I've always loved Sunday mornings. As a kid it meant going to church & Sunday school. Now, as an adult that works 50 hours a week, it means relaxing on the couch or deck or in bed snuggling with my babies or playing with my puppy love or going to church and then eating lunch with some of my favorite people. This Sunday morning has been spent catching up with myself & friends online.
I have been able to reconnect with some high school friends on Facebook and it has been interesting to see their lives from afar. One of my friends recently lost her husband. They hadn't been married for that long. My heart hurts for her. I know that she is resting in that peace the Lord gives us when we need Him. It has made me think about my world and how much (or little for that matter) I have been relying on God for my support.
I have been working a lot lately. Leading my team by example, sowing seeds of dedication, teamwork, and love. It all comes back to that...God's love that He has given us to share.
My word for the day LOVE!
Enjoy! Dawn Marie
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
rain
Let it rain, let it rain... Let it rain, let it rain. Let the raindrops fall from heaven, let it rain
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Alopecia Areata Genetic Link Discovered!
Thank you to NAAF for your support of ongoing research. This exciting news was released on June 30th!Acclaimed Geneticist Finds Basis of Alopecia Areata
On June 30, 2010, Nature Journal, the weekly, international, interdisciplinary journal of science, published an article that unveils the most exciting genetic research on alopecia areata to date. Led by the National Alopecia Areata Foundation Scientific Advisory Council member Dr. Angela Christiano, and using cases from the National Alopecia Areata Registry, a team of investigators from Columbia University Medical Center have found eight genes that contribute to alopecia areata, one of which has a possible role in the onset of the disease.
Alopecia (AL-OH-PEE-SHA) areata (AIR-EE-AH-TAH) is an autoimmune skin disease that may result in total or partial loss of hair. Affecting over 5 million Americans, alopecia areata currently has no cure, and no treatment that works across the board. Part of the significance of this recent finding is that many of the genes found to be associated with alopecia areata are also associated with other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and celiac disease; all autoimmune diseases with pre-existing treatments. This discovery, therefore, is expected to lead to effective clinical trials. “Finally, we have the possibility of developing drugs that specifically target the mechanism behind the disease,” adds Dr. Christiano.
“This research is very exciting as alopecia areata affects a huge number of people worldwide, and there are very few treatments for it-resulting in an enormous unmet medical need,” said Vicki Kalabokes, president and CEO of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, which has funded Dr. Christiano for the past 13 consecutive years. “Hair loss creates daily life issues, especially for children who experience social stigma. It affects their quality of life and can lead to long-term psychosocial impact.”
Contributing to the emotional impact of alopecia areata is the nature of the disease itself. Alopecia areata is a cyclical disease having bald patches appear and, in most cases grow back, only to appear again. In many instances, the bald patches can progress to a more extreme, yet rare, form of the disease, alopecia totalis which is total scalp hair loss or alopecia universalis, resulting in the total loss of all body hair. Included in Dr. Christiano’s discovery, however, is the ability to now predict with accuracy the progression of the disease in a patient. Using the number of genes associated with disease as the marker, a genetic test has been created that can indicate the severity of disease. For the patient, this means that one will be able to determine the likelihood of their bald patch progressing to complete body hair loss.
The National Alopecia Areata Registry (NAAF), a patient registry which has been funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health since 2000, provided the 1,054 cases, collected from NAAR centers across the United States for this research. Along with these cases, over 3200 controls were also used. “The advantage of this large sample size is that we can be sure that this group of genes was identified with a high statistical significance and did not happen by chance,” said Dr. Christiano. “The next step is to replicate this study in future research.”
On June 30, 2010, Nature Journal, the weekly, international, interdisciplinary journal of science, published an article that unveils the most exciting genetic research on alopecia areata to date. Led by the National Alopecia Areata Foundation Scientific Advisory Council member Dr. Angela Christiano, and using cases from the National Alopecia Areata Registry, a team of investigators from Columbia University Medical Center have found eight genes that contribute to alopecia areata, one of which has a possible role in the onset of the disease.
Alopecia (AL-OH-PEE-SHA) areata (AIR-EE-AH-TAH) is an autoimmune skin disease that may result in total or partial loss of hair. Affecting over 5 million Americans, alopecia areata currently has no cure, and no treatment that works across the board. Part of the significance of this recent finding is that many of the genes found to be associated with alopecia areata are also associated with other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and celiac disease; all autoimmune diseases with pre-existing treatments. This discovery, therefore, is expected to lead to effective clinical trials. “Finally, we have the possibility of developing drugs that specifically target the mechanism behind the disease,” adds Dr. Christiano.
“This research is very exciting as alopecia areata affects a huge number of people worldwide, and there are very few treatments for it-resulting in an enormous unmet medical need,” said Vicki Kalabokes, president and CEO of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, which has funded Dr. Christiano for the past 13 consecutive years. “Hair loss creates daily life issues, especially for children who experience social stigma. It affects their quality of life and can lead to long-term psychosocial impact.”
Contributing to the emotional impact of alopecia areata is the nature of the disease itself. Alopecia areata is a cyclical disease having bald patches appear and, in most cases grow back, only to appear again. In many instances, the bald patches can progress to a more extreme, yet rare, form of the disease, alopecia totalis which is total scalp hair loss or alopecia universalis, resulting in the total loss of all body hair. Included in Dr. Christiano’s discovery, however, is the ability to now predict with accuracy the progression of the disease in a patient. Using the number of genes associated with disease as the marker, a genetic test has been created that can indicate the severity of disease. For the patient, this means that one will be able to determine the likelihood of their bald patch progressing to complete body hair loss.
The National Alopecia Areata Registry (NAAF), a patient registry which has been funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health since 2000, provided the 1,054 cases, collected from NAAR centers across the United States for this research. Along with these cases, over 3200 controls were also used. “The advantage of this large sample size is that we can be sure that this group of genes was identified with a high statistical significance and did not happen by chance,” said Dr. Christiano. “The next step is to replicate this study in future research.”
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Snowy Saturday
Snow, again! This makes 2 weekends in a row that we are having seriously measurable snow here in Central Virginia. We have at least 6 inches...last Saturday we had 10-12 inches, by the time it ends later tonight we are supposed to have a foot of fluffy white stuff on the ground.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Punt!
Okay, we know what the bottle shapes mean, now let's find out about that indention in the bottom of most bottles. Does it have anything to do with the quality of the wine? Not according to Wikipedia!
Punts
A punt, also known as a kick-up, refers to the dimple at the bottom of a wine bottle. There is no consensus explanation for its purpose. The more commonly cited explanations include:
Punts
A punt, also known as a kick-up, refers to the dimple at the bottom of a wine bottle. There is no consensus explanation for its purpose. The more commonly cited explanations include:
- it is a historical remnant from the era when wine bottles were free blown using a blowpipe and pontil. This technique leaves a punt mark on the base of the bottle; by indenting the point where the pontil is attached, this scar would not scratch the table or make the bottle unstable.
- it had the function of making the bottle less likely to topple over -- a bottle designed with a flat bottom only needs a small imperfection to make it unstable -- the dimple historically allowed for a larger margin of error
- it consolidates sediment deposits in a thick ring at the bottom of the bottle, preventing it from being poured into the glass
- it increases the strength of the bottle, allowing it to hold the high pressure of sparkling wine/champagne
- it holds the bottles in place on pegs of a conveyor belt as they go through the filling process in manufacturing plants
- it accommodates the pourer's thumb for stability and ease of pouring
- According to legend the punt was used by servants. They often knew more than their master about what was happening in town, and with a thumb up the punt they could show their master whether a guest was reliable or not.
- it provides a grip for riddling a bottle of sparkling wine manually in the traditional champagne production process.
- it simply takes up some of the volume of the bottle, giving the impression that you're getting more wine for your money than is actually the case
- Taverns had a steel pin set vertically in the bar. The empty bottle would be thrust bottom-end down onto this pin, puncturing a hole in the top of the punt, guaranteeing the bottle could not be refilled [folklore].
- The punt acts as a lens, refracting the light to make the color of the wine more appealing.
- Prevents the bottle from resonating as easily, decreasing the likelihood of shattering during transportation.
- Allows bottles to be more easily stacked end to end.
compiled from internet sources to include wikipedia
Why do wines come in different shaped bottles
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a wine by its bottle. Here are common bottle types which are of French origin but have become norms for the rest of the wine world as well.
BORDEAUX
This straight sided bottle with tall shoulders and a pronounced punt (indentation on the bottom of a wine bottle) is widely used for Italian, New World and wines from the Bordeaux region. The glass can be dark green, light green or clear for reds, dry whites and sweet whites respectively. Apart from wines from the Bordeaux region, the grape varieties used are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and sometimes Zinfandel.
BURGUNDY
This gently sloped-shoulder bottle with a small punt has a fatter girth than other bottles and can contain both red and white wines. This shape is used for New World Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and also Loire Valley wines.
RHONE
This is similar to the Burgundy bottle except that it is slightly slimmer. It comes in a green glass for both red and white wines. Besides Rhone it is used in the new world Shiraz.
CHAMPAGNE
This bottle has a deeper punt and is made with thicker glass, more for a scientific reason than for design - to withstand the pressure of the wine inside. It is used not just for Champagne but for all sparkling wines.
ALSACE/MOSEL
This lean bottle without a punt is distinctive to the Alsace region of France and Mosel of Germany. It is used for wines like Rieslings, Gewürztraminer and Muller Thurgau. The wines could be of different styles ranging from dry to sweet dessert wines which can be read on the label.
RHINE
This one is the same as Alsace or Mosel, except that the glass is brown in colour. It is also known as ‘hock’.
FORTIFIED
This bottle is sturdy and has a bulged neck to capture the sediment. It is used for wines that are best had young like Port, Sherry, and Madeira. Hence, it comes with a cork stopper rather than a long cork. The colour of the glass ranges from dark brown to black.
UNIQUE BOTTLES
These are used more for new world or non-classic wines. No particular norms are followed when it comes to the shape, size or colour of the bottle in relation to the wines.
Why the colours?
Wine bottles can be found in various shades of green, brown or could be clear. The type of wine decides the colour of the glass in most cases. Dark coloured bottles are used to protect the red wines from exposure to light which in turn prevents oxidation and the pigment greatly depends on the materials available in that region. White and Rose wines are kept in clear glass bottles to show off the clarity and rich hues. The colours of the wine bottles also depend on the history of the particular regions and the ability of the glass industry in those areas.
Now that you know your wine bottle shapes, you're one step closer to being a wine guru!
*compiled from internet sources to include: wikipedia
BORDEAUX
This straight sided bottle with tall shoulders and a pronounced punt (indentation on the bottom of a wine bottle) is widely used for Italian, New World and wines from the Bordeaux region. The glass can be dark green, light green or clear for reds, dry whites and sweet whites respectively. Apart from wines from the Bordeaux region, the grape varieties used are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and sometimes Zinfandel.
BURGUNDY
This gently sloped-shoulder bottle with a small punt has a fatter girth than other bottles and can contain both red and white wines. This shape is used for New World Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and also Loire Valley wines.
RHONE
This is similar to the Burgundy bottle except that it is slightly slimmer. It comes in a green glass for both red and white wines. Besides Rhone it is used in the new world Shiraz.
CHAMPAGNE
This bottle has a deeper punt and is made with thicker glass, more for a scientific reason than for design - to withstand the pressure of the wine inside. It is used not just for Champagne but for all sparkling wines.
ALSACE/MOSEL
This lean bottle without a punt is distinctive to the Alsace region of France and Mosel of Germany. It is used for wines like Rieslings, Gewürztraminer and Muller Thurgau. The wines could be of different styles ranging from dry to sweet dessert wines which can be read on the label.
RHINE
This one is the same as Alsace or Mosel, except that the glass is brown in colour. It is also known as ‘hock’.
FORTIFIED
This bottle is sturdy and has a bulged neck to capture the sediment. It is used for wines that are best had young like Port, Sherry, and Madeira. Hence, it comes with a cork stopper rather than a long cork. The colour of the glass ranges from dark brown to black.
UNIQUE BOTTLES
These are used more for new world or non-classic wines. No particular norms are followed when it comes to the shape, size or colour of the bottle in relation to the wines.
Why the colours?
Wine bottles can be found in various shades of green, brown or could be clear. The type of wine decides the colour of the glass in most cases. Dark coloured bottles are used to protect the red wines from exposure to light which in turn prevents oxidation and the pigment greatly depends on the materials available in that region. White and Rose wines are kept in clear glass bottles to show off the clarity and rich hues. The colours of the wine bottles also depend on the history of the particular regions and the ability of the glass industry in those areas.
Now that you know your wine bottle shapes, you're one step closer to being a wine guru!
*compiled from internet sources to include: wikipedia
Friday, August 14, 2009
Deep Thoughts
Darkening hair can lead to rich, lustrous color…perfect for the new season coming up. Think chestnut, caramel and honey. As the seasons change, transitioning your haircolor makes moving into the cooler weather more fun!
Don't worry if you've been lighter for the summer, to prevent hair from appearing dull or lifeless when darkening, we'll apply a glaze to prevent premature color fading and add life to your color.
Don't worry if you've been lighter for the summer, to prevent hair from appearing dull or lifeless when darkening, we'll apply a glaze to prevent premature color fading and add life to your color.
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