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Since 1955 Sky Ranch Camps have provided three nondenominational summer camps that serve kids from ages 6 to 17 impacting their young lives forever. There are three camps located in beautiful locations in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. Each year Sky Ranch Camps host over 8000 guests mostly from the United States.

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Sky Ranch Cave Springs is located in Quapaw, Oklahoma. Quapaw was named after the Quapaw Native American tribe who still live in Oklahoma. The Cave Springs camp is a 1400-acre, nondenominational retreat center that holds all the comforts of home while providing the adventure of camping. Cave Springs camp is also the first home of Sky Ranch's Quest Leadership Camp for ages 15 to 17.

The camp is located on the crest of the Ozark Mountains in northeast Oklahoma. It is situated by a natural spring that spills two million gallons of water a day.

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For more information on Sky Ranch Cave Springs contact:

Sky Ranch Cave Springs

7750 S. 655 Road

Quapaw, OK 74363

Phone: 918-542-1547

www.skyranchcamps.com

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Enduring a painful relationship separation can be one of the most emotionally traumatic events that a person may ever experience. Of the many things we can do to aide in our healing processes, what I'm offering in this article are changes that we can make in our lives that might help us to avoid becoming completely stagnated as so many people unfortunately do. Before listing any physical changes that we can make in our lives, I want to take a moment to address a few emotional aspects to consider before changing anything.

Acceptance

Unless it's been mutually agreed upon that the separation is only temporary, one of the first things a person needs to do after a painful separation is to accept the fact that they are indeed separated and their relationship is over. This means “I Love You” no longer has any value, pet names are absolutely inappropriate, you can no longer expect or seek any degree of intimacy (ahem, no more sex with them!), many things about you and your life will no longer be any of their business, etc. Acceptance will help enable you to take the next step.

Surrender

At first glance, surrender might suggest giving up or accepting failure. But surrender is actually just the opposite in that it's a significant step towards victory. When you surrender to something that's happening right now, it means that you've not only accepted the reality of what's happening right now with minimal resistance and without denial, you're also committed to doing what's necessary to address your current crisis and put forth your best genuine effort to see it through to a brighter outcome.

For example, when two people separate, it often means that many tangibles will be removed from each other's life. Things we take for granted like our ownership of various appliances, financial accounts, automobiles, various kitchen accessories, electronic components, DVDs, Music CDs, and unfortunately children if there are any, must be divided up. Without surrendering to the situation, it becomes very difficult to allow this to happen without instigating drama or even violence with your ex partner.

The movie “Twister” offers an excellent example of a woman unwilling to surrender to her pending divorce. Near the beginning of this movie, Bill Harding (played by Bill Paxton) ventures out into a storm-chaser's heaven in search of his wife Jo Harding (played by Helen Hunt) who's with her weatherbug team setting up equipment to capture data from an oncoming storm. Bill's only intentions here are to retrieve the divorce papers currently in Jo's possession and hopefully, fully signed and ready to go.

But to Bill's dismay, Jo has conveniently neglected to sign the last page. Jo was obviously hoping that Bill would have just grabbed the papers and then left without checking them through first, all in efforts of prolonging the divorce's completion. Why? Because she hasn't surrendered to her husband's divorce wishes and her resistance is her desperate attempt to maintain hope that they'll get back together.

So what exactly is the “victory” that I mentioned earlier? Your victory is your ability to heal and move on into a better life!

Grieve

In relating back to my experience, I found that accepting my separation and then surrendering to the pending divorce helped tremendously in getting through the physical disconnection from my wife. But during the quiet moments, I had to set some time aside to grieve. In my opinion, grieving is an essential component in the initial stages of emotional separation and is something that's best done alone. This means that I selfishly avoided people completely at my own personal convenience and rejected invitations to social events simply so that I could have my much needed quiet moments to grieve.

Stillness

Stillness is an essential component of moving on with one's life after separation and divorce. Stillness is where you disengage from anything that's unnecessary and like with grieving, you're being absolutely selfish with your time so that you can focus on “self”. Even if you have children, try to find some alone time because this will help you to be of better help to them as they're going to be suffering just as much or more than you!

Stillness is a time for a person to engage in deep introspection. It's a time to take stock of your current mental state of being, your situation and circumstances. It's a time for you to comprehend your strengths and weaknesses. It's a time for you to acknowledge the best choices of direction to take your life into that fits within the boundaries of your strengths and weaknesses.

One aspect of stillness that I've found personally important is that it's a time to acknowledge what's missing from being able to establish a healthy sense of emotional, psychological and spiritual wholeness. When a person fails to do this, they often tend to continue living their lives with unknown voids within them. Some people might actually be aware of such voids within them, regardless, such people behave in ways that fill such voids and holes with various forms of toxicity that prevent them from truly healing and evolving from their crisis.

The kinds of toxicity I'm referring to are as follows:

-Surrounding theirselves with as many people as possible, regardless of whether or not they're good people.

-Hanging out at bars and consuming lots of alcohol or other illegal substances.

-Burying theirselves in their work.

-Seeking emotional companionship via the internet. This is actually very destructive because chat rooms, group forums, etc, are often filled with very toxic and dysfunctional people who would take advantage of you in a heartbeat when given the opportunity!

At this point, I will start listing off some changes that you can make to your life that I feel might aide in your progression forward into more positive directions.

Remove your wedding bands. This is something that I would recommend doing right away after the separation has happened because your wedding ring only serves as a very painful reminder of what's hurt you to begin with. I'm not suggesting that you get rid of it, but at least put it some place that's completely out of sight and out of mind.

Discontinue any and all alcohol consumption. Alcohol isn't classified as a Depressant without reason and it absolutely has the potential to lead you into self-destructive behavior. This notion also goes for any other illegal substances as well.

Disengage from social events that both you and your ex-partner engaged in. Not only can painful separations be the result of divorce, they can also be the result of death. Several years ago, a close friend's wife passed away and one of the things he later changed in his activities was quitting his membership to a local club that we all belonged to. When I asked him why he did that, he said “Going to the club was something that my wife and I done together. But now that she's gone, it only serves as a painful reminder of her untimely death.” This same concept can very well help divorcees as well.

Change your choice of reading material. If you're fond of reading and your choice of reading material is typically fiction, try picking up a few relationship and separation-recovery oriented self-help books instead. There are several really good books to choose from and I've found author Barbara De Angelis to be very helpful in this regard.

Replace various tangibles in your home. As human beings, we're gifted with the ability to think and have mental fantasies. However, after a painful separation, such a gift can quickly turn into a painful curse. Seeing things around your house that were acquired WITH your ex can lead to some very painful thoughts that only prolong your recovery and healing process. Some of the things I replaced were; my bed, soap dispensers, throw rugs, towels, pictures and picture frames, cups, glasses, silverware, and various other decorative elements around the house. The point of this is to work towards developing a new and better “you”.

Remove all “Us” pictures. This is difficult, especially if you have children. Unfortunately, pictures of you and your ex together will only serve as brutal reminders of a bad relationship and prolong your healing process.

Engage in activities that YOU specifically like. Relationships have their ways of rendering a person automatically “busy”. This has the potential to cause a person to spend little or no time doing certain things that are truly dear and/or important to them. But with your newfound freedom, now you can engage in such things and doing so is quite likely to help you emotionally. For me, my freedom allowed me to spend more time playing my guitars and working in my woodworking shop which done wonders for my emotional health.

Start up an exercise routine. Exercise obviously serves the body well in many ways. But for me, I found that routine walking gave me much needed time and space to get away and think about things for a while.

If you already have an exercise routine, see if there are ways you can change it. You might try finding a new gym to work out at or walk a different route than usual. The point here is to “change” what you do in efforts of developing a healthy new “you” that's also in alignment with your authentic self.

Change your diet. I had done without making my own lasagna for many years because my ex-wife didn't like Ricotta Cheese. I once tried making two separate dishes and frankly, it was a lot of extra mess and work which made it seem more like a hassle than anything. So now, I'm free to make my foods any way I like that suits MY taste buds. You can also try going to different restaurants because just as with certain items in your house, going to the same restaurants that you and your ex both enjoyed can also serve as painful reminders of a bad relationship.

Seek new friends and acquaintances. Many couples develop their associations with other people AS a couple. But after being separated, such associations might not maintain their same value or purpose in your life. By all means, if someone is truly your “friend”, don't disconnect from them, but allowing yourself to be open to new friendships, within reason, may come with a variety of unexpected rewards that can greatly enhance your healing and recovery processes.

Change Jobs. Without trying to invalidate the frustration that many people face in trying to find a job in the first place, if you're able to change jobs safely without compromising your financial stability, by all means, DO IT! It's quite unfortunate that many people create a lot of unnecessary drama in the workplace. If and when such people come to learn of your separation/divorce, they're very likely to make your work experience even more miserable than it might already be. Finding a new job disconnects you from people who may be aware of your circumstances and thus, aides in your healing and recovery process.

Move. This unfortunately isn't even really an option in some cases because along with divorce comes a court order to sell your house if you're a homeowner. But, if you're able to maintain ownership of your home or you're just renting and you're able to do so responsibly, move to a new home. This can work wonders in your efforts of developing a new “you”.

There are plenty more things you can change about your life to aide in your healing and recovery processes and as I think of them, I may post them as addendums to this article. But hopefully what I've offered thus far will give you a good idea of what you can do to help yourself along.

Wishing everyone a beautiful day!

Peace, Love and Harmony,,,

On July 21, 1791, the people of Varennes came to the realization that the king, Louis XVI, was among them.(Tackett, 3-5) It is clear by their indecision at what action to further take that this realization was almost immobilizing in its weight. Years before perhaps the people of Varennes would have helped the king on his way in a dutiful manner, but the revolution had garnered suspicion in their ranks. The town in effect was just another series of mishaps in a plan that, from the beginning, was doomed for failure, and once the news had reached the far corners of the country, the French people were bent on the king's return to Paris. The French, acting as one mind but with several ideas about the situation, were agreed upon the king's return, and Varennes had already acted in this decision. Varennes, like the rest of France, had been changed by the revolution, and the king's flight was a step in the direction of deposing the monarchy, evidenced through how the French people reacted to the king's presence in Varennes and the news of his escape, coupled with just how hard the French had made it for the king to escape in the first place.

The people of Varennes had been affected in many ways by the revolution prior to the King's appearance. Like all other French towns, Varennes had elected it's own representatives to the National Assembly in March of 1789.(Tackett, 9) The act of electing these officials changed the town of Varennes, especially at the realization of inclusion in building a governing body. For a group of people who had been lorded over by nobles and exploited with taxes, the inclusion and then implementation of government was a far cry from the norm.(Tackett, 10) This in many ways changed the way they viewed government from the set apart establishment of hierarchical authority in a downward direction, moving from the King and parliaments towards the citizens, to an understanding of government coming up from the people to the state, shifting power from the “rulers” to the “ruled.” To a group of peasants, merchants, and tradesman this would change everything, in effect giving a supplement of purpose to the masses.

Another change the people of Varennes had experienced was the institution of a local militia.(Tackett, 11) One of the most important parts about the militia was the time of its formation. As Tackett explains, “In August, 1789, confronted by the threat of anarchy and of possible counterrevolution after the collapse of the Old Regime, the town had formed its first citizens' militia.”(Tackett, 11) The militia was not just produced by the revolution but to defend the revolution against the supposed threats milling about during the Great Fear. If this militia had been formed simply out of revolutionary thought as a product of the new ability to do so it would not have had the same importance. The militia stood as a designation of the worth of the revolution and its ideals that, when threatened, the people of Varennes (like many other people in France) realized they were worth fighting for. Facing opposition for an ideal is far more important than simply believing in that ideal; in like manner, it was an intensely important step for the people of Varennes to voluntarily choose to fight against a counterrevolution.

Still another change that had happened to Varennes during the revolution was the institution of clubs, specifically the founding of the Varennes chapter of the Friends of the Constitution, which became affiliated with the Jacobins. The club's first purpose was to “support and propagate the decrees passed by the National Assembly,” but quickly mimicked the Jacobins in serving as a watchdog for enemies of the revolution.(Tackett, 12) If not for this watchdog tendency it is doubtful the vigilance experienced by the king would have existed, at least to some degree. In the instance of Varennes, though, the king was met with a very tense town.

After dealing with the possibility of threats to their life during the Great Fear by the enemies of the Revolution, one could easily say Varennes was on edge. The paranoia that had gripped the countryside with rumors of marauding bands in the pay of anti-revolutionary nobles was enough to wind up the people of Varennes.(Popkin, 35) Between 1789 and 1791 Varennes experienced three close calls dealing with rumors that put the town on guard, adding to the importance of the militia and the addition of guns and ammunition.(Tackett, 13-14) A more imminent threat was the presence of the garrisons of royal troops in and around Varennes, many of which were foreign troops.(Tackett, 14)

Take that fear of losing life or wellbeing one step further with the possibility of losing all that had been accomplished by the revolution, and one can see just how watchful Varennes must have been. The threat of attack by enemies of the revolution was an eventual attack on the revolution, and after all the people of Varennes, the people of France altogether, had gained from the revolution they would obviously have been frightened by the loss of that success. Varennes had established its first municipal government, had created a militia of its own people, and involved itself in the governing of the entire nation, all of which were definite and positive steps toward fair treatment under the law and increased rights for the common people.(Tackett, 9-12)

Of all these reasons for stopping the king on his flight, it is amazing why the leaders of Varennes had such a hard time deciding to send him back to Paris. The mysticism of the royal family still held sway over the people of France, as was displayed by Jacques Destez failing on his knees to hail the king when he was shown to the royal family; the leaders of the town, at the realization of the king's identity assumed he was acting in the best interest of his family and the country and decided they must help him in his escape to Montmedy.(Tackett, 7-8) But those who had not been in the presence of the king were far more suspicious, and put two-and-two together concerning the king's flight and the presence of the troops in their region. (page 18) There was, then, a conflict of interests. At first the people of Varennes, or at least those who met with the king, desired to help him seek refuge from Paris. But after realizing the presence of the foreign troops and those troops having advanced into Varennes, Sauce and a portion of the council of Varennes decided to send the king back to Paris.(Tackett, 22)

The experiences of Varennes were not the only forces at play in Louis and his family getting sent back to Paris. The whole plan of escape was inevitably doomed from the day it was put into motion. Once troops were put into place, people became suspicious, and even harassed them to drive them away.(Tackett, 67) Ultimately Tackett contributes the king's indecisiveness as the weak link in the escape, along with many other problems. The king repeatedly rescheduled the escape, even down to a one-day delay due to a wary servant girl.(Tackett, 49, 53-54) Troops had been stationed at certain intervals along the route to aid the king and his family in their escape, and the movements of such troops drew far too much attention.(Tackett, 52) Everything seemed to draw attention, even the huge black and yellow berline the group decided to travel in.(Tackett, 48) The king decided it would be okay to ride with the shades down, speak with people along the way, and generally reveal his presence to anyone who might recognize him.(Tackett, 66)

It is inarguable that the plan was well thought out; people like Axel von Fersen and General Bouillé planned things down to the minute detail, even timing out the whole trip.(Tackett, 46, 50, 51) If there had not been delays and pit falls, perhaps the plan would have succeeded, as it was well developed and planed out, save for the one problem that could not be avoided: the king.

Tackett explains that the king did not think the Revolution was in such great presence in the countryside as it was in Paris. Perhaps if the king, and the rest of the group, had realized this they would have been more inconspicuous, keeping to their roles and passing through towns unnoticed. But sadly they did not, and the king was noticed several times.(Tackett, 66) It seems as though the whole trip, with its delays, unintended attention, and inadequate decision-making on the king's part, was destined to fail before it even began.

An interesting thing about the French countryside's communication was the speed at which the information of the king's flight spread. All but the most secluded regions of France had received word of the king's escape within four days. Tackett makes the observation that the news spread most quickly along the major highways due to the use of couriers. As these men hurtled along with their information they told anyone who would come in earshot, and traded information and misinformation with each other. There were all manner of rumor as to the cause of the king's disappearance, and several suspects, but the general fact that the king was gone spread like wild fire.(Tackett, 152-154)

The way in which French people responded to this information is quite interesting, chiefly in the similarities and differences between Parisians and the people of the provinces. As the monarchy had existed for near a millennium the French in general had a strong tie to their king. There was a certain mysticism surrounding the king, even down to the supposed “king's touch” which could cure a skin disease. When it came to Louis, people endeared him, even with his overeating and his lack of tact or court prowess. Louis had engendered a paternal idea of his relationship with his people, and the French people saw him as a “good father.”(Tackett, 180) In most regards people still had faith in the king, and wished to see him at the head of a constitutional monarchy.

As the revolution wore on, the king had lost much of his power, and Louis was beginning to wane in the public eyes. (Popkin, 47) The French people still wanted him at the head of the government, save the unusual radical, but felt some of his past power was better left in the hands of the representatives of the people. The fact that this representative body resided in Paris and the amount of information and intellectual culture in Paris caused a difference in the way Parisians reacted to the king's disappearance.

Paris, rather than exploding in a frenzy of anger and feelings of betrayal or fear at the king's disappearance, reacted with emotional calm after the first reaction of excitement and shock. Interestingly, this reaction happened because the turmoil was put down so quickly by the National Assembly, and with the flurry of activity aimed at returning the king the people simply stood back and observed.(Tackett, 98) Later, however, Paris became a powder keg, as exemplified by the massacre at the Champ de Mars stadium on July 14, 1791.(Tackett, 148)

The people of the countryside, however, were not as calm. As the news spread of the king's disappearance, the fears of a foreign army attacking or some other evil befalling the people spread just as quickly as the news of the king. (Tackett, 155) The people of the provinces were electrified into action, sending out couriers and drawing up defenses in perhaps the only actions open for them to do.

Besides the actions in the countryside and later riots in Paris, the people of France seemed to react in like fashion. Though the Parisians seemed far less disturbed by the thought of conspiracy over the king's disappearance, they were still in some fashion decided upon getting the king back to Paris. (Tackett, 100) Like the people of the provinces, there was still some vestige of reliance upon the king in Paris, if only for a symbol of unity. Some doubted the king, but whether fearing or postulating abduction or betrayal, Parisians wanted their king back, and the people of the countryside wanted to send him back.

The disappearance of the king caused a great disturbance in France. Doubt was injected into France, doubt in the old monarchy that coincided with doubt in the monarchy. This event drew the French people together, bringing them to act upon the king's flight in a unified body, working to separate the king from his people. Through the changes of the revolution in Varennes, the pitfalls along the escape, and the spread of information, the king was returned, but not to his same role; Louis would forever be the king who tried to escape, an outcast citizen who would eventually come to his death on the guillotine.(Tackett 216)

Sources:
Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006), 35,47.

Timothy Tackett, When the King Took Flight (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003).

XX=XY?

Where are our limits as human beings who have been given free will by the Creator of ALL life?

We choose them.

When do we STOP ourselves from experimenting with the knowledge we have been given?

Shall I run down the “no-no” list? I don't have to. Most all of us know when the line has been crossed. When your mouth drops (gasp) and you feel confusion in your heart and the area looks gray…

That IS the line.

The claim of a pregnant man. That is over the line.

Story seen here on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNkZhcmorOw

Science basically says, if you have XX chromosomes you are a WOMAN. If you have XY, you are a MAN. There are many syndromes where you can have XXY, XXX, XXYY, XYY, X.

But no Y without X. No YY. Well, we all know Adam was incomplete without Eve;)

I am XX. I have a womb and have had four children. Because I liked to build forts, wear pants, play ball, fight and work with tools does that make me truly a man? What if I had a lot of facial hair, I had a deep voice and acted like a man? What if I wanted to be a man? If I cut off my breasts, took in some extra hormones and had some tissue sewn in my genital area in the shape of a male sex organ, would that make me a man?

NO

I understand that people may “feel” a certain way about their bodies, but you cannot change the TRUTH. You have the free will to live the lifestyle you choose and have a “manly” personality, “manly” habits and even look like a man. Doesn't mean it is the right thing to do in the destiny of your life. We are not talking about those who have chromosomal issues that must be figured out with time and in depth surgical procedures. We are talking about those who think they can manipulate LIFE purpose to prove some kind of control issue.

How does a transgender or similar lifestyle not speak confusion, chaos and lack of TRUTH to a child who is brought into one?

Are there XY humans who were born with ovaries and a womb and have bore children?

NO

Females have wombs and bear the children. I have seen some moms that looked like men, naturally. But you cannot be a woman, pretending to bea man who is having children. You cannot be a man, have a womb transplant and becomea woman. When “they” figure a way to manipulate that too, men will still be men. Out of the will of God. The same goes for women who are going down that deceitful road.

And not to border on being too tacky (like Ann Coulter), as far as the “Pregnant Man” is concerned, that is what we used to call a “nut”.

I asked my Vietnam Vet father about it. He said it was “convoluted logic”. I think it is self-serving, Godless and I agree with my dad. But I do have the side of me that also feels, believe it or not, sad.

We have turned from the TRUTH on a world wide scale. Our HOPE as a nation no longer under GOD, is in our own abilities.

Unsure, Unfocused, Undefined.

+ Luke 23:34

*I have discussed on a previous blog about the public school volunteer forms with the choice to remain anon in the male/female category.

I don't think I want my 13 yr old son being chaperoned by this woman on a three day field trip. Would you?

OLD SAYBROOK – A facility built to serve as a community for those with short and long term health needs has shown throughout its 20 years that it wants to reach out to its community.

The late Dr. Morton Silberstein developed the vision for the Gladeview Health Care Center.

“In the 1960's he had the courage to build his own facility, a facility that embodies the fullness of his vision to make every day of life full and precious,” said Linda Silberstein, Morton Silberstein's widow and the current owner of the facility.

Morton and Linda, both conservationists, sought out to be a good neighbor to Old Saybrook residents by preserving a nearby three-acre pristine pond with fish.
To enjoy nature's “community”, the facility has a canopied patio area and wheelchair accessible gardening.

According to Athena Health Care Systems Web site, which manages the facility, “the center's design takes full advantage of the panorama of the estuary, the Ragged Rock Marina, and Long Island Sound,” which allows residents to enjoy the aesthetics of their community.

Some 132 residents call the community of Gladeview their home and while most receive long-term care, some come for rehabilitation services.

For both types of residents, the facility's values have remained constant over the past 20 years.

Athena reports that the facility's values include providing “balanced attention to the medical, physical, emotional, social, and family needs of each individual.”

The facility has programs both inside and outside of its doors.

“We have many inter-generational activities here, the residents love the youth of this community,” Linda Silberstein said, adding that the facility has hosted community trick-or-treat activities for the past 18 years.

This allows area children to come in during the late afternoon on Halloween to get candy from the various residents and allows the residents some youthful visitors from the community.

Community Liaison Cynthia Straub said the children and the elderly look forward to this fun Halloween event which attracts between 300 and 400 kids.

Other inter-generational activities are the result of a working relationship with Old Saybrook High School, St. John's School, and the Girl Scouts.

Straub said that “Career Day” allows high school students the opportunity to learn more about healthcare positions at the facility, which range from registered nurses to physical therapists to speech therapists.

The Resident Council at Gladeview works hard each year to raise funds in order to give back to the Old Saybrook community.

Specifically, funds go toward the Shoreline Soup Kitchen while other monies are awarded to an Old Saybrook High School senior through an annual scholarship.

These funds are raised from a variety of ways such as bake sales, book fairs, and the management of the gift shop.

Funds come from the management of the gift shop and the holding of events such as bake sales and book fairs.

The facility actively works with students, some of which are looking to fill their community service requirements.

These students assist residents in a variety of activities ranging from arts and crafts classes, trivia and word games, music and religious programs, and social gatherings.

Some of those social gatherings include Mother's and Father's Day brunches and a formal “senior” prom event.

The facility also hosts photography exhibits by the Southeastern Connecticut Camera Club and features art exhibits.

Other programs at the facility include blood drives, a gourmet series, and a wellness program with guest speakers allowing residents to learn yoga, massage therapy, and nutrition.

The facility has a working relationship with the Estuary Council of Seniors and hospice.

Virgina McAvinney, who manages the facility's gift shop, said she has been a resident for the past four and a half years and feels the facility does a great job at sponsoring community events.

Each month, the facility hosts bus trips for shopping, sporting events, concerts, museums, and cruises.

Straub said the facility takes good care of its staff of 168 employees and noted that three have been working at the facility for 20 years, 10 others have been there at least 15 years, and six have been there at least 10 years.

Employee appreciation programs are held regularly which include learning stress-relieving techniques, special dinners, recognizing outstanding employees through the “Recognition of Excellence” awards, and having the employee of the month and employee of the year awards.

Michele Bourque, who has been a nurse for 20 years at the facility, noted that while medical practices has changed, “what has not changed is that we are truly a family here, a wide spread feeling that it's important to do what's right and from that mindset good things will happen.”

Gladeview Health Center is located at 60 Boston Post Road. For more information call 860-388-6696 or visit www.athenahealthcare.com/gv.htm.

So how was Levitra, one of the forerunners for erectile dysfunction developed? In Novelber of 2001 Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline signed a worldwide co-promotion and co-development agreement for Levitra. Levitra has received regulatory approval for the treatment of penile dsyfunction in more than sixty-three countries. Levitra was one of the first drugs for erectile dysfunction to hit the market with approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August 2003. 

According to the Levitra website the chemical break down is as follows: monohydrochloride salt of vardenafil is a selective inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). 

Vardenafil HCl is designated chemically as piperazine, 1-[[3-(1,4-dihydro-5-methyl-4-oxo-7-propylimidazo[5,1-f ]triazin-2-yl)-4-ethoxyphenyl]sulfonyl]-4-ethyl-, monohydrochloride. Vardenafil HCl is a nearly colorless, solid substance with a molecular weight of 579.1 g/mol and a solubility of 0.11 mg/mL in water. LEVITRA is formulated as orange, round, film-coated tablets with “BAYER” cross debossed on one side and “2.5″, “5″, “10″, and “20″ on the other side corresponding to 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg of vardenafil, respectively. Each tablet contains microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, titanium dioxide, yellow ferric oxide, and red ferric oxide. 

Now for many readers most of this will be Greek but what it translates to is that today’s men are getting the best drug possible to help with penile dysfunction. It should be noted that Levitra is a prescription medicine that is used to treat erectile dysfunction and not any other medical condition. Men taking nitrate drugs, often used to control chest pain should not take Levitra. The starting dose of Levitra is 10 mg taken no more than once per day. In patients taking certain medications such as ritonavir, indinavir, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and erythromycin, lower doses of Levitra are recommended. It is important that you tell your doctor every medication that you are taking so that the determination can be made as to how much Levitra you should take and how often. 

Levitra was developed for the sole purpose of addressing the issue of penile dysfunction which affects many men today. For a great many years men were embarrassed to step forward to admit they had this problem but once the drugs to correct it became available more men came forward to express their concerns about having this problem. The Bayer company, which has been a trusted name in pharmaceuticals for many years, decided to pursue creating a drug for penile dysfunction when information can forward about how many men are actually affected by this condition.

I just recently realized that a lot of people don't have the great fortune of growing up around intense college football rivalry, like I did. I was raised in a suburb of Kansas City (on the Kansas side!), just 10 minutes from the state line. The rivalry between Kansas and Missouri is still going at full strength, coming out in everything from road rage comments to bar names to, perhaps the most popular, college sports. The tension between the two cities dates far back to the Civil War. People on the Missouri side of the river had a way of life like the rest of the south- one ran off of slave labor. But people on the other side, the Kansas side, had northern ideas of freedom and change. People in Kansas would smuggle slaves from their neighbors' backyards, and were fighting with people literally across the street! During and after the Civil War, the tension along this state line was incredibly bitter and violent, perhaps more than any other state line. Another thing to keep in mind is that these were also two of the westernmost states at the time, and Kansas' northern associations are a bit geographically shocking. Today some of those same issues are present- racism, low income, and general lifestyle differences, but they are usually approached in jest. However, the old intense rivalry comes out at its fullest when it comes to sports.

While people in the Kansas City area come together in supporting the Chiefs and Royals, they draw a quick line among themselves when it comes to college sports, especially basketball and football. The game Saturday night between KU and MU basketball teams took this classic rivalry and spread it all over both states. My fiancé (from California) was in shock at the events we experienced in Kansas City this Thanksgiving weekend. He said that though college team rivalry is common everywhere, the proximity of MU to KU is rare. Add to this proximity the history between the two states and you've got an exciting game weekend.

The most talked about thing was a bet that two radio announcers made. If KU won, then KU flags would be hung around town on the Kansas side, including at the city hall, and the same for MU. (MU did win, sadly, and while MU propaganda was all over town the next day, the people haven't heard an ok from city hall yet.) There is a statue of a woman by my house, facing the main road that crosses state line, that someone dressed up in a KU uniform the day before the game. The next day, the costume was destroyed and MU streamers were all over the place. I went out to a bar Friday night full of people already drinking and cheering for MU, fully decked out in yellow hoodies with face paint, stickers, and etc. A couple girls came in with their KU outfits and were literally booed from the bar. For the rest of the night, and the night of the game, each bar was divided in half, with chants, insults, jeers, and just plain cursing flung back and forth relentlessly. While I have many friends on the Missouri side, my family and I were still brutal whenever conversation came to the game.

Saturday night decided the winner, and all of us KU supporters felt let down, dejected, and ashamed at KU's efforts. Half of Kansas City will be walking around with their heads down for the next couple days, gazing up bitterly at MU flags and yellow and black graffiti all over their beloved state. Some of the KU supporters, however, are still positive. They bravely came out of their houses this morning covered in KU gear, proudly supporting their Jayhawks.

Those who wish for a career in travel writing often won't jump the first hurdle to realizing this goal. People who want published travel writing articles defeat themselves right off the bat by answering “No” to their own question, “Will anyone be interested in the places or experiences I've had while away from home?” Such negative mind talk about the field of travel writing couldn't be further from the truth.

Why do I say this with such assuredness? Because I would estimate that at least 99 per cent of the published articles in this writing genre which are in existence today have been crafted by those who initially witnessed another's globe-trotting experience via a print publication, online, or by television/film. Those documented experiences broke the ground or continued to till the literary earth for future travel-themed subject matter. As a result, the domino effect continues in generating further interest by people who desire to experience what they read about and/or saw.

It isn't necessarily a destination piece from the Sunday travel section of a newspaper about an escape from the daily humdrum of routine life that hooks the reader into wanting to experience the adventure of travel. Think about the buzz Marco Polo stirred up in Europe over the Orient by way of his writings and spoken-about adventures. Sometimes, it could be a less famous, but just as entertaining account of the grandparents' mis-adventures with their grandkids in their restored Winnebago while traversing across the United States. Reading a novel like The Da Vinci Code or the Harry Potter series, both of which are full of travel hotspots, may inspire some readers to experience the same venues of a novel's protagonist(s) in as realistic a way as possible, and then write about it.

I want to share some samples of article titles and writing ideas I've had, along with the ensuing nay-saying thoughts which came to my mind when I considered writing, and then submitting the following travel-themed works:

-The Angels of Cape Town: Cape Town Tourist Police whisk naïve traveler to the safety of the city's harbor front. Negative thought: Aren't there enough angel stories on tv or in religious magazines so the travel industry will not touch this kind of writing?

-Volunteers Wanted For Spanish Experience: Volunteer work in remote areas of Spain where the participants just talk, talk, and talk some more. English only all week. Negative thought: Too one-dimensional for any real interest.

-Running in Airports: Don't Waste Your Pre-Departure or Layover Time! Negative thought: Don't travelers think that exercising at LAX is reserved just for those who run because they are about to miss their flight?

-My Travelin' Roots: about a child's travels in a semi-truck when school was out. Negative thought: Isn't this the kind of subject matter kids submitted to their 5th grade teachers for an English essay – that “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” fare?

My will was stronger than my negative self-talk, and I submitted all the above writings. Rejections and re-tweaking the articles followed. But the end result was publication for pay for each of them, including as reprints. Sometimes the accepting editors did change the titles and content a bit, but nonetheless, my writings did create interest in other people outside my social, work, and family sphere.

To reiterate, the roots of these writing successes stem from the works of other writers, who, in their pioneer-like fashion, got me interested in their places of interest: I was captivated. I experienced them in my own way, then wrote about them with my own interpretation and style (plus facts where required), pitched them, had them rejected, but through persistence, finally found homes for all of the above works.

Don't let negative self-talk convince you that your globe-trotting experiences aren't of interest to a wider audience!

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is a place for a great afternoon. When you are visiting AK you should make sure that you take plenty of pictures because the scenery is fabulous. In order to plan your trip out for much success make sure that you contact the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve at PO Box 245 in King Salmon, AK 99613. There is also a Visitor Information phone line that you can call them on also. It is 907-246-3305. When you contact them they will be able to give you a lot more information about the site. If you need good directions in order to get there, they will be able to help you with that also. Make sure that you ask about any road or weather conditions that you will need to take note about when you are visiting. With all of their help you will be able to get the very most out of your trip to this great national historic site. It will all be worth it.

This site does not have special hours and it is open to the public for free use. Be sure that you wear the proper clothing when you are going to visit because you will be doing a lot of walking. Wear comfortable shoes so that you can explore as much as you can when you are there. This site is a good one for people of all ages, so make sure that you bring along your whole gang. They are sure to like it. Remember, too, that there are not public facilities at this site.

When you are planning to stay overnight in the area, do a search on the internet to compare the different hotels. You will learn about the room rates and the amenities that each one offers. Then, you can make your decision based on which one will fill your needs better. It will be an excellent trip for all when they visit this site. Make sure that you do your planning well and that you have everything in order before you go. Don't forget to pick up some great souvenirs so that you will always be able to remember all the fun that you had when you were there. It is a good idea to get some picture postcards and that way you can put them in a photo album along with your other pictures to remember it all.