tears, it…
By: JackieJ in Relationships > Reconnecting May 29, 2011
Help! I Still Love My Ex
What do you do if you find yourself thinking: "I still love my ex."? How do you know if it is real love, or just a residual fondness, and seeing your past relationship through "rose colored glasses"? In reality, it is perfectly normal to have residual feelings for your ex.…
By: Mitch Anderson in Relationships > Reconnecting Jul 12, 2011
How to Make Your Ex Girlfriend Think You're Back Together
If you're desperately trying to get your ex girlfriend back into your arms from another guy, it can be tough to figure out what the right steps are to take. Sometimes your ex might be really angry at you, especially if the relationship went sour towards the end. The good…
By: Max Grimnar in Relationships > Reconnecting Mar 21, 2011


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Michail Golizyn () ist der Name folgender Personen:
 Michail Wladimirowitsch Golizyn (1926–2015), russischer Geologe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Last resort for a grand resort?
The Balsams' future comes down to a legislative decision
Paula Tracy,
The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch has been closed since 2011, but could be revived with the help of HB 540, say developers. (Photo by Paula Tracy)
North Country residents wonder whether redeveloping the Balsams Grand Resort will recreate its elegant past and be the catalyst for a world-class outdoor economy they desperately need in the Great North Woods.
Or will the grand old hotel just continue to deteriorate? Or perhaps worse, undergo redevelopment only to flop and leave taxpayers footing a $28 million bill?
Now that the New Hampshire House has passed enabling legislation by a wide margin to make financing possible, with the Senate set to take up House Bill 540 next, we will all have a better idea.
Laura Clarke of Colebrook is among the many hopefuls who are rooting for the Balsams' resurrection.
"It would mean a great deal to the community to have the Balsams back open," Clarke said. "It would be great for revenue for the town." (The famed Panorama Golf Course designed by Donald J. Ross is in Colebrook.)
Clarke lost her job as a chambermaid at the Balsams after five years when it closed in 2011. Now, she works as a clerk at a local pharmacy.
"For the economy, it would be absolutely wonderful," Clarke said.
Needed legislation
"Best-case scenario, skiing by December of 2020," said Les Otten, developer of the Balsams redevelopment project. "The worst-case scenario is something other than that."
Otten gave his prediction during a break from recent legislative hearings in Concord on House Bill 540, which would create a tax assessment district for redevelopment. It would allow Otten to access the bond market with no liability, for what he calls the "forgotten county" of Coos.
After fits and starts over the last five-plus years to obtain the $173 million financing needed for the first phase of development, Otten said, the project's future now is in the hands of state lawmakers.
Otten, who is former CEO of American Skiing Company and was a minority owner of the Red Sox, has spent time this session in the Legislative Office Building in Concord selling HB 540.
The bill would allow Coos County to create an assessment district for redevelopment in an unincorporated place.
Otten's project has critics, like Rick Samson, the only one of three Coos County commissioners to oppose county involvement in any way.
But Otten shrugs off the naysayers.
"I want to put people back to work," Otten told New Hampshire lawmakers.
Recreating the Balsams — drawing skiers from Montreal only three hours away, Boston and points across the Northeast, where snow sports and open spots for playing in the snow are shrinking — and building the largest resort in the East could be a much-needed catalyst for the region's economy.
Otten says he is going after more than the weekend crowd, envisioning that the average visitor may stay two weeks or more, and those guests will want to do things off-property as well.
His long-term vision is to create a ski resort larger than Killington, Vt., where he began in 1971. His plans call for a gondola to be built from the hotel across Route 26 to the mountain summit where there would be 22 lifts and more than 1,200 acres of skiable terrain.
The prospect for jobs at the resort and surrounding area seems tantalizingly close with the progress of HB 540.
But it might continue to be a best-kept secret among outdoor aficionados if the $173 million in financing does not come together.
Otten and investors plan to plunk down $20 million of their own money, obtain a construction loan of $85 million, secure about $40 million from a new federal Opportunity Zone program and get a $28 million tax increment financing (TIF) district bond to make up the financial package to move forward.
Otten is asking the Legislature to allow unincorporated areas of New Hampshire, including Dixville, to be given the same authority that each city and town has in the state to be able to create a TIF.
This would enable Coos County to consider creating a $28 million TIF bond, which would then need to be authorized by the three-member county commission and approved by the 10-member county delegation. The bond would be paid back from revenue from improvements to the resort until maturity at about 20 years, with interest.
If the project goes bankrupt, investors, not the county, would be on the hook, according to HB 540 sponsor Rep. Edith Tucker, D-Randolph.
It would be up to the Balsams to find an investor to take the deal with no municipal guarantee, Tucker said.
If the Senate next approves Tucker's bill, it would then go to the governor.
"We believe there is a bond market for unique municipal paper," Otten said. "Until [HB 540] becomes law, we can't test the water, but it's important to get through this legislation first."
Otten has secured non-binding deposits from 120 investors, many of them former hotel guests, to buy into the redevelopment. Otten said there are another 450 to 500 "queued up" to invest if the bill is passed and the $173 million financing package comes
If approved, "the growth will be rapid," he assured, meaning 400 permanent jobs and at least 600 construction jobs for the first phase.
Les Otten talks with Rep. Edith Tucker, D-Randolph, one of the sponsors of HB 540, at a legislative hearing on the bill. (Photo by Paula Tracy)
Fizzled deal
Otten's support of renewable energy, specifically hydro, has landed him in some hot water. He has been roundly criticized by residents in the North Country for taking $5 million from the developers of Northern Pass to help with pre-development of the Balsams.
Many in the North Country oppose the plan by Eversource to build a 192-mile transmission line from Pittsburg to Deerfield to bring electricity to the Massachusetts market. The project is appealing the denial of a permit to build to the state Supreme Court.
Opponents of Northern Pass and House Bill 540, including County Commissioner Samson, have said they would like to see the Balsams revived but without help from the county.
Samson said he wants to avoid any county losses, but he'd be happy to take the money for tax coffers if the project can happen without the county's help.
But without the bond, there will likely be no project and no improvements, Otten's supporters say.
Otten said he was overjoyed in 2015 when the Legislature gave him a tool he thought would help secure bonds for the project. It included the requirement that the $28 million bond had to be approved by the state's Business Finance Authority.
That didn't happen.
An effort to secure that deal fizzled in August 2018 when Service Credit Union of New Hampshire withdrew its request to the BFA, citing irreconcilable differences.
Steve Duprey, vice chair of the BFA, said the issue was not about the worthiness of the project or its viability, only about a state-guaranteed portion of the deal.
Otten sought a market for bonds without municipal backing. Such a financing plan would require more interest or incentives, but he believes there is a market for it, and the project can absorb the extra costs.
Opportunity zone
Economists say a lot has to go right and nothing can go wrong for Otten's financial plan to work.
But they say there is a path forward with this, and the timing with a strong stock market and a new federal program is better now than five years ago.
They did not have opportunity zones then, for example.
Last summer, as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu nominated Dixville and 26 other tracts across the state as Qualified Opportunity Zones. The purpose of the zones is to get economic investment and job creation in low-income areas of the country.
The investors put their money in an OZ fund and then get to defer capital gains and other tax incentives in exchange for investing.
Scott Tranchemontagne, spokesman for the Balsams, said, "Our project would qualify for an opportunity zone and we intend to offer that investment" by creating an opportunity fund for the Balsams.
Duprey, who's also a well-known Concord developer, said the new OZ program offers great promise for not only the Balsams but also other areas in the state where tax incentives could help bolster an area's economy.
Michael Swack, a professor of economics and management and fellow at the University of New Hampshire Carsey Institute and the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, said he is not familiar with the specifics of the Balsams project, but agreed with Duprey about the timing of the zones.
The opportunity zone option comes at a good time for the project and the region.
Big banks are setting up mechanisms for investors to take advantage of these zones at the same time projects like the Balsams are creating funds to take the money.
Swack said the fact that the Balsams project is not looking to get traditional TIF bonds through government backing is not extraordinary, but may mean that the developer would have to pay more interest or other incentives than a traditional TIF, which is backed by a state or municipality.
While the county may not be on the hook to repay if the project goes south, he said, it could be criticized for helping the private project by creating the bond that allows it to go forward.
Swack said the county is just "creating the tool" under HB 540, but "someone else is taking the risk" and that would be the investor.
The investor would want to see some assurances, for example, that the developer's money is used first or at the same time.
Otten told legislators that would be the case, and he has also said the investors would be in the number one position for repayment if there is a bankruptcy.
'Huge potential'
Berlin Mayor Paul Grenier is a strong supporter of the Balsams project. He envisions Berlin Regional Airport in Milan as "a true diamond in the rough waiting to be polished."
"There's huge potential here," and it could be fueled at the airport by a reopened resort, said Grenier, who has been a frequent visitor at the Legislative Office Building, testifying on behalf of the Balsams, education funding and other projects that would help Berlin get back on its feet.
Grenier noted that Berlin once had 22,000 residents. It now has about 10,500. In 1970, Colebrook had almost 3,100 residents, but by 2017, the population dropped to under 2,200.
In Errol, Bob Ouellet operates a local store on Main Street about halfway between the airport and the Balsams.
While the Balsams opening would help property values and reduce unemployment in the region, Ouellett said he's concerned that county taxpayers could be left hanging if the project goes bankrupt.
Ouellett also worries about HB 540.
"I may not be a financial wizard, but how can you sign for something and still not be on the hook for it?" Ouellett asked.
Marketing to the faithful
The developers sent out a postcard several years ago directing former Balsams guests to a website describing opportunities to buy into the project, somewhat like a timeshare.
Using a database that includes the names and street addresses of some 90,000 former guests, it is the only marketing effort undertaken so far.
Otten said 120 families have signed non-binding, refundable deposits, which would give them 100 days of hotel room ownership with a chance to "give back" a majority of those days for the hotel to sell.
This could mean $22 million for the project, Otten said. He estimates another 400 or more are ready to sign.
The plans include retaining a culinary focus and cooking school, working with local farmers to provide a farm-to-table menu, building a hot spring and Nordic spa to take advantage of the cold mountain streams, and building a core resort center where people could walk, ski, bike or run to all the recreational activities from the center area.
During the first phase of construction, the ski area would include about as much terrain as is now available in Stowe, Vt.
This area of the state is one of the snowiest, according to the National Weather Service, and the base of the ski resort, at about 1,754 feet, is among the highest of any ski area in the state.
According to a recent study by the University of Waterloo in Ontario, by the turn of the century New Hampshire will have only a handful of remaining operable ski areas because of climate change. The Balsams is on that list of remaining areas, based on elevation and latitude.
Otten said he believes the development plans would lift all boats and that a large number of existing recreational businesses could profit.
"People who have not ventured north of the Notch are missing out on the best of New Hampshire," Otten said.
While there's a lot to consider, former chambermaid Laura Clarke said she has not lost hope.
Clarke misses the hotel guests and vibrancy the Balsams provided her community and the pride she took from their enjoyment.
"They came year after year after year," Clarke said, from all over the country and all over the world.
This article has been published jointly by NH Business Review and InDepthNH.org, New Hampshire's nonprofit news website published online by the NH Center for Public Interest Journalism.
See: Who is developer Les Otten?
Categories: Restaurants, Retail & Tourism


Ejercicio: Une las oraciones en inglés y las traducciones en español. Arrastra la traducción correcta. Match the sentences and the trasnlation in Spanish. Drag the right answer.
We need a lot of rain this year.
The temperature falls below zero.
Hailstone is a great problem in this country.
We will have cloudy days this winter.
Driving is dangerous in foggy conditions.
I love watching snow falling.
I bought a lightning protection system.
Do not drive in stormy weather.


Video: Avicii - "You Make Me"
Swedish producer Avicii isn't playing around with these tunes, which we will get some serious proof on the first album from him called TRUE. Until then, he released a brand new music video for the song "You Make Me." Another catchy EDM/pop tune that features vocals by Salem Al Faki and has a nice visual to represent this single. This might just be my tune/video of the day. Watch below.


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Home/News/Rukutana: Rejecting Bigirimana's Nomination to Umeme Board "Illegal"
Rukutana: Rejecting Bigirimana's Nomination to Umeme Board "Illegal"
Giles Muhame July 11, 2019
Pius Bigirimana
The Attorney General, Mwesigwa Rukutana, has said Umeme's decision to reject Mr Pius Bigirimana's nomination as a board member was "flawed", "unfair" and "illegal", Chimp Corps report.
Rukutana also ordered that a new Annual General Meeting (AGM) be held to ratify Bigirimana's nomination.
The AG's legal opinion could see Bigirimana's appointment to the board of the largest electricity distributor reconsidered.
Bigirimana was on April 15, 2018 nominated as non-Executive Director to the Umeme Board by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), subject to ratification by the electricity company's annual general meeting at Sheraton Hotel in May, 2018.
His name was however, rejected by majority of the shareholders, who accused him among others of "being a spoiler" and "negative publicity" arising from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) corruption saga.
Bigirimana sits on Umeme board in his capacity as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
NSSF holds 23.2 percent of the shares and is the biggest institutional shareholder, the basis on which it holds two positions on the Board of Directors.
Rukutana speaks out
In a letter dated May 30, 2019, Rukutana said no reason was given by Umeme in the resolution filed at the registry of companies on June 5, 2018 for rejecting the nomination of Bigirimana.
He cited Article 83 of the Amended Articles of Association which provides for disqualification of Directors such as unsound mind, bankruptcy, resignation and absence from meetings.
"None of the above grounds were given as reason for rejection of Mr Bigirimana's nomination…" said Rukutana in his letter to Gender Minister, Janat Mukwaya dated May 30, 2019.
The AG further said in view of the fact that the board of Umeme had held one-on-one consultations with NSSF as the biggest shareholder and accepted the nomination of Bigirimana and appointed him as director pending ratification by the AGM, the "board had the obligation to act in the best interests of the company by ensuring that the grounds of evidence for disqualification of nominated directors be given in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Companies Act."
Rukutana emphasised: "This was not done and therefore a breach of the law and principles of natural justice."
The AG further said Umeme had to ensure the voting had "to be by a poll as NSSF is the biggest single institutional shareholder/investor and its proposal should be given due consideration because it represents workers' interests and government."
Rukutana said the board of Umeme should "therefore review the resolution put to the AGM and hold an extra ordinary general meeting to ratify the nomination of Mr Bigirimana because the decision was taken in disregard of the legal rights of NSSF to have a poll and violated the rights of Bigirimana for being accused and condemned without violence."
Mukwaya had asked Rukutana to also guide her on whether anyone can refuse to implement the directive of the president.
Museveni had ordered the Finance Minister Matia Kasaija to investigate the complaint of workers on Bigirimana's appointment to the Umeme board and ensure his appointment to safeguard workers' interests.
Kasaija reported back to Museveni, saying Bigirimana's nomination was rejected on the "ground of previous bad publicity and adverse perception" among the public including "Umeme shareholders."
Rukutana said the Companies Act and the Articles of Association of Umeme Ltd provides grounds for disqualification of Directors.
"It is therefore unfair, illegal and not good corporate governance to reject the nomination of a Director based on hearsay in disregard of the Articles of Association and the Companies Act," said Rukutana.
"The directive of the president to ensure the appointment of Bigirimana should be implemented. The Finance Minister should review the grounds for rejection given in his report as they are not based on evidence in accordance with the law. He should advise Umeme Ltd that the decision to reject the appointment of Bigirimana was flawed and it is not acceptable to NSSF and government on the grounds given above."
Bigirimana was not readily available for comment when we contacted him on his known mobile phone.
PiusBigirimana UmemeLtd


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Hello Visitor!
Carter Sparks Magic
Drama, humor, and exoticism meld with redwood warmth for architect's quirky brand of modernism
By Dave Weinstein
Franklin Yee, a young surgeon, and his wife, Sandra, knew what they wanted when they sought an architect—sort of. "We wanted the unexpected," Sandra says.
That's exactly what they got—thanks to their architect, Carter Sparks, whose brand of modernism diverged in many ways from that of his contemporaries—especially in his taste for drama and the exotic.
Today, mid-century modernism is back in fashion, even in the aesthetically conservative Sacramento Valley. People who own mid-century homes are paying more attention to the style. In Sacramento, most of those folks live in homes designed by Sparks, thanks to his work for the Streng Bros. developers.
But that doesn't mean they all get what makes Sparks' work special. To many of its fans, mid-century modern has taken on a meaning that is simple—even simplistic. It means open plans, walls of glass, and easy access to the outdoors. But how about those architects, like Sparks, who brought something unique to the style—humor, exoticism, personal quirks—along with the Bay Area's traditional love for the warmth of redwood?
Mid-century modern, after all, was never a style. It was a catchall phrase to describe the work of individualistic architects whose styles sometimes converged—but often, thankfully, did not. The work of the woodsier among these architects is often ignored by mid-century fans. Wood-paneled walls are often painted white. That could be why Sparks (1923-1997), who never achieved fame during his lifetime, hasn't gained fame during today's revival. Woodsy modernism still isn't hip.
But Sparks has gained increased admiration from Streng homeowners, many of whom have tried to preserve their homes' architectural character while adding rooms or otherwise remodeling. Often, however, even with the best intentions, they end up losing some of the Sparks magic.
So, what 'is' that Sparks magic? And what did Sparks put of himself into his homes? One way to find out is to visit Sparks' custom houses. Even his largest custom homes bear much in common, both in attitude and detail, with the humblest of his tract houses.
For this purpose you couldn't find better owners than Sandra and Franklin Yee, who live in a two-story, four-bedroom, 3,300-square-foot home on just under an acre of land in suburban Sacramento. For one thing, the home remains remarkably unchanged since it was built in 1968. "Anything we added to the house would be detrimental to Sparks' design," says Franklin.
For another, Franklin seems to speak with the architect's own voice as he repeats some of Sparks' mantras. "When you walk into a house," Franklin says, "Carter wanted a sense of excitement. 'Most houses, when you walk in you know where the living room is, you know where the dining room is. I want you to walk into a home where you don't know where all the components are going to be. You want to wonder where everything is.'"
The demands the Yees made on their architect were great. Sandra, who had lived in Berkeley, wanted something that recalled that town's Arts and Crafts shingled or wood-sided hillside architecture. Both Sandra and Franklin were fans of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of Sparks' main influences.
Plus, Franklin says, "We liked a house to be multi-storied with a lot of balconies, and with redwood, like you were in a mountain place." They also needed bedrooms for their three children. "No long halls, no wasted space," Franklin says. "I wanted a sunken living room. And we wanted a very dramatic stairwell." And, of course, they wanted to spend as little as possible.
Then, the kicker. Franklin tossed in an odd demand. "We also said, if we were living in the era of George Washington, we would have a Colonial house with large columns. I said I wanted contemporary columns in our home." Columns, of course, are not something modern architects do—not, at least, in the pre-post modern era. But Sparks smiled, then started asking questions.
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Bermuda, a location blending colonial British culture with African heritage, is a small island northeast of Miami. It is actually closer to North Carolina than Florida. As Britain's oldest colony, it has been a tourist destination for a long time. In addition to traditional hotels, visitors can stay in several all-inclusive hotels.
Grotto Bay Beach Resort rests on 21 acres along the water. There are caves and lagoons all around the property and the resort offers all kinds of water sports. Fairly centrally located, guests can easily get to St. George's, Bermuda's original capital as well as Hamilton, the largest city on the island. With 201 rooms you can choose between oceanfront or ocean view with a balcony or patio. The all-inclusive fee includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner as well as unlimited bar drinks, but bottles of wine and champagne are excluded. Weekly there is a manager's rum swizzle party, nightly entertainment and even night buffets. Non-motorized water sports such as snorkeling, sailing, and kayaking are also included as well as an unlimited Bermuda public transport pass.
The Reefs offers its very own secluded pink sand beach. Open since 1947, the hotel takes pride in its many write-ups in magazines such as Travel and Leisure. All rooms include a full breakfast, afternoon tea and gourmet dinner. The resort allows guests to use complimentary snorkeling and kayak equipment as well as racquets for the tennis courts. Also available is the fitness center with yoga overlooking the water. The front desk is happy to arrange for golf, scuba diving or sport fishing but these are not included in the price. It also has an on-site cycle shop where you can rent a bike or scooter.
9 Beaches offers guests a unique type of stay. With cabanas built on stilts, you will literally sleep over the water. Offering just dinner plans or a full all-inclusive option, guests can pick what suits their needs. Daily hot buffet breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, room service and beverages all come with the all-inclusive package, excluding bottles of wine and champagne. In order to further accommodate its guests, 9 Beaches offers packages such as "Endless Water Sports," "Family Splash Around," and "Romantic Getaway." "Endless Water Sports" comes with unlimited non-motorized water gear such as rafts, masks, fins, boogie boards, etc. The " Family Splash Around" includes discounts on turtle watching tours and catamaran cruises and the "Romantic Getaway" includes massages and robes.
Witt, Pharaba. "Bermuda All Inclusive Hotels." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/bermuda-inclusive-hotels-42005.html. Accessed 25 April 2019.


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The 1st nine – twelve weeks of the school year is devoted to Marching Band which includes performances at home and away football games, Band Shows/Competitions, festivals, and parades. The remainder of the 2nd nine weeks, 3rd, and 4th nine weeks are devoted to Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble (with the exception of the Memorial Day Parade). All students must audition for these groups in late October/early November and all three groups go to District Band Contest in March.
The Wind Ensemble is a select group of musicians that perform above average high school to university level and professional level band literature. All members of Wind Ensemble are expected to go to Solo & Ensemble Contest. It is also highly encouraged for students in this group to take private lessons. Membership is open to all students enrolled in Instrumental Music 6100.
The Concert Band performs high school literature with wide variety of classic band literature, contest pieces, and other music. And, students are certainly encouraged to take private lessons in order to progress to the next level, preparing them to enter the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble.
The fourth nine weeks of the school year is a combination of Symphonic Band/Concert Band, and Marching Band rehearsals in preparation for any spring music festivals or local performances that the bands may have.


Mary comes to PI with a rich history in faith-based, non-profit fundraising. Her own family's story is even more rich, flowing with the amazing grace and Providence of God. Mary traces her spiritual legacy from Northeast India where her Grandfather became a follower of Jesus because a Welsh Missionary, Watkin Roberts, boldly shared the gospel with the Hmar people group. The missionary's actions were bold because the Hmar were known as one of the fiercest headhunters in that part of India. Mary's father, Rochunga Pudaite, eventually came to the USA and Wheaton College where he finished the Bible translation for the Hmar in their heart language. Mary and her husband, Dan, along with their family, currently live in Antioch, Illinois. She started her personal journey with Partners International last year as a Board Member.


Norfolk and Suffolk farmers are benefitting from planting nectar plots for bees and other pollinators, while those in Wensleydale are focused on managing species-rich meadows.
A new Payment by Results (PBR) scheme, spearheaded by Defra, will be the first Environmental Land Management (ELM) initiative directly funded by the UK and will mean that in future, farmers will be incentivised to earn more money by providing environmental benefits on their land.
Farmers wanting practical guidance on the future of ELM are invited to attend the Energy and Rural Business Show, where Defra's environmental land management programme manager, Marie Hall, will outline future prospects for farmers in her talk entitled 'Environmental Land Management – a look at the government's 25-year plan and the opportunities available'.
To test the new initiative, a new PBR pilot scheme has been given the green light and will take place to trial the ELM system and finetune it for future rollout across the UK.
All the funding for the PBR pilot will come from Defra, with a £540,000 boost to pay farmers according to the environmental outcomes they achieve over the next two years.
The project is paying participating farmers in two areas – Norfolk and Suffolk in the East of England and Wensleydale in Yorkshire – for work that is specifically tailored to the environmental needs of their area. For example, in Norfolk and Suffolk farmers are benefitting from planting nectar plots for bees and other pollinators, while those in Wensleydale are focused on managing species-rich meadows.
"Under the CAP, agri-environment schemes have been overly bureaucratic and inflexible. This has impeded innovation for farmers who are passionate about the environment and want to see real change.
Energy and Rural Business Show is free to attend and takes place on February 6th and 7th, in Telford International Centre.
The new show incorporates three Expos for the first time. Energy Now Expo, celebrating 10 years of success in 2019, will be joined by the Rural Business Expo and Low-Emission Vehicles Expo.
Energy Now Expo will feature an exhibition, a dedicated energy storage theatre, a one-to-one advice clinic, and conference streams devoted to each type of renewable energy. The Low Emission Vehicles Expo will have on-stand demos and presentations and the latest vehicles and machinery for rural businesses on show. Also new for 2019, The Rural Business Expo will have 'how to' workshops from industry experts and farmers who have implemented successful new business ventures or have integrated new projects with existing initiatives.


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Noah's Archives
Curating genre fiction since 1972
January 20, 2018 by Noah Stewart
The Deadly Sunshade, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1940)
The Deadly Sunshade, Popular Library #126
The Deadly Sunshade (1940) is the sixteenth in a series of mystery novels about Asey Mayo, the "Codfish Sherlock" of Massachusetts, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (PAT). It has PAT's characteristic breakneck bumper-cars plot structure — Asey begins by being surprised by a murder and everyone races around at top speed in all directions until he solves the case. But, since it's 1940, there are interesting undercurrents of espionage and wartime hardships and social disruption.
Please be warned that this essay concerns a work of detective fiction; part of its potential enjoyment is based on surprising the reader. If you read any further, you will learn something about the titular novel and perhaps some others (specifically, N or M? by Agatha Christie). I do not reveal whodunit, but I do discuss elements of plot and construction. If you haven't already read this novel, it will have lost its power to surprise you to greater or lesser extent, and that would be a shame. So please go and read this book before you spoil your own enjoyment. If you proceed past this point, you're on your own.
What is this novel about?
Asey begins at home, dealing with his cousin Jennie Mayo and the wonderful Mrs. Pussy Belcher, known to everyone as Picklepuss because she runs Aunt Pussy's Perfect Pickles. Picklepuss and Jennie have been inflamed by a radio personality (one Rounceval Jones) with a talk show and have joined the Woman's League to Defend America at all Costs with Action; they are collecting guns and are urging women to become well-armed against the apparently imminent point when Cape Cod will be invaded from Europe.
Asey is against the idea of arming the women because the accident rate will outweigh the benefits. Well, okay, also because he's sexist, but I think the events of the book justify it; immediately after he insists that the women obtain licenses for the guns and be far more careful with them, a bullet whizzes past his ear, fired from nearby sand dunes. (Later the local doctor reports his wife has also accidentally fired at him.) Then he gets a phone message from an epicentre of local issues, Mrs. Newell, who asks him to meet her at the Yacht Club because it's a matter of life and death. Apparently it was — by the time he arrives, she's lying dead on the beach under a bright umbrella, poisoned with atropine.
The Deadly Sunshade, Foul Play Press edition from the 1980s
As I noted, this starts everyone in the book running around in all directions at top speed. Asey forms a little group of apparently like-minded people around him, all who have an interest and most a motive, and he caroms around among them like a pinball. The reasoning behind all this activity is usually reasonable … okay, sometimes reasonable and sometimes just silly. But it keeps your mind occupied with diverting sub-plots like why is someone burying Mrs. Newell's knitting bag in a sand dune, and is it true that the Commodore of the Yacht Club is raising money for the club under false pretences, and why did his son misdiagnose Mrs. Newell's atropine poisoning as sunstroke. And of course, many of her ex-suitors and occasional providers of expensive jewelry are nearby at the Yacht Club.
Meanwhile Picklepuss and many other housewives are running around with guns ostensibly patrolling the beaches against the prospect of enemy submarines. After a number of chases and bizarre complications, Asey is taken hostage by a well-armed woman sharpshooter (who has been brought in to teach the women to shoot). In the process of lying on the floor under armed guard, staring at some quilt patterns, Asey has the crucial realization about Mrs. Newell's knitted mittens pattern and realizes whodunit and why, just in time to forestall some terrible developments.
Why is this novel worth your time?
The Deadly Sunshade, 1st US edition (Norton, 1940). Note the sticker.
Phoebe Atwood Taylor is like well-aged single-malt Scotch. If you have a taste for her work, you make sure to put yourself in the way of as much of it as possible; if the taste makes you shudder, you should certainly find something else to read. PAT's novels always take place at high speed and minimal coherence, and there is quite a bit of the narrative that is intended to make you chuckle. These are the screwball comedies of mystery. If you're a devotee of, say, the dry-as-dust timetable mysteries of Freeman Wills Crofts, you may well be repelled by PAT's entire oeuvre (especially by her eight books as by Alice Tilton, which are even more breakneck and hilarious).
But if you are amused by such things, as I am in the case of PAT, you will read all her books and notice a few things that seem to recur. The plot structures are all very similar, as previously noted. Asey forms a little group of people around him who aid him with solving the mystery or keeping its insane side-effects under control. I've noticed, though, that there are a few types that seem to recur in that little cadre.
Principal among them is a "competent housewife". There's a sensible woman who is in the middle of a group of people who are not very sensible, and she's attempting to maintain order and keep the house running in the midst of chaos. Then there's usually some single-minded people who are trying to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. There's a plucky young woman who has faced adversity and is unjustly suspected of murder; she usually helps Asey out first-hand, and/or a handsome young man who is in trouble but you know he has a good heart.
Also frequently, there is a nasty bitch who delights in stealing other women's husbands and whatever money isn't nailed down; her male equivalent is a cranky middle-aged man who controls other people's money and is unjustly denying it to them, or making it impossible for them to get it. Another repeating type is a family of people who are somehow off-kilter … a middle-aged couple who are eccentric and have eccentric children.
And nearly always, the local colour characters. There's a network of people in Quanomet and Skaket who don't interact with "people from away" but have all been intermarrying for hundreds of years, and they are all somehow related. So Jennie Mayo can always tap into a community resource and locate someone's quaint relative who can come up with just the right element to resolve a plot twist.
I'm not saying all these stock characters are in each and every book (and certainly not in this particular volume); some, like PAT's "world-weary soprano" character (yes, really) appear only a few times, but enough that you recognize them as repeating from other stories, with different names. But one reason to read your way through all 24 volumes of Asey Mayo stories (and the eight Alice Tilton books about Leonidas Witherall, "the man who looked like Shakespeare") is for the pleasure of recognizing these recurring characters and seeing just how PAT has turned them into new faces for this new story. It's kind of like commedia dell'arte. There are even repetitive elements of the plot that are in the nature of lazzi; someone always drives too fast on the back roads of Quanomet without lights, Asey always chases the murderer on foot and trips, and someone attempts to dispose of an incriminating or inconvenient object by burying it in a sand dune or throwing it in a pond, under the hidden scrutiny of a puzzled Asey.
So if you read the whole 32 volumes, you'll understand what I mean. No single volume is absolutely representative but, taken together, they all form a picture of PAT's stable of stock characters — and her obvious pleasure in writing about them.
I think this volume is also worth your time because it's one of a few stories where a mystery writer takes an essentially light-hearted series character and involves them directly with World War 2. I did say that I was going to give away a little bit about Agatha Christie's N or M? and that's about all I'll say; Tommy and Tuppence interact with an espionage-based plot that involves Fifth Columnists and spies. It's the same here, Asey Meets The Fifth Column, although you could be excused for overlooking it; honestly, the spy subplot doesn't become apparent or functional until the final pages of the denouement because PAT has concealed it so well. There's a function to some of the war-news radio broadcasts that may escape the unwary reader.
But if you read only the wartime PAT efforts, as I have done recently, another pattern starts to emerge. It seems as though PAT saw herself as a kind of unofficial propagandist on behalf of the war effort. In this volume, from 1940, it's only about the possibilities of espionage and a possible enemy naval presence off the seacoast. Yes, she uses it as a plot element to poke a little fun at listeners who got inflamed by a radio talk show to form the Woman's League to Defend America at all Costs with Action. But there's something underneath the fun-poking that seems a little more serious. Two old duffers in the Yacht Club are a background ostinato of "Sea power! No, air power!" Everyone listens to the war news on the radio. By the time PAT reaches 1942 and The Six Iron Spiders, as I talked about the other day, one character is informing Asey sanctimoniously that rubber is a sacred trust for the nation and it's everyone's duty not to waste it by racing around at high speed. First aid classes and spotter duty are irksome and chafing, but everyone is always ready to pitch in and do them. And Jennie Mayo becomes a human dynamo who apparently means to single-handedly win the war.
This book contains a glancing reference in its initial pages that could stand for a lot of offhand phrases and brief observations in this and other books. It's just thrown away, but it's meant to be telling — the speaker is not pleased with Asey and he's in the room.
"'The Yacht Club?' Mrs. Belcher sniffed as she sat down in the rocker. 'I should think that Asey might find more to do for his country these days than wear white flannels and go to Yacht Clubs!'"
PAT never forgets that the country is at war and neither do her characters.
One thing that I found particularly interesting was the way in which the narrative acknowledges the influence of radio commentators like Rounceval Jones. Jones's voice is not heard directly in the book, so this is a very minor point, but it did make me chuckle to think that people like Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones had WW2 counterparts, agitating for not only the right to bear arms but the duty to do so.
To sum up — there's the usual PAT high-speed mystery plot and her standard cast of characters, a great deal of good humour, and overtop it all is a medium-heavy dose of We Must Win The War. If this is the delightful taste of single-malt Scotch to you as it is to me, settle into a large armchair to find out what the hell it is about that knitting pattern that gets Asey to the solution.
A note on editions
The Deadly Sunshade, First UK edition, Collins Crime Club
Phoebe Atwood Taylor was not well served for many years by the paperback market. There was a single uniform edition by the great people at Foul Play Press in the 1980s where they did her entire oeuvre, in a simple and distinct artistic style; this is the edition you'll have seen everywhere. Countryman Press did most of them about a decade ago but I'm unable to find evidence that this specific title was among their reprints. But before the 1980s you were pretty much restricted to ugly inexpensive hardcover reprints from Norton and Triangle.
This title, though, was one of a few of PAT's that received the full "Good Girl Art" treatment as part of the early Popular Library line; #126, from 1947, has the corpse in a two-piece swimsuit as the principal design element. A crisp copy of this will hold its value and might set you back US$20.
The first edition has an interesting sticker on it that pinpoints its publication date as December 1940, and that it is BRAND NEW and Not previously published anywhere. But I think the first UK, from Collins Crime Club, puts a delightful British take on the cover art; I'd be looking for this very pretty book in jacket if I didn't already have a full set of reading copies.
This entry was posted in Detective fiction, Mystery, Mystery writers, Novel and tagged Agatha Christie, Alex Jones, Alice Tilton, Asey Mayo, Freeman Wills Crofts, Leonidas Witherall, Phoebe Atwood Taylor, Rush Limbaugh, Tommy and Tuppence.
2 thoughts on "The Deadly Sunshade, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1940)"
lesblatt says:
Noah, good review; it's been a while since I read "A Deadly Sunshade" and I'm overdue to re-read more PAT. And, yes, Foul Play/Countryman Press reprinted it along with all of PAT's other books – in fact, that's the edition I have of all her books, including "Sunshade." One point, though: this was a 1940 book – and the US didn't enter WWII until the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941.
Noah Stewart says:
Thanks Les — and that makes it even more interesting to me, that PAT felt it was believable that a radio host would be exhorting housewives to become armed against an imminent invasion in 1940 before the US was even officially in the war.
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