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Atopic Eczema: Wind Of The Four Crooks
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She was the last patient of the day, and although I can always muster an interest in a new case, it had been a gruelling day and I was keen to finish and head off home. No question about it, it was her eyes that made me wake up and pay attention. I felt a shudder run down my spine. I had seen them, or something very similar many years ago. They had haunted me ever since, and although the passage of time had faded the impact, it all came flooding back this evening. Sixteen years ago a young woman in her early twenties had walked into my practice with severe and widespread eczema. The eczema was so intense that the unfortunate woman could not sleep at night nor rest in the day. Not only had the years of incessant itching worn her down and convinced her of her hopeless plight, but the stigma of having dry scaly red skin condemned her to a lonely existence. Instead of leaping into the delights of adult life, her teenage years had been a nightmare as she became increasingly isolated and unable to socialise with her contemporaries. She had struggled for almost her entire life and her grip was slipping. I could see that her eyes, when she mustered the courage to look at me, were empty and lacked that indefinable glint, betraying years of desperate and anonymous suffering. This lack of a sparkle, which I have ever since associates with motivation, fulfilment, and the will to live was utterly absent. Having taken a full case history and written the prescription, I ushered her to the door, my heart heavy, determined I would do all in my power to get her better. I don't recall her exact words, but as she walked out of the door she mumbled something about nothing being worth it. A week later her inconsolable mother called to tell me that she had taken her own life. Mercifully it is rare that I see such eyes, but when Anna walked in at the end of my day, there they were again. She was 31 years old with widespread atopic eczema. Almost her entire face and neck were covered with a dry scaly erythema, punctuated by eroded, excoriated lesions where she had dug her nails deep into her skin in an attempt to quell the unrelenting itch. Around her ears I could clearly see yellow crusts that betrayed recent exudation of serous fluid, clearly indicating localised infection. Around her desperate empty eyes there was darkening of the skin that was thickened and swollen from the constant rub- bing and scratching that continued even in her fitful sleep. The oedema around her eyes was accentuated further by two deep lines that ran from just below the inner canthi around the lower border of the eyes; both these features so characteristic of the more severe cases of this form of eczema. The few areas of her face that were not livid red with inflammation, were unnaturally pale, once again a clear sign of atopy. Embarrassed and ashamed of her skin, she was initially reluctant to remove her clothes to show me the rest of her eczema. Both inner and outer aspects of her arms were also covered with red macular papuler lesions, with the telltale excoriated scratch marks. Scattered across the outer aspect of her forearms I noted pustular lesions, and as with the area around her ears, discreet yellow crusted lesions could be seen scattered around her wrists and on the dorsum of her hands. Between most of her fingers a multitude of vesicles could be seen, surrounded by a halo of erythema and yellow crusts. Around the inner aspects of here wrists and anti-cubital fossa, I was glad to see the skin was elephant like, thickened so that the skin markings were more pronounced into what is termed lichenification. I say I was glad, because after almost two decades of see- ing 20-30 atopic eczema patients a week, I have learned to fear the lack of lichenification in severe eczema more than any other single sign as an indicator of a poor prognosis. Lichenification occurs most commonly around the inner aspects of wrists and ankles, behind the knees, anti-cubital fossa and the neck. Most atopics are particularly prone to this. There are some however, who despite constant scratch- ing will continue to have smooth, all be it red skin. It is such patients, who account for probably no more than 5-10% of cases that are the most recalcitrant to treatment. Why this should be I can not say, but that it is so is indisputable. The skin on her back and upper chest was similarly covered with inflamed red patches, erosion and occasional yellow crusting. Her nipples, a common site of eczema in women who are atopic, was also encrusted with yellow exudation that had dried hard, all but obliterating the area below.
As anyone who regularly treats dermatological disease knows, the skin is like an open book, the vast majority of information is there to be deciphered by those who can read the language. By closely observing the morphology, a formula will almost write itself. So what information had been gleaned so far? The erythema is a clear indication of heat rampaging on the blood level; the fact that it was intense in colour and covered half her body simply signi- fied the intensity. The excoriation left by her scratching is clearly indicative of the itch that she experienced. Intense heat as we know generates wind, and one important sign of the presence of wind in dermatology is excoriated scratch marks. However it is not only wind that leads to itching, and when reflecting on the source of the itch in atopic eczema, dampness and heat need to be considered as well. Damp, by obstructing the circulation of qi and blood in the skin can and frequently does also generate itching. Neither is it simply an academic question, it has crucial clinical sig- nificance; to decide that the itch is predominately created by wind will necessitate the use of wind scattering herbs, on the other hand if dampness predominates, than damp draining herbs will need to be used. In many instances to use wind scattering herbs when dampness prevails will not only have little impact on the itching, but by virtue of its dispersing nature will frequently compound the eczema and encourage it to spread. Likewise if damp draining herbs were used in a patient who predominantly suffers with wind type itching, the dampness will be drawn inwards instead of venting it via the skin, and similarly may well exacerbate the eczema. There was clear evidence of both in Anna's case. Lesions principally congregated on the face and upper body is a useful indicator of prevalence of wind. This observation has to be tempered by the presence of the erosion and yellow crusting that was found not only on her hands and wrists, but also on her nipples and around her ears. Yellow crusting indicates exudation of fluid form the skin that has subsequently dried, whilst erosion is a sign of retained dampness and heat. The profusion of vesicles also firmly points towards the existence of substantial amount of dampness and fire-toxin. The pustules found on her arms are an indication of either excessive application of unduly greasy emollients, or if that were not the case, then a sign of fire toxin. Anna used a light emollient, so I had to conclude that it was not an artefact, but a sign of fire toxin. This fitted in well with the other signs I had observed, fire toxin often being present in more severe and intense cases.
Although when treating dermatological disease the pri- mary source of information is available to you by observing carefully the patients skin, other symptoms and signs are of great importance when weaving a clear picture of the pathology.
Anna told me that she had suffered with eczema since she was 3 months old. This early onset is typical of at least 50% of cases, and counter intuitively is a favourable sign. Unlike allergic asthma (a related condition), early onset is associated with a better chance of improvement. A late onset (developing the eczema after age one) is often correlated with a poorer prognosis. Although she did not have a his- tory of asthma, she suffered with severe perennial allergic rhinitis, a common accompanying problem. This meant that she had almost continual nasal congestion and discharge, paroxysmal attacks of sneezing and a concomitant poor sense of smell and taste; all made much worse with expo- sure to dust or when in the presence of certain animals such as horses and cats. Her sleep was invariably disturbed by itching. This is a indication of heat at the blood level and is almost a universal finding in the moderate and more severe cases. Other than that she had a normal appetite and bowel function, and although her skin often became worse pre- menstrually, she had a normal menstrual cycle. She suffered no abnormal thirst, and aside form the burning sensation of her skin, she did not feel particularly hot.
Her tongue was predictably dry and red, with red prickles on the tip, extending towards the sides. The coating was thin and white. Her pulse was wiry and slightly rapid. It is clear that she suffered with an underlying condition of heat in the blood with wind, complicated with dampness and fire toxin. In such instances a successful strategy can be found by first peeling, as it were the outer layer, before attempting to tackle the core problem. What I intended to do first was to drain the damp heat and clear the fire. I used the following formula
Sheng di huang 24 Mu dan pi 24 Chi shao 9 Long dan cao 9 Huang qin 9
Zhi zi 9 Ma chi xian 15 Zi hua di ding 15 Bai xian pi 12 Xi xian cao 15 Hai tong pi 12 Fu ling 12 Ze xie 12 Gan cao 6
This is of course based on Long dan xie gan tang with modifica- tion. Sheng di always forms the spear head of the formula. It has an unparalleled ability to cool the blood without injuring it. I often use a larger dose (30-45g), although in Anna's case I did not, because of the presence of substantial dampness. Mu dan pi is second to none at reaching and draining the hidden heat so characteristic of atopic eczema. I use a larger dose (up to 30g) when the eczema is accompanied by rhintis, having as it does a specific action in treating it. Although my focus is on treating the eczema, I have found that in patients who have allergic rhinitis, the nature of the heat that leads to the eczema, responds particularly well by using a large dose of Mu dan pi when draining the heat form the blood. Chi shao will act synergistically with Sheng di and Mu dan pi, accentuating their action. Equally important in this recipe is Long dan cao, fiercely drying, it is outstanding at clearing damp heat from the skin. Although unpleasantly bitter, it is an excellent herb to use in cases where damp- ness presents so obviously. Huang qin and zhi zi act as its helper, aiding its action.
Ma chi xian is a specific ingredient for removing damp- ness and resolving fire toxin from the skin. It's forte is the treatment of dampness when it manifests as frank weeping (dampness may not always lead to weeping skin). Zi hua di ding is used in tandem to strength its fire toxin resolving properties. Bai xian pi, Xi xian cao and Hai tong pi are all excellent herbs to alleviate itching from dampness when it coexists with wind. Herbs such as Fang feng and Jing jie, though very effective at ameliorating itching, may well worsen the condition in cases like Anna's. Fu ling and Ze xie are of course utilised to conduct the heat and dampness out via urination. Though not considered amongst the primary ingredients in the formula, they are none the less essential in facilitating the removal of damp heat from the body. This is highlighted by the adage "damp can not be drained without activating urination".
I saw her a week later, and already there was improvement in her skin. All weeping from her skin had stopped, with the exception of the nipples. The erythema was reduced and she had a 30% -40% reduction in itching. I re-prescribed the above formula with the addition of 12g of Yin chen hao, a specific for damp eczema of the nipples.
When I saw her 2 weeks later, there was further and substantial improvement. Because the itching was reduced, she was distributed less at night, which meant she was less exhausted in the day. I re-prescribed the formula for a further 2 weeks with the addition of Bai ji li 15 to further quell the itching. I judged that Bai ji li, though predominantly a wind scattering herb, will be of benefit, since much of dampness had already been removed. When I saw her 2 weeks later (5 weeks since the start of treatment), it was clear that she was doing very well. I could sense that though she didn't want to give her self false hopes, she was cautiously elated. Her guarded optimism was reflected in a more natural and sparkling gleam in her eyes. She could now muster a smile and a even a laugh. Her skin was a good 75% better, and each day brought further improvement. From my point of view the dampness and fire toxin, such clear factors of acute exacerbation of the underlying hot blood had been driven off, and it was time to alter the recipe to reflect the changed circumstance. I prescribed the following:
Sheng di huang 30 Mu dan pi 24 Chi shao 9 Fang feng 9
Bai xian pi 12 Bai ji li 15 Xi xian cao 12 Lian qiao 12
Tong cao 4 Gan cao 4
Once the dampness has been significantly reduced, it becomes important to increase the dose of Sheng di, the primary ingredient from 24 to 30g. The only side effect of such a large dose is mild and transient loose bowels (which in fact is an indications that the correct dose has been reached, and should be elicited in hot blood type eczema as a matter of course). Ma chi xian and Zi hua di ding are no longer required, however it is prudent to retain a fire toxin resolv- ing element in the guise of Lian qiao. Many atopics who are prone to bacterial infection, develop an allergic reaction to the toxin from the commonest bacteria that affects the skin, staphylococcus aureus (aureus comes from the Latin for gold, named for the characteristic golden exudation that it produces) which of course sets up a viscous cycle where the skin is constantly stimulated to further inflammation. Lian qiao is very well tolerated, and excellent at dealing with any such infections that may otherwise gain a foot hold. Tong cao is a worthy substitute for Mu tong in draining dampness and heat via urination, when hot blood dominates.
Aside form a minor set back following excessive celebra- tion on her birthday, Anna continued to show rapid improve- ment. By week 12 of the treatment 95% of her eczema had cleared, with, for her, the unexpected bonus of clearing of her allergic rhinitis. Now only minor erythema around her wrists and neck remained. The texture of her skin was all but normal, and even the hyperpigmentation following the resolution of the eczema was hardly discernable. In Chinese medicine, the classic approach to consolidating the treatment for eczema is by nourishing the skin by the use of blood and yin tonics. Though this is important to ensure a stable state when coming off the herbs, a word of caution when treating atopic eczema. To use the standard tonics will more often than not lead to fanning of the flames and exacerbation of the eczema. A large portion of the heat in atopics is known as hidden heat, which in practice means that tonics such as Dang gui and He shou wu are all but contraindicated. As such I prescribed the following as her final formula, initially to be taken daily, but with instruc- tions to wean herself off them, as she grew confident that the skin will not relapse.
Sheng di huang 30 Mu dan pi 9 Dan shen 15 Xuan shen 15
Ji xue teng 15 Fang feng 9 Bai xian pi 12 Dan zhu ye 9 Tong cao 4 Gan cao 4
Anna has remained well since this treatment three years ago. In winter she needs to make sure to apply emollients to guard against dryness of skin, but in essence she leads a normal life, free of the agony of severe eczema. Although atopic eczema (known as "wind of the four crooks" (sì wän fëng in traditional Chinese medicine) has probably existed for many centuries, it must have been extremely rare, and has only reached the epidemic proportions we see today in modern industrialised nations. It is therefore a great tribute to Chinese medicine's inherent flexibility, as well as the insights that have been made by so many, that by carefully utilising the concepts that have been formulated and honed over centuries, that a "modern" disease such as atopic eczema, can be so successfully controlled and managed in this way.
You're reviewing:Atopic Eczema: Wind Of The Four Crooks


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ist eine kleine Küstensiedlung im   der Region  auf der Nordinsel von Neuseeland.

Geographie
Die Siedlung befindet sich rund 5 km nördlich von  und rund 11 km südwestlich von  direkt an der Küste der  . Das nördliche Ende von   liegt direkt 9 km westlich der Siedlung.  ist vom , der die Siedlung 2,5 km östlich passiert, aus über eine Landstraße zu erreichen.

Bevölkerung
Zum Zensus des Jahres 2013 zählte der Ort 360 Einwohner, 42,9 % mehr als zur Volkszählung im Jahr 2006.

Trivia
Die auch in Neuseeland realiv unbekannte Siedlung schaffte es im Jahr 2011 in die Nachrichten, als im Juni des Jahres am Strand der Siedlung ein gerade 10 Monate alter Kaiserpinguin auftauchte, dessen Gattung normalerweise in der Antarktis beheimatet ist. Das rund 80 cm große Tier gab auch Experten das Rätsel auf, warum der Vogel sich verirrt hatte und um rund 3000 km zu weit nach Norden an der Küste Neuseelands an Land gegangen ist. Die Nachricht über das Ereignis schaffte es sogar bis nach Deutschland und war am 21. Juni 2011 dem Spiegel-Online-Magazin einen Artikel wert.

Einzelnachweise

Ort in der Region Wellington

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Gabrielle Union has been wowing audiences with her acting abilities for years. This stylish actress has recently signed on with New York & Company. Not only is she the face of 7th Avenue, she now has launched her line, simply named The Gabrielle Union Collection. New York & Company is a powerhouse brand to partner with for a collection.
they've been looking to add to their wardrobe. Like her character, Mary Jane, Gabrielle Union has an amazing fashion eye. The blending of prints, the elevation of materials, and the cool richness of this collection is beautiful. Luckily, us curvy and women can benefit from all this beauty too! Including multiple sizing, 2 through 20 and small through 2XL, there is a little something for all sizes and styles within this collection.
This collection features a lot of comfort-friendly pieces–from warm sweaters, crop tops, and solid bodysuits, all the way to embroidered harem pants and dusters. Gabrielle has us covered! The dresses found in this collection are completely gorgeous! Lots of vibrant colors and prints add to the sophistication that Gabrielle Union can exude. Very representative of her character, on Being Mary Jane, Gabrielle Union has a lot of mixed options for all sized women. Real women. The jumpsuits and the pants look to have a fine tailoring that seems to fit curves and in a very flattering way. The stylish colors along with the long hems make this collection perfect for work where all of these items can be mixed and matched with each other to give your work wardrobe a boost. This collection is also budget-friendly as all of her pieces range from $30 to $120. Now that's news we can all appreciate!
Check out our top three looks from the collection and tell us what you think! What pieces were your favorites?


"Nagasaki Lantern Festival" which became one of the representative festivals of Nagasaki now. A warm lantern is lit here and there, and the city of Nagasaki is enveloped in a fantastic and warm light. Until a while ago, there were many people who imagined "Nagasaki Kunchi" as a festival in Nagasaki. However, in recent years, the reputation has increased and the popularity has been gained, "Nagasaki Lantern Festival" which will be held at the time of Chinese Lunar New Year. Every year, lanterns decorated around here for about 15 days from the first day of January in Chinese Lunar New Year will illuminate the city of Nagasaki and many people visit the sights.
One of enjoyment of lots of delicious food of stalls sold within each venue and meals at Chinatown. Since the festival's performance is night, it is recommended traveling around the city's tourist spots in the daytime and visiting the lantern festival at night to enjoy Nagasaki throughout the day.
During the period, lanterns and large objects are decorated mainly at several venues such as "Shinchi Chinatown", and events such as Chinese acrobatics, Chinese lion dance, dragon dance are also held and become busy. Many events such as parades and stamp rally can be enjoyed during the day, but it is also nighttime that you can experience the real pleasure of the festival. You can immerse yourself in a fantastic mood while watching the myriad of lanterns lit in exotic cityscapes.
"China in Japan" which celebrates the lunar New Year. Nagasaki prefecture, where there is the exoticism most in Japan. It is a transmission area of the culture of the Mainland China from ancient times, furthermore, it was developed by overseas trading with Portugal or Netherlands from the 16th century.
The influence of it is seen as Nagasaki's original dishes that was arranged from each countries, a western-style building, a christian churches, and foreigner's residence traces.
To prevent missing of the arrival of a spirit of the New Year, the light of approximately 15,000 is lit up in many places of the city, the scenery seemed to be totally already spring.
Main site of the festival is Shinchi Chinatown, and other sites are Chuo Koen, Tojin Yashiki, Kofukuji, Kaji-ichi, Haman-machi Arcade, Koushi-byou (Confucian Shrine). A stage event and the display of the large art object are carried out in each site.


Extracts from our 2016 Christmas article 'The journey of the "financial Magi"'.
Christmas is a time of celebration, feasting and giving. It is also a time for reflection, when we look back on the year gone by and look forward to the New Year. We can celebrate the successes and try to forget the failures.
The New Year brings resolutions and new gym subscriptions that will be mostly forgotten by Easter. Christmas and New Year is time for optimism; reality can wait for the chill winds of February. For many of us, it is also a time for tradition and when biblical stories are embellished by retelling.
In T.S. Eliot's version of the Christmas story, The Journey of the Magi, he puts into words the thoughts and feelings from one of the three Magi, the Wise Men, as they make the long and arduous journey to the birth of Christ. As the Magus looks back at the events surrounding the first Christmas, he ponders what has changed and if the birth of a new world was witnessed or rather the death of the old.
When the central bankers of today look back on 2016 after the financial crises of years past, they will wonder at what changed and reflect upon their actions.
If our financial Magi for 2016 are The Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, Chair of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen and President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, how would these three Magi describe their journey?; Are they witnessing a new world of finance and will they consider it all worthwhile?


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Q: Linux web severs and security essentials (and beyond the essentials) I'm learning Java, PHP, HTML, xml, ajax and other web and Linux related stuff.
Once every while I find someone giving me cryptic and scary warnings about security, say: "...if connected to Internet don't install php if you don't know what you are doing..."
So far I can't claim that I know what I'm doing.
So... what should I study in order to obtain a sufficiently deep and practical understanding about how to develop a formally secure server and/or Internet exposed Linux system?
(I say "formally secure" because I understand that ultimately any system has security vulnerabilities.)
Is there a bible like book? or a list of recommended topics?
What are the most important considerations?
What technique or method (if any) is the best to test the security of a server?
Thanks

A: If you check out this question on IT Security Stack Exchange the answers there should give you some idea. The best solution bar none is experience - build systems, build networks (in VM's if you don't have the necessary infrastructure) and run security attack tools and methods against them. If someone mentions php vulnerabilities, build a test server running php and use some published exploits against it to watch what happens.
If you ever need a tool to prove how easy all this is for the unskilled, Metasploit is your friend.

A: I think you might be asking for Nessus.  This is a good start for quick audits, but I would not rely on it as your only solution, obviously.

A: Take a look at snort
I think you can be pretty effective with any pro-active (honey pot->throttle/ban) approach. We are still at the stage where majority of attackers do not expect you would have pro-active security on general purpose web sites.
On the other hand if you do have something valuable or expect stronger (more sophisticated) attacks then budget for defence (policies, audits, consultants, IT security officer position, etc).

A: The fundamentals, whether Linux or other, is Network, Host and Application security.
With regard to Network you want to ensure that you have proper firewall rules. i.e. That you're not exposing ports you don't need to. Have a private VLAN at Hosting Provider, etc. Use tools like nmap to test that the ports are indeed closed/filtered.
With regard to Host you want to ensure that you follow security errata for the OS you're running and patch as soon as practically possible.
With regard to Application security you want to ensure that you harden the Services (e.g. Apache, MySQL) by doing things like not disclosing information (ServerSignature Off, ServerTokens Prod for Apache, expose_php=Off in php.ini) and using least-privileged grants (no GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES in MySQL. Run a Web Vuln Scanner like nikto against your own app.
Also use random passwords - use a Password Manager like Password Gorilla or other.
There is of course much more to learn, but even these little things help and it might be enough to deter an undesirable (of course this depends on what your app is and how motivated they are).
Cheers

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School closures, reopening as power restoration continues following Zeta
Updated: 3:27 PM CST Nov 2, 2020
WITH MORE THAN 51,000. ORLEANS HAS MORE THA 19,007. AND MANY ARE WAITING FOR THE LIGHTS TO TURN BACK ON IN SAINT BERNARD PARISH. SEVERAL SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED AGAIN TOMORROW BECAUSE OF POWER OUTAGES. NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PLAQUEMINES PARISH ARE CANCELLING ALL DISTANCE LEARNING AND IN-PERSON CLASSES. JEFFERSON PARISH SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED BOTH TOMORROW AND TUESDAY THEY'RE EXPECTED TO OPEN BACK UP ON WEDNESDAY, AS OF NOW. CLASSES IN SAINT BERNARD PARISH WILL ALSO BE CLOSED TOMORROW THEY ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO REOPEN ON WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER, SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL WILL BE OPEN TOMORROW FOR IT REGULAR HYBRID SCHEDULE. IT WILL CLOSE ON TUESDAY FOR ELEC
Several parish public schools have announced school closures and reopenings due to the aftermath of Hurricane Zeta. ORLEANS PARISH:NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) will return to regular operations Wednesday, Nov. 4, after schools have assessed and responded to the impacts of Hurricane Zeta. This return includes the full reinstatement of the NOLA-PS' community feeding program. NOLA-PS central offices and most NOLA Public Schools will be closed for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Students' families should check with their school administrators for specific information. Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. and his team commend our schools, teachers, staff, parents, and students for persevering through the disruptions brought by Zeta during these past few days. JEFFERSON PARISH:Jefferson Parish schools will also be closed on Monday due to Hurricane Zeta.School leaders say while the majority of schools were spared from major damages, there are still issues that need to be addressed before reopening Jefferson Parish Schools including issues with power, internet and food supplies.If conditions allow, school leaders say schools will reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 4.You can also find the latest information on the JP schools website.PLAQUEMINES PARISH:Plaquemines Parish School Board teachers and students will not have class Monday, according to parish school leaders.All Central Office personnel and school support staff, however, must report to work Monday.Also in Plaquemines Parish, Belle Chasse Academy will remain closed Monday and Tuesday.LAFOURCHE PARISH:From the Lafourche Parish School District:All schools and offices of the Lafourche Parish School Board will be open tomorrow, Monday, November 2, 2020, with the exception of:Galliano Elementary SchoolGolden Meadow Upper Elementary SchoolGolden Meadow Lower Elementary SchoolGolden Meadow Middle School However, all (230 and 240 day) 12 month contracted employees at the above listed schools should report to work, including cafeteria workers. A decision regarding the loss of instructional minutes will be determined and released at a later date. We are attempting to secure generators at all schools that are without power.Please note:· A decision regarding the opening of schools on Wednesday, Nov. 4 (for those schools that were closed on Monday) will be determined based on our ability to secure and install the required generators. · Transportation services for tomorrow will resume as normal. Any absences that occur that are related to the effects of Hurricane Zeta will be excused. Please communicate all such requests directly with your school's administrators. REMINDER: All schools and offices of the Lafourche Parish School Board will be closed, as scheduled, for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.ST. BERNARD PARISH: St. Bernard Parish Public School System's buildings will remain closed Monday, Nov. 2 because power has not been restored to all schools. Due to the election, the student holiday will still be observed on Nov. 3, but teachers should be prepared to report to their school sites for professional development, school leaders said. Schools will reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 4.ST. CHARLES PARISH:St. Charles Parish Public Schools will be closed on Monday, Nov. 2 and Tuesday, Nov. 3 for fall break and Election Day while school board offices will be open. The additional two days lost due to Hurricane Zeta will need to be made-up. Modifications to the school calendar will be made and announced as soon as possible.
Several parish public schools have announced school closures and reopenings due to the aftermath of Hurricane Zeta.
ORLEANS PARISH:
NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) will return to regular operations Wednesday, Nov. 4, after schools have assessed and responded to the impacts of Hurricane Zeta. This return includes the full reinstatement of the NOLA-PS' community feeding program.
NOLA-PS central offices and most NOLA Public Schools will be closed for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Students' families should check with their school administrators for specific information.
Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. and his team commend our schools, teachers, staff, parents, and students for persevering through the disruptions brought by Zeta during these past few days.
JEFFERSON PARISH:
Jefferson Parish schools will also be closed on Monday due to Hurricane Zeta.
School leaders say while the majority of schools were spared from major damages, there are still issues that need to be addressed before reopening Jefferson Parish Schools including issues with power, internet and food supplies.
If conditions allow, school leaders say schools will reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
You can also find the latest information on the JP schools website.
PLAQUEMINES PARISH:
Plaquemines Parish School Board teachers and students will not have class Monday, according to parish school leaders.
All Central Office personnel and school support staff, however, must report to work Monday.
Also in Plaquemines Parish, Belle Chasse Academy will remain closed Monday and Tuesday.
LAFOURCHE PARISH:
From the Lafourche Parish School District:
All schools and offices of the Lafourche Parish School Board will be open tomorrow, Monday, November 2, 2020, with the exception of:
Galliano Elementary School
Golden Meadow Upper Elementary School
Golden Meadow Lower Elementary School
Golden Meadow Middle School
However, all (230 and 240 day) 12 month contracted employees at the above listed schools should report to work, including cafeteria workers. A decision regarding the loss of instructional minutes will be determined and released at a later date. We are attempting to secure generators at all schools that are without power.
Please note:· A decision regarding the opening of schools on Wednesday, Nov. 4 (for those schools that were closed on Monday) will be determined based on our ability to secure and install the required generators. · Transportation services for tomorrow will resume as normal. Any absences that occur that are related to the effects of Hurricane Zeta will be excused. Please communicate all such requests directly with your school's administrators.
REMINDER: All schools and offices of the Lafourche Parish School Board will be closed, as scheduled, for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
ST. BERNARD PARISH:
St. Bernard Parish Public School System's buildings will remain closed Monday, Nov. 2 because power has not been restored to all schools.
Due to the election, the student holiday will still be observed on Nov. 3, but teachers should be prepared to report to their school sites for professional development, school leaders said.
Schools will reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
ST. CHARLES PARISH:
St. Charles Parish Public Schools will be closed on Monday, Nov. 2 and Tuesday, Nov. 3 for fall break and Election Day while school board offices will be open.
The additional two days lost due to Hurricane Zeta will need to be made-up. Modifications to the school calendar will be made and announced as soon as possible.

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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Live Updates
For live updates of the first important Belgian road race, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, click here
Hour Record Holder Dennis Returns To Racing
Rohan Dennis will return to competition this weekend for the first time since establishing a new world hour record earlier this month at Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland. The BMC Racing Team rider is a late addition to the team's roster for a pair of one-day races in France, Classic Sud Ardèche on Saturday and Drôme Classic on Sunday.
On Feb. 8, Dennis powered his BMC trackmachine TR01 to a distance of 52.491 kilometers - bettering the record by 639 meters. The performance added to the overall title and a stage win at the Santos Tour Down Under that he earned in January.
Thursday, Dennis talked about what he has done since setting the world hour record, the stress of watching another rider try to break his record and his goals for the weekend.
Was there always a plan to take a layoff from racing whether you were successful or not at your world hour record attempt?
Rohan Dennis breaking the World Hour Record. Photo ©Oliver Burgess/BMC Switzerland
"Yes, I was always planning to have a bit of a break because it was a pretty solid start to the year. I hope to be going well through May, June and, hopefully, into July. But obviously it is not possible to hold form for that long. It is pretty impressive if you can. So I took a slight layoff and then started rebuilding my form."
How did you spend the time off?
"I really only had three or four days off my bike. I went to Paris to watch the world track championships and my girlfriend's race. Then I started to sort of get a little bit more serious as I started getting closer to my first race back. In fact, I went to Germany this week to get a bike fit. So now things are getting back to normal and I am really taking everything more seriously."
How did setting a new world hour record change you as a bike rider?
"I have noticed a little bit of a difference. I don't know if it was just because I finally had a bit of a break after the Tour Down Under. There was a big build-up to that and I was training quite hard. But I found that I have gone to another sort of level. It has thrown me off a little bit because I am training quite well. At the same time, everything points to me not training so well. So it is sort of weird. I don't know if I have stepped it up or if I just have good form at the moment. I guess we will find out on Saturday and Sunday."
In comparison to some of the others who have attempted the world hour record, you looked very comfortable on your BMC trackmachine TR01 throughout your attempt. And afterwards, you were even able to hoist it above your head.
"It was the beauty of being given a track bike that was pretty much identical in terms of fit and size to the TT bike I rode at the world championships last year. When BMC made the integrated piece for the front end, it made a huge difference. From my training bike from Adelaide to when I jumped on this bike in Grenchen, I noticed the difference straight away. BMC did everything they possibly could to make it absolutely perfect. I could not have asked for a better bike to do it."
If you had to do the hour record attempt again, would you do anything differently?
"Maybe just change it to a different time of year - like after a grand tour. I would come in and do a full track preparation, maybe for a longer period of time. So four or five weeks of specific track stuff and really get everything dialed down to make sure I am absolutely going 110 percent for the hour record. There were only a few little minor things as far as the pacing. But I think the main thing is doing it when you are physically at your peak."
Did you watch Thomas Dekker's hour record attempt?
"Yes, I was at the airport. It seems whenever I am at the airport, people are doing the hour record! I was watching it on a live stream and Twitter, sort of trying to get an idea of where he was in compared to my hour record. It was a little bit nerve-racking, to be completely honest. I was watching people's tweets that were saying he was holding 53 kph for 30 minutes. I was thinking that was pretty quick. Then when I saw 52 a while after that, I sort of started to relax a little bit. I was thinking I don't need to watch this and stress so much anymore. But it was a bit of a wake-up call when I saw that he finished within about 250 meters of me, which is a lap."
What are your goals for Classic Sud Ardèche and the Drôme Classic?
"At the moment, just to sort of float around and help the team. I was not initially supposed to race until Paris-Nice but the team is a little bit short and I was asked to help out. I didn't think it would be such a bad thing to be with the guys, have some fun and get a little racing under the belt again."
Lotto-Soudal, Jens Debusschere and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
This came in from Lotto-Soudal:
It's the 70th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad tomorrow. The race is just over 200 kilometres long with eleven hills and ten cobblestone sections.
The route: After sixty kilometres the riders will reach the Haaghoek (2000 metres). This cobblestone section has to be covered three times. In between lie several hills like the Kruisberg, Taaienberg and Eikenberg. The Molenberg is the last hill, about 35 kilometres before the finish. In the last part of the final there are only cobblestone sections left. First the Paddestraat (2300 metres) and Lippenhovestraat (1300 metres). The Lange Munte (2500 metres) is the last cobblestone section of the day. Then eighteen kilometres are left till the end.
Lotto Soudal roster with Belgian champion: Belgian champion Jens Debusschere and Pim Ligthart, who already won twice this season, are part of the Lotto Soudal selection. Jürgen Roelandts is out for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne because of the flu. Kenny Dehaes will replace him on Saturday. The Lotto Soudal riders will have to race against among other Ian Stannard – last year's winner – Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert, Alexander Kristoff, Niki Terpstra, Greg Van Avermaet and Sep Vanmarcke.
Jens Debusschere enjoying Grammont ascent in the 2014 Eneco Tour
The preparation:
Jens Debusschere: "It's always good to recon the route like we did on Wednesday, to get the feeling on the cobblestones. I don't actually love cold and rain, but I don't perform worse because of it. The preparation for this opening weekend was the same as for the Belgian Road Championship last year: lots of training and few races. It was successful; I won the title race."
"I've raced eight days so far. In the Challenge Mallorca I raced three days and last week I rode the Volta ao Algarve. I'm looking forward to the Flemish spring races. I'll be satisfied if I am good in the final tomorrow. With the Belgian jersey on my shoulders I put more pressure on myself. I want to prove I'm worth it. I'm proud to show my jersey in the classics."
Tinkoff-Saxo on the Coming Strade Bianche Road Race
This came in from Saxo-Tinkoff:
Strade Bianche is being raced and celebrated as it was a Classic, despite its young age. The white gravel roads of Tuscany demand respect in what has turned into a dusty, scenic and prestigious prelude to the Northern Classics. Tinkoff-Saxo sends into battle a team with proven classics riders, led by captain Peter Sagan.
Team leader Peter Sagan is accompanied by Daniele Bennati, Roman Kreuziger, Maciej Bodnar, Manuele Boaro, Christopher Juul-Jensen, Juraj Sagan and Matteo Tosatto. Last year's runner up, Peter Sagan, is back from the team's Middle Eastern campaign and excited to be racing on European soil - namely gravel - on the 7th of March.
Racing on the "White Roads" (Strade Bianche) of Tuscany
"The Strade Bianche is a race that appeals to me because it has a very picturesque, scenic route. It is also ideal for my characteristics and qualities as a rider. I hope to do well in my first European race of 2015", comments Sagan about the Tuscan "modern classic", which was first raced in 2007.
When asked about the ambitions at the race, Bruno Cenghialta, team sport director, was straight forward, "Peter Sagan is definitely our leader at Strade Bianche, furthermore, we have a squad of very significant and prestigious riders, with great qualities that will play an important role in achieving our goal, which is to win. Most of our riders such as Bennati, Juul-Jensen and Kreuziger, who was fifth last year, have already participated in the Strade Bianche and are familiar with the route and the challenges", comments Bruno Cenghialta and adds: "Strade is a race that suits Peter Sagan. It lacks long climbs and in fact it's quite similar to the ones of the Northern Classics. In addition, Peter's background in mountain bikes favors him on the 45km of dirt tracks".
Cenghialta refers to the 45.4km of the famous white roads or 'Strade Bianche', which always play a decisive factor in finding the winner at the finish line on Piazza del Campo, in the heart of Siena. In total, the riders will have to tackle 10 gravel sections during the 200km race.
"It would be very difficult to single out one section as being the most important. In fact, all of them are equally important and have to be approached with great attention. Some sections might be less physically demanding but are still as crucial", Cenghialta explains. "In an 'easy' section all the riders will want to position themselves, something that can cause risky situations or increase the possibilities of crashes. But on the more difficult sections, this risk might not exist because the strongest riders will have an advantage. Still we will have to be very careful and never let our guard down".
Peter Sagan has twice finished second, in both 2013 and 2014, while Roman Kreuziger has finished fifth in 2014 and sixth in 2012. Daniele Bennati lives not far from the parcours of Strade Bianche and will again be an important part of the team's efforts in the race.
Race Preview
Date: 07th of March
Total length: 200 kilometers
Kind: one-day race
Last year's winner: Michael Kwiatkowski
Best GC result of Tinkoff-Saxo: 1st – Alexandr Kolobnev ('07), Fabian Cancellara ('08)
Race Route: Dust whirls over the Tuscan hills, as the riders of Strade Bianche tackle the unpaved roads, often firmly uphill. Riders toil on 45.4 kilometers of dirt roads, while the race unfolds on 200 kilometers from San Gimignano to the cradle of Italian renaissance, Siena. After 145km of hilly roads including six gravel sectors, the finale starts as the riders embark on the 11km long "Ponte del Garbo" dirt track, where the first serious separation is expected to happen. Then, the Strade di Colle Pinzuto of 2.4km and a maximum gradient of 15% provides the favorites with an opportunity to size each other up or launch a serious attack before the last gravel section. It comes a few kilometers after and sends the intensity through the roof with a maximum gradient of 18 percent on a slippery surface.
Upon entering the city walls of Siena, a 16% sector welcomes the riders to the absolute finale on the last kilometer up the steep and narrow streets until the road flattens and a winner is found on Piazza del Campo.
Cult Energy for GP Lugano
Cult energy, whcih a few days ago suffered a terrible euipment theft, sent this good news about their coming appeance at this weekend's GP Cittá di Lugano:
"Sunday 1st of March, Cult Energy Pro Cycling take on the Swiss one-day race, Gran Premio Cittá di Lugano. Its history dates back to 1950 and up until 1981, the race was held as a time trial with prominent winners such as Fausto Coppi (3 wins), Jacques Anquetil (7 wins), Ole Ritter (2 wins) and Eddy Merckx who won in 1968.
"From 1981 and up to present time, the road race course has been an undulating stretch in and around Lugano with winners like Luca Paolini, Paolo Bettini and Ivan Basso. This Sunday, Cult Energy Pro Cycling will be on the start line with Rasmus Guldhammer, Linus Gerdemann, Fabian Wegmann, Gustav Larsson, Christan Mager, Romain Lemarchand and Karel Hnik.
Cult Energy rider Fabian Wegmann in 2012 at the San Sebastian Classic
"DS, Michael Skelde states, "We have a pretty strong line-up with both Rasmus Guldhammer and Fabian Wegmann who normally would climb these slopes with the fastest part of the peloton so we're targeting a result with them. We're not perfectly prepared for this race because of the stolen equipment last weekend but with the support from our sponsors, Black Inc, Ridley, CeramicSpeed, InfoCrank and Bjarne Riis and Stefano Feltrin at Tinkoff-Saxo, we're able to at least participate in Lugano. The race also gives debut to Karel Hnik who has been suffering from illness until now."


This outrageously cool mid-engine supercar never made it to production. But it should have.
Remember the Volkswagen Nardo? Introduced at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, it was an evolution of the company's 1997 W12 supercar concept, which featured a 12-cylinder engine making over 400 horsepower.
Though a prototype version smashed a world speed record in 2002, VW decided to build the Bugatti Veyron instead, which went on to secure its title as the fastest road car on earth. Though it never made production, the Nardo still sounds fantastic—better than any Bugatti I've heard. Listen for yourself if you don't believe me.


It is easy to find the valuation of a public company. Simply calculate the market valuation and look at the current stock prices. But how do you assess the value of a franchise business?
Unfortunately, there are no specific indicators to determine the value of small and privately held companies. Purchasing a franchise business requires a good understanding of various aspects of the business. I will discuss a few points here that I think are critical in determining the value of a small and medium enterprise.
"Find the franchise that is growing and opening new locations. Consult financial advisors who can help you build a picture of your financial strength. Seek out for friends and family members who have been in the franchise system.
In other words, there is more to investing in a franchise system than just the price.
Assuming both parties are knowledgeable, fair value is the sale price agreed upon by a willing buyer and a seller, not under duress. Here are some typical ways to calculate the value of the company.
The P/E ratio can be just 2 or 3 for a neighborhood liquor store, while it can be in thousands for tech or pharmaceutical companies who don't even have a product to sell. If you look at the top 10 franchises, their P/E ratio will vary between 4 and 10. It will be less for businesses where the owner has to work, and it will be very high for businesses where the owner does not have to do anything. To make the same $100,000 the buyer has to pay $400,000 for a UPS Store but may have to pay $1,000,000 for a McDonald.
The book value of a company is as the name suggests. You add every physical item a company owns and you get the Book value. It does not consider Goodwill, Brand, customer lists or patents as value. It works only for a very small operation. It is also very inaccurate. I have never seen people make deals on book value.
3. What is ROI (Return on Investment) for a business you are buying?
ROI is the most common profitability ratio (the net ratio between net profit and the cost of the investment). A high ROI means high profitability as compared to other similar uses of the same money. Typically a business owner would like to get 10 to 25% ROI on their investment. ROI is also calculated on real money invested in the business. If I have $400K, and I invest in a business that makes $100K every year, my ROI will be 25%.
Now let's take another scenario. Suppose I purchase a business which costs 4 times more, but also makes 4 times net profit – in other words this business is worth $1.6M and nets $400K. If I invest $400K in this business and I get financing from a Bank at 5% for the remaining $1.2M, I will be paying $60K interest every year. But I will be making $400K – $60K = $340K every year. In other words, I will be making $340K every year on my $400K investment or an ROI of 85%. Using Bank money or seller financing typically increases ROI for the buyer. The same concept works when you take a mortgage on your home.
4. How is the cash flow?
Cash Flow is the summary of your income and expenses over a period, generally a month. The P&L Statement will show if your business made money or lost money over that period. There are various components of P&L Statements that I will explain in the next blog.
A franchise is a major investment. Find the franchise that is growing and opening new locations. Consult financial advisors who can help you build a picture of your financial strength. Seek out for friends and family members who have been in the franchise system. In other words, there is more to investing in a franchise system than just the price.
If you'd like a quick summary of the advantages and disadvantages of being a franchise owner, read this. For exploring the advantages of owning a franchise in-depth, read this.


Summary Interior view of an apothecary shop in Leadville, Colorado; shows men by glass topped display counters. One man wears a suit, tie, watchchain, and derby hat and has a mustache. The other wears a coat, vest and cravat. The shop includes shelves lined with covered glass bottles and jars, books, and glass cases with cigar boxes, some read "Between the Acts Little Cigars." A poster reads "Nicoline Vegetable Liver Pills." Tins read: "Thomas Snowflake Paste;" sign reads: "Open All Night." Gas chandeliers and a skylight are on the ceiling.
Subject Leadville (Colo.); Drugstores--Colorado--Leadville; Interiors.


text:
Nehemiah /
Nehemiah 8 /
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
Nehemiah 8:3 Nehemiah 8 Nehemiah 8:5
Read Nehemiah 8:4 Using Other Translations
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
What does Nehemiah 8:4 mean?
And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had
made for the purpose
Or to speak out of, as the Syriac and Arabic versions; this, in the Hebrew text, is called a "tower" F9, partly because of its height, and partly because in the form of one; and also for its largeness, considering the use it was for; for it was so large as to hold fourteen men, as appears by what follows: a pulpit of wood was made for the king in the court, to read the law from F11; though, according to Jacob Leo, it was a throne like an high tower, (See Gill on 2 Kings 11:14), the pulpits, in the Jewish synagogues, made after the same manner, as Aben Ezra observes, are called by the same F12 name:
and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah; and Urijah, and
Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand,
Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana,
Zechariah, and Meshullam;
in all thirteen; there were six on his right, and seven on his left, who stood here, not merely in honour to him, and as approvers and supporters of the truth of what he read, but to relieve him when weary.
F9 (Ue ldgm le) "super turrem ligni", Montanus; so Dionysius is said, "concionari ex turri alta", Ciceron. Tuscul. Quaest. l. 5.
F11 Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. c. 141. sect. 7.
F12 Misn. Sotah, c. 7. sect. 8.


United Communities, Bristol & Bath Regional Capital (BBRC), the Cheyne Social Property Impact Fund (Cheyne) and HAB Housing were delighted to be the winner of a National Housing Award for their Dunmail site delivering 161 mixed-tenure homes in the Southmead area of Bristol.
• Excellent consultation with the local community and consideration with the local environment.
• Meeting needs of the local market, local strategy requirements and responding to local demands.
• The scheme showed a strong commitment to environmental sustainability whilst remaining affordable for future residents.
• The homes have design features which make the most of the site potential as well as showing sensitivity to its neighbourhood and surrounding area.
This new development has started on site and is set to transform the former Dunmail Primary School site into much needed housing in North Bristol. From 2019 we will provide 161 houses and apartments with a wide range of tenures available. The Cheyne Social Property Impact Fund and BBRC will offer 161 homes including ethically rented homes, key worker rented properties and a unique rent-to-buy offering. United Communities will deliver 77 homes that include affordable rented homes and shared ownership homes. The Cheyne Social Property Fund will also offer 23 homes for sale.
The partnership for the funding is a turning point for UK housing as it's the first time that a housing association, a community investment company and a private investor have come together to create an inclusive housing scheme and marks the introduction of the UK's first private sector rent-to-buy model.
The project is being funded by United Communities and Cheyne and will offer six different tenure types to support local housing needs and offer nearly 70% of the homes at sub-market rents.
Designed by Stirling Prize winning architects, AHMM architects, the partners aimed high by creating beautiful homes that strive to build a strong sense of community and belonging and are affordable for local people to rent or buy.
The Dunmail Partnership combines United Communities' strong track record in affordable housing provision and deep roots in the local community, with Cheyne's expertise in creating balanced neighbourhoods and construction. In line with this ethos, United Communities and BBRC will ensure existing residents and key workers in the area will be offered first refusal to rent or purchase the new homes.
"This is positive news for Bristol and Southmead. My administration is already working hard to tackle the housing crisis, and this new sustainable housing scheme will play a vital role in this. Built with the local community and environment at its heart, this new development will also help create quality new jobs in the local economy".
"The National Housing Award is a great start for the project that we have all worked so hard on . The community has been an amazing support throughout, a 'Yes in My Back Yard' response. We are ready to continue this work to spark an urban renewal of the area. And its not just new homes: there are other benefits, including low carbon energy sources, cycle routes, green spaces, and opportunities for food production. Perhaps most importantly, we want to deliver a scheme which is loved and cherished by local residents for generations to come".
"The Elderberry Walk development sets a new standard for the delivery of homes and communities in the UK. 70% of the homes in this high quality, beautiful development will be offered at a discount to market and will also include an innovative rent-to-buy offering that aims to get young people on the housing ladder within 5 years. Cheyne have proven again that socially responsible capital working together with housing associations, Councils and the community can accelerate the delivery of high quality, affordable and inclusive homes and tackle the housing challenges in the UK.
United Communtities and HAB Housing are really pleased to be able to announce that planning has been approved for the building of 161 homes in Southmead, Bristol.
United Communities, Bristol & Bath Regional Capital (BBRC), the Cheyne Social Property Impact Fund (Cheyne) and HAB Housing announce today a new funding partnership to deliver 161 mixed-tenure homes in the Southmead area of the City.
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text:
Hans Castelijns
Medico Veterinario - Maniscalco
D. V. M. - Certified Farrier
Therapeutic Farriery
Contact Dr. Castelijns
Trimming and shoeing in the sagittal plane (toe to heel)
17th Farriers Conference 11-12 November 2000 College of Veterinary Medice Cornell University- Ithaca-N.Y.-USA
Low and underrun heels
I. - DEFINITIONS:
If the heels are too low, the position of the hoof axis will be incorrect and too flat. This condition can also be described as insufficient hoof wall in the area of the heels, or a surplus of hoof wall in the toe. In the latter case, the problem can be remedied by trimming the hoof. (Figure 1b)
Fig 1b
The condition of underrun heels applies when the toe and heel axes of the hoof are not parallel (Figure 1c). This means that the horn tubules, which run from the coronary band to the ground form a larger angle in the toe than in the heels.Although this hoof deformity is often treated as equivalent to low heels, it differs due to the fact that the hoof axis may not be broken and the hoof cannot therefore be corrected by trimming.
II. - CAUSES:
a) Acute-angled hoof axis
An incorrect hoof axis that is too flat is often attributed to horses with a long first phalanx, as this places more pressure on the heels and can lead to greater wear of the heels or weaker heel growth through the effects of pressure.
b) The position of the coronary band The position of the coronary band (Figure 2) is determined by the individual conformation of each horse. If the coronary band of the hoof is almost parallel to the ground and the hoof axis is unbroken, the heels are physiologically long. If the angle of the coronary band to the ground is very steep, however, the heels will be physiologically short. And if the coronary band curves towards the heels, the heels will be slightly underrun.Paradoxically, it is long heels, however, (with only slightly inclined coronary bands) that frequently form underrun heels, if they slope forwards.
c) Flat hoofs (broad hoof with acute-angled side walls) Normal Narrow Flat hoof Hoofs are described as flat, if the angle of inclination of the hoof wall is very large in relation to the ground (Figue 3). This type of hoof has a very distinctive hoof mechanism and owing to the constant movement (expansion and contraction) may lead to exceptionally high wear of the heels, even in the case of shod horses.
Fig 3 - A) Normal - B) Narrow - C) Flat
d) Degree of hoof moisture The hoof mechanism is not only determined by the shape of the hoof, but also by the moisture content. The internal parts of the hoof are relatively more moist and contract when the hoof loses moisture. A very moist hoof, on the other hand, expands. This means that, owing to their high elasticity and poor horn structure, the heels wear more quickly.
e) Shoeing interval too long In general it can be said that the hoof mechanism and, as a result, the wearing of the heels, takes place even in the case of shod horses. This means that the horn wall grows in the toe region, but does not wear because of the shoe, while the horn wall of the heels also grows, but does wear. This imbalance is exacerbated the longer the period between shoeing. (Figure 4)
f) Club foot The club foot (Figure 5) or grass foot is a special case. In this case, the particular behaviour of foals, who place one foot in front and the other under their body, in order to be able to graze better leads to the formation of two different hoofs. One hoof is a club foot with high heels and one has underrun heels. This behaviour is due to uneven development of the length of leg and neck (which I have often observed personally in Arab foals, who undergo growth spurts between four and eight months of age).
g) Hoof correction and shoeing errors Frequently, the incidence of heels that are too low and/or underrun is due to hoof correction and shoeing errors. In some disciplines and riding traditions, these errors were virtually the norm and in a few cases remain so today. Examples are racehorses and trotting horses, Arab show horses, and of course, the hind legs of quarter horses in reining.In these disciplines the following justifications were and are used: "helps the speed" (trotting), "emphasizes the action" (Arab horses) and "the sliding stop can be better achieved in this way" (reining).I know racehorse breeders who require their farriers to make all hoofs flat and round, even if the heels have to be drastically cut back, without taking account of the hoof axis. The fear (which is also often justified) that the horse will overreach and in this way will pull off the front shoes, because it is "comfortably" shod the heels often leads to a horse being shod too short and/or too narrow. The result of this is, however, that if the shoeing interval is too long, the horse will have no heel protection.The fact that the hoofs of unshod horses with sufficient freedom of movement are relatively well formed is evidence that for many horses shoeing is often the reason for the heels being too low.A long toe touches the ground first and therefore wears more quickly. The weight is better distributed by the ciliary bodies, the bars and the hoof sole, which also partially come into contact with the ground and this can therefore lead to better heel growth.
III. - CONSEQUENCES:
In order to be able to examine the consequences of defective limb posture, a thorough knowledge of the anatomy (Figure 6) and physiology of the horse is needed. Biomechanics and biokinetics, which explain the forces and levers and the movement of the equine "machine" are particularly important.
Translator's note:
See attached GLOSSARY
a) Biokinetics
Let's start with a few preliminary comments regarding biokinetics (Figure 7), which have already shown that the old model is incorrect with regard to the effect of the hoof axis on the movement curve of the limbs, even if this model has been passed on for decades in various books on shoeing and hoof care (see Ratzlaff, Clayton, Balch and Vanschepdeal).The swing phase of the limbs describes a fairly flat curve with two high points. The curve described remains relatively unchanged, irrespective of the hoof angle.If a horse's heels are too low and therefore the toes are too long, the hoof has different impact and support phases: toe impact and delayed breakover. As a result, the support phase is shifted under the horse's body.
b) Biomechanics
In terms of biomechanics, the effects are as follows:
1) Length of the lever Increasing length of the lever from the toe bearing surface to the coffin joint and to the centre of the fetlock joint. ()
2) Uneven pressure on the suspensory structure of the fetlock joint Uneven pressure on the suspensory structure of the fetlock joint. (Figure 9) The hoof capsule and with it the third phalanx are more inclined and in this way exert pressure on the tendon of the deep digital flexor muscle. This results in a verticalization of the first phalanx and leads to a reduction in the pressure on the tendon of the superficial digital flexor muscle and the suspensory ligament of the proximal sesamoid bones. Importantly, the acute angle exerts greater pressure on the podotrochlear bursa since the tendon of the deep digital flexor muscle runs around the navicular bone.
3) Change in the interrelationship in the coffin joint The second phalanx straightens in relation to the third phalanx, (Figure10) and comes into greater contact with the navicular bone, which in turn cannot move downwards because its collateral ligaments connect it to the distal ends of the first phalanx. This overloading takes place primarily during the push-off phase. (Figure 11)
Fig 10
4) Contusions and minor injuries Short heels, together with soft bars and a highly developed frog, expose all of the rear hoof area to a number of contusions and injuries. This may lead to minor bruises on the angles of the sole, but also result in a negative effect on the podotrochlear bursa.
5) Overloading of the lamella of the corium If the toes are too long, they give rise to increased pressure on the lamella of the corium in the toe area (Figure 12), particularly if the dorsal hoof wall, which is no longer parallel to the third phalanx, becomes concave in shape.The considerable pressure exerted by the tendon of the deep digital flexor muscle leads to an expansion of the white line in the toe area. This results in seedy toe and, in rare cases, also laminitis.
6) Excess pressure on the coronary pad If the heels are too low, this leads to excess pressure on the coronary pad at the rear of the foot, which results in weaker growth of this area and often results in a vicious circle.
IV. SOLUTIONS
Techniques for correcting the defects of heels that are too low and/or underrun range from the fundamental rules of hoof care to the most complex of methods as follows:
1) Correct shoeing period The shoeing period must be tailored to each individual horse. In particular, horses with flat hoofs should be shod more frequently.
2) Correctly fitting ("comfortable"), wide and long shoe branches. The branches of the shoes should be made correctly fitting, wide and long.An appropriate rule in this regard could be as follows: The branches of the shoe should protrude at the back so far that they are halfway between the heels and a vertical projection of the bulbs. (Figure 13)
3) Rasping of a concave digital wall When rasping a concave digital wall, care should be taken to ensure that it is parallel to the third phalanx. If the toe is allowed to project slightly over the edge of the shoe, the centre of gravity of the shoe will coincide better with a line projected from the midpoint of the coffin joint. Shoes without toe clips or with side toe clips will be used for the front hoofs. A similar result will be achieved by forging the toe direction in or on the shoe.
4) Direct the bearing surface of the shoe inwards In order to reduce the excessive hoof mechanism of the flat hoof, the bearing surface of the shoe can be turned inwards. Side toe clips that are positioned on the furthest points of the shoe also serve the same purpose, however.
5) Egg bar shoes A further improvement in the bearing surface in the toe region can be achieved by using an egg bar shoe. The result is that the heels will sink less into the ground and there will be better coincidence of the midpoint of the shoe and the centre of the coffin joint.
6) Reverse shoe An improvement on the egg bar shoe is the use of the reverse shoe with or without side toe clips. Apart from the benefit of a larger bearing surface in the heel region, better breakover of the hoof is achieved. Through this solution, the toes wear slightly between shoeings.
7) Wedge shoes The hoof axis can be reinstated by using wedge shoes or shoes plus pads. Sometimes, wedge shoes are used if there are problems with underrun heels. In this case, it is necessary, however, to make sure the heels are properly balanced for the moment, in order to remove the area in which the horn tubules slope forwards (Figure 14). Even if this is correct in theory, it is always difficult to shorten atrophic heels further. It is, however, possible to use an egg bar shoe in combination with elevated heels and padding or an egg bar shoe with elevated heels made from a metal alloy (for weight reasons). A disadvantage of using these light metal alloys is that heels with a pronounced hoof mechanism tend to give rise to grooves caused by abrasions on the bearing surface of the branch of the shoe.
a) Unshod horse The simplest method, which was often used in the UK for hunters in summer, was to give the unshod horse sufficient turnout and to regularly trim the hoofs and shorten them in the toe region.
b) Heart bar shoe Using the heart bar shoe, the frog, which is often overdeveloped in flat hoofs can be exercised, because the branches are in contact with the frog.A disadvantage of this shoe is that it is not suitable for competition horses, however, as the pressure that the branch exerts on the podotrochlear bursa through the frog, the frog pad and the tendon of the deep digital flexor muscle may be too great. It is even less suitable for horses who already have navicular disease.
c) Padding and pads and the use of synthetic materials (silicones) The use of padding makes it possible to pad out the space between the pad and the bars, the frog and the sole so that all parts of the area of the sole are continually used to carry the bodyweight and therefore reduce the burden on the hoof wall. Normally, the synthetic material (between the pad and the sole) is applied while the hoof is raised off the ground and should also dry or harden in this position, thereby preventing some of the synthetic material, which is still liquid, from leaking out and therefore reducing the effect or even leading to small changes in the hoof capsule, including the sole, when the hoof makes contact with the ground. A variant of this shoe can be achieved by making perforations in the pad through which the synthetic material can flow through and then be made smooth so that it forms one surface with the shoe.This shoe has the following disadvantages, however. It is very expensive, it may give rise to thrush and finally the hoof wall must have a discreet strength, because this shoe must be secured or held with nails.
9) Artificial reconstruction of the heels Finally, it is possible to reconstruct the heels using qualitative synthetic resins. These are resins that not only adhere very well, but also have to be very pliable in relation to the movement of the heels.The prerequisites for applying this method are an extremely clean working area and a very patient and quiet horse, because the heels have to be built up in layers in order to avoid sensitive regions of the hoof from overheating while the resin is drying. A further important fact is that the horse owner must be able to afford the considerable time and costs involved.
V. - CONCLUSIONS
Finally, I would like to emphasise, however, that there is no general shoeing solution to hoof defects, but a series of methods and techniques that must be selected and adapted according to the requirements of each individual horse, or even of each individual foot problem.
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Stethoscope, Epocrates, and a red CRAYON?!
Stethoscope, epocrates and a red crayon?!
The word disability has quite a few definitions as outlined in Merriam-Webster Dictionary. We are most familiar with the definition that addresses, "a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions." Many of these disabilities are quickly seen or identified when interacting with individuals. "Disabled," wasn't a term I attributed to myself, I am an abled body individual that volunteered often, played softball and excelled in school. I am the wife of an active duty officer and mother to six wonderful, thriving children. Albeit a non-traditional student by anyone's standard (coming from life as a stay at home mom to the rigors of medical school) but it was my life so I did not give it much thought initially as I donned my white coat. Disabled was the furthest thought from my existence.
However, as I introduced myself and got to know my classmates, it became apparent how vastly different I was from the rest of my class. I was one of just two moms in my class, no dads. Many classmates would laugh and look at me like I had a horn growing from my forehead when I told them that I absolutely wanted to be a successful physician and a mom to a large, growing family. I was told I was outright delusional, selfish, crazy, misinformed, misled, ignorant and naive. I was asked intrusive questions like, "why couldn't you just wait until you were finished", "don't you know how to use birth control?" or my favorite of all, "are you and hubby pregnant again? you look a little bloated." Interacting with my medicinal colleagues I started to see that many treated me as if I had a disability of sorts and implied as much without ascribing the label per se, simply because I was a mom. A disability is also defined as a disqualification, restriction, unfavorable, inferior or prejudicial condition, a quality or circumstance that makes achievement unusually difficult. Bingo!!! And as I begin to look closely at the definition of disability I began to almost somewhat agree.
There were many times in medical school when in truth I just wanted to give up. There were flashcards during bath time while listening to their day, color time (me with my anatomy pictures and kids with Mickey mouse coloring books), brutal 12-hour emergency medicine rotation shifts in a Level I trauma center straight hours on my 8th month pregnant swollen feet, 2 am study sessions and countless other moments where it seemed like my achievement was near impossible. Cruising on US state road 1 at 5 am headed to my away rotation at Duke University, one hand on the stirring wheel and the other cupping my breast to the phlange of my manual breast pump has been some of the most peaceful times for me in medical school. I missed many family days in the park, birthdays and some of my children's big firsts. Classmates organized group text and sent me invites to parties, study get-togethers, and other fun social medical student events to promote class camaraderie. But they became more and more sparse as nearly all were turned down with the excuse that I had to be "mom-only" on the weekend to soothe the guilt I felt from my Monday through Friday tireless academic vigor. And I struggled with each class and task but no achievement or pass (no matter how narrow the margin) was too little to celebrate because it brought me closer inch by inch to achieving the dream many said was impossible. Meanwhile, my classmates breezed through courses, board exams, rotations and shelf exams. I have had to turn a four-year degree into much longer taking time off to ensure my kids' morale, education, and psychological security was the priority while my husband was traversing foreign grounds littered with IEDs.
Having kids was a restriction, certainly unfavorable at times for me as a professional student and without a shadow of a doubt made my achievement unusually difficult at times. So yes some could say I was disabled by the weight and the responsibility of a young growing family and a career military officer. I thought back on challenges I faced raising our babies and juggling medical school sometimes completely alone with a husband deployed often and for as long as a year at a time. But there were countless more times that my choosing to be disabled during one of the most difficult and demanding periods of my professional and academic career was so very worth it. Hearing my children meticulously recite the journey of food through their gastrointestinal tract from beginning to end, finding sweet drawings/messages they would leave for me on the pages of my medical books but most importantly the sparkle of pride in their eyes as they tell a friend, family and even strangers that their mommy is a "real-life doctor". I have grown exponentially in every aspect and role of my life simply because I had no choice since giving up was not an option. Every step of this process for me I limped my way through, tired and many days with tears in my eyes as I learn the finesse of balancing work and family, professional and personal. It has truly been a labor of love and of true passion. One that has touched the little lives of every single child in our home. If my children learned nothing else from this process they know what hard work looks like and how to study (we often did so together), that they have no excuse to not achieve, that mommy never gave up and that nothing you truly want that sets you apart comes easy. As I prepare to celebrate my final achievement as a medical school student...conferring of my Doctorate of Medicine degree, I am excited by the testimony that my life full of bumps, bruises, wins, and losses creates for not only my children but other moms that assume this "disability" early and often in their medical career as I did. I have no regrets academically or personally and am completely fulfilled as a doc in training with a big, happy growing family.


Interview with Jaimin Shah, CEO, ZKTeco, US Headquarter.
fB: Can you please provide our readers with a brief background of your company?
ZK: ZK is the largest manufacturing company of its kind when it comes to manufacturing biometric readers , as we control R&D, manufacturing, product design, assembly, logistics… all under one roof. We have recently divided the ZK global umbrella into 5 business units. One business units is our Time & Attendance division which has been very successful as we control about 60% of the worldwide market in terminals. Another business unit is our Access Control division which we call ZKAccess. Another business unit is called ZKiVision which has IP based video surveillance solutions which incorporates face detection and verification. Our ZKBiolock business unit offers commercial and consumer based biometric door locks in a wide variety of form factors. And our ZK AFIS business unit will be focused on governmental AFIS projects in future. That is how our organization has been recently divided into different business units. We have also in the last two years expanded to 12 global branch offices worldwide in 12 different countries. That is what we have done so far as expansion is concerned.
fB: You recently launched a US subsidiary of which you are the CEO. Can you tell us what the driver was behind that?
ZK: The US subsidiary is now in its 4th year of operation. The business driver for a US subsidiary is for ZK to have a global presence while focusing on the North American market where we wanted to have more visibility and more traction within the Time & Attendance and Access control marketplace. Also, our plan is to have our global headquarters in the U.S. soon. Our U.S. subsidiary has done very well in last 3 years and we have organically grown as the preferred Time attendance reader/terminal provider. Another primary reason for a ZK subsidiary located in the US is to make it easy for our North American customers to do business with us, standardize our products based on local needs and provide local support.
fB: How many countries do you operate in now and where your products are being used? It must be huge.
ZK: ZK globally sells into more than 200 countries. Almost every single country that you can think of in the world, our products are there. We are a very flexible and open company. Our partners, distributors and dealers are the ones who've have helped us grow in such a short time. They are the reason why we opened many global offices in last three years. We are now operating in about 12 countries and our goal is to provide local support in each of these countries where there has been a lot adoption for ZK products, specifically in emerging markets. Our goal is to open 10 more global offices in the near future.
fB: Wow that is quite a success story and I think it is based on the fact that your products are obviously being very well received so I wanted to just touch base a little bit on your product lineup. You mentioned the Time & Attendance area which is expanding rapidly right now. Can you describe a little bit more on your products in that particular area?
ZK: I can tell you what we have done so far and where we are going. We have dominated the Time & Attendance industry regarding the huge SMB market and our new focus recently has been to have a new product line that addresses the needs of the large workforce management software/HCM providers like PeopleSoft, SAP and many others. ZK's new line of modular 7″ & 10″ touch-screen enterprise-class devices will also include the necessary development tools and middleware which will allow these WFM/HCM providers to integrate their software offerings with ZK much faster and more easily..
On the Access Control side of the business we have a new IP based Access control panel solution with features rich software that can match your fingerprint template right on the panel. That has been adopted very well and we are pursuing this market very aggressively. We also have our IP video surveillance solution, which contains IP cameras, Network Video Recorders and iVision software that is capable of detecting and identifying faces. So we want to have our existing dealers and partners to have a single source manufacturing partner for all their Time & Attendance, Access Control, Video Surveillance needs. We also offer an SDK and all the necessary development tools to help them integrate our products into any of their vertical-specific applications.
fB: That is quite an aggressive plan because I usually think of ZK more associated with fingerprint but you now have face and fingerprint recognition for Time & Attendance and Access control.
ZK: We have always been known as a biometric company. But what we are doing now is moving from a product-oriented company to a solution-oriented company. We have expanded our biometric offering by introducing both Face and Vein recognition technology which can be incorporated into our access control and video surveillance solutions. ZK as a global organization has invested a lot of resources and energy in the last couple of years to develop vertical-specific solutions. Our goal in the coming years is to continue helping our partners grow their business, increasing their market share within their respective regions, and at the end of the day help make them all more money.
fB: Where do you see the residential market heading for biometrics over the next several years?
ZK: Residential is always a tricky market and not because we cannot manufacture or create solutions for them. For ANY manufacturer, residential customers need far more technical assistance than commercial customers. However based on some demand from are partners we are testing the market. We recently launched a very user-friendly easy to learn battery operated fingerprint deadbolt which we call BL100. Our Industry has to do a good job in educating residential users on the benefits of biometric security before the technology will be widely adopted.
fB: Can I ask you the same question about the mobile space? Where do you see mobile going and are you actively getting involved in that particular growth area?
ZK: I think mobile is the future and we will see a lot of growth coming in the near future. We already have few products that will focus on mobile space. Our mobile product will be capable of doing fingerprint and/or face detection and recognition. All I can say right now is stay tuned for our mobile product announcement.
FB: Would you see that for particular vertical industries like healthcare or financial or law enforcement?
ZK: Yes our face readers both on Access Control and Time & Attendance have generated a lot of demand in various vertical applications. For example, our multi-bio series can do Face and/or fingerprint and/or RFID recognition/verification all in single unit. ZK is the 1st company to do all three in single device. This is very powerful. Users really like all technology in single device with fast matching speed and ease of use. Furthermore, all of the issues about fingerprint where the fingers are not being read when there is what we call a "problem finger", the face takes care of it. Our partner has used our face product in lot of healthcare and schools and we feel that face recognition product will have much larger growth than fingerprint.
fB:. Can you describe a recent deployment for us?
ZK: Yes. We are a partner driven company.. Some of the recent deployment by our partners includes a large property management company requiring access control for over 70 doors, a drug cabinet manufacturer that has incorporated our stand alone readers into all their drug cabinets, and a key-locker management system company. We supply our devices to a growing list of over a 150 software partners who provide Time & Attendance, Workforce management and Payroll services.
fB: You have a lot of exciting things going on with your company. What is next for ZK?
ZK: Our focus is having a totally integrated solution within our Time & Attendance, Access Control and IP cameras with face detection and identification. To give you an example, at ISC you will see our fully integrated access control solution where you match your fingerprint on the panel. We will also present our IP based video surveillance solution that is capable of detecting and identifying face which can be integrated with our access control offering. We also have an SDK available so that our partners can integrate our products with any third party solution. We will also display our newly designed modular 7″ touch screen workforce terminal at ISC.
So those are the 4 different areas that we are focused in providing a complete integrated solution. This will do lot of justice to our partners' channels who have helped us all along during our growth and will help them to make more money and provide more services for their customers.
fB: You mentioned the ISC West conference in Las Vegas in April… you will be exhibiting there? Is that correct?
FB: Wonderful so companies can come and visit you there and see all of the products we've just been talking about?
ZK: Yes I strongly encourage any dealers interested in access control or video surveillance solutions come visit our booth and see all the different integrated solutions working together in a working in a live demo at the show.
FB: Thank you Jaimin for taking the time to provide this overview for us.
ZK: My pleasure Peter…I look forward to seeing you at the ISC next month.


text:
Q: Displaying CLLocation in label Xcode 7 Swift 2 hey all i am brand new into coding iOS apps, and find it rather enjoyable so far..
I am having an issue assigning lat and lng to a text field. I have been following along in a tutorial but it crapped out and most examples i have found are in objective C and not swift.. and the ones in swift aren't all the best..
my ViewController is below:
import UIKit
import MapKit

class LocationVC: UIViewController, MKMapViewDelegate {

    @IBOutlet weak var map: MKMapView!
    @IBOutlet weak var latField: UITextField!
    @IBOutlet weak var lngField: UITextField!
    @IBOutlet weak var locateBtn: UIButton!
    @IBOutlet weak var saveBtn: UIButton!

    let regionRadius: CLLocationDistance = 500

    let locationManager = CLLocationManager()

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        map.delegate = self
        locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBest
    }

    override func viewDidAppear(animated: Bool) {
        locationAuthStatus()
    }

    func locationAuthStatus() {
        if CLLocationManager.authorizationStatus() == .AuthorizedWhenInUse {
            map.showsUserLocation = true
        } else {
            locationManager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization()
        }
    }

    func centerMapOnLocation(location: CLLocation) {
        let coordinateRegion = MKCoordinateRegionMakeWithDistance(location.coordinate, regionRadius * 1, regionRadius * 1)
        map.setRegion(coordinateRegion, animated: true)
    }

    func mapView(mapView: MKMapView, didUpdateUserLocation userLocation: MKUserLocation) {
        if let loc = userLocation.location {
            centerMapOnLocation(loc)
        }

        let latField = location.longitude
        let lngField = location.latitude
    }

}

So far the map is moving, works on my device but I have no idea how to get the coords to appear..
Please forgive me if this is a noob question, but I just cant get this damn thing to go..

A: Replace your mapView(_ :,didUpdatedUserLocation:) with this...
func mapView(mapView: MKMapView, didUpdateUserLocation userLocation: MKUserLocation) {
    if let loc = userLocation.location
    {
        centerMapOnLocation(loc)

        self.latField.text = "\(loc.coordinate.latitude)"
        self.lngField.text = "\(loc.coordinate.longitude)"
    }
}

Note: If you only need show the lat/lng could be a better idea to use an UILabel instead of UITextFiel


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text:
Vermont, Where to Play August 23, 2017
Stowe-Away
Exploring the peaks and valleys of mountain golf.
By Wayne Mills | Above photo by Aaron D. Leclerc
The peak of Mount Mansfield in Vermont's Green Mountains is the state's tallest point. Spread across the mountainside and valley below lies Stowe, the pinnacle of Vermont's resort areas.
Dominated visually and economically by the Stowe Mountain Resort ski area, the town of Stowe and the surrounding area have become a four-season clean air destination for outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to Alpine and Nordic skiing in the winter, the area offers some of the finest summer golf, biking and hiking anywhere. It has also spawned high-end options in accommodations, dining and shopping. In a state with many fine destinations, Stowe is one of the best Vermont has to offer.
Spruce Peak overlooks Stowe Mountain Club. | Photo by LC Lambrecht
The mountain recreation culture dates back to the early 1930s when crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Depression-era work program started by President Franklin Roosevelt, began clearing ski trails by hand, using axes and crosscut saws. The Bruce and Nosedive trails were the first in use, and by 1940, work started on a single-seat chair lift, at the time the longest and highest in the world, which was in operation until 1986.
Occupying a relatively small 485 acres, the Stowe Mountain Resort ski area is considered by many skiers to present some of the most challenging terrain in the East with a 2,360-foot vertical drop and the legendary Front Four trails: Goat, National, Liftline and Starr.
Vail Resorts, which operates some of North America's greatest resorts, recently purchased the ski operations from the Mount Mansfield Company. Mount Mansfield Company will retain ownership of the luxurious Stowe Mountain Lodge, the Stowe Country Club and the Stowe Mountain Club. For golf visitors, the transition should be seamless. Veteran golf professional Ron Philo, Jr. is in his eighth year as director of golf and club operations.
Stowe Mountain Club
Stowe Country Club, located in the village of Stowe, offers a traditional layout with wide fairways routed over rolling hills. Designed by William Mitchell and built by village residents in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it features views of the surrounding Worcester and Mansfield ranges. After much tree thinning and drainage work in recent years, conditions are now as good as any public access course in Vermont.
"It is a lot of fun to play," Philo says. "It's very pleasant and playable, but it requires accurate approach shots to have a chance at birdie."
Regardless of your score, sipping one of Vermont's outstanding craft brews, while taking in the view from the outside deck, is always a great conclusion to a day at Stowe Country Club.
Stowe Mountain Club, located near the ski area adjacent to Spruce Peak, opened in 2007 and is a unique mountain course. Veteran architect Bob Cupp worked within the terrain and with the delicate ecosystem in designing the routing. He had to present 29 designs before one was accepted by Vermont's notoriously strict permitting authorities.
"It is carved right into the side of the mountain, unlike any I've ever seen," Philo says. "With the change in elevation from 1,000 to 1,900 feet at the highest point, it is absolutely breathtaking."
The front nine is routed around Peregrine Lake, a man-made reservoir that comes into play on 16 holes. In winter, the water is used for snowmaking at the ski area, so optimum conditions can be maintained on the mountain even throughout the fickle New England winters.
The back nine wanders up the mountain from the lake to a spectacular view of Mount Mansfield and the ski slopes on the 14th tee. From the 15th green, golfers can gaze down the meandering Worcester Mountain Range for more than 30 miles.
Stowe Country Club
Ranked eighth in the state by Golf Digest, the Mountain Club is a placement-type design that requires plenty of thought from the tee and often has golfers hitting less than driver on longer holes. "You won't find a better collection of short par 4's anywhere in America," Cupp says.
An added bonus to booking a golf package at Stowe is the opportunity to play the private Country Club of Vermont in nearby Waterbury. This 1998 Graham Cooke design is one of the best courses in the state (ranked second by Golf Digest), and one any serious golfer should play.
And golf instruction is hardly an afterthought at Stowe Mountain. The resort is part of the highly regarded Golf Channel Academy network, with outstanding practice facilities at Stowe Country Club.
For visitors to truly experience the best of Vermont, on the golf course and off, a visit to Stowe is a must.
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Nutmeg Designs House Number joins Sunshine Filled Yellow Door in Rhode Island.
Nutmeg Designs House Number in Blue Gray and Yellow, glass on slate, 8x8 inches.
A classic New England home with dark slate gray cladding and a vibrant yellow door pairs beautifully with our Newport Colorway. The dark blue of the background shades into an ombré of gray tones, and yellow accents. A single digit gets its due with this elegant treatment and provides crisp visibility with high contrast.
The client said it was the perfect touch for their entrance, and loved it so much they commissioned one for her sister's house.
Made to order colorful glass mosaic house plaque featuring crisp flowing numbers and a custom background with colors that delight and add a finishing touch. Both beautiful and easy to read from a distance, this house number will bring you joy every time you return home.
► This 1 digit sign has an 8x8 inch Pennsylvania slate base.
► The digit is four inches high, in Times New Roman font.
► Packaged with care and sent via USPS Priority Mail to US and International First Class to Canada. For other locations please query for a quote.