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CAROL ELIZABETH LONG Age 63 Gender Female Race White
Ethnicity Non-Hispanic Date of Birth Jul 23, 1961 ID Number 0024195 Custody Status Date May 14, 2024 12:16 PM EDT Custody Status In Custody Custody Detail Western Virginia Regional Jail Book Date May 14, 2024 12:00 PM EDT
Location Western Virginia Regional Jail 5885 West River Road Salem, VA 24153 (540) 378-3700
This section was produced by the editorial department. The client was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication.
Important to let your estate trustee know where your will is stored and how to obtain it
Published Sep 20, 2024 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 3 minute read
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All storage options for wills carry some risks.Photo by Getty Images
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By Julie Cazzin and Ed Olkovich
Q: My father, aged 74, just passed away. He always kept his will in a safe deposit box in Tokyo, and my mother, brother and I never thought much about it. We now need to retrieve the will. Does my mother, who is 77, the executor of the will and chronically ill herself, have to go to Tokyo in person to physically get the will? Or is there some way of retrieving the will without her travelling there? Can I go for her instead? We also know my father made several specific monetary gifts to poorer relatives in Japan and they will all be laid out in the will. We want to honour his wishes. And what are the best options for where I should keep my own will so this doesn’t happen to my own children? — Ronald
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FP Answers: My condolences, Ronald. I am sorry to hear that your father has passed away. If your father always kept his will in Tokyo, I assume he lived in Japan and was not visiting you here in Canada. I cannot advise on Japanese estate law as I am only licensed as an Ontario lawyer.
Your mother can contact her own lawyer for advice. Several questions will have to be answered. Who can confirm your mother is the executor in charge of your father’s estate? Is there an alternate executor? With your father’s death certificates, the deposit box holder may allow access to confirm your father’s original will is in the box. Access may be based on local customs and banking rules, not estate laws. Consider an appeal to the box-holder’s ombudsperson to obtain access.
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If your mother is not a joint owner of the deposit box, she may require a court order to access it. You may need a Japanese power of attorney to act for your mother unless she renounces as executor.
The box could hold valuable personal property and confidential material. Papers such as a marriage contract or divorce documents are needed. Regardless, your mother should ensure that her own will is current and that her executor can locate her original.
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Regarding the storage of your own will, there are many options. Each has its pros and cons. In Ontario, wills must be in writing and signed. Storing wills online may not guarantee access to produce the original will.
In the past, wills were often stored with the law firms that prepared them. A trust company or professional executor can also hold originals. Deposit boxes can be rented from financial institutions. Originals can be stored at home or with third parties, such as your executor. All storage options carry some risks. Please discuss your options with your own lawyer.
Deposit boxes are disappearing since some people are reluctant to pay the annual fees. If a bank box is used, joint ownership with a spouse or executor may allow them access to remove the original will. And, remember, storing a will online is not the same as possessing the original will.
Let your estate trustee know where your original will is stored and how to obtain it. You could entrust your original will to your attorney for property. This may be sensible if you trust them to treat the original like gold.
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This information is not a substitute for legal advice. Edward Olkovich is an Ontario lawyer at https://mrwills.com. He is also certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in estates and trusts law.
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Note: I’ve finished this with capers, with chopped green olives, and even once with some lightly dressed arugula (lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper) but even with none of those things or a handful of parsley, as shown here, this dish is perfect and fits the bill for overly busy days.
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional drizzle
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3/4 pound yukon gold potatoes (about 3 medium), unpeeled, each cut into 8 wedges
Big handful chopped flat-leaf parsley, to finish
Prepare the chicken thighs: In a large bowl, juice half of one lemon and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and I use 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond brand; use less of others) per pound of chicken. Add chicken thighs and turn them over in the lemon juice mixture so they’re coated. You can either finish the dish right away, or if you’re getting ahead for later, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until needed.
Heat oven: To 450°F (yes, really!)
Assemble dish: Halve and very thinly slice second half of first lemon, fishing out any lemon seeds. In a 9×13-inch baking dish (or lasagna pan), combine lemon slices, 3 tablespoons olive oil, onion, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and many grinds of black pepper. Add potato wedges and chickpeas and stir until everything is evenly mixed and coated. Remove chicken thighs from bowl and place them atop the potato-chickpea mixture, skin side-up. Pour any juices left in the bowl over the potatoes and chickpeas. Pat the chicken skin dry and drizzle it lightly with more olive oil.
Cook: Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 45 minutes, or until the chicken thighs are cooked through. The chicken skin should be crisp. Carefully transfer the chicken thighs to a plate. Stir the potato-chickpea mixture just to remix it and distribute it evenly in the pan, and return the pan to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, to ensure the potatoes finish cooking and everything gets a little brown.
Return chicken thighs (and any juices that have collected on the plate) to the potato-chickpea pan. I don’t generally find that the thighs have cooled enough in 10 minutes that they need to rewarm, but if yours have, pop the whole thing back in the oven for a couple minutes. Cut remaining lemon into wedges.
To serve: Sprinkle with parsley, serve with additional lemon wedges for squeezing over the pan, and eat right away.
Cigarette and tobacco company Philip Morris International is selling Vectura, aBritish pharmaceutical firm that makes asthma inhalers. An office of the company is seen here in Neuchatel, western Switzerland.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Three years after raising health groups’ suspicions by acquiring Vectura, a British pharmaceutical firm that makes asthma inhalers, cigarette giant Philip Morris International has made a deal to sell off the inhaler business.
Philip Morris says that under its corporate umbrella, the asthma inhaler business was hindered by “unwarranted opposition to PMI’s transformation” from a Big Tobacco stalwart into a broadly based health company. Health groups have met this stated goal with skepticism.
The maker of Marlboro cigarettes is selling Vectura to Molex Asia Holdings Ltd., which plans to operate the inhaler business as part of its Phillips Medisize unit, which produces drugs and medical devices.
The two-part sale includes an upfront cash payment of 150 million pounds sterling — around $200 million, at Friday’s exchange rate. The deal also calls for “potential deferred payments” of a second, nearly equal amount. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2024 if it gains regulatory approvals.
Philip Morris bought Vectura in a deal valued at $1.2 billion in 2021, snatching it away from a rival bidder: the Carlyle Group private equity firm.
The sale comes three months after the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s official journal in the U.K. reported that, since Philip Morris’ purchase of Vectura, the National Health Service (NHS) in England “has spent more than £433m [$576 million] on inhalers with links to the tobacco industry.”
That information was derided by health groups in the U.K., where Vectura is based — many of whom had protested the cigarette maker’s acquisition of the asthma inhaler company. Critics of the deal noted that Philip Morris was taking over a business that made the lion’s share of its hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue from products meant to treat smoking-related respiratory illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“It was right that Philip Morris’s takeover of Vectura was widely condemned by health charities,” Henry Gregg, director of external affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said in a statement to NPR. “Addictive tobacco products cause and exacerbate lung diseases and smoking-related illnesses cost the NHS £2.5 billion every year. It’s not yet clear if Philip Morris will continue to profit from the sale of inhalers, but the tobacco industry should not be allowed to profit from the illnesses that it causes.”
Noting Philip Morris’ legacy of making products linked to deadly diseases, Daniel Dorado, tobacco campaign director at the advocacy group Corporate Accountability, vowed that his organization and others “will not be fooled by [the company’s] attempts to clean up its image.”
Philip Morris says it will retain some Vectura units as a separate company under its Vectura Fertin Pharma subsidiary. The business will get “a new corporate identity,” Philips Morris said, adding that it will focus on “oral consumer health and wellness offerings and inhaled prescription products for therapy areas that include pain management and cardiovascular emergencies.”
Molex says the acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals.
In the summer of 1854, Captain Linnaeus Tripe, an officer in the East India Company army, arrived in South India. In Bangalore, he set up a studio, ready to create an ‘accurate’ visual record for the Company. (It is probably why you’d find his photographs more ‘informational’ than ‘aesthetic‘).
Tripe’s initial experiments with photography coincided with the Great Exhibition of 1851 (when photographs were exhibited publicly for the first time). Soon after, he had joined the Photographic Society of London as a founding member.
By the winter of 1854, he proceeded to photograph Mysore, Belur and Hullabede (Halebidu). These photos were exhibited at the Madras Exhibition of 1855 (also considered India’s first Industrial exhibition).
Hullabede (capital of the Hoysala dynasty between the 11-14th century) : Temple of Siva, Sculptures / December 1854 / J.Paul Getty Museum, CC0
The jury, selecting images for the show noted that: ‘… Captain Tripe is entitled to a First Class Medal’.
This led directly to Tripe’s appointment as ‘official photographer’ for a diplomatic mission to the Burmese court in 1855. In 1857, Tripe became the official photographer of the Madras Presidency.
Beginning in January 1858, Tripe photographed sites in South India – covering Madurai, Trichy, Srirangam, Thanjavur, and Pudukkottai.
Take a look at our selection below (along side notes, reproduced as is).
Viravasuntarayan Munapam (Mandapam), 1858 / Met Museum / CCO
You can find these photographs in the collection of Rijksmuseum (Netherlands), University of Edinburgh, the Met Museum [US], the Cleveland Museum of Art [US], the J.Paul Getty Museum [US], and LACMA [US]. Digital copies have been released under an open license and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons during our Indian Heritage Online campaign.
1
Brihadeshvara Temple, Tanjore
West and South Sides of the Vimana Walls, Great Temple (Brihadeshvara) at Tanjore (Thanjavur), Cleveland Museum of Art / CC0
The double-storied exterior base of one of the largest temples constructed and still standing on the Indian subcontinent is articulated with niches containing images of Hindu gods. Within these walls is an inner sanctum containing a monolithic linga (the phallic emblem marking the sacred presence of the god Shiva).
2
Avenue of Trees, Srirangam (Tamil Nadu)
Avenue of the Banian Trees, Seringham, India, 1858 (Srirangam, Tamil Nadu)/ Cleveland Museum of Art / CC0
A rare, beautiful example of Linnaeus Tripe concentrating simply on the landscape, this carefully composed image depicts a picturesque avenue of banyan trees, dense with foliage. Nearly 1,000 miles of road in the Salem District of India were lined by these trees, providing travelers with shade and shelter from the country’s intense climate.
3
Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
Western Gateway (Gopuram) of the Minakshi Sundareshvara Temple, Madurai 1858 / Cleveland Museum of Art / CC0
An important pilgrimage site for centuries, this temple continues to draw tens of thousands of worshippers per day. Initially established during the 1100s, it was expanded on multiple occasions over the next 500 years. The addition of a series of enclosure walls included gateways topped by towering superstructures ornamented with miniature temples and images of deities.
4
[Trimul Naik’s] Palace, Madurai
Roofs of Part of the Session Court and of a Hall on One Side of Quadrangle. 1858
This 17th-century palace (c.1636) was built by King Tirumala Nayaka, a king of Madurai’s Nayaka dynasty that ruled Madurai from 1623 to 1659. The palace is located two kilometres (1.2 mi) south east of the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
5
Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, Madurai
Trimul Naik’s Palace – Session Court From North Side, 1858/ LACMA / CC0
6
Neerali Mandapam, Madurai
The Neerali Mundapam, 1858 / Met Museum / CCO
The Neerali Mundapam, is situated in the bed of the [Vygay] River and used on the occasion of an annual festival for the resting place of the god Sundareshwara (an incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva) and his consort Minakshi. Tripe has photographed the temple in a dry riverbed, which gives the image of this grand building a barren tone.
7
View of the Trimium fort [Tirumayam], Tamil Nadu
View of the Hill Fort at Trimium From Top of the Gateway of the Outer Wall [Tirumayam], 1860 / University of Edinburgh / CC BY.
View of the Trimium fort, built 1687 around a hill, in the distance. On the left is a road flanked by small straw-roofed huts.
8
Photographs of the Amaravati Marbles in the Central Museum Madras
Photographs of the Amaravati Marbles (Elliot Marbles) in the Central Museum Madras, 1858 / University of Edinburgh / CC BY
Tripe stayed in Madras in 1858 to photograph sculptures from the ruined Buddhist stupa at Amaravati, called The Elliot Marbles after Walter Elliot, the antiquarian, linguist and member of the Madras Council who recovered them. (Text: V&A London) “Drum slab carved with a stupa attended by several figures, with naga (snake) females and naga kings inside the gateway worshipping relics of the Buddha; the drum of the stupa is carved with dharmacakras (wheels of the law), stupas and possibly the Enlightenment”.
The drum frieze panels and dome slabs are carved with a stories from the life of the Buddha: the Enlightenment, the First Sermon, Sarvamdadavadana, Suruci Jataka, nagas, Monkey’s offering (Elliot no. 116).
9
Rock Fort in Trichy
from ‘Photographic Views of Trichinopoly’, 1860 / University of Edinburgh / CC BY
Note accompanying the photograph: The rock through a gap in the fort wall on the west side. General view looking towards the Rock and its fortifications, surmounted by a small temple. Due to overexposure, the sky has been overpainted on the negative.
10
Tomb of Nathar Shah
Photographic Views of Trichinopoly, 1860 / The University of Edinburgh / CC BY
View along the street towards the Tomb of Nathar Shah. This is considered to be the most important Islamic building in the city – the Nathar Shah’s Mosque, contains the tomb of the saint Sultan Nathar Shah (British Library). He was one of the 900 Qalandars (unmarried saints) who settled in Trichy when it was part of the Chola Empire under the reign of Rajendra I.
As a result of the cost-cutting measures that followed the British Government’s administrative takeover of India from the East India Company, Tripe was forced to close his studio.
I did my first ever holiday gift guide for travelers a few years ago, which was fun to compile. Readers seemed to enjoy the various items, and I was happy to share some of the products that accompanied me on the road.
Now that my life is a little different – something all of you already know – my gift suggestions are less about souvenirs from abroad or reading about travel, and more things I use day to day or found wonderful.
I hope you’ll find something you like in them!
Holiday gifts for the 2023 season
There are a lot of birds in here, you’ve been warned.
Hands free shoes and boots
It was a fellow leak patient who first told me about Kizik shoes, and I have used them ever since. Made with patented technology that allow for hands-free use, these sneakers come in different styles and colours, and are available in kids, women, and men’s options.
A note that their newer models aren’t as good for my spinal CSF leak because the heel drop is higher; I find the Lima model to be the most comfortable, though my shoes are their Cairo model that has since been discontinued.
Once you tie the laces on Kiziks the first time, you simply step into the shoes thereafter. To get out, you use your other foot to hold the base steady and slowly pull out of the shoe. They’re excellent for people with disabilities, for pregnancy, for seniors, and generally for those who hate having to crouch to get their shoes on and off.
And for this holiday season, they also have winter boots for the first time, and a new Chelsea boot that goes to the ankle.
The Lima Kizik women’s shoe in grey.
More information: You can find these shoes and boots on their website, Kizik.com. Using this link gets you $20 off (it also gives me $20 off, but I don’t see myself getting any more shoes as I have several pair!). They ship to Canada and USA. Follow them on: Instagram
A pencil to end all pencils
Do you know someone who is particular about their writing implements? The New York Times calls the Blackwing 602 the “Rolls Royce” of pencils, a previously popular choice from many a writer—including John Steinbeck. First created in the 1930’s, the Blackwing was also used by Chuck Jones, who proudly used Blackwings to create Bugs Bunny and many other Looney Tunes characters. After 1998, the pencil couldn’t be found, and devotees were paying $40 a pop when they did locate a stash. Thankfully, in 2010, a California company brought it back for “a new generation of writers, musicians, and others seeking a more natural existence” (not sure what they mean by that, but yes — it’s a great pencil!).
They brought back the cult-favourite mainstays: comfortable grip, a replaceable eraser in a very satisfying rectangular shape (why is this so satisfying!?), and a pencil crafted from California cedar and Japanese graphite. It writes like a dream, and makes doodling a pleasure. It’s not cheap but it’s not $40 a pencil expensive. Still, if you’ve got a family member or friend who loves to draw or handwrite, it’s a fun gift.
Yes, yes—I have included my own maps in this guide as well! My food maps get compliments whenever people visit, and make great holiday gifts for anyone who loves to eat.
In addition to Canada, above, I’ve got Vietnam, Portugal, Thailand, Japan, Italy, and Mexico art in the shop!
Despite my work hours being limited these days, one of the tasks I keep working hard at is the gluten free cards project. I started these cards when I got sick while eating in Japan with a short gluten free card in Japanese. I realized I needed to include more information, local ingredients names (not just “I can’t eat gluten”), and cross-contact (not just foods that are gluten free).
The result, 15 languages and counting with Bahasa Indonesia, Croatian, Lithuanian, and Swedish coming soon and over 12,000 cards sold.
Each card goes through 2 sets of translations for accuracy, with one translator at minimum being familiar with celiac disease. I’m in the process of adding PDF downloadable versions too, instead of just the PNG files. More and more people want to print the cards, not just have them on their phones.
Perfect for the celiac who loves to travel!
More information: Where to buy: the GF Cards shopfront, with free country guides here. Shipping to: Worldwide because they’re digital cards!
A great new card game for travel
Another fun gift that is perfect for the traveler: Trip Chaser, a new card game, beautifully designed. Trip Chaser is the love child of Dalene and Pete Heck, who you may also know from their site Hecktic Travels.
The game lets you figure out who’s the most travel-savvy of your group by buying, bartering, and gambling your way to various destinations. The more challenging a destination is to get to from North America, the more points it’s worth.
The game is already sold out in Canada, but you can order it on backorder or via the US, where there is still stock.
I have a great set of Global knives that I slowly accumulated over my years of lawyering. The problem is, with a spinal CSF leak I cannot use them because they are too heavy.
Instead, I’ve gotten a chef’s knife from Nakano, which is lightweight and comfortable—so much so, that anyone who comes in to help in the house only opts to use that one. It’s their “classic chef knife” and weighs in at 6.5 oz / 185g. Lightweight, but sturdy enough to cut many a great thing in the kitchen. They’ve got a 30% sale going on right now, too.
Nakano also has santoku knives and other sets on offer; I’m sharing the one I got and use because that’s the only one I have experience with. But it’s been a great addition to my knife block, and light enough to use even when my spinal CSF leak is in rough shape.
Please use code JODI at checkout for a 30% off deal on your knife purchase. Instead of an affiliate payment to me, I asked for a discount code for readers. It’s valid for the Nakano site generally, not just this knife that I use and love.
My friend Candace sent me a few Joytop notebooks when I first got sick. She said the lines are just perfectly placed, and the notebook’s seams were satisfying to use; I can’t disagree at all. There’s something about the size and lightweight matte texture of these books that makes me want to write in them all the time. I used to love Moleskine books but I got frustrated with the size, always wishing I could spread out my creativity and not be cramped to the side of the page.
These books allow me to do that, and for some reason, I haven’t used anything since. Honestly, these books are lovely but why are they so satisfying?! The just are. Regardless of why, Candace was right, and I wanted to include them so you all can enjoy the satisfaction we get from writing in them.
Always a whimsical cover, plus satisfying to write on.
More information: Where to buy: In Canada, Yuyu.ca sells these, and they ship to the USA and internationally as well. In Australia, you’re in luck: Maconii carries them too.
An elegant straw system for your plants
When a friend in Sweden mentioned plantstraws as an option for me because I’m a notorious #plantkiller, I was intrigued. I know many of you love your plants and do far better at not murdering them than I do, so I thought you’d be interested too.
Plantstraws is the brainchild of Sweden’s Elin Fyhr, who wanted to make plant care effortless and believes that “design should be playful, curious, and unhurried”. Can’t find fault there.
The straws work by putting one end into a water jug and the other into the soil of your plants, allowing a cotton rope inside each brass tube to slowly add moisture to the soil without overwatering. This means you can put thirsty plants like swamp and rainforest native plants,on a similar care schedule as succulents, cacti or Mediterranean plants. They also add a fun look to any room with the brass tubes and glass jars:
More information: Where to buy: the Plantstraw website Shipping to: Canada, USA, and International. (Shipping outside Europe is costly, though), so you can also consult one of their resellers. For some reason the only ones in Canada are in Alberta; hopefully that changes one day soon! Follow them on: Instagram
Knitted cacti
With a mission to bring greenery to “every struggling plant parent”, Kelsea’s whimsical knitted cacti caught my eye at a local flea market. The business came about when Kelsea knitted her sister some cacti for Christmas, after seeing how her sister couldn’t keep plants alive.
Taking inspiration from real plants, Kelsea carefully crafts knit cacti and succulents in a variety of sizes, colours, and shapes. She also tries to use sustainable materials for other parts of her products: upcycled packaging, sustainable yarn and stuffing, plus reusing cardboard inside the pot to make them lighter weight for shipping.
The company is fully family-supported, including the build for the displays at the market stall I met her at.
I bought myself a mini cacti (though I’m having cactus regret that I didn’t get a larger one), and thought you may want one too.
One of two options (see Effin Birds below) for those who, like me, are in that sweet spot of Venn diagram overlap between swearing and birds. This time, a 1000-piece puzzle for you to put together once dinner is over.
I loved the colour (it matches my logo), and it has birds so I’m not really a tough sell here. For those in the winter cold, a puzzle is always a great way to pass a few hours of your time.
I bought Nessie the tea guardian the moment I saw her, and I am obsessed with it. I use Nessie whenever I have loose tea, and the satisfaction of watching her peek out from the cup rim will, I suspect, never get old.
For the tea lovers and whimsy lovers alike!
Also unmissable (if you’re me): the same company’s spaghetti monster strainer. I love it so much.
More information: Where to buy: Nessie: Amazon Canada, Amazon US. The spagetti monster strainer: Amazon Canada, Amazon US. This is the same company that also makes the mushroom funnel I currently own. Yes, I’m a statistic and I don’t care. You can also buy their products on the OTOTO Design website, but they only ship to the US. Follow them on: Instagram
Hummingbird ring
I enjoyed the symmetry and joy from this cute hummingbird ring, which can be ordered in 18K plated gold, or sterling silver. It’s from Little Rooms, a shop launched by designer Ester Delug in 2007. The shop has expanded quite a bit since then, but if you’re in the market for some fun and tasteful jewelry, you’ll certainly find something here.
They also sell beautiful hair accessories and ear cuffs, in addition to jewelry standards like necklaces and earrings.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the genius behind Birdstrips, Jess, in person in Montreal twice before we each moved elsewhere. Her illustrations have grown a huge following on Instagram due to their whimsical, relatable messaging.
In Jess’ words, the shop comprises “the existential distress of the flightless through the eyes of the flighted.”
Below, two prints from her shop: one a vintage-style poster of 33 “rarely seen” gulls, including the elusive popsigull, peagull, and pierogigulls; and the second, therapy “before and after”—in classic Birdstrips style.
I wasn’t sure if I could tolerate red light therapy with a mast cell disorder, but everything I read suggested that if I stayed at higher wavelengths of light, my mast cells would be less disrupted.
So I sought out a portable LED red light device that I could lift with a spinal CSF leak, but also that had options for higher nm of red light, so that I could hopefully tolerate it. That theory did bear out with my use of the FlexBeam, where I can use their Setting 3 for 20 minutes a day on my front and back when needed. I had to work up to that—I started at only 5 minutes—but now I can do the full 10 minute session twice without issue. I do use it earlier in the day in case it disrupts my mast cells enough to affect sleep, but most people actually use it right before bed because they say it helps them sleep.
I opted for this devices because from everything I read, its lamps didn’t get hot, and unlike laser light, I didn’t risk any tissue damage from the studies I looked at. While a combo of red and near-infrared wavelengths are recommended for most uses of the device, I opted for only level 3, its longest wavelight, which penetrates deeper but most importantly does not disrupt mast cells as much. I’ve found it increases my energy, helps with sleep (when I do it earlier in the day), and most importantly really takes down any nerve pain I have. I was sceptical when I started using it, but I have really come to enjoy how much it helps the spine pain from my leak.
The device comes with velcro bands that you attach at the handles, for when you want to loop it around a leg or your spine, as well as a slender carrying case. I use it as is (without the velcro) because I just place it on my spine or stomach where my leak sites are, but many people I’ve chatted with use it on their thigh or at lumbar while moving around.
The company is from Norway, but the device is made in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
More information: Where to buy: the FlexBeam website Shipping to: Worldwide Follow them on: Instagram
Birds + curse words
These illustrations of birds that swear in creative ways are popular all over the web, with good reason. As Twitter implodes and the world feels like it’s doing the same, the bird outrage by Aaron Reynolds says all that we are bottling up inside.
That doesn’t stop people from getting pissed off about the cursing, but … did you expect anything else from a company called Effin Birds?! He also now has wax candles, a new addition to his “shitmas” collection for people who dislike the holidays.
My friend Celeste is not only a great travel writer, but also runs an environmentally-friendly Tahitian pearl company, Kamoka, that adheres to the strictest levels of sustainable farming in the world. Their pearls are from oysters grown in the nutrient-rich lagoon of Ahe Atoll, 300 miles northeast of Tahiti, with electricity supplied by solar and wind power. And if you needed more convincing about supporting their enterprise: a National Geographic study found that their farming methods helped increase the area’s fish population in recent years.
One of their products I wear often: the Mana Bracelet. At $99, it is an investment, but a durable and beautiful one.
Celeste said that this bracelet was initially crafted for surfers. Now, it’s one of their best sellers for active people who want a beautiful pearl bracelet without worrying about fragility. The adjustable band is made from kangaroo leather (the strongest leather in the world), and is a great choice for the fashionable wanderer and the active fashionista alike.
They also now offer a new collection, featuring Tahitian blacklip oyster shells and jewelry made from their own sustainably produced mother-of-pearl. The earrings below are more affordable than the pearls alone, and are a beautiful gift for those who want something sustainable and different.
Many of Kamoka’s products are one of a kind, and are put together by Celeste and her team each year.
More information: Where to buy: The Mana Bracelet is available here. The full mother-of-pearl collection is here, with the earrings above here. If rings are your fancy, they’ve got a lovely aqua crescent ring this season as well. Shipping to: Worldwide Follow them on:Instagram
Embroidered heart maps
I met the lovely couple behind Sadie and June when at a flea market in Ottawa, and appreciated their fun offerings as a traveler with a lot of places I miss deeply. They sell hand-embroidered maps for 900 locations (and counting), either as stand-alone “I love this place” style, or connecting hearts, where there is a thread connecting two places. They also do custom maps, if your favourite destinations aren’t on offer presently.
The couple, whose names are actually Steve and Kendall, are a cross-border couple—something quite common here in the towns that border the US! She’s from New Jersey and he’s from Ottawa, but they met in Florida. Extremely popular any time I’ve seen their booth around town, they capture the nostalgia of leaving pieces of ourselves in places we loved.
Says Kendall, “Our hand-embroidered heart maps were born out of this love and our belief that love knows no borders. The concept: I began embroidering through paper vintage map prints that meant something special to me and Steve.”
The couple have a post about how they went from being ‘flat broke’ in 2014 to building a full-time business around their sewing skills. When I met Kendall at the market, she mentioned that as the business picked up she was struggling to get orders done … until she taught Steve how to sew, and that helped get the maps completed much faster. Now they are both working on their popular maps, and adding cities all of the time.
More information: Where to buy:the Sadie and June website Shipping to: Canada and the United States, as well as Europe Follow them on: Instagram
Those are my 2023 holiday gift picks! I hope you enjoy at least some of them.
Amazon today announced new enhancements to its direct-to-customer offerings, Buy with Prime and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF), during its Accelerate seller conference.
These enhancements are designed to help merchants grow their businesses on their own websites and other sales channels beyond Amazon.com. Both services continue to experience significant growth, with new features aimed at making it easier for businesses to scale, attract new customers, and increase sales.
Significant Growth for Buy with Prime
Since its launch in 2022, Buy with Prime has seen considerable momentum. So far this year, orders placed through merchants’ websites using Buy with Prime have increased by more than 45% year-over-year, and merchants have seen an average 16% increase in revenue per shopper by offering the service.
Additionally, more than 50% more Prime members have shopped using Buy with Prime this year.
The service, which allows shoppers to use their Amazon Prime benefits on participating merchants’ websites, saw a 300% increase in orders during Prime Day 2024. The number of merchants offering Buy with Prime has grown by more than 25% year-over-year, with new brands including IZOD, Elizabeth Arden, Dollar Shave Club, and others now available to shoppers.
New Advertising Solutions to Drive Merchant Growth
To help merchants attract more customers, Amazon is launching two new advertising solutions:
Amazon DSP for Buy with Prime: This allows merchants to use Amazon’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP) to create ad campaigns using product-level shopping signals from Amazon.com and their own websites to drive traffic to their ecommerce platforms. Over 80% of merchants using this feature have reported meeting or exceeding their return on ad spend (ROAS) goals.
TikTok Ads with Delivery Estimates: Buy with Prime merchants will soon be able to display the Prime brand and real-time delivery estimates in their TikTok ads, driving traffic directly to their websites.
Expanded Payment Options and Checkout Enhancements
Amazon is also expanding the checkout options for Buy with Prime:
PayPal Integration: Shoppers can now use PayPal at checkout on participating Buy with Prime websites. Starting next year, Prime members will be able to link their Amazon and PayPal accounts, allowing them to automatically receive Prime shipping benefits when using PayPal.
Shopify Checkout Integration: Shoppers can now purchase both Prime and non-Prime items together in one checkout through Shopify stores, further streamlining the shopping experience for customers.
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment Sees Continued Growth
Amazon MCF, which allows merchants to leverage Amazon’s fulfillment network to pick, pack, and ship orders from channels beyond Amazon.com, has seen a 70% increase in total orders fulfilled this year. Currently serving over 200,000 U.S. merchants, MCF continues to provide flexible and scalable fulfillment solutions for businesses.
New enhancements to Amazon MCF include:
Faster Delivery: The standard delivery option has been reduced from 5 business days to 3 business days at no additional cost. This includes deliveries made 7 days a week.
MCF Fast Badges: Merchants can now display real-time delivery estimates on their websites, giving shoppers more confidence in when their orders will arrive. This feature has helped merchants, such as sports apparel company NXTRND, increase revenue by 8.9%.
Delivery Estimates in Ads: Starting this month, merchants will be able to display delivery estimates in their Google Shopping and TikTok ads, driving more traffic to their sites and boosting ROAS.
Five finalists for the first-ever Sing Sing Film Festival award were announced today by The Marshall Project, the nonprofit newsroom covering criminal justice.
The award winner will be announced on Oct. 24 by a jury of five men incarcerated in Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York, before an audience of incarcerated people, New York state corrections officials and outside guests.
The Marshall Project is committed to providing news and information to incarcerated audiences. Along with the print magazine News Inside and video series Inside Story, the Sing Sing Film Festival is part of The Marshall Project’s effort to bring valuable and fresh perspectives behind prison walls.
The five documentary features on the shortlist are:
“This is a real first in New York,” said Lawrence Bartley of The Marshall Project. “Criminal justice films have not traditionally been subjected to the judgment of people who really know the system from the inside.
“Incarcerated people have relevant expertise here,” said Bartley, who is publisher of The Marshall Project Inside, the news products for prison audiences produced by the Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom. “The Marshall Project organized this film festival because we wanted to recognize the value and importance of this audience.” Nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in prisons and jails across America.
The five finalists were selected by Marshall Project staff from among nearly 40 criminal justice documentaries released in the last two years. The films were then reviewed by officials from the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision before being submitted to the incarcerated jury of five men.
Documentary filmmaker El Sawyer visited Sing Sing in August to train the jury on how to evaluate films. He spent five hours with the men at Sing Sing, discussing the finer points of viewing and critiquing films to evaluate the clarity and power of storytelling, cinematography and the film’s authenticity in depicting the lived experiences of incarcerated and justice-impacted people.
A program of short films will also be screened at the festival on Oct. 24:
San Quentin Media Center in a Box by Rahsaan Thomas
Sam and Omar by Nadav Kurtz
Inside Story — selections from the new season of The Marshall Project’s television show for incarcerated audiences
All materials will be submitted to the jury on DVD because there is no internet in prison.
“Given that my film explores issues within our criminal justice system, I am grateful for this opportunity to contribute to a dialogue that is both honest and impactful,” said Débora Souza Silva, director of For Our Children. “I hope this initiative by The Marshall Project’s Sing Sing Film Festival inspires meaningful changes in criminal justice reform and fosters a deeper reflection on how such issues are documented.”
“Every film I watch from here on out, I’m going to be critiquing it … to see the development of the characters, to see if the scenery is a character in the movie itself,” said Alonzo Miles, a jury member incarcerated at Sing Sing.
“Sing Sing Correctional Facility is pleased to offer a new educational opportunity to our population of incarcerated individuals,” said Sing Sing Superintendent Marlyn Kopp. “The chance to learn about the art and techniques of film, to develop and draft critiques of the selected criminal justice-themed films and select a winner for the film festival provides value to the opinions of the incarcerated individuals.
“It opens up communication with the men inside and people on the outside,” Kopp continued. “We are glad to collaborate with The Marshall Project and host this film festival.”
Please reach out to Rahima Nasa Kazmi at rkazmi@themarshallproject.org to learn more about the Sing Sing Film Festival.
Several elementary school-age students were injured after riding in a wagon that overturned at the Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in Lafeyette, Wis., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes said in a Facebook announcement.
The children were students at St. Mark Lutheran School in Eau Claire, Wis., and at the Lafayette orchard on a field trip accompanied by parents and chaperones. Lafayette is 58 miles southwest of Madison, Wis.
Twenty-five people, including children and adults, were injured after the wagon pulled by a tractor lost control going downhill. The driver attempted to stop, but the wagon “abruptly” turned over, Hakes said.
Three of those injured had life-threatening injuries and five more had serious injuries. Nine more were transported by ambulance, one more by helicopter and others were taken by personal vehicles.
All the victims were taken to a local hospital, except for the victim in the helicopter, Hakes said in a Sept. 18 press conference. He confirmed all the victims were stable, but he could not provide further details at the time.
“The Chippewa Sheriff’s Office responded and the Chippewa County Emergency Management immediately notified the Hospital Readiness Collation of incoming patients,” Hakes said, adding that the cooperating first responders “were able to address medical needs in a timely manner.”
Those who assisted include Lake Hallie Police Department, Chippewa Fire District, Chippewa Falls Fire Department, Cadott EMS and Fire, Boyd EMS, Bloomer Ambulance, Eau Claire Fire and EMS, Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Chippewa County Public Health and Chippewa County Department of Health and Human Services.
Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard.
Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard/Facebook
Hakes confirmed he headed to the scene, “assisted in calming the children” and reunited them with their parents.
“As a parent myself, it’s a parent’s greatest fear that something happens to their children, especially when they’re as young as that,” Hakes said during the press conference. “I can tell you the children were extremely brave, very resilient. I’m very proud of every one of those kiddos.”
“The chaperones did a fantastic job,” Hakes remarked. “The chaperones and the parents that were at the scene had plans. They had a list of children and contact information that was instrumental in reuniting the parents with the children.”
After the incident, the school principal, Peter J. Micheel, issued a statement, per WQOW 18. “At this time, we are trusting the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department as their members were at the scene,” he wrote. “At this point, we are focusing on reuniting the children with their caregivers.”
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Representatives for Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office and Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Thursday.
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