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Rift Valley Kenya
Article Updated on October 16, 2020 By gachie1
Rift Valley in Kenya – Great Rift Valley Kenya
The Great Rift Valley in Kenya: Land has literally been cut into two by the Great Rift Valley that runs from Syria in East Asia to Mozambique in the southern part of Africa. The valley enters Kenya at Lake Turkana and exits at the coast.
Originally named the 'Great Rift Valley' by British Explorer John Walter Gregory, the Rift Valley is a geographic stretch extending 6000km across the Middle East and Africa from Jordan to Mozambique. The valley encapsulates tremendous changes in topographic diversity with its scarps and volcanoes, lakes, ancient granitic hills, flat desert landscapes and coral reefs and islets. The astounding view, as you approach from Nairobi, Kenya is quite unbelievable. To show you just how expansive the rift is, the ground unexpectedly disappears from under you, extending thousands of kilometers in either direction. An excellent starter to the Kenyan Rift Valley, it may appear, the most amazing part of this experience is sinking deeper to explore the Lake System of the Rift.
Leisure Activities along the Kenyan Rift Valley
Hiking, trekking, game viewing, photography, guided walks around the crater lakes, picnic lunch, bird watching, golfing and community visits.
The Great Rift Valley covers over 8,700 Kms. (5,400 miles) running from Jordan Valley in the Middle East and taking in the whole of the Red Sea before cutting through Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and finally reaching the Indian Ocean at Beira near the Zambezi River. The Great Rift Valley Kenya is much more defined in Kenya than anywhere else.
The Great Rift Valley Kenya – Gregorian Rift
That section of the The Great Rift Valley Kenya in Kenya, also known as the "Gregorian Rift" after J. W. Gregory, the Great geologist who first described it, is dotted with recent volcanoes like Mt. Longonot (still partially active), Suswa, Ebum, Menengai, Londiani, Kakorinyo, Central and Northern Islands in Lake Turkana.
It also contains seven lakes all of which have no outlets. These are Lake Turkana (The Jade Sea), Baringo, Bogoria, Nakuru, Elementaita, Naivasha and Lake Magadi.
When it rains on the The Great Rift Valley Kenya escarpments and on the surrounding highlands, water runs down rivers and streams to the lake basins. The high rate of evaporation is the only major way through which water escapes from the lakes. The evaporation leaves behind a large accumulation of salts and minerals in the lakes.
This makes all but two of the lake Naivasha and lake Baringo contain high alkaline contents, a factor that makes the highly alkaline soils in and around the lakes turn bones and ivory into fossils. The fossilization process over the years has made Rift Valley in the country preserve remains of ancient animals and human beings into the form of fossils; thus affording us important information of the ancient past.
Features of the Rift Valley in Kenya – Great Rift Valley Kenya
The valley is bordered by escarpments to the east and west. The floor is broken by volcanoes, some still active, and contains a series of lakes. Some of the soils are Andisols, fertile soils from relatively recent volcanic activity.
Lake Turkana occupies the northern end of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. There are also volcanoes in Lake Turkana. The Suguta Valley, or Suguta Mud Flats, is an arid part of the Great Rift Valley directly south of Lake Turkana. The shield volcano Emuruangogolak straddles the valley to the south of Suguta, and further south Mount Silali and Paka rise from the valley floor. Paka is a shield volcano, with widespread geothermal activity. South of Paka are Mount Korosi, Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria. Menengai is a massive shield volcano in the floor of the rift with a caldera that formed about 8,000 years ago. It overlooks Lake Nakuru to the south. This region also includes Lake Elementaita, Mount Kipipiri and Lake Naivasha.
The Hell's Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha. In the early 1900s, Mount Longonot erupted, and ash can still be felt around Hell's Gate. Mount Longonot is a dormant stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha. Suswa is a shield volcano located between Narok and Nairobi. Lava flows from the most recent eruptions are still not covered by vegetation, and may be no more than one hundred years old. Lake Magadi is the most southern rift valley lake in Kenya, although the northern end of Lake Natron in Tanzania reaches into Kenya.
The Elgeyo escarpment forms part of the western wall. The Kerio Valley lies between the Tugen Hills and the Elgeyo escarpment at an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) There are large deposits of Fluorite in the Kerio Valley area. Further south the Mau Escarpment is a steep natural cliff approximately 3,000 m (10,000 ft) high, running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley about Lake Naivasha. Yet further south the Nguruman Escarpment is around 50 kilometers long and elongated in N-W direction. Its northern edge is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Nairobi, while the southern edge is near the Tanzanian border, at the northwestern corner of Lake Natron. The Aberdare Range forms a section of the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley to the north of Nairobi. Mount Satima lies at the northern end of the Aberdares and is their highest point, and Mount Kinangop at the southern end is the second highest. The mountains form a ridge between these two peaks. Ngong Hills are peaks in a ridge along the east of the Great Rift Valley, located southwest near Nairobi.
Rift Valley in Kenya
Rift Valley Lakes in Kenya – Rift Valley Kenya
Kenya is home to 64 (9.50%) of the total lakes found within the continent of Africa. Eight of these make up the main lakes in the Kenyan Rift Valley. From north to south, the names of these lakes are Lake Turkana, Lake Logipi, Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, Lake Elmenteita, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Magadi Of those eight, only Lakes Baringo and Naivasha are fresh water.
Lake Turkana, at the northern end of the rift, is 250 kilometres (160 mi) long, between 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) and 30 kilometres (19 mi) wide and is 125 metres (410 ft) at its greatest depth. Most of the other lakes are shallow and poorly drained, and therefore have become alkaline. They have waters that are rich in blue-green algae, which feed insect larvae, small crustaceans and lesser flamingos. The larvae and crustaceans are food for fish and greater flamingos. Massive flocks of these birds have been found to have an effect on the lakeside sediments also. Their numbers cause trampling of the silts in certain areas, while the feeding grounds are oxygenated due to probing beaks in the mud. Their nest mounds can also be preserved and cemented as the lake's water levels change. These form irregularities in the lakeside topography.
Trona, an evaporative mineral, used for sodium carbonate production, has been mined at Lake Magadi for nearly 100 years. It produces about 250,000 metric tonnes per year. Other precious minerals like rubies and pink sapphires have been found and mined from areas around Lake Boringo. In 2004, over 2 kilograms of corundum were collected.
Lake Bogoria is a caustic cauldron fringed by geysers and populated by over a million flamingoes. Three shallow alkaline lakes and the surrounding lands make up the Kenya Lake system: Lake Bogoria at 10,700 hectares (26,000 acres), Lake Nakuru at 18,800 hectares (46,000 acres) and Lake Elementaita at 2,534 hectares (6,260 acres). This system has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, and is the home of thirteen globally threatened species of bird. It is an important nesting and breeding site for great white pelicans, and is the most important feeding area for lesser flamingos in the world. The system is home to globally important populations of black-necked grebe, African spoonbill, pied avocet, little grebe, yellow-billed stork, black-winged stilt, grey-headed gull and gull-billed tern.
The Kenya Lake system is a key location on the West Asian-East African Flyway, a route followed by huge numbers of birds in their annual migration from breeding grounds in the north to wintering places in Africa. The lands around the lakes include large populations of black rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, greater kudu, lion, cheetah and wild dogs. The Kenya Lake system is surrounded by the steep escarpment of the Rift Valley, which provides a spectacular backdrop.
Other lakes are Lake Chew Bahir, in the northeast extension. This lake lies mainly in Ethiopia but extends into Kenya in the rainy season. Lake Kamnarok is another small lake.
Kenya Rift Valley: Rift Valley in Kenya – Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNdbw4jijKw
Useful Information About Kenya
Women Rep.
Farming in Kenya
Banks in Kenya
Cooperative Bank
Equity Bank
KCB Branches
MKU Courses
Lakes in Kenya – Rivers in Kenya
Geography of Kenya: Geographical Location of Kenya
Rift Valley Water Services Board
Kenya Africa – Where is Kenya Located in Africa
Things to do in Kenya: List of Best Things to do in Kenya
Nilotes in Kenya
Ranking of Universities in Kenya
Kerio Valley National Reserve
Filed Under: About Kenya


Varalakshmi vratham (pooja also spell as puja) is very important pooja in hinduism performed by womens. This pooja celebrate in andhrapradesh, karnataka, tamilnadu in other states of India. vara lakshmi vratham celebrated on Friday of brought fortnight Ashada masam. This vratham perform for get health, wealth, growth, knowledge, and happiness. In this vratham almost womens participates, because, Goddess mahalakshmi is women.
It is mentioned in Skandha puranam and noticed important of varalakshmi vratham. In the Skandha puranam Goddess Parvathi want to know about vratham, which is highly benefit to women on the earth, then God Siva said to parathi about the lakshmi vratham (pooja or puja).
Womens believes that, If they celebrate this vratham in their homes, they get peace, wealth and family happiness etc. In the andhrapradesh this vratham celebrates four weeks of friday. This vratham celebrates only sumangalilu (whose husbands are still living) to get health, wealth, happiness and wishing long life with husbands. This pooja celebrates poor and rich families and also this pooja can be done without any restrictions to caste. This vratham celebrates married womens and unmarried girl. Neighbors womens and friends participates in the pooja.
In this day womens wakeup early in the morning, clean whole house, takes bath and wear traditional dresses to perform vratham. Before start vratham, women draw a Padmam (It is one kind of Muggu in telugu) and keeps Kalasam center of the Padmam. Kalasam is most important part of this pooja, Kalasam symbolically represents goddess lakshmi. Few kind of fruits and flowers can be use in this vratham. They start pooja according to pooja blooks.


When someone says "pick a markup language," most people would immediately respond with "XML!", but there's an alternative out there. YAML is human-readable, easy to use, and overall quite fantastic.
I hate markup languages. There, I said it. The first time I had the pleasure of "using" (being abused by) XML, I said to myself "there has got to be a better way of doing this." Well, after years of sticking with plain text ini files and custom syntaxes based off of using ''eval()'', I've come to not only use, but love, YAML.
YAML, or "YAML Ain't Markup Language", is "a human friendly data serialization standard for all programming languages." It has the advantage of leaning towards dynamic languages a la Python, Ruby, etc.
It is important to note that friendliness and readability are very core to the design of YAML. The number of format characters is very low and, like Python, YAML's markup can use whitespace to indicate scoping of items. Tabs are not allowed, so there is no chance for confusion about indention level. Additionally, the constructs within YAML such as mappings, sequences, and scalars all mesh nicely with existing Python data types like dictionaries, lists, strings, and integers. It's also fully unicode-enabled, which should make happy a lot of people who are normally worried about UTF-8.
What really attracted me to YAML are some of the key things that drew me to Python: cleanliness and approachability. Too often, I've had to deal with monstrous XML files for data passing or -- worse yet -- configuration and sometimes ini-style configuration files that simply don't scale, or communicate enough information. So far, I've used YAML in about six different projects with great success and found that it scales quite well while staying human-readable.
This is a simple example. Line 1 of the YAML file, or document, is a simple comment. Note that there is a space character right before that # sign. The next line is a simple key value pair which, after being parsed, gets returned to us in a Python dictionary. Simple as pie!
I included both examples to illustrate a point. Most of YAML's syntax has two ways of achieving the same intended goal. There is the verbose, multi-line method, and the more compact method. Both methods are human-readable, so choosing one is a matter of personal preference.
Trailing and preceding whitespace is trimmed out in the basic use case of ''|''. See the "Scalar indicators" section of the compact cheat sheet for modifiers to the ''|'' character.
As you can see, the syntax is pretty simple. It's easy to represent information in a way that is both clear, concise and, well... fun. What's really cool is the fact it meshes so well with Python!
After reading the basic of the syntax, you're jazzed to get started with YAML, right? Well, getting started with YAML is only a single ''easy_install'' away. The **PyYAML** module is pretty much the de-facto parser and emitter for YAML. The core of the module is written in pure Python, but, as of version 3.0.4, it also supports binding to the high-speed LibYAML implementation written in C.
The ''load_all()'' function goes back to the "multiple documents within a stream" concept. In the case above I am assuming that there won't be just a single document. I am using ''yaml.load_all()'', rather than ''load()'', then iterating over the results. ''yaml.load_all()'' returns a generator yielding each document in the stream. The ''yaml.load()'' function accepts a string (Unicode or otherwise), or an open file object.
By default, you don't need to pass additional arguments to ''yaml.dump()'' or ''yaml.dump_all()'', as you can see above. In the ''dump_all()'' example, I added the ''explicit_start'' argument. The dump functions support this flag, along with some others that you should know about, to control formatting.
The ''explicit_start'' argument adds the "---" string prior to the data structure being dumped. This allows you to dump multiple objects/documents to the same stream, say, an open file handle, without worrying about the document separators yourself.
Yes, I just jumped the tracks on that last one. YAML and PyYAML both support explicit type declaration within the YAML documents. This is obviously handy for inter-language data exchange, but, as you can see in the output, is not so good on the side of readability if you're a non-programmer. On the other hand, it allows for a nice segue!
We have covered the basics of YAML and, by extension, PyYAML, but PyYAML offers some additional niceties for Python users. Obviously, these advanced features start to edge out approachability, but they are actually really useful.
. These are standard YAML tags, and they're fully covered in the spec.
Internally, PyYAML converts these tags to the expected Python types. ''!!null'' is ''None'', ''!!timestamp'' is ''datetime.datetime'', ''!!seq'' is ''list'', and so on. You don't need to explicitly put these in your YAML documents. In most cases the types are inferred from the document, but being able to explicitly define them is handy.
. PyYAML defines explicit Python types such as ''float'', ''complex'', ''list'', ''tuple'' and ''dict''. In my opinion, the ''tuple'' and the ''integer'' ones are more useful simply due to the fact that ''dicts'' and ''lists'' can be derived from the YAML file itself.
However, PyYAML also offers "non-type" ''!!python'' extensions. These are referred to as "Complex Python Tags" and they allow you to add things to your YAML document such as Python modules, packages, class instances, and the output of a method call with a passed-in variable.
In theory, and in my rather abusive practice, this would allow you to define a very rich configuration which constructed all of the relevant objects at parse-time to significantly alter the behavior of the application (or in my case, test) to which the YAML file was passed. One catch when you are using the ''!!python/object/*'' tag(s) is that the objects you are creating must be pickle-compatible.
PyYAML is not calling ''__init__()'' when creating the object. Both ''yaml.load()'' and ''yaml.dump()'' are designed to work exactly like ''pickle.load()'' and ''pickle.dump()''. Objects must implement the pickle protocol.
YAML and, by extension, PyYAML, are incredibly useful if you want something easy on the eyes, easy to understand, and easy to use in a markup language. It's straightforward to customize, it's cross-language, and fundamentally simple. YAML is popping up in all sorts of places, such as the configuration settings for Google's AppEngine, and in Django, where it is used for a serialization format and to load data fixtures.
Obviously some of the advanced features of PyYAML are Python-specific, but the fundamentals make it an easy win for cross-language communication. Sure, XML does this, too, and there's support in every known language for XML parsing (including the stuff toddlers speak), but how readable is XML, seriously?
I do hope more and more people adopt this user-friendly format. It's simply great as a configuration language, and if you need to expose anything to humans and later serialize and deserialize it, just say "no" to XML.
The revolution will be readable.


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Ansley Booker
Ansley Booker, Ph.D. was drawn to GA Women because they are a collective of strong, determined, inclusive, and fearless women fighting for equity within our community, state, and nation. Dr. Booker is a native of Eatonton, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in biology from Georgia Southern University in 2008, where she was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, a Master of Science in pharmacy from the University of Georgia in 2013, and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Mercer University in May 2019. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
She has published and presented extensively on the experiences of African American/Black women and other underrepresented students in STEM/STREAM education and student affairs. Her passion for STEM was highlighted in her 2019 TedTalk at the University of Georgia entitled Unhidden Figures: Uncovering Our Cultural Biases in STEM. Dr. Booker was the previous Director for the Mercer University Educational Opportunity Center (Federal TRiO Programs) and is the inaugural Director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives.
Ansley is an award-winning, international speaker, author, and sought-after thought-leader for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion consulting. In addition to being a passionate scientist and educator, she is a dedicated community advocate committed to social justice, equity-mindedness, and inclusive leadership. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Macon 2019, the Urban Leadership Academy Cohort 3, and Youth Leadership Putnam County 2003.
Andrea Cooke
Andrea Cooke joined the Georgia Women Steering Committee in 2020, bringing new energy, perspectives and ideas to the group! Andrea is a married mother of eight working to complete her doctorate in marriage and family therapy at Antioch University in Keene, N.H. Having received her bachelors degree in social work from THE Fort Valley State University, she went on to obtain a masters in marriage and family therapy from Mercer University. In 2010, along with her mother and husband, they opened the southern center for choice theory, a small counseling business working with vulnerable populations.
Andrea is an advocate for families negatively impacted by DFCS and the criminal justice system and is dedicated to eliminating barriers for women and girls in the state of Georgia.
Paula DelRio
Paula Del Rio joined the Georgia Women Steering Committee in 2020. She earned a BS in Civil engineering and a MBA from EAFIT University, in Medellin, Colombia. Paula has been a Montessori teacher for over 12 years in numerous international and national locations. She currently teaches and holds administrative positions at Montessori of Macon. Since 2014 she has also worked as Director of Religious Education at High Street Unitarian Universalist Church, in Macon, GA. An active and committed member of her community, Paula is passionate about community organizing and social justice. She is one of the founders and part of the leadership team of Macon Periods Easier, an organization devoted to raising awareness of period poverty in Macon-Bibb County. Among other things, Macon Periods Easier provides education and menstrual products to schools, organizations, and the homeless community. She also helped found and volunteers for the Immigration Rapid Response Team, which provides critical resources for local immigrant communities. She and her partner, Hollis Phelps, have four children, Jeronimo, Luci, Alden, and Sebastian. When not traveling, they all reside in Macon, GA.
Tracie Jenkins
Tracie M. Jenkins, PhD serves as Secretary of the Steering Committee of Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us) because she is a wife, mother, grandmother, scientist, and person of faith who believes, like those with whom she serves, that in diversity there is strength and in a strong representative democracy there is hope. Tracie is a UGA Emerita Associate Professor in Insect Genetics and graduate of the University of the South's Education for Ministry (EFM) four-year certificate program in theological education. She is a master gardener who spends as much time as possible in her pesticide and insecticide free garden cultivating plants and the good insects that look after them. Herbs from her garden are often, therefore, sampled when pulled from the soil. As an amateur nature photographer, she captures the myriad creatures around her. She also documents the life in, around, and flying over her garden to demonstrate how poison-free environs thrive. This she records in her blog, "lifethroughtheseasons.blogspot.com". Yes, Tracie, like Stephanie Kwolek, the inventor of Kevlar, thinks "all sorts of things can happen when you're open to new ideas and playing around with things."
Marty Koplin
Marty Koplin, co-president of Georgia Women, is a native of Richmond, Virginia but her educational endeavors brought her to the University of Georgia where she earned a BS in Family Development.
Since moving to Macon in 1982 with her husband, Evan, Marty has worked in the non-profit community in Middle Georgia. Planting her roots of advocacy early on, she served as the Coordinator of the Sexual Assault Victim Assistance Program for Crisis Line of Macon & Bibb County and as Director of Kids Voting Georgia/Bibb County. Marty's passion for education and for the Middle GA community were further informed by her work as an Educational Consultant with Discovery Toys and most recently as an Executive Assistant with Macon Economic Development Commission, part of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce.
Marty has devoted her time to serving on the boards of Congregation Sha'arey Israel synagogue, Leadership Macon and the Georgia Children's Museum. Reading, cooking, hanging out with her 3 fierce daughters, attending concerts and traveling are Marty's favorite past-times but Georgia Women (And Those Whose Stand With Us) has enabled Marty to become an 'accidental activist' tying together all of her passions, empowering women to speak truth to power.
Nyonnohweah Seekie
Nyonnohweah Seekie was introduced to Georgia Women in 2018, when she attended a Rapid Response Training event to assist as a hotline operator and interpreter responding to non-emergency needs of immigrants. Her interest in voter education led her to being involved with many Georgia Women civic engagement initiatives.
Nyonnohweah is the owner of The Seekie Law Firm, LLC, a criminal defense and immigration firm located in downtown Macon. She is a first-generation Liberian-American and a graduate of Georgia Southern University, Widener University and Mercer University School of Law.
Attorney Seekie is devoted to counseling clients through the arduous territory of criminal prosecution and immigration, responsible for various cases including: Visa petitions, naturalizations, misdemeanors, felonies, federal crimes, post-conviction representation and more.
In the community, Nyonnohweah is an avid volunteer for Macon and Middle Georgia. She is an active member of the State Bar of Georgia, Young Lawyers Division; Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA); Macon Chapter of Junior League; the Area Vice President of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Board Member/Secretary for the Georgia Legal Services Program. Nyonnohweah is married to her loving husband Cecil, and together they enjoy spending time with family and friends, serving their community, worshipping at Lundy Chapel Baptist Church, and traveling with their adorable dog.
Lynn Snyder
Lynn Snyder is co-president of Georgia Women. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia's School of Nursing attending on an Army Student Nurse Program scholarship. She met her husband Rich at Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta. After six years of active duty and eighteen months in the reserves, and achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, she left the service to start a family. As a family, the Snyders have lived in six states (Georgia twice) and Lynn worked in a variety of nursing positions in each one. She earned her Master's Degree from Central Michigan University's Extended Degree Program while living in Maryland and Pennsylvania. She decided to hang up her "cap" after almost forty years when she returned to Georgia in 2012. She taught English as a Second Language at CGTC first as a volunteer, then as an adjunct instructor until recently. Lynn is the proud author of Lynn's List, our (almost) weekly advocacy suggestions. Her son and daughter-in-law live in Cincinnati with their two gorgeous daughters.
Brenda Wiliams
Brenda Sutton Williams is a product of Bibb County public schools, a Golden Key honor graduate of Morris Brown College; has a MA from the University of Phoenix and completed post graduate courses, focusing on leadership. Ms. Williams is the first Africa American and female to lead the Houston
and Macon Alternative Dispute Resolution Program serving Superior, State, Magistrate and Probate courts of Houston, Macon Bibb, Crawford and Peach Counties. She is registered in Civil, Domestic Violence, Specialized Domestic and Juvenile Delinquency Mediation Categories in the state of Georgia. She is a graduate of Leaderships Macon, Ware, Blackshear and Southeast Georgia Leadership Academy. Ms. Williams
is the creator and a radio personality for the hilarious radio show "All of A Sutton". She is on the Steering Committee for Georgia Women and (Those Who Stand With Us). Lastly, Ms. Williams served on the Mayoral Transition Team for then incoming Mayor Lester Miller. All of her accomplishments were gained after the age of 40 following a divorce from long term marriage. "You are what you believe in. You become that which you believe you can become" Bhagavad Gita.


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Tyneside marine is helping keep peace
A TYNESIDE marine is one of the last remaining British troops in Iraq, helping to bring peace to the war-torn country.
Four years on from the execution of dictator Saddam Hussein, only a handful of marines are left in the country, training Iraqi sailors.
But daily threats remain from insurgents determined to shatter the stability.
Marine Dale Elsender, from Kingston Park, Newcastle, is one of only around 80 braving the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
His force protection team guard armoured vehicles as they make regular journeys across Iraq to neighbouring Kuwait, to collect and deliver people and supplies.
The 20-year-old, said: "I normally work as a top gunner on the Mastiff vehicles, so I provide covering fire if we come into contact with insurgents.
"I've been in Iraq for a few months and it's why I became a Royal Marine really.
"There's a threat here but you just get on with your job, which is to protect people."
An agreement between Britain and Iraq for the mentoring mission was extended recently, meaning coalition personnel will remain in Iraq until May. Marine Elsender, who went to Kenton School, lives in basic accommodation close to the Iraqi coast.
From the nearby naval base, Iraqi sailors train on patrol boats and travel to the country's two oil platforms.
The oil in the North Arabian Gulf is extremely valuable – it is worth more than 75% of Iraq's total gross domestic product.
Royal Navy Captain Gary Sutton, in charge of around 80 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel at Umm Qasr, said: "The British have been working with coalition partners here for several years so oil platforms can be protected.
"The Iraqis are getting close to the stage where they can carry out that role for themselves, and our job is simply to mentor and advise them."
Despite the co-operation between America, Iraq and Britain. there is an enduring insurgent threat.
The route in from Kuwait has been laid with roadside bombs in recent weeks, and small arms fire has been directed at American bases nearby.
Marine Elsender said: "We're normally based at Faslane in Scotland so it's more risky than there, but it's quiet in general.
"We've got a good team which means we can get on with it."
Marine Elsender's mum Brenda and sisters Lisa and Jade all live in Kingston Park.
Mne Elsender said: "I always wanted to be a Royal Marine and I think my family are really proud of me.
"It's tough to get in and you really feel you've earned it when you do."
Kingston Park


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Zoë Phillips is a songwriter and vocalist from Hertford. Her music is hard to box up as she dabbles in dance music as well but her ambient piano-based approach can nod towards the likes of Birdy and Rae Morris. Her music has been supported by BBC Introducing, BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 1 Xtra, whilst live performances include Glastonbury festival.


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Farhan A. Mirza, MD
Director, Epilepsy Surgery
Anterior Skull Base Surgery
Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Refractory Epilepsy, Drug Resistant Epilepsy, Focal Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Mesial Temporal Sclerosis, Extra-temporal Epilepsy (Frontal, Insular, Parietal, Occipital), Hemispheric Epilepsy (Rasmussen's Encephalitis, Hemimegalencephaly, Peri-Natal Stroke, Hemispheric FCD, Sturge Weber Syndrome), Epilepsy Associated with Brain Tumors, Cavernomas and Cortical Migration Abnormalities, Generalized Epilepsy with Atonic Drop Attacks, Posterior Quadrant Epilepsy, Focal Cortical Dysplasia, Syndromic Epilepsy (Tuberous Sclerosis, Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, Landau Kleffner Syndrome, Others), Benign and Malignant Brain Tumors, Skull Base Tumors
Epilepsy, Neuro-oncology
Dr. Mirza received his medical degree from the Aga Khan University Medical College (AKU-MC) in Karachi, Pakistan, and then completed neurosurgery residency at the University of Kentucky. Following residency, he received subspecialty fellowship training in adult and pediatric epilepsy surgery, as well as adult brain tumors, at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. He was also a visiting fellow in pediatric epilepsy surgery at the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for Children in London, England.
At the University of Kentucky, as Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of Epilepsy Surgery, Dr. Mirza focuses on the surgical treatment of refractory epilepsy and brain tumors. He is particularly interested in improving provision of epilepsy surgery for all patients who are suffering from medically refractory epilepsy, in the State of Kentucky and beyond. He is also interested in awake operations for brain tumors, particularly those within or in proximity to eloquent regions of the brain (which control speech, movement, sensation, and cognitive processing), to achieve maximal tumor removal and preserve patient's function after surgery.
Dr. Mirza is a member of the American Epilepsy Society (AES), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS).
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery (Epilepsy Surgery, Neuro-Oncology, & Skull Base Surgery)
MD, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan
Epilepsy Surgery, The Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Visiting Fellow in Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for Children, London, United Kingdom
Neurosurgery, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute (KNI), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Procedures performed
Awake Craniotomy for Brain Mapping for Epilepsy and Brain Tumors
Craniotomy for Brain Tumors and Skull Base Tumors
Epilepsy Surgery (including below):
Electrode Placement for Stereotactic Electroencephalography (SEEG) using ROSA Robot for Seizure Localization
Intracranial Grid Placement for Seizure Localization
Temporal Resection
Selective Amygdalohippocampectomy
Extra-Temporal Resection/Topectomy/Lesionectomy
Functional Hemispheric Disconnection (Rasmussen's Encephalitis, Hemimegalencephaly, Peri-natal Stroke, Hemispheric FCD, Sturge-Weber Syndrome)
Temporo-Parieto-Occipital (TOP) Disconnection
Corpus Callosotomy
Multiple Subpial Transections (MST)
Neurostimulation (VNS, RNS)
Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation (RF-TC) for Hypothalamic Hamartoma, PVNH, and other cortical migration abnormalities
The Power of a Thumbs Up
"I'm not afraid of anything."
740 S. Limestone
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Monday - Friday: 8:00 am-5:00 pm
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Posts from the 'Denver Broncos' Category
Seahawks practice squad TE, John Nalbone
John Nalbone played college football at Monmouth University in New Jersey. While he was there, he totaled 101 receptions, 1080 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He was an all-NEC selection during his sophomore, junior, and senior year. He entered the 2009 NFL Draft, and was drafted in the 5th round, 161st overall by the Miami Dolphins. He has been a member of the Vikings, Broncos, Eagles, Bengals, and is now with the Seahawks. He signed a futures contract at the end of the 2011 season. This interview was done right after the 2011 season.
Former Bills WR, Andre Reed Interview
Andre Reed was a member of the Buffalo Bills from 1985 through 1999. Throughout his time in the NFL, he recorded 951 receptions, 13,198 yards, and 87 touchdowns. He was nominated to the Pro Bowl for seven straight years from 1988-1994. He also made four Super Bowl appearances. He is currently 1 of 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2012. This interview was done before the Hall of Fame Class of 2012 voting was done.
Broncos WR, Quan Cosby Interview
Quan Cosby grew up playing both baseball and football. After high school, he decided to pursue his dreams playing baseball and played for the Anaheim Angels from 2001 through 2005. He then went bak to college to pursue his love for football and went to the University of Texas from 2005 through 2008. He entered the 2009 NFL Draft, but didn't get drafted. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and he's been primarily used as a kick returner and punt returner in the NFL. This interview was conducted the week before he got cut by the Denver Broncos. He ended up signing with the Indianapolis Colts.
Jets DT, Carlton Powell Interview
Carlton Powell played college football for Virginia Tech University. He is one of few players in collegiate history that have a statistic like this: In over 100 run plays directed at him, he had a negative rushing total to running backs. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has been a member of a few different teams. I met him when he was with the New York Jets last year at training camp. Check out the two interviews that we have. Keep in mind, the earlier date was my third ever interview.
Former NFL WR, Samie Parker Interview
Samie Parker played college football for the University of Oregon. He was one of Kellen Clemens' favorite wide receiver targets, and was known as a tremendous deep threat. He entered the 2004 NFL Draft, and was selected in the 4th round by the Kansas City Chiefs. SP played four seasons with the Chiefs, and then bounced around the NFL with different teams. He also played in the AFL for the Chicago Rush. [UPDATE: In 2010 and 2011, he also played in the United Football League (UFL) for the Las Vegas Locomotives.] Read more
Rams LB, Dominic Douglas Interview
Dominic Douglas played college football for Mississippi State University. DD entered the 2009 NFL Draft, but actually went undrafted. He signed a UDFA contract with the St. Louis Rams after the draft. He made the practice squad player and remained there all year. He then was cut by the St. Louis Rams in 2010. This interview was conducted before the 2010 NFL season. Read more
Broncos Special Teams Ace, Darrell Reid Interview
Darrell Reid attended the University of Minnesota and played in 48 games as a defensive tackle. He finished his career at Minnesota with 157 tackles, 16 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 6 pass deflections. He was undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, but signed with the Indianapolis Colts. He finished his career with the Colts with 62 special team tackles. He was with the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010. This interview was conducted before the 2010 regular season.


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The Venezuelan government's latest move exposes the falsehoods in the US narrative
Peter Bolton
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro recently confirmed that his government has made contact with Norwegian counterparts so they can resume their role as a mediator in dialogue between his government and Juan Guaidó's hardline opposition faction. Guaidó is the US-backed leader of the coup in Venezuela. The move shows that there is, and always has been, a peaceful way out of the political conflict that's been roiling the country since the beginning of the coup attempt in January 2019.
But you wouldn't hear this from Trump administration officials in Washington, their puppets in the Guaidó opposition faction, or their mouthpieces in the corporate media. They would have you believe that dialogue is impossible. Yet the reality is that this narrative has always served as an empty and dishonest façade to portray the US-backed coup strategy as the only way out of the conflict. And that's the last thing that the coup supporters want the public to clue up to.
Reestablishing contact
On 29 July, Maduro said that his government's communications minister Jorge Rodriguez had met with a Norwegian delegation to discuss the possibility of resuming talks. An earlier dialogue had begun in 2019, with Norway serving as a mediator, but later collapsed after Guaidó allies in the Trump administration tightened lethal sanctions against the beleaguered South American country.
On 24 July, Norwegian foreign minister Dag Halvor indicated on Twitter that a group of his country's government officials were in Caracas. He said that they were there to obtain an update about the political situation following over 18 months of turmoil caused by a US-backed coup attempt launched by Guaidó, a member of Venezuela's radical opposition faction.
Conspicuous silence from corporate media
The development has received little attention in the corporate-owned Western press. But this should come as no great surprise. The Guaidó faction's tactic has always been to make excuses as to why dialogue somehow won't work. It claims, for example, that dialogue is just used as a pretext to "stall for time".
But upon closer examination, this is clearly nonsense. The Guaidó faction wants to dismiss dialogue not because it thinks it won't resolve the political crisis, rather it's because negotiations would mean having to compromise, as opposed to being able to seize power outright. And this, in turn, would pose a threat to the interests that motivate the Trump administration's support for 'regime change' in the first place.
The US openly flaunting its self-interested motives
Far from hiding this self-interested motivation, former national security advisor John Bolton spoke openly about how the coup attempt's purpose was to install a government that would be more favorable to US oil companies. During an interview with Fox News, Bolton stated nonchalantly:
The Canary and Max Blumenthal join protesters rallying against Assange extradition at the UK's embassy in Washington
It will make a big difference to the United States economically if we could have American oil companies invest in and produce the oil capabilities in Venezuela
This statement essentially summarizes what anti-imperialist commentators have always argued. Namely that Washington's claims that it's motivated by a desire to 'restore democracy', or by concerns over human rights, are completely bogus. Rather, US foreign policy has always been motivated by what's in the geo-strategic interests of its foreign policy establishment, and what's in the economic interests of its major multinational corporations.
Revealing comparisons
To be sure, this reality is obvious when one contrasts the US's treatment of Venezuela and other enemies with its treatment of countries that do serve its interests. The most obvious example in the region is Honduras. The US accepted the 2017 election of Juan Orlando Hernández despite the fact that it was widely denounced as fraudulent, even by the pro-Washington Organization of American States (OAS). The OAS usually supports US-backed coups (like it did in Bolivia), yet called for a fresh election in Honduras (which, of course, hasn't taken place).
Nonetheless, it's still refreshing to hear it from the horse's mouth. And for this reason, the Trump administration can at least be credited with being more candid about what motivates its foreign policy than its predecessors.
Telling the truth falls to independent media
This must provide little comfort, however, to Venezuela's civilian population. According to research conducted by Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot, US sanctions that have been imposed as part of the coup strategy have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The sanctions have also compounded an economic crisis sparked by falling oil prices in 2014.
A heavy burden, therefore, falls on independent media outlets like The Canary to provide an alternative to the corporate media's dishonest parroting of Washington's self-serving falsehoods. To be clear, it has overwhelmingly been Guaidó's hardline opposition faction that's been the unwilling party. And it has been provoked into this strategy by their puppet masters in Washington. Shortly before the beginning of the coup, this faction even backed away from an agreement to resolve political differences at the last minute, allegedly at Washington's behest.
Perhaps most damning of all, moderate sections of the opposition have broken ranks and entered into fruitful negotiations of their own with the government. Last year, moderate opposition parties signed a 'peaceful coexistence agreement' with the government that rejects Guaidó's coup strategy. Clearly, it's high time the Guaidó faction does likewise. And now that Norwegian mediators are back in the picture, it doesn't have a single excuse left not to do so.
Featured image via Flickr – Presidencia El Salvador
nobodylicksme says:
1st August 2020 at 11:26 pm
Perhaps Maduro should tell the White House Venezuela only recognises Sanders as US President. Unlike Biden he doesn't have dementia and unlike Trump he's not Trump.
Gibsonnut says:
2nd August 2020 at 10:20 am
Love the comment ! It's absolutely spot on
The Yankee invaders, protectors of the free world and democracy are in fact anything but. They stole the democratic nomination from Bernie, because that was the easiest, but in the UK with the help of our cut and paste stenographers that call themselves Journalists, they character assassinated Jeremy Corbyn, because the British people are used to being fed bull shit. And what did both offer? Change for the masses, hope for a better future and an end to sending brave soldiers to die in wars that are nothing to do with democracy but are about economic gains at the expense of the national population.
And now we have another Blair in charge of the Labour Party who is very much in favour of the status quo and defending the establishment, how do these brave intelligent defenders of truth and democracy Journalists act ? They fall at his feet in worship because we now go back to Blue Tory and Red Tory governments.
The time for change has been here for decades the opportunity to actually do so has gone.
bkwanab says:
Excellent comment. It summarizes the real situation around the US treatment of Venezuela and Corbyn. Starmer is another LINO, Labour In Name Only, parachuted in to keep the party to the right of center. The British establishment are no different than the US Republicans. Greedy.
lromeo41891 says:
3rd August 2020 at 9:27 pm
Surely the whole world sees the TERRORIST actions of the USA towards Venezuela, where are the other countries to join Cuba, Russia, China and the others to defend the citizens of Venezuela and demand the UN to place severe sanctions on the USA and its puppets like Canada.
lanterndude says:
Interesting to see the US government unveiled as our modern version of the 'Stalinist menace' as it was portrayed in the Cold War media storm. Unfortunately 'the whole world' seldom sees a unified image or narrative unless it has been orchestrated. For instance Trump's presidency is portrayed as an aberration, whereas he is quite typical. Biden will be as well. The individual personality of American presidents is colourful, and of supreme interest to the MSM, but irrelevant to the overall policy and strategy of the Pentagon. Curiously, despite having a military arsenal capable of destroying the Planet the most potent weapon is Hollywood. That's why most people don't see beyond the propaganda.
Peter Bolton , 9th January 2021
Argentina legalises abortion in historic victory for reproductive rights
Jasmine Norden , 4th January 2021
The BBC's recent propaganda stunt for the government is the most grotesque yet
A UK-funded contractor is providing intelligence support to Trump's protester-attacking paramilitaries
Venezuela coup


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Over 40 billion used beverage containers are captured every year by TOMRA's reverse vending machines.
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MaxiMat Töcksfors attracts customers with TOMRA R1, the latest revolution in reverse vending
Töcksfors, SWEDEN: MaxiMat Töcksfors is one of the first customers worldwide to make recycling more WOW for their customers with the new TOMRA R1 multi-feed reverse vending machine (RVM). Since the installation of the pilot in March 2019, MaxiMat has been offering their customers a mess-free, easy recycling experience.
Bottles For The Bush appeal aids rural communities during Australia's devastating bushfires and drought
New South Wales and Queensland, Australia: When Australia was battling devastating bushfires and drought in late 2019 and early 2020, recyclers in New South Wales and Queensland could help by donating the refund from their empty drink containers to the Bottles For The Bush appeal. 100% of funds would go to Rural Aid to buy food, water and hay for struggling rural communities.
Ayyo positions for the future with an easy and fast recycling solution
Essen, GERMANY: The trading company Ayyo have a positive and profitable experience with the TOMRA Expert Line, E1 Rücknahmezentrum, a modular beverage container counting and sorting system for recycling. This gives them peace of mind with a system they can rely on.
First official Seabin launches in Sydney Harbour to clean up marina litter
Sydney, AUSTRALIA: A passion for the oceans and the worrying rise of marine litter drove two friends to design a groundbreaking new approach to cleaning up the world's marinas – before the debris makes its way out to pollute the seas.
The 'return-to-retail' collection model for container deposit schemes
As consumption of beverage containers and plastic pollution rises worldwide, more and more regions are seeking to implement container deposit schemes to drive recycling. Legislators have many options for designing their deposit models, and an approach that has achieved impressive return rates is 'return-to-retail' collection, where stores selling beverages receive those containers back for recycling.
Take 3 For The Sea has a simple solution to marine litter that's taken the world by storm
Sydney, AUSTRALIA: Three Australian surfers and environmentalists Roberta Dixon-Valk, Amanda Marechal and Tim Silverwood were frustrated with how much plastic litter they saw when visiting the beach. So they came up with a simple idea for how people could make a difference to the amount of plastic pollution ending up in the oceans.
Addison Road Community Centre drives food and container recycling
Sydney, AUSTRALIA: The Addison Road Community Centre located in Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia has a 9-acre site hosting 23 organizations and 67 artists. The goal for the center is to help as many people as they can and encourage people to recycle both food and their plastic.
Central Shop Rite brings customers a total reverse vending package
Michigan, USA: Central Shop Rite has become one of the first customers worldwide to introduce the Smarter TOMRA System: a complete package of proven reverse vending machine technology, digital innovation and unbeatable service.
Lithuania exceeds container return expectations in new state-of-the-art deposit system
LITHUANIA: TOMRA supported in implementing Lithuania's new container deposit system, launched in 2016 with a tight ramp-up timeframe. The roll-out represented the first time TOMRA worked with a "throughput" model in Europe. Lithuania's program has exceeded expectations, with 91.9% of all beverage containers returned for recycling by the end of 2017.
Clean Up the WILD gets its start with the New South Wales container deposit scheme
Sydney, AUSTRALIA: Australian wildlife rescuer and father of three, Kane Durrant, was frustrated with the litter in his local area. As owner of Wild Aquarium and Reptile Specialists, he frequently saw the impact of rubbish on the environment, and the damage it does to bird and marine life.
Central ShopRite makes recycling clean and engaging for customers
Michigan, USA: For third-generation grocery store owner, James Haines, the grocery business has been a passion and a privilege. As an owner of Central ShopRite for the last 23 years, he has seen what works in his business and what needs improvements. When it comes to container recycling, James has done his share of hand-sorting and packing bottles.
Meny gets maximum uptime and reporting insights
Sandefjord, NORWAY: Two stores in the Meny supermarket chain in Norway have become the first locations worldwide to implement TOMRA's new reverse vending notification and guidance app, Notify+Assist. The app gives owners of reverse vending machines (RVMs) greater control and insight into recycling activities at their site.
Key Food cleans up its store and its streets
New York, USA: From a humble start, Ruben Luna is now the owner of nine Key Food stores in Manhattan and Queens. With such success has come additional responsibilities, including figuring out the best way to manage the high volume of redeemable bottles and cans collected by his stores. After reviewing various options, Luna decided that TOMRA had the ideal solution for him.
Meny gives its shoppers a cleaner, faster recycling experience
Hasle, NORWAY: The Hasle store in the Meny supermarket chain has become one of the first customers to install TOMRA's groundbreaking new reverse vending machine, the T-9.
Coop Obs! increases machine and staff capacity
Fokserød, NORWAY: When changing the entire reverse vending solution to two T-820 Touch front-end machines and TOMRA's latest backroom solution MultiPac, Coop OBS! in Fokserød got more consumers to return their containers at their store and saved significant time for staff.
TOMRA CR Policies


It's Thursday again which means it's time for Throwback Thursday with Helen at All The Beautiful Things and Sarah at Run,Jump,Scrap!This week I'm linking a photo of my 2 little ones looking cute about 2 years ago.
It's Throwback Thursday time again with Helen at All The Beautiful Things and Sarah at Run,Jump,Scrap!Since Halloween is nearly here – I'm doing a kiddies party…must be mad!I thought I'd share last years pumpkin the kids were really proud of.
It's Thursday again already,where did the time go?!I'm linking up with Sarah at Run,Jump,Scrap and Helen at All The Beautiful Things for Throwback Thursday!This week I've got one of me and my Mum. My Mum looks lovely as always and me?Well….
So I'm excited to join Sarah at Run,Jump,Scrap and Helen at All The Beautiful Things for Throwback Thursday!I love a photo linky! This is me and my brother in Gran Canaria 1994 – the first holiday where we were allowed to drink and I think we got far too excited.Regretted it in the morning!


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St. Catharines women's shelter experience echoes national report
Gillian's Place say recommendations in line with local funding issues
NEWS May 07, 2019 by Mike Zettel Niagara This Week - St. Catharines
A study of Canada's women's shelters by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women found current funding levels inconsistent, making operations unsustainable. Though Gillian's Place didn't take part in the study, its executive director Tanja Leob said the findings speak to her organization's experiences.
A report for the federal standing committee on the status of women paints a bleak picture of national efforts to address violence against women, saying funding levels fall short of the demand for services, meaning many women and children are forced to remain in violent situations.
And though Gillian's Place didn't take part in this particular study, its executive director says the issues raised by witnesses across the county mirror almost perfectly the experience locally.
The House of Commons standing committee held hearings between October and December 2018 on the system of shelters and transition houses serving women and children affected by violence, hearing testimony from dozens of organizations, individuals and federal departments and agencies.
Witnesses described a gap between the supply of and demand for shelter and transition house beds. They noted the need for increased funding for shelters and transition houses to meet demand. However, witnesses added that preventing violence against women is crucial to reduce the demand for services in shelters and transition houses.
As well, the lack of services may force some women and children to return to or remain in violent situations. Women and children affected by violence may face further challenges when they leave shelters and transition houses, including waiting times for, and difficulty accessing, transitional housing, and a lack of safe and affordable permanent housing.
The committee lists 20 recommendations with the aim of addressing the gap in service, ensuring a consistent availability of services across Canada — notably rural communities and increasing women's access to safe affordable housing and supports.
Tanja Leob, of Gillian's Place, said the report rings true and that the issues described are nothing new.
"These are issues that are long-standing and ongoing," she said. "We're pretty much at a national crisis in responding to violence against women."
The St. Catharines shelter, which receives funding from Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, has not had a funding increase — save for a small one a few years ago — for quite some time.
Leob said the increase they did receive doesn't even come close to meeting the cost of living, let alone the rising cost of business. This means they have to fundraise more to try to close the gap.
"That creates a huge ripple effect," she said, explaining the shelter is at or above capacity the vast majority of the time.
Add in Niagara's housing squeeze, and the fortunate few who are able to able to access the shelter end up staying longer.
Leob said the experience with Women's Place of South Niagara is almost identical to theirs. Together, she said, they were forced to turn away more than 1,400 women last year, a 242 per cent increase over the previous year.
The report also points to a need for prevention, in particular having schools teach children of all ages about gender-based violence, human rights and healthy relationships, with an emphasis on engaging boys.
Leob said we're seeing the effects of that lack of prevention, as the children of women who have previously entered their system are coming back.
"We just keep seeing the same problem, not just perpetuating but increasing," she said. "It just becomes a whole cycle of abuse."
Just as the needs of women are varied, the solutions must be as well, Leob said, noting women in crisis situations are quite often in limbo. A lack of a permanent residence or proof of separation act as barriers to government programs.
"We need flexible solutions that look into the varied needs of woman at this transitional stage of their life," she said.
by Mike Zettel
Mike Zettel is the Web editor for Niagara this Week and also reports in Niagara's southern tier.
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The biggest indicator of future violence is emotional abuse. It's time to start
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Coffee Intake May Be Driven by Cardiovascular Symptoms
Fran Lowry
An examination of coffee consumption habits of almost 400,000 people suggests that those habits are largely driven by a person's cardiovascular health.
Data from a large population database showed that people with essential hypertension, angina, or cardiac arrhythmias drank less coffee than people who had none of these conditions. When they did drink coffee, it tended to be decaffeinated.
The investigators, led by Elina Hyppönen, PhD, director of the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, say that this predilection for avoiding coffee, which is known to produce jitteriness and heart palpitations, is based on genetics.
"If your body is telling you not to drink that extra cup of coffee, there's likely a reason why," Hyppönen told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology.
The study was published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dr Elina Hyppönen
"People drink coffee as a pick-me-up when they're feeling tired, or because it tastes good, or simply because it's part of their daily routine, but what we don't recognize is that people subconsciously self-regulate safe levels of caffeine based on how high their blood pressure is, and this is likely a result of a protective genetic mechanism, and this means that someone who drinks a lot of coffee is likely more genetically tolerant of caffeine, as compared to someone who drinks very little," Hyppönen said.
"In addition, we've known from past research that when people feel unwell, they tend to drink less coffee. This type of phenomenon, where disease drives behavior, is called reverse causality," Hyppönen said.
For this analysis, she and her team used information on 390,435 individuals of European ancestry from the UK Biobank, a large epidemiologic database. Habitual coffee consumption was self-reported, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and heart rate were measured at baseline. Cardiovascular symptoms at baseline were gleaned from hospital diagnoses, primary care records and/or self report, the authors note.
To look at the relationship of systolic BP, diastolic BP, and heart rate with coffee consumption, they used a strategy called Mendelian randomization that allows genetic information such as variants reflecting higher blood pressures and heart rate to be used to provide evidence for a causal association.
Results showed that participants with essential hypertension, angina, or arrhythmia were "all more likely to drink less caffeinated coffee and to be nonhabitual or decaffeinated coffee drinkers compared with those who did not report related symptoms," the authors write.
Those with higher systolic and diastolic BP based on their genetics tended to drink less caffeinated coffee at baseline, "with consistent genetic evidence to support a causal explanation across all methods," they noted.
They also found that those people who have a higher resting heart rate due to their genes were more likely to choose decaffeinated coffee.
"These results have 2 major implications," Hyppönen said. "Firstly, they show that our bodies can regulate behavior in ways that we may not realize, and that if something does not feel good to us, there is a likely to be a reason why.
"Second, our results show that our health status in part regulates the amount of coffee we drink. This is important, because when disease drives behavior, it can lead to misleading health associations in observational studies, and indeed, create a false impression for health benefits if the group of people who do not drink coffee also includes more people who are unwell," she said.
For now, doctors can tell their patients that this study provides an explanation as to why research on the health effects of habitual coffee consumption have been conflicting, Hyppönen said.
"Our study also highlights the uncertainty that underlies the claimed health benefits of coffee, but at the same time, it gives a positive message about the ability of our body to regulate our level of coffee consumption in a way that helps us avoid adverse effects."
"The most common symptoms of excessive coffee consumption are palpitations and rapid heartbeat, also known as tachycardia," Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the NYU Women's Heart Program at NYU Langone Health, New York City, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology.
"This study was designed to see if cardiac symptoms affect coffee consumption and it showed that people with hypertension, angina, history of arrhythmias and poor health tend to be decaffeinated coffee drinkers or no coffee drinkers," Goldberg said.
"People naturally alter their coffee intake base on their blood pressure and symptoms of palpitations and/or rapid heart rate," she said.
The results also suggest that, "we cannot infer health benefit or harm based on the available coffee studies," Goldberg added.
The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia. Hyppönen and Goldberg have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Am J Clin Nutr. Published online March 12, 2021. Abstract
Cite this: Coffee Intake May Be Driven by Cardiovascular Symptoms - Medscape - May 03, 2021.
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Crime, News
Frustrated, this Utah County woman tried to investigate how police handled her sex assault allegation
September 6, 2022September 6, 2022By Eric Peterson
(Isaac Hale | Special to The Tribune) Adyson LeeMaster poses for a portrait at her home in Provo in July. She tried to investigate how police handled her sex assault allegation, she said, after prosecutors declined to file charges.
The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with The Salt Lake Tribune.
Adyson LeeMaster remembers laughing and singing as she celebrated a friend's birthday at a party earlier this year. Late that night, feeling tired, drunk and wanting to be safe, she said, she asked her friend to help put her to bed.
A man texted her from the ongoing party, offering to join her if she felt "lonely." LeeMaster struggled to reply, repeatedly misspelling the word "drunk." "You're drunk you mean?" the man wrote. She responded "ya." "OK then you'll sleep well. Goodnight!!!!" he texted back.
She woke up the next morning, she said, with hand-shaped bruises on her thighs and pain in her abdomen.
The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify sexual assault victims, but LeeMaster agreed to the use of her name.
In "bits and pieces" over the days that followed, she said, she recalled feeling the man on top of her in the night, and waking up on the floor, seeing him framed in the doorway as he went to sleep on a couch early in the morning. She had a sexual assault exam, but hesitated about trying to pursue charges.
When LeeMaster decided two weeks later to go to Provo police, she provided photos of her bruises; the texts between her and the man, showing his acknowledgment that he knew she was drunk; the names of witnesses who could confirm her impairment — relevant for its impact on her ability to consent; and told them about her rape kit exam.
But prosecutors declined to pursue the case, she said, citing a lack of evidence. "Basically," LeeMaster said, a staffer at the Utah County attorney's office told her, "it would be my word against his."
A review of court data by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project shows that LeeMaster's case fits a general pattern: Prosecutors statewide appear more reluctant to press rape and sexual assault cases toward trial when they are based primarily on the word of an alleged victim — without a confession, a defendant allegedly caught in a lie during interrogation, DNA as an identifier or when a defendant denies sexual contact, or witnesses who saw the alleged assault or events around it.
Prosecutors also appear to more often press toward trial when the accused person was in a position of trust — such as family members, employers and others — rather than an intimate partner, a date or an acquaintance.
To be clear, most criminal charges filed in Utah and nationwide are resolved through plea bargains before being set for trial. The Utah Investigative Journalism Project examined rape and sexual assault charges from the past five years where prosecutors did not agree to plea deals initially, and either scheduled a trial before resolving the case or took it all the way to a jury.
The total of 165 such cases excluded allegations of child sexual abuse, but included charges involving alleged victims who were age 14 and older. It also excluded a small handful of cases where there was no information filed in the complaint.
A divided path for sex assault cases
The 165 cases examined by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project can be divided into two general categories:
• 53 involved allegations of assaults by intimate partners and acquaintances.
• 112 involved other connections; generally family members, employers or other people in positions of trust, often accused of abusing victims between age 14 and 18. Utah law is clear that minors cannot consent to sexual activity with an adult, particularly if that person holds a position of trust. Less than 10 of the defendants were strangers.
But for the 53 cases of alleged intimate partner and acquaintance assaults, only seven were charged primarily on the word of the victim. The majority of those cases pushed toward trial had additional evidence, such as these confessions and statements:
• In a February case filed in Box Elder County, a defendant told police it wasn't illegal for a husband to rape his wife. In fact, Utah law specifically states the opposite.
• In a 2019 Provo case, a man apologized to a date for an assault in a text message, writing: "I honestly didn't mean to hurt u like that, I enjoyed our convos and vibes."
• In a 2019 Salt Lake City case, a homeless woman staying with a man in his van was dropped off at a hospital with crude writing all over her body, injured to the point of slipping into a coma. The defendant told police that "it was consensual until she lied to me."
Defense attorney Cara Tangaro, who often represents those accused of sexual assault, points out that prosecutors are ethically obliged to only pursue cases with a likelihood of success. Believing an alleged victim and deciding whether the case is provable beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury are two different standards, she notes, in a system built on a presumption of innocence for the defendant.
"I'm not sure that it's better to put a woman through a trial and get a not-guilty verdict," said Tangaro, who worked in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's special victims unit in the early 2000s and has been a litigator for over 20 years.
It's not a view shared by Justin Boardman, a former sex crimes detective and now consultant who travels the country training police and prosecutors on trauma-informed investigations.
When cases are declined with the intent of sparing a rape victim the ordeal of trial, prosecutors say, "'we're doing this in their best interest,' which makes them feel warm and fuzzy," Boardman said. "But in reality, they often haven't asked the victim."
He acknowledged trials can get intense and emotional, but said they also can give victims closure. And if victims are supported and interviewed in a trauma-informed way, he said, their testimony may be stronger and they may recall more corroborating details that might have been overlooked in a cursory investigation when police doubt charges will be filed.
He pointed out that any officer who shoots at someone is excused from immediately providing a full statement. An officer is allowed to rest and process the memory, in order to ensure a more accurate and complete statement.
Police interviewing rape victims, on the other hand, often expect them to write a statement on the spot. When it's short, fragmented and missing important details, Boardman said, it's no wonder officers later feel like they "lack evidence" or the victim is "uncooperative."
"What we haven't done," Boardman said, "is apply the science we have been using for ourselves, to the victims of crime."
'How most sexual assaults happen'
While advocates like Boardman say there is room for improvement, it's also true that these can be difficult cases for juries to accept, even with strong evidence.
In a 2018 case, which reached trial just last fall, a man was charged with multiple felonies for allegedly sexually assaulting his wife during an argument in which she was attempting to move out. When police responded to the domestic violence call, they pulled the man off her as she was screaming for help — and while he was in the process of trying to put duct tape over her mouth. He was shirtless, her pants had been pulled down and her infant was alone outside in the car.
The officer's body camera recorded the defendant explaining that "she was acting like she was being raped and she wasn't." He admitted to pulling her pants down so that he could "touch her crotch for like a split second."
The woman told police she had endured a lengthy history of abuse. She had recorded an alleged assault earlier that year on her phone, which was played for the jury.
The case went to a jury in October and the defendant was acquitted on the three first-degree felony counts that alleged he sexually assaulted her. The jury found him guilty on a single second-degree felony charge of forcible sexual abuse for touching the victim's genitals.
Ben Willoughby was one of the prosecuting attorneys on the case and declined to comment on the outcome, deferring to the jury's decision.
But generally, he said, sex assaults are challenging to prosecute as the community, jurors included, vastly overestimates the prevalence of "stranger rape" cases.
Of the cases reviewed by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project, there were only two clear cases of "stranger rape": a man who hid in a locker room at a Salt Lake Community College campus in 2017 and attacked a woman, and a 2021 case in Cedar City when a homeless man allegedly high on methamphetamine was accused of attempting to rape a woman on a dog-walking trail.
A few other cases involved strangers but in atypical settings. In two different cases, police alleged women were raped as acts of retaliation from rival gangs. In Willoughby's 16 years of prosecuting sexual assault cases, he said, he has handled only three cases involving strangers.
"The vast majority of women are sexually assaulted by people they knew and so they have to run the gauntlet of being accused of being 'conniving' and 'manipulative,'" Willoughby said.
"If as a community we want more sexual assault victims to be successful in getting justice," he said, "then we need as a community to better understand how most sexual assaults happen; victims usually know their attackers."
In the days after the party, LeeMaster said, she communicated with the man who she suspected of assaulting her and he claimed the sexual contact was consensual.
LeeMaster said she decided to go to police after a friend described her own experience with the same man; the friend said she had to repeatedly tell him no as he attempted to make unwanted physical contact with her.
'Running in circles'
Police did not interview him, but the police report notes that in text messages the man said LeeMaster was a willing participant.
Months passed after she talked with a Provo detective for about an hour, she said, and she learned police did not contact the friend who had shared her experience and talked to only one witness at the party.
She felt she had to do her own investigation into how police handled her case. She filed a request for a declination letter from the Utah County Attorney's Office, about the decision to not file charges, but said she was told it didn't have one.
She requested a copy of the police file but was never given documents related to her rape kit, she said, because the department claimed medical privacy laws blocked her from accessing them.
"It should not be this hard to get my records, of my body," LeeMaster said.
Officer Shad Lefevre of the Provo Police department would not comment on LeeMaster's concerns about the investigation or the records, except to say that she could file a complaint if she felt the investigation was inadequate.
"I'm just running in circles and no one is giving me any answers," LeeMaster said.
Brigham Young University nursing professor Julie Valentine, a longtime researcher into sexual assault prosecutions, said LeeMaster has a right to her own rape kit record.
Police should have referred LeeMaster to Wasatch Forensic Nurses, a nonprofit organization of sexual assault nurse examiners that helps survivors access and understand their rape kits in supportive settings, said Valentine, an associate dean in the College of Nursing.
Her research has shown that in Utah County, the primary reason law enforcement did not refer cases for prosecution — 39% of cases — was the belief the evidence was "unfounded." She said in an interview: "Basically, they didn't believe the victim."
The Utah County attorney's office has recently taken on the responsibility of informing all victims about its declinations to file charges, after complaints that law enforcement were not keeping them informed, said Chief Deputy Sandi Johnson.
Staff in the office are heavily invested in trauma-informed training, she said. "There's a lot of distance to go trying to change an entire culture — not just law enforcement and prosecutors — but an entire culture in our society, it takes a long time," Johnson said. "But I can tell you we're moving in the right direction."
As part of a graduate internship before the night of the party, LeeMaster was leading treatment classes for sex offenders at the Utah State Prison. After the alleged assault, she found herself struggling to remain composed as she spoke with prisoners about victim trauma, until the end of the day when she could get to her car and weep. But she was not quitting.
"I love my job and he doesn't get to take that away from me," LeeMaster said.
She wants her story to help prevent sexual assault. Children should be taught about boundaries, she said, and women and men need to learn about consent — which can be more nuanced than "yes" or "no," extending to not feeling manipulated or coerced by a partner.
Sex should be openly discussed, she added, so that a sense of stigma doesn't lead to more victimization. "I'm so sick," she said, "of no one talking about it."
If you enjoyed this article and would like to support more reporting like it, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Utah Investigative Journalism Project by visiting utahinvestigative.org/donate.
rape, rape kit, sex assault, utah
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#BougieOnABudgetEntertainmentNic's Picks
#BougieOnABudget, aaron smith, advice for filmmakers, billy woodruff, chloe lattanzi, cisco adler, colette carr, dynamic duo on the rise, entertainment, entertainment business, film industry, filmmaking on a budget, home alone, home alone 2, jaala ruffman, john easterling, kat graham, love stoned, love story, macaulay culkin, malibu, man on the rise, mikey easterling, mikey easterling and jaala ruffman, music video director, music video producer, music videos, north carolina, olivia newton-john, one tree hill, real life love story, relationship goals, shwayze, skylar stecker, talk girl tv, talkboy tv, ways to cut production cost, wilmington, woman on the rise
TalkBoyTV: The Dynamic Duo On The Rise
It's been awhile since we released a Man or Woman on the Rise, and that's because I was looking for the perfect dynamic duo. Thinking about the people I've come across, my Dynamic Duo On The Rise became very clear: Jaala Ruffman & Mikey Easterling, the founders of TalkBoy TV. Together, Jaala & Mikey produce and direct everything from music videos, film, commercials, and of course, TV. They are the people behind some of your favorite videos with artists such as LMFAO, Shwayze, Kat Graham, and Skylar Stecker, just to name a few.
Every Man/Woman On The Rise is special for me, but choosing TalkBoyTV as my dynamic duo brings me all sorts of different feelings. The first time I ever did an on-camera interview was early September 2010 at a record release party for Shwayze, where I actually met and interviewed both Jaala & Mikey. 2010 was a monumental year for all of us; TalkBoy TV was officially underway, and so was my career. So it's kind of like we started out together and have been able to watch one another grow as well as accomplish great things.
With that being said, I would like to officially introduce you to Jaala Ruffman & Mikey Easterling of TalkBoy TV, Give Me Mora's first Dynamic Duo On The Rise!
Jaala, a malibu native, was always surrounded by the entertainment industry growing up. Knowing she had a passion for the industry, Ruffman started with child acting and modeling. She took her first big paycheck (which she earned from a Mary-Kate & Ashley film *insert fangirl moment here*) and bought her first camera. Her dad then taught her how to use Final Cut Pro and Jaala began making little videos, thinking she would want to go the directing route.
Unlike Jaala, Mikey grew up in North Carolina, often feeling out of his element. Until 1992, which as Mikey explains, was the most crucial year in his life. He was only 8 years old when the movie Home Alone 2 came out and became enamored with the idea of Macaulay Culkin. In the film, Culkin's character has a Talkboy and Mikey seemed to think it was the coolest thing on earth because it would remind him of when his uncle, John Easterling, would record his own ideas on a voice recorder. Mikey got himself a Talkboy and soon began creating anything and everything he could on it. That same year, Jurassic Park came out and Mikey, who was so fascinated by films, wrote a letter to Steven Spielberg on the back of his Jurassic Park VHS asking how he could get into the film industry. Is this not the cutest story you've ever heard? And in case you were wondering, Spielberg's people wrote him back!
With big directing dreams, Jaala got her first job working for Cisco Adler at 17. Soon after, she began making videos for her best friend Chloe Lattanzi, daughter of Olivia Newton-John. Meanwhile, when being a movie star didn't pan out for Mikey, he realized how much he loved making his own movies. Mikey went on to attend a film institute in Arizona for 9 months where everything was being done digitally and independently.
Coincidentally these two had always missed each other. Get ready for a story of pure fate here, you guys. Mikey's uncle, John, is married to Olivia Newton-John – so it turns out that Mikey had known Jaala's best friend, Chloe, for quite a while! While they were both in and out living in the same house, they were never there at the same time. Always missing each other, they finally met at a 4th of July party and hit it off. But there was one tiny little problem: Jaala was moving to Mexico a week later.
"Jaala was like, 'I like your videos', and I was like 'I like your style' and then we fell in love after, like, two days", Mikey says.
Jaala interjects by saying, "As a joke, we were in a relationship on Facebook…but we never ended up changing it!"
Mikey and Jaala fell for each other instantly, so when Jaala suggested he join her in Mexico, he packed his bags and moved to be with her. Insert mini-honeymoon here. How cute is that?! Once their mini-moon came to a close, together they decided they would move to Wilmington, North Carolina, where Mikey would be working as an actor on shows like One Tree Hill. Unfortunately, the film community in Wilmington was small at the time, making it hard to earn a good living, so they went back to the city of angels and embarked on their next journey together.
"I'm not one of the rich malibu kids, I had to work for my money and stuff so if we weren't making money in North Carolina, we had to go back and find a way to make some," Jaala explains to me.
So once they moved back, TalkBoy TV, now with Jaala as "TalkGirl", became an international brand starting with random projects, and small videos that went viral. Soon TalkBoy TV would start creating buzz around the industry.
[quote]"We just needed a chance – I knew that's all we needed – and once Aaron Smith (Shwayze) saw Mikey's work for the Love Stoned video, he gave us that chance." [/quote]
From filming Love Stoned, TalkBoy TV went on to work with Kat Graham and Cisco Adler, and they haven't stopped working since.
Why I know TalkBoy TV works and continues to work:
People keep coming back to them because they love the atmosphere on set and their work ethic. Jaala and Mikey carry the highest level of professionalism while simultaneously creating a really fun experience for both the artist and crew. There's a reason why Billy Woodruff chooses to work with TalkBoy TV.
They're constantly trying to stay ahead of the game, and with so much competition in the music video world, it challenges them to get creative and produce innovative results. With a short turnaround time of 2-weeks (maximum) for their clients, it's no surprise to me that their clients love them and the final product. TalkBoy TV continuously delivers a solid product, no matter the budget.
"We always want it to look big budget, especially for the artist. We want to give our clients that big budget feeling even if they don't have it. We like to build with our clients," Mikey tells me.
When I asked them how they keep their videos #BougieOnABudget, and if you're a filmmaker or an aspiring one, I suggest you take notes:
It's all about the people you use and utilize. Shooting digitally saves money. Don't write an idea that's too big. Know what you and the client have access to. If you try and do things that you don't have the money to do, then it'll look worse. There's way to do things cheaper like using drones and steady cams. Use a skateboard if you really want movement!
…And always shoot guerrilla style! Just kidding. Sort of.
Now that TalkBoy TV has grown, Jaala and Mikey are dipping their feet into TV and film. They are currently in development on their first feature film – which started as a music video treatment! Is there anything these two can't do?
One step at a time, their brand is growing and continuing to get bigger and better. It has truly been inspiring to watch Mikey and Jaala grow their company while growing together. When I conducted this interview and asked them about the future, they told me they see themselves getting married, starting a family, and running TalkBoy TV together where they will be able to constantly do film, TV, and music videos all at the same time.
I am happy to report that this dynamic duo headed out to Mexico a few weeks ago, obviously a monumental place for their relationship, and Mikey proposed to Jaala! Move over Jay-Z and Beyonce! These two might just give you a run for your #RELATIONSHIPGOALS.
A major congrats to the happy couple! You both inspire me and all of your success is so well-deserved. I cannot wait to see TalkBoy TV become a worldwide phenomenon and, on a personal level, to watch you begin to start your family. May we all be so lucky to have a love like yours. Thank you for being my first dynamic duo on the rise. To me, you have already risen!
The universe needs more people like Jaala and Mikey – and I don't say that lightly. I hope they have sparked something in you, that their story is something you'll remember forever, that you follow their journey and they inspire you to get out there and follow your dreams. It's true, with a lot of hard work, you really can have it all.
Now let's get into my favorite part…
Mora Fun With TalkBoy TV:
1. Which artist do you have the most fun working with?
2. Which one of you is more of a control freak?
3. Favorite place to eat in LA?
Jaala: Taverna Tony's & Crimson on Ocean Park
Mikey: Wahoo's & Taiko
4. Dream vacation spot?
Jaala: Maldives, Bora Bora, and Tahiti
Mikey: Tulum
5. Who do you want to work with next?
Jaala: Taylor Swift
Mikey: Justin Bieber
6. Advice for young filmmakers?
Jaala: You always have to be the student and constantly learn from other people. Do your research and never stop learning. Always be open to new things. As a producer, you have to trust your director. You have to be comfortable with who you're shooting with, and be able to read each other's vibe.
Mikey: Stay unique and always be yourself. Try not to be influenced too much by the industry because thats how you can create your own style and the more you shoot, the more you find your style. As a creative, you need someone who's a producer and can get shit done.
Follow Mikey on Instagram & Twitter!
Follow Jaala on Instagram & Twitter!
TalkBoy TV's Website
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beth ruffman says:
Great article, Nic Mora,
You captured the essence of my sweethearts, Jaala and Mikey at Talkboy.tv
It has been thrilling to watch their lives unfold and I know the future will be 'so bright they will need to wear shades.'
Jaala's name means "divine surprise" and she certainly is one.
Her partnership with Mikey moves it off the charts.
We are so happy about their engagement, more than words can say.
As life unfolds, taking opportunities and working hard to achieve their goals, I am sure you will be doing a follow-up on this dynamic duo.
Nic Mora says:
Thank you so much! I am so excited to watch them continue to grow and do even more amazing things. I am more so excited to see them start a family and share their love! You have raised one phenomenal daughter and will have the best son-in-law ever! xo Nic
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