According to EU policy, anyone in need of palliative care should be able to have access to it. It is therefore important to investigate which palliative care topics are subject to legislation and regulations in Europe and how these are implemented in (national) health care plans. This paper aims to deliver a structured overview of the legislation, existing regulations and the different health care policies regarding palliative care in seven European countries.
In 2008 an inventory of the organisation of palliative care was developed by the researchers of the Europall project. Included were two open questions about legislation, regulations, and health policy in palliative care. This questionnaire was completed using palliative care experts selected from Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Additionally, (grey) literature on palliative care health policy and regulations from the participating countries was collected to complete the inventory. Comparative analysis of country specific information was performed afterwards.
In all countries palliative care regulations and policies existed (either in laws, royal decrees, or national policies). An explicit right to palliative care was mentioned in the Belgium, French and German law. In addition, access to palliative care was mentioned by all countries, varying from explicit regulations to policy intentions in national plans. Also, all countries had a national policy on palliative care, although sometimes mainly related to national cancer plans. Differences existed in policy regarding palliative care leave, advance directives, national funding, palliative care training, research, opioids and the role of volunteers.
Although all included European countries have policies on palliative care, countries largely differ in the presence of legislation and regulations on palliative care as well as the included topics. European healthcare policy recommendations should support palliative care access across Europe.
What kinds of laws or other regulations (national/regional) regarding palliative care exist in the participating European countries?
Is there a national and/or regional health policy regarding palliative care and how is this implemented?
What palliative care topics are subject to health policy regulation and plans?
The design and performance of this study comprised four phases. As a first step, in 2008, an inventory for the organization of palliative care was developed including a questionnaire with open questions. A careful process of agreement on definitions and terms, including the preparation of a concise glossary of terms  preceded the questionnaire to allow for the comparison of data between the different countries. The glossary and the questionnaire were completed during several project work conferences with all participating partners. In summer-fall of 2008 the partners of each participating country were asked to complete the inventory for his/her country, including two questions about legislation and national policy on palliative care.
Secondly, the partners contacted national palliative care experts in their country. In total, up to 6 to 12 key persons per country were consulted to further complete the questionnaire, taking into account the glossary of terms (professors in palliative care, professional care providers as well as policy makers/developers from palliative care organizations). Experts were approached using the network of the Europall research group.
Thirdly, (grey) literature was performed to further add to the information provided by the experts. This literature search focused on specific information per country because regulations and health policy are likely to be published in national or regional reports from official bodies (e.g. palliative care reports in each country, publications of palliative care organizations). In addition, experts handed over policy reports. Inclusion of grey literature was restricted to reports from government agencies or scientific research groups, white papers, or websites from national organizations and limited to the seven participating countries. Internet databases such as Medline, PubMed and Google scholar were searched for extra information about palliative care policies in the participating countries, using snowball sampling which has been considered fruitful for the inventory of complex policy interventions .
Fourthly, a comparative analysis of the completed surveys was performed. Because the analysis of answers to the sub-question on finances turned out to be a complex separate study field, it was decided not to include this in the analysis for this manuscript. Phases are summarized in Table 1.
2. Is there a national and/or regional health policy regarding palliative care in your country?
-Is it dedicated for palliative care?
-Additional snowball sampling based on pubmed search, expert consultation, internet search.
Comparative analysis based upon the country specific information.
For the involved countries, ethical approval was not required as this study was based on reviewing published and unpublished literature and consultation of experts.
Germany was the first country to have specific laws concerning palliative care; Social Code Book XI as well as V/§39a (introduced in 1997) cover regulations for palliative care . In 1997, insured persons were entitled to allowances for inpatient or day care in hospices. In 2001, these regulations were extended to the delivery of outpatient palliative care by hospice services, including the services of hospice palliative care volunteers visiting the patients at their homes or elsewhere. Following the Statutory Health Insurance Competition Strengthening Act (SHI-CSA)  of April 2007, new paragraphs were inserted in the Social Code Book V, entitling patients, including children, to outpatient specialist palliative care when needed. The German guidelines for specialised palliative home care services (SAPV), developed by G-BA (Federal Joint Committee) came into force in March 2008. They include the aims of SAPV, requirements of the teams (qualification, multi-professionalism, organisation), content and extent of services, and quality assurance. SAPV teams and the delivery of care must fulfil detailed criteria in order to receive remuneration from statutory health insurers.
In France, law 99–477 of 9 June 1999  was designed to ensure the right to adequate access to palliative care and supportive care for any citizen requiring this care. All hospital units and other healthcare institutions are obliged to provide pain and palliative treatment. Patients are allowed to refuse further investigations or treatment. Caregiver's leave is stipulated for any ascendants, descendants or persons living in the home of a patient requiring palliative care (this measure has been applied only since 2010). The law 2005–370 of 22 April 2005  (concerning patient rights and the end-of-life) allows, at the terminal or advanced phase of an incurable and serious disease, the possibility, after informing the patient or the patient's representative ("person of confidence"), to relieve the patient's suffering by a treatment which, as a side effect, can shorten the patient's life. It authorises "advance directives" indicating the person's wishes concerning his/her end of life and defining the conditions of limitation or discontinuation of treatment. The doctor is required to take these wishes into account when they have been expressed during the previous three years. The law also specifies that hospitals and other healthcare establishments must identify the departments in which palliative care is dispensed. In addition, every department needs to define how many employees have had specific training in palliative care and how many beds are identified as palliative care beds. A circular  published in March 2008 by the French Ministry of Health contain regulations for dedicated palliative care beds, mobile hospital support teams, palliative care units, home hospitalisation and palliative care networks. In the French system, which clearly distinguishes between hospital (predominantly public/quasi-public) and primary care (predominantly private), palliative care networks are important to maintain continuity between healthcare organisations and home care.
The Belgian law concerning palliative care, enacted in 2002 , declares that every citizen has the right to receive palliative care (and/or information about it), to receive information about his illness and warrants the accessibility to palliative care. The law defines palliative care as the total care provision for patients whose life threatening disease no longer responds to curative therapies. The major aim is to offer the patient and his/her next of kin as much quality of life as possible and a maximum of autonomy. For the support of these patients, multidisciplinary care on physical, psychiatric, social and moral level is considered pivotal. A broad commission has to report the implementation and the improvement of different palliative care deliveries to the government every second year, and annual progression reports are delivered by the Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs. The same year 2002 euthanasia was legalised in specific circumstances . One precondition for the use of euthanasia is that the physician always needs to inform the patient about palliative care. Since 1993 many initiatives have been undertaken in Belgium at a federal and at community level to enable and support palliative care. There are Royal Decrees about palliative care, which can be considered as detailed guidelines for palliative care networks, hospital support teams and palliative home care teams. They stipulate what services are necessary, their geographical distribution, conditions and minimum criteria for staff, the content of their work, and sometimes funding of different palliative care services .
England, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain do not have specific palliative care laws, but palliative care is mentioned in general health care laws. In Spain the care for the chronically ill and terminally ill is mentioned in a law about the National Health System  and in Poland insured persons are entitled to palliative care in the law on Universal health insurance. In the Netherlands palliative care is considered a part of the regular health care legislation (e.g. the Dutch Act of Agreement on Medical Treatment; WGBO) . A Euthanasia law exists (Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide; published in 2002), stating amongst others that no reasonable alternative should be available for patients (although palliative care is not explicitly mentioned). In Poland there is a statement in the Code of Medical Ethics that obliges doctors to care for patients with incurable diseases and that offers patients the possibility to resign from intensive care at the end stage of incurable diseases. In England the Mental Capacity Act of 2005  is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which applies in England and Wales and came into force in April 2007. Its primary purpose is to provide a legal framework for acting and making decisions on behalf of adults who lack the capacity to make particular decisions for themselves. In Poland there is a statement in the Code of Medical Ethics that obliges doctors to care for patients with incurable diseases and that offers patients the possibility to resign from intensive care at the end stage of incurable diseases.
In Spain, a Royal Decree (1030/2006)  determines the specific (not only palliative care) services to be provided in each health care sector as well as the mechanism for their modernisation and improvement. It defines the fundamental principles to guarantee the availability and equal access to palliative care at both the primary and secondary levels of care. An overview of the palliative care regulations is presented in Table 2.
Point in Code of Medical Ethics: obligation for care for patient with incurable diseases and the possibility of resign from intensive care at the end stage of incurable diseases.
As palliative care and its provision is defined in the Belgian legislation  and several Royal Decrees act as healthcare organisation guidelines for the different palliative care services, there is no separate national palliative care policy. The National Cancer Plan  (March 2008) however states that the expansion of palliative care shall be actively supported. Palliative care has gained increased recognition within the policy arena in the United Kingdom. The so-called 1995 Calman-Hine Report was crucial in influencing plans for service development in cancer. Since the year 2000, several important national and regional initiatives have been launched to promote access to end-of-life care and to improve quality of care, including the NHS Cancer Plan of September 2000; an action plan to include palliative care in 34 regional cancer networks; the 'NICE clinical guidance on supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer (2004)'  The End of Life Care initiative (launched 2003) incorporating the Gold Standards Framework (GSF), the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for the dying patient, and the Preferred Place of Care tool (PPC); The End of Life Care Programme  comprising a comprehensive framework aimed at improving high quality care across the country for adults in the last phase of life; and the initiative "Better care: Better Lives" improving outcomes and experiences for children, young people and their families living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions" .
According to the palliative care law of 1999 , structures and organisation of palliative care and pain management must be described in the French regional health organisation plans (SROS). The SROS must determine the resources (such as mobile palliative care teams, palliative care units, home hospitalisation beds, palliative care networks) necessary to achieve the set objectives. In addition, palliative care was the subject of three governmental plans in France (1999–2001, 2002–2005 and 2008–2012). Following the Law of April 2005 , the Ministry of Health created a national surveillance committee on the development of palliative care and end of life supportive care in 2006. In 2008, this committee proposed a national policy for the development of palliative care, accompany the implementation and deployment of this policy, and evaluate application of legislative and regulatory texts concerning palliative care and end of life supportive care. A third Governmental plan  for the development of palliative care (2008–2012) was launched in 2008 for the further development of intra- and extramural palliative care, to pursue the development of training and research in palliative care and to improve the development of support and training for the paramedics.
In 2005, the German Bundestag officially declared the improvement of palliative care as a priority. The coalition treaty (CDU, CSU, and SPD) mentioned palliative care for the first time stating "that there is a particular need for improvement in the care and treatment of people in the final stages of their lives. Many people, even patients with serious illnesses, would like to be cared for at home to the very end, so the offered services should take this need into account. For this reason, the legal provisions governing the services, the contractual rights and obligations and the funding of statutory health and long-term care schemes must include rules designed to guarantee better palliative care" . Health care reform was declared one of its top priorities for 2006 and in November 2005 they stipulated, among others, the promotion of incentives for better coordination of care, to raise efficiency and to improve quality of care . As a result the entitlement to out-patient specialist palliative care was implemented in a law in the next electoral term (Statutory Health Insurance Competition Strengthening Act (SHI-CSA)).
For 1998–2003 the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport initiated a stimulation programme. The underlying principle was that palliative care should be provided as much as possible by doctors, nurses, care workers and other care providers who work in regular non-private facilities. In this way access and availability to palliative care should be improved. The stimulation programme encompassed encouragement of research and innovative projects, promotion and guidance of palliative care and stimulation of the integration of hospice facilities. In 2007 the secretary of the Ministry of public health, welfare and sports did a proposal for a new national program 2007–2010 Palliative care Plan' (Plan van Aanpak Palliatieve Zorg' ) with three main topics: the organisation and finance of palliative care, the improvement of quality and transparency of palliative care and education and palliative care competencies (extra training).
There is no separate national palliative care plan as such in Poland. For the years 2005–2010 palliative care was included into the National Cancer Program, which allows the development of palliative care in-patient and out-patient services included into oncology units by financing support. Each oncology centre (usually situated in each capital of the province) should have a palliative care inpatient and outpatient unit or at least a hospital support team when formation of a separate palliative care unit is impossible. Although there is no national policy, the person responsible for the organisation of palliative care is the National Consultant of palliative medicine with regional consultants in each province (Voivodes). The National Consultant of palliative medicine (a physician with a specialty in palliative medicine) focuses on developing palliative care in each administrative district with access to at least an out-patient unit and home care. The Spanish regulations about palliative care have followed most principles and recommendations made by international organisations. This resulted in the National Palliative Care plan which was enacted in 2001  and conceived to care for all patients in need of palliative care within the public sector. According to the vision of the plan, palliative care is to be nationwide available, on a free basis, and with no distinctions of territory, economic resources or accessed information . The National Palliative Care Plan also regulates the use of opioids for symptom control in the incurably ill and pays attention to non-cancer patients. A regional palliative care plan exists, or is under development, in several autonomous communities (15 of the 17 autonomous communities have some type of regional palliative care plan). On March 17th 2007 the Palliative Care Strategy of the National Health System, conceived as a tool for implementing the national plan and to support Autonomous Communities in the implementation of their regional programmes , was approved by the Inter-territorial council. The National Strategy seeks to reduce differences between regions in order to make palliative care thoroughly available within the national health system across the country. An overview of the palliative care policy plans can be found in Tables 2 and 3.
Third Governmental plan 2008–2010: for further development of intra- and extramural palliative care.
There is no national palliative care plan.
- To pursue the development of formation in palliative care and of research in palliative care.
A regional palliative care plan exists, or is under development, in several autonomous communities.
2005–2010: PC is included into the National Program of Cancer Treatment.
In this study covering seven European countries, the following topics appeared as subject to regulations and palliative care plans: definition of palliative care, rights to palliative care, access to palliative care, palliative care provision, quality assurance, patient allowances, palliative care leave, advanced directives, funding of services, palliative care research and training, and opioids availability. Three countries (Belgium, France and Germany) have specific laws on palliative care mostly to ensure the right of access to palliative care. An explicit right to palliative care was mentioned in the Belgium and in the French law. Access to palliative care and palliative care provision was mentioned by all countries, varying from explicit regulations to policy intentions in national plans. Also, all countries have a national policy on palliative care, although sometimes mainly related to national cancer plans (see Table 4). Of the seven investigated countries, five countries have specific national palliative care plans, although the content differs (see Table 5). Similarities in England, Germany, Netherlands and Spain are that they deal with quality assurance whereas research in palliative care is mentioned in the French, Dutch and Spanish policies. Differences relate to policy on access to and use of opioids. Variations in palliative care training for staff and volunteers as well as funding of palliative care also exist. In all countries there are regulations (either in laws, royal decrees, national policies) about patients' financial contribution to palliative care (often almost free of costs). Other regulations exist on treatment relationship or planning and financing of palliative care services (Belgium and Spain), as does the 'Agreement Palliative Terminal Care' in the Netherlands. In Poland, the national consultant of Palliative Medicine guards the presence of at least one inpatient unit and home care in each administrative district. A palliative care leave was mentioned in three countries, Belgium, France, and Germany.
C. General health care laws/ system.
D. National palliative care plans.
Additional note of the authors: after closure of our study, in May 2011, the Spanish government approved a law dedicated to palliative care and the right to a dignified death .
Although a thorough method was used to complete the inventory, it remains difficult to get a complete and actual overview of a whole country. In France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany and Spain, different regions may have developed regional palliative health care policies. In this article, this was solved by giving a general overview with some details for regions with specific regulations. As every country had their own appointed researcher, there are differences in the way the key persons were contacted, how many key persons responded and how the grey literature was consulted. As countries have different health care systems and different cultures conclusions should be interpreted carefully.
In the light of European recommendations [1, 2] on palliative care it should be remarked that palliative care can be concluded a crucial part of health care at a policy level in all countries investigated. Considering that national palliative care programs are part of cancer care in some countries, the status of palliative care in non-cancer care needs further attention in policymaking. The access of patients to palliative care provisions is addressed in all national policies on palliative care. Palliative care training, research priorities, palliative care leave, advance directive procedures, and national funding, however, vary largely between countries and receive future attention. The regulations concerning opioids are explicitly addressed in two national care plans. This calls for future research as a recent ESMO/EAPC study concluded wide variation between (Eastern and Western) European countries in opioid availability . Considering the wide variation in topics addressed in palliative care plans and regulations, it is recommended that a European quality indicator set for palliative care not only addresses outcome parameters but also health policy items. An advantage of such an approach will be that health policy indicators can measure to what extent appropriate preconditions for palliative care delivery to patients are available in a country. Such health policy indicators are relatively easy to establish if one has access to health policy evaluation documents in a certain country. This also offers the opportunity for so-called resource-poor countries to participate, which has been considered a challenge .
A European strategy to stimulate palliative care provision and policy is recommended, provided that differences in cultural and historical backgrounds are taken into account. A 2008 policy report on palliative care in Europe mentioned three possibilities to further develop palliative care: a) an approach in which further developments are considered the sole responsibility of national bodies, b) an approach in which the European Parliament formulates policy recommendations, c) an approach in which the European Union formulates legislation about palliative care . Our study revealed important differences in palliative care policy at national levels at several points. The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) can have an important role in developing and comparing quality indicators for patients in the last phase of life to prepare (European) health policy recommendations for palliative care. This can be considered as first steps to reach consensus on what is good palliative care and how we can make sure that in Europe every patient in need of palliative care has adequate access to it.
This study investigated and compared the legislation, regulations and national palliative care plans regarding palliative care in seven European countries.
European countries differ considerably in their policy on palliative care, partly due to cultural differences and historical influences. A right to palliative care is established in Belgium, France, and Germany, whereas all countries have policies on access to palliative care, palliative care provisions, and patient allowances. Differences exist in policies covering palliative care leave, advance directives, national funding, palliative care training, research, opioid regulations, and volunteering.
KVB: conception and design; acquisition of data; analysis and interpretation; drafting of manuscript; final approval. KW: conception and design; acquisition of data; analysis and interpretation; final approval. NA: conception and design; acquisition of data; analysis and interpretation; final approval. JM: conception and design; analysis and interpretation; critical revision of manuscript; final approval. BJ: conception and design; analysis and interpretation; final approval. YE: conception and design; critical revision of manuscript; final approval. SA: conception and design; final approval. KV: conception and design; critical revision of manuscript; final approval. JH: conception and design; drafting of manuscript; critical revision of manuscript; final approval. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
This study is a part of an international study to define best practices in palliative care in Europe. We would like to thank all the participating researchers from Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain (especially Ms. Silvia Paz Ruiz, Mr. Jean-Christophe Mino, Mr. Eberhard Klaschik, Mr. Wojciech Leppert, Mr. Bill Noble, Mr. Xavier Gomez-Batiste and Mr. Jean-Marc Mollard) and the experts of regional and national organizations that took part in the data collection.
This work was funded by EAHC (Executive Agency for Health and Consumers), PPP2006111. The EAHC did not influence the design and proceedings of the study.
The authors and co-authors have no competing interests.
Belgian euthanasia law. 2012, http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/article_body.pl?language=nl&caller=summary&pub_date=2002-06-22&numac=2002009590#top.
Dutch Treatment Act. 2010, http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0007021/geldigheidsdatum_18-11-2010.
1030/2006 Royal Decree. 2012, http://www.msc.es/organizacion/sns/planCalidadSNS/docs/NHS_palliativeCareStrategy.pdf.
NICE guidance on supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer. 2004, http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CSGSP.
Programme de développement des soins palliatifs 2008–2012, juin 2008. 2012, http://www.sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Programme_de_developpement_des_soins_palliatifs_2008_2012.pdf.
Coalition Agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD, 11 November 2005. 2008, http://www.cdu.de/artikel/gemeinsam-f%C3%BCr-deutschland-mit-mut-und-menschlichkeit-koalitionsvertrag-2005.
Palliative care in the European Union. Policy department economic and scientific policy. Edited by: Martin-Moreno J, Harris M, Gorgojo L, Clark D, Normand C, Centeno C, Brussels . 2008, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/studiesdownload.html?languageDocument=EN&file=21421.


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Marine population structure in an anadromous fish :...
Marine population structure in an anadromous fish : life-history influences patterns of neutral molecular variation in the eulachon, Thaleichthys pacificus McLean, Jennifer Elizabeth
Phylogeography, historical demography, conservation of biodiversity and the influence of life-history on intraspecific population structure may be investigated with molecular genetic data, in particular, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellites. Due to the apparent decline in size of a number of populations, eulachon, Thaleichthys pacificus, have recently become the focus of a conservation movement in the northeast Pacific. Little is known of the marine life-history phase of this anadromous fish, and although it has been suggested that eulachon spawning in different rivers may form distinct populations, nothing is known of their population structure. Both mtDNA and microsatellite loci were employed to investigate population structure and possible management schemes. Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, determined through RFLP analysis of four mitochondrial genes, were resolved in fish from several rivers throughout the geographic range of eulachon. My data support the idea that extant eulachon populations result from post glacial dispersal from a single Wisconsinan glacial refuge. Further, while three of the thirty-seven haplotypes recovered account for approximately 79% of the samples, many private haplotypes were observed, suggesting possible regional population structure. While a great deal of genetic variation was observed (37 haplotypes in 315 samples), an AMOVA showed that more than 97% of the total variation was detected within populations. Eulachon populations seem to be structured in a manner much more similar to marine species than anadromous species, which may be due to some unusual life-history characteristics. MtDNA results were tested against predictions made from hypotheses concerning the origin and persistence of sub-divided populations in marine species, and seem to be consistent with both the Member-Vagrant hypothesis and isolation-by-distance. Analysis of five microsatellite loci revealed that microsatellite DNA variation in eulachon is surprisingly low, yet a similar degree of population sub-division as seen with the mtDNA data was observed. Again, this level of structure was consistent with what is generally observed in marine species. Isolation-by-distance was not supported, but mtDNA data are more sensitive to population sub-division and expected to reveal patterns that nuclear DNA might not. Microsatellite data were consistent with a single Wisconsinan glacial refuge in the south. The extremely low variation observed at eulachon microsatellite loci may be due to the nature of the repeat arrays. Only 16% of the microsatellites sequenced contained perfect repeats: a small proportion compared to an average of 60% or higher in salmonids. Although eulachon numbers are declining throughout their range and especially in the southern portion of their distribution, levels of mtDNA diversity are high and microsatellite variation is consistent throughout their range. Recent demographic declines have apparently had little effect on the genetic diversity of eulachon. Despite the adequate levels of genetic diversity, population sub-division is only weakly developed in eulachon. This species represents a common marine situation of high gene flow and indeterminate population boundaries in which the definition of management units is difficult, and factors other than genetic variation must be considered in management or conservation plans.
Marine population structure in an anadromous fish : life-history influences patterns of neutral molecular variation in the eulachon, Thaleichthys pacificus
McLean, Jennifer Elizabeth
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9241
Science, Faculty of; Zoology, Department of
ubc_1999-0371.pdf -- 6.77MB

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Congrats goes out to the writing team of Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III for their win in the "Best Writing In A Television Series" category at last night's Annie Awards ceremony. Along with Seth Green and Matt Senreich, the winning Robot Chicken writing team includes Geoff Johns, Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Breckin Meyer, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick and Hugh Davidson.
Unfortunately, The Clone Wars went home empty handed. Cast members Nika Futterman and Corey Burton lost out to James Hong from Kung Fu Panda Holiday in the voice acting category. Kung Fu Panda Holiday also bested TCW in the category of best television production. The aforementioned Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III writing team edged out TCW scribe Daniel Arkin.
The full list of winners can be viewed at the official site of the Annie Awards.
July 12, 2011 Buy Robot Chicken: SW Episode III Today!
December 6, 2010 TCW Nominated For 4 Annie Awards!


Li Z, Sakamuru S, Huang R, Brecher M, Koetzner CA, Zhang J, Chen H, Qin CF, Lin Q, Zhang QY, Zhou J, Kramer LD, Xia M, Li HM. Erythrosin B is a potent and broad-spectrum orthosteric inhibitor of the flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease. Antiviral Res. 2018;Feb(150):217-225.
Brecher M, Li Z, Liu B, Zhang J, Koetzner CA, Alifarag A, Jones SA, Lin Q, Kramer LD, Li H. A conformational switch high-throughput screening assay and allosteric inhibition of the flavivirus NS2B-NS3 protease. PLoS Pathog. 2017;13(5):e1006411.
Li Z, Brecher M, Zhang J, Sakamuru S, Liu B, Huang R, Koetzner CA, Allen CA, Jones SA, Deng YQ, Chen H, Gao F, Qin CF, Lin Q, Banavali N, Zhou J, Boles N, Xia M, Kramer LD, Li HM. Existing drugs as potent and broad-spectrum inhibitors for Zika virus by targeting NS2B-NS3 interaction. Cell Research. 2017;Aug 27(8):1046-1064.
Liu LH, Chen H, Brecher MB, Li Z, Wei B, Nandi B, Zhang J, Ling H, Winslow GM, Braun J, Li HM. Pfit is a structurally novel Crohn's disease-associated superantigen. PLOS Pathog. 2013;9(12):e1003837.
Wang LM, Zhao YW, Li Z, Guo Y, Kranz DM, Mourad W, Li HM. Crystal structure of a complete ternary complex between TCR, superantigen, and Class II MHC molecule. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2007;14(2):169-171.
Zhou Y, Ray D, Zhao Y, Dong H, Ren S, Li Z, Guo Y, Bernard KA, Shi PY, Li HM. Structure and function of flavivirus NS5 methyltransferase. J Virol. 2007;81(8):3891-3903.


This is not how I imagined my mani would turn out at all when I sat down to do it. I'd decided to have a got at one of my least favourite techniques: taping. I don't often get it right so this time I was trying to be super patient and wait for well over an hour for my base colour to dry. Then my plan was to have three wide bands of colour separated by thin lines of striping tape. I positioned my striping tape, painted on my bands of colour but when I removed the striping tape it pulled up my freshly painted bands of colour leaving ratty edges. The polishes were still wet but had obviously dried just enough while I'd been painting on the other colours that they didn't come up cleanly.
Needless to say by this point I was tired, fed up and hating striping tape. I also had no plan for my mani and decided to go for something quick, simple and freehand – basically whatever popped out of my head when the base colour was dry. What came out of my head was spirals -fun and simple. Not necessarily the most inspiring mani ever or the most complicated but I quite liked the result and it made me feel a bit better about my striping tape nightmare!
Over the weekend I made Chinese egg tarts (which were delicious!) and did a New Year mani. I was a but stuck for ideas so I started with a subtle red gradient using a dark red and an orangey red. I knew I wanted a horse shape on one nail but was worried a silhouette (as I was originally thinking of doing) may turn out fairly unrecognisable! So I trawled google images for a nice simple horse to copy and found some lovely line drawings of horse heads. I managed to get it right first time which I was surprised and happy about! Maybe my freehand painting skills aren't as rusty as I thought.
The other nails just got a bit of a gold glitter gradient on them so my horsey accent nail would stand out!
This one was a challenge! I didn't have a clear idea of what to do so simply looked up the word 'geometric' on google images.This image was the first to inspire me and I set about trying to recreate it on my nails. It was not an easy task by any means and all the lines and angles in the pattern started to make my head spin.
Although the finished mani may not look all that much like my inspiration image I quite like it – it reminds me of stained glass and a 1920s Art Deco inspired mani I did for the Time Periods challenge earlier in the year.
I used: Borrowed and Blue – Essie, Miss Grey – GOSH, If I were a Boy – Essence, Nein Nein Nein OK Fine – OPI, Lady in Black – OPI.
Oh dear, I've got soooo behind on my posts. I have to blame it on this mani – I was really pleased with how it turned out but the photos just didn't come out right – the light was all wrong and you couldn't see the pattern well. My lovely boyfriend spent ages adjusting all the setting in Lightroom trying to get the light to look right and he did a great job of saving the photo but it still looks a bit streaky and with some odd reflections – anyway not having the photo ready to post kind of threw me out of the rhythm of posting and here I am over a week late… Expect a rush of posts over the next day or two!
Anyway – this mani was based on a pattern on a winter scarf which I recently got out of my winter clothes boxes – it's still not cold enough for it here – we're still hitting 27C during the day although the evenings are starting to feel a bit chilly so I'm sure my winter clothes will be needed very soon.
I enjoyed doing the fine pattern on this mani and free handing patterns is a skill I always enjoy improving.
One of the first things I thought of for this day of the challenge was the Amazon and doing something inspired by the rainforest. I didn't want to do animals as that was the previous day of the challenge so I decided to go with the plants of the rainforest instead. I found this illustration which has lovely bold leaves and shapes and thought I'd use it as my inspiration.
I was pretty pleased with how it turned out and might come back to doing some simple leaf shapes again in future as I think they'd make a pretty and simple mani on their own.
I used: Hugo Moss – Catrice, Knightsbridge Green – Nails Inc, Don't Mess with OPI – OPI, Def Defying – China Glaze, Lime Cocktail – Sephora, St . James – Nails Inc, Notting Hill Carnival – Nails Inc, Draycott Place – Nails Inc.
I love Chinese koi paintings – I've always liked fish (to look at – not to eat!) I desperately wanted an aquarium as a child and knew that scuba diving was something I had to learn to do as an adult. I think it's the peaceful movement of the fish that attracts me and those Chinese koi paintings as so simple and beautiful and make me feel almost as peaceful as watching real fish!
So I had great inspiration but my art didn't quite live up to my vision and my fish are not quite as beautiful and peaceful as I'd hoped they'd be. Maybe I was just being a bit too ambitious hoping to recreate the simplicity on such a small scale and still have them look like fish.
I used: My. Boyfriend Scales Walls – OPI and acrylic paints.
The details in this manicure were inspired by the paisley patterns I've seen in Indian sari fabric. I decided to do each little paisley swirl full nail size rather than try to get too much detail and pattern onto each nail which I thought might end up looking messy.
I used: Stylenomics – Essie, Jacob's Protection – Essence, Matte Aqua – BYS, Light blue – Kiko, Def Defying – China Glaze, Don't Mess with OPI – OPI, My Boyfriend scales Walls – OPI.
I'm not doing very well with keeping up with this challenge, so here are my very late Mexican nails. I'd done a Mexican themed mani before the summer for the Round the world Challenge that I participated in, which was a lot more personal and about my experience of living in Mexico. This one is less personal and just some typical Mexican things: a little mariachi, a decorated skull, maracas, cacti and chillis based on this image.
I had fun doing them and was quite pleased with the result.
An image search of the Victorian Era threw up so many possibilities for nail art,but I decided I'd have a try at lace, which I associated with Victorian fashion.
There are so many fantastic lace nail art pictures out there, but this one caught my eye and didn't look totally impossible to, if not recreate at least take some inspiration from. I used a more muted base colour and had a lot of fun trying to create lacy designs. My freehand skills might not be quite as fantastic as the talented artist who did the nails in my inspiration pic, but I'm pretty pleased with the result!
I used: Don't Pretzel My Buttons – OPI, black acrylic paint.


text:
Texas Tractor Trailer Accidents Stop Traffic
A busy week on the state's highways led to a number of Texas tractor trailer accidents. A crash on U.S. Highway 77 near Victoria in South Texas closed the southbound lanes for more than ten hours. The Texas tractor trailer...
September 14, 2015 Continue Reading
Multi-Car Collision in Victoria Texas
On June 11, 2011, Victoria police officers say two adults were hospitalized after a auto collision on North Navarro Street by Salem Road. Reportedly, a black Chevy Tahoe collided with a grey Mercury Milan. Witnesses say the two vehicles did...
June 11, 2011 Continue Reading
Man Hit by SUV in Victoria
On May 17, 2011, sources say a 19 year-old man was hit by a blue Dodge Durango as he was walking across Navarro Street in Victoria, Texas. Reportedly, the driver of the Durango said she was turning left from Oak...
May 20, 2011 Continue Reading
1 Dead and 21 Injured After Bus Crash Outside Victoria
On May 12, 2011, investigators say one person was killed and twenty-one injured after a pickup truck sideswiped a bus forcing it into a light pole near Victoria, Texas. Reportedly, The Valley Transit Greyhound bus was travelling from Houston to...


text:
Artist Talk | San Francisco
Artist Talk by Martha Rosler
Minnesota Street Project
Born and based in Brooklyn, NY, Martha Rosler has created videos, photographs, text installations, and performances since the 1960's, connecting matters of the home and everyday life to issues of the world at large, such as wars fought abroad, centering the politics of womanhood.
Through her photomontage series House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home and videos Semiotics of the Kitchen and Martha Rosler Reads Vogue, this pioneering artist of post-conceptual practice confronts the politics of text/image making and investigates how such politics continue to shape our present, while simultaneously confronting sexism, war, and gentrification.
Martha Rosler has had major exhibitions at institutions including the Jewish Museum, New York (2018); Kunst–museum Basel, Switzerland (2018); the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2012); The New Museum, New York (2000); and the Dia Art Foundation, New York (1989). Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions and Biennials, as well as two Documentas (2007, 1982), and at institutions such as the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C. (2018); the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2018); the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia (2018); the Brooklyn Museum, New York (2015); the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2013); and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2011). Rosler has also published 17 books of photography, art, and writing in several languages. She received Hamburg's Lichtwark Prize (2017), the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), the College Art Association Distinguished Feminist Award (2013), the Guggenheim Museum Lifetime Achievement Award (2010), the Spectrum International Prize in Photography (2005), and three honorary doctorates.


text:
In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples who inhabited Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature, various chronicles, runic inscriptions, personal names, place names, and other sources. This article contains a comprehensive list of Germanic deities outside the numerous Germanic Matres and Matronae inscriptions from the 1st to 5th century CE.

Gods

Goddesses
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%; width: 100%"
!Name
!Name meaning
!Attested consorts and sexual partners
!Attested children
!Attestations
|-
|Baduhenna (Latinized Germanic)
|Badu-, may be cognate to Proto-Germanic *badwa- meaning "battle." The second portion of the name -henna may be related to -henae, which appears commonly in the names of matrons.
|None attested
|None attested
|Tacitus's Annals
|-
|Bil (Old Norse)
|Contested
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Beyla (Old Norse)
|Proposed as related to "cow," "bean," or "bee."
|Byggvir
|None attested
|Poetic Edda
|-
|Dís (Old Norse)
|"goddess"
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda
|-
|Eir (Old Norse)
|"Peace, clemency" or "help, mercy"
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Ēostre (Old English)
|"East" (Gives her name to Easter according to Bede).
|None attested
|None attested
|De temporum ratione
|-
|Freyja (Old Norse) (See List of names of Freyja for more)
|"Lady"
|Freyr, Óðr
|Hnoss, Gersemi
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, Sörla þáttr
|-
|Frigg (Old Norse)
|Derived from an Indo-European root meaning "Love"
(Gives her name to Friday, as the Germanic equivalent of Venus).
|Odin (consort), Vili, Vé
|Baldr, Höðr
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Historia Langobardorum, Second Merseburg Incantation
|-
|Fulla (Old Norse)
|Possibly "bountiful"
|None attested
|None attested
|Second Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Gefjun (Old Norse)
|Related to "giving"
|Skjöldr, unnamed jötunn
|Four oxen
|Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga, Völsa þáttr,
|-
|Gersemi (Old Norse)
|"Treasure, precious object"
|None attested
|None attested
|Heimskringla
|-
|Gerðr (Old Norse)
|"Fenced in"
|Freyr
|Fjölnir (Heimskringla)
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla
|-
|Gná (Old Norse)
|Possibly related to Old Norse Gnæfa, meaning "to project"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Gullveig (Old Norse)
|Contested
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda
|-
| (Latinized Germanic)
|Possibly "marriage"
|Possibly Hercules Magusanus
|None attested
|Votive stone from the Netherlands (CIL XIII 8705)
|-
|Hariasa
|Possibly related to the valkyrie name Herja or meaning "goddess with lots of hair"
|None attested
|None attested
|Stone from Cologne, Germany (CIL XIII 8185)
|-
|Hlín (Old Norse)
|Possibly related to the Old Norse term hleinir, itself possibly meaning "protects"
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Hludana (Latinized Germanic)
|"The famous"
|None attested
|None attested
|Votive stones from the Netherlands and Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
|-
|Hnoss (Old Norse)
|"Treasure"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Hretha (Old English)
|Possibly "the famous" or "the victorious"
|None attested
|None attested
|De temporum ratione
|-
|Idis (Old Norse)
|well-respected and dignified woman
|None attested
|None attested
|Merseburg charms
|-
|Ilmr (Old Norse)
|Potentially related to Old Norse ilmr, a masculine noun meaning "pleasant scent"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda, skaldic poetry
|-
|Iðunn (Old Norse)
|Possibly "ever young"
|Bragi
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Irpa (Old Norse)
|Possibly relating to "dark brown"
|None attested
|None attested
|Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga
|-
|Lofn (Old Norse)
|Potentially related to "Praise"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Nanna (Old Norse)
|Possibly "mother" from nanna, or potentially related to nanþ-, meaning "the daring one"
|Baldr
|Forseti
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum, Chronicon Lethrense, Setre Comb
|-
|Nehalennia (Latinized Germanic)
|Possibly "she who is at the sea"
|None attested
|None attested
|Votive altars discovered around what is now the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands
|-
|Nerthus (Latinized Germanic, from Proto-Germanic *Nerthuz)
|Latinized form of what Old Norse Njörðr would have looked like around 1 CE.
|None attested
|None attested
|Germania
|-
|Njörun (Old Norse)
|Possibly related to the Norse god Njörðr and the Roman goddess Nerio
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry
|-
|Norns (Old Norse)(Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld)
|Unknown
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, skaldic poetry
|-
|Rán (Old Norse)
|"Theft, robbery"
|Ægir
|Nine daughters
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna
|-
|Rindr (Old Norse)
|Possibly related to *Vrindr
|Odin
|Váli
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Gesta Danorum
|-
|Sága (Old Norse)
|Possibly "to see"
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, skaldic poetry
|-
|Sandraudiga (Latinized Germanic)
|"She who dyes the sand red."
|None attested
|None attested
|North Brabant stone
|-
|Sif (Old Norse)
|"In-law-relationship"
|Thor
|Þrúðr, Ullr
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Sigyn (Old Norse)
|"Victorious girl-friend"
|Loki
|Nari, Narfi and/or Váli
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Sinthgunt (Old High German)
|Contested
|None attested
|None attested
|Second Merseburg Incantation
|-
|Sjöfn (Old Norse)
|"Love"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Skaði (Old Norse)
|Possibly related to Scandia.
|Ullr, Odin, once Njörðr.
|Sæmingr
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Ynglinga saga
|-
|Snotra (Old Norse)
|"The clever one"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Sól (Old Norse), Sunna (Old High German)
|"Sun"
(Gives her name to Sunday).
|Glenr
|daughter, unnamed

|Second Merseburg Incantation, Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Syn (Old Norse)
|"Refusal"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda
|-
|Tamfana (Latinized Germanic)
|Unknown
|None attested
|None attested
|Germania, Tamfanae sacrum inscription
|-
|Þrúðr (Old Norse)
|"Power"
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Karlevi Runestone
|-
|Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr (Old Norse)
|Literally "Þorgerðr Hölgi's Bride"
|None attested
|Hölgi, possibly others
|Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, Skáldskaparmál, Færeyinga saga
|-
|Vár (Old Norse)
|"Beloved"
|None attested
|None attested
|Poetic Edda, Prose Edda
|-
|Vihansa (Latinized Germanic)
|"War-goddess"
|None attested
|None attested
|Votive stone from Belgium (CIL XIII 3592)
|-
|Vör (Old Norse)
|Possibly "the careful one"
|None attested
|None attested
|Prose Edda' 'Poetic Edda Thrymsvitha'
|-
|Zisa
|Possibly related to *Tiwaz|None attested|Possibly Tyr via linguistic connection
|Codex Monac, Codex Emmeran, and Suevicarum rerum scriptores|-
|}

Pseudo-deities and purported deities
 Astrild, a synonym for the Roman deity Amor or Cupid invented and used by Nordic Baroque and Rococo authors
 Frau Berchta, a purported deity and female equivalent of Berchtold proposed by Jacob Grimm
 , a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
 Holda, a purported deity proposed by Jacob Grimm
 Jecha, a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
 Jofur, a synonym for the Roman deity Jupiter invented and used by Nordic Baroque and Rococo authors
 Lahra, a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
 , a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology
 Stuffo, a purported deity potentially stemming from a folk etymology

Related deities
 List of Anglo-Saxon deities
 Common Germanic deities

Notes

References

 Bellows, Henry Adams (Trans.) (1936). The Poetic Edda. Princeton University Press.
 Barnhart, Robert K (1995). The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology. HarperCollins
 Grimm, Jacob (James Steven Stallybrass Trans.) (1888). Teutonic Mythology: Translated from the Fourth Edition with Notes and Appendix by James Stallybrass. Volume IV. London: George Bell and Sons.
 Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press.
 Nordisk Familjebok (1916). Available online:
 North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. Cambridge University Press
 Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell.
 Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. D.S. Brewer.

Deities
Germanic deities
Germanic deities and heroes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: IE8: Expected identifier, string or number I am getting an error Expected identifier, string or number in IE8 referring to line 17 character 21 of the following code:
define(
    [
        "underscore"
    ,   "Backbone"
    ,   "text!assetListingTemplate"
    ]
,   function(_, Backbone, template) {
        "use strict";

        var tmpl = _.template(template);
        var AssetListing = Backbone.View.extend({
            tagName: "li"

        ,   attributes: function() {
                return {
                    id: this.model.cid
                ,   class: this.model.get("type")
                };
            }

        ,   render: function() {
                this.el.innerHTML = tmpl(this.model.attributes);
                return this.el;
            }
        });

        return AssetListing;
    }
);

Which is:
,   class: this.model.get("type")

This error is usually due to a trailing coma in an Object or similar minor formatting issues that IE does not handle gracefully. Perhaps I have been staring at code for too long but I can't see any such issues here, I have even JSLinted it and it failed to find any issues except for not agreeing with my style.
The error is not this.model either as it still occurs if I replace all instances of it for regular strings.
Can any eagle eyes spot what is going wrong here?

A: It doesn't like class since class is a future reserved word as define in ECMAScript2
Put class in quotes "class"
attributes: function() {
                return {
                    id: this.model.cid
                ,   "class": this.model.get("type")
                };
            }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Calyptra albivirgata is een vlinder uit de familie van de spinneruilen (Erebidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1926 door Hampson.

albivirgata


text:
Google Voice comes to iPhone, Palm WebOS devices
By Jose Vilches on January 26, 2010, 13:19
Apple's decision to block Google Voice from its iPhone App Store caused quite a stir last summer. Besides an expected backlash from users, the move prompted the FCC to open an investigation on all involved parties -- Apple, Google, and AT&T. The latter was quick to distance itself from the controversy, insisting they had nothing to do with the block, while Apple claimed the app wasn't rejected, it just hadn't been approved yet.
Several months have gone by and the issue remains unresolved. However, today Google made good on its promise to bring its call routing and calling service to the iPhone "one way or the other" by unveiling a new web-based version that leverages HTML 5's functionality for quick access to Voice's most important features.
The company already had a version of the service available through mobile web browsers; albeit a pretty limited one. The new version is much more interactive, with the ability to listen to voice mails directly from within the browser and to dial phone numbers on an interactive on-screen keypad. You also get access to voicemail transcriptions, free SMS, and of course the ability to answer all of your phone numbers from a single handset. Unfortunately, the web app cannot access your device's contact list so you'll need to import them.
It should be noted that this version of Google Voice has also been optimized work with Palm's webOS devices, and will work with any other HTML5-compliant device, although the formatting at this point has been tailored to Apple and Palm's platforms. Simply go to m.google.com/voice to make cheaper calls from your device.
New study reveals Google and Facebook trackers on vast majority of porn sites
The EU antitrust probe into Amazon is now official, could lead to a $23 billion fine
Prime Day 2019 sales surpassed Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined
6 comments 18 interactions
Over 200 hand-picked Amazon tech deals available right now
Load Comments 6
User Comments: 6
The Nokia 2.2 has a removable battery and is now available in the US for $139


Piper is back and we're so excited!
No matter what situation you're in, the internet should always be a priority.
There's never an occasion when eating waffles won't make you feel good… even when you're in prison.
Always teach your BFF your favourite dance routine.
It's totally acceptable to do an impression of the sassy girl emoji in public.
Harry Potter books are for reading, nothing else.
Never be afraid to stand up for yourself.
You should give up walking and just dance everywhere instead.


Over the last few weeks of Lenten reflections we've considered how we might create space in various areas of our lives like our online selves, with our bodies, and more. This past Sunday was another meaningful conversation as we wrestled with what it looks like to live spaciously and simply with our time. As we explored the difference between the Greek concepts of chronos and kairos, we were invited to learn how every moment can be a gift to be present to. In our culture many of us relate to time through a lens of productivity instead of presence, and our hope is that we'll begin to wake up to the reality that each instant, experience, meal, or conversation is a grace (gift) from God. If you'd like to check this past week's service click here to see the video that was streamed on facebook. This coming week we'll be wrapping up our 'Creating Space' series as Leslie will be leading us in a reflection around what it means to create space with our STUFF. As always there are lots of things going on beyond Sundays in the life of our community, be sure to check it all out!
Good Friday Need and Gathering: This year we're doing something new for our Good Friday service. We'll be hosting (in partnership with Haven Berkeley) an experiential gathering centered on the stations of the cross. We're looking for folks to volunteer for one station and create an experience and posted an explanation of the project here. If you'd like to participate let us know! Our Good Friday gathering will be on Friday April 19th at Chapter 510 from 6-8pm (childcare 6-7).
Easter: We'll be having a special Easter Celebration at our normal Sunday time/location on April 21st- be stoked, like really stoked! ALSO THERE WILL BE AN EASTER EGG HUNT FOR THE KIDDOS!
Stuff Exchange Sunday April 14th: Bring in your "stuff" that you don't need anymore and you'll get to take whatever you want- just make sure it's not garbage. This will be part of our "Creating Space" conversation as we reflect on our relationship to our material "stuff" Afterwards the leftovers will be donated to the City Team Shelter.
Creating Space in our Financial Lives Workshop: Sat April 27th 11AM- 1PM. We've been super fortunate to get connected to a local ministry that provides financial advice for churches without any charge. If you'd like to attend and learn more about how to get better with your finances please RSVP by emailing us back. Space is limited so it's first come first serve.
Life Groups: Oak Life runs two main "sessions" of life groups, one in the Fall and one in the Winter/Spring. Click here to see what groups are running for the Spring session or to sign up.
Got a Prayer request? Every week, the Oak Life Prayer team spends time praying for Oak Life. If you'd like to have us pray for you during the week, please submit your prayer request here, http://bit.ly/oaklifeprayers . Feel free to include your Name and contact info if you'd also like one of us to reach out personally to you. For those who would like to know more info or to join the prayer team, contact monica.a.tzeng@gmail.com.
Volunteering at Oak Life: Pretty much everything that happens in Oak Life is a result of folks from the community participating in making us what we are. If you'd like to check out the places to volunteer click here.
Facebook Group: Got a prayer request or community event you'd like to share? Join our Facebook Group to keep the conversation going. Also, most Sunday's we live stream part of the service!
Community Justice Team: The Community Justice team has just concluded their first meeting and wants YOUR input on issues you feel most concerned about in order to discern our first actions! For those interested in joining the group, meetings take place twice a month on Saturdays from 1-2pm. It's never too late to join in and no prior experience is necessary! Please contact Darren at dfnwell693@gmail.com for more information.
Third Sunday Giving Update: Once a month we give away our entire offering to a local group or cause and it's been super encouraging to see the ways we've been able to join in good work in our community. Over the past 12 months Oak Life has given away almost $8,000!!! This month we heard from and donated $546.2 to Oakland Elizabeth house to support their work with single moms and their families! If you'd like to watch a thank you from some of our third Sunday partners click here.
Homeless Community Support: Oak Life is connected to a local camp community and we're always looking for donations to bring our friends. Current needs include: bottle waters, clipper/bart cards, packs of socks, cold meds, and gift cards. If you'd like to donate, just bring something in on a Sunday and we'll deliver it that week.
Other Stuff? Got ideas for other ways we can serve our community? Want to start a new group? Interested in organizing a hike our outing? Oak Life is a community led church- so let's make it happen. Just shoot us back an email.
Please add chris@oaklifechurch.com to your address book or safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. Oak Life Church 337 17th Street #102, Oakland, CA, USA, Oakland ca 94606 United States.


text:
Book 60s Cover Bands in South Brisbane QLD
Book 60s Cover Bands available for events in South Brisbane, Queensland Change Category
60s Cover Band
Please note we are based on the Gold Coast so if you are in another state or not within 100 klms then there are costs for travelling. EG: To say...
M&J's 50's/90's Duo
Sunshine Coast vocalist/guitarist Michael Schweizer and Brisbane vocalist/guitarist John Cleave, combine to bring back an authentic tribute to the...
Brad Garnett (Gentle Persons Club)🕺🏽Solo 🕺🏽Duo...
Brad is a Brisbane based artist and lead singer/songwriter from Indie Folk band 'Gentle Persons Club' who are currently promoting their Debut Ep 'All...
sisterMISTER covers band
sisterMISTER is an energetic and dynamic band bringing together some of Australia's most talented musicians. Highly sought after both locally and...
Able2Rock
Experienced duo playing song from 60's to 00's and beyond. Over 500 songs currently in repertoire. Suitable for all types of venues and functions.
Zed 28 Rockabilly Band
Zed 28 Rockabilly Band High energy band covering famous Rockabilly and Rock n Roll artists as: Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochrane, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Carl...
Blue 64 are a Brisbane band who originally came together to play rockabilly standards. After 15 years of playing "oldies" they decided to...
The Wanderers Show Band
The Wanderers pay tribute to the two decades where Rock'N'Roll began and the legends who made it all happen. Your venue/event will be brought to life...
The Hip Replacements
Brisbane Cover Band The Hip Replacements are a new and exciting band of experienced musicians dedicated to entertaining audiences with a spectacularly...
BobKats
BobKats are a fab trio playing originals and covers in their own roots style of music. Moreton Bay Blues. Festivals of all descriptions have come...
The 8-Tracks
Born out of a mutual love and respect for the music that came out of Michigan during the late 60's, The 8-Tracks are a Brisbane based 10 piece...
Ruby Gilbert
Ruby Gilbert is a Brisbane/Sunshine Coast based artist specialising in private functions, weddings and corporate events. Ruby can be booked as a...
Disco Bands
African Music Groups
Gentlemen Of The Limit
Gentlemen Of The Limit is a four-piece (usually 4 members and usually gentlemen) band playing a mixture of originals (see the SoundCloud clips and...
Mo' Swagger
Acoustic duo to full band and everything in between... we like to party and play a wide variety of songs and can cater to any audience... specialising...
Sunshine Coast,
60s - 70s Music


TOKYO -- Populations in a total of 1,505 former cities, towns and villages whose municipal government headquarters were abolished due to the so-called "great mergers of the Heisei era" and other measures plunged by an average 17.5 percent between 2000 and 2015, national census data has shown.
The data also shows that the populations in 587 districts where municipal government headquarters were retained dropped by an average 8.1 percent, while the populations in 1,118 cities, towns and villages that were free of any mergers declined by just 9 percent. The survey results highlight an accelerating population drain in "peripheral areas" where central administrative functions have been lost.
The survey figures excluded areas subject to partial or blanket evacuation orders due to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster in 2011 and the volcanic eruption on Miyake Island in 2000.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of cities, towns and villages across the country plummeted from 3,229 in the year 2000 -- before the municipal mergers got into full swing -- to 1,718 by 2014. When taking a close look at areas where municipal government headquarters were abolished, 1,363 areas (90 percent) had seen a population decline in 2015, from a total of around 14.59 million to some 13.11 million.
Specifically, 17 of those areas even saw their populations more than halved, such as the former Miyagi Prefecture town of Ogatsu (the present-day city of Ishinomaki), whose population dropped by 80.5 percent in the wake of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the former Nara Prefecture village of Oto (currently the city of Gojo), which saw a 68.1 percent fall in its population.
Meanwhile, 80 percent of areas where municipal government head offices have been retained saw a population decline, totaling 464 areas. However, their overall populations saw only a slight fall, from around 40.77 million to some 40.15 million.
With regard to municipalities that did not merge with other cities, towns or villages, their total populations climbed from around 63.21 million to roughly 64.44 million, thanks to a population influx into urban cities such as Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. However, more than 70 percent of merger-free municipalities, at 813 municipalities, saw their populations dwindle.
In Tokyo's 23 wards, the population rose an average 21.3 percent, with that in Chuo Ward spiking a whopping 94.7 percent.
Japan's total domestic population stood at roughly 127.09 million in 2015, a marginal rise from the approximately 126.93 million in 2000.


Kalkara and Santa Lucia had reasons to celebrate in the BOV Third Division on Saturday as the former were crowned champions and the latter secured promotion to Division 2 next season.
Kalkara defeated Sta. Venera Ligthnings 2-1 at the Centenary Stadium thanks to goals by Ryan Sell on the 23rd and Timothy Thomas on the 62nd with Conrad Tabone scoring a consolation goal for the Lightnings nine minutes from time.
In another match at the Centenary Stadium, Santa Lucia got the points they needed to gain promotion as they beat Dingli Swallows 2-1. Following a goalless first half, Sebastian Perdomo put Santa Lucia ahead on the 69th and eight minutes later, Andre Joe Cutajar doubled the score with Luke Galea reducing the gap in added time when he converted a penalty.
Msida St. Joseph defeated Luqa St. Andrew's 2-1 in a direct clash between the teams fighting for promotion at the Sirens Stadium. A draw would have been enough for Luqa but Msida claimed the three points to move five points behind them with two games to go. Clint Zammit put Msida ahead on the 45th and doubled the score on the 69th with Lee Baldacchino pulling one back thanks to a penalty two minutes from time.
In another match at the Sirens Stadium, Mtarfa beat Marsaskala 3-1 thanks to goals by Paul Azzopardi on the 28th, an own goal on the 48th and Paul Azzopardi once again on the 62nd with Christian Bordieri reducing the gap for the Southseasiders thirteen minutes from time from the penalty spot.
At the Charles Abela Stadium, Ta' Xbiex earned a point in a 1-1 draw with Kirkop United. Paul Francis Sumaila put Ta' Xbiex ahead on the 63rd but Matthew Cassar equalised five minutes from time.
On the other hand, Mdina Knights came from behind to beat Xghajra Tornados 3-2. Antoine Barbara put Xghajra ahead three minutes from the end of the first half and Royter Degiorgio doubled the score five minutes in the second half. Gilbert Camilleri pulled one back on the 70th, Daniel Cremona equalised on the 74th and four minutes later, Ayrton Buhagiar notched the winner.
Kalkara lead the way with 56 points, followed by Santa Lucia on 49, Luqa 47, Msida 42, Sta. Venera 37, Kirkop and Xghajra 34, Mdina 33, Zurrieq 28, Dingli 19, Mtarfa 16, Ta' Xbiex 14 and Marsaskala 3.


I've served 15 years of my life sentence for a drug crime. Can I go home now?
Late last month, US attorney general Eric Holder announced that the Obama administration would release new guidelines for clemency petitions, opening up the possibility that thousands of people serving long prison sentences for non-violent drug offenses might be released. The guidelines require that applicants have served at least 10 years on a charge that would be prosecuted differently today – a standard which mostly applies to drug charges – and that they have a good prison record, a limited prior arrest record and no ties to organized crime. The author of this op-ed has served 14 years and nine months of her sentence and hopes that she might qualify for clemency.
There is no reduction, no good behavior, that will ever reduce my sentence and allow me to return to society. I know that, unless President Obama (or one of his successors) commutes my sentence, I will die in prison. A life sentence in the federal system is just a very slow death.
I was sentenced in 1999 for a crack cocaine charge. I write this not to boast or brag about the bad decisions I made in my past. I write this because I think I deserve a second chance.
I grew up in a very small town – Terrell, Texas – with four other siblings. My mom was paralyzed in an automobile accident when I was little, so I was raised by my grandmother. I had to assist my grandmother with all my mother's medical needs from a very young age. Life was loving but hard, and we had very little money.
After high school, I started hanging out and, blinded by society and worldly idols, I started trafficking in drugs as an easy way to help my mom pay bills and get the extra things I wanted. I never intentionally or knowingly meant to harm anyone – like a lot of people, I was ignorant of the harm drugs can inflict on users, their families and our communities.
Read More Ive served 15 years of my life sentence for a drug crime. Can I go home now? | Sharanda Jones | Comment is free | The Guardian.
This entry was posted in News from the Soul Brother and tagged Barack Obama, clemency, crime, Eric Holder, first time offense, incarceration, law, Life imprisonment, race, Rockefeller laws, Sharanda Jones. Bookmark the permalink.


May 14:  MommyConATX and MommyConDC VIP tickets are released.
July 9: MommyConOC and MommyConORL VIP tickets are released.
September 17: MommyConSJ VIP tickets are released.
So, in short. First. Buy general admission ticket. Second. Buy VIP bag at a later date. Third. Buy add-on classes with purchase of VIP ticket to get goodie bag and other swag with very limited VIP classes. In the past, I wished I had attended the CottonBabies class! Attendees left with great diaper packages and I hope to get in this year! Get your fast fingers ready. See MommyCon event dates.
MommyCon Atlanta AND Orlando SOLD OUT! Hurry and Get Tickets for Your Venue Before They're Gone!


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TripAdvisor Struggles on Hotel Weakness
It's always hard for a company to reinvent itself, and TripAdvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP) has made a big strategic shift that it found necessary in order to survive in a changing environment in the online travel segment. Many investors have been less than certain about TripAdvisor's ability to stand up to much larger, longer-established players in online travel. Yet that hasn't stopped the company from aggressively moving toward challenging rivals directly by offering customers another way to book the travel services they want.
Coming into Monday's third-quarter financial report, TripAdvisor investors knew that the money that the company would need to invest in restructuring its business and finding growth would weigh on near-term earnings results, but they hoped to see solid gains on the top line. Unfortunately, TripAdvisor's revenue growth wasn't as strong as expected, and the hotel business has proven to be tough to crack for the travel service. Let's look more closely at how TripAdvisor did and what's coming next for the company.
TripAdvisor takes another fall
TripAdvisor's third-quarter results continued the trends that we've seen in previous quarters. Revenue picked up 4% to $439 million, but that was much weaker than the 7% growth that most investors had wanted to see from the online travel service. Adjusted net income was down 36% to $50 million, and although adjusted earnings of $0.36 per share topped the consensus forecast among those following the stock, they still represented a more than 30% drop from the year-ago quarter.
Terrible performance from the hotel segment was the primary detractor from TripAdvisor's performance. Hotel revenue was down 3%, making up about three-quarters of the company's overall business. However, pretax operating income from the hotel segment plunged by nearly half, just barely representing a majority of the money that TripAdvisor brought in during the quarter.
The nonhotel sector still shined for TripAdvisor, helping to cushion the blow to some extent. Revenue for the segment was up by more than 25%, and pretax operating earnings almost tripled from year-earlier levels. The company cited extremely strong growth in the attractions and restaurants areas.
From an operational standpoint, many of TripAdvisor's metrics remained favorable. Monthly unique hotel shoppers climbed 7% to 163 million, and unique visitors on the company's branded websites climbed by 17% to 455 million. TripAdvisor had collected 570 million reviews and opinions from users as of Sept. 30, covering 1.2 million hotels and other accommodations, 780,000 vacation rentals, 4.4 million restaurants, and 875,000 attractions and activities. Interestingly, the number of vacation rentals continued to fall on a sequential basis even as hotels and tourist attractions garnered more reviews. Display-based ads and subscriptions saw slight sales gains, offsetting declines in click-based and transactional revenue. The U.S. market grew faster than Europe and the rest of the world, representing a 56% share of overall sales compared to 28% and 16%, respectively, for the other two units.
What's next for TripAdvisor?
CEO Steve Kaufer tried to keep investors optimistic. "We are making progress on our 2017 initiatives," Kaufer said, noting that "in hotels, we are pursuing profitable long-term revenue growth through an improved shopper experience and a marketing shift to brand-building channels." The CEO also pointed out how attractions will play a key role in nonhotel revenue.
CFO Ernst Teunissen was actually a bit more forthcoming in his comments. "Reigniting near-term hotel growth has been more difficult than expected," Teunissen said. The CFO said that smart cost controls and good results in the nonhotel segment has helped keep the bottom line healthier than it otherwise would have been, even though TripAdvisor is spending considerable resources on television ads. In his words, "We will continue to strike and appropriate balance between near-term growth and profitability."
Still, the future is uncertain. TripAdvisor said that it expects click-based and transactional revenue growth to slow even more in the fourth quarter. The company maintained its guidance for flat to slightly down adjusted pretax operating income for the full 2017 year compared to 2016. 2018 will see many of the same trends continue, and the nonhotel segment will remain a key driver of performance while TripAdvisor keeps working to fight headwinds in building up its hotel business.
TripAdvisor shareholders didn't seem pleased with the way that the company performed, and the stock was down 8% in after-hours trading following the announcement. Until the company can demonstrate that its new business model will work to drive growth in the key hotel segment, TripAdvisor will struggle to make much headway in the increasingly competitive online travel space.
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Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends TripAdvisor. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Action Alert! Help ensure that Ontario's social housing system changes for the better!
The Housing Network of Ontario is urging action by March 31 on significant new legislation that will replace the Social Housing Reform Act.
April 30: Take Two Minutes for Housing!
The Housing Network of Ontario is asking everyone to call their MPP on April 30, urging them to take "bold action to address our housing crisis."


Wyoming covers nearly 98,000 square miles and has 450,000 residents. There are more antelope than people within its borders. Wyoming has the nations's first national park, Yellowstone, first national monument, Devils Tower, and first national forest, Shoshone.
The first road west-the Oregon Trail-sliced what is now the center of Wyoming, and many signs of the pioneer crossing are still visible. Living history programs are presented throughout the summer at Ft. Laramie, Ft. Caspar and Ft. Bridger. This year is the trail's 150th anniversary.
Wyoming often is referred to as the "Cowboy State," and with good reason. There are rodeos, big and small, in just about every town. The professionals all appear at Cheyenne Frontier Days in late July, and this year Gillette is hosting the National High School Finals Rodeo for the first time.
Most popular attractions: Yellowstone National Park (natural); Cheyenne Frontier Days (man-made).
Other top sites: Grand Teton National Park; Jackson Hole region; Devil's Tower National Monument; Wyoming Territorial Park; Ft. Laramie National Historic Site; South Pass City Historic Site; Ft. Bridger State Historic Site; Fossil Butte National Monument.
Top annual events: Cheyenne Frontier Days, July 23-Aug. 1; Grand Teton Music Festival, Teton Village near Jackson, late June to mid-August; Green River Rendezvous, Pinedale, July 9-11; Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, Jackson, mid-September to early October; Ft. Bridger Rendezvous, Ft. Bridger State Historic Site, Sept. 3-6.
Hidden treasure (provided by Gov. Mike Sullivan): "Wyoming has so many treasures, from the Black Hills of eastern Wyoming to the Star Valley in the west and the national parks and monuments in every corner, that it's hard for me to single out one in particular.
"But if I had one hidden treasure to share, it would be the wagon ruts on the Oregon Trail near Guernsey State Park and my hometown of Douglas.


We are looking for our next President!
Natchitoches, Louisiana is a town of just under 19,000 and parish seat to Natchitoches Parish, population 39,000; Natchitoches is home to Northwestern State University. NSU is a regional, public, four-year institution of higher learning that has attracted students to Natchitoches since 1884. Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, having been established 1714; it is also the home of the Cane River National Heritage Area (one of two such Heritage areas in the state), a 33-block Landmark Historic District, the inspiration for—and filming location of—Steel Magnolias, and has hosted the annual Christmas Festival each year for the past 90 years. In addition, Natchitoches has a strong backbone of industry, healthcare, and education; with tourism and retail providing strong employment as well.
Our Chamber, founded in 1919, is looking for its next President. Our outgoing President has served for seven years, following a president that served for 15 years; we value strong leadership and encourage progressive action. Members constitute a diverse representation from across the parish and the Chamber enjoys a positive reputation as a professional organization.


When Ed Henry made the move from CNN reporter to Fox News chief White House correspondent in late June, the liberal watchdog group Media Matters instantly painted him a right-wing blowhard. Now the White House is striking a similar chord. During today's briefing, Henry got into a verbal back-and-forth with White House press secretary Jay Carney over whether President Obama should file a debt plan with the CBO, as John Boehner and Harry Reid have. As a result, Carney dropped the F-bomb: "I know you're creating a thing here for Fox," he snipped.
"That's not what I'm doing," Henry replied indignantly as the press core collectively murmured. "And you know better than that."
The question was a little silly because drafting specific budget plans is typically the job of Congress, not the president, though Henry did suggest that the president could ask a Democratic senator to file a plan with the CBO on his behalf. Regardless, to some it seemed like a low blow by Carney. "Really? Really?" asked Glynnis MacNicol at Business Insider. "This is day 2 for Henry. That the White House thinks it's already okay to attribute his totally normal badgering to the network he works for, for the second day in row, says a great deal more about how the White House views Fox than vice versa."
On Tuesday, the two engaged in a testy back-and-forth where Henry questioned Carney on why a concrete "Obama Plan" on the debt ceiling hadn't been released. Carney accused Henry of carrying water for Republicans.
"I understand that idea that there is not an Obama plan is like point number one on the talking points issued by the Republican Party," Carney said.
"It's not a talking point," Henry replied. "That's unfair. Where is the plan?" After a prolonged back-and-forth, Henry asked if Carney thought there'd be a "depression" if a deal wasn't brokered by August 2. Somewhat derisively, Carney said: "You should go on the air and tell your viewers there's nothing to worry about."
If Carney's treatment was a tad unfair. It was rather mild compared with the strange attack Henry received from Media Matters on the day his hire was announced (prior to the hit piece, the only other Media Matters articles mentioning Henry from 2011 credited him with debunking Republican Darell Issa's "false claim" that the stimulus "didn't create any jobs" and criticizing President Obama's critics for spreading a "myth" about the president's India trip costing $200 million). Apparently Henry is paying the price for switching from a middle-of-the-road news channel to an unadmitted conservative one. One wonders if it will give other journalists pause pondering the same move.


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Free agents with the most to gain by walking (part two of two)
by Aaron Czarnolewski
Derek Lowe may find himself in demand during the offseason. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Lost amid the speculation of where Cole Hamels, Josh Hamilton, and Zack Greinke will end up next season are a handful of "lesser" players. Let's take a look at a few and match them with a team they would fit into seamlessly next spring. Now up: The pitchers.
Hiroki Kuroda – If a player can survive the pressure of New York, he can do pretty well anywhere. And though Kuroda has had a few difficulties this season, they have mostly been overcome. With his track record, even as a relative elder among starting pitchers, Kuroda can find the security of a multi-year deal. He would fit nicely into Los Angeles, though not with the Dodgers, who are busy locking up their current roster. The Angels are the team who needs more depth, especially as Ervin Santana has struggled. The Angels arms race with Texas has already led to overspending this year, and Kuroda could be just one more beneficiary of the quest for the A.L. West.
Edwin Jackson – Has been showing the control that in previous years prevented him from landing a lucrative long-term contract. The fact that he is just one of the Washington Nationals dominant pitchers should in no way deflect on his strong start. This is especially true as Jackson is finally bringing his walk rate down. The Chicago Cubs will come knocking. However, the Atlanta Braves are an even better option. Two of the Braves starters, Jair Jurrjens and Mike Minor, are in the middle of disappointing, and in the case of Jurrjens, injury-plagued seasons. Atlanta also has a nice chunk of money coming off the books after this season is over. While there will be hesitation in dealing with the "big three" of free agency, signing Jackson will still enable the Braves to solidify other areas of weakness.
Derek Lowe – Is the only starting pitcher on the Cleveland Indians with an ERA under four. In fact, he is just one of two starting pitchers, on a team in playoff contention, with a winning record. The Indians, who have gaping holes on offense to fill, cannot afford what would be a reasonable contract offer for Lowe. This pitcher, who has found success in both leagues, will be in demand by a number of teams. There are the Baltimore Orioles, who will most likely make an offer. However, the Milwaukie Brewers, who will soon see Greinke depart, will have the most to offer. Three years ago, they snagged Randy Wolf, who likewise was coming off a one-year-stint with another team. The Brewers are in need of Lowe, who can bring consistency to a team with plenty of questions at the back end of its starting rotation.


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Local Stories February 1, 2022
Conversations with Carrie Cunningham
Today we'd like to introduce you to Carrie Cunningham.
Hi Carrie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I fell in love with music when I received my first clock radio when I was in 2nd grade. I fell asleep every night listening to that thing. I had a very toxic and abusive childhood and music got me through it, with the imagery, with Hall and Oates "Man-eater", and the stage performance/talent of the TV show "Barbara Mandrel and the Mandrel sisters". My 6th-grade teacher of all of 6 months encouraged me to join the choir when I moved into JR high the following year. I took her advice and went from doing choir all the way through college to joining the community choir and the Symphony Chorale. I started or joined a lot of bands from country, classic rock, blues, and jazz over the years, and have been going out on the road with my band since 2007. So far I have opened up for over 50 national acts in my career as an artist.
I also went to school for audio production and went into the live sound world back in 2004. I ran sound for some great people!
I had been traveling back and forth to Nashville consistently since 2001, before I finally got a place in 2019. I joined NSAI, where I became the coordinator for the Portland, OR chapter for 8 years. I also started the LA chapter of Songtown and co-started the Women of Songtown.
I just released my 5 album, "Showgirl", which is a blend of country with other genres. Right now, it's all about marketing the heck out of it~
I'm also Benefit Auctioneer, mother of 3, wife, and I own a Syberian Husky!
Nothing has ever been a smooth road, lol. But, I'm a fighter. Yeah, I had to step away for a little bit for my own mental health, but 2022 is feeling amazing, especially with the "Showgirl" album. As far as struggles are concerned, There was the ex-husband thing, which we won't go into, the span of the mid 2000's when radio wasn't playing female artists. That also affected some of my gigs as an entertainer. It always pissed me off when I heard "Sorry, but we don't hire female singers". I got over it eventually and went for other gigs. Thankfully it is starting to change and a lot more women are getting airplay and streaming also helps. There are many of us talented female artist and writers. I am really grateful for the female artist who kept pushing their voice/opinion out there like Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark, Martina McBride and Leslie Fram, who started "Change the conversation"
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you're currently focused on?
I am mainly a country songwriter and singer, but I truly love all genres! As long as it is a great tune, I don't care what the genre is. It also helps me when I am being creative. I think that is also why I chose to do "Showgirl" the way I did. All those genres really help make me who I am in my creative space. I also love the stage! I love entertaining! Being on social media is a different story though, It's a necessary evil, I know, but put me on stage to make people laugh or sing or dance, and I'm there!
Back in 2017, I made the top 10 albums of 2017 for the "Women of Country Music", alongside artists like Lindsay Ell and Kelsea Ballerini. I was pretty stoked about that. As far as what I'm known for, I would probably say the gal who is constantly learning something new! When I get down on myself, I have people remind me that not only do I touch people with the songs I write, but I can also run sound if I'm not on the stage, or raise money for a benefit as an auctioneer! My grandfather and great grandfather were cattle auctioneers and my love for just helping people, led me in the direction of my ancestors. I guess all of that really sets me apart from my peers.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Oh geez, the list is long. I hope I don't forget anyone! (insert award acceptance speech, hee hee!)
NSAI was my first place to learn about the craft of songwriting. All the mentors who were there at the time, like Sheree Spoltore, Trish Matthews, Debi Cochran, Dave Petrelli, and Brent Baxter are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I still work with Sheree (Global Songwriters Connection) and Brent (Songwritingpro) with their businesses they have started up. They are both great businesses.
I have also learned a lot from Amanda Colleen Williams at "Songpreneurs". She really helped me with setting goals, analyze songs and structure in my business.
Clay Mills and Marty Dodson, the owners of "Songtown". Their lessons help push me into being a better writer.
There is also Sherrill Blackman. He is a plugger/publisher here in Nashville who has turned into one of my truest longtime friend/mentors in the business. He is a no bullshitter guy who has always been very truthful with me. I have laughed and vented about everything music, and he still accepts me as a great creative artist and writer. He has never made me feel like I shouldn't be doing this and offers great advice.
Lastly, Doak Turner. He is a songwriter who started up this thing called 3rd Sunday, I believe back in 2006??? Every third Sunday, he would invite songwriters and artists over and we would have a potluck, network, and play songs. It was the best way to get to know new writers and or artists, local and nationally. I met Frankie Ballard there before he had a record deal. I met some amazing people because of Doak. Everybody always looked forward to it.
His 3rd Sunday was probably the best thing that could have happened to the songwriting community in Nashville. I really want to start it back up….
Email: carrie@carrielive.com
Website: www.carrielive.com
Instagram: instagram.com/carrie.cunninghamofficial
Facebook: facebook.com/carriecunninghammusic.com
Twitter: twitter.com/carrielive1
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/carriecunningham
Tikok: tiktok.com/carriecunninghamofficial
Don Cox
My wife and I love Carrie and her talent. She was our "go to" musician for dance night and listening to her. We miss her in Portland, but still enjoy her music through her CD's etc. Go, Carrie, go!
Jim Callahan
Carrie is the hardest working music girl in Nashville! I met her the night before "The First Sunday" at Doak's place. I've had the pleasure of performing beside her at many Songwriter Rounds, as well as writing with her. I also know her and her family … true friends!


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Jewdayo Grid
June 24: The Mortara Affair
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The Mortara Affair began on this date in 1856 when a contingent of papal police kidnapped 6-year-old Edgardo Mortara from his parent's apartment in Bologna because Church higher-ups had learned that the child had been secretly baptized by a maid five years earlier when he was seriously ill. Edgardo was whisked to Rome, "adopted" by Pope Pius IX, and eventually became a priest. Jewish organizations and international leaders protested to the Vatican and called for Edgardo to be returned to his parents, but the pope declared that canon law forbade non-Christians in the Papal States to raise a Christian child, even if the child was their own. Protests in France led to the founding of the Alliance Israelite Universelle in 1860, and helped fuel the movement for Italian unification, which overcame the Papal States in 1870. As an adult, Edgardo was sent on missionizing missions to Jews in Germany and the United States, and vigorously sought the beatification of Pope Pius IX — which finally took place in 2000. Mortara did reconnect to his parents (the photo above includes his mother and a brother) and attended his mother's funeral in Bologna in 1895. He himself died at 88 in 1940.
"I couldn't care less what the world thinks." —Pope Pius IX
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Ukrainian refugees in Israel cannot be reduced to any single narrative.
Anna Lukashevsky
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Henry Moscowitz and the NAACP
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"Classic farmy Ledaig with the sherry prominently on the background, and I love the label, but I might prefer my Ledaigs without any sherry"
Last september saw the 10th version of The Whisky Show organised by The Whisky Exchange with more 600 whiskies and a guest area dedicated to rum. Next to commercial festivities a range of special bottlings was released, which among others included this 12-year-old Ledaig. The futuristic labels represent one of the themes of this year's edition, which is the present and future of whisky. I think that there might have been some interesting discussions, but since I wasn't there I cannot elaborate any further on that part. Instead let us focus on the contents of this festive edition.
Wow, this shows its teeth with much more bonfires, ashes, wet stones and farmy notes. This needs water to calm it down. With water, still acrid, woody, ashy and some drops of lemon juice, again chestnut paste and chestnut wood, orange sweets, lime juice and earl grey. Much better complexity and in particular friendlier for my tongues! Some sea salt, beach sand, bonfires, mud, cola cubs, leather jackets (never licked them though) and more mud. I think I liked the diluted palate the most, clearly Ledaig. The finish is drying.