The Advantages of Dry Cleaning Versus Traditional Washing Machines

Laundering and dry cleaning are both processes designed to clean clothes. Laundering, the more traditional cleaning practice, is a water-based cleaning process that usually utilizes a washer/dryer combination with soap and/or detergent. In contrast, dry cleaning does not utilize water but instead employs a comprehensive process that cleans the clothing much more effectively. While both processes have their purposes, dry cleaning is overall much better for maintaining the structural integrity of clothes, especially the delicate ones.

While water is not the main cleansing agent in dry cleaning, the process does involve the use of liquids for stain and soil removal. Much like traditional laundering, dry cleaning employs a specific machine in which the garments are placed for cleaning. After being put in the machine, the machine is started and gently rotates the clothes in the basket while a steady stream of clean solvent is pumped into the system. Simultaneously, the dirty solvent is pumped out of the drum to maintain the constant cleansing of the clothing. Following the solvent cycle, the next cycle begins by rapidly circulating the clothes and removing all of the solvents. Finally, the clothes are dried as warm air is pumped into the machine and continues to circulate as the basket of clothes spins.

Dry cleaning offers several distinct advantages for cleaning clothes when compared to a washing machine.

1. Soft Process—When compared to traditional laundering, dry cleaning is considered a soft washing process. The rotation of the drum in dry cleaning is much milder than the abrasive agitators in traditional washing machines. Additionally, the limited amount of water and solvent used in the cleaning process helps to protect the garments.
2. Clothing Preservation—In addition to its soft washing process, dry cleaning is also better for maintaining articles of clothing’s new appearance. Dry cleaning rarely shrinks delicate fabrics and maintains the color as well as the texture of fabric better than conventional washing.
3. Deep Cleaning— The dry cleaning process’s ability to “deep clean” difficult stains and soils. Dry cleaning has a distinctive ability to dissolve oil and grease in garments that are difficult, if not impossible, for traditional laundering methods to tackle. Furthermore, the dry cleaning process is often able to restore garments to a “like-new” state with just one processing.
4. Finished Appearance—When garments are removed from a washer and dryer, garments are often in need of further ironing and treatment. In contrast, with dry cleaning, garments are clean, fresh and crisp when finished.

While laundering and dry cleaning are both traditional cleaning processes, dry cleaning offers more advantages in terms of clothing cleanliness and maintenance. Dry cleaning makes clothes cleaner and keeps them appearing newer longer. When it comes to the debate of which is better, the washing machine or dry cleaning, the verdict is clear – dry cleaning is superior each and every time.

For further information regarding the positive effects of dry cleaning, please visit Superior Dry Cleaning online at superiordrycleaningknoxville.com.

El Fogon means “brick oven.” While brick ovens are sturdy and long-lasting, they are also works of art. Like their name, the restaurant “El Fogon” is all of these things. It is poised to last, built on a sturdy foundation of excellent service coupled with fantastic food. And like a brick oven, it’s contents are a work of art.

My lunch there the other day exemplified fine Mexican dining in a fun social setting. My server, Fernando, functioned like a “super waiter.” Every time I needed something, he magically appeared. I dropped my phone in my cheese drip-he popped in with a napkin. I needed a refill- Fernando appeared ready to refill.

My meal, entitled, “Camarones El Fogon,” meaning “shrimp of the brick oven,” appeared in beautiful form. I could not resist taking a picture. The rice in the center appeared as the initial focal point of the meal, perfectly surrounded by exquisitely placed prawns and vegetables. I started in the center and worked my way outward. Freshly made, with a butter accent, even the vegetables tasted great (and I usually don’t like them.) By far, the broccoli was my favorite vegetable within this dish, and I ate each and every one of them. At the end of the meal, only a few zucchini remained.

While I initially planned on not having any alcohol, the pictures of the house margarita drew me in quickly. I ordered the house margarita, on the rocks. I can honestly say, don’t purchase this during the day if you plan on going back to work, because these margaritas are STRONG. This establishment does not skimp on their drinks-they are delicious and the real deal. I enjoyed every moment of it.

I also had the opportunity to observe an absolutely hilarious birthday celebration. A husband came in and informed the waiter of his wife’s birthday. Suddenly, out came a huge pile of chocolate ice cream covered in whipped cream. To the singing of all the waiters, a napkin of whipped cream landed on the cheek of the birthday girl, all to hysterical laughter. A great time was had by all!

The greater Chattanooga area has a plethora of Mexican restaurants. However, what sets El Fogon apart from the others is not only the high quality of their food, but also its presentation. From the waiter, to the beach like setting, to the caring and attentive waiter, El Fogon is one of the best, if not THE BEST Mexican restaurant, in the greater Chattanooga area. If you are in Hixson any time soon, go ahead and give them a try. You will not be sorry.

PRO SE IT YOUR WAY: BEAUTY QUEEN WITH A GOLIATH PURPOSE

If you have heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s brilliant version of the story of David versus Goliath, it might reverse your understanding of the underdog. (1) It might even empower you to fight your own strategic battles against anyone or anything that might come across to you as intimidating. One such peaceful warrior of a woman is Anurithi Chikkerur who prefers to go by Chikki, which ironically means “little” in many languages. Get the subtle David reference here?

Chikki is no underdog and her story might just inspire you to stop branding yourself as one. She is an international beauty queen, former CEO of an oil and gas company, former commodities trader, philanthropist and children’s rights activist. She single-handedly and strategically fights for children’s rights in Texas family court battles by attempting to wield what she calls “integrative power.” “ Integrative Power calls on each party to follow what they believe to be true, maintain an open mind, and trust that this interaction would produce a result that is mutually respectful of all parties’ human needs and dignity.” (2) Drawing valuable experiences and knowledge from her own hostile custody battles (which are available in open public court records), Chikki’s company, PRO SE COURT SUPPORT SERVICES (PSCS) conducts regular FREE and paid workshops. These workshops assist parents representing themselves and their children’s best interests effectively in court battles which are often in uncharted and hostile territory for non-lawyers to navigate.

Many parents give in to the pressures of psychological court warfare, as well as the trauma and stress of hostile custody battles. In these court ballets, they are attempting to defend themselves and their children’s best interests effectively. This pain also includes the pain and trauma that comes with losing someone you love or once loved, making a parent/guardian in pain a metaphorically wounded David. One of many sad examples is the case of the Yariv Kaplan, who succumbed to the pressures of a Texas courtroom and committed suicide after shooting his nine-year-old daughter; (3) or the very public and very dramatic divorce of Alex Jones and wife Kelley Jones. (4)

Chikki draws inspiration from Malcolm Gladwell’s version of David versus Goliath as well. “Being small, nimble and strategic in any sort of battle against a power, seemingly larger than you, is an advantage – not a disadvantage. Everything is bigger in Texas but bigger ain’t better or smarter than everything y’all!! ,” she quips over a telephone interview, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, from the hip Austin town she calls home. (5)

“I am finally getting to live my life’s purpose”, Chicki stated in a matter of fact tone, “as a result of experiencing my own hostile divorce/custody battles. I have witnessed countless good mothers and good fathers lose legal access to their children in court because they just don’t know how to represent their children’s best interests like a seasoned and ethical attorney would.” (5)
“Unethical opposing sides and sometimes even unethical judges value money more than the most valuable resource that we all take for granted – our children,” Chikki states and pauses, with tears in her eyes. “ What I certainly want is as many children (including mine) growing up to be happy, healthy adults contributing to this planet’s growth in positive ways. How can we achieve more amazing things as a human race if we have a generation of abused, traumatized children growing up to become adults and caretakers of this beautiful planet?”

This is why Chikki is the David that can tackle one Goliath in her town – but there are Goliath’s in every town. So in your version of the story of David versus Goliath, who or what is your Goliath and who is bound to be victorious? That is a question we must all ask ourselves.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziGD7vQOwl8
2. https://mettacenter.org/definitions/gloss-concepts/integrative-power/
3. https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/father-9-year-old-daughter-killed-in-apparent-murder-suicide/
4. http://politics.blog.mystatesman.com/2017/07/20/case-closed-judge-naranjo-issues-final-orders-in-alexkelly-jones-child-custody-case/amp/
5. Interview, Anurithi Chickerur by Katherine Fry, September 22, 2019.

How did Tudor Women Cope with the Physical, Religious, and Moral Expectations?

It has been happening to women since the dawn of time and yet, during the Tudor age, society rarely spoke of it. Known as the monthly curse, coming of age, or period, menstruation has been referred to, across the ages, by many different terms. During this time in history, Christianity preached that a woman’s period existed as a punishment from God for Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. Leviticus stated that a woman who menstruates is impure and unclean. As a result, the Church prohibited painkillers for menstrual pain relief, as women supposedly deserved to suffer the cramps and pains given to them by God. Additionally, the Church also declared that women should refrain from receiving Holy Communion during this bloody time. The Church expected women to do nothing but suffer during their “time of the month”.

Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, suffered from inconsistent periods throughout her life. As a result, this fact combined with her apparent inability to deliver the King a healthy son, resulted in divorce and her untimely death, possibly brought on by deliberate poisoning. In this extremely sad case, her “faulty” reproductive system literally led to both her royal and actual downfall. However, rather than blaming her reproductive system, or the sperm of her husband, the Church, as well as her husband, blamed Catherine’s personal character and the existence of a previous marriage. These perceived moral downfalls led to her failures, and not the whims of mother nature, according to the Church and Tudor society.

The Tudor era consisted of a variety of wild and unsubstantiated claims regarding the blood of menstruation. For example, some individuals believed in the inherently dangerous and poisonous nature of women’s menstrual blood. Many believed that the absence of a bleeding womb could lead to the body becoming overrun with blood, potentially drowning the woman. Some believed that menstrual blood would cause harm to a man’s sexual member and also children conceived during menstruation would be born with red hair and suffer various deformities. While not everyone during these times held these nonsensical beliefs, they nevertheless publicly agreed with the primary viewpoint held by the Roman Catholic, and later the Anglican Church.

Thankfully, despite such orders from the Church, Tudor women often devised a variety of herbal remedies for the easement of pain. Such remedies included hot herbal baths, herbs placed into the vagina, and drinking herbs such as rue. These women, utilizing their cleverness, developed the first sort of “period” protection in the form of household rags made of cotton or wool bundled together and placed between the legs. Depending on a person’s status and access to such materials, Tudor women often washed and reused these rags. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to suggest what exactly held these cloths in place. However, it has been suggested that women of this age wore some form of girdle or rough underwear.

The onset of menstruation for many young women during the Tudor age consisted of the time when society acknowledged their transformation from young girls into womanhood. It is interesting to note that the age of consent for the time, approximately twelve to fourteen years of age, coincided with the average onset of menstruation.

Menstruation, although taboo during the Tudor age, nevertheless constituted a very common occurrence. Tudor society expected all females to get their periods, experience them regularly and to subsequently have the ability to conceive a healthy child. The inability to do so constituted, on the part of the woman, a serious religious and moral failure. Although rarely spoken of, the menstrual cycle, nevertheless, represented a very important part of Tudor society.

 A Tale of Princesses, Fabulous Wealth And Unimaginable Human Rights Violations

Princess Haya of Jordan, for many, is a feminist icon. She, along with her sister-in-law Queen Rania of Jordan, and her step-mother, Queen Noor of Jordan, is often referred to as one of “the Supermodel Queens of the Middle East.” The Princess’ 2004 marriage to the ruler of Dubai has been portrayed to the public as a modern-day fairy tale-until now. On August 4th, 2019, the Princess appeared in court requesting a “forced marriage protection order,” presumably on behalf of her daughter, and a “non-molestation order,” on behalf of herself. (1) The following day, news sources around the world proclaimed that Princess Haya and her children had barely escaped from Dubai with their lives, and now remain in hiding, seeking legal protection from the British government.

Born to King Hussein and Queen Alia of Jordan in 1974, Princess Haya has lived in the royal spotlight since the day of her birth. Following the death of her mother in a tragic helicopter crash, the American-born Queen Noor of Jordan stepped in and continued raising the young girl. Princess Haya ultimately grew into an Oxford-educated, horse-riding champion, participating in equestrian events around the world. As a result, she signified the very best of Islam, and how the women of this religion can still be independent, intelligent, successful and even beautiful.

In 2004, at the age of twenty-nine, Princess Haya traveled to Dubai, as a special guest of its ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Al Rashid Al Maktum. Shortly thereafter, the pair celebrated their marriage in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Following the celebration, the world-wide press revealed the already existing marriage of Al-Maktoum to his first cousin. In response to this apparent criticism, Princess Haya stated that at the time of her mother’s marriage to King Hussein of Jordan, he had actually been married to his first wife, the British born Princess Muna. As a result, Princess Haya indicated that she felt quite comfortable being a second wife. The pictures of their Highnesses at Royal Ascot appeared to echo this sentiment, as they moved easily in the rarified air of fancy hats, designer dresses and smiling faces.

Eventually, the cracks started to show in the perfect facade of the Al Maktum family. Problems appeared to begin in March 2018, when one of Al Maktum’s daughters, Latifa, released a video in which she described her torment and the torment of her sister, Shamsa, at the hands of their “ego” driven father. (2) Latifa discusses in the video her intentions of escaping, and that if people are watching the video, she has likely been captured and perhaps even murdered. (2) Shortly thereafter, reports came in that Latifa had indeed attempted to escape, and been violently apprehended by armed guards in India. (3) The following December, the former President of Ireland and former UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, traveled to Dubai and visited with Latifa. Following the meeting, she indicated the Latifa did not appear to be in any danger but also described her as a “troubled young woman.” (4) Just as the dust appeared to be settling on this issue, reports emerged in August that Princess Haya, herself, had fled Dubai with her children, barely escaping with her life. Shortly thereafter she appeared in court, and now is in hiding.

Most troubling of all appears to be the online smear campaign being launched against Princess Haya. Some online sources claim Princess Haya simply left Al Maktoum for another man, while others claim he actually caught her in bed with a bodyguard. (5) From there, the articles degrade, with remote websites asserting Princess Haya has been a woman “of extreme liberty” since her youth, who is “perverted” and “on drugs.” (6) Some even accuse her stepmother, Queen Noor, of drugging her since childhood. (7) Such claims are completely unsubstantiated. On January 5th, 2019, Princess Haya publicly stated she would cease defending her husband and leave if she found evidence of truth in Latifa’s story of abuse. (7) Shortly thereafter, Princess Haya ceased appearing in public, and all of her social media accounts fell dormant. With her silence and subsequent estrangement from her husband, Princess Haya essentially confirmed the allegations of her step-daughter, Latifa.

The reality is that Dubai is a country wrought with human rights violations. It’s fantastic wealth has not advanced beyond a culture that is still, in many ways, stuck in the Stone Ages. The fact that Princess Haya’s marriage to Al Maktum broke down should serve as a wake up to us all that the world is not always a friendly place for women, and to many, we are still property, or worse, even slaves. Furthermore, all royal marriages are not fairytales, even if that initially appears to be the case. The court case of Princess Haya versus Al Maktoum promises to lay bare the truths of life in Dubai, in full detail. Only time will tell how deeply the corruption runs and how many people have been hurt.

1. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/30/europe/princess-haya-dubai-forced-marriage-protection-gbr-intl/index.html
2. https://www.google.com/search?q=video+of+sheikha+latifa&oq=video+of+latif&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.6853j0j4&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
3. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/05/dubai-princess-latifa-escape-uae-tiina-jauhiainen-one-year-on
4. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46697867
5. https://www.weeklyblitz.net/news/princess-haya-asks-her-lover-to-wait-few-more-days-for-a-life-long-happiness/
6. https://www.weeklyblitz.net/news/since-childhood-princess-haya-and-her-brother-were-drugged-by-their-stepmother/
7. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/10/the-fairy-tale-is-over-for-dubais-royal-family/