"The epic love story of Sam and Dean": Supernatural, queer readings, and the romance of incestuous fan fiction

Catherine Tosenberger

This article examines incestuous slash fan fiction produced for the CW television series Supernatural. I argue that "Wincest" fan fiction is best understood not as perverse, oppositional resistance to a heterosexual, nonincestuous show, but an expression of readings that are suggested and supported by the text itself. I examine the literary, cultural, and folkloric discourses of incest and queerness invoked by the series, paying special attention to Romanticism, the Gothic, and horror as underliers to those discourses, and how those genres inform both the series and the fan fiction. I discuss a number of Wincest stories in detail, focusing upon how these stories build upon thematic elements within the series. In conclusion, I argue that the most resistive aspect of Wincest fan fiction is that it gives the main characters a lasting happiness that the series eternally defers.

Fan fiction; Gender; Supernatural; TV

Full Text:

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.030


Luxury watches from Montblanc are extraordinary timepieces, uniting traditional craftsmanship with modern technology and innovative materials. In finest Swiss watchmaking tradition, the skilled hands of Montblanc’s expert watchmakers create watches of exceptional calibre. Their pursuit of ultimate perfection and performance is rooted in knowledge and passion handed down over generations and fueled by groundbreaking innovations. Immaculately crafted with an eye for refined detail, these timepieces make the craft of watchmaking an art form.

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 Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections Object : Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: 'The Three Crosses'

Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: 'The Three Crosses'

Made in Netherlands, Europe

Drypoint with engraving (fourth state of five)

Curatorial Department:
Prints, Drawings, and Photographs

Object Location:

Currently not on view

Accession Number:

Credit Line:

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Rembrandt primarily used drypoint to create this print. Drypoint lines are made by scratching directly into a metal plate with a sharply pointed tool, creating a furrow with fragile ridges of metal on either side of the line. This displaced metal, called “burr,” captures extra ink, producing diffuse tonal effects when printed. Burr wears down quickly from pressure in the printing press, diminishing these velvety accents with each printing.

By the time Rembrandt created The Three Crosses, his most ambitious print, he had been exploring religious subjects in prints and paintings for more than two decades. He reworked the plate five times, but made the most dramatic changes in this, the fourth state. Abandoning the worn lines of his initial composition, the artist forcefully gouged the plate as he created new figures, allowing their raw, jagged outlines to overlap the faint remains of earlier ones. No longer firmly modeled, the people become apparitions, while the body of Christ alone has substance. Rembrandt further transformed the scene by deeply scratching long, vertical lines that cast all but Christ into shadow. One of the crucified men is plunged entirely in darkness, recalling the passage in the book of Luke when the resentful criminal derides Christ, who, in turn, promises salvation to the other thief. Through his reworking of the plate, Rembrandt seemingly drew upon a lifetime of biblical meditation to create this compelling interpretation of Christ’s crucifixion.

Additional information:
  • PublicationPhiladelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections


Hey Everyone,
This is the last day for students in my district so things get very hectic at work. The show is done and edited. I have not had a chance to post it due to work responsibilities. Jim and I were not able to record until yesterday. Thank you for the patience and support.


Fletcher Photos - Constellation Aquarius
"The Constellation Aries -
The Ram"

photo by Bill and Sally Fletcher

This photo of Aries shows, enlarged in their true color, the main "naked eye" stars that make up the shape of the constellation although it is hard to find a "ram" in this asterism. The photograph was taken at the Organ Pipe National Monument in Arizona.

A photographic technique was used that we call a "motion stop sequence" to get the long exposure of the constellation and a sharp exposure of the trees in the same photograph. Briefly, the camera must accurately track the movement of the stars across the sky over the hour long exposure to keep them from smearing on the film. Then a new exposure is taken with the tracking drive turned off to capture the "Earth scene" and keep it from smearing on the film. Then the two are merged together so the final photograph shows both components clearly as they looked to the observer in "real time". -


Interested in being a part of Season 2? Click Here

Week.1 final

October 14, 2015

Week 1 Workout : Warm Up Session

Warming up is super important. It prepares your body, so that it's ready for the intense workout to follow. Our in-house fitness expert of The Transformation Rohan Mathew demonstrates exactly how it needs to be done. Take a look!

1/6  High Kicks

Step 1: Stand Straight with your legs close to each other and hands on the side.

Step 2: Kick your left leg up as high as you can, so as to touch the alternate hand ensuring that the alternate leg (Right leg) is on its toe. Ensure that the knee of the leg that being kicked is straight.

Step 3- Do the same with alternate leg and hand

2/6 High Knees

Step 1: Your hands should be at the level of your waist. Lift you knee high enough to touch the  palm of the same hand.

Step 2: Repeat the same with alternate leg and hand.

3/6 Lunges

Step 1: From an upright position, place the right leg forward and lunge forward such that the front leg is in a 90 degree angle.

Step 2: Repeat the same with the other leg

Note: Make sure the spine is kept straight and face is looking foward.

4/6 Squats

Step 1: From upright position sit down as though your sitting on a chair. Moving your butt back and as deep as you can.

Step 2: Ensure your spine is neutral and you are looking ahead. Hands can be placed either at the back of your head or out in front to maintain balance. Make sure you knees don't collapse inwards and remain in line with your toes.

5/6 High Jumps

Step 1: From an upright position, jump as high as you can throwing your hands up in the air as you jump.

Step 2: Ensure you land on the balls of your foot to reduce impact. Try to land as quietly as possible.

6/6 Push-Ups

Step 1: From a plank position , place your palms directly under your shoulder. Bend your elbow and move your chest as low as you can towards the floor.

Step 2: Move back up and repeat the exercise.

Variation: If you are not able to do so you can place your knees on the floor and repeat the same action with the upper body but ensure that abdomen is engaged.

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How to beat invisible Glaucoma

| | Apr 3, 2014, 12.00 AM IST
How to beat invisible Glaucoma (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)How to beat invisible Glaucoma (Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images)
Glaucoma is an emerging leading cause of blindness and it is referred as a thief of vision that steals the beam of life leaving it filled with profound darkness.

In view of alarming rise in number of cases of Glaucoma, experts say that regular eye check can detect this deadly disease and early detection and diagnosis can only prevent.

Experts say that Glaucoma is an extremely serious eye disorder which can cause blindness if not treated early.

Dr. Sanjay Dhawan, Director, Ophthalmology, Fortis Healthcare says, "Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, the essential part of eye that carries images to the brain. In healthy eyes, a clear liquid circulates in the front portion of the eye. To maintain a constant healthy eye pressure, the eye keeps producing a small amount of fluid. While in glaucoma condition, the fluid does not flow properly through the drainage system, which increases the pressure. This extra force presses on the optic nerve in the back of the eye, causing damage to the nerve fibres.

There are mainly two types of Glaucoma condition: -

Chronic glaucoma: The most common is chronic glaucoma in which the aqueous fluid can get to the drainage channels (open angle) but they slowly become blocked over many years. The eye pressure rises very slowly and there is no pain to show there is a problem, but the field of vision gradually becomes impaired.

Acute glaucoma: Acute glaucoma is much less common, this happens when there is a sudden and more complete blockage to the flow of aqueous fluid to the eye. This is because a narrow "angle" closes to prevent fluid ever getting to the drainage channels. This is quite painful and can cause permanent damage to sight if not treated promptly.

However, if adequate and appropriate measures are taken early in the course of disease, blindness from glaucoma can be prevented. So the key message to provide is that Glaucoma should be taken seriously. Early diagnosis and regular eye check up can only prevent you from lifelong blindness.

As the symptoms of Glaucoma are not visible, the most efficient method for detection is regular eye examination. Therefore, as glaucoma becomes common over the age of 40 one should have regular eye tests at least every two years.

The only way to protect one from vision loss due to glaucoma is by early detection.

Treatment of glaucoma

Glaucoma can be managed if detected early, and that with medical and surgical treatment. Eye drops, pills, laser surgery, traditional surgery or a combination of these methods are used for the treatment.

Trabeculectomy: It's a kind of Filteration surgery, a piece of tissue in the drainage angle of the eye is removed creating an opening. This new opening allows fluid to drain out of the eye, bypassing the clogged drainage. This is not a major surgery; patient doesn't need to stay in hospital following surgery.

Glaucoma drainage implant : Glaucoma drainage implants play an important role in the management of refractory glaucoma. It is not used to improve vision, but to preserve vision by lowering the intraocular pressure.

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NATS To Introduce Time-based ATC Solution at Heathrow

 - February 17, 2014, 2:30 PM
Time-based separation will significantly increase an airport’s flight acceptance rate.

The TBS creates its computer-generated landing rules by considering the wake turbulence generated by each aircraft, actual and forecast weather, aircraft landing order and aircraft type. The new system essentially handles the math and presents arrival controllers with a picture on their radar screens that allows them to take full advantage of the new TBS calculations.

A NATS spokesman said arrival delays at London Heathrow alone could be reduced by as much as 50 percent once the system becomes fully operational.


Gasoline prices in Birmingham, the United Kingdom - 11-Sep-2017

The chart below shows the average price of gasoline in Birmingham, the United Kingdom and, if we have available data, several other cities in the United Kingdom. The price is for 95-ostane gasoline which is the equivalent of unleaded gasoline in the US. The latest numbers show that the gasoline price in Birmingham, the United Kingdom is 1.16 GBP. For comparison, the national average in the United Kingdom is 1.19 GBP. The prices on the city and the national level are collected each week from reliable up-to-date sources. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about the data.

Measure: U.K. Pound Sterling per liter

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Optical Allusions is a science comic book funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The aim of this work is to develop and test a chapter of a non-majors biology text book in comic form. This particular chapter will contain 9-10 short stories focusing on different aspects of eye biology and evolution. The stories are linked by a common protagonist, Wrinkles the Wonder Brain, and his ongoing quest to find his employers' lost eyeball.

Why a science comic? Well, the trend in science proficiency in the US is not a good one:

My hope is that comic stories will present science in an engaging fashion and provide students with a context that will help them retain the material. Each chapter will be followed by two pages of text that will expand upon the ideas in the story as well as provide study questions, etc.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Wrinkles The Wonder Brain and all contents of the stories presented here are copyright 2006 Jay Hosler. They may not be reprinted for any purpose without the express written consent of the author.


Rainbow Ribbon Jello

Rainbow Ribbon Jello

I've got a recipe for rainbow jello to share.

But it comes with a brief warning.

This recipe is purely meant for children.  Grownups will probably find it pretty disgusting.  It tastes like you've got 6 flavors of Jolly Rancher in your mouth at the same time.  But children find it delightful, so that is reason enough to make it.

Here's how to make Rainbow Jello

CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE: It will literally take all day to make this.

TELL THE KIDS TO SCRAM:  They will just stick their fingers in the Jello and spoil the whole thing.

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS:  6 boxes of Jello (3oz), 2 boxes of Knox Unflavored Gelaten, and 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk (14oz)

GET ORGANIZED:  Lay out 6 small bowls and add 1 package of Jello and and a 1/2 of an envelope of Knox Gelaten to each bowl.  Lightly grease a clear 13x9 pan.  Get a kettle of water boiling.

MAKE A JELLO LAYER:  Add 1 cup boiling water to a bowl of Jello and Knox.  Mix to dissolve.  Pour it into the pan and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

MAKE THE WHITE LAYERS:  In a small bowl, mix a 1/2 cup cold water with 2 envelopes of Knox Gelaten.  Let the gelaten soften for a few minutes, and then add a 1/2 cup boiling water to completely dissolve it.  In a larger bowl, mix 1 can of sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup boiling water.  Mix the bowl of gelaten with the bowl of milk.  This will make enough for first three milk layers.  Make the second batch when you run out.

REPEAT:  Go back and forth between the jello layers and the milk layers.  Each layer needs to chill for 30 minutes before you add the next one.  Every time a milk layer goes into the fridge, you should mix up the next Jello bowl.  That way the Jello will have 30 minutes to cool down before you add it to the pan.

WHEN YOU GET TO THE LAST LAYER:  Put the pan in the fridge for a couple more hours until it is completely set.  It would be heartbreaking if you did all this work and then biffed it at the end.  Be patient.  Don't cut into it too soon.

JELLO FUN:  Once it's done you can cut it into all kinds of crazy shapes.  Cookie cutters work really well.  You can bring the kids back in to help with this part.

-----One more thing-----

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN:  If you want to take this to a party, then make it at least one day in advance.  There are 11 layers to this thing, so there are 11 chances for it to go wrong.  You'll either show up at the party with a Jello masterpiece...or a box of Archway cookies.

Rainbow Jello

the Mom Bun

the Mom Bun


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   Home      The Catacombs

The Catacombs

(There are 10 articles on this page)

#1. http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/rome-catacombs/

(One phot at this site)

All Christian catacombs in Rome are property of the Catholic Church, and no one is allowed to explore them without special permission from the Vatican. "It's not so easy to get the permission. That's one of the reasons there have been very few archaeological expeditions to less known tunnels in the last decades," Morabito says.

In many cases, too, this is where we see some of the most Christian funerary arts starting to develop; whole scenes of the family of Jesus or images from gospel stories or stories from the Hebrew Scriptures or the symbol of the orans and the good shepherd. All of these reflect a burgeoning Christian iconographic tradition just as they're on this cusp of breaking into the mainstream of Roman society. Indeed, the burgeoning Christian art, when it can be seen as distinctively Christian at all, is a sign that they really are making their way into society at large....

The city of Rome was ringed by burial sites. Since you could not be buried in Rome itself within the city boundaries unless you were somebody like the emperor, you had to be buried around the perimeter of Rome. So, if you were a noble family, you'd have tombs aboveground, mausoleum-like tombs. If you were a slightly lower class, you would be buried below ground because the material below the ground outside Rome is called tufa; it's very, very strong, it's very easy to carve and very strong. You could have two, three, four, and even five layers below ground of burial sites.

#3. http://www.crystalinks.com/romecatacombs.html

(Great photos at this site)

The Catacombs of Rome (Italian: Catacombe di Roma) are ancient catacombs, underground burial places under or near Rome, Italy, of which there are at least forty, some discovered only in recent decades. Though most famous for Christian burials, either in separate catacombs or mixed together, they began in the 2nd century, much as a response to overcrowding and shortage of land. Many scholars have written that catacombs came about to help persecuted Christians to bury their dead secretly. The soft volcanic tuff rock under Rome is highly suitable for tunneling, as it is softer when first exposed to air, hardening afterwards. Many have kilometres of tunnels, in up to four stories (or layers).

There are at least 40 catacombs in and around Rome depictinghow burial for early Christians, Pagans and Jews in Rome worked.

The first large-scale catacombs were excavated from the 2nd century onwards. Originally they were carved through tufo, a soft volcanic rock, outside the boundaries of the city, because Roman law forbade burial places within city limits. Furthermore, the pagan custom was to incinerate corpses, while early Christians and Jews used to bury. Being most of the latter of lower classes and slaves, they usually lacked the resources to buy land for burial purposes, thus using the soft volcanic rock of the whereabouts of Rome to dig tunnels in which to bury their dead. At first they were used both for burial and the memorial services and celebrations of the anniversaries of Christian martyrs (following similar Roman customs).

They probably were not used for regular worship. Many depictions of the catacombs show them as hiding places for Christian populations during times of persecution. There are sixty known subterranean burial chambers in Rome. They were built along Roman roads, like the Via Appia, the Via Ostiense, the Via Labicana, the Via Tiburtina, and the Via Nomentana. Names of the catacombs Ð like St Calixtus and St Sebastian, which is alongside Via Appia Ð refer to martyrs that might be buried there.

Bodies were placed in chambers in stone sarcophagi in their clothes and bound in linen. Then the chamber was sealed with a slab bearing the name, age and the day of death. Fresco decorations were typically Roman. The catacomb of Saint Agnes is a small church. Some families were able to construct cubicula which would house various loculi and the architectural elements of the space would be a support for decoration. Another excellent place for artistic programs were the arcosoliums.

In the intervening centuries they remained forgotten until they were accidentally rediscovered in 1578, after which Antonio Bosio spent decades exploring and researching them for his volume, Roma Sotterranea (1632). Archeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi (1822Ð1894) published the first extensive professional studies about catacombs. In 1956 and 1959 Italian authorities found more catacombs near Rome. The catacombs have become an important monument of the early Christian church.

#4. Doorways Through Time by Stephen Bertman, Phd, 1986

(This is an interesting book and its information may be a little out of date)

No one today knows how many catacombs exist in Rome (many surely still lie buried) but almost fifty have been identified. It has been estimated that these contain perhaps one hundred miles of underground passageways and nearly a million graves (pg. 134)…

To make maximum use of this wall space  the burial berths were tiered- two-, four-, or even twelve high. Each opening was bricked and plastered after burial; a tablet was then added, bearing the name and age of the deceased (pg. 134)…

As the need for additional space grew, lower galleries were added , connected to the upper passageways but sunk as much as sixty or seventy-five feet below ground (pg. 134)…

The paintings done on the plastered surfaces of the cubicles an don ceilings and walls, are the oldest Christian paintings we possess (pg. 135)…

From the inscriptions that accompany the paintings and from pictorial clues we can learn about the occupations of many of those who were buried in the catacombs…a demonstration off the broad spectrum of people whose lives the Christian faith moved and who often died as martyrs to that faith (pg. 136)…

It was not until the days of the Italian Renaissance that the catacombs were rediscovered, chiefly through the efforts of a young Maltese named Antonio Bosio, who by following pilgrims guidebooks single-handedly identified the sites of thirty catacombs earning for himself the name ‘Columbus of the Catacombs’ (pg. 137)…

Among the catacombs Bosie had found was a Jewish one. By the early twentieth century, six more had been discovered. Only two have survived deliberate destruction and only one of these is still accessible. (pg . 137)…

#5. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_commissions/archeo/inglese/documents/rc_com_archeo_doc_20011010_cataccrist_en.html

Characteristics of the catacombs. The catacombs are, for the most part, excavated in tuff or in other easily removable but solid soils so as to create a negative architecture. For this reason, the catacombs are found especially where there are tufacious types of soil: that is, in central, southern and insular Italy. The catacombs entail the presence of ladders that lead to ambulatories which are called galleries, as in mines. In the walls of the galleries the “loculi” are arranged: that is, the burial places of ordinary Christians that are made lengthwise. These tombs are closed with marble slabs or bricks. The loculi represent the humblest and most egalitarian burial system in order to respect the community sense that animated the early Christians. In any event, in the catacombs more complex tombs are also found, such as the arcosolia, which entail the excavation of an arch on the tuff casket, and the cubicula, which are real and proper burial chambers.

The art of the catacombs. From the end of the second century, an extremely simple art developed in the catacombs which is in part narrative and in part symbolic. The paintings, mosaics, reliefs on the sarcophaguses and minor arts recall stories from the Old and New Testaments, as if to present the examples of salvation from the past to the new converts. This is why Jonah is often depicted who was saved from the belly of the whale where he remained for three days, which re-evokes Christ’s Resurrection…

The martyrs of the catacombs. In the catacombs, the martyrs are buried who were killed during the cruel persecutions willed by Emperors Decius, Valerianus and Diocletian. Around the tombs of the martyrs, a form of devotion developed rapidly among the pilgrims who left their graffiti and prayers at these exceptional burial places. The Christians tried to arrange the burial places of their deceased as close as possible to the martyrs’ tombs because it was thought this would also establish a mystical nearness in heaven…

#6. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4139-catacombs

CYNA(ΓωΓ)HC EΛ      The Synagogue of Elea.

II        He Lived 70 Years.

KAΛωC KOIMOY        Pleasant is the sleep

META TωN ΛIKE        of the righteous.

#7. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0004_0_04069.html

The Roman catacombs consist of a great labyrinth of tunnels dug deep into the earth under the hills surrounding the city. The construction of the Jewish and Christian catacombs is similar: the tunnels are placed at different levels, frequently as many as four or five, one upon the other, and they cross several times on the same level. The main tunnels, about one meter wide and three to four meters high, are themselves connected by smaller tunnels whose walls contain horizontal graves or burial niches (loculi) in which the corpses were placed. Unlike the Christian catacombs, the Jewish ones do not contain large rooms for gatherings or religious celebrations, since Judaism was a permitted religion in the Roman Empire, and public worship was permitted.

The little open spaces which are found in the Jewish catacombs may have served for the washing of the corpses before burial or for family graves. In order to explain the use by the Jews of Rome of catacombs it has been suggested that the practice was adopted by those Jews who were averse to following the Roman and Greek custom of cremation (as some, in fact did) but who were reluctant to perform their burials openly. The use of catacombs is permitted in Jewish tradition and can even be considered as a return to the early traditions of Ereẓ Israel (cf. the Cave of *Machpelah , see Gen 23; Isa. 22:16).

The modest nature of the tombs has been attributed to the great poverty of the community, but it should be noted that ostentatious tombs were condemned by Jewish tradition (cf. Gen. 3:19). Although the tombstones have few identifying data they constitute a valuable source for reconstructing the history of the Roman Jews in the classical period.

The inscriptions date from the period between the first and fourth centuries C.E. The predominating language dating from the first to third centuries is Greek (76%). There are also some Latin inscriptions, written however in the Greek alphabet. From the third century on, the use of Latin in the Latin script becomes usual (23%). There is also one epigraph written in Greek with Latin letters.

There are a few words in Hebrew:שאלים על ישראל, שלום (sic, with the א mater lectionis which is found sometimes also in Venosa; H.J. Leon, Jews of Ancient Rome (1960), ch. 4). The names are for the most part foreign: Latin (46%) and Greek (31%). The Semitic names (13%) include Astar, Benjamin, Eli, Gadias, Jacob, Jonathan, Judas (twice), Mara-Maria-Marta, Rebekah, and Sarah.

That there are many double names is explained by the fact that most of the Roman Jews were freedmen, who on emancipation adopted the surname of their former master. The inscriptions are useful both for giving a picture of the intimacy of family life, and for attempting to reconstruct the life of the community and its organization.

#8. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-catacombs

The burial custom of most ancient Romans tended to be cremation, with ashes stored in urns. But Christian belief in the bodily resurrection led the early Christians to reject this practice and bury their dead instead. This method requires significantly more space, of course, and the early Christians did not own much land. So the catacombs made a practical, even necessary, solution for burial of the faithful.

The catacombs had other advantages as well: they were an ideal way to strengthen the sense of Christian community (both in life and death) and they provided quiet, out-of-the-way places for memorial ceremonies and displaying Christian symbols.

The first large-scale Christian catacombs were excavated in the 2nd century AD. They were all located outside the city walls, as Roman law forbade burial within the city limits. In addition to burial, the catacombs were used for memorial services and celebrations of the anniversaries of Christian martyrs.

Many modern depictions of the catacombs show them as hiding places for Christian populations during times of persecution, but there is little evidence for this. It probably only occurred in exceptional cases during the persecutions, when the catacombs were the only safe place to celebrate the Eucharist…

By the 10th century the catacombs were mostly abandoned and they remained forgotten until their accidental rediscovery in 1578. Antonio Bosio spent decades exploring and researching them for his Roma Sotterranea (1632) and, two centuries later, the archeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi(1822-1894) published the first extensive professional studies about catacombs. In 1956 and 1959 more catacombs were discovered near Rome…

There are 40 known underground cemeteries in Rome. Built along ancient Roman roads such as the Via Appia, the catacombs consist of vast systems of galleries and passages built on top of each other. The galleries lie anywhere from 7 to 19 meters (22-65 ft) below the surface and the passages are about 2.5x1 meters (8x3 feet) in size. Narrow steps join the multiple levels.

The early Christians bound the bodies of dead in linen and placed them in burial niches (loculi), which were sealed with a slab bearing the name, age and the day of death. Often Christian symbols such as the fish or chi-rho were included as well. These niches are about 40-60 cm (16-24 in) high and 120-150 cm (47-59 in) long.

#9. http://www.bibleprobe.com/catacombs.htm

#10 http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/accidental-discovery-of-roman-catacombs-11630027.html


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Excel/Insert Rates using formula

Excel file
Excel file

please see the image alongside and tell me how to write a formula to insert rates from sheet2 in sheet1.

nabam vlookup
nabam vlookup

I used the shaded data you show in you image.  I placed it in the same location in sheet1 except that the orange shaded area was where I placed this formula:

=IF(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("x",G6)),VLOOKUP(LEFT(G6,SEARCH("x",G6)-1)&"mm dia",OFFSET(Sheet2!$B$1,MATCH($G$5,Sheet2!$B:$B,0)-1,0,20,2),2,FALSE),VLOOKUP(G6,OFFSET(Sheet2!$B$1,MATCH($G$5,Sheet2!$B:$B,0)-1,0,20,2),2,FALSE))

this formula was copied from cell H6.  Now since it has to refer to the type of hardware in cell G5, it can only be copied down within that hardware section. It can be copied to the other sections but the reference in the formula to what cell to find the hardware information would need to be adjusted.  I doubt you are using this table in sheet1 but perhaps have a row by row entry where you will have the hardware type and diameter listed.  You can adjust my formula to reference those cells.

I have adapted the formula to handle entries with the "x" and with entries that match what is in column B of the lookup table.

I don't know how many diameters you could have under each hardware item.  I have allowed for 20 in the formula.  If you could have more, then you will need to adjust for this.  Also, when you have fewer than 20, this may include data from another hardware item from Sheet2, but that should not cause a problem as long as you are looking up a diameter for your hardware that is listed in sheet2.

Also, you show two separate listings for the same hardware.  By using 20 as the number of diameters, I capture all this data, but I would expect that you table would really only have one section for each unique hardware identity.

I have attached an image of my result.

Tom Ogilvy
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Tom Ogilvy

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Bradley Schneider

Young Leader tracks novel viruses, mitigating threats to human health

July 23, 2013

Dr. Bradley S. Schneider, a 2010 Foundation Young Leader, serves as the Director of Laboratory Sciences for Metabiota, managing Metabiota’s research, surveillance, and response activities in Africa and Asia.

Dr. Schneider studies various “hot spots” around the world where new disease threats have emerged in the past, tracking viruses and seeking to identify the emergence of novel viruses before they pose a major threat to human health.

Dr. Schneider has worked with a broad range of pathogens in diverse settings, including some of the most logistically challenging regions of the world. He provides oversight, strategic direction, and management of laboratory and field activities in austere sites, such as Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. He currently manages international laboratory teams, comprising expatriates and local nationals, engaged in efforts to deploy modern diagnostic capabilities within host country veterinary and public health systems to foster biological safety and international cooperative research.

Previously, at the Division of Vector Borne Infectious Disease at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), he gained expertise in tick-borne pathogens and proficiency in a broad spectrum of laboratory and field techniques. More recently, Dr. Schneider worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris as a visiting scientist, coordinating a project investigating susceptibility to severe forms of dengue virus disease and assisting negotiations for scientific collaboration in institutional, domestic, and international settings. He has provided scientific consulting to both the U.S. government and private-sector entities in biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, and outbreak response. Dr. Schneider has served globally in leadership and advisory roles as a member of academic, ethics, editorial, review, and search committees.

Dr. Schneider holds a Ph.D. in Virology and Experimental Pathology from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and a B.S. in Microbiology and Biopsychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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Brad, we are honored to be able to share your fascinating story and career with our French and American readers. We were delighted to have you participate in our Young Leaders program in 2010 and 2011. What was your favorite part? Why is this program important to you?
For me, the true strength of the French-American Foundation’s Young Leaders program lies in the wealth of engaging and dynamic individuals who participate. I find that often, in our day-to-day lives, we become siloed in our respective vocational communities, and meaningful interactions with individuals outside our domain are largely absent. The Young Leaders program provided me with an opportunity to engage with not just people in other career paths, but rather emerging leaders in a diverse variety of fields.

The wonderful locations, discussions, and special access granted to us acted as a stage to build relationships with some truly marvelous and vibrant people. I was inspired by this experience to take more control of the direction of my path, think more broadly, and seek out and build more multidisciplinary bridges in my work, but overall I was just greatly inspired by the passion and courage of my fellow Young Leaders.

My favorite part was a harrowing boat ride on rough seas to a tasty lunch situated in an idyllic secluded setting along the rocky coast of Marseille (followed by another exciting boat ride).

Your company recently changed names from Global Viral Forecasting Inc. to Metabiota. “Metabiota” is a microbiological term referring to a stable relationship between a group of hosts and the various microbes that inhabit them. Tell us about your work. What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
Despite the image of “virus hunters” traveling through lush rainforests to remote villages (perhaps in biohazard suits), most of my days are far less adventurous. Although I travel frequently to places rarely frequented by tourists, my day-to-day involves meetings, communicating with my field teams via Skype and email, analyzing lab and surveillance data, and lots of writing. Nonetheless, on two recent trips I was in China and the Democratic Republic of Congo to aid in the response to an avian influenza and Ebola outbreak, respectively. One of my favorite trips took me to a bat cave in full protective gear deep (14 hours from the capital city) in the pristine rainforests in Gabon, in search of the origins of Ebola virus and other bat-borne viruses.

You started your career at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and have since worked for a number of initiatives closely linked with the public sector. Do you feel that the U.S. government is properly prepared for health threats? Have recent cutbacks hindered these efforts?
Although we have made improvements, I have to say we are not prepared. Overall, public health surveillance capabilities remain restricted and fragmented and have uneven global coverage. For example, if we look at swine flu (H1N1) as a test case, the United States and the global community mounted a significant response, yet the pandemic infected as many as ninety million people in the United States alone and hundreds of millions throughout the world. It turns out we were lucky with this pandemic, as it was a much milder virus than its close relative, the Spanish flu of 1918 that killed 50 million people globally.

The recognition of the importance of strengthening public health surveillance worldwide to provide early warning for emerging diseases has been rapidly growing. The U.S. government is more focused on building our biosurveillance capabilities and implementing recommendations for improving the detection, prevention, and management of biohazards than ever before. Nonetheless, the risk of pandemics caused by emerging diseases is a significant challenge to control, as it requires coordinated efforts globally; like terrorism or climate change, you can do much to prepare yourself, but if others don’t follow suit, then the risk will remain improperly addressed.

In both the developed and developing world, public health systems are underfinanced and overwhelmed. Increased and enhanced coordination is needed among local, federal, and international agencies. Integration of efforts and coordination of budgetary resources for prevention and control is obviously a challenge that governments, both locally and internationally, will need to confront, as well as building the capacity to sustain these efforts.

With such in-depth knowledge of health threats across the globe, do you ever feel concerned or even overwhelmed? What is your biggest fear or worst-case scenario?
You can’t focus on the worst-case scenarios, but it is troubling knowing that viruses are constantly “pinging” us as a species, probing us for our weaknesses on a global scale. They evolve more rapidly than our defenses can to combat them. It is just a matter of time before another SARS, HIV, or Spanish flu breaks through. Then the question will be, will we detect it early and stop it when it is a small outbreak, or will it spread globally?

I think the worst-case scenario is for a virus with the human-to-human transmissibility of flu to emerge with the mortality rate of SARS coronavirus, Nipah virus, or smallpox virus; then you could have a virus that spreads to over a third of the world population that kills 30 – 75 percent of the people it infects.

Your work has taken you to multiple climates, environments, and cultures. Do you find that different locales and cultural or societal practices greatly change the threat of viruses, particularly the risk of outbreak?
Most new viruses that affect humans originated from animals. For example, the hunting and butchering of wild nonhuman primates in the early 1900s likely led to the introduction of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) into humans, giving rise to our modern-day HIV pandemic. So logically, activities that bring us into close contact with wildlife, especially behaviors that lead to direct contact with the blood or other fluids from an animal, enhance the risk of infection with a virus of animal origin. Accordingly, the hunting of tropical wild game, including monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, porcupines, bats, rodents, and other animals (often known as “bushmeat”) and the assembling and sale of live animals for consumption in “wet markets” enhance the threat of emergence of new viruses. These practices are more common in places like Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Amazon Basin. This, and the higher wildlife diversity in these areas, among a variety of other factors, lead these areas to have a higher risk for virus emergence. It is important to note that bushmeat in many areas remains a principal source of protein, and is often the only source, so it is not constructive to put responsibility on individuals who lack alternate choices to reduce global risk – a multifaceted coordinated approach needs to be employed. Bushmeat hunters and individuals who work at wet markets have been important allies for studying emerging disease.

Since 2010, you have worked on Emerging Pandemic Threat Program - PREDICT.” USAID launched this program to aggressively preempt or combat diseases that could spark future pandemics, targeting “hot spots” including the Congo Basin of East and Central Africa, the Mekong region of Southeast Asia, and the Gangetic Plain of South Asia. Tell us about this program and your involvement in it.
Emerging infectious diseases place a substantial burden on human health and global economy. The global impact of new emergent diseases, including HIV/AIDS, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza, and the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, serve as prominent reminders of how vulnerable our increasingly interconnected world is. The speed with which these diseases can emerge and spread presents serious public health, economic, political, and social concerns.

Conventional approaches to epidemic control have tended to be reactive. However, the explosive growth of human population, dramatic changes in land use, and global trade and travel have made a shift toward a proactive, predictive approach essential. In other words, we used to be able to rely on the great distances between us to protect us from new, potentially deadly, infectious diseases emerging in faraway places like Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Amazon Basin. Now a sick individual from a small village in Cameroon, using new roads (often built by lumber companies), can be in the capital city in a matter of hours; within another 8 hours that same individual could arrive in Paris, and from there be almost anywhere in the world in about 24 hours.

Thus there is a need to develop comprehensive disease detection and response capacities, particularly in those geographic areas where disease threats are likely to emerge. The U.S. agency that we work with, USAID, recognized this need and launched the Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) program four years ago to aggressively preempt or combat diseases that could spark future pandemics. The aim of the PREDICT project (part of the EPT program) is to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to the spillover of novel infectious pathogens from wildlife to humans. The approach brings together experts from multiple specialties, including wildlife ecology, epidemiology, genetics, virology, informatics, and veterinary medicine, all focused on building a global early warning system for emerging diseases that move between wildlife and people. The basic idea is to set up “listening posts” in areas of the world where emergence of new viruses is more likely. Essentially, these listening posts seek to detect new viruses, before or soon after they infect humans, by testing individuals with elevated risk as well as the wildlife with which they come in contact. My role in this endeavor is to build capacity within laboratories in “hot zone” regions to collect human and wildlife samples, which are analyzed to identify known and new viruses. As part of this, I travel extensively to Southeast Asia and Central Africa.

What inspired you to go into virology and the global effort to combat epidemics?
I became interested in the nature of living things at a young age – biology always fascinated me. My interest in biology grew during high school and college. At 20, I circumnavigated the globe, and I discovered the vivid cultures and rich aesthetic beauty of diverse landscapes, in tandem with suffering caused by diseases such as dengue and malaria, whose burdens were worsened by health care that was inaccessible or inadequate. This sparked a passion in me for exploration and a yearning to orient my career in a way that could help people. Soon after graduating from college, I was given the opportunity to work with a dynamic group of scientists at the Centers for Disease Control, and a path merging my interests in science, travel, and service came into focus. My trajectory since then has been guided by a desire to minimize the impact of infectious diseases and a genuine enchantment in the mysteries presented by science.

In terms of mass pandemics or epidemics, what fiction (or science-fiction) book most mirrors reality?
A while ago I read the book The Cobra Event by Richard Preston, because at the time it was rumored that President Clinton was sufficiently impressed by the terrorist scenarios described in the book that he asked for closer study of the risk and suggested more funding for research into bioterror threats. I found it to be relatively realistic and thoroughly entertaining, perhaps because I could relate to the protagonist, a young infectious disease scientist.

If we shift medium, I was also impressed by how the movie “Contagion” took the time to make the scenario as lifelike as entertainment allowed. They did not dramatically distort reality but did a pretty good job conveying the risks that we face from emerging viruses. The virus profiled in “Contagion” is based on one of the real viruses I study – Nipah virus, which originated in Malaysian fruit bats, spread to domestic pigs, and then caused an outbreak of neurological and respiratory disease in humans. The obvious difference is that the fictional virus, although taking a similar indirect and nefarious path into humans, spreads rapidly between humans with enormous consequences for the global human population.


Predicting The Future

By Kevin Kelly

AI and robots will create new jobs for humans – jobs that are focused on productivity over all else will be done by AI/robots. Jobs that need creativity and the willingness to fail will be done by robots. People with the ability to work with AI will be valued.

Virtual Reality and Mixed/Augmented Reality will lead us to an Internet of experiences. In VR you no longer watch scenes but viscerally experience the environment leading to memory. The hard problem is tracking your body and providing tactile feedback, not creating the world. Best example Void (redirected walking). For AR Mega

VR will become the most social of social media. It is inherently a social experience.

Personalisation and Tracking: anything that can be tracked, will be tracked. In VR your whole self is being tracked. The tracking will become more civilised because of co-veillance. We can track the trackers. There is a correlation between privacy and generic experiences, and transparency and personalisation

The great products of the next 20 years haven’t been invented yet.


Adam Quirk is an accomplished criminal justice professional with over 15 years of professional experience in private and criminal investigations, regulatory compliance, security management, background checks, and investigating violent crimes, such as bank robberies, kidnappings and dangerous fugitives. Adam's educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, a Master's degree in Criminal Justice (MCJ) and a Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA). Adam also has multiple memberships in social justice organizations. In his free time, Adam gives back to his community by volunteering for Circles of Support and other worthy causes. Adam also travels internationally whenever he gets the chance to do so. Regardless of what Adam is involved in, he is passionate, committed and dedicated to everything he does.

Adam Quirk graduated with an MBA from the University of Wisconsin

Adam Quirk graduated with an MBA from the University of Wisconsin

Adam is constantly learning and challenging himself with rigorous, comprehensive academia. In 2001, Adam earned a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In 2007, Adam attended Graduate School at Boston University where he earned a Masters degree in Criminal Justice/Criminology. After taking a break from higher education for a couple of years, Adam returned to the classroom in 2015. He recently graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

When he is not studying in a traditional classroom, Adam regularly reviews contemporary criminal justice related literature, case studies, journal articles, academic research, and true crime podcasts such as Sword & Scale, Undisclosed, In the Dark, and Serial.  Adam also maintains blogs of his own at various sites where ho covers topics such as true crime, travel, private investigations, criminal justice related policy, literature, and cyber security.

Adam Quirk conducts a press conference during an investigation.

Adam Quirk conducts a press conference during an investigation.

Adam began his criminal justice career as a Special Investigator for U.S. Investigations Services, Inc. (USIS). He began this role only a month after the events of September 11, 2001. It was up to professionals like Adam to conduct in-depth background investigations on potential Air Marshals and determine their suitability for high level security clearances. Adam Quirk conducted thousands of face-to-face interviews with potential candidates. With an investigation completion rate that was consistently found to be in the top 5% of the entire country, Adam was regularly named the Top Investigator for USIS’ Minneapolis division. Because of Adam Quirk and the team he supported, many suitable Air Marshals were placed on flights to protect America from another terrorist attack.

In 2004, Adam Quirk began a new position as a Diversion Investigator for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Diversion Investigators are tasked with investigating the diversion of Schedule II - V controlled substances from their intended destination (e.g. legal distributors) or point of manufacture by criminal entities. Because of his existing investigation experience at the time, Adam was responsible for coordinating and leading long term investigations for the DEA and conducting on-site security assessments for drug manufacturers, distributors, narcotic treatment programs and other DEA Registrants. His efforts led the DEA to stop several physicians who were engaged in the illegal sale of prescription narcotics or abusing them themselves.

Adam Quirk investigates a bomb threat on a commercial aircraft after an emergency landing.

Adam Quirk also held the role of a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. While working for the FBI, Adam investigated multi-jurisdictional and complex violent crimes, executed warrants, and conducted thousands of interviews and interrogations throughout the U.S. Adam specialized in bank and credit union robbery investigations, dangerous fugitive recoveries, car-jackings, and kidnappings. Adam also has experience in cold case homicide investigations, and the identification of unknown deceased individuals using biometrics technology.

While working for the FBI, Adam was highly trained in cellular phone tracking, call detail record analysis, and radio frequency technology.  As such, Adam was qualified to testify in state and federal court as a cellular technology expert.  Adam also traveled throughout the U.S. instructing local, state and federal law enforcement officers on the use of cellular phones and radio frequency during criminal investigations.

In early 2015, Adam founded a private investigations company called Stealth Advise, in the Green Bay, WI area. Stealth Advise provides surveillance, interviewing and interrogation, subpoena delivery, and other private investigations services throughout Wisconsin.  Since opening Stealth Advise, Adam's clients have grown in number, including notable law firms, large insurance companies, local news personalities, and sports celebrities.

Adam believes in giving back to his community. Why? Because not only is it the right thing to do, but doing so allows Adam to continuously learn from and engage with his neighbors, business leaders, community leaders and other members of Northeast Wisconsin to make this area-and the entire U.S.-the best place to live.

Adam volunteers regularly for Circles of Support,  an organization dedicated to helping people transition from incarceration to the community. Adam also spends a significant amount of time helping the underprivileged at Goodwill stores in North Central Wisconsin.

In addition, Adam commits his time to the Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.

And finally, Adam volunteers for the Doe Network, a 100% volunteer organization devoted to assisting other investigating agencies  and police departments in bringing closure to national and international cold cases of missing and unidentified persons.


european religion

Describing the Signs in AP European References

Aries: You’re as fierce than the Byzantine Empire as it swept it’s way through the Mediterranean and conquered land

Taurus: You’re as stubborn than the first estate in France in the 1800′s refusing that they were in debt from all the wars they fought and lost

Gemini: You’re as happy as Great Britain was during the Victorian Era, where science and industrial breakthrough’s took place

Cancer: You’re as caring as the servants were to the Renaissance children, and tried to keep them alive past the age of 20

Leo: You’re as bold as the Rebellions of 1848, where several European countries rebelled against their monarchial government in favor of more liberal ideals.

Virgo: You’re as rebellious as Galileo was, promoting the sciences against Church wishes

Libra: You’re like Queen Isabella of Castlie and King Ferdinand of Aragon, trying to promote peace by uniting their Spanish nation under one Catholic religion, but ending up really problematic because they put in place the Spanish Inquisition converting or killing anyone who wasn’t Catholic

Scorpio: You’re as underrated as the Golden of Age of the Dutch, as their citizens lived in peace, established the first national bank, and unanimously promoted Protestantism

Sagittarius: You’re as go getter as the European States were during the Age of Imperialism, conquering land but refusing to deal with the consequences

Capricorn: You were broken, but now fixed like the Italian States in 1830 when Garibaldi unified North and South Italy

Aquarius: You’re as innovative as Otto Von Bismark of Prussia as he ruled with an Iron First and helped gain territory and unite with Germany

Pisces: You’re as sensitive as the Catholics and Protestants were to each other, igniting the thirty years war

:Yore: : The Abyss of Darkness:

1. Hearing I ask | from the holy races,
From Heimdall’s sons, | both high and low;
Thou wilt, Valfather, | that well I relate
Old tales I remember | of men long ago.

2. I remember yet | the giants of yore,
Who gave me bread | in the days gone by;
Nine worlds I knew, | the nine in the tree
With mighty roots | beneath the mold.

3. Of old was the age | when Ymir lived;
Sea nor cool waves | nor sand there were;
Earth had not been, | nor heaven above,
But a yawning gap, | and grass nowhere.

4. Then Bur’s sons lifted | the level land,
Mithgarth the mighty | there they made;
The sun from the south | warmed the stones of earth,
And green was the ground | with growing leeks.

Her right hand cast | over heaven’s rim;
No knowledge she had | where her home should be,
The moon knew not | what might was his,
The stars knew not | where their stations were

Das Christkind (“christ child”) is the traditional Christmas gift-bringer in parts of Germany along with Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Upper-Silesia in Poland. Promulgated by German church reformer Martin Luther to discourage the figure of St. Nicholas at the Protestant Reformation in 16/17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christkind and the date of giving gifts from Dec 6 to Christmas Eve on Dec 24. The Christkind was adopted in Catholic areas in the 19th century, while it began to be gradually replaced by a more or less secularized version of St. Nicholas, the Weihnachtsmann (“Christmas Man” aka Santa) in Protestant regions. The Christkind is a child or a young girl, usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. As a gift-bringer, children will never see the Christkind in person. Parents tell them that the Christkind won’t come and bring presents if they’re too curious and try to spot it. One version is that a bell is rung and the family enters the living room for the opening of presents (“Bescherung”) after the Christkind has supposedly been there. This happens on the evening og Dec 24. For some time now, the Christkind has faced competition from the Weihnachtsmann, similar to the American Santa figure, which supposedly was caused by the use of Santa as an advertising figure. A well-known German figure is the Christkind at the Christkindlesmarkt in Nürnberg (as above), which is represented by a young woman chosen every year for this very task.

“In the recorded cosmic or Midgard concepts of the Indo-Europeans, man has his proper place in the great scheme of ordered life, but he is not enchained to it as are the oriental religions, with their star worship and priestly prophesies of the future — the study of entrails and the flight of birds, practised by the Babylonians, Etruscans and others. He appears in a trusting relationship with his God, whose nature itself is connected with the world order, and he joins with this God on a national scale in the struggle against all powers hostile to man and God, against chaos, against Utgard. The Indo-European recognises Midgard, the earth-space, as the field in which he may fulfil his destiny, cherishing life as a cultivator or farmer, where plants, animals and men are each called to grow and ripen into powerful forces asserting themselves within the timeless order. Guilt in man — not sin — arises wherever an individual defies or threatens this order and attempts through short-sighted obstinacy to oppose the divine universal order in life. For such a crime an individual incurs guilt. By such a crime, his people are threatened with the danger of decline and degeneration, and the world order with confusion and distortion.“

~   Hans F. K. Guenther,  The Religious Attitudes of the Indo-Europeans

German Folklore

German folklore is the folk tradition which has naturally developed in Germany over the centuries. It shares many characteristics with Scandinavian and English folklore due to their origins in Germanic mythology, reflecting a similar mix of influences: a pre-Christian pantheon and other beings equivalent to those of Norse mythology; magical characters (often pre-Christian) associated with Christian festivals, and various regional stories.

As in Scandinavia, when belief in the old gods disappeared, remnants of the mythos persisted: Holda, a supernatural patron of spinning; the Lorelei, a dangerous Rhein siren derived from 19th century literature; the spirit Berchta (aka Perchta); the Weisse Frauen, a water spirit said to protect children; the Wild Hunt (in German folklore preceded by an old man, Honest Eckart, who warns others of its approach); the giant Rübezahl; changeling legends; and many more generic entities such as the elf, dwarf, kobold, and erlking.

Popular holiday-related folklore includes Krampus and Knecht Ruprecht, a rough companion to Santa Claus; the Lutzelfrau, a Yule witch who must be appeased with small presents, the Osterhase (the original Easter Bunny), and Walpurgisnacht, a spring festival derived from Pagan customs. Character folklore includes the stories of Pied Piper of Hameln, the trickster hero Till Eulenspiegel, the Town Musicians of Bremen, and Faust.

Documentation and preservation of folklore in the German states was initially fostered in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Saxon author Johann Karl August Musäus was an early collector; study was further promoted by Prussian poet and philosopher Johann Gottfried von Herder. His belief in the role of folklore in ethnic nationalism - a folklore of Germany as a nation rather than of disunited German-speaking peoples - inspired the Brothers Grimm, Goethe and others. Folklore elements, such as the Rhine Maidens and the Grimms’ The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear, formed part of the source material for Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Some of the works of Washington Irving - notably Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - are based on German folktales.

Within Germany, the nationalistic aspect was further emphasized during the National Socialist era. Folklore studies, Volkskunde, were co-opted as a political tool to seek out traditional customs in order to support the idea of historical continuity within a Germanic culture.

The oldest depiction of the universe

Photo: Original act of the Warsaw Confederation

Warsaw Confederation (January 28, 1573) was an important development in the history of Poland and Lithuania that extended religious tolerance to nobility, free persons and also for the peasants and others within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is considered as the formal beginning of religious freedom in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and in fact is the first such document in Europe. While it did not prevent all conflict based on religion, it did make the Commonwealth a much safer and more tolerant place than most of contemporaneous Europe.

Late 16th century Poland stood between the Orthodox Muscovy in the East, the Muslim Ottoman Empire to the South, and Western Europe, torn between Reformation and Counter-Reformation, to the North and West. Its religious tolerance made it a welcome refuge for those escaping religious persecution elsewhere; in the words of Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius, it became “a place of shelter for heretics”. The confederation legalized the previously unwritten customs of religious tolerance.

—  J. Krishnamurti

Trier (Luxembourgish: Tréier; Italian: Treviri, French: Trèves) in Rheinland-Pfalz, Southwestern Germany lies on the river Mosel in a valley between vine-covered hills, near the border with Luxembourg in an important wine-growing region. Founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC as Augusta Treverorum, it may be the oldest city in Germany. It’s also the oldest seat of a bishop north of the Alps. In the Middle Ages, the Archbishop of Trier was important as he controlled land from the French border to the Rhein. He also had great significance as 1 of the 7 electors of the Holy Roman Empire. With a population of 105,000, Trier is now the 4th-largest city in its state after Mainz, Ludwigshafen, and Koblenz. The nearest major cities are Luxembourg (50 km), Saarbrücken (80 km), and Koblenz (100 km). Trier is home to the University of Trier, founded in 1473, closed in 1796 and restarted in 1970. The city also has the Trier University of Applied Sciences. Apart from the local wines and beers (local Löwenbräu, or Gaffel Kölsch & Bitburger), one should definitely try Viez or Viez/Limo. It’s an apple wine, often served with a splash of lemonade.

Some Thoughts on Imbolc

If you have been reading up on Wicca for a while, online and perhaps in books, you have probably read a bit about the eight sabbats. It’s important to note that these sabbats were included in Wicca by Gerald Gardner, and they are borrowed from several different places, from several different traditions. There is not one ancient European religion that celebrated all eight sabbats.

In this post I want to talk about Imbolc on a slightly deeper level, from a different point of view than you might have come across in basic books on Wicca.

To begin with this was the sabbat that I had the most trouble connecting with, but what I am going to share in this post has made it easier for me to feel a connection to this sabbat. Nowadays I am always looking forward to Imbolc and I feel a very strong connection to this beautiful celebration.

Originally posted by mirandathekinglet

Basics About Imbolc

Date: 1st/2nd February (some places say 2nd but I like to celebrate on the Eve of the 1st)
Other names: Imbolg, Brigid, Candlemas

For me the biggest issue with Imbolc started when I found Wicca while still living in Sweden. In English books, this sabbat is described as the first spring sabbat. You are to celebrate that the nature is re-awakening, new life is growing. In the Goddess and God mythological cycle, the Goddess is entering Her phase as a young maiden, while the God is a child. There are snowdrops and other flowers too - the books tell you.

Originally posted by pagewoman

Swedish Imbolc

And this is probably true in some other places in the northern hemisphere as well (and in the southern hemisphere, this goes completely out the window!)

Right, so it says that now you can see the first signs of spring.

And as a Swedish person you look out through the window at all the snow and wonder where exactly these signs of spring are hiding.

I know I was even thinking that the date for this sabbat should be changed, because it so obviously does ring true with the Swedish climate. Of course you can see Imbolc as a chance to help spring move along, but I never thought this was enough. It was always very frustrating to me, because I felt like I completely missed out on this part of the Wheel of the Year.

It wasn’t until I moved to England, to Devon, that I actually felt I could get a connection to Sweden’s Imbolc. This is a bit ironic, since Devon is known as England’s Riviera. Here crocuses have already started to appear. Though this winter has been cold: the temperature has dropped below zero at least a couple of days. Sometimes we have had to have the heating on in the house all day. One day there was even sleet for an hour or two.

When Imbolc appears there are snowdrops, crocus and often daffodils. There are buds on the trees and I can really see how Imbolc is the first spring sabbat.

Originally posted by pragmaculture

But Imbolc is so much more than that, and that is what I have gained a connection to that will also work in Sweden and other colder countries in the Northern Hemisphere.

Because Imbolc is also called Brigid (pronounced ‘Breed), and Brigid is the Goddess of poetry, the forge, fire and creativity. She is also the Goddess of healing and midwifery. This is connected to the Goddess having given birth to the God, but it is also about re-awakening and give life to one’s own creativity and creative force after the winter darkness.

Even in Sweden the light is returning, and people know that they are headed toward spring and they have more energy. So this is a perfect time to honour the fire within ourselves, and its creative flames. That is what has allowed me to make a connection to Imbolc.

For me this is now a celebration of fire, a time to start forming what I want to achieve during the coming year. This is a chance for me to find myself and stand in my own power, just like the Goddess is doing. This is the sabbat when She has the least connection to the God; She is out there celebrating Herself and Her desires, and we have the chance to do the same!

Originally posted by fornootherreasondave

What You Can Focus On

The Goddess is in her forge. She is strong, she surely has soot smeared on her face, her skin is blank with sweat while she is lifting the hammer against the anvil, to form what she is working on. She is forming her own life. She works with what she wants. She decides which one of her ideas she wants to make reality, and then she makes it happen. There is nothing that can stop her.

She is the mistress of her own life.

So take this moment to have a ritual where you are honouring the Goddess’ immense power of creation. It is this very power that will soon melt even the snow. It is this power that makes nature crackle with new life. And this power is present within each and everyone of us.

How can you use this power within a ritual? Here are some of my suggestions =)

  • Use this creative life force to think about what you want to make in your forge. What do you want to achieve the coming year?
  • Focus on your own inner creative fire. How does it look? Is it lit? Or do you need to kindle it? What fuel does it need? Think about how the fire used to be the very heart - the hearth - of the home, and how we need this to survive. If yours has gone out it is time to feed the flames!
  • Do you feel your are stuck in some project and you’re not sure how to move it forward? This is the perfect ritual to find new inspiration.
  • Do you need healing? Let Brigid’s healing hands help you to heal.
  • Do you want to get rid of bad habits? Let Brigid’s fire burn them away, and let yourself be born again from the flames.

Ideas For Magic

Originally posted by heartsnmagic

This is the perfect sabbat to work with healing magic both for yourself and for others.

Candle and fire magic are also great to work with here, to re-connect to the power of the fire.

It’s also a really good time to plant seeds representing that which you want to achieve the coming year. Plant a seed for something you want to grow and charge it with your energy and inention. See how it grows as your project is growing, and take some time each day to connect to your seed (and in time plant!) to deepen your own connection to it and that which you want to achieve.

I hope this have given you some new thoughts about this glittering celebration!

How do you celebrate Imbolc?

Germany - Basic Facts

Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, plus the following countries: Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and maritime borders with Sweden (Baltic Sea) and the UK (North Sea)

Area: 357,022 sq km - Country comparison to the world: #63

Coastline: 2,389 km

Terrain: Northern lowlands, uplands in the center and Bavarian Alps in south

Lowest point: Neuendorf-Sachsenbande - 3.54 m
Highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m

Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.5%, others 6%, made up largely of other Europeans such as Greeks, Italians, Poles, Russians, Serbo-Croatians, and Spaniards.

Religions: Protestant ~34%, Roman Catholic ~34%, Muslim ~4%, unaffiliated or other ~28%

Population: 81,305,856 (2012) - Country comparison to the world: #16

Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.3%
15-64 years: 66.1%
65 years and over: 20.6%

Health expenditures: 8.1% of GDP - Country comparison to the world: #55

Doctors’ density: 3.531 doctors/1,000 population - Country comparison to the world: #28

Hospital bed density: 8.17 beds/1,000 population - Country comparison to the world: #7

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP - Country comparison to the world: #82

He conveniently forgets that Turkey opened the floodgate of economic migrants into Europe in 2015

I think I just saw my first “Christians stole Christmas” post of the season.

I guess, just to put it out there, we didn’t.

We may have taken some elements of indigenous European religious traditions (i.e., the Christmas tree) and Christianized them, with the resulting Christianized version entering the mainstream.

However, these aspects of Christmas are not necessary parts of the holiday. Christians celebrated Christmas well enough before contact with most European religions, and in many parts of the world, we have managed to do so after.

(Not every culture’s Christmas celebrations include a tree and whatnot. Those celebrations are still valid.)

This historic Protestant church was founded in 1611, but suspended during the French Revolution. I saw this view while looking out of a Louvre Museum window and had no idea what the building was for. I love learning new things!

L’Oratoire du Louvre, Paris, France

I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles…I am the original fragrance of the Earth and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics…I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent and the prowess of all powerful men.
—  Krishna

Bhagavad Gita  Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute


Monsignor Athol “Pere” Murray, O.C.

In the early days and for many subsequent years, Father Murray was the coach of the Hounds football, hockey, and baseball teams. In each instance, the Hounds won many provincial championships and scores of southern Saskatchewan championships, with many talented players heading to the National Hockey League (NHL) and the NCAA. Athol Murray taught his athletes sportsmanship and good citizenship.

In later years, Monsignor Murray played the role of executive member and counsellor to various athletic organizations in the province and Canada.


The Furry Monkey

non-hodgkins or hodgkins lymphoma...?

When you hear the diagnosis of a Lymphoma - either Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma or Hodgkins Lymphoma you may never have heard of it before - this is not unusual with Lymphomas!

It is very natural to feel fear, anxiety, despair and even hopelessness. The more you know about something, the less afraid and anxious you are likely to be. Knowledge = Power. So what is Non-Hodgkins compared to Hodgkins Lymphoma? Well I'll try to explain here for you....

Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas are a type of cancer of the lymphatic system. There are two main types of Lymphoma - these are Hodgkins Lymphoma (named after Dr Hodgkin, who first described it). The other is called Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. There are about 35 different types of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma around now - some more common than others.

There is only one way to tell the difference between Hodgkins and Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas. This can be seen when the cells are looked at under a microscope. Often the cells need to be stained to show their structures. Usually the cells will also be tested for the presence of particular proteins – this is known as immunohistochemistry.

In most cases of Hodgkins Lymphoma, a particular cell known as the Reed-Sternberg cell is found in the biopsies. This cell is not usually found in other Lymphomas, so they are called Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. This may not seem a very big difference, but it is important because the treatment for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas can be very different.

There are over 35 different types of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, each with its own characteristics and behaviour. Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas, like other cancers, are diseases of the body’s cells. Cells in different parts of the body may work in different ways but they all repair and reproduce themselves in the same way. Normally, this division of cells takes place in an orderly and controlled manner. However, if, for some reason, the process gets out of control the cells will continue to multiply. There will then be too many immature white blood cells in the blood or bone marrow. A lump or tumour may also develop in one or more groups of lymph nodes.

Lymphocytes move around the body as part of their role in defending against infection, and so Lymphoma cells can sometimes travel through the lymphatic system to lymph nodes in other parts of the body. The Lymphoma cells can also travel in the bloodstream, which may carry them to other organs. When the cells reach a new area they may go on dividing and form a new tumour.

types of lymphoma

Obviously with over 35 variations of Lymphoma I can't list them all, but here are the most common ones.

All Lymphomas have a particular appearance when looked at under the microscope and contain certain proteins on the cell surface. This also means that they grow at different rates and also need different treatments hence so many variations of chemotherapy!

An Odd One! (yes my type of Lymphoma...)

Primary Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma of bone (PLB) is a rare type of cancer starting in the bone, it accounts for about 1-3% of all primary bone tumours.
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) usually starts in the lymph nodes and lymph glands (part of the immune system). PLB, however, starts in the bone. This is different from NHL which starts in the lymph notes and then spreads to the bones (bone metastases).

B-Cell Lymphomas

T-cell lymphomas