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I have experienced much ageism most recently, especially at my new work. For example they think just because I do not dye my hair there is nothing in it ;) or they behave as if I am not alive anymore just because there are first signs of age at my skin. One very young woman told me about incontinence when she realized I have napkins in my pocket, which I actually used because I am not in my menopause yet.
Concerning my skin I thought it interesting to show my hand and write on it old age with a kind of ancient letters, so that anyone has to wonder why this should be called an old hand.
We went to Elk Island Park, my wife and me, on Sunday. Elk Island Park should be called "Pee Your Pants Because There Are Big Scary Bison All Over The Place And They Are Not Even In Cages" Park.
Shrewd marketing.( I guess if they called "PYPBTABSBAOTPATANEIC' Park , no one would go.)
There's a place at Elk Island Park called "The Bison Loop."
Just inside the entrance to this Loop is a sign. This sign features a picture of an obviously terrified tourist, running away from a charging bison, who is in hot "steam coming out of the nose" pursuit. This great hairy thing is planning to run her down...which is sorta freaky on two levels:
1) The person is about two seconds from being gored and/or trampled to death and
2) Someone just stood there, took a picture of it and then sold the picture to the Park Services
The caption under the image in big no nonsense lettering is "THIS COULD BE YOU." There follows a discussion that bison are unpredictable, and that they can charge without warning...even if they looked like harmless grass eating monsters only a few seconds before. The sign tells the story of a photographer who spent hours getting into position...but got charged when some other people unexpectedly came onto the scene. A PHOTOGRAPHER! CHARGED! By freaking BISON (!), who are by their very nature very big and potentially seriously pissy.
We escaped the Loop unscathed. No bison...although there were a number of ferocious looking gophers (also uncaged, by the way).
I took the sign we'd seen as a warning from God. Sheree didn't see it that way. Elk Island is the very park Sheree wanted to go to. She's been heading out to the great outdoors wherever possible lately, photographing birds -- which I find preferable to bison since birds probably won't kill you.
(The other day we found an inch worm on our BED, that had stowed away inside a fold her sock while she was tramping around "in the bush." It was pulsing along our sheets. Sheree asked me to dispatch it...but felt it was excessive when I returned in a surgical mask, oven mitts and toting seven sheets of sturdy paper toweling.This however, is another story. My point is simply that my wife is turning into Grizzly Adams.)
Anyway, I digress. We were, to my immense relief, on our way out of the park with limbs intact and no horn-sized holes in our chests, on our way to search out a nice safe Hutterite Colony, when we saw these two HUGE bison by the side of the road.
Sheree started making inarticulate noises and gesturing wildly with her hands, camera and eyes. I know from past experience that she is NOT having a seizure. She wants me to pull over. So I did.
The bison were mostly uninterested in us...and I do admit that it was kinda cool actually hearing them eat. But I noticed the bigger one, the guy in the picture, was keeping an eye on us.
I sat in the driver seat, hand hovering over the shift, prepared at a moment's notice to spring into action, and Jean Claude Van Damme-like, throw the car into Drive and Get The Hell Out Of Here mode.
Sheree was happily taking pictures. Then she reached over to turn off the ignition.
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked politely. "Didn't you see the picture where that person was running from the bison? They can cover twenty yards in 1.73 seconds."
(Okay...I made that part up...but it sounded good.)
Sheree rolls her eyes and mutters something about a 'city boy.' She is now deep into her "put your hat on backwards and be a Deliverance kinda survivalist type" mode. There's no arguing with that. Besides...I don't know how to play a banjo.
So I now have to keep one hand hovering over the ignition and the other one over the stick shift.
Sheree looks back at me and rolls her eyes.
Then she opens the door and leans out to get another shot. The brain-eating bison are only a few feet away. Sure they look like harmless herbivores on the outside...
"Get enough shots?" I ask finally because my hands are getting kind of tired of hovering.
She tells me that she just needs a few more (she pretty much always needs a few more) and suggests I go up through the sun roof to make some photographs of my own. Genetically bred warrior that I am (see the "Inch Worm Incident" above), I see instantly where that will wind up: me getting stuck there, whilst the enormous bison, now certain of both victory and manflesh will charge.
I demur.
I hover.
I wait.
I sigh.
Eventually we drive away.
This is what those creatures looked like. Honest.
I have to confess that the question, which I first heard almost as soon as I landed here nearly thirty-six years ago, drives me almost to incontinence with irritation. That's my rant for today :) The photograph might be a metaphor by way of an answer.
Susie is being a bit more tolerant than I had feared
Poor Shay had a bad injury 2 weeks ago, ended up getting his back right leg amputated on July 9th, so he is now about 10 days post surgery. We are fostering him, looking after him as he recovers.
At first he was very down, very anxious and not eating. But this has all come on really well in past 2 days.
He has urinary incontinence for now but we are hoping this improves over coming days.
The 2 dogs have very similar markings on their faces
The Velvet Underground & Nico - I'll Be Your Mirror
O el oscuro surco de los años.
Or the dark path of the years.
*
One (or more) part(s) of Berlinesesberlin series.
Gurdjieff would take the last option regarding the current Ukraine situation. From the ASPCA "Dogs who are reproductively intact (unspayed females and unneutered males) are more likely to urine mark than spayed or neutered dogs. In unspayed females, urine marking usually happens more frequently just before and while they’re in heat. Some dogs’ house soiling is caused by incontinence, a medical condition in which a dog “leaks” or completely voids the bladder. Dogs with incontinence problems usually seem unaware that they’ve soiled. Sometimes they void urine while asleep."
Pie de foto. 07-04.2015. Fracrán, Provincia de Misiones.
Desde que Jesica Sheffer tenía siete años (actualmente tiene once) ha estado sufriendo una malformación de un tendón que le impide estar erguida. Su madre, Ramona Angélica de Lima, que tiene orígenes africanos, tiene 6 hijos. Ramona y su marido llegaron Fracrán hace 30 años cuando muy pocas familias vivían allí. Fracrán es una región productora de tabaco con un alto índice de incidencia de personas afectadas por los agrotóxicos. En la provincia de Misiones, cinco de cada mil niños nacen con mielomeningocele (MMC), una grave malformación del sistema nervioso central. Niños y niñas nacen con la espina dorsal abierta, provocando incontinencia fecal y urinaria y problemas en las extremidades inferiores.
Caption: 07/04/2015. Fracrán, Province of Misiones. Since the age of seven, Jesica Sheffer (now 11) has been suffering from a tendon malformation preventing her from standing up straight. Fracrán is a tobacco producing area with a high rate of people affected by agrotoxins. In the Province of Misiones, five in a thousand children are born with myelomeningocele (MMC), a severe malformation of the central nervous system. Children are born with open spinal cords, urinary and fecal incontinence, and problems in their lower limbs.
© Pablo Piovano (Segundo finalista XX edición/ Second finalist 20th edition)
Serie/Series: "El coste humano de los agrotóxicos"/"The human cost of agrotoxins"
La serie denuncia las devastadoras consecuencias de veinte años de fumigación indiscriminada con productos como el glifosato en Argentina.
The series denounces the devastating consequences of twenty years of indiscriminate spraying with products such as glyphosate in Argentina.
Well, the day Bernie feared finally came. Not only was it embarrassing, but, really, did the event have to happen on a day the temperature was below freezing? Lucille asked Bernie if he was happy to see her or was he taking those blue pills again?
Fox Island, Washington 2017
German collectors card in the "Filmgrössen aus aller Welt", series II.
June Allyson (1917-2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer. Her sweet smile and sunny disposition made her the prototypical girl-next-door of American films of the 1940s.
June Allyson was born as Eleanor Geisman in The Bronx, New York City in 1917. She was the daughter of Clara (née Provost) and Robert Geisman. She had a brother, Henry, who was two years older. In 1918, when Allyson was six months old, her alcoholic father, who had worked as a janitor, abandoned the family. Allyson was brought up in near poverty, living with her maternal grandparents. When her mother remarried and the family was reunited with a more stable financial standing, Allyson was enrolled in the Ned Wayburn Dancing Academy and began to enter dance competitions with the stage name of Elaine Peters. She began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. Her dancing and musical talent led to a stint as an understudy for the lead, Betty Hutton, in the Broadway show 'Panama Hattie' and when Hutton contracted measles, Allyson appeared in five performances. Broadway director George Abbott caught one of the nights and offered Allyson one of the lead roles in his production of 'Best Foot Forward' (1941). After her appearance in the Broadway musical, Allyson was selected for the film version of Best Foot Forward (Edward Buzzell, 1943), starring Lucille Ball. She signed with MGM and rose to fame the following year in Two Girls and a Sailor (Richard Thorpe, 1944). Allyson's 'girl next door' image was solidified during the mid-1940s when she was paired with actor Van Johnson in six films. Allyson supported Lucille Ball again in Meet the People (1944), a flop. It was on this film she met Dick Powell who became her husband. She played Constance in the hugely popular The Three Musketeers (George Sidney, 1948) opposite Gene Kelly, and the tomboy Jo March in Little Women (Mervyn LeRoy, 1949), a huge hit. She was adept at crying on cue, and many of her films incorporated a crying scene.
In 1951, June Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic comedy Too Young to Kiss (Robert Z. Leonard, 1951) with Van Johnson. Allyson had a huge hit at Universal with The Glenn Miller Story (Anthony Mann, 1954), opposite James Stewart. At MGM she was in another big success, Executive Suite (Robert Wise, 1954). Allyson was teamed with Stewart again in Strategic Air Command (Anthony Mann, 1955), at Paramount, another success. Allyson did some musical remakes of classic films, The Opposite Sex (David Miller, 1956) at MGM and You Can't Run Away from It (1956) at Columbia, directed by her husband Dick Powell. She signed with Universal and did two more remakes: the drama Interlude (Douglas Sirk, 1957), and the comedy My Man Godfrey (Henry Koster, 1957) with David Niven. She then made the drama A Stranger in My Arms ( Helmut Käutner, 1958) with Jeff Chandler. The box office failure of these films effectively ended her reign as a movie star. From 1959 to 1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own anthology TV series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson.
In the 1970s, June Allyson returned to the stage starring in 'Forty Carats' (1970) and 'No, No, Nanette'. She also appeared in the film They Only Kill Their Masters (James Goldstone, 1972) with James Garner, and in many popular TV Series. In 1982, Allyson released her autobiography 'June Allyson by June Allyson' and continued her career with guest-starring roles on television and occasional film appearances. She later established the June Allyson Foundation for Public Awareness and Medical Research and worked to raise money for research for urological and gynecological diseases affecting senior citizens. During the 1980s, Allyson also became a spokesperson for Depend undergarments, in a successful marketing campaign that has been credited in reducing the debilitating social stigma of incontinence. She made her final onscreen appearances in the film A Girl, Three Guys, and a Gun (Brent Florence, 2000) and the TV film These Old Broads (Matthew Diamond, 2001), starring Shirley McLaine. June Allyson was married four times (to three husbands) and had two children with her first husband, Dick Powell. She died of respiratory failure and bronchitis in 2006 in Ojai, California. She was 88.
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
At the East Rochester Wegmans .
They were out of incontinence toothpaste , but I did stock up on intimate care mouthwash ( extra tingly ! ) .
The 9 symptoms you may experience if you continue down this very freeway. Like the sign says, death awaits.
Coolness
The person´s hands and arms, feet and then legs may be increasingly cool to the touch, and at the same time the color of the skin may change. This a normal indication that the circulation of blood is decreasing to the body's extremities and being reserved for the most vital organs. Keep the person warm with a blanket, but do not use one that is electric.
Sleeping
The person may spend an increasing amount of time sleeping, and appear to be uncommunicative or unresponsive and at times be difficult to arouse. This normal change is due in part to changes in the metabolism of the body. Sit with your loved one, hold his or her hand, but do not shake it or speak loudly. Speak softly and naturally. Plan to spend time with your loved one during those times when he or she seems most alert or awake. Do not talk about the person in the person's presence. Speak to him or her directly as you normally would, even though there may be no response. Never assume the person cannot hear; hearing is the last of the senses to be lost.
Disorientation
The person may seem to be confused about the time, place, and identity of people surrounding him or her including close and familiar people. This is also due in part to the metabolism changes. Identify yourself by name before you speak rather than to ask the person to guess who you are. Speak softly, clearly, and truthfully when you need to communicate something important for the patient's comfort, such as, It is time to take your medication, and explain the reason for the communication, such as, so you won't begin to hurt. Do not use this method to try to manipulate the patient to meet your needs.
Incontinence
The person may lose control of urine and/or bowel matter as the muscles in that area begin to relax. Discuss with your Hospice nurse what can be done to protect the bed and keep your loved one clean and comfortable.
Congestion
The person may have gurgling sounds coming from his or her chest as though marbles were rolling around inside these sounds may become very loud. This normal change is due to the decrease of fluid intake and an inability to cough up normal secretions.
Suctioning usually only increases the secretions and causes sharp discomfort. Gently turn the person s head to the side and allow gravity to drain the secretions. You may also gently wipe the mouth with a moist cloth. The sound of the congestion does not indicate the onset of severe or new pain.
Restlessness
The person may make restless and repetitive motions such as pulling at bed linen or clothing. This often happens and is due in part to the decrease in oxygen circulation to the brain and to metabolism changes. Do not interfere with or try to restrain such motions. To have a calming effect, speak in a quiet, natural way, lightly massage the forehead, read to the person, or play some soothing music.
Urine Decrease
The person´s urine output normally decreases and may become tea colored referred to as concentrated urine. This is due to the decreased fluid intake as well as decrease in circulation through the kidneys. Consult with your Hospice nurse to determine whether there may be a need to insert or irrigate a catheter.
Fluid and Food Decrease
The person may have a decrease in appetite and thirst, wanting little or no food or fluid. The body will naturally begin to conserve energy which is expended on these tasks. Do not try to force food or drink into the person, or try to use guilt to manipulate them into eating or drinking something. To do this only makes the person much more uncomfortable. Small chips of ice, frozen Gatorade or juice may be refreshing in the mouth. If the person is able to swallow, fluids may be given in small amounts by syringe (ask the Hospice nurse for guidance). Glycerin swabs may help keep the mouth and lips moist and comfortable. A cool, moist washcloth on the forehead may also increase physical comfort.
Breathing Pattern Change
The person s regular breathing pattern may change with the onset of a different breathing pace. A particular pattern consists of breathing irregularly, i.e., shallow breaths with periods of no breathing of five to thirty seconds and up to a full minute. This is called Cheyne-Stokes breathing. The person may also experience periods of rapid shallow pant-like breathing. These patterns are very common and indicate decrease in circulation in the internal organs. Elevating the head, and/or turning the person onto his or her side may bring comfort. Hold your loved one's hand. Speak gently.
I'm up for a poll if you are. What's your favourite way to make coffee; the method, not some list of peculiar additives or styles. You tea drinkers; stay clear of your vitriol, and we'll leave you alone too. I happen to appreciate both beverages for their unique and different qualities. But today, this is about coffee. It's not "joe", or "java" — though I've drunk plenty of coffee in Java — it's coffee!
Anywhere from the pour over method in granny's old stocking stretched over a piece of fencing wire so favoured in Malaysia, through the weird Singaporean codes, the grounds in a glass of boiling water in Sumatra, the percolator of your nightmares, the press, the aeropress, the siphon, Vietnam's phin, drip bags, coffee bags, grounds in a tea strainer over your mug in the bush, stovetop espresso, to the high tech machines, I'd say I've tried them all. Someone will know even more.
Some places don't get coffee. Airports: they're the worst. Anywhere that insists a long black espresso is an "americano", or that espresso is best made with boiling water. They really get it in Peru, and in a rare few coffee houses in London. Years of literally bitter experience has taught me a lot; so I'm picky, not quite a coffee snob, but not afraid to be right about what is good and what's not.
For sheer convenience I've settled on the electric benchtop espresso machine. It steams and hisses as a dragon, and so there's a dragon, in the corner, on a bench. Mine developed a urological problem, as you'd characterise a leak were it not simply a buggered needle valve. A side effect is that as he strains to make coffee, he loses pressure and, how shall we politely put it — you can't — he p¡sses himself.
I might have to drive 300km, one way to see a dragon urologist. But I know this young chap who can fix just about anything. He's come over with a few tools, including a hemostat, to restore the dragon's water works. The surgical tool, he says, is for the extraction of spring clips in such a way that prevents him having to pick things up, turn them over, and shake until the errant part falls out…
I've helped deliver calves, been the theatre nurse for emergency dog caesareans in the middle of the night, drained abcesses, injected potions, all the usual things you do in the bush. But never, NEVER, have I been trades assistant to a self-taught dragon urologist. This could be fun!
one brown eye and one blue eye
Shay is our foster dog. Poor wee soul, getting more confident now. Day 11 post hind leg amputation and. Getting the feel of being a collie again.
He has significant urinary incontinence problems which we are hoping will resolve. We are getting better at using the doggy diapers/nappies on him. I have tried 3 types and feel I now feel I could write a review on them! ...although it would be very specific to the shape of the one dog that I am using them on so maybe not that useful to others!
We are foster family for him - He is owned by the "Animal Connexions" charity. A great NI charity for dogs that end up needing humans!
Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
"I am the ICBM. I will annihilate my opponents in a conflagration of-"
I See Beum?
No, you doof! I-C-B-M. It's an acronym.
Did you just call me a doof? I have my anvil.
Oh! No, 'doof' is also an acronym! 'Dearest Of Old Friends'!
Hm.
"AHEM! When I rocket into the ring, my thermonuclear powered blows from my metal gauntlets will-"
What is ICBM anyway?
Inter... inter-something. I think it's a missile.
For him maybe it's I Can't Be Menacing. I mean, he's rocking green and pink.
"LISTEN! It is Intercontinental Bal-"
Incontinence Constipatory Bowel Mo-
STOP! HAHAHA!
Oh, I hope it's not that. Or at least that he can get of the stage.
HAHAHA!
"I am the most feared Chojin to ever-"
No you're not. I looked you up and you're listed under minor characters.
Inappropriately Costumed Ball Masquerade!
Ball masquerade? It should be masquerade ball.
That wouldn't go with the letters.
Well, that was weak.
Oh, like you-
"I Crush Bijou Morons!!"
See, that was a good one!
💪M💪U💪S💪C💪L💪E💪
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
M.U.S.C.L.E. No. 118, "ICBM" "Intercontinental Ballistic Missile"
Painted by Paprika, thus losing all collectible value forever.
I took this photo when my Grandmother was in her early 90s, the man with the zimmer frame in the background was her fancy-man of the moment. If you look closely you can see he's just wet himself.
Easyfit is well known for adult diapers and pull-ups but they also sell Easyfit baby diapers and other medical equipments available on easyfit.in/.
Folkloric
- Bark is reported to be vomitive and aphrodisiac.
- Decoction of bark used for catarrh.
- Tender fruit used as emollient.
- Decoction of bark regarded as a specific in febrile catarrh.
- Gum is astringent; used for bowel complaints. In children, gum with milk, given as cooling laxative. Also used for urine incontinence in children.
- Gum used as styptic, given in diarrhea, dysentery, and menorrhagia.
- In Liberia, Infusion of bark used as mouthwash.
- Infusion of leaves, onions, and a little tumeric, used for coughs.
- Young roots, shade-dried and powdered, is a chief ingredient in aphrodisiac medicines.
- Tap-root of young plant used for gonorrhea and dysentery.
- Bark in diuretic; in sufficient quantities, produces vomiting.
- In Cambodia, bark used for fevers and diarrhea. Also, as a cure for inebriation, used to bring about perspiration and vomiting.
- Malays used the bark for asthma and colds in children.
- In India, roots used for gonorrhea, dysuria, fevers. Decoction of bark used for chronic dysentery, diarrhea, ascites, and anasarca. Tender leaves also used for gonorrhea.
- In Java, bark mixed with areca nuts, nutmegs, and sugar candy, used as diuretic and for treatment of bladder stones. Infusion of leaves used for cough, hoarseness, intestinal catarrh, and urethritis. Leaves also used for cleaning hair.
- In the Cameroons, bark, which has tannin, is pounded and macerated in cold water and applied to swollen fingers.
- In French Guiana, decoction of flowers used for constipation.
- In Mexico, used for boils, insect bites, mange; used as anti-inflammatory; bark and leaf decoctions used as poultices. Bark decoction taken internally as emetic, diuretic and antispasmodic.
- Bark used for liver and spleen conditions, abdominal complaints, flatulence, constipation.
- Leaves used as emollient. Decoction of flowers is laxative.
- In Nigerian folk medicine, used for treatment of diabetes and infections. Leaves used as alterative and laxative, and as infusion for colic in man and in livestock. Seed oil used in rheumatism. Also, leaves used as curative dressings on sores and to maturate tumors.
- Compressed fresh leaves used for dizziness; decoction of boiled roots used to treat edema; gum eaten to relieve stomach upset; tender shoot decoction used as contraceptive; leaf infusion taken orally for cough and sore throat. (34)
- In India and Malaya, used for bowel complaints.
- In the Ivory Coast, mucilage obtained by boiling used to remove foreign bodies from the eye. Also, bark sap given to sterile women to promote conception.
- In West Africa, used for diarrhea and gonorrhea.
Others
- Fibers: Pod fibers are used in the stuffing of pillows, cushions, mattresses and the manufacture and life-preservers.
- Oil: Kapok oil, extracted from the seeds, used in the manufacture of soap; also, a substitute for cotton-seed oil. Also used for cooking and as lubricant.
- Wood: Tree is used for fencing and telephone poles.
- Fresh cake valuable as stock feed.
- Ashes of the fruit used by dyers in Malaysia.
- Study showed the C. pentandra fiber may be useful in recovering oil spilled in seawater.
- Fodder: Sheep, goats, cattle relish the foliage. Pressed cake as cattle feed yields about 26% protein.
source: stuart xchange
Easyfit Diapers are the best solution for unintentional urine leakage and are available online easyfit.in/ with discount offers on every pack.
An incontinence of Lesser Yellowlegs flying by at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Delta BC Canada
I now have a dedicated blog on Facebook with my 30 years of data, research and knowledge on the A*Men and flanker series from 1996-the present day which is here:
THIERRY MUGLER A*MEN & FLANKER SERIES 1996-? BY PAUL WILLIAMS
www.facebook.com/groups/4280494602275069
** The photograph shows part of my personal collection of Mugler fragrances
From Right to left: 2ml A*men metal flask, A*Men 30ml metal flask 2011, A*Men 100ml metal flask 2011,B*men metal flask 2004,pure coffee,pure malt,pure havane vintage 2010, 'Le Gout du parfum-The taste of fragrance', Pure shot, Pure energy in metal flask, A*Men 30ml metal flask 2011, A*Men Seducing 30ml rubber flacon, Pure Havane 2014 Original formulation, Pure malt creation, Pure wood, ultra zest, Angel Men USA travel spray presentation set, A*Men 2018 reformulation in metal flask, A*Men Gold esdition 2012 in presentation case, Pure tonka,pure havane 2018 reformulation, kryptomint,pure tonka in gold edition flask,
A devil's take on Angel for Men & the 'Pure series' of Manfred Thierry Mugler
The chemoreception that forms the sense of smell is called 'olfaction', a sense that is crucial in the detection of hazards, food and pheromones. Through orthonasal olfaction and retronasal olfaction, we breathe and chew flavours and odours good and otherwise, a crucial part of our daily lives. The human function of smelling is carried out by two small odour-detecting patches consisting of approximately five or six million yellowish cells within the nasal passages, and although feeble in comparison to those of animals - a rabbit has 100 million of these olfactory receptors, and a dog 220 million, we are nonetheless capable of quite an acute sense of smell.
I was one of those souls born with the ability to detect, pinpoint, appreciate the smell of things around me to a heightened degree compared to my peers, and from an early age began to appreciate the importance of fragrant smells around me long before others could detect them. Let's be honest here, back in the sixties and early seventies when I was a boy, there were few pleasant fragrances on the market for men, and my first foray into the world of smelling 'good' came with Fabergé's famous, perhaps infamous offering of Brut 33. Cologne, body wash and hair shampoo, soap on a rope and Christmas box sets from Gran were a must, with a plethora of unsuspecting passers by collapsing from the ghastly scent cloud which hung over me like a personalised storm cloud through my adolescence.
Fast forward my difficult teenage years and into manhood (the brief memories I can muster through those years of drunken debauchery), the emergence of some splendid male fragrances to elevate me towards 'stud' status with the ladies, 'Denim for men' by Faberge, Pfizer's 1967 stalwart 'hai karate',Procter & Gamble's 'old spice' with the wonderful music used from 'Damien' heading up the TV adverts in clorious monochrome, I was by now searching for something different, something daring, a signature scent to call my own. Hitting me like a thunderbolt, straight between the eyes in the midst of my clubbing days at London's Hippodrome, Cafe de Paris and Stringfellows nightclubs, came a new fragrance that literally knocked me, and the fragrance world for six. Like one of those Marmite atser tests it was loved and hated, cosseted or despised, yet few could ever deny the impact that it had on the world. Things would never be the same again. A fragrance bold and powerful, unashamedly masculine with notes of patchouli and Bourbon vanilla and toasted Arabica coffee beans conspiring to bombard one's senses and pound them into submission..... It separated the men from the boys, garnered attention and compliments, and got right up the noses of those moany old aunties who thought the smell of carbolic soap behind the ears was a prelude to passion and romance and always bought us socks and hankies with our initials printed in the corners for Christmas presents, expecting us to conform and 'belong'.
Mugler's concept behind A*Men focussed on comic strip superheroes that as children we idolised and who's adventures we followed in weekly comic books or animated cartoon feature films. The rubber flasks designed by Mugler himself, echoed the rubber suits adorning the flesh of so many superheroes, and also provided an Eco-friendly option of disposal as objects that could be recycled. With the success of A*Men around the world, Mugler waited a full eight long years before creating a new fragrance for men.
B*Men was launched across the globe to a fanfare of press releases with a range of grooming products including shower gel and after shave lotion, promotional mini rubber flask 2ml editions and even a beautiful grey metal flask limited edition in a presentation case, plus one boxed edition with a comic included just like it's predecessor some years earlier. But the press were less than kind about that 'difficult second album' so to speak, and the internet is littered with mediocre reviews and fragrance lover's reviews that all point to the new 'baby' being nothing more than a toned down version of it's older stable-mate. In truth B*Men is far from disappointing, and despite being discontinued and view in retrospect as a failure, in latter years though rarer to find and ever more expensive to purchase, it has come to be viewed as a unique and appealing fragrance in it's own right. That 'difficult second album', sadly could not live up to the legendary first, perhaps merely a victim of hype and stratospheric level expectations.
A*Men & the 'Pure' series of fragrances
My personal collection of Thierry Mugler A-men & Pure fragrances isn't definitive by any means in terms of someone who is an outright 'collector'. Missing are various versions and special editions, presentation boxes with original comics and certain American issues where the fragrance was marketed as Angel Men, but it is assembled though my love and deep passion for these fragrances which, to my nose are quite simply exquisite in all their variances and aromas.
It all began for me back in 1996 when Mugler offered the mens version of the female fragrance which had taken the world by storm and created a new genre for them, the Gourmands (they smell so good you could eat them!). A*men was different, startling, polarising even. Not for shrinking violets, I can still remember the amount of comments that I received when wearing that fragrance, though sadly through the years, as with many major fragrance houses, the original fragrance has fallen victim to reformulation and the current 2018 version is a pale shadow of it's vicious, snarling beastly brother from the nineties.
Two other Mugler pure series fragrances have also sparked controversy on various websites having also fallen victim to the reformulation game, Pure Malt and Pure Havane, and again current 2018 versions are arguably nowhere near the aromatic wonder and perfection of their ancestors. More on that later. So here is a brief (and not comprehensive) overview of the Thierry Mugler range starting back in 1996 with the game-changer, the daddy of them all..... A*Men.
A little background
Manfred Thierry Mugler was born on December 21st 1948 in Strasbourg, France. At the age of nine years old he began studying classical dance and later at age fourteen he joined the ballet corps for the Opéra national du Rhin in Alsace. He also began formal interior design training at École supérieure des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg. After moving to Paris he began designing clothes for Parisian boutique, Gudule and within two years became a freelance designer for fashion houses in London, Paris, Milan and Barcelona.
Mugler moved from strength to strength, his first collection in 1973 followed three years later featuring in an event organised by Japanese company Shiseido. His first boutique opened in 1978 and during the eighties and nineties his name and popularity increased dramatically. Also a keen photographer, he published his first photographic book in 1988, and has worked as director for short films and adverts, and even collaborated with Cirque du soleil. But for all that, I noticed him only when he turned his hand to the art of fragrance.
Mugler's entrance into the fragrance world came in 1992, after he approched Jacques Courtin-Clarins of the Clarins group founded in 1954 with a view to backing his first ever fragrance creation. Clarins bought a stake in Thierry Mugler Couture and Mugler began 'Le cercle' for it's customers, and 'La source' to allow refilling of fragrance bottles. Angel was an overnight success, with the groundbreaking, award winning woman's perfume going on to sell more than $280 Million annually along with Alien, launched in 2005. By March 2019 global sales for all Mugler fragrances exceeded $797 Million. Suddenly we men were victims of the scent, rendered incoherent, incapable, speechless by the mere whiff of a woman passing by adorned by this new and remarkable wonder scent. Us guy's had to wait another four long years until 1996 for our chance to feel unique beneath the glitter balls on the dance floors the world over, when 'A*Men was launched and the world of fragrances changed forever. Angel was inducted into the Fifi awards Hall of fame in 2007, an annual event sponsored by The Fragrance Foundation which honor the fragrance industry's creative achievements. A*men also won the 1998 fragrance of the year - Prestige there. Mugler approched Clarins to help him create and market his first perfume, and to this day Mugler is still part of the Clarins empire.
An incomplete History
1996 A*Men
2004 Angel Men Travel spray (January USA only release of presentation box containing a tall skinny rubber flask fitted with 15ml cartridge ans two separate 15ml refill cartridges. Batch number 401327)
2004 B*Men
2004 B*Men Metal flask edition in presentation box (Batch number 408074). Released in August 2004
2006 A*Men summer flash
2007 Ice*Men
2008 Pure coffee
2009 Pure Malt Edition Limitee
2010 Show collection Bracelet de force Limited Edition (A-men in different rubber flask). Released October 2010
2010 A*Men sunessence edition orage d'ete (Released in March another summer version of A*MEN)
2011 Pure Malt - Rerelease due to popular demand. No longer says 'edition limitee' on the front.
2011 Pure Havane Edition Limitee (Original white Cigar style logo on box) Released in May 2011
2011 Le gout de parfum (The Taste of fragrance) – Sometimes referred to as 'Pure Chilli' and created with a chefs eye to a fragrance, by Helene Darozze.
2011 30ml Zamac metal rechargeable edition
2011 2ml Zamac Metal rechargeable edition sample 'Not for sale' on box
2012 Les parfums de cuir (Pure Leather) Released in October 2012.
2012 A*men Gold edition – Limited edition gold flacon in presentation box like B*Men special edition). Manufactured in November 2011 for 2012 release.
2012 Pure Shot (See below for details)
2012 Pure Havane (USA only re-release due to popular demand still with white cigar box style label on the box)
2013 Pure Energy – Edition Limitee (Re-released 'Pure shot', again in white rubber flacon)
2013 Pure malt creation (Special limited edition variation on original 'Pure malt', in a white box with silver lettering).
2014 Pure Havane - January Re-release in a different box. No white cigar label. Now says: 'Thierry Mugler' and underneath 'Sublimee de notes fumees-sublimented by smoky notes'. Still original formulation.
2014 A*Men Urban - Limited edition. Created by Jacques Huclier & Givaudan, a Swiss manufacturer of flavors, fragrances, and active cosmetic ingredients.
2014 Pure Havane – Sublimee de notes fumees (Re-release now in a different box. Cigar style white logo replaced by oblong white logo. 'Thierry mugler' in gold on front of box)
2014 Pure wood – Sublimee de notes boisees, Released June 2014.
2015 Ultra zest Edition Limitee(The first move away from the 'Pure' series of names.
2015 A*Men vaporisateur Metal rechargeable (Metal Zamac flacon in standard Pure series box)
2015 Pure Havane - October 2nd re-release. 1st reformulation with box the same as 2014 release.
2015 Pure Malt - October re-release. 1st reformulation with box the same as 2012 release.
2016 Pure Tonka – Sublimee de notes torrefiees. Released Feb 2016.
2016 Pure Havane (Still same box as 2014 release and re-released)
2017 Kryptomint (Sometimes referred to as 'Pure mint'.) The new box now states 'MUGLER' instead of 'Thierry Mugler' on front.
2018 Pure Malt (Reformulation). The new box now states 'MUGLER' instead of 'Thierry Mugler' on front.
2018 Pure Havane – April re-release and 2nd reformulation. 'Sublimee de notes fumees' (Repackaged for the third time. Oblong white logo and now says 'MUGLER' on front of box. Reformulated with prominent cherry/honey opening and arguably diminished longevity and projection.
2018 A*Men Silver metal Zamac edition in normal Mugler box rather than presentation box)
2018 Alien Man
2019 Alien Man Fusion
2019 A*Men Ultimate
An interesting theme which runs through the Mugler 'Pure' and A*Men/B*Men series of fragrances comes from the nose behind them, Perfumer Jacques Huclier. Huclier only shared duties on a few fragrances: B*Men with Christine Nagel/Ultra Zest with Quintin Bisch & Taste of Fragrance with top chef Helene Darozze.
'PURE SHOT' & THE 'FACE OF MUGLER' OSCAR PISTORIUS
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius was a South African Double amputee athlete from 2004 to 2013 known as 'Blade runner' after his endeavours at the Paralympic and Olympic games, even competing against non-disabled professional competition. On 14th February 2013, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria. A year later after a high profile court case, he was cleared of murder but found guilty of Culpable homicide and handed down a five year prison sentence and a concurrent three year suspended sentence for a reckless endangerment charge. In 2015 his case was heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal which overturned the verdict of Culpable homicide and convicted him of murder, extending his sentence to six years which was later extended to a term of Thirteen years after the State appealed at a lenient sentence.
At the height of his fame as an athlete, Pistorius had won six Gold medals at the Paralympic games, as well as a silver and bronze, a Gold at the IPC World Championships and three other silver medals.
In March 2011, one month after signing a contract with the Clarins Group and Mugler, Pistorius featured in an advertising campaign for Thierry Mugler's A*MEN, directed by Ali Mahdavi. In the advert he is wearing his customary artificial carbon fibre limbs but coated in a futuristic chrome cladding which was designed by Thierry Mugler & Stefano Canulli. Two versions of the advert were aired if fifteen and thirty second guise along with various magazine spreads.
In 2012 Mugler had launched 'Pure shot', which understandably, following Pistorius' arrest and trial over the shooting of his girlfriend, became something of a coincidental faux pas in terms of marketing and association, and the decision was made to drop him from all future campaigns. Mugler stated that the decision to drop Pistorius was ' Out of respect and compassion for the families implicated in this tragedy'. Nike also dropped the convicted ex-athlete.
Left in something of a pickle, production of 'Pure shot' was terminated and the design team quickly utilised the same white flacon and blue and white boxes used for 'Pure shot', now repackaged as 'Pure energy' which was released in 2013. To say that the renaming and repackaging has caused confusion to this day would be an understatement, with internet fragrance sites alive with stories and rumours, reasons for changes and a belief that the two perfumes were and are different in aromatic terms. Even on Fragrantica the overall scores differ for what is essentially the same perfume repackaged.
Personal favourites
Fragrantica scores show Pure malt creation as most loved with 4.58 followed by original 2011 Pure havane 4.43. Then Original pure malt 4.41 and ultra zest 4.28. Bringing up the rear with least liked is Bracelet de force at 3.29 though that is partly due to rarity and the fact it was simply A*Men repackaged. The father of all A*Men scores a measly 3.77, due in part to poor reviews for the newer refomulations.
Each of us are different, each of us has a different take on a smell, and any top five or ten of fragrances is deeply personal, subjective, sometimes even sentimental. Take my choices with a pinch of salt, because what I love, what fragrances work on my skin, with my oils, may not work on someone else's. But... as a lover of tonka bean and vanilla in a fragrance there could be only one winner for my nose and that would be...
Pure Tonka
A heavenly, creamy caramel, latte of a fragrance which, although fairly linear on my skin throughout the duration of it's stay, just wafts into my nasal cavity and gives me a feel good factor which is beaten by no other fragrance on the planet. That's right, it is my go to, signature scent, receiving countless compliments from customers and co workers alike (I work in retail meeting hundreds of the great unwashed public every single day), and standing the test of time, easily lasting up to ten hours on my old craggy skin. It is 'da bomb'. Nectar. The holy grail. I am in love with that juice. There, I've said it. Nothing that a year of therapy cannot cure me of!
Close behind would be the original formulation of Pure Havane which is just insanely gorgeous, then Pure Energy/Pure shot, Pure Malt (Original formulation and Pure malt creation), and Pure wood which is a stunner. My least favourite is Kryptomint, not because I don't care for the aroma, more that on my skin it becomes a skin scent within two hours and that for me is not acceptable.
And what about original formula A*Men from 1996.... I just can't bring myself to compare it the it's siblings and flanker army. It's still just so special, so unique, so important in my own life, the first fragrance that really changed my life. It made me feel special, it gave me confidence that I could pull it off when many of my peers still clung to mediocre, underwhelming, under performing fragrances that did them no service. A*Men is something special, a game changer, it still is, if you can get yourself a vintage bottle over the various reformulations that have lost that amazing opening 'tar' note, along with what was once stratospheric levels of sillage, projection and longevity. The new formula is still excellent, still different, still a great, but not 'as' great as the original.
The future of the 'Pure' series
Well, sadly, now in March 2019 having dealt with a lovely lady who works for the Mugler/Clarins empire out of 'House of Fraser', and has an insiders ear to the ground so to speak... It seems to be a case of time up for the pure series. At least for now. Mutterings in the fragrance community, Basenotes and Fragrantica message boards and even some well known fragrance reviewers residing in the sanctuary of 'YouTube' land, have been heard begging for Mugler to put a cap on the plethora of A*Men flankers, seal it tight and chuck it over the tallest waterfall they can find! Many have long believed that Mugler needed to reinvent themselves with an entirely new, standalone male fragrance with a name that doesn't include the word 'Pure', nor come in a rubber flask that posesses the worst spray mechanism in any fragrance known on this entire planet (I shit you not. It's true sadly and there are YouTube videos teaching you how to liberate the sprayer within by butchering the lovely rubber flask!!!). It seems that myself and a few Mugler diehards are unfortunately in a minority, a sad fact backed by the release of the awful 'Alien man' and 'Alien fusion' offerings.... I'd like to type more but I've gone into a rage over the new releases, have started pounding on the keyboard like a boxer in a heavyweight title fight and fear that I may go balls out postal at any given moment......
I am not alone in finding 'Alien man' an utter and bewildering mess of a fragrance, too floral, too feminine and on my skin projection, sillage and logevity are less than that of the lesser spotted May fly found only in remote sections of the Pongamuchly rain forest of Papua new guinea with a life span measured in minutes! If I wanted to buy a skin scent, I could always revisit Brutt 33 and it's kindred spirits. A relative non seller, Mugler tried to boost sales by reinventing the fragrance with 'Alien fusion', but alas for my taste, a similar failure to it's older brother is inevitable, and although part of my collection, not one that I reach for often, nor would care to purchase in the near future, unless reduced to a snivelling cut priced bargain at my local back street chemist with a few packs of waterproof plasters and some incontinence pads thrown in as a sweetener! I lament the demise of the pure range that I have loved for so many years, and still do. I scour the bay of fleas (that would be Ebay), for vintage bottles of Havane and malt, B*Men and Pure wood, and can only hope that at some point new and exciting aromas might see the light of day. 'Pure sicilian lemon zest', 'pure vanilla','Pure Grapefruit and mango', 'Pure suede'..... well, a man can dream can't he...
OCTOBER 2019 'Pure series' Resurection...
Released in October 2019 came a shot out of the blue... quite literally... in the shape of the Blue box, Blue flacon and blue Star of A*Men Ultimate. Described as an oriental woody fragrance created once more by Jacques Huclier, and reaching a 3.8 score out of 5 on Fragrantica, the fragrance certainly seemed to offer a little of the old magic from some of the past pure series releases.
Any info on Pure fragrances that I have missed would be gratefully accepted. If you have not tried any of the Pure series... what the hell is wrong with you! Get out there and sample some now. It's a brave new world of fragrances and some of the finest smells in a bottle ever made are right there in the Mugler back catalogue... What are you waiting for..
Part two of 'A devil's take on 'Angel*Men' & the 'Pure series' of Manfred Thierry Mugler', looks at the thorny issue of reformulations, specifically of MUGLER PURE HAVANA and can be found here:
www.flickr.com/photos/despitestraightlines/47397173002/in...
Part three can be found here:
www.flickr.com/photos/despitestraightlines/46769907944/in...
****UPDATE ON MOVING AWAY FROM MUGLER****
My journey with Mugler ended somewhere in 2020 when I sold off my entire collection to a very happy collector, as I had grown disillusioned with the way that Mugler no longer cared about it's male customers.
The Alien Man range was in my opinion weak and feeble, and the constant watering down and reformulation of the superb Pure Malt and Pure Havane fragrances left me angry and not wishing to waste any more of my money on such rubbish. With the death of the Pure range came a drive upwards in prices on original bottles, and by February 2023 you could see Pure Havane and Pure Malt/Pure Tonka boxed editions selling for anything up to £200 a pop on the Bay of Fleas!
Time to walk away from a once loved range.
I moved onto other ranges, and found a beautiful and almost identical fragrance to my beloved Mugler Pure Havane, in the shape of Reyane Tradition INSURRECTION II WILD which was released in France in 2013. Initially commanding a mere $20 in the USA, by the time I found it it was between £40 and £75 in the UK. It is utterly gorgeous and takes me back to Pure Havane every time I use it with a honey, heavy cherry and cuban cigar vibe that is addictive.
I also moved towards the house of Maison Margiela where the Replica range which has run since 2012, has fabulous fragrances such as BY THE FIREPLACE (smoky/boozy like Havane) and JAZZ CLUB (as good as Pure Malt), plus UNDER THE LEMON TREES (Better than Pure Zest), WHISPERS IN THE LIBRARY (like Pure Leather)... also limited runs and costing £110 retail, but also offering me those gorgeous aromas I so loved with Mugler (duty free prices come down to £80 and similar on discount fragrance sites)
Paul Williams March 21st 2019 and updated on March 16th 2023
this is my first baby girl.
macey was my first dog as an adult. i adopted her from a shelter 10 years ago ... i lived in a 1-bedroom apartment by myself, and she was a scared puppy who peed whenever someone looked at her.
she began her life with beatings and was then chained to a tree and left for dead. it took us many years to work through that, and to this day, she is still afraid of men. we've lived in two apartments and a house. she's ridden in several different cars. she's been to probably 20 different parks. she's hiked about a hundred times. she's been rushed to the emergency animal hospital once (she ate a whole bottle of one of our other dog's incontinence medication). she destroyed my first couch. she made sure i was never going to get my first security deposit back by chewing and scratching through the bathroom door while i was at work one day. she has cardiomyopathy (a heart condition that is common among boxers). i have no idea what her breed is ... we've determined she is mostly boxer with bits and pieces of lab and rottweiler.
she is the sweetest and cuddliest dog you will ever meet.
she has jaws that can break bones. yet, emma can take food right out of her bowl as she's eating.
i cannot believe it's been 10 years.
and i cannot believe how gray she's gotten.
Ma Livia se fait bien vieille et après son deuxième syndrome vestibulaire elle a bien du mal à se déplacer. Les longues promenades en forêt sont du passé maintenant, mais c'est pas parce qu'on est vieux qu'on n'a pas droit à un peu de confort. Elle vous présente son nouveau coussin que je lui ai offert hier, car son panier préféré doit aller souvent à la lessive (à cause de son incontinence urinaire)
My Livia gets very old, and after her second vestibular syndrome she is struggling to walk. Long walks in the forest belong to the past now, but it's not because you are old that you are not entitled to a bit of comfort. She wants to show you her new cushion that I offered her yesterday because her favorite basket must often go to the washing machine (because of her urinary incontinence)
Wanna Poo Next To A Girl?..Once The Entry For Gentlemen...This Is Now One Way In And A Gender Neutral Toilet...You Exit A Bit Further Up Out Of The Ladies Old Entrance/Exit...Shut At The Time Of Visit....
This horrific ad pops up in my coupon-cutting forays every so often, and each time I marvel at its terribleness. I'm not sure what I hate about it the most...maybe it is her experession, maybe it is her expression tied in to the fact that it is triggered because she is hula-hooping and is experiencing "unbeatable protection," maybe it is the tagline "anything's possible," maybe it is the tagline "anything's possible" followed by the assumed line of "when you're not peeing in your stretch-pants." Maybe I hate it because I know a big corporation had a bunch of meetings, perhaps with an outside marketing firm, to come up with this...and I can picture in my head what these meetings were like ("What if she's fishing? Do old women fish? Maybe she should be playing slots. I don't think you'd mind if you had an accident playing slots, it should be something more mobile. How about touch football? Or hula-hooping? I like it! Hula-hooping, with a look of pure joy, glee on her face...she's saying 'My future is bright and I am not shackled by insecurity any longer! I am a whole, new woman!' She should be in an empty room, too.") Maybe I hate it simply because it speaks to my own mortality, the unavoidable failure of my own body as I age. Maybe it is because I never learned how to hula-hoop.
Maybe I just hate it, and that is good enough of a reason.
I almost wasn't going to post this, as it is embarrassing. It is also 100% true and hilariously funny; so the writer in me could not resist. Besides, a Flickr friend encouraged me......
I had to start with admitting I wear briefs for incontinence, and have for a years. Usually there is not a damn thing funny about them. That being established, on to another one of my Tiny True Stories. Oh, and you would be wise not to have food or liquids anywhere near your mouth or nose when reading my story. That is my Spew Warning!
I am often addicted to free or low cost things. I had seen some little pads on clearance that had a brand name of HOTHANDS. I don't always have reliable heat at home, and they were only 50 cents each so I bought several. I also have super sore neck and shoulders sometimes, lately getting really awful. I sleep in a recliner (have for years) with my brief on, and being that I was ready for *bed* I tried one of the little HOTHANDS pads. You open the outer package but do not probably ever open the inner pouch. You rub on it and it gets nice and warm. It was small (roughly 1½ by 2½ inches). It felt nice, but after awhile it slipped off my shoulder and down my back. I did not feel like undoing my quilts and things, turning the light back on, and getting up to try to find it. I decided to wait until morning to look for it. Since no one would be rubbing on it I didn't really think there was a risk in that.
Next morning, I went to the bathroom and changed my wet brief. (nothing really new there). I put a fresh one on and started to walk out of the bathroom and my *privates* felt very warm, and I peed again. I thought two things, one is I hate to just change to a brand new and fresh brief, and immediately have to change it too. I don't have a lot of money to do that, and besides it is just plain annoying to have to freshen or clean up twice within minutes. I began to go get yet another brief and it was an amazing sensation. My pee was getting really, really warm, and my thought was, "Oh no, I bet I have a bladder infection!" My crotch was getting hotter and hotter (not likely risking a burn, but pretty noticeably hot." I pulled that brief off and saw the HOTHANDS packet in it. I just shook my head at the things that happen to me. I thought, "How the Hell did that get in there?" Apparently the night before it had slipped off my shoulder and into my back area, where it stayed all night, unstimulated to get warm/hot. As I was sort of half-way seated but reclined; it went no further than my waist.
Apparently it was still there when I removed the night-time brief, but when I pulled up the new one the next morning, it came loose and fell down into it. Confess all you brief wearers; sometimes we wiggle around a little bit when pulling on the new one. I guess that is when it fell into newest brief. I gather that body-temperature pee is also what stimulated the heat. I assure you I wasn't rubbing on it like their label says. I didn't even know it was in my brief until I checked to see what was so extraordinarily warm.
I didn't get hurt; I'm out the cost of a brief, and one of my HOTHANDS packets; but I gained the resolve to get past my embarrassment and write this hilarious story.
Hope I made somebody or some somebodies laugh.
(20211104_030226MoreFunnythanNastyTUresamInitFlickr111321)