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Posts Tagged 'anti-bullying awareness'
Even though you haven't been reading about them here over the past month, the teen suicides – LGBT and straight, alike – have been steadily mounting. And, even now, with the news of the Boston Marathon bombing dominating the news (and, rightfully so), the teen suicides continue. What really gets under my skin is how little attention these tragic events get even as the death toll continues to climb. I've said it before, and it's worth saying again and again: it's as if these young people's lives are expendable. They. Are. Not. Yesterday, April 15th, 13-year-old Nigel Hardy was reported missing after being suspended from school for defending himself in school against bullies. Seeing that news circulate on facebook made me nervous, at best. Fear of the worst set in quickly. Word spread very quickly in Palmdale, where he lived and went to school. His father found a suicide note in his bedroom Monday morning and then noticed his handgun was missing. The school Nigel attended, Hillview Middle School, was placed on "heightened awareness", basically lockdown. Monday night, Nigel was found. Shortly after, he was pronounced dead at an Antelope Valley hospital.
Nigel, who turned 13 only last Thursday, April 11th, was a cheerleader at his middle school. Apparently, that led to his being bullied. Various news reports say that he had gotten in a fight with his bully, or bullies, and that led to him being suspended. He became despondent over that. Now, he's gone. Where does this end? When do we seriously and honestly reach the point where we've seen enough carnage and devastation that comes with these teen suicides and their aftermath? When do we stop making excuses for the ones responsible for pushing these young people to the edge and start holding them accountable? When is enough truly enough? I don't think anyone can answer that, and that's what has become overwhelmingly frustrating for me. No one has any answers!! No one has any solutions!! And, to add insult to injury, our government officials are paying attention to any- and everything but the fact that bullying and the related teen suicides have reached epidemic proportions. Instead, we're continuously dished the same, tired rhetorical responses. We're still getting the "boys will be boys", "kids will be kids" spiel that we've been hearing for far too long, now. Nigel's suicide is not the first one where the person(s) involved in the bullying are known. What is being done about the fact that their actions cost another teenager his life!!??
Here in Maryland last year, there was a horrific traffic accident involving four young people who were best of friends. They'd been partying, and the driver certainly should not have been driving. Three of them died in the accident. The driver survived. He's now serving a lengthy prison sentence for his actions. Why? Because his actions led to the deaths of his three friends. He was held accountable. These young people who terrorize their schoolmates, or sometimes even strangers online!, to the point where the victim ends their lives get nothing! There is zero accountability!! And, that, as much as anything, is a major part of the problem. As long as they know they can continue to do this without any risk of repercussion, they will continue. Not only that, but their actions will continue to escalate. It's really just that simple.
Sure, there are those who believe that the best way to deal with this is to also "treat" the bully(s). As one person on the facebook blog page commented last week:
Bullies have a Reason for the way the act so I felt sorry for them
We agreed, ahem, to disagree. I do understand that these menaces have issues going on in their own lives that causes them to do the things they do. In many, if not most!, cases, it's a very bad living condition at home. That's a whole different issue for another time. And, I'm all for getting them the help they need to become better, more productive, and less menacing people. That is, when there isn't a death attached to their name and their actions. Understand this: it is 2013. The "Information Age" is maturing. There is 100% absolutely NO WAY that Nigel Hardy's bullies didn't know that there are teens committing suicide NEARLY EVERYDAY!!, and bullying is often the root of it!! NO. WAY. They KNOW this is happening! It's impossible for them to NOT know. Period. Accept that. It's impossible for these kids to NOT know that their actions could very well lead to yet another suicide. We've MUST understand and accept this reality! And, the reason why it's so vital that we, as adults, come to this understanding of what really going on is because, once we accept the reality that they KNOW what they're doing could very well lead to yet another suicide, we can accept the reality that they absolutely must be held accountable for their actions. Anything less than that, and we're only fooling ourselves. These young people are telling us, as loudly as they can, that they don't care if their victim kills themselves!! In some cases, they even TELL the victim to "go kill yourself", "nobody would care if you died", and worse. How can we NOT hold them accountable for their actions! How can we even dream of coddling the perpetrators when there is a devastated, grieving family who will never, ever have their young, loved one to coddle anymore? How is that even justifiable? It's not.
This has gone much, much too far. The time has long since passed for us to take some serious action that will prevent this from continuing to happen. As loudly as people are shouting for marriage equality, so, too, should the voices be raised for our school officials, our law enforcement agencies, and our lawmakers to get off their collective asses and start making some real changes in policies that will prevent these teen suicides to continue to mount. Anything less, and we're only spinning our wheels as yet another family mourns. We'll never know how brightly Nigel's star would've shone. Rest in peace, young man.
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Posted in Acceptance, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, Depression, Mental Health, News, Suicide, suicide prevention, teen suicide
Tagged with anti-bullying awareness, boston marathon, Bullycide, Bullying, how did nigel hardy die, Nigel Hardy, Nigel Hardy Palmdale, teen suicide at hillview middle school, who bullied nigel hardy
Jarrod Nickell, 18, Bullied to Death
He wanted to play football for his new high school's football team. Unfortunately, even though he joined the team, he wasn't allowed to because he had just transferred to his new school in Michigan, moving from Maryland. As a transfer student, Michigan required more credits before being eligible to play. Disappointed, but not dejected, he went on to wear his football jersey, #10, and cheer his school's team on when they played. Then, the bullying started.
They bullied him for wearing the football jersey and working the sidelines during the games. That's something I'll probably never understand. And, as we've heard far too many times, school authorities passed it off as boys being boys. His step-mother, Michele had to intervene which, of course, only made it worse. Now, he was bullied for being a "momma's boy", as well. January 10, Jarrod ended the bullying he had endured by taking his own life.
There's far more to the story, as you can imagine. According to Michele, she and her husband have said all along that it was more than bullying that led Jarrod to end his life. He'd also been dealing with depression from a young age. He'd been living here in Maryland with his mother and step-father; however, once he turned 18, he moved to Michigan to live with his father and step-mother.
In the aftermath of Jarrod's suicide, it's reported that the Flushing Township police released a statement within 24 hours, sending letters home to the parent of his schoolmates, stating that bullying had nothing to do with his actions. And, we've heard that before, as well. Yet, it is confirmed by his step-mother that he was, indeed, bullied. At times, severely so. According to his step-mother:
The week prior to his death someone removed all the lugnuts from his tire and it came off while he was driving .. again not bullying
That goes beyond bullying, reaching into criminal activities: reckless endangerment and possibly even attempted murder. But, boys will be boys. As we've seen far, far too many times before, there was a breakneck rush to declare "bullying had nothing to do with…" Jarrod's suicide. And, whereas it's acknowledged that bullying wasn't the sole reason for the tragic event, clearly bullying…and, blatant bullying, was involved.
Javon Gill, 20, of Flint was a close a friend of Jarrod's. Gill first met Jarrod in October at Jarrod sister's Halloween party and they clicked — like brothers.
Gill said Jarrod confided in him, telling him he was having trouble focusing in school because of the bullying and that he missed having a lot of friends like he did in Maryland.
Who do these "authorities" check with before hastily committing to their "bullying wasn't involved" stance? Where do they get their information? Why are they so eager to wash their hands of the situation when a young person has ended their lives?
"[Bullying] may not have been the only factor that pushed him, but it was a factor," said James Nickell.
Here's my take on this continuing issue: we, the concerned citizens, family members, and friends of the bullycide victims need to resolve to hold these authorities' feet to the proverbial fire and force them to take the bullying and ensuing teen suicide issue for what it is. It's a plague. It's an epidemic for our society. To brush these events off as "boys will be boys" or "bullying has always been around" or whatever other catch-phrase they chose to absolve themselves of any responsibility or accountability is absolutely not acceptable. However, we can continue to say that for as long as we want. It won't be until we come up with a solution, a solid plan, that holds their feet to the fire in each of these cases. The plain, sad truth is that they are just not taking these cases seriously, regardless of what they say in attempt to make us believe otherwise. They can argue that point all they want, but the proof is right in our faces.
Currently, one of the major news stories I hear every day (many times every day) is about this meningitis outbreak that's been traced back to tainted steroids having been injected. Currently, at least 20 people have died from this outbreak. And, of course, officials are working hard to end the outbreak, including holding people accountable. After all, 20 people have died from it. Conversely, I've personally written about over 20 teen suicide just since the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year!! Where is the outrage over that!? Where is the media coverage on the bullying/teen suicide phenomena? Where is the accountability when there are clear-cut cases of bullying? Am I minimizing the deadly outbreak of meningitis? Absolutely not. What I am saying, though, is that for whatever reason, these cases of bullying, cyberbullying, and teen suicide are being treated as "oh well". "Boys will be boys". In some cases, the victim is found to blame…for being bullied!! What I am saying is that it's long past time for this to be treated with the urgency that it screams to be treated with. This is a 5-alarm blaze, but it's being treated as a brush fire. For the sake of the thousands of teens who end their lives annually, that's a grave injustice. For their families, it's a slap in the face.
Jarrod Nickell was an Eagle Scout, an assistant Cub Scout leader, a teenager who sometimes struggled and, some say, a victim of bullying. He said he planned to join the Marine Corps following graduation. He'd even already talked to a recruiter and started training. He was living a promising, exciting life. And, now he's gone.
For Jarrod's parents, it's an ongoing struggle as they learn to cope without their beloved son. The pain is still very raw. You can offer your condolences and support on this facebook page set up in Jarrod's memory.
Tagged with anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, jarrod nickell, jarrod nickell federalsburg maryland, jarrod nickell flushigh michigan, jarrod nickell footbal player, jarrod nickell suicide, was jarrod nickell bullied, who bullied jarrod nickell
Why We're Losing Ground in Bullying Prevention
I've been writing this blog article for about a week, now, in my mind. Each time I thought I was ready move it from my mind to my fingers and onto my keyboard, that voice inside me would say "wait! not yet". Normally, I hate when that happens. That usually signals to onset of another bout of Writer's Block, every journalist's nemesis at one point or another. This time, however, I'm glad that voice was there to annoy me. I wasn't ready to commit this to the blog just yet. Now, I am.
Hopefully, I'm not breaking any news by saying that October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Well, every month needs to be Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. However, October is the "official" month of recognition. How fitting. What's been eating at me for the past week is the realization that preventing bullying is far more arduous than I ever imagined. In the good ol' days (late last year and early this year), the notion was it was as simple as educating the young people. Teaching them love and compassion, and teaching it by example. That didn't last long. It quickly occurred to me that the teaching had to start with the adults: parents, authority figures, political leaders, religious leaders, even older siblings. What-or-whomever!!! It had to start there!! And, I still hold on to that one as being one of the keys. This week taught me even more than that: what I now realize is that the reason why it's so hard to tackle the bullying issue is because it is firmly ingrained into who we are as a society! It's how we live. It's how we communicate. It's become who we are. At this point in time, it almost feels that bullies are the majority…on one level or another. Here's a look at the events from just this week that finally filled in the missing colors for me:
The facebook blog page was inundated this past week by the story of was a case, out of California, of a 15-year-old football player brutally beating up a lesbian at his high school, fracturing her jaw with multiple blows to the face. There was talk of concussion. Outrage set in, and rightfully so. After all, this was a girl being savagely beaten by a boy. I have no tolerance for that whatsoever, for any circumstances. Allegedly, the boy attacked her for being lesbian. That was the initial report. Then, it wasn't that at all. Then, the boy responded, saying that he "did not know it was a girl." Of course, the LGBT community was up in arms. "What are you trying to say!!!??? Of course you knew she was a girl." Everyone was screaming "hate crime". According to "the girl's team", the local sheriff's department was siding with the boy, sweeping it under the carpet, and threatening to side with the boy if the girl decided to press charges. The way it was presented, of course, gave the impression that even they were trying to get the boy off with nothing more than a wrist slap. And, perhaps they were. This story is still unfolding, which is why the names haven't been mentioned. There was a page set up on facebook in the girl's defense, seeking action. Until it was taken down, just over 24 hours after it went up, I monitored it closely, paying close attention to what was being said, and by whom. Who actually witnessed it? Who is just speculating? Who is just stirring shit!? As the story was going viral on facebook, I sat in vigilance monitoring the page. And, it was here that it dawned on me that bullying is deeply ingrained into our collective psyche. It's who we have become: a society of bullies. The way these young people were talking to each other was nothing short of appalling. In some cases, it was outright frightening, if not illegal. The alleged attacker was now receiving severe threats of bodily harm, and even death threats!, right there before my eyes. I only wish, now, that I had "screen-saved" some of this. At once, the bully became the bullied. It got so severe that I began to worry about him, as well. "Will someone try to kill him?" "Will the weight of the verbal assault from all around the country, from people he didn't even know!, in addition to the attacks from "the girl's team" prove to be too much for him to handle and he resorts to attempting to end his life?" See, what happens quickly is when one side doesn't agree with the other, instantaneously the verbal abuse begins. It starts with name-calling. It escalates quickly from there. And, what made all of this even worse? Not all of the attackers on this page were teens!!!!! There were adults, both close to the situation and total strangers from different parts of the country, who were just as bad if not worst than some of the teens who were there. So, the already enraged and impassioned teens are now having their bullying, abusive behavior validated by adults. The education, and the bullying, continues;
Someone took the time to read back through some of my older blog posts. Apparently, the one I wrote about Lawrence King's murderer, Brandon McInerney, and his sentencing caught his attention. I was hard on Brandon for murdering the young, LGBT teen in cold blood. I was angry because, in my mind, and in the mind of many (if not most in the LGBT community), this young "monster" killed Lawrence strictly out of hatred for gays. Lawrence had "hit on" Brandon; Brandon snapped; Lawrence is murdered. But, wait. This guy who went back through my blog and read that post contacted me. And, to be 100% sure, this person was completely polite and respectful in his email to me. However, he challenged me to look closer at the whole case. Did Brandon murder Lawrence out of homophobic bigotry? Or, was Brandon, himself, a victim of bullying (from Lawrence), himself. And, like many of you are probably doing at this very moment, I immediately scoffed at the idea. My first thought was "seriously, dude!?" But, he provided me a link to a facebook page that had been set up in Brandon's behalf. (you'll need to read through some of the threads) Now, granted, the person who set up the page was and is a homophobic bigot. He originally set it up praising Brandon for standing up against "the radical homosexual agenda". The thought of that mentality, that it was completely okay for one teen to murder another in cold blood under the guise of "standing up to the radical homosexual agenda", existing in this day and age had my blood boiling. Hesitantly, I continued on. Make no mistake: although the person who set the page up set it up for all the wrong reasons and with the exact wrong message, people came quickly to the page and let him know just how wrong he was. That made it easier for me to continue reading. The conversation became very interesting. And, extremely enlightening. I came away from it all with the changed opinion that, yes, there was a rush-to-judgement to vilify Brandon McInerney as this monster, homophobic, child murderer. Brandon McInerney was indeed, himself, a victim of bullying…and, worse. See, there are two people on that page of critical importance: one knew Brandon personally; one knew the whole family personally, Their insight goes far beyond whatever the sensationalists-driven media outlets would've ever reported. The story would've been much less potent had the entire picture been painted. Read it for yourself. I'm confident that you'll come away with a different opinion. But, I digress. What made this page standout to me, other than the fact that I was able to really get some facts on what really happened, was the level of ugliness being posted as comments on this page. And, the ones doing the posting were….that's right: adults. Grown adults wishing for this boy, still a teenager, to get anally raped regularly while in prison. Walk away with whatever opinion you may, as far as the case itself is concerned; however, to post such vile on a public forum about a teenager is beyond reprehension. How on Earth do were EVER hope to seriously make a dent in the bullying issue with adults displaying this kind of behavior? Easy answer: it won't happen;
Just yesterday, this video of Wisconsin newscaster Jennifer Livingston went viral. It went viral because it is a video of her response to someone, some adult male, sending her a very demeaning, condescending email (bullying) about her weight. He took the time to go into great detail of her responsibility to the community, especially to young girls, to…essentially…look more like Barbie. This was a man who didn't know her personally, who very rarely even watched her segment on the news, but wanted to say hurtful things to her just for his own satisfaction. Very eloquently yet emphatically, her response to him was decisive and determined. Still, it wasn't enough that this guy took time out of his day to attempt to demean Jennifer. There are people on the social networks, yes…adults, who have taken it even a step farther with their comments. And, once again, by virtue of his now well-publicized email, and by virtue of some of the irresponsible, and immature!, adult commentors, our youth are being taught that being mean, saying hurtful things, is completely okay. Bullying is okay;
And, lastly, this video was posted just yesterday. It, thankfully, is a re-enactment of a bullying incident that really did happen in a middle school. In the video, it's happening in the workplace. Therefore, it's adults…in the video. And, the walk-away message for every young person who sees it is "why should I stop bullying if grown ups are doing it?" Indeed, that question is being asked every single day, all around this country, and around the world.
"Why should I stop calling him a faggot? The pastor calls them that?"
"Why should I show fat people any respect? My dad says that fat people are losers."
And, there's a long list of other examples that I'm sure you can add to that in your own head, from your own experiences. Here's the point: we can forget about trying to stop these young people from bullying each other. Nevermind the fact that suicide is now the #1 cause of injury death, and many youth suicides are bully-related. Forget about the fact that bullying victims often end up with deep emotional scars from being bullied. It doesn't even matter that, in some cases, the bully victim reacts by becoming a bully, themselves, thus perpetuating the cycle. It just doesn't matter!!! It. Just. Doesn't. And, it doesn't because we, as adults, can't figure out how to get out own act together, can't figure amongst ourselves, our peers!, how to treat one another or talk to each other. It doesn't matter because as long as we continue to teach the young, through our examples!, that it is ok, acceptable, and even expecting in some cases!, to demean others, to treat people with disrespect, to say and do hurtful things to others, to be intolerant and unaccepting of other people and their differences, we can continue to expect the bullying to continue and, probably, increase.
And, as the bullying continues to escalate, taught and condoned by adults!, the bully-related suicides will also continue to rise. We don't have a handle on it at all. In fact, it's headed in the wrong direction
Posted in Acceptance, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, Depression, News, suicide prevention, teen suicide
Tagged with anti-bullying awareness, Brandon McInerney, Bullying, bullying prevention awareness month, E.O. Green School shooting, facebook story about 15-year-old football player beating up girl, Jennifer LIvingston story, Lawrence King
Teen Suicide Cluster in Pennsylvania
In a span of one week, beginning September 18th with the suicide death of Joshuah Delos Santos, there have been 4 confirmed teen suicides in a 7 day period. That's 4 confirmed teen suicides within 30 miles! Map out a 30-mile radius in your own area, and you'll see the significance of that troubling graphic
September 18: 13-year-old Joshuah Delos Santos commits suicide in Nanticoke, with bullying being a contributing factor;
September 21: 16-year-old Matthew Montagna, pictured, ends his life in Pittston. Classmates and friends cite bullying as a contributing factor;
September 24: an unidentified 15-year-old cheerleader ends her young life in Duryea. Classmates and friends cite bullying as a contributing factor;
September 25: an unidentified 13-year-old boy ends his life in his home in Hazelton. The Hazelton Chief of police said, in a news conference, his suicide was not "bullying-related". We've heard that before.
Seven days, four teen suicides, all within 30 miles of each other. Is there a problem there? The obvious answer is "yes". Just the Joshuah Delos Santos suicide was horrific by itself, but to add three more in the next 6 days is just unfathomable. Then, to add salt to the gaping wound, 3 of the 4 have a strong possibly of being bully-related. Is there a problem there? Yes, there is.
In our typical, knee-jerk reactionary society, suddenly there are town hall meetings to address the issues of bullying and teen suicides. Parents are alarmed, and rightfully so. If I had a school-aged child in that area, (s)he wouldn't be back in school until I was certain, 100% certain, that the school environment was safe enough to return to. What does that mean? To me, that's a very simple answer:
A safe school environment is one in which students can attend, interact, and learn without the specter of being taunted, for whatever reason, picked on, or otherwise minimized. It's an environment where they can intermingle with whomever their social circle may be without the fear of being ridiculed, feel secure and develop the social skills they're going to need as they move into the adult "workaday" world without the fear of being discriminated against or taunted, and be able to have an environment conducive to learning as opposed to living in fear of being picked on just because of who they are. That's not too much to ask.
Is there a problem there? You can bet the farm on it. I have recently seen with my own eyes exactly how deeply ingrained this problem of bullying and teen suicide is. The mindset is so fluid, because its deep-roots, that many, many young people don't even realize the repercussions of their words and actions. I know that, now, for a fact. I watched it unfold. And, more than ever, I'm convinced that the ball is being dropped in the homes, by the adults in these young people's lives, and by (in some cases) the parents. If for no other reason than the fact that some parents don't even know that their child is a schoolyard or cyber bully, they have to be held accountable to a degree.
On the other side of the coin is the authoritative figures who run…no…sprint from the issue of bullying. Where is the accountability in that? If not for the 3 suicides that followed Joshuah Delos Santos, within the next 2-3 weeks, the whole issue and question of bullying would've been swept under the carpet just like many have before it. That's been made impossible, sadly, with 2 of the 3 suicide victims that followed were reported to involve bullying. And, yet, it has become redundantly customary for the school officials and, often, law enforcement officials to very quickly erase the bullying possibility (probability?) from the equation. Why? Better question: why are we allowing it to continue?
Here's a reality check: if a young person's friends and social circle says, "yes, (s)he was being badly bullied", it really doesn't matter what the adult figures say about it. It was happening. Period. It doesn't matter if the teachers, principles, or school superintendents say "there's no evidence…" of bullying. It happened! It doesn't matter that the Chief of Police or just the school police liaison says "there's no evidence…" of bullying. It happened! And, in reality, it doesn't always matter if mom and dad says their child wasn't being bullied because, the bare-boned fact of the matter is they spend much more time with their friends and social circle than they do with you! Did you really tell your parents everything about your life when you were 13, 14, 15, 16 years old? No. You didn't. Neither did I. Neither do they. But, their friends, their social network, their peers…they know! And, if they say it was happening, to believe otherwise is just plain silly. And, obviously, deadly.
In response to the recent spate of suicides, officials have said:
"We need to respond. We just want to try to reach out to the parents in the community and make them understand we all need to work together. This is not a Pittston Area School District issue only. This is an issue that is bigger than the school district," Pittston Area superintendent Michael Garzella said early Tuesday afternoon. "This is a community issue. This is a national issue. This is a problem that has to be dealt with. The only way we're going to be able to prevent these things from happening is if we all work together."
Congratulations on your epiphany. This is what many of us have been trying to get "you" to understand for quite a while. We've got an epidemic on our hands, it's costing the lives of young people, and it's time to stop dodging this issue and start the dialogue. It's just regretful that it's taken you these four young lives to finally realize that this is real.
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IF YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, ARE STRUGGLING WITH BULLYING, DEPRESSION, OR SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, PLEASE TALK TO SOMEONE! It could be the difference between life and death.
Posted in Acceptance, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, Depression, Gay Teen Suicide, Mental Health, News, suicide prevention, teen suicide
Tagged with anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, joshuah delos santos, Pittston Area School District, suicide prevention, teen suicide in Duryea, teen suicide in Hazelton, Youth suicide
Ashley McIntyre, 16, Family Blames Bullying in Suicide Death
According the WBOY, a news outlet in West Virginia:
Ashley McIntyre, 16, was hanging out with friends at home Friday night, before she disappeared.
Ashley was later found, dead by suicide. Friends and family alike say that bullying was a contributing factor. The Liberty High school Prevention Resource Officer, Mike Daugherty, didn't rule out the possibility that bullying played a role while also adding that…"he said he worked hard to eliminate bullying at Liberty." School Board President, Mike Queen, also is on record as saying he's heard that bullying is to blame.
Conversely, Ashley's family has said that she never said anything about being bullied, adding that she often kept to herself. If she was being bullied, only her friends would've known…those who were with her in school and were able to witness it. Apparently, she never talked to anyone about it. Added PRO, Mike Daugherty:
Statistics show that 90% of teens who are being picked on or bullied, they don't report it. They don't report it to an adult, they don't report it to a parent, they just sit in silence. Although they haven't proven it to be bullying as of yet, we still see a lot of people wearing the pink shirts, supporting, saying that they're not going to stand for bullying anymore
If Ashley was indeed being bullied, she kept it to herself…tried to deal with it on her own. And, if that's the case, it cost her her life. Regrettably, far too many young people opt to keep it to themselves, for whatever reason. In some cases, they fear telling someone about being bullied will only make things worse. In truth, in some cases, that's been proven to be correct. In still other cases, they don't report it because they've come to the realization, real or imagined, that nothing will be done about it. Either way, we've created a culture where the bullied feels isolated. My own surrogate son, Marty, was bullied badly when he was high school. When asked if he ever reported it, his response was similar to what I've heard and read many times before:
After making several attempts to report my own bullying, I soon realized it became useless because they don't take it seriously. They always take the "kiss and make up" approach. Another thing is I don't really think they care. They get to go home everyday to their families. They have a passion to teach; they don't have a passion resolve conflicts, unfortunately.
As adults, as school administrators, and in some cases, even as parents, we are failing today's youth. We are failing the ones who need us most, at the time they need us most. It's easy to say "how can we help if they don't let us know what's going on?" However, to look at it from their perspective, we have failed to provide them an environment where they feel comfortable telling "us" that they've been or are being bullied; we've also failed them by creating an environment where they feel that telling "us" doesn't do any good. Marty's words are echoed many, many times by far too many other young people who are bullied or are being bullied. We send the message out, daily, that "if you're being bullied, tell someone", then, somehow, we drop the ball. In this case, dropping the ball is costing lives.
Ashley's mother, along with the rest of her family and friends, are now left with a lifetime of trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. The void will never be filled. Our sincerest condolences go to the family and friends of 16-year-old Ashley McIntyre. May you rest in peace.
Thursday, the day of her funeral, I encourage everyone who reads this to wear a purple ribbon. Wear it in Ashley's honor. Wear it for the teenaged suicide victims who came before her. Wear it because this is Suicide Prevention Month Worldwide, and we must start doing a much better job at trying to prevent these tragic losses.
If you, or anyone you know, is "at-risk", please talk to someone. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!! There is ALWAYS someone ready and willing to talk to you when you need it most:
Posted in Acceptance, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, Depression, Mental Health, News, suicide prevention, teen suicide
Tagged with anti-bullying awareness, ashley mcintyre, ashley mcintyre dies, ashley mcintyre suicide, harrison county west virginia, liberty high school, suicide prevention, suicide prevention month
An Update on Bullied Bus Monitor Grandma Has Me Wondering….
Marty has to get the credit for this one. Like many people, I've been following the story of Karen Klein, the 68-year-old school bus monitor who was caught on video being severely and inhumanely bullied by a group of middle-schoolers. And, like most people, I thought it was an outrage that these young menaces would do what they did to this sweet lady. They were, indeed, beyond cruel. Their behavior was reprehensible. I was very happy, like I'm sure many of you were, that the action against these boys was swift, and it appears that it will be quite harsh…as well it should be.
Marty saw the whole thing differently. He called me, full of alarm, to ask if I'd seen the story. Well, of course I had. Half the world has seen it by now. Hell, Karen's getting a vacation out of the whole deal, paid for by "everyday Joes" from around the world to the tune of $427,000+ and counting!!! That's going to be some vacation.
What alarmed Marty was the fact that the authorities did, in fact, react as swiftly and definitively against these young tormentors; however, when it comes to the bullying that's done to their peers, everyone drags their heels. Worse, they fall into a very predictable pattern of complete denial. ("Those boys are good as gold"…Kim Lockwood) Once he pointed that out, they whole story about Karen Klein became a whole different story for me.
I'm wondering how "they" would respond to that. We know all too well about the intense bullying that goes on both in the schools and on the school buses. For those of us who have seen the movie, "Bully", we've seen it up close and personal. Some of you have been bullied yourselves or have kids who have been. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
What Karen Klein endured from these young tyrants, no one should have to endure. That includes their peers and classmates!! We have a culture where kids, straight and LGBT, are ending their lives because of the very same thing that Karen endured. The world saw the affect their mindless meanness had on her, and the world reacted. Swiftly. Effectively. Where is that response when the kids who suffer that same level of abuse day in and day out? What is it about our culture that relegates thatbehavior to a "boys will be boys" mentality when it comes to the young people being bullied but runs to the aid of a Karen Klein who only suffered the same mindless attacks that the schoolboys and girls suffer everyday? Understand that these are questions that beg to be explored and answered. It's a mindset. It's a mindset that costing lives needlessly.
The members of the facebook blog page hold my feet to the fire on everything I write, and I love it. It keeps me on my toes. That said, let me clarify that I have no problem whatsoever with the outpouring of love and support that Karen has received from around the globe. I think it's heartwarming to see everyone respond like that. She certainly should have never had to go through this in the first place. My issue, and Marty's issue, is simple: where is this response when we know that this is happening day-in-and-day-out to school kids on school buses, in schoolyards, and in classrooms every single day…in nearly every school across the country? Where's the rush to action then? Why are the authorities not responding to those incidences with the same fervor they responded to in Karen's ordeal? These are questions that need to be scrutinized and answered before we can begin to see improvements.
It is my opinion that this case proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the ball is being dropped in the homes. I'll come under attack for that statement. But, allow me to state my case: as the overwhelming majority of you fellow Baby Boomers will attest to, there was absolutely no way, when we were adolescents, that we would evendream of talking to our elders the way these boys talked to Karen. NO WAY!! Respect was instilled in us. So, where was the ball dropped? Isn't respect something that's supposed to be taught in the home? How is it that these boys, and others like them, are so at ease with talking to an elderly adult in this manner? See, if these boys have no respect for a 68-year-old grandmother, and clearly they didn't, there's no way in hellthey can be expected to have any respect for their peers.
The cold, hard truth is that we're not going to solve anything, insofar as bullying is concerned, by focusing solely on the youngsters. It's becoming more and more clear by the day that the real work is needed from the top, down. Look, these kids are beingtaught to be cruel, disrespectful, careless, and intolerant. Whether the teaching is direct or indirect, the teacher(s) is the adults in their lives.
Karen Klein, I'm sorry you had to endure such insensitivity from these boys. I hope you have a wonderful and memorable vacation. As for Marty, well…what can I say?: that's my boy! As for everyone else, teach love. Teach respect. Teach acceptance. It's theonly way out of this mess.
As I was writing this, the story was released that two of the tormentors have since offered what seemed to be heartfelt apologies for their behavior. That's good! When interviewed by Anderson Cooper, one said:
"I feel really bad about what I did," Wesley, one of the boys in the video, said in a statement issued to the show by police. "I wish I had never done those things. If that had happened to someone in my family, like my mother or grandmother, I would be really mad at the people who did that to them."
while the other youngster stated:
"I am so sorry for the way I treated you," Josh, another one of the boys, said in a statement. "When I saw the video I was disgusted and could not believe I did that. I am sorry for being so mean and I will never treat anyone this way again."
See, they aren't born to act that way!! That repulsive, and dangerous!, behavior is taught. Directly or indirectly, the lesson is still taught and learned. I'm wondering what would happen if every case of bullying went viral like the Karen Klein incident did? Forced to actually see their actions as the video goes viral, and sentenced to hearing the world respond to their spiteful, nasty behavior, I'm wondering if we'd start seeing some of these young bullies begin to turn away from their negative and cruel behavior? One can always hope.
Posted in Acceptance, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, News, suicide prevention
Tagged with anderson cooper interview, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, grandmother bullied by teens on bus, Karen Klein, school monitor bullied on school bus, young boys bully bus monitor
The Importance of Gay Role Models
For as long as I can remember, I've strongly held that the world would benefit greatly from every LGBT person coming out of the closet. Such an action would serve two very positive purposes: 1.) it would show the world, a world that tends to minimize those of us who are LGBT, that we are solid, contributing citizens of our society who needs, and deserves, to be recognized as such; and, 2.) it could potentially save young lives by providing some of the struggling, young LGBT youth positive, strong, and gay role models.
This week, former NFL player Wade Davis announced he is gay. Granted, Davis never played a single down on an NFL field. That was because of injuries, not due to lack of talent. And, certainly not from a lack of effort. He tells a story of what it was like to be gay, open only to himself, in an NFL locker room. Imagine the impact that an openly gay athlete would have on a growing-but-struggling LGBT teen boy. The message that boy would get would be "you're fine just the way you are, you can do whatever it is in life you want to do, and I'm proof that it truly will get better." That's potentially life-saving. How many of these young LGBT teens have given up hope and taken their lives because of a sense of hopelessness? Their vision of the world is tainted by the extreme bullying they received constantly because of who they are. They're told, in one form or another, that their life is a non-factor. Or, as one recent anti-gay group put it on their website, "It Gets Worse"! Even more troubling, they don't have many role models to look to and say, "that's what I want to do when I grow up."
Imagine how many young, LGBT girls Ellen DeGeneres has positively impacted.
We're living in a very unique time right now. The march towards equality for the LGBT community may be slow, sometimes seemingly snail-paced, but it's steady. Why else do you think we're witnessing unprecedented lashing out from the other side? To them, they're fighting for their moral (?) lives. And, they fully understand that the fight is much harder than they ever imagined it would be. For us, the members of the LGBT community and our supporters, we're also fighting for our lives. We're fighting for the right to just exist happily without having to deal with "them" imposing their misguided and often ridiculous "morality" on us.
We're also fighting for our youth. With 9 out of 10 LGBT teen reporting having been bullied at school, 90%!!!, and with the suicide rate amongst LGBT teens skyrocketing, we're fighting fiercely to end that trend. We end that trend by making them realize that they do have a place in this world. We end it by letting them know, not by mere words but by example as well, that it really, truly will get better. We end it by showing them role models of people who, like them, grew up gay, knew it early on in life, dealt with the ridiculously mindnumbing abuse that we sometimes must endure, yet made it through and are now living happy, productive, and promising lives.
To get to that point, however, we need more and more people, like Wade Davis, to step forward and be that example. I'm not naive. I fully understand that, in some cases, coming out of the closet would amount to professional suicide. Imagine, a LeBron James coming out! Or, a Bill O'Reilly. Or…pick a name. You get my point. However, it's that very culture, that unforgiving mindset that we're working tirelessly to interrupt and, eventually, change. It's going to take a lot more work. It's going to take more people, like Wade Davis, stepping up and coming out as who they really are. In some cases, I understand that that's a hard thing to do. I get it. But, it's so incredibly important. Our LGBT youth are counting on us, the LGBT adults, our friends and families, and our supporters. In too many cases, lives are depending on it.
I can't think of any better reason than that.
Posted in Acceptance, anti-bullying awareness, Bullying, coming out, LGBT Community, News, suicide prevention
Tagged with anti-bullying awareness, Ellen DeGeneres, LeBron James, lgbt teens, National Football League, NFL, positive role models, suicide prevention, Wade Davis


Today I am posting my contribution to the letter L in the Alphabet in Historical Fiction which is hosted by Historical Tapestry, and also is one of my reviews for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. It also happens that Kelly from The Written World and I both had this book coming up to read soon, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do another joint review. Kelly has the first half of the review over at her blog, and the second half is on mine. Kelly's thoughts are in black, and mine are in purple.
In 1937, Shanghai is a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father's prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn't be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.
Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life. They face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are–Shanghai girls.
I think that there are probably three factors that make reading the immigrant experience interesting for me. The first is what makes a person want to leave their home? Generally it is hardship, war, famine, poverty, bad family situation etc. I think that things usually have to be pretty bad for someone want to leave their homeland, family to start afresh. Yes, in this day and age their are reasons like a new job, but I am talking about the people who really struggle to get to a new life. The second factor is the idea of triumphing over adversity, becoming something different or more than they were previously and the struggle to get to that point. The third factor for me, is that whether we are talking about a Chinese person immigrating to America in the 1930s, people arriving in Canada or Australia at any time, there are direct parallels with people today. There are still people who are still trying to get to a better place for themselves and their children. Some times this may be through illegal means which is something that many countries around the world are dealing with today (including Australia and America), and other times legally, but at the heart of these people's quest is the desire to give the best life they can for their families, some thing I am sure that all of us can relate to.
I have to ask you about the formatting in your copy. I read the Randhom House large print version, and it had very strange bolding all the through it. A lot of the time, the bolding was of Chinese terms, and other times I think it was for emphasis, but there were times when it looked like just random words were highlighted. I found it very strange and a little distracting at times. Did you have this in your copy?
As to the formatting, mine was just regular formatting. That's weird that they chose to bold words in the large print edition. Having never actually read a large-print version of a book I am not sure if that is maybe a regular thing?
I definitely don't think it is a regular thing. I read a number of large print books mainly because it is the luck of the draw when you request a book from the library in terms of which edition you receive.
That makes no sense, then!
What were your overall impressions of Pearl and May?
I liked both of them, even allowing for the fact that they were very different types of people. I felt I could relate most to Pearl because she kind of buckled down to do what was expected of her once she was reunited with her husband and his new family even though it meant that she didn't get to live her dreams I feel that I can relate to that idea of doing what you have to do to get by. I found the idea of May fascinating, but the reality of Pearl more relatable. I did find the fact that May stayed married to Vernon a little out of character for everything else we found out about May though. I found the lengths that the two girls went to for each other were extreme, and I am grateful that I haven't had to be in anything like those situations with my own sister.
As for me, I really liked both of them. They were different people, though, so the relationship with each was different. Since Pearl told most of the story you got to know her better. She annoyed me at times. She had such potential in the beginning and then she got a bit dull for a while. I know that she had went through some terrible things, but it was so sad to watch her give-up. She became the person that she scorned when she was living in China. That's not to say that I didn't like her, but she lost a lot of herself for a while. Near the end of the book she started coming back into herself and I think she will be a very interesting character in the sequel. Pearl stayed pretty much the same. She turned out to be a bit more worldy than you originally would think, but she still wanted to be the same person that she was when things were good in China. I thought she was going to be really annoying because of her way of thinking, but she actually turned out to be more than I expected.
Much is made of the fact that Pearl was a Dragon and May a Sheep in the Chinese horoscope. Do you know what you are, and do you think that the attributes fit you?
I would like to talk a little about Joy. In some ways it seemed as though she was forced to grow up very early, what with going to be in the movies as a very little girl and then working in the family business at such a young age. Were you surprised by the way things turned out for her, particularly in relation to the ending? I was so glad when I found that there was going to be a sequel because otherwise I would definitely have been looking at the book and thinking you can't end a book there!
Yeah, we entirely overlooked Joy in this review, didn't we? I think she had to grow up faster than her mother and aunt, which is crazy when you think about the difference in experiences. She was exposed to a lot, though, and I think she will hopefully play a central role in the sequel so we can get to know her better.
Thanks Kelly for another fun joint review.
I absolutely LOVED Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and was dying to read this when it first came out. I will admit I had kind forgotten about it (or at least, put it to the back of my mind) until I saw your review! Now I'm totally intrigued again. Will have to get my hands on a copy, and soon!
PS. I heard that they're making a movie for Snow Flower...can't wait for more details to be released!
I've been meaning to read this book for a long time, thank you for reminding me! And, it was a very enjoyable review to read.
A friend of mine just bought me a copy of this book, and it is sitting right next to me on the couch as I type! I will have to see if my book contains the same highlights as your does. Excellent review! I will be coming back to it!
Thanks for this review! I enjoyed Snow Flower, but didn't particularly care for Peony in Love. I'll give See a third go with this book at some point, because the story and characters sound really interesting!


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Bill Order » Legislative Department
Legislative Department
General Assembly of Virginia
$28,350,017 $28,349,690
1 Enactment of Laws $28,350,017 $28,349,690
Auditor of Public Accounts
2 Legislative Evaluation and Review $10,449,250 $10,447,647
Commission on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program
3 Ground Transportation System Safety Services $1,898,722 $1,898,722
Division of Capitol Police
4 Administrative and Support Services $6,153,069 $6,153,113
Division of Legislative Automated Systems
5 Computer Systems Services $3,234,324 $3,235,933
Division of Legislative Services
6 Legislative Research and Analysis $4,858,497 $4,858,994
Capitol Square Preservation Council $107,093 $107,033
7 Architectural and Antiquity Research Planning and Coordination $107,093 $107,033
Chesapeake Bay Commission $211,356 $211,356
8 Resource Management Research, Planning, and Coordination $211,356 $211,356
Virginia Disability Commission $25,000 $25,000
9 Social Services Research, Planning, and Coordination $25,000 $25,000
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission $50,000 $50,000
10 Human Relations Management $50,000 $50,000
Joint Commission on Health Care $461,769 $461,548
11 Health Research, Planning, and Coordination $461,769 $461,548
Joint Commission on Technology and Science $174,281 $174,281
12 Technology Research, Planning, and Coordination $174,281 $174,281
Commissioners for the Promotion of Uniformity of Legislation in the United States $62,500 $62,500
13 Governmental Affairs Services $62,500 $62,500
State Water Commission $10,160 $10,160
14 Environmental Policy and Program Development $10,160 $10,160
Virginia Coal and Energy Commission $21,320 $21,320
15 Resource Management Research, Planning, and Coordination $21,320 $21,320
Virginia Code Commission $62,538 $62,538
16 Enactment of Laws $62,538 $62,538
Virginia Commission on Youth $305,585 $305,585
17 Social Services Research, Planning, and Coordination $305,585 $305,585
Virginia State Crime Commission $622,045 $622,045
18 Criminal Justice Research, Planning and Coordination $622,045 $622,045
Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council $159,096 $159,096
19 Governmental Affairs Services $159,096 $159,096
Virginia Housing Commission $20,000 $20,000
20 Housing Assistance Services $20,000 $20,000
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission
21 Legislative Evaluation and Review $3,085,004 $3,085,803
Virginia Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation
Legislative Department Reversion Clearing Account
-$420,680 -$420,680
23 Across the Board Reductions -$547,000 -$547,000
24 Enactment of Laws $126,320 $126,320

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Jelly Belly Licorice Bridge Mix, 3 ounce - Pack of reviews on Amazon are splendid. 1 shops are offering it on with coupons. Other top elements are Pack of 3, Licorice and Pack. Also Jelly Belly Licorice Bridge Mix, 3 is one of the top sellers in Jelly Belly, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Individual Packs, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Root Beer and J in 2019.
The Birth of the World's Famous Bean: The was just to Hollywood.
Yes, of famous stars birthplace of Gourmet Jelly Bean.
The Journey: Back in a Los distributor an idea for a jelly bean made with natural So called up the candymakers Belly (formerly as Herman Candy Co.) who for making the best flavors was, well, a natural evolution. candymakers cooked of bean flavored ingredients possible. 1976 the first eight Jelly Belly Cherry, Lemon, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Apple, Beer, Grape Licorice. still the most popular The to top, long, tasty.


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Home >> New Mexico >> United States 82:
Create a New Mexico United States #82 PDF
New Mexico United States #82 Highway Guide
US Highway 82 starts at a junction with US Highways 54/70. North to the community of Tularosa, NM. - Annual Rose Festival held the first weekend in May. South to the city of Alamogordo, NM. - Alameda Park Zoo (1021 North White Sands Blvd, Tel. 575-439-4290): oldest zoo in southwest US; home to about 250 exotic and native animals; playground, gift shop, picnic area, education center, restrooms. - Evergreen Park (N Florida Ave). - Lincoln National Forest: biking, camping, hiking, picnicking, scenic driving, horseback riding, snowboarding, sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing.
Lincoln National Forest
La Luz Road
North to the community of La Luz, NM. Limited services.
NOTE: US Highway enters Lincoln National Forest, Alamogordo, NM.
High Rolls, NM
Community of High Rolls, NM. - Annual Cherry Festival and Apple Festival.
Mountain Park, NM
Community of Mountain Park, NM. Limited services.
New Mexico State Highway 130
South-east-north to the community of Mayhill, NM. Limited services.
Cloudcroft, NM
Community of Cloudcroft, NM. - Scenic Canyon RV Park (98 Dry Canyon Rd). - Silver Springs RV Campground & Trout Pond (449 NM State Hwy 244).
Northeast-northwest route to an intersection with US Highway 70.
South-west-north route to a junction with US Highway 82.
New Mexico State Highway 24
South-west to the community of Pinon, NM. Limited services.
Hope, NM
Community of Hope, NM. Limited services.
Artesia, NM
City of Artesia, NM. - City Park (7th & Richardson): picnic tables, covered gazebo, basketball court, playground equipment. - Jamaica Park (W Bullock Ave & S 6th St): basketball court, playground equipment, picnic tables. - J-C Park: soccer fields, racquetball courts, playground equipment, covered picnic tables, baseball fields, tennis courts, running track, restrooms. - Guadalupe Park (N 4th St & W Logan Ave): picnic tables, basketball court, playground equipment, covered gazebo.
City of Artesia Information
US Highway 285
Junction of US Highway 285
City of Roswell Information
Brantley Lake New Mexico State Park
North-west to an intersection with US Highway 285. Ends south-west to a junction with US Highway 285.
Southeast-south to a junction with US Highways 62/180.
Ends at a junction with US Highways 62/180 on an east-south-east route.
Maljamar, NM
Community of Maljamar, NM. Limited services.
North-west to the community of Hagerman, NM. Limited services.
Terminates to the north at a junction with US Highway 380.
To the south, intersects NM State Highway 529.
County Road 100A
North to Lea County-Zip Franklin Memorial Airport (Lovington, NM, Tel. 575-396-8521), a public-use airport.
City of Lovington, NM. - Chaparral Park (S Commercial St & E Ave K). - Chaparral Park (S Commercial St & E Ave K): fishing, softball field, volleyball/basketball courts.
New Mexico State Highways 18/83
NM State Highway 83 goes east and crosses the New Mexico-Texas state line. NM State Highway 18 goes south to the city of Hobbs, NM. - Humble Park (N Grimes St): swimming pool, pavilion, playground equipment. - Bensing Park (W Clinton St): baseball/softball fields. - Bender Park (W Broadway St). - Heizer Park (E Stanoland Rd): swimming pool, playground equipment, basketball courts, open field, parking.
City of Hobbs Information
North to the community of Tatum, NM. Limited services.
New Mexico-Texas State Line
US Highway 82 crosses the New Mexico-Texas state line into the community of Plains, TX. LD11e


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Home Out & About Family Fun Star light, star bright · Explore the night sky
Star light, star bright · Explore the night sky
Stars, planets, nebula and meteors are ever present in the universe. Unseen during the day for the most part, and in many parts of the world, unseen even at night. Or, perhaps you catch a glimpse of Saturn or Mars, and see the brightest stars in the sky. Then, you come to Tahoe on vacation or to spend a lifetime and suddenly the universe opens before you.
Moon | Mael Passanesi
One of the many great miracles of the mountains is the relative lack of man-made light that obscures the wonders of the universe for many. In Tahoe, you can experience the vastness of the universe with the naked eye, even marveling at the edge of the Milky Way as it swoops across the sky. Tahoe is also a prime spot for peering deeper into the universe with the knowledgeable team at Tahoe Star Tours.
Led by star guide and poet Tony Berendsen, Tahoe Star Tours invites kids and adults to become star guides. Berendsen's passion for astronomy, poetry, education and outreach are apparent during his tours, as is his mission to introduce the wonders of the universe to everyone.
Tony | Tahoe Star Tours
I've been fortunate enough to enjoy a star tours at least six times throughout the years, and this summer, Berendsen invited me to bring the Tahoe Weekly staff out for a star tour at Northstar. The star tours involve far more than peering through telescopes. Berendsen begins each outing around the fire pits and while guests enjoy s'mores and hot chocolate, he draws you into the universe. With an interesting mixture of facts about the stars and some of the astronomers that helped unveil the mysteries of the universe, along with his moving poetry, Berendsen makes the universe accessible and easy to understand. His star storytelling is inviting and captivating; his passion is palpable.
Mael Passanesi
Now that you're rapt with newfound wonder, it's time to move to the telescopes and peer deep into space. No matter how many times I've been on a star tour, I'm always taken by the vastness of the universe, the brilliant colors of the planets, the rings of Saturn, the crystal-clear craters of the moon. The team at Tahoe Star Tours overflows with knowledge as guests pepper them with questions on planets and meteors and the constellations. As the night deepened, we only became more enthralled with learning the secrets of the universe, not wanting to end our adventure. That's why I go back to enjoy the star tours again and again, yearning to learn even more of the mysteries of the universe.
Tahoe Star Tours offers tours at Northstar through Labor Day weekend, and returns to Tahoe each winter to offer star tours at various locations. They are also available for private events.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit tahoestartours.com.
Thursdays & Saturdays until Sept. 3
8:15-10:30 p.m. | $35 adults | $20 12 & younger
Dark Skies Cosmoarium | Northstar
Fridays until Sept. 2
Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe | Northstar
Out there the night sky
Only flickered light
But at closer look
An unaccountable vision
Seen by billions
From a planet
A cinder of stars
In a soup of desolation
By light years of isolation
Tony Berendsen
Tahoe night sky
Tahoe Star Tours
Tahoe stars
Previous articleMidsummer Nightmare · Movement, music & artistry
Next articleAug. 25 to 31, 2016 | Under the night sky
Katherine first moved to Tahoe in 1998 and has been in love with the Tahoe Sierra region since. She has been in the journalism field for more than 25 years and has worked for daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, as well as online publications and Web sites, as an award-winning writer and editor. In the fall of 2013, Katherine became only the third owner of the Tahoe Weekly magazine, and today serves as its Publisher and Editor In Chief. She currently serves as the President of the Tahoe City Downtown Association and is a member of the North Tahoe Regional Advisory Council and the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Commission.
Kids' Ultimate Tahoe Winter Bucket List


Stylesight recently had the fortune of visiting one of America's great vintage & antiques shows, Texas Antique Weekend, a treasure trove of inspiration for designers, industry insiders and consumers alike. Combing through our post-show photo treasure trove– alas, purchasing all these beauties is merely an aspiration for the time being– is almost as exciting as discovering the pieces in person, and a revealing glimpse into vintage inspirations for the F/W 11 collections.
Doctor bag shapes, crafty detailing [oh, Bottega Veneta– be still our *collective* beating heart], structured crocodile styles, tactile pony skin, exotic python and 40s-era "cosmetic box" bags were as prevalent at TAW as they were on the runways, a sign of the viability of vintage sourcing as an inspiration today.
Be sure to check out Stylesight's accessories runway analysis of the season's key bags, and below see our favorites shot in Texas.
Stay tuned for the upcoming Buyer's Alert! report on trends within the vintage world.


Design-oriented product development for brooms and brushes.
The two-coloured broom and brush product line by Bürstenmann sets new highlights in your household. Our products do not only convince with their stylish designs but also display thoroughly sophisticated details.


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Review: The Wild Bunch (1969)
Booze News: Yammering Magpies, The Moonshine War, ...
Review: Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
Booze News: Remake of ARTHUR in the works
>> Saturday, March 28, 2009
SA/C-145m./Dir: Sam Peckinpah/Wr: Walon Green & Sam Peckinpah/Cast: William Holden (Pike Bishop), Ernest Borgnine (Dutch Engstrom), Robert Ryan (Deke Thornton), Edmund O'Brien (Freddie Sykes), Warren Oates (Lyle Gorch), Jamie Sanchez (Angel), Ben Johnson (Tector Gorch), Emilio Fernandez (General Mapache)
The Wild Bunch is a masterpiece, plain and simple. Forty years after its original release, Sam Peckinpah's violent, revisionist Western still has the power to thrill, shock, disturb, provoke thought, and entertain. All of the best films reward repeated viewings, and no matter how many times I re-watch The Wild Bunch (and it has to have been at least a dozen viewings), the movie never grows tiresome. The Wild Bunch is so multilayered that one sees something new in the characters, themes, dialogue or performances with each screening.
Peckinpah once said of the film that it was "simply what happens when killers go to Mexico," and on the surface, The Wild Bunch is a story about outlaws on the run. After a botched bank robbery turned massacre, Pike Bishop (William Holden) and the surviving members of his gang (Borgnine, Oates, Johnson, Sanchez, and O'Brien) hightail it across the Mexican border with bounty hunters on their tail. The pursuers are headed by Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), a former member of Bishop's gang, who has the unappealing choice between hunting his past companions and rotting in prison. While on the run, Pike's band agrees to take a job stealing ammunition from a train for a corrupt Mexican General (Emilio Fernandez). It is unclear whether the greatest threat to Pike and his gang comes from their Mexican allies, the bounty hunters, or from fissures within their own group.
Of course, The Wild Bunch is about a lot more than "what happens when killers go to Mexico." Pike's bunch isn't just running from men with guns. They're trying to escape so-called civilized society, modernization, advancing age, their past mistakes, and pangs of conscience. It's a multifaceted film that is open to many interpretations; and it has been viewed as everything from a treatise against violence to a metaphor for America's intervention in Vietnam. No matter how you want to look at it, The Wild Bunch is a damn good film, perhaps the best Western ever made.
The use of violence, slow motion, and editing were revolutionary at the time, but none of that would matter if not for the fact that The Wild Bunch is a well-written story brilliantly told. The characters are captivating, and the dialogue is spare but perfect. Never has more meaning been conveyed through the lines "Let's go," and "Why not?" The actors are as good as the material, and the film is perfectly cast from the leads on down. And while there is great acting on display from everyone in the ensemble, the film really belongs to William Holden. He never played a more fascinating character than Pike Bishop, and he never gave a better performance in his career.
Of course, as good as it is, The Wild Bunch wouldn't be included here if it didn't have a pretty strong liquor content. While booze is not the main focus of the film, it is present throughout. Whether on the run on horseback or camping in the desert, one of Pike's company always manages to produce a whiskey bottle; and General Mapache, for whom they rob the train, is persistently plastered when not on the battlefield. From the opening, in which the bunch bloodily interrupts a temperance march to the wine-drenched debaucheries in Mapache's camp, the film is full of memorable alcohol-related scenes. However, the most iconic is one in which Pike's gang passes a whiskey bottle from man to man as a sign of camaraderie and respect.
As you can probably tell, I love this movie. For devotees of Westerns, soused cinema, and motion pictures in general, The Wild Bunch is essential viewing.
Drinks Consumed--Whiskey, tequila, wine, beer, and champagne
Intoxicating Effects--Slurred speech, staggering, soused sex, and physical violence
Potent Quotables--ANGEL: Don't you see, this is their land, and no one is gonna drive them away.
FREDDIE: I'll drink to that sentiment… and to love. But most of all, I'll drink to gold!
DUTCH: Salute! Salute!
Video Availability--On DVD as The Wild Bunch - The Original Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) or as part of Sam Peckinpah's Legendary Westerns Collection (Warner Brothers). An ultra-sharp The Wild Bunch [Blu-ray] disc is also available.
Similarly Sauced Cinema--The whiskey flows liberally in many of Peckinpah's other weird, wonderful, artistic flicks, including Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Johanna Markus April 2, 2009 at 1:50 AM
I've been looking for this for a long time, glad to find it here.
Serpen Phlox April 7, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Proudly filmed at my beloved small town. Parras del la Fuente, Coahuila. México
garv April 7, 2009 at 7:09 PM
Peckinpah's love of Mexico is evident in every frame.


text:
Johan Fano (Huánuco, Provincia de Huánuco, Perú, 9 de agosto de 1978) es un exfutbolista peruano. Jugaba de delantero y su último equipo como jugador fue el Sport Boys. Actualmente es el delegado deportivo de las Águilas Doradas de la Primera División de Colombia.

Biografía
Johan Fano nació en la ciudad de Huánuco el 9 de agosto de 1978. Es hijo de Javier Fano Argandoña († 2021) y Julia Espinoza. Empezó a jugar al fútbol desde los diez años de edad en la selección del Colegio San Luis Gonzaga de su ciudad natal. Cuando se encontraba cursando el último año de educación secundaria, tuvo la oportunidad de disputar la final del Interescolar Nacional en el año 1994. Fue jugando esos campeonatos que descubrió que quería convertirse en futbolista profesional y la oportunidad no tardó en llegar.

Jugador
A la par de los campeonatos escolares, Johan Fano pertenecía al equipo juvenil del León de Huánuco. El entrenador del primer equipo, César Chacón, se quedó impresionado por las aptitudes futbolísticas de Johan y cuando tan sólo tenía 16 años de edad lo invitó a entrenar con el equipo que participaba, en ese entonces, en el Campeonato Descentralizado. Desde que debutó jugó en: León de Huánuco, Unión Minas, Sport Agustino , Alcides Vigo, Deportivo Pesquero (club con el que descendió en el Campeonato Descentralizado 1999), Sport Boys (consiguió el cupo a la Copa Libertadores 2001 además de ser el goleador de su equipo en el 2001 con 17 tantos), Alianza Lima (clasifica a la Copa Libertadores 2003) , Coronel Bolognesi (fue el goleador del equipo con 29 goles) y Universitario de Deportes (fue el goleador del torneo con 19 goles).

Contra Bolognesi marcó su gol 100 en el fútbol peruano, en el partido que Universitario de Deportes empató frente a Coronel Bolognesi 1-1. En el año 2008, luego de una controversia con el técnico Ricardo Gareca, emigró al fútbol colombiano y se incorporó al Once Caldas donde quedó campeón el Torneo Apertura 2009 y logró convertir 13 goles siendo el segundo máximo goleador del campeonato. Luego de un mal segundo semestre salió del Once Caldas. jugando para el Once Caldas en el Torneo Finalización 2008 en la fecha cinco frente al campeón  del Torneo Apertura el  Boyacá Chicó el  Sábado 16 de agosto de 2008 el mismo fingió una falta en el área que después el árbitro sancionó como penalti y luego el convertiría en Gol y en la fecha 1 de los cuadrangulares semifinales fue Ariel Carreño el que fingió una falta del defensor Ever Palacios  después el árbitro sancionó penalti y el delantero Johan Fano convertiría el gol de la victoria 2-1 del Torneo Apertura 2009  el Domingo 24 de mayo de 2009 frente al mismo equipo el Boyacá Chicó .Para 2010, luego de recibir ofertas del Deportivo Cali, fichó por el club mexicano Atlante, durante su estadía en México, fue el goleador de su equipo. A fines de ese mismo año, regresó al Universitario de Deportes en el cual convirtió 12 goles, 10 por el Campeonato Descentralizado 2011 y 2 en la Copa Sudamericana 2011 llegando hasta cuartos de final siendo eliminado por Vasco da Gama.

A mediados de diciembre de 2011 firmó un contrato con Atlético Nacional de Colombia. Jugó la Copa Libertadores 2012 llegando hasta octavos de final perdiendo en octavos de final contra Vélez Sarsfield Después de una temporada no tan buena en Atlético Nacional, el entrenador Leonel Álvarez lo contrató para jugar en Águilas Doradas.

Fano comenzó siendo el goleador del torneo después de marcarle dos goles a Equidad y uno a Atlético Nacional de tiro penal consiguiendo así la clasificación a la Copa Sudamericana 2013 con las águilas. El 6 de noviembre de 2013 anunció su retiro del fútbol profesional, sin embargo se retractó y en 2014 jugó el Torneo del Inca para el equipo con el que debutó, León de Huánuco. Cuando iba a empezar el Torneo Apertura, decidió regresar Águilas Doradas donde permaneció hasta finales del 2015 con el club participó en la Copa Sudamericana 2015 siendo eliminados por Olimpia. Luego de ser goleador con el UTC de Cajamarca ficha por el Sport Boys de la Segunda División del Perú.

El 25 de enero de 2018 decide retirarse de la práctica de fútbol profesional.

En la dirección técnica
Luego de retirarse como futbolista Johan regresó a Colombia donde reside con sus hijos y esposa además está terminando de escribir su libro e hizo parte del cuerpo técnico del Cacique Bernal juntó con Jeringa Guzmán en el equipo Águilas Doradas Rionegro. También fue comentarista en ESPN Perú en 2018.

El 16 de noviembre de 2021 fue anunciado como nuevo entrenador del Águilas Doradas Rionegro en remplazo del italo-venezolano Francesco Stifano. Dirigió como interino en la última fecha del torneo finalización 2021 y posteriormente la pre-temporada del club hasta el día 31 de diciembre de 2021 cuando se anunció a Leonel Álvarez como el nuevo DT.

Selección nacional
Ha sido internacional con la selección de fútbol del Perú en 17 ocasiones y marcó 3 goles. Debutó el 27 de agosto de 2003, en un encuentro amistoso ante la selección de Guatemala que finalizó con marcador de 0-0.

Participaciones en Eliminatorias

Clubes

Como jugador

Otros cargos

Como entrenador

Estadística como jugador
Actualizado de acuerdo al fin de carrera: .

Resumen estadístico
 Actualizado el 22 de septiembre de 2018.

Estadística como entrenador
Actualizado al 21 de noviembre de 2021.

Palmarés

Campeonatos nacionales

Distinciones individuales

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Perfil y estadísticas

Huanuqueños
Futbolistas del Club León de Huánuco
Futbolistas del Club Unión Minas
Futbolistas del Club Alcides Vigo
Futbolistas del Club Deportivo Pesquero
Futbolistas del Sport Boys Association
Futbolistas del Club Alianza Lima
Futbolistas del Club Deportivo Coronel Bolognesi
Futbolistas del Club Universitario de Deportes
Futbolistas del Once Caldas
Futbolistas del Club de Fútbol Atlante en los años 2010
Futbolistas del Atlético Nacional
Futbolistas del Águilas Doradas Rionegro
Futbolistas del Club Universidad Técnica de Cajamarca
Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol de Perú en los años 2000
Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol de Perú en los años 2010

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Let me go, Mr. Hill By Shallow South Chapter 514
Read Let me go, Mr. Hill [by Shallow South] Chapter 514 – Sarah clenched the wine glass in her hand. "But have you guys ever imagined what would happen to a young, pretty woman after getting kidnapped?"
Shaun, Chester, and Rodney were taken aback.
Shaun's hand trembled as he held the wine glass. He looked up and stared at Sarah in shock.
"I'm not going to share the details. It was painful." Sarah curled her lips and sipped the wine. "I was tortured again and again. After some time, I finally managed to flee, only to find out that… I was considered a d**d person. My visa had been revoked, so I couldn't come back. I tried to contact the Neeson family, but they couldn't be bothered about me. They told me outright that they would leave me high and dry."
"They've gone too far. Are they even humans?" Rodney flung the glass and leaped to his feet in fury.
"I did think about contacting Shaunic, but I… I don't even deserve to be with him." Sarah blinked, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He's a man with a bright future ahead of him, whereas I have the filthiest body. I hoped he would be able to find a better woman after I left him."
Shaun closed his eyes. His heart was burning with pain.
He could not imagine the torture Sarah had gone through while he was under the impression she was d**d.
If she had returned half a year ago, he would have married Sarah without hesitation.
Now that Catherine was pregnant with his children, his feelings for her had changed.
"Alright, drop it." Chester handed a piece of tissue to Sarah.
Rodney felt as if a knife was slicing his heart. "Don't worry, Sarah. No matter how much you've changed, we'll never look down on you. You're always the purest woman in our hearts."
"Thanks." Sarah smiled with tears welling in her eyes. "In fact, I came back this time for another reason."
With that, she handed three business cards to them.
Shaun was stunned at the sight of the business card in his hand. "You're actually the internationally renowned psychologist, Nyasia."
"It's a bit of a stretch to say that I'm internationally renowned. Having said that, I'm quite skilled in treating these kinds of cases." A sweet smile spread across Sarah's face. She extended her hand to him. "Young Master Hill, I'd appreciate your guidance."
With mixed feelings, Shaun shook hands with her.
Rodney said, "Sarah, you're awesome. I remember that you studied psychology for Shaun's sake, and now you finally made it."
"I didn't expect he'd relapse again," Sarah said with a smile.
"It's all because—"
"Drink your wine." Shaun used a glass of wine to stop Rodney's mouth.
Sarah laughed at the sight of the scene. "By the way, I want to visit Charity…"
"Why do you want to visit her? She treated you terribly back then." Chester frowned.
"Exactly. She even prevented you from returning. Is she even human?"
"After all, she's my stepsister. What's more, I don't know how long her sentence is going to be this time. Perhaps I won't get to see her anymore. I just hope she'll learn from her mistakes." Sarah gave a bitter laugh.
In the detention center.
Charity quietly sat in a corner. There were bruises all over her body and face. Not one part of her body was left uninjured.
A bunch of b****l criminals had been keeping an eye on her. If she had not mastered some basic martial arts skills, she would have already been tortured to d***h.
"Charity, someone came to visit you."
A yell sounded from outside.
Charity struggled to rise to her feet. No one had come to visit her during this period, not even her parents. Obviously, someone had pulled some strings. At this time, who would be able to pay her a visit?


There is a new means of getting your nicotine fix available, that you have most likely heard of – electronic cigarettes. (At this point you'd have to be living under a rock to not have at least heard of them). We will help you find the best electronic cigarette brands by reviewing some of the top companies in 2015.
Many individuals are very enthusiastic about this means of nicotine delivery, as it is not smoking, but is very similar. It is missing a few of the things that people can't stand about traditional cigarettes, such as the high cost, and the ash tray smell. The one thing they are not lacking is nicotine delivery, and in fact, you have a choice in the strength, and you could potentially have more nicotine in an e-cig as opposed to an analogue (traditional) cigarette.
There's a few aspects which the vaping public absolutely loves about these devices. At the same time, it is still a relatively new product, and all the effects, whether good or bad, are yet to be known, as research is conducted to find out.
There is some urgency into this, because of the massive success and popularity of vapor devices, and they are for obvious reasons being continually compared to tobacco cigarettes, and the jury is still out as to the consensus of the long term impacts and side effects of vaping.
That being said, there are a few things that we do know about them.
We have tested and tried all of the top brands, so we have good data to help provide the best e cig brands that are currently out in 2015. Companies like Vaporfi, Green Smoke, V2 Cigs & South Beach Smoke top our list, but there are plenty of other good brands to choose from. We recommend that you checkout our individual reviews of each company to see which is best for you.
Name-brand e cigs have their detractors for sure. There are plenty of companies that carry generic, low-priced kits with DSE, 510 kits, or KR808D threading. Many consumers will also tell you that there is no substitute for a company providing rewards, guarantees, support, and discounts for their brand-name products.
Many of the top e cig brands from the United States have made their way to different parts of the world. Besides the best brands (those rated the highest by consumers and reviewers) loads of other names have inspired more than five years of vaping joy for former smokers.
They were once in the top 5 and might now even make it to the top 10. Volcano, V2 cigs, White Cloud, Eversmoke, VaporFi, Bull Smoke, and others are all good brands. Triple Seven, Cigavette, Volt, and Square Cig are pretty good products. They just don't find their way to the top five.
Apollo, Green Smoke, Atlantic Cigs, Halo, and South Beach Smoke currently top the charts as the best electronic cigarette brands overall. They have their good and bad points, but when it comes to performance, flavor, and reliability, they deserve respect.
All but Green Smoke provide at least 2 levels of vaping enjoyment. Green Smoke is one of the few companies still not selling blank cartomizers, clearomizers, eGo batteries, or e liquid. Halo makes one of the best e liquids sold in America today: Purity.
South Beach Smoke released 4 vaporizers to accompany their mini cig line. Atlantic Cigs makes sleek batteries, attractive e liquid flavors, and an automatic eGo. At Apollo, their mini cig system is eclipsed by advanced Kanger-style batteries and tanks.
This company continues to promote the environmentally friendly image of vaping to smokers and those who aren't sure about e cigs yet.
Cartomizers are perhaps their biggest selling point. Each one is triple-sealed for freshness and customers frequently comment on how good they taste.
With just 7 flavors, they are not blowing people away with variety, but those choices continue to wow the vaping world.
Adding EVOD style batteries to their starter kit line up, Apollo showed they are interested in competing with the likes of VaporFi when it comes to intermediate e cig technology.
Their e liquid line is made in the USA, and although they only sell 2 flavors of pre-filled cartomizers for their manual or automatic batteries, numerous fruit, tobacco, and sweet styles are ready to fill blanks or clearomizers. Apollo has also been in operation for a long time and shows no sign of slowing down.
The best thing about Halo could be their Triton Tank System.
G6 mini cig kits are excellent too, but vapers rave about the Triton's virtually indestructible build.
Purity e liquids are made using USP bases and frequently incorporate tobacco, targeting the mature ex-smoker with gourmet leanings. Their colors are stunning too.
Vapers have been enthralled with South Beach Smoke e cigs since the earliest signs of celebrity support on late night talk shows.
They have graduated, like a lot of their clients, to vaporizers but have not left the cigalike format behind.
Theirs remains possibly the best mini cig battery on the market with the longest life per charge and their vapor production is excellent. These days, though, vapers are invited to own a Storm, Curve, Air, or Thunder vaporizer or to mix parts from all 4 to create a customized kit.
As the baby of the group, Atlantic has big shoes to fill.
They have surpassed other major brands to find their way into one of the top spots.
Lovely liquids like Glasgow Black Tea probably have something to do with it. So does their innovative automatic 650-mAh eGo battery.
You don't have to switch over to the manual style just because mini cigs lost their appeal. Another great feature is that Portal mini tanks are color coded according to compatible brands like the ones above and many others.
For one thing, they allow vapers to inhale as much nicotine as before. A few products featuring more than 4% nicotine, but most carry up to 2.4%.
As time goes on, vapers toy with the idea of reducing nicotine. Nicotine can be deadly to certain people. Reactions include feeling jittery, changes in mood, sleep patterns, and appetite.
You know when you can't do without a substance that it's changing your brain chemistry the way any drug does whether it's heroin, nicotine, or caffeine. Nicotine withdrawal causes some people to feel physically sick.
It's possible to reduce nicotine slowly with e cigs. The usual increment is 8 mg per ml, but e liquids come in even smaller increments: 2 mg or 3 mg in some cases. Eventually, an ex-smoker can eliminate nicotine completely from his life by choosing from our list of the best electronic cigarette brands.
The term you use as an e cig user is "vaping" because you don't inhale smoke. You inhale vapor. Try a disposable e cig, tobacco or menthol, from a garage or corner store costing anything from $4 to $11.
Borrow a vaping pen from a friend or relative. Start small before you invest in a bundle of chargers and batteries. Brands aren't all interchangeable, so it's best to find exactly the right design, feel, and flavors using one-time e cigs as a starting point.
Soon you are ready to buy an e cig bundle. Contents include rechargeable batteries, chargers, and atomized cartridges of e liquid. The battery triggers a coil to heat up, like a coil on your stove top.
Often, you customize to some extent: select a battery size, color, or format (automatic or manual) and flavors of cartomizers. Manual batteries start heating up when you press a button. Automatic ones heat up when you draw on the end so they always remain on stand-by.
A typical selection of flavors for new vapers includes at least one menthol/mint, one or more tobacco styles, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and a fruit or two. Quality two-battery kits start at $30 and go up to $55, but you should be able to find a reliable model for around $45. Look at White Cloud, Halo, Apollo, and Volcano for inspiration.
When you smoked, it was easy: light up and puff, light up and puff. You have to recharge e cig batteries. One of them must always be in the charger because they run out of power in as little as 2 hours. Remain prepared and you won't be left without an e cig, suddenly desperate for a smoke. It's important that you pick one of the top e cig brands so that you get the highest quality.
The next class of e cig is an eGo named for the first of its kind made by JoyeTech. It's like a manual mini cig but thicker and longer. While the power rating for a cigalike is usually up to 280 mAh, eGos start at 350 mAh with a more conventional low of 650 mAh and a high of 1600 mAh. Vape for half a day or maybe two full days if the charge is full.
If holding a metal pen and puffing is still odd for you, an eGo will be too big. Even with their stylized mouthpieces that are comfortable between your lips, it takes time to adapt. Be patient with yourself and start by reserving eGos for home and using cigalikes in public.
American firms like Volcano, South Beach Smoke, Halo, and Apollo all make their own types of eGo-style e cigs. You might also want to trust Innokin, JoyeTech, and Kanger; Chinese manufacturers trusted by countless vape vendors.
If you find even eGos are failing to satisfy your curiosity or need for power, think about taking a step forward. The buttons on Advanced Personal Vaporizers are there to give you control over the amount of vapor you produce and the warmth or smoothness of vapor in your mouth. They allow a user to change atomizer resistance according to the power output of a device. As devices become really advanced, it's possible to push resistance so low it's almost zero.
It might be time for a variable voltage/variable wattage vaporizer. These are made by VaporFi, Kanger, Sigelei, JoyeTech, Innokin, and others. The range can be minimal: just up to 11 watts or 6 volts.
Your resistance might still be around 1 ohm. Start small and learn about the way these devices operate, asking questions and exploring the risks. If a product is going to get really hot, make sure there are fail-safes which turn it off before an expensive piece of equipment melts or even catches fire.
Will your atomizer be protected against a shorted circuit? Is there reverse battery protection? Innokin is an excellent brand for someone at the high-intermediate to low-advanced stage. Their many variable power devices include the Cool Fire, VV V3.0 Express, and MVP.
Today's hottest items are variable watt mods, often in box shape, like the iTaste MVP but bigger and more powerful. They contain protective chips, feature bright LED screens, and their buttons allow you to change voltage or wattage through a much bigger range than usual. Sigelei and Pioneer4You have both developed 150W box mods for 0.2-ohm atomizers and cloud chasing capabilities. They are excellent for use with RDAs and for dripping vegetable glycerin-only juices the average atomizer cannot handle.
Other notable brands making VW mods are Cloupor, SmokTech, ELeaf, and VaporFi. Many small companies are building limited edition box mods, some covered in hand-carved wood or ornately machined metal. Making DIY box mods is a possibility for vapers with electronics experience.
Copyright © 2019 Electronic Cigarettes.


Will Wenger reign in what could be his last season?
Approaching 20 years in charge at Arsenal, the upcoming season represents perhaps Arsene Wenger's most important. Should he call time in May to a wonderful managerial career with the North London club, he will go down as their most successful manager to date. However, as Manchester United experienced long after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, questions will remain as to the state of the club in the post-Wenger era.
In June 2013, Ivan Gazidis told a room full of journalists, "we can compete with any club in the world". A statement of intent that Arsenal could match the biggest clubs in world football - both on and off the pitch. Since then, the club has signed Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and this summer, Granit Xhaka, for the three highest fees in Arsenal's 130-year history.
Although the signings have certainly hinted at the club's ever-growing spending power, with approximately £160million in the bank, the Gunners simply cannot afford to let the signing of a world-class player become a yearly occasion. As with recent transfer windows, there is an air of resignation among Arsenal fans that this summer will be another missed opportunity to compete with league rivals (who are seemingly trying to outspend each other) and to plug the remaining gaps in our squad, which were horribly exposed last season.
At £35million, Granit Xhaka is a superb addition to the squad. The midfielder gained the plaudits this summer, having guided Switzerland to the last 16 of Euro 2016. With the ability to pass the ball between the lines, Xhaka will be vital in sharing the burden on Ozil and Cazorla of driving the team forward. The Swiss star also adds some much-needed steel to the side.
With injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel in pre-season, the need to bring in an experienced defender to partner Laurent Koscielny has never been more apparent. Whilst Rob Holding has been drafted in from Bolton, it would be premature to expect the young defender to dominate the Premier League. Moreso, Calum Chambers, who could do with a season-long loan and the opportunity to play regularly. Having been strongly linked to Shkodran Mustafi, the German would be exactly the type of defender that Arsenal need to replace Per Mertesacker.
Another area that Arsenal need to make changes in is attack. With the majority of goals last season coming from Olivier Giroud, who himself had a 19-game goalless run, and Alexis, who has run himself into the ground for the past two seasons, it is painfully apparent that Arsenal need more goalscorers. Add to this Mesut Ozil creating more goal-scoring chances than any player in the Premier League last season and it's evident the team is crying out for a clinical striker. With a failed first bid for Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette, it remains to be seen whether the club will move for the striker but following Arsenal's pursuit of both him and Jamie Vardy, it appears that the club are keen to address this issue.
This season presents many opportunities for Arsene Wenger: to strengthen the team; cement his legacy; and ensure that Arsenal can compete with Europe's elite. However, if this summer window sees no further investment in the squad, there is a very real risk that both Arsene Wenger and Arsenal Football Club will be left behind by the Premier League's big spenders. Let's hope that for the sake of his and the club's future, he can get it right.
Good article. Looks like we're signing Mustafi. C'mon AW, get it done!!!
Where Will Arsenal Finish in the Premier League?
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