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Reporting on how employers might use self-insurance to sidestep Affordable Care Act rules

Self-coverage by small business could harm Obamacare exchanges

Jay Hancock
Jay Hancock

By Jay Hancock

Self-insurance has been called an Obamacare loophole. That’s because the arrangement – in which the employer pays medical bills instead of an insurance company – is immune to taxes, benefit requirements, profit limits and other rules set by the Affordable Care Act.

For small businesses with young, healthy workers, it’s also a way to offer coverage while avoiding premiums that build in costs for older, sicker people in the ACA’s insurance marketplaces – the rate shock predicted by some.

If self-insuring companies skim too many young folks out of the small-business exchanges, insurance company costs and losses could soar, insurers could exit and the exchanges could break down, some believe.

See stories from Kaiser Health News, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

 Self-insurance looks like regular coverage – only without the ACA rules

How can tiny, self-insuring companies, with say only 30 or 80 workers, bear the risk of unexpectedly large claims? They buy reinsurance, also known as stop-loss coverage. Stop-loss kicks in when somebody’s bills top, say, $20,000 or $50,000. Say you’re a self-covered small business with 70 employees. Your normal annual medical bill is $400,000 (no family coverage), and you hire the local Blues or somebody else to handle the claims. If a worker gets cancer and the bills soar into six figures, you pay only the first $20,000. The stop-loss plan handles the rest.

But as brokers promote self-coverage as an Obamacare alternative, stop-loss triggers are getting lower and lower along with the size of self-insuring employers. One reason the industry may be keen: ACA limits on health insurance profits don’t apply to reinsurance. Companies with as few as 10 or 20 workers are reportedly self-insuring, protecting themselves with stop-loss that kicks in at levels as low as a few thousand dollars.

To the employer, the employees and the world it looks like regular health insurance without the ACA rules. (The employer mandate was delayed for a year, but not all regulations affecting insurance were put off.) Small businesses see it as a way to offer coverage and avoid rate shock. ACA fans see it as gaming the system.

Self-insurance is a local story

As with everything else about the ACA, officials see self-insurance differently depending on politics. Insurance commissioners in red states often seem to believe it’s a good option for small companies. Officials in blue states worry it will cause bad adverse selection in the exchanges.

In any event, ACA backers see self-insurance as a threat to the small-business marketplaces, or SHOP exchanges, that are scheduled to open in every state Oct. 1.

To see if small employers are turning to self-coverage, call around to brokers and claims administrators (known as third-party administrators, or TPAs). They can also put you in touch with local self-insured employers. See what the state insurance department thinks.

ACA proponents are especially concerned about self-insurance by employers with fewer than 50 workers.  Companies of this size aren’t required to offer coverage under the ACA, but many are expected to shop on the small-business exchanges.

Officials are considering limiting self-insurance, but it’s early

Large employers – those with 500 or more workers – have self-insured for decades. They’ll continue to do so. But this year legislatures in California, Rhode Island, Minnesota and elsewhere considered limiting self-insurance for very small firms by raising the stop-loss triggers, known as “attachment points.” I don’t believe any of them passed.

California’s proposal to allow stop-loss triggers no lower than $95,000 or so would effectively end small companies’ ability to self-insure. The Self Insurance Institute of America is a good source on what states are doing.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has considered raising attachment points in their model state law, but it hasn’t gone anywhere. The Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of Labor put out a request for information last year on stop loss and got lots of feedback. Some thought that was a prelude to federal regulation, but the ERISA statute and related case law would seem to bar the feds from messing with self-insurance.

Observers don’t expect states to get serious about raising attachment points unless small-business exchanges run into trouble. But by then, ACA backers warn, it could be too late, as exchanges will have already fallen into a cycle of soaring costs and decreasing affordability. Nobody systematically tracks how many small businesses are self-covered. But if anecdotes and news reports are an indication, aggressive marketing of self-insurance is another challenge to the health act.

Jay Hancock is a staff writer at Kaiser Health News. Before joining KHN in 2012, he wrote a column on business and finance for The Baltimore Sun. Previously he covered the State Department and the economics beat for The Sun and health care for The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk and the Daily Press of Newport News.

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Hospitals Rethink the Service Line

Joe Cantlupe, for HealthLeaders Media , March 25, 2013

Under Vision 2020, hospital officials evaluated various practice models, in part by looking at how service line physician groups and organizational staff "relate to one another and the hospital." In addition, the hospital leadership stated in the plan that the "acute care hospital should no longer be the center of the health system, but rather part of a coordinated continuum of care delivery to serve people through the illness, healing, and wellness phases of life."

Indiana University Health made a strategic decision about how to deliver services as a large system, according to Schwartzentruber, noting that the system's oncology service line, for instance, "had been functioning as a bunch of independent components" at its various hospitals. The components were not coordinated. As they developed the strategic plan, leaders examined other facilities within the Indiana University Health system to determine how best to proceed.

About 18 months ago, the IUH officials examined their hospitals' experiences to review the quality of service lines and get tips whenever and wherever they could. "We were charged with putting together the service line and basically we traveled the state. We created a vision for what the service line would be like," Schwartzentruber recalls.

Dealing with demographics

Depending on regional needs, one service line may be important for a hospital or healthcare facility, while it is a losing proposition for another. One factor that could have an impact on individual service lines is the healthcare needs of those who may be among the 32 million people to be insured within the next two years under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The Christ Hospital initiated a new musculoskeletal program geared toward the elderly population and younger baby boomers who are now reaching age 50. The hospital chose musculoskeletal services to form a "market-leading program," Caillouet says.

"It was important to develop a strategic network of care—similar to what we had in successful heart and vascular programs—for musculoskeletal," he says. The Christ Hospital musculoskeletal service line includes surgical and nonsurgical spine, total joint replacement, sports medicine, and general orthopedic services. The program was added to the hospital's other service lines: heart and vascular, oncology, women's health, and geriatrics. Other hospital departments fall into either "specialized surgical care" or "integrated medical management" categories, Caillouet says.

"The ortho community here was quite fragmented and so we believed there were great opportunities," Caillouet says. Recruiting and realigning physicians was essential, with "surgeons and nonsurgeons working together to streamline the service," as well as improving relationships with primary care, rehab, and neurology physicians, he adds.

With a better-aligned and -positioned service line, The Christ Hospital had 7,100 orthopedic surgical cases in 2012—a 9% increase over 2011, which had 6,500 cases. In addition, the hospital led the tristate area with 24% share in spine surgery. Surgical complications rates decreased to 24% last year. In the meantime, inpatient direct variable cost per case in the 2012 fiscal year decreased by 8% compared to the same period the previous year, Caillouet says.

The hospital is coordinating the new musculoskeletal program with The Christ Hospital Spine Surgery Center, a freestanding facility for outpatient spine surgeries and pain management procedures. The surgery center is included in a partnership among The Christ Hospital, spine specialists from the Mayfield Clinic in Cincinnati, and United Surgical Partners International, a Dallas-based for-profit that owns and operates surgery centers and private surgical hospitals in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Keeping an eye on competition is critical, says Loos of Palmetto Health. "You don't want to be a patient and wait six months to see a specialist." If they faced that kind of wait, "patients may choose to go to Charleston or Greenville to competing hospitals," he says. So Palmetto is examining potential shortages in key medical and surgical positions or subspecialties that it may need to buttress to maintain or expand patient access. Service lines are being designed not only for improved clinical care and outcomes, but also with an eye to the manner in which the organization can attract them into the system, he adds.

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Amoxicillin and metronidazole

Common Questions and Answers about Amoxicillin and metronidazole

After being prescribed amoxicillin and metronidazole, i started taking 4 amoxicillin pills over a period of one evening and the following day. i ignored the dentists orders and thought i would be get ill from taking a combination of metronidazole and amoxicillin as i read about people feeling sick from metronidazole. However, after the 3rd dose of amoxicillin, my stomach didnt feel right at all and i felt sick.
We are considering a triple drug therapy of lansoprazole (Prevacid), amoxicillin, and clarithromycin (Biaxin). I have a concern with expense (esp. Prevacid)but more importantly keeping the drug load on my system as low as possible. I want as few meds as possible to get the job done. I also have a concern with amoxicillin as I understand that H. pylori can rapidly develop resistance to antibiotics.
I called my endodontist and he prescribed me amoxicillin (500mg). The next day I went to the endodontist and they made an incision to allow the abscess to drain. I was also given a prescription for metronidazole (500mg) to take in addition to the amoxicillin. Thankfully the swelling in my cheek subsisted, however I still have a fair amount of swelling and tenderness in my gum under the retreated root canal and my jaw hurts a little.
What might be going on here will be forever clouded by your treatments with medications which include amoxicillin, metronidazole, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin and now doxycycline. Please also realize that you have never had a positive test of any sort so that you are being treated for the most un-reliable of indications, your perceived symptoms which are unverified by your doctors. I am glad that you are feeling better. You have now been treated with multiple highly effective therapies.
Very similar to my issues of the extraction of molar and tooth in front of molar. I have extreme swelling and over whelming pain, from under right lower jaw. Then it follows up under my jaw line to my chin. I was put on Amoxicillin 500mg. 03/08/14, I went to dentist to have lower right molar and tooth in front of molar extracted, due to infection and being impacted on top of it all. Rite side of face was swollen like crazy. On Monday afternoon, I had both of the said teeth extracted.
I'm taking hydrocodone every 4-5 hours and ibuprofen every 6 hours, amoxicillin 3x/day and an oral mouth rinse 3x/day. He says everything looks like it's healing well, but I can't stand the pain! I go back again Thursday and he said he would give me something stronger if I"m still in pain. Has anyone else had any issues with this? I can't sleep, I can't talk long without pain, and I've been in bed most of the 5 days after surgery. Thankfully, I'm not working right now.
Many take clarithromycin and amoxicillin as the first line of treatment and some replace amoxicillin with metronidazole for people who are allergic to penicillin. For the treatment of clarithromycin-resistant strains of H. pylori the use of levofloxacin as part of the therapy has been suggested. I would find out which combination the drs want you to take.
In the hierarchy of steroids, Valisone isn't that strong. No need for misery and desperation. Metronidazole is a good idea. I'd get off the steroids as soon as you can, if you haven't already. I have rarely if ever seen true allergy to minocycline and tetracycline--are you really sure about that? Even if you are, doxycycline is a different animal. Also, other antibiotics like amoxicillin may help.
I went to my dentist and she noticed the swelling and had a very quick glance inside but i couldnt really open for her to of seen anything and she said i have an abcess under my front tooth she has prescribed amoxicillin the label the chemist but on says 250mg but box n tabs say 500mg so ??
I agree with the suggested antibiotic therapy, and if it doesn't work, you can try a combination of amoxicillin and Biaxin. Another combination is amoxicillin and Levaquin, or amoxicillin and Rifabutin. These options can be discussed with your GI physician. This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case. Kevin Pho, M.D.
I just started taking the Prevpac, and to the earlier commenter - it is a combination of 3 drugs. Biaxin, Amoxicillin and an acid reducer. I hope it helps me. I am scheduled for a BREATH TEST which is the MOST ACCURATE way of seeing whether the H Pylori has been eradicated. For those of you out there suffering ... never give up... You know your own body and if a Dr is not listening, go somewhere else. I was told it was stress and to go on Zoloft by 5 Drs.... I finally did,.
What antibiotics did you take? Amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalosporins, metronidazole and erythromycin are some of the safe ones. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Antibiotics that have been shown to interact with birth control pills include rifampin (brand name Rifadin), penicillin (Veetids), amoxicillin (Amoxil), ampicillin (Omnipen), cotrimoxazole (Septra or Bactrim), tetracycline (Sumycin), minocycline (Minocin), metronidazole (Flagyl), and nitrofurantoin (Macrobid or Macrodantin)." vs. "Penicillin and ampicillin both have the potential to interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills" vs.
Other antibiotics likely to cause seizures are ciprofloxacin, cefdinir, cephalexin, and penicillin (there are others too like metronidazole and TB drug INH etc). Usually taking vitamin B along with antibiotic prevents the likelihood of seizures. Please discuss with your doctor. Take care! The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you.
then that night all of the sudden something didn't feel right and when i looked in the mirror that side of my jaw and down to my neck was swollen and it felt like there was a ball in there. Now I look like a freak. i took some amoxicillan that I had but it doesn't seem to be working. Its saturday now and Im leaving for New York on Monday but i can't go looking like this. please any advise will be very helpful.
In general, metronidazole is active against Anaerobic, gram negative bacteria, such as baterioides species, which is a common periodontal pathogen. Clinically. metronidazole + amoxicillin or metronidazole + clindamycin are commonly administered for acute priodontal infection. Many patients are affilcted with chronic adult periodontitis although good oral hygiene is implemeted, The reason is root surface has been infected, which can not be debrided by personal hygiene mainteinance.
) Anyway, one of my dogs had a few episodes of intermittent vomiting and diarrhea for the past 5 days - her stool was jelly like and one had traces of blood, and her vomit is usually gloopy and yellowish and at one time, had a tinge of pink / red specks in it, and recently it appeared foamy.
i had a root canal done on monday, and was having a post and crown but was told the post would not go in, so instead i am having a tooth screwed in, i was in pain on the tuesday got no sleep went back yesterday and was given metronidazole 200mg and amoxicillin 250mg and told to take of each forseven days when can i expect to get any relief my whole mouth feels likes it going explode, and i now have a very sensetive front tooth which i didnt have before
3 days ago I started taking antibiotics (amoxicillin 250mg x 2 three times a day and metronidazole 200mg x 2 three times a day) and a painkiller called ponstan also 250mg x 2 three times a day. I was told to give it a week to see if the infection goes away and if the pain and discomfort remains that would be an indication I need the wisdom tooth removed (my top right wisdom tooth).
If H pylori infection is the cause of your duodenitis you will also need antibiotic therapy , antibiotic treatments include Amoxicillin,Clarithromycin Metronidazole etc.along with other medications s you have been taking. Get yourself reevaluated by your gastroenterologist and do discuss your concerns. Hope it helps. Best of luck and regards!
Chlamydia doesn't explain your symptoms. First, your tests were negative, and metronidazole (Flagyl) or fluconazole (Diflucan) would not affect those test results. Second, the brief contact you describe carried little or no risk. Third, amoxicillin is pretty active against chlamydia; you are unlikely to be infected by someone taking that drug for the previous week. To your specific questions: 1) No, the antibiotics are not the reason for your negative chlamydia tests.
prescribed the triple therapy which consists of Lanzoprazole 30 mg, Amoxicillin 500 mg and clarithromycin 500 mg. The problem is that she told me to take only one pill of amoxicillin (500mg) every 12 hours but it was supposed to be two pills (1g) according to FDA and other resources. I am very concerned because I know that this bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics. What should I do?, How long do I wait before I take another test to see if the bacteria is gone or not?
1) amoxicillin/clarithromycin and a PPI 2) metronidazole/clarithromycin and a PPI 3) bismuth/metronidazole/tetracycline and a PPI. These options can be discussed with your personal physician or in conjunction with a GI evaluation. Followup with your personal physician is essential. This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only.
Last year I had huge heartburn therefor I did an endoscopy+biopsy which found gastritis and H. pylori. I started the treatment for H. pylori using Amoxicillin/omeprazole/clarithromycin for 7 days. I had to stop it after 3 days due to huge diarrhea of over 9 times per day. Few months after I did another endoscopy and in addition to H. pylori and gastritis I have duodenitis. Right now I am under omeprazole for one month and I will start the H. pylori treatment again next week.
ant then few months later my doctor asked me to see an ob doctor to help me with my vaginal make it short i had take antibiotivs like doxycycline, metronidazole,cefalexin ,amoxicillin as prophylaxis after dewarts. that's why after taking several kinds of antibiotics ,there is still the coccobacilli my doctor who specialize in std and my ob doctor are not giving me relief of thie;-( i do not know what to do reaaly depressed.
So, she put me on Metronidazole pills 2x a day for 7 days and Metronidazole gel every night injected into the vagina. Then the side effects started. Constant headache, dizziness and feeling terrible. Went off the pills after 3 days since these side effects are listed on the paperwork. But continued with the gel. One more night to go and today the burning is back again. It's never been terrible burning, just uncomfortable.
Gp sent me to sexual screening yesterday told had gonorrhea Rx included an intramuscular injection at the clinic and prescription for 2 week course of metronidazole and doxycyclin. My bfriend went to a clinic today and they told him his results were all negative and that he did not have gonorrhea he has also never expirienced any symptoms. Questions 1) Is it possible that i have had gonorrhea possibly for quite sometime?
I applied this for a week until the doctor phoned to say pseudomonas was present from the swab. I was then put on amoxicillin tablets, metronidazole tablets and metronidazole topical gel for 10 days. After 10 days there was no cure so I attended the STD clinic. All tests came back negative although the doc then gave me more hydrocortisone cream which I used for 2 weeks. I've also taken a single Fluconazole capsule.
so maybe two weeks ago i was on amoxicillin finished that and started itching so i was worried i had something, went to get checked they said i had bv and traces of yeast in my discharge so i finished my antibiotics for the bv and just started on saturday night my monistat 3 treatment, im on day two and the stuff that comes out is a yellow greenish discharge. is that normal?
I went back to family doctor and was given 2 gram dose of metronidazole, followed by 500mg metronidazole twice daily for 3 days. After treatment (today), I sometimes feel the penile tingling sensation. Some days I feel it, some days I don't. I have no discharge and no pain during urination. Not infecting my girlfriend is my utmost concern, so I would like an expert opinion. 1-Would the buffet of antibiotics I took likely cure the common bacterial STDs?


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Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Importance of Probiotics

by Maria E. Roldan, RNCP, ROHP, NNCP

When I mention the word probiotics to clients and friends they usually say: “oh yes, I take yogurt every day”. Really? Are you sure that’s enough or, do you know why you need probiotics in the first place?

Probiotic supplements contain “friendly” bacteria that most of us want present in our digestive tract in large amounts. Why? Let’s see: There are a total of 100,000 billion bacteria living together in our digestive system (that is ten times the number of in our body). As you can imagine, yes, we want to make sure that there is a balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria!

Here are some of the ways in which probiotic bacteria help us[i]:

  • Prevent overgrowth of disease-causing microbes such as candida, E. coli, Helicobacter pylori, and salmonella
  • Improve nutrient absorption
  • Manufacture B-complex vitamins
  • Stimulate and balance the immune system
  • Help prevent vaginal and urinary tract infections
  • Prevent and treat side effects of antibiotic therapy
  • Help acidify the intestinal tract. Low pH provides a hostile environment for pathogens and yeast
  • Help digestion of lactose and dairy products
  • They are the primary bacteria in infants, which helps them grow and develop their immune system
  • Help regulate bowel movements
  • Help reduce the toxic load of the liver
  • Inhibit growth of bacteria that produce nitrates in the bowel. Nitrates are bowel toxic and can cause cancer

I hope by now you are convinced that probiotics should be part of your daily diet and supplementation plan.

The main sources of dietary probiotics are cultured or fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir (make sure they contain “live” or “active bacteria”), sauerkraut, and miso.

If the above foods are in your daily diet that’s great. However, I do recommend that you still consider taking a good probiotic supplement containing at least strains of bifidobacterium bifidum and lactobacillus acidophilus. There are some great brands out there in the market, and the doses go anywhere from 1 billion to 130 billion. It all depends in what your health needs are at the time. Your health practitioner can help you make that decision. In my case, I have a very sensitive digestive system and my maintenance dose of probiotics is 16 billion a day.

Do you still have questions about probiotics? Feel free to email me and I’ll do my best to help.

[i] Lipski, Elizabeth. “Digestive Wellness”. Mc Graw Hill. 2004. Third Edition. P41-42.

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Missing Mum

By Claudia Lee

I awake each morning to start a new day
But the pain of losing you never goes away.
I go about the things I have to do
And as the hours pass I think again of you.

I want to call you and just hear your voice
Then I remember that I have no choice
For you are not there and now my heart cries
Just to see you again to tell you goodbye

To say Mum I love you and I always will
And hope that much of you, in me you’ve instilled.
The day that you left I just didn’t know
That you were going where I couldn’t go.

And now all my memories of you are so dear
But gosh, how I miss you and wish you were here.
Who now can hear me when I need to cry?
It so hard to tell you “Mum goodbye.”

Someday I know all will be well
And I’ll see you again with stories to tell
Of how you were missed and how we have grown
And how good it is to finally be home.

Until then my memories of you I’ll keep near
And I’ll pass them on to those who are dear.
I miss you Mum,


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#TeamBeautiful launched our first #SheTalks event with TV producer, entrepreneur and brand strategist, Mona Scott-Young. #SheTalks is a live, intimate conversation between a successful woman in the entertainment industry, #TeamBeautiful and a lively and attentive audience. During the conversation, Mona, the featured speaker was completely transparent, offering a refreshing view of her reality tv empire.

Must Read: 30 Black Female Leaders You Should Know About

Mona is a powerful woman who made waves in the music industry as a driving force for Violator Management. As her career progressed, she championed said waves like an Olympic surfer! As the creator of Monami Entertainment, Mona has become the nucleus of Black women on reality TV. Through this production company, Mona brought the world a glimpse into the lives of women in Hip-Hop on Love & Hip Hop,” Love & Hip Hop Atlanta,” The Gossip Game and more!

Our conversation with Mona reflected a curiosity about her portrayal of Black women on television, her journey to the top and the responsibility she carries of producing reality shows for the masses that are constantly complained about.

Guests whet their palettes with yet another one of Mona’s business ventures–Myx Fusion Moscato as they listened intently to Mona’s on-the-spot interview with #TeamBeautiful’s Editorial Director, Leigh Davenport. Mona was immediately candid with the crowd as she detailed the beginning of her entertainment career, handing out fliers at Radio City Music Hall.

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Specializing in herbal powders to achieve the ultimate in Health and Wellness. We are athletes helping athletes people helping people. We also believe in saving you money so we bundle our herbs for that very reason just to SAVE YOU MONEY. Herbastat makes every effort to offer the highest quality herbals on the market. The customer is always right with us and we only want one thing: Happy,Healthy and Whole people inhabiting this wonderful planet of ours……does that count as one or is that three?…
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2 Corinthians 12:2 (NIV)

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.

What is the "third heaven" that Paul mentions in this verse?

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Background (mostly based on non-canonical sources): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Heaven –  Muke Tever Dec 12 '11 at 13:37
FWIW, if you're an LDS believer, this is a reference to the celestial kingdom and different degrees of glory –  Richard Dec 13 '11 at 16:00

3 Answers 3

Two viable and not necessary mutually exclusive interpretations can be offered which result in the same theological conclusion.

Sky, Space, Heaven

I heard R.C. Sproul suggest that first heaven would denote the sky, second heaven deep space, and third heaven the presence of God. Ted Donnelly takes this interpretation in his book Biblical Teachings on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell:

  1. The word heaven

    refers first of all to the atmosphere: the air above us which envelops this planet. 'The rain comes down ad the snow from heaven' (Isa. 55:10). 'The dew of heaven' (Dan. 4:15) is so called because it comes down from the sky, from the air. We also read of the 'birds of the heavens' (Jer. 4:25). The frost, the wind, the clouds and the vapours, the thunder and the hail, all of these come from heaven. (Donnelly 71)

  2. In the second usage "heaven" is sometimes conjoined with "firmament" or "expanse," e.g. Genesis 1:14, Psalm 19:1 (Donnelly 72).
  3. This is termed "third heaven," in 2 Corinthians 12:2, "heaven itself," in Hebrews 9:24, and "highest heaven/heaven of heavens" in 2 Chronicles 2:6 (Donnelly 73).
A possible objection is that the distinction between sky/space is an anachronism, the distinction having arisen from our increased understanding of astronomy. However, both from the linguistic differences noted above (the usage of "firmament" for sense 2) and simply from the commonsense observation that probably no one has ever thought that birds regularly alight on the stars, no matter what their conception of the heavens, the charges of anachronism are refuted.

Three is Perfect

Three is a number of perfection because of the Trinity (e.g. Isaiah 6:3) and so Paul may very well mean it to be taken in a qualitative rather than quantitative sense—i.e. not indicating that there are multiple heavens but saying something to the effect of the heaven of perfection. Calvin says in his commentary on this verse:

He does not here distinguish between the different heavens in the manner of the philosophers, so as to assign to each planet its own heaven. On the other hand, the number three is made use of (κατ᾿ ἐζοχὴν) by way of eminence, to denote what is highest and most complete. Nay more, the term heaven, taken by itself, denotes here the blessed and glorious kingdom of God...

Either way, the safest way to understand this phrase in 2 Corinthians 12:2 is that third heaven indicates an immediate revelation of the presence of the Triune God.

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In Gen 1.1 'heavens' is a dual form of the word. God created two heavens and one earth. These are heavens 1 and 2 as listed above. They are created heavens.

The third heaven is referred to as the heaven of heavens:

2Ch 6:18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

Even the heaven of heavens cannot contain God. There is no container larger than God. Even this third heaven is within God himself. Since those going there have an 'out of body' type experience, it is suggested that it exists in a spiritual realm.

The Jewish sages tell us that when God created, he created the void within himself, since there was no place outside of himself. Then he created what we see, within and from the void.

With this model, the third heaven is outside of the void and within God himself. While we exist in the void, there is a separation from the essential nature of God. In the third heaven, His essential nature is experienced without separation.

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I cannot provide the exact cultural implications at the moment, but the third heaven has traditionally been taken as "into the very presence of God." This certainly was the position advocated by Aquinas as well as Augustine.

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I've looked at both references twice and I'm still not sure what subset of those passages you are referring to. Would you mind adding quotations from them to your answer? –  Kazark Dec 13 '11 at 1:02
Well, if you go to the next paragraph on the Aquinas link he references the trinity as being the supreme, superseding two different interpretations of what the "first" and "second" could be. In Augustine the link shows that he equates "third heaven" and "paradise". –  cwallenpoole Dec 13 '11 at 5:44

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Explosion future

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Explosion future
Rooftop future.jpg
In the future, New York City has been destroyed.

First mentioned: Hiros
Date of event: Multiple possible futures

The "explosion future" is a glimpse of what would have happened had the the explosion destroyed New York City.

Hiro teleports into the future in New York City.

Don't Look Back

Hiro wanders through New York City and finds a comic depicting the events that led him to the city. He goes to find the artist, Isaac Mendez, but instead finds his dead body. The top of his head has been cut off. Hiro is then attacked by police officers and during an interrogation, he learns that he has time-traveled five weeks into the future. He then hears a loud noise and turns to the window. A large explosion is crashing through the city and seconds before Hiro is hit, he time travels away.

Future Hiro teleports from the future and tells Peter that saving the cheerleader is "the only way to prevent it". Confused, Peter asks what will be prevented. Hiro says, "Everything."

Hiro teleports himself and Ando to Charles Deveaux's rooftop. They overlook a New York City that appears to have been all but annihilated.

Hiro and Ando find themselves in New York City, but they don't recognize the extreme decimation. They go to Isaac Mendez's loft and find that it, too, is in ruins.

Graphic Novel:String Theory

Five years after the explosion, Hiro saves a woman named Sparrow. Upon returning to his loft, he works on a timeline consisting of strings, pictures, and articles of past events. Hiro thinks about his past, amongst which he narrates:

  • Sylar was the cause of the explosion on November 8th.
  • The explosion occurs the day after Nathan Petrelli is elected into congress.
  • Hiro attempts to kill Sylar to prevent the tragedy.
  • Hiro finds the date he believes he needs to go back to in order to contact Peter Petrelli without causing a rift. He hopes this will be enough to change the future.

Five Years Gone

The timeline in this episode includes the effects of Future Hiro's actions in String Theory and is consistent with the events of all previous episodes. Prior to the events of this episode, the following events occur between November 8, 2006 and November 8, 2011:

Graphic Novel:Walls, Part 1

A year after the explosion, the government tracks down and imprisons countless evolved humans in the Moab Federal Penitentiary.

Graphic Novel:Walls, Part 2

Immediately following the prison break, a showdown occurs: the agents versus Hiro, Peter, and Niki.

Fight or Flight

Nathan has a nightmare, created by Maury Parkman. He watches a destroyed New York from the roof of the Deveaux Building. He hears Peter's voice coming from a body on the ground, the body looks up and it his hideously disfigured alter-ego. The two then have a vicious fight but this is then interrupted by Matt inserting a thought into Nathan's head and stopping the hallucination. This future appears to be in the moments just after the explosion as there is ash falling all around and the entire city is in flames.

Memorable Quotes

"Five years ago, a man named Sylar exploded in the heart of the city, changing the world forever."

- Future Hiro (to Hiro and Ando) (Five Years Gone)

"After Sylar exploded, the world became a very dark place. And that is why we need to change it. Get him back so he can kill Sylar."

- Future Hiro (to Ando) (Five Years Gone)

"Is everything okay?"

"No. Let's go fix it."

- Ando, Peter Petrelli (Five Years Gone)

"We are trying to stop a bad thing. The bomb. Big boom. You must help. Or bad future will come."

- Hiro (to Nathan) (Landslide)

This alternate future was referred to several times in Saving Charlie.

See Also

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Explosion future for fan-created theories and other speculation.

Events edit
Accidents and Disasters

Blizzard of 1978Bradford City stadium fireBrody's accidentThe explosionFire (1992)Flight 195 crashHurricane KatrinaLas Vegas house fireMutationNathan and Heidi's accidentTrain wreck

Future Events

"Explosion future" • "Exposed future" • "Outbreak future"

Military Events

American Revolutionary WarBattle of Twelve SwordsIraq WarVietnam WarWorld War II

Personal Events

Alejandro's weddingArthur's funeralCharlie's birthday partyD.L.'s funeralNathan's funeralNiki's funeralIshi's funeralKaito's funeralMicah's birthday partyJoseph's funeralSylar's baptismSylar's funeral

Recurring Events

Angela's dreamsBag and tagEclipseGamblingInstant messagingNosebleedPeter's dreamsSpirit walkTed's escapes

Other Events

Future Hiro's messageHomecomingKensei and the DragonLinderman ActLinderman's prosecutionNathan's campaignNathan's press conferenceNovember 8th

See Also: Sylar's CrimesTimeline


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01-19-2012, 11:27 AM
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The Oilers are in need of a good young offensive D-man who could help their powerplay. Think maybe a 2nd for weber?

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Originally Posted by Et le But View Post
As nice as Clowe would be on the Habs...seeing the Flyers sell off assets for a player they don't need will be priceless.
Well, they need somebody to take Talbot's place in the lineup.

However, replacing Talbot by Clowe is a bit like replacing Alex Galchenyuk by Petteri Nokelainen.

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Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Composer Study 102

After I have given the children a brief foundation in music discussed here we move on to the study of individual composers. Now, a wonderful thing about this Charlotte Mason method is that Mom does not have to have an extensive knowledge or appreciation of music in order to teach it to her children. She can quietly learn along side them.We study only one composer over a 12-week term and it takes about 15 to 30 minutes per week. I make sure to schedule this into our week because I have learned that if I don’t schedule composer study, it doesn’t get done. In fact, I have learned that many important things will not be learned if you don’t schedule them into your life. So, let’s say, our composer is J.S.Bach. On Friday, the day that we have group lessons such as artist study and nature walks, we listen to an audio CD by VOX Music Masters for 20 minutes about the life of Bach. Afterwards, I have the children take turns narrating (telling back) what they just learned about him. There are no fill-in–the-blank worksheets that bore and keep the child on the lowest level of thinking.

It takes about three weeks to finish this CD, and then we begin listening to another CD that has his greatest compositions. We concentrate on one per week only. The children usually draw a narration of what they are feeling while listening to ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,’ or ‘Magnificat’ and others. I simply ask them what comes to their mind while they are listening to a particular piece. Often, they draw scenery, or a beautiful maiden, flowers, etc… Sometimes, just the opposite is felt, such as war and sadness. If they have troubles getting started, I volunteer what I am thinking about… That’s all it takes and then they take off. I enjoy listening to them describe their pictures and they enjoy this form of narration. I keep each lesson very short. I want to always end with their begging for more.

Usually by the end of twelve weeks, the children are very familiar with the composer’s life as well as three or four of his works. We have a rule in our school that only the term’s composer, folksongs or hymns are allowed to be played during morning lessons. This ensures that the children are getting an ample amount of time to listen to and enjoy the music. Eventually, they begin to listen to it on their own, as my daughter says, “just because it's beautiful, mom.”
 The CDs are available at our bookshop here.

If you are on a tight budget you can skip the audio biographies. Instead, do an online search and simply read a biography to your children from the computer. You can buy inexpensive ‘Greatest Hits’ CDs of various composers at your local Wal-Mart, as well. Just be sure to focus on ONE composer’s works at a time. This is a basic principal of the Charlotte Mason approach. We don’t want to overload our children with information; we want them to develop an ear for excellent music and the ability to enjoy it for a lifetime. This is the art of ‘gentle learning.’

  1. previous commentors3.1.07

    June 7, 2006 - Music Appreciation (0:

    Posted by Canadagirl

    I have done a simple form of music appreciation for years. We did buy the CDs of the Composer's most famous works. I also had the books " Getting to know the World's Greatest Composers" books by... Mike Venezia. We really enjoy them. They tell a bit about the composers life and it has funny cartoons to illistrate things about the composers life or character. There are also book's by the same author for Famous Artists . But this year we went and splurged and God the set from David Quine. It looks really neat and I can't wait to get into it this Fall. When we would listen to a composers music and after they would get familiar with more than. I would say "Who is it ? " And make it a game to see if they could guess who it was. My littlest would always answer " Handle ! " no matter what music I played. (0;
    In Him,

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    June 7, 2006 - Untitled Comment

    Posted by jmj403

    You have a gift for making a CM education accessible to anyone! Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. I have been homeschooling the CM way for 9 years - mostly flying by the seat of my pants : ) I wish I had come across your site earlier!

    We usually study 3 composers a year. I have 4 daughters 16, 7, 5, and 2. Most of their narrations come in the form of dance! Often they will put on costumes and assume different 'roles'.

    I came across a CD a month or so ago put out by My Father's World. It is an introduction to classical music for 2yo and up. For each piece they give a suggestion for an activity. It looks fun. We're going to use this in the fall during the 2yo's Mom time.

    God Bless

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    June 7, 2006 - Hi

    Posted by SuperAngel

    How are you doing?
    That is a great post. Thanks for sharing!

    Hope you have a GREAT Week! Come by my blog soon!
    SuperAngel Kryptonite Angel
    *Rosie-Posie Iris Hardbottle* ~Luthien Alatariel Elanesse~
    Stop by “Daily” at “The Planet”

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    June 8, 2006 - Untitled Comment

    Posted by Anonymous

    Thank you so much for all of the great links you include in your posts and on your sidebar. You have a very high quality site and it's been a wonderful resource!

    • Permanent Link

    June 8, 2006 - You are one of my favorite resources to explore!

    Posted by mamma1420

    If I had only one blog to read for helping my homeschooling adventure, it would be yours. I love how you've structured everything...

    You've inspired me to:
    * Do Nature Journals
    * Make a strong Art & Music study for my children
    * Being a more disciplined parent (self and to my children)
    * To read more about classical education and want to help others like you do.

    I just hope you know how much you are appreciated. You can save this and read it when you're feeling discouraged! : )

    Thank YOU!

    • Permanent Link

    June 8, 2006 - Thank you

    Posted by ThreeLittleLadies

    This is very helpful!

    • Permanent Link

    June 8, 2006 - Untitled Comment

    Posted by lindafay

    Thank you, everyone, for the lovely comments! It's a real pleasure to serve you in this small way. You have encouraged me!

    Mama1420, here's a special Turkish kiss blowin' at ya. Both cheeks...

    • Permanent Link

    June 9, 2006 - Thanks again

    Posted by AussieinAmerica

    Thanks again for all the wonderful information. I am putting my curriculum together and have found much help and comfort on your blog!
    I was really excited that your family made the Pavlova. I hope it was fun.
    Thanks for taking the time to help all of us.
    With much gratitude,

  2. Great post. And great links :) Thanks so much for this post!

    You're so right about the benefit of being able to learn right alongside the children. I'm just getting started with homeschooling and I already feel like I've learned so much! I barely know anything about the lives of the composers at this point, but after 20 years or more I'll be sure to know something! :)

    Blessings :)


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Saturday, December 13, 2008

Seduction of the Pattern: Sublife #1

Rob reviews the first issue of John Pham's new series from Fantagraphics, SUBLIFE.

The first issue of SUBLIFE was something I had been looking forward to ever since John Pham stopped serializing his "221 Sycamore St" story in the pages of MOME. Pham is an interesting young artist working through his influences to create his own voice. His first series, EPOXY, contained several serialized stories, some of which veered into genre. His aesthetic can best be described as somewhere between video games (especially classic 80s games) and Chris Ware's diagrammatic approach to comics. There are other more superficial similarities to Ware in Pham's work. For example, he documents the minutiae of quotidian despair, the fruitless longing for meaning and connection, and the ways people inevitably sabotage their own lives. The two artists also share a similarly bleak sense of humor; the sense of distance each artist creates can sometimes mask exactly how absurd and sharp their wits cut on the page.

At a deeper level, Pham's approach to composition seems similar to Ware's in that both seem to look at each page as both a single, cohesive unit (or diagram) and also a series of diagrams/panels. Pham's pages combine that diagrammatic/8-bit feel with the immersive quality of video games, making reading each page beautiful to look at apart from their role in creating the narrative. Where Pham really diverges is in his character design. He uses an extremely thin line and likes to draw lanky, almost elongated characters. The faces of his characters are simple & iconic yet distinctive. Probably the biggest key in creating his world is his use of color. Pham's palette is mostly combined to pastel hues: coral, peach, and soft blues. When the character Phineas MacDonald is introduced later in the book, his bright orange hoodie draws the reader's eye to him and lets one know that this is a pivotal character.

There are several different story threads in this issue. Some of them connect explicitly, like the lives of the people renting a house. There are also thematic and possibly narrative connections between that storyline (first seen in MOME) a brief vignette about a cat escaping from a pack of wild dogs (but not without incident) and the story of two white supremacist brothers taking in their nephew. In addition, Pham also takes us through "sub life", a series of small stories concerning two astronauts lost in deep space. Their spacecraft is shaped like a submarine (hence the pun), and their story concerns the sense of being lost in every sense of the word. The "Deep Space" is a sort of encapsulation of the character types one finds in SUBLIFE: those desperate to connect with others and those who see the world conspiring against them.

The first part of the book focuses on the events of a single day, retold from the point of view of Mildred (a student), Vrej (a worker at a deli), Hubie (a put-upon teacher at a local Catholic school) and Terence (the son of the house's owner who always wears a sheet over his head). The characters desperate to connect (Vrej, Mildred Lee, Phineas) are hindered by their own obliviousness to the world around them. Mildred is a college student who is unhinged by exhaustion and a general inability to cope. Vrej is a well-meaning dunderhead who doesn't understand why he's alone. Hubie is a martyr who allows himself to be tortured by his students. Terence does not speak and very much lives in his own head and dreams. Each character's own narrative is intertwined with that of the others, yet they either rush past each other or communicate superficially. As much as they hate their own lives, they are slaves to their own patterns of behavior.

The second half of the issue catches up with the housemates a couple of years later. In Mildred's case, she's much more social and gregarious, but still teetering on the edge of desperation. Like many of the book's other characters, she is obsessed with dreams. We are also introduced to Uncle's A___ and B___, two white supremacists living in an ethnically diverse neighborhood. Uncle A___, like Hubie, imagines himself to be the target of a vast racial conspiracy against him. His brother doesn't talk much, but one senses he's the sort who prefers swift violence to language. When Phineas comes to stay with them after a dust-up with his mother, it's made clear that the brothers are pretty much ignored by the rest of the family for their general misanthropy. Pham only starts to dip into how Phineas winds up relating to his uncles, and how Uncle A___ views Phineas' visit as a chance to reestablish himself with his family. His uncles are depicted as simultaneously despicable and pathetic, desperate for a different kind of world; the reader almost has sympathy for them.

There's a lot going on in this ambitious first volume. Every page seems to find Pham trying to solve some kind of storytelling challenge with an unusual visual technique, like Phineas meeting some neighborhood kids but the reader only seeing the shadows of the children. The most important character in the book is the city of Los Angeles itself. SUBLIFE feels in some ways as a sort of companion piece to Gilbert Hernandez' LOVE AND ROCKETS X: a portrait of a city in constant flux, filled with tension, illusion, drama and drifting. The cover image of Los Angeles about to fall off the earth, speaks to the quiet dread that pervades the book, staunched only by dreams and self-delusion. I'm eager to see how the story evolves in the next volume.

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Today from Hiiraan Online:  _
Kenya, Somali Refugees Exchange Blame for Attacks

A policeman uses a dog to disperse rioters during the second day of skirmishes in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Kenya's capital Nairobi, November 19, 2012.

Mohammed Yusuf
Saturday, December 22, 2012

NAIROBI — A series of grenade attacks in a Somali neighborhood of Nairobi this past year has killed dozens of people and injured more than 100 others. Members of the Somali community living in the area believe the attacks are politically motivated, and accuse the Kenyan government of trying to chase them away from the city.

The Eastleigh district of the Kenyan capital Nairobi has suffered a series of deadly attacks targeting churches, mosques and bus stops in recent months.

The attacks have led to police carrying out sweeps arresting hundreds of people in the area.
The police have blamed the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab and their sympathizers for the spate of bomb and grenade attacks. The government also said the presence of Somali refugees has led to the deterioration of security in the country.

But the chairman of the Eastleigh Business Community, Hassan Gullet, said the attacks do not the bear the hallmarks of al-Shabab, and that there may be other forces at work.

“We really doubt its issues based on al-Shabab. The explosives which they are using are very small.  What we believe is this - it has a political connection. Because the target is definitely Somalis we suspect that probably this is one which is supposed to create a bad harmony between Somalis and non-Somalis who are Kenyans, it could also be a way of chasing Somalis from the country here,” Gullet said.

Kenya has faced a wave of terror attacks in the country since its troops entered Somalia to fight al-Shabab more than a year ago.

However, the militant group has not claimed responsibly for the attacks in Eastleigh or other parts of Kenya.

Police have arrested hundreds of people across the country in the wake of these attacks. But regional police commander Moses Ombati admits that they have yet to find the actual perpetrators.

“We want to know who [is] this person giving explosives and throwing grenades; this is the person we are looking for," he said. "It’s not many people, it’s not something we can say is out of hand, this is something that is under control, only that we have not got the right person.”

On Wednesday, the Kenyan government issued a directive calling on all Somali refugees and asylum seekers living in Eastleigh and other towns to move to the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.

Abdifatah Abdullahi, a businessman in Eastleigh, said the directive will affect refugees but people like him with proper documents should be free from harrassment by the police.

“Before we secure the area, people with the right documents should feel secure,” he said. “They are the ones who are arrested and accused of being a suspect. It’s wrong to treat everyone you see in the street as a suspect, that increases the fear among people.”

Amnesty International has also condemned Kenya's directive, saying the decision to place refugees and asylum seekers in camps away from urban centers is a discriminatory and unlawful restriction on freedom of movement.

Hassan Gullet of Eastleigh Business Community said tension in Eastleigh has given security forces a green light to abuse, harass, and extort money from people.

“When explosion takes place and people are injured, definitely government takes reaction [action] now," he said. "Sometimes they overreact and round up people indiscriminately and when they do that we end up having a lot of problems. Our security officers are not all good, there are some who are bad, and they target people where they possibly want to make money and they do make some money.”

Security officers have released some of the suspects arrested in the sweeps after interrogation, but police say they are still holding some whom they think will give them a lead to get those responsible for the attacks.

For now the fear is growing among Kenyans, who are calling for the police to get to bottom of the terror attacks and apprehend the culprits.
And Somalis, fearing further attacks, tit-for-tat violence and the police anti-terror campaign, are starting to leave Nairobi, to either head back to Somalia or to the refugee camps.

Source: VOA

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A Travellerspoint blog

Other incidental incidents

semi-overcast 21 °C
View Zimbabwe (Lion Breeding and Rehabilitation Project) - 19 Jan to 15 Feb 2009 on hilarywh's travel map.

Ishmael a lion handler received a very deep gash to his hand from a lion claw during feeding one day. I was helping him to lob a large leg of cow over the enclosure fence while balanced on the back of the trailer when Echo and Etosha leapt up to meet us, catching Ishmael's hand in the frenzy. The handlers were very worried about the accident and feared they may lose their job or be involved in a lion 'attack' enquiry. It turned out we should have put the lions in the management pen and walked the meat into their enclosure, not throwing it over the top! As expected, the wound became infected and our first aid kits were put to good use. Ishmael has now returned to work and it has healed nicely.

The retired walking lions are regularly taken out on night encounters to encourage them to hunt. They follow the truck full of volunteers and handlers while someone uses a powerful light to spot game for them in the dark. A chase usually ensues, truck after lion, lion after game, and sometimes a kill is made. Unfortunately on that night we came across horses that had clearly got out of their night boma. The handlers leapt off the truck in an instant to distract the lions and attempt to move them back to their enclosure. A very dangerous race through the bush in the dark began with 3 handlers and 3 fully grown hungry lions. One horse suffered massive tears to it's rump in the process. But all ended well, the horse is healing, the handlers were unscathed and the lions ended up in their enclosure. Another night encounter is planned for tonight but this time the horses will be out of harms way!

While riding Checha the male elephant and only recently safe enough to be used for riding, he decided to do the opposite of what he was being told by reversing backwards into an Acacia bush - with me on top!!! My head, back and arms were scratched from the 2 inch thorns but fortunately he stopped before it got too messy!

On one elephant swim, the 2 elephants got very close while playing around in the water. As the handlers attempted to prevent themselves and the volunteers ending up squashed in an elephant sandwich, 2 people got cut by the elephant prodder.

Other than that, no major incidents reported....yet!

Posted by hilarywh 02:39 Archived in Zimbabwe Tagged volunteer Comments (0)

Deadly Critters

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View Zimbabwe (Lion Breeding and Rehabilitation Project) - 19 Jan to 15 Feb 2009 on hilarywh's travel map.

Snakes and Scorpions
The wildlife at Antelope Park is not all about lions, horses and elephants. There are so many deadly critters lurking in the long grass that we are given a 2 hour snake and scorpion induction to prepare us for our inevitable encounters. We are told how to identify the 4 varieties of snake from the harmless Herald snake to poisonous Adders, constricting Pythons and the deadly neuro-toxic Black Mamba. There is no anti-venom in Zimbabwe so if we are unfortunate enough to be bitten, we need to be able to identify or even catch the snake (!) so the correct treatment can be determined.

On the afternoon lion walk, straight after the snake induction, the walkers come across a 3 meter Black Mamba. Fortunately it was extremely bloated from very recently swallowed prey but it was however big and dangerous enough to stay a very safe distance. Fortunately it had been spotted by the resident snake expert before it was too late!

The following day after lunch I am watching the daily game of football between staff, handlers, volunteers and guests when we hear a single gun shot from the camp nearby. Mr Deysel, the camp manager and clearly a good shot, has taken the head clean off an 8 foot Black Mamba as it lurked in the branches of a tree right above his head in the restaurant!

We have a close encounter with a small snake while slashing grass in a lion enclosure. Already injured by the slasher blade we decide to finish it off convinced that it is another Mamba as the local guys had hastily retreated in fear. It turns out it as probably a harmless red lipped Herald snake which explains why it showed no signs of aggression towards us.

Last night we were called to reception to see a 4ft Night Adder retreating over the door step. It was carefully caught and relocated safely away from the camp. Unlike the Mamba, it is not territorial and if deposited far enough away it wont return.

Just yesterday 5 of us were cub-sitting 4 hunting lions (Masai, Lozi, Longile and Luangwa) all sitting in a circle beside the enclosure about to play cards. Fanuel quietly and calmly suggested we might like to stand up but as he said it we all spotted the snake leaping towards us in the grass. We did the one thing we had been told not to do - we panicked! Lesley landed in Fanuel's lap, Taka pulled Sarah off her feat out of the way as Elijah and I fell backwards. The snake accelerated and leapt right through the middle of us at high speed!

The lions became very excited by the commotion and Masai spent the remainder of the session giving us the 'I really want to eat you look' which was very disconcerting. It took some time for our heart rates to return to normal before we felt safe enough to sit back down and resume our game of cards!

But that's quite enough of snake encounters. On another lion walk we stumbled across a very feisty brown scorpion. None of us could remember which was the deadly variety - the small pinschers, large tail or the large pinschers, small tail combination. And even if we could we weren't quite sure which looked bigger anyway. What was apparent though was that the aggressive little thing was definately prepared to take us all on as we stood towering over it warily pointing at it with our sticks and no doubt unnecessarily aggravating it.

I saw no snakes or scorpions in my first 2 weeks but now they are almost daily occurrences. I preferred it when I was blissfully unaware of their presence - ignorance is definately bliss.

Having said all of that, there have so far been no snake bites, no scorpion stings or lion attacks yet during my stay.

Posted by hilarywh 02:02 Archived in Zimbabwe Tagged volunteer Comments (0)

Anti Poaching

Boundary Patrol & Snare Sweeps

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View Zimbabwe (Lion Breeding and Rehabilitation Project) - 19 Jan to 15 Feb 2009 on hilarywh's travel map.

Some of our duties as a volunteer is to help patrol the park and maintain a presence around the perimeter fence to reduce poaching. This involves being dropped off in the bush either along the boundary or within the park itself to search for snares, mend holes in the fences and generally keep watch.

The game in the park is worth a lot of money to the project and to poachers. Although a small impala could only feed one lion, it would probably feed a local family for weeks. The game is used to help feed the lions when meat is scarce, it is used to help the walking and hunting lions develop valuable survival skills and it is also used for guest game drives to generate vital revenue. There are currently a lot of young animals including Impala, Zebra, Kudu, Wildebeast and Giraffe but there isn't an abundance of game here and buying more is expensive in terms of game capture costs and relocation permits. Game is becoming more and more scarce in Zimbabwe and therefore more and more valuable.

There is an anti-poaching team employed full time to protect the game at Antelope Park but, for a small fee, it is believed that they may be involved in tipping off poachers as to their daily whereabouts. Volunteers and lion handlers are therefore involved in anti-poaching tasks to add an additional 'surprise' element.

Boundary Patrol
We are dropped off the other side of the park, split into 2 teams each walking the perimeter fence in opposite directions back to camp. We are armed with an axe, a radio, pliers and some spare wire. The wire is to help mend any holes in the fence but I'm still not quite sure what the axe is used for!

This is usually done on foot but can also be conducted on elephant or horse back. Volunteers are scheduled to do this twice a week although this is likely to increase due to some recent poaching activity.

A couple of days ago while I was on Boundary Patrol, Everest stopped us dead in our tracks as we nearly stepped on a Night Adder laying across our path. It was flat and well camouflaged except for the frog that was half swallowed in it's dislocated jaws. It was a small snake but highly venomous and as we stepped back reaching for our cameras it quickly regurgitated it's dinner, hissed at us and retreated into the long grass. Amazingly, the frog hopped away alive but on just three legs!

Snare Sweeps
Again for snare sweeping we are dropped off in thick bush within the park, spreading out into a line scouring the ground, trees and bushes for snares as we walk. At times I lost sight of the people either side of me which gave me the willies as it would be easy to get disorientated and lose direction. I heard a squeal from Leslie as she disturbed a rabbit, a yell from Brighton as he spooked an impala and a call for help from Ingrid when she noticed a party of ticks crawling up her trousers. Then Ishmael tripped over a tortoise and I realised I'd stopped looking for snares a long time ago and my eyes were purely searching for snakes and other deadly bush creatures instead.

During the week one group unfortunately found one of the few Giraffe, only a few weeks old, chopped up into moveable pieces and crudely hidden beneath a pile of branches. The hind legs were already missing and lacerations to the neck indicated it had been caught in a snare. An armed team were immediately dispatched to lay in wait for the poachers to return but sadly they didn't reappear. The Giraffe meat couldn't be put to use feeding the lions as it was already over 24 hours old.

I have conflicting feelings as I love animals and understand the importance of preserving the game here, but it's hard to condemn the people who did this as people in Zimbabwe are starving. If I had a family to provide for I'd probably risk my life doing the same.

Posted by hilarywh 03:43 Archived in Zimbabwe Tagged volunteer Comments (0)

Horse Duties

sunny 27 °C
View Zimbabwe (Lion Breeding and Rehabilitation Project) - 19 Jan to 15 Feb 2009 on hilarywh's travel map.

Stable Duties
In my first week I spent a day at the stables grooming and preparing the horses, cleaning tack, tidying the tack room and saddling up those horses earmarked for riding that day. The horses here are more like ponies, very docile but harrassed by the horse flies and eaten by the massive tick population. Most of the saddles are 'McLennan' saddles in that they have the middle bit missing are look a bit like an elongated leather polo mint...ish.

I was slightly apprehensive about my first ride so when Orbit literally introduced me to each and every horse by name and gave me a brief overview of their temperament I tried to decipher their 'look' and made a mental note of who not to ride. My first challenge would be getting my leg up high enough into the stirrup to get mounted. My next challenge would be actually staying on as I haven't ridden since cattle mustering in Australia 10 years ago! I was also a bit concerned how I would fair bouncing around in the saddle since my last back op although being semi-bionic could have it's advantages.

After half an hour in the confines of the ring proving that I could walk, trot and canter without falling off, I was ready to venture out in the bush. My horse had a very very very boney spine and with the McLennan saddle I am glad I'm female. During the ride we got up very close and personal with the game, practically becoming part of the Zebra herd and getting almost close enough to touch a Giraffe. I can't believe how easily deceived animals can be when people are on horseback!

I have been on 5 rides during my time here, a different horse each time and loved every minute of it. Not really what you'd call volunteer work but being out in the park provides an anti-poaching presence and I'm not complaining.

Lunar Riding
In my final week, as it was a full moon and a very clear night displaying the most incredible night sky, all the volunteers and horse handlers went for a Lunar horse ride in the dark under the Milky Way. I'd forgotten how amazing the sky is in the Southern Hemisphere. It was fantastic cantering in the dark through the long grass, illuminated by fireflies, listening to the roaring lions just a short distance away.

Horse Swimming
During our horse rides we get very hot and there is nothing better than cooling of in the dam. After removing a sweaty saddle I scrabbled on bareback but my horse took a lot more encouragement than I expected. Kicking with bare feet, sitting on a very boney spine and trying to grip on with no saddle proved challenging as he danced around in water up to my knees. The water finally went over his back but no actual 'swimming' took place.

Posted by hilarywh 05:31 Archived in Zimbabwe Tagged volunteer Comments (0)

Elephant Duties

24 °C
View Zimbabwe (Lion Breeding and Rehabilitation Project) - 19 Jan to 15 Feb 2009 on hilarywh's travel map.

Elephant Training
There are 4 resident elephants at Antelope Park, 3 female and one single minded adolescent male.

Every morning the elephants, aged between 18 and 22, are put through their paces. I arrive at the training area at the late hour of 7am where the elephants are tethered by a small chain round one of their back legs. The handlers give a variety of commands including, turning left, turning right, sitting down, laying down, picking things up, lift their trunks, balance on 2 left legs, right legs, opposite legs... They are rewarded with handfuls of maize kernels.

After the handlers have done their bit, it is my turn but the end elephant's trunk is constantly frisking me for food. We manage most of the exercises with me ending up sitting on her neck. It's a long way down!

Elephant Herding
For the next couple of hours we walk them outside the Park gates while they feed and generally destroy everything in their path. These elephants were once wild but were orphaned many years ago during the droughts. They were trained at Antelope Park and while walking with them through the open bush I can see why the training is essential. They are very well behaved and generally respond to everything the handlers ask, albeit sometimes in their own time. Controlling 4 fully grown elephants isn't easy and I sure as hell am not going to argue with one!

As we walk through the waist high spear grass I am told stories of snakes that are seen almost daily. I worryingly hope I will get the chance to see one from a safe distance and little do I know that I will have more than enough encounters during my time here.

Elephant Swimming
On arrival at the Dam over the other side of the Park, I climb aboard the biggest and oldest female with the help of a specially constructed platform. The elephant is called Ami and it is the same one I attempted to train in the hope that we may have bonded enough this morning for her to be gentle with me.

I am sitting on her shoulders and as we walk towards the water, my buttocks are pummelled with every careful step. I wrap my arms firmly around the Hasslear's (handler) waist and as she speeds up at the sight of the water I use my knees to grip with every ounce of strength.

Once the water reaches my knees Ami unexpectedly decides to throw herself sideways into the water and all of us are completely submerged for a few long frightening seconds. We come up briefly for air and I consume another mouthful of the water when we suddenly lurch to the right for another dunking. This time I managed to keep my head just above the water which is a good thing as she decides to stay submerged at an angle for a very long time, just her trunk peering out of the water like a submarine viewer. I wonder if I am just too heavy on 3 cooked meals a day and perhaps I've drowned her under my weight!

Several roller coaster dunkings later she shakes violently from side to side, flaps her ears heavily over my trembling legs and walks slowly out of the water. I've swum with horses, a variety of marine animals including sharks, manta rays and whale sharks but that was something else and I loved it!

I push all thoughts of cholera and bilharzia from my mind and make a mental note to do that as often as possible while I am here.

Posted by hilarywh 03:27 Archived in Zimbabwe Tagged volunteer Comments (0)

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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Saundarya Lahari - Sanskrit Text + English Commentary

This book contains the Sanskrit text, English transliteration, translation, commentary, diagrams and an appendix on prayoga (application) of "The Saundarya Lahari"of Adi Shankara by S.S. Sastri and T.R.S. Ayyangar. "Saundarya Lahari" meaning "Waves Of Beauty" is one of the most famous Sanskrit hymns of Devi (Goddess). Its hundred and three shlokas (verses) eulogize the beauty, grace and munificence of Goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva.

The Saundarya Lahari is not only a poem. It is a tantra textbook, giving instructions on puja and offerings, many yantras, almost one to each shloka; describes tantric ways of performing devotion connected to each specific shloka; and details the results ensuing therefrom. There are many interpretations and commentaries but best of these are arguably those that provide word-to-word translations, as also the yantras, the devotion to be performed and the results of the devotion.

The Saundarya Lahari is often viewed as being composed of two parts.

Verses 1 - 41 describe the mystical experience of the union of Shiva and Shakti and related phenomena. In fact, it opens with the assertion that Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create.

This part of the text is often referred to, quite appropriately, as the Ananda Lahari, the wave of bliss.

Verses 42 to 100 are more straightforward---they describe the physical beauty of the Goddess and are sometimes referred to as the Saundarya Lahari itself. Many scholars, however, refer to the entire text with one name, namely, Saundarya Lahari.

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Trent Clark

Journalist Describes “Mortifying” Experience Interviewing Danny Brown [PHOTOS]

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  • Huggie Pacino (Youtube: Huggie

  • HMIC

    Don’t see nothing wrong with what she did it’s her job…he was acting silly and admitted what’s the issue with her?

  • guest

    N1 g g e rs with money. I can’t!!!

  • Come On

    This man should not feel the need to apologize to this broad. His job is to perform and get money. Part of that is being available for interviews. He is free to do it as he pleases. Her job is to conduct the interview. Why did she expect anything different? He does not owe her anything, the fans perhaps, but not the interviewer.

    • A_Aurelia

      She stated she was a big fan as well. It can be a bit disappointing, to say the least, when an artist you look up to acts like they couldn’t give two fucks about you.

  • Tru West 1

    Popularity contest season is over. It’s time for people to stop being Fans and only show respect to those who are respectful and intelligent.