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Raw, adjective: 2. not having undergone processes of preparing, dressing, finishing, refining, or manufacture
/ʌnˈdu/ [uhn-doo]
– verb (used with object), -did, -done, -do·ing.
1. to reverse the doing of; cause to be as if never done: Murder once done can never be undone.
2. to do away with; erase; efface: to undo the havoc done by the storm.
3. to bring to ruin or disaster; destroy: In the end his lies undid him.
4. to unfasten by releasing: to undo a gate; to undo a button.
5. to untie or loose (a knot, rope, etc.).
6. to open (a package, wrapping, etc.).
7. Archaic. to explain; interpret.
Before 900; Middle English; Old English undōn; cognate with Dutch ontdoen.
I've always liked the undone better than the done.
Those prom hairdos? You know the ones: the artificially-curling-ironed Shirley Temple tendrils spiraling out just above each ear, oh-so-contrivedly released from the updo itself, which has been, of course, artfully stacked upon the wearer's head with the utmost of care, and then protectively shellacked with enough canned Aquanet to freeze it there for days, or at least long enough to survive a few hours' awkward "step-touch, step-touching" on the ballroom dance floor?
Yeah. Hated those. Ha-ted.
Or, while we're on hair: the dudes with the thick gelled hair [cough:: Newsom ::cough] swept to the side, carefully parted, frozen in time like some 1950s Levittown businessman on the train back to the 'burbs after a day at the office? No thanks. Hate it. Always have.
I prefer things undone.
Shirts - untucked. Hair - unruly, mussed, wild. (The unrulier, the better). Scruff - unshaven. Foreheads - unbotoxed. Boobs - unaugmented. Eyebrows - untouched. Fingernails - bare. And don't even get me started on cologne.
[Raw, adjective: 2. not having undergone processes of preparing, dressing, finishing, refining, or manufacture: raw cotton.]
The rawness, that undone-ness, well, I guess it just feels more real, more honest. Sure, there's some measure of aesthetic satisfaction, some cosmetic something-or-other, some notion of constructed beauty which we've sort of collectively come to culturally agree upon as "pretty" or "desirable" or "cute." Just take a look at any of those parodies-of-femininity grasping after their 15 minutes of fame on The Bachelor, or their equally caricatured Bachelorette counterparts rocking hard abs and freshly-ironed-but-contrivedly-unbuttoned-Marina-dude shirts, or any of the contestants on any of the beauty pageants or reality shows or talent contests that we have deemed worthy of determining who is hot/smart/talented/clever/charismatic or not. Real Housewives of New Jersey, anyone?
Done. All done. Every hair in place, every boob carefully lifted, every nail painted just so. The definition of done. Processed. Manufactured. Constructed. Altered. And that's fine, if that's yer thing. Not mine. Feels too artificial, too contrived, too mainstream, too expected. I'd rather have a bit of grit and dirt and muss and, well, authenticity. Less effort spent on self-presentation and more on self-development, being, learning, thinking, loving, doing.
At my house, growing up, my sisters and I were always done with a capital D. Done, baby, done. Teal blue accessories matching teal blue ribbon matching lacy white socks matching teal blue belt matching teal blue jelly shoes matching teal blue barrettes clasping carefully-curled ringlets matching teal blue purse matching teal blue ughhhh, and on and on, ad infinitum. Not my style, this vast attempt at being "done" - though that childhood influence surely explains why, of course. (And, even now, I admittedly dig a certain ironic done-ness, that red-lipped, vintage, retro kind of beauty, so over-the-top that its doneness becomes a kind of self-parody. I can go for that, for sure. But that's neither here nor there.)
Point of all that is: undone. Damn, do I dig the undone.
The intuitive, the instinctive, the unbuffered, the unsanded, the rough-around-the-edges raw loose gritty real earthy authentic unprocessed unmeasured unprotected vulnerable undone.
We spend our lives doing. Doing what we think we're supposed to be doing, with whom we're supposed to do it all, with the skills and words and thoughts and sayings we're supposed to be using, doing, doing, doing. Crossing things off the to-do lists. Hitting certain markers at certain points in our lives - college degrees, a few solo adventures, marriages, mortgages, kids, you name it. And we feel, often, in spite of ourselves, that if we haven't "done" those "doings" at certain times, in certain places, in certain ways, to certain degrees, well, we've failed.
Which is, of course, a load of hooey.
One of my long-adored, favorite definitions of yoga - one which I increasingly find myself falling back upon as I teach, watching folks fight to attain one twisty pretzel-y ninja trick or another - is that yoga is simply a process of undoing. Some years ago, so long ago now that I don't really recall where or when, I first read this definition, and I thought to myself: "Hellz yeah. Now, ain't that the truth?"
Yoga - union, yoking, drawing together, mind, body, spirit, the ostensibly separate into the certainly whole - is not about doing. There's nothing you need to do, there's nothing you need to achieve, there's nowhere you need to be. You don't need to master that one-armed handstand, you don't need to pop into a vertical split, you don't need to balance on your one pinky toe whilst spinning hula hoops and juggling balls with the other. Screw that. You need only to stay. You need only to undo. You need only to open into that Pigeon twist, to thread the needle and feel your shoulders softening, your jaw melting, your eyes closing, your hips opening. Now, that's yoga.
Undoing. Undoing the impulse to get up and run out of the room when difficult sensations arise. Undoing the years of grace and sorrow, joy and frustration stored in your bones. Undoing the temptation for your mind to judge and curse and wonder and wander. Undoing every harsh word, every learned tendency toward destructive self-talk. Undoing the accumulated samskaras, those emotional and psychological ruts, grooves, you've worn into your being over these years in the body that is yours. Undoing the habits, undoing the patterns, undoing the immediate urge to react, to judge, to close off, to shut down, to tighten, to constrict.
Many of us come to the mat having already gotten very good at driving ourselves into the ground. We've spent years slamming our bodies around, earning shin splints and bruises and ripped muscles and damaged joints in the meantime. We're quite talented at turning ostensibly healthy, life-giving hobbies - beautiful, artistic, prana-rich pastimes like dance and hiking and running and gymnastics and swimming and cycling and the like - into punitive means of grinding our bodies into the earth. We've been practicing a long time, reaching, always striving, to achieve certain race times, to be cast in certain dance roles, to check off names of mountains climbed.
What's really radical, then, after so much practice at this doing - and you see this revelation amongst yogis when they're first offered that initial glimpse of grace, of ahimsa, non-suffering, the unfamiliar freedom to back off a bit - is encouraging the undoing, the coming undone. This idea that we already come to the mat with everything we need, and usually quite a lot more - a little baggage here, a little extra oomph there, a little extra ego there - is the engine of the practice. So our work - or, rather, our unwork - is to release all that baggage, to soften the oomph, to deflate the ego a bit.
To undo.
To undo the expectations we have for ourselves, for our practice, for our asana, yes, but also for our meditation, our minds, our lives. To undo the temptation to judge when we fall out of Virabhadrasana III or our minds run to the memory of last night's date instead of staying here in half-lotus with the incense and the silence and the patter of the rain on the sidewalk outside. To undo the ego's need for constant ambition, constant achievement, constant goal-setting, constant affirmation.
To undo the stories we bring with us, the histories that we think define us (hint: they don't) and the concepts we think limit us (hint: they don't) and the doubts we think trap us (yup, you guessed it: they don't). To undo yesterday and undo tomorrow and just be right here, right now, undone, hair in the face, belly flopping all over the place, pants falling down, pedicure chipped, heels cracking, old mat leaving traces of rubber all over our ever-wrinkling skin.
It's so easy to be done. We're good at it, culturally, personally, so well-packaged. We train to be so, from little-on-up. We learn to primp and perfect and curl and tweeze and iron and present and spray and shazaam, once that's all done, life's supposed to be perfect; but hey, friends, don't we all know: no matter how much Aquanet you spray, that pouffy prom 'do is gonna fall out all over the place once you hit the dance floor and kick off your heels and start shaking your groove thang. Yeah, you'll be an unruly, gown-clad disaster in no time, tendrils flying, sweat dripping, bobby pins flinging, bangs flopping.
Totally undone.
And that's the point. Because in that undoing, in that sweat-dripping and hairspray-failing and tendril-flinging, you're dancing, you're living, you're breathing heavily, your heart's beating, you're smiling, you're laughing, you're out of your head, you're standing too close to someone and smelling the shampoo in his sweaty no-longer-perfectly-gelled hair, and babydoll, you're more alive than you'd ever be had you just stood on the wall and nursed a cocktail, afraid to move lest your perfect updo be spoiled in the process.
So undo. Dive into Kurmasana and stay there and really feel your hamstrings ease, and your spine open up, and your eyes well up. Fold forward into Paschimottanasana and notice your jaw loosen and your low back decompress and your breath slow and your mind become gentle. Fall back into Ustrasana and watch your hair flop back and your sternum crack open and your belly hang out and your hips thrust forward and your quads engage and your heart release.
Undo the tension. Undo the fear. Undo the tendency to stay closed off and tight and fearful and controlled. And chuck the goddamned Aquanet already, mmmkay, babes?


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How long has it been since you've had your eyes checked? You might think that because you are seeing fine, you don't need to make a trip to see our optometrist in Fort Collins. However, continuing to care for your eyes even when your vision is fine is still important to your overall health. An eye exam can provide early detection of health problems that otherwise might not have been caught for a long time, causing major health issues down the road. As you age, it's important to get your eyes checked regularly as well so you can help ensure your eyes work well for you as long as possible.
So pick up the phone and make an appointment with our optometrist in Fort Collins! We accept most major insurance plans, and we're happy to verify coverage before you come in for your appointment. Just give us a call and we'll let you know if your insurance plan will work in our office. We accept the following major insurance plans:
- Cigna
- Vision Service Plan (VSP)
- Aetna
- Eyemed
- Tricare
- Avesis
- Great West
- Superior Vision
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- United Health Care
- and more!
If your insurance isn't on the list above, just give us a call and we'll verify whether or not we accept your plan. Than you can make an appointment and experience the care of our optometrist for yourself. You'll be impressed with the care our doctors take with every patient in every appointment. You'll never want to put off another eye care appointment!

subset: commoncrawl


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A coach builder took a leap of faith in a thrilling tandem skydive to raise funds for charity.
Robert Hogg (44), from Grahamsdyke Place, Bo'ness, plunged 10,000ft last Saturday at Strathallan, Perth, with "terrified" partner Anne-Marie and daughter Shannon (10) watching on.
It is not the first time Robert has braved the drop doing the Titan Crane jump and another skydive for charity a few years ago.
So with World Alzheimer's Day on September 21, Robert, who works in Falkirk for bus firm Alexander Dennis, decided he wanted to do it again, raising over £1800 for charity.
The former Bo'ness Academy pupil said: "It's beginning to affect more and more people so I just wanted to do my bit.
"It was an amazing experience, words can't describe the feeling when you are falling. You fall 5000 feet in 30 seconds – it is such a rush.
"When I landed I turned around to the instructor I said I wanted to go again.
"When I was a youngster I enjoyed skiiing and riding my BMX so I suppose that's where I get the buzz from."
His partner Anne-Marie said: "I can't say I wasn't nervous, I was terrified watching him go. I couldn't believe the fact he was so excited,
"I was happy to see him coming down with Shannon cheering him on. I certainly couldn't have done it."
Robert added: "Thanks to everyone who has supported me and tried to help make a difference."
To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/roberthogg1234.


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Fit-PC Draws Five Watts; Can Run Windows XP
It's been, oh, about a week since we last wrote about some kind of specifically green computer, so it's clearly time for an update.
And what do we have to show the audience? Ecogeek points us towards Compulab's fit-PC, which, at 12 x 12 x 4 cm, shouldn't take up too much desk space. Further, it only drains five watts--max--while in operation, and three while idling. That's not much. It can also handle Linux (included) or Windows XP (which you have to buy separately), so if you're not keen on switching but still want to be supergreen, you might want to check it out.
Other stats? $285; 256 MB RAM; 40GB hard drive; Ethernet port. It's not the prettiest thing I've ever seen, but you can always stick it an a drawer, after all.


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June 02 2009
Sony Computer Entertainment Further Boosts Its Support for Software Development for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
Providing a Lower-cost Game Development Environment, and Supporting broader range of developers and publishers to create varieties of small software titles
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 2, 2009 –Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it is reducing the price of the Development Tool models DTP-T2000A and DTP-T2000, the hardware necessary for developing PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) software titles, to JPY150,000 in Japan, US $ 1,500 in North America and €1,200 in Europe/PAL territories effective immediately. By offering PSP™ Development Tools at a very attractive price, SCE will provide a more affordable game development environment for a broader range of developers and publishers, further enhancing the software lineup for the PSP™ system.
As of March 2009, cumulative worldwide sell-in units of the PSP™ system exceeded 51.6 million units, a remarkable milestone for the first handheld platform from the PlayStation® family. To further grow the installed base of the PSP™ system and to enhance its software line-up, SCE will also provide ProDG for PSP™, a highly acclaimed powerful programming tool which helps to improve productivity of software development, as part of PSP™ Software Development Kit*1 without an additional charge. Also effective today, Testing Tool models DTP-H2500A and DTP-H2500, the tools utilized for quality assurance for PSP™ titles under development, will also become available at an affordable price of JPY100,000 in Japan, US $ 1,000 in North America and €800 in Europe/PAL territories. By providing a lower-cost game development environment, SCE will contribute to meet the needs of various game development styles and accelerate software development for the PSP™ system.
As part of the measures to support a broader range of developers and publishers to create varieties of small software titles, SCE will aim to provide a development environment within this calendar year that will allow creators to develop more casual, exciting and attractive content to be made available for the ever growing PlayStation®Network users around the world by streamlining the process from license agreement to publishing for small, download exclusive software titles.
SCEI will deploy various measures to further reinforce game development for PSP™ and will continue to expand the platform to offer attractive interactive entertainment experiences only available on PSP™.
*1 Software Development Kit is a set of development tools and software libraries. Developers are able to obtain this SDK by signing a license agreement with SCE and by purchasing tool products.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system and its online and network services the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store.
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets, and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2™, PSP™ and PS3™ systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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Crowdsourcing has reinvigorated comics, games, and media of every kind... But can it do more?
Welcome to Vivid's new Dealer system. http://www.vividpub.com/Dealers.php
So, how exactly is this thing supposed to work, and what is it for?
We'll begin with purpose.
The retail situation for independent comic creators is awful.
In the Ancient of Days, I wrote about the fatally crippled mainstream market for comics: http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2008/12/article-3-score-one-for-idiocy-aka.html
We needed a new market. One that served the interests of readers and creators, instead of entrenched middlemen. And lo:
Patreon was born.
Freed from the shackles of dying, endlessly cycling universes, a webcomic supernova of creativity has exploded online. It is now more viable to forge a career with Kickstarter than with Marvel.
And, of course, the mainstream comic market has deftly adapted to the changing times just as-
Ha, I kid. They learned nothing.
Locked with Diamond, unable to tap into the new wave of content, they're fading. At a time when webcomics are more popular than ever before, comic shops are withering.
But should creators even care about stores anymore? With our shiny online careers, why pursue dusty old bookshelves?
Stores do matter.
Our online careers are engaged with only the most proactive fragment of customers: Those who take action to seek and support what they like. Perhaps the vast majority of potential consumers are passive- they won't know what they want until they hear their friends talking, and then see it on a shelf. A functioning retail market means, for creators, the difference between surviving and thriving.
I tried other avenues for store placement- but the main player in that distribution field, Ingram, won't accept inventory from publishers with less than $50K in backlist sales annually. And their print-on-demand scheme, like most, has cost margins that do more to fleece authors than sustain them. Ingram is another behemoth of a company, set up to work with heavyweight publishers- not attuned to a fleet of nimble, independent creative entities.
We could always sit down and phone local bookstores and comic shops ourselves, individually- one at a time, and set up accounts with all of them, and... Probably never draw another comic panel again. For such a venture to succeed would require enormous amounts of time- and time is the lifeblood of a comic. Too much drained, and it's over.
So the comic market is locked behind a distribution monopoly with exclusivity contracts- and the consolidating book market is operating at a scale that prohibits entry. The retail market is built for a handful of aging star destroyers- and we're an armada of X-wings. But we can- and must- make an assault run.
Distribution is our doorway from subculture to culture.
Lock S-foils in attack position.
Imagine a world where your local stores stock exactly what you think they should. You, and other engaged, high-information high-motivation consumers.
No longer are middlemen and corporate goons setting your entertainment table. Flip it! What if we set the table? What oddball gems might we find- gems discovered by our fellow readers?
Crowdsourcing has forever changed the face of funding for artists. And with the current retail situation staring us down? That's a face to change if I ever saw one.
Readers are the ones who drive growth anyways- why shouldn't they benefit from it? Why rely on slow, centralized business models when decentralized independent agents can take action more effectively?
That would be good for creators, good for readers, and good for store-owners.
I'd like tons of comic creators to try this approach- if we all band together, we can create more than comics. We can create a new future.
This way:
The Vivid Dealer system is pretty simple. It incorporates the #ComicShopList, which I'll detail next. But first the basics.
Thanks to some badass Kickstarters, I have inventory available that I can offer discounted. Distributors have dropped the ball, so I'm offering these distribution discounts to- you. Anyone. Store owners are welcome to participate directly in the Dealer System if they want.
Anyone that buys five or more copies of a single title can snag the discount. And what they do from there?
Whatever they want.
They can sell to friends. Sell to stores. Deal at conventions. Gift to people around the holidays. Send to reviewers. Keep them- once I ship the books to the Dealer, they're free to do anything they want. (Except return them- that could get complicated, so I'm just saying no returns. Don't bite off more than you can chew.)
It's easy to dump on comic shops for staying within a dying monopoly- after all, they charted this path. But now they don't have many viable escape routes.
Only Diamond is allowed to distribute Marvel and DC titles- who deliberately flooded competition off the shelves. More detail in my 'Comic Industry' articles ( http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Articles.html ) but to summarize:
For years, comic shops have been force-fed superhero dreck. Now the dwindling shop customers come only for superhero dreck- and, pointedly, nothing else.
Shops that try to stock new titles, indie content, variety- well, it's a huge risk. Every new title eats up shelf space. It's blocking the tenuous IV drip of superhero sales keeping them alive.
Will fresh content attract new customers before that blocked IV kills them?
Usually, no. Attracting new readers requires investment- and it takes time, and money.
Most comic shops simply can't afford to try. And so the glittering, growing party online of new comics and readers is happening entirely outside of the slowly crumbling brick-and-mortar world.
But what if comic shops had access to all of those titles online- with no up front cost, and sacrificing zero shelf space?
Here's my idea for #ComicShopList. It's simple.
One three-ring binder in every store. Filled with these. http://www.vividpub.com/images/Dealers/Print/ComicShopList%20copy.jpg
Store owners can look up anything online, print off one page, and boom. They have something on their table to talk with customers about. And, even better- they can ask the customers to bring their own recommendations.
Retailers can set their own minimum number of pre-orders necessary to place an order. Customers who want that order have an incentive to get their friends signed up. And, just like that, you have a system that plays to the strengths of a physical location- the ability to flip through options, browse, converse, and incentives for people to interact with each other in regard to the market content.
You don't need to be a Vivid Dealer to use this idea- What if everyone used it?
One binder, and a world of options opening up for comic shops. Finally.
I hope to produce a video in 2017 about the #ComicShopList and make a more concerted campaign, but for now I wanted to at least drop it in the mix with our new Dealer System.
Speaking of which, the devil is below:
Dealer System Details:
Shipping is free to Dealers in the continental US- at least for now. I may tweak things as time goes on if we need to.
How will taxes and legal stuff work for this?
Well, the same way it does when I sell books to people normally. Only I'm selling five of them instead of one of them. I still do my own taxes, and Dealers do theirs- just remember to report your income when you make money. If there are any updates with paperwork stuff, I'll e-mail active Dealers.
Not all Vivid titles are available now- only books we can offer solid discounts for. Others are print-on-demand only, and we don't have the inventory to work with. As we run out of existing stores, current titles might be taken off the Dealer stock list. The Dealer system will be open to all Vivid titles, not just Dreamkeepers- any creators who want to be included are welcome. We'll update the Dealer page as titles enter or leave availability.
Vivid will ship inventory from Amazon once a month, during the first week of every month. Dealers will get an e-mail notification with tracking info when their stock ships.
So, to participate- just use the Paypal button on the Dealer page. Order minimum 5 each of any titles you're interested in. Wait for your books to arrive. Then-
You did it.
Anyone is welcome to participate casually, and see how it goes. But for the resolute, I have rewards set up: http://www.vividpub.com/Tiers.php
The most formidable Dealers can rise to the level of Agents, at which point we'll try giving them an annual marketing budget and see what happens.
This system might start small. Most things do.
But what if it could completely change the model for physical book distribution? What if this could be the future of comics- a market for creators and readers, where readers hold all the power, call the shots, and benefit from it? What if we're starting something awesome?
One way to find out.
9 December 2016 at 21:23:34 MST


text: A team of European researchers has demonstrated what could be the basis of novel photonic components. Through the exploitation of plasma oscillations, these and other plasmonic devices potentially could manipulate both electronic and photonic signals simultaneously. Thus, they could allow all-optical signal switching, modulation and selection.Using plasmonics makes optical components smaller, in this case a plasmonic waveguide-ring resonator with a radius of 5 μm. Shown are topographical (a) and near-field optical images measured with 1530-nm (b), 1550-nm (c), 1570-nm (d) and 1590-nm (e) light sources, indicating wavelength-dependent transmission and selection. Images courtesy of T. Holmgaard, EC FP6 STREP Plasmocom (European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme's Specific Targeted Research Projects).Anatoly V. Zayats, an optics professor at Queen's University Belfast and a member of the research group, noted a specific advantage to the plasmonic approach as compared with other techniques. "With plasmonic waveguides and, in particular, dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguides that we are researching, the bend loss is much smaller. The small bend loss allows us to achieve a smaller size of wavelength-selective components."Current commercial ring resonators, for example, have a radius of 25 to 300 µm. The corresponding plasmonic device would have a radius of only 5 µm – more than an 80 percent reduction.The group reported on its work in the online editions of Optics Letters and Applied Physics Letters in February, with researchers from Queen's University, Aalborg University in Denmark, the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and the University of Burgundy in France involved. The effort is part of Plasmocom (polymer-based nanoplasmonic components and devices), a European Commission research project. The investigators fabricated wavelength-selecting devices using deep-ultraviolet lithography, employing sub-250-nm light to pattern a layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) resist that they had spin-coated on a 60-nm gold film supported by a thin glass substrate. With the patterning, they constructed features that were 500 nm in size, far below the 1500 nm or so wavelengths they were interested in controlling. Shown are scanning electron microscope (a) and topographical (b) images of a directional plasmonic coupler. Near-field optical images of the same device under various wavelengths (c-e) illustrate the wavelength-dependent output. Inset is a scanning electron microscope image of the coupling region. S = coupler separation. They made directional couplers in one set of devices, and waveguide-ring resonators and in-line Bragg gratings in the other. In the first group, they demonstrated that a 50.5-µm-long coupler should enable complete separation of channels at 1400 and 1620 nm, an important telecom wavelength range. In the second group, they showed that a 150-µm2 resonator could act as an efficient and compact wavelength-selective filter for the same span. Although the devices were smaller than their conventional counterparts, they did exhibit somewhat inferior performance. A traditional ring resonator, for example, has a 20-dB contrast, better than the 13 dB exhibited by the plasmonic devices. However, according to Zayats, the plasmonic device performance can be improved by optimization of its structure.Semiconductor fabrication company Silios Technologies of Rousset-Peynier, France, hopes to commercialize the group's technology and other research that comes out of Plasmocom, which is hosting a workshop in June on applied plasmonics. It may be some time before devices are available commercially, but eventually they might be able to do what cannot be done now, Zayats said. "The ultimate goal is an integrated photonic circuit based on plasmonic excitations capable of performing all operations completely optically."


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Tag Archives: love
'I have felt the depths of your resolve'
I have felt the depths of your resolve. How shallow they are in my hands. How feeble your attempts to adjoin nonsense. Those non-whimsical attempts of control your media besmears, how they dispel the rumours of your soul and crown them fact. For if I was never a good man, a decent person, or a kind soul, then where do you rank? You took lives. You shattered families. And all the while you thought you were in the right. You were only confused of the meaning of wrong. And a brother in arms, is a brother in all. But you are no brother of mine. Yet I extend my hand in grief of the souls you freed of their vessels, I extend my hand in the pity I sense of you.
'Curious George' Review
You are never too young to know what love and friendship is. A couple of hours ago I was watching this animated movie with a very special 2.5 year old. As George was being taken away from 'Man in the Yellow Hat', this toddler started wincing, his eyes starting welling up. I started watching him instead of the movie, only to learn all too well that he knew that George was being taken against his will from someone he loved. As I held him and began to comfort him, my faith and belief that love and friendship are universal emotions, innate in all of us, no matter what creed, faith, or age, was more than restored, it was enlightened. As George was reunited with the 'Man in the Yellow Hat', the smile returned to his face and my heart melted.
If you are ever in need of having your faith in humanity restored, have a movie night with a toddler, they are much wiser than us.
For giving me a night I will never forget, for showing the beauty of love and friendship, and for having the ability to make a child enlighten an adult, I rate this film 10/10
'I am of twenty-one years of age'
I am of twenty-one years of age
I have never had my first subtle kiss
Alone, immersed with love, but of no sage…
I come to disregard, I come to this.
I walk an invisible distance
I walk with a calloused soul;
Years, hours, minutes, all of an instance
My life, darkened, has taken its toll.
Cars unwind, a windy road…
No matter how fast, they pass too slow
Paralyze(d) emotions, it can be an ode
I live this life,…but I live it so.
It takes time to leave this world away
My wonder is continuous, my wonder awry;
My heart pounds, but words cannot say
In sequence to the sunrise, my heart cannot deny…
© Copyright Mani Amar


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Highball Glasses, Set of 4
- Vendor Shipped
Easy, hassle-free returns online and in-store for eligible items.Learn More
Earn 5% Back in rewards4 plus free standard shipping3every day when you shop with your Williams Sonoma credit card at Williams Sonoma.Apply Now Learn More
- Summary
Our classic bar glasses are a pleasure to hold, thanks to their gently tapered shapes and thick weighted bases that lend heft and balance. Take advantage of this excellent value to stock your home bar with several sets for holiday parties. Use the glasses for serving mixed drinks or other beverages such as water, milk or sodas.
- Set of four.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Made in Germany.
- A Williams Sonoma exclusive.
- Set of four.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 3 1/2" diam., 5 3/4" high.
- 15-oz. cap.
- Made in Germany.
Additional Information
- Lead-free pressed glass.
- BPA free.
- 3 1/2" diam., 5 3/4" high.
- Use & Care
- Use the glasses for serving mixed drinks or other beverages such as water, milk or sodas.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Shipping
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At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners, and knife storage) please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
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Rated 1 out of 5 by JAAG from Not worth the price These glasses became etched or clouded. I had them replaced and the same thing happened again. They look too bad to put on the table. I waited past the warranty to contact Williams-Sonoma, now they will go in the garbage.Date published: 2016-10-26Rated 5 out of 5 by Nola2013 from Fantastic Find Love these so much that I'm getting 8 more! They are attractive, sturdy and functional. Perfect for casual or formal occasions.Date published: 2014-05-21


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USA Gymnastics announced five additional member to the men's Senior National Team: Alex Naddour, Glen Ishino, C.J. Maestas, Steven Legendre and Josh Dixon. The complete national team is as follows:
Chris Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics)
Alex Buscalgia of Cary, Ill./Team Hilton HHonors (Stanford University)
Jake Dalton of Reno, N.V./University of Oklahoma
Josh Dixon of San Jose, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center
Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics)
Glen Ishino of Santa Ana, Calif./University of California – Berkeley
Steven Legendre of Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma)
Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics)
CJ Maestas of Corrales, N.M./University of Illinois
Sam Mikulak of Ann Arbor, Mich./University of Michigan
Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton HHonors (USA Youth Fitness)
John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Paul Ruggeri of Manlius, N.Y./University of Illinois
David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Illinois)Brandon Wynn of Voorhees, N.J./Team Hilton HHonors (Ohio State University)
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Last updated on January 28th, 2019 at 12:05 am
Date-stamps on food add thousands of dollars to the bank accounts of marketers and distributors. With additives and preservatives to increase the shelf-life of products, food is capable of lasting far longer than it ever did during grandma's days.
We have become so "date-oriented" we no longer use our senses to determine whether something is "off;" if it says so on the tin or the wrapping, it must be deadly and immediately disposed of. Dates eliminate the need for sense. Millions of tons of food are destroyed daily, feeding the bottom-line of distributors, while hundreds of millions of people starve across the globe.
A World Hunger Report (WHR) issued by World Hunger Education Services stated 925 million—13 percent of the world population—went hungry in 2010; hungry, not malnourished.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, hunger is defined as:
1. a compelling need or desire for food.
2. the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need of food: to collapse from hunger.
3. a shortage of food; famine.
Yet, the world produces enough food to feed each person on the globe 2,700 calories per day.
Poverty is the principal cause of hunger; however, harmful economic and political systems are the principal cause of poverty. To quote the WHR, "Control over resources and income is based on military, political and economic power that typically ends up in the hands of a minority, who live well, while those at the bottom barely survive, if they do".
Yes, there is enough food, but 13 percent of the world population cannot afford to buy it and the other 87 percent? Why, we waste it, throw it away. In a study titled "Global Food Losses and Food Waste" conducted on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, published in October this year, over 3.5 million tons of food are wasted or destroyed every day worldwide.
One of the major waste culprits, accounting for more than 40 percent at retail and consumer level of so-called "advanced" countries, is the little black "sell-by" or "best-if-used-by" date stamp ignominiously placed somewhere on the packaging, label or tin. Somehow in the mind of the consumer these words are defined as "deadly-poisonous" or "hazardous-to-health" and the true meaning of these words has been marketed out of the consumer's dictionary; if it's dated, it's slated.
These days "sell-by" translates to"destroy-at-the-stroke-of-midnight-on" and according to the study, "Food waste at consumer level in industrialized countries (222 million tons) is almost as high as the total net food production in sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tons)."
We have become picky; our food has to have style and be colour coordinated, singularly pretty and wear designer labels. Potatoes must have no eyes, tomatoes hold a particular blush, pineapples not too much of a crown, carrots must stand tall and straight; and as for those beans, uniformly they must parade or be dismissed! And we want choices, the full range of a single product—potatoes are no longer simply potatoes, we have to have those best for roasting or boiling, baking, frying or mash.
In Kisoro, a tiny Ugandan village bordering Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, village women plant potatoes for export on the slopes of volcanoes, a baby strapped to the back, one eye on the two year old precariously perched on the edge of an earth mound. They plant from sunrise to sunset, in mud up to their knees, in all weather conditions.
For their toil they are paid $0.16 per kg of potatoes, which we buy at the supermarket for $3.20—a mere 2000 percent markup. Of each 100 kg food produced, only 35 percent is actually consumed, the rest is wasted or destroyed along the distribution network from grower to consumer. Almost 50 percent of all food produced is destroyed BEFORE it reaches the consumer. And then we complain about food prices. We are the reason food prices are so high.
We have been taught to demand only the best-looking, the most aesthetically pleasing; those well-displayed, beautifully wrapped pieces of perfection. They must be already cleaned and sorted so hand muscles don't unnecessarily contract to peel a smaller lad; and of course, all of the same size cooks for the same time. The sense of cutting them to the same size has long been marketed right out of the common.
Let us take a look at the humble carrot which spends most of its ostrich life attempting to hide from view. According to a case in the FAO report:
Snapshot case: appearance quality standards: Carrot quality standards, by the supermarket chain Asda.
As research for the book Waste–understanding the global food scandal, Tristram Stuart visited several British farms to understand how quality standards affect food waste. Among others, Stuart visited M.H. Poskitt Carrots in Yorkshire, a major supplier of supermarket chain Asda. At the farm, the author was shown large quantities of out-graded carrots, which, having a slight bend, were sent off as animal feed. In the packing house, all carrots passed through photographic sensor machines, searching for aesthetic defects. Carrots that were not bright orange, had a blend or blemish or were broken were swept off into a livestock feed container. As staff at the farm put it: "Asda insists that all carrots should be straight, so customers can peel the full length in one easy stroke." In total, 25 to 30 percent of all carrots handled by M.H. Poskitt Carrots were out-graded. About half of these were rejected due to physical or aesthetic defects, such as being the wrong shape or size; being broken or having a cleft or a blemish."
And the date. Never forget the date. It may look good, smell good, taste good, feel good, but it has "that date"–the prophet and profit of doom.
"Going out on a date" used to be what only humans did; food has now entered The Dating Game and humans go hungry. We have designed starvation into the world, and only we can remove it by ignoring the "labels" and going back to trusting the senses we are fast allowing to be evolutioned away.


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Hungarian Partnerships
For CEU, partnerships with other universities are an essential part of our open society mission. CEU partners with institutions and universities across the globe, offering opportunities for our students, faculty and researchers to benefit from and contribute to the development of new knowledge in a wide variety of fields. Partnerships with Hungarian institutions are of particular importance to CEU, which has called Budapest home for more than two decades. Below please find more information on our centers's partnerships with Hungarian institutions.


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Livermore, CA – (November 13, 2012) FINIS, a apple baton in abstruse pond articles that aerate your fettle abeyant and technique, announces the actual availability of assorted Activity Paddles sizes. The strapless Activity duke paddles advice a swimmer advance able axiological duke adjustment during all four bathe strokes. Modeled altogether to fit a swimmers duke for a accustomed feel, swimmers will be blessed to add these to their bathe routine. By accepted demand, FINIS has broadcast the admeasurement ambit of their acknowledged Activity Paddles to appear in small, average and large. FINIS Activity Paddles are accessible for $19.99 MSRP at www.FINISInc.com.
The new sizes of Activity Paddles accept been scaled proportionately. Although best swimmers should fit in admeasurement "medium", cutting a paddle that is too ample could aftereffect in accept strain. The allocation options provided by FINIS ensure every swimmer can acquisition the appropriate Activity Paddle for them. To acquisition the actual size, swimmers should admeasurement their duke ambit and accede the vertical breadth of the paddle back apropos to FINIS' allocation chart.
"The activity paddles absolutely advice me focus on perfecting my arm t during the achievement cycle. Due to the strapless attributes of the paddles it's all-important to advance absolute burden to accumulate the paddle from affective off my hand," says Jason Dunford, 2008 Olympic Finalist and accepted African Record Holder. "Unlike added beneath abstruse paddles, these are
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Columbus psychobilly act Hells Fire Sinners have just released a stream of their brand new EP "2: Graveyard Hearts". The collection consists of six tracks just brimming with campy fun, with just a hint of longing, and you can check it out below.
Add Hells Fire Sinners to My Radar


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Famciclovir decreased the duration and symptoms of acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia
ACP J Club. 1995 Nov-Dec;123:67. doi:10.7326/ACPJC-1995-123-3-067
Source Citation
Tyring S, Barbarash RA, Nahlik JE, et al. and the Collaborative Famciclovir Herpes Zoster Study Group. Famciclovir for the treatment of acute herpes zoster: effects on acute disease and postherpetic neuralgia. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1995 Jul 15;123:89-96.
To determine the safety and effectiveness of famciclovir in acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 5-month follow-up.
36 centers in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
419 immunocompetent patients (mean age, 50 y; 52.7% men) who were ≥ 18 years of age and had clinically confirmed, uncomplicated herpes zoster. Exclusion criteria were zoster rash > 72 hours, complications of herpes zoster, crusts at enrollment, other serious disease, pregnancy, or lactation. Follow-up was 90%.
Patients were allocated to oral famciclovir, 500 mg (n = 138); famciclovir, 750 mg (n = 135); or placebo (n = 146) 3 times/d for 7 days. Antiviral or immunomodifying therapy and topical medication were prohibited.
Main Outcome Measures
The primary outcome was time to full crusting of lesions and adverse effects. Secondary outcomes were time to last positive viral culture (duration of viral shedding) and time to resolution of vesicles, ulcers, crusts, acute-phase pain, and postherpetic neuralgia. Hazard ratios (HR) > 1 indicated a faster rate of events (e.g., healing) in patients receiving famciclovir than in those receiving placebo; an HR of 2 indicated that the rate was twice as fast.
Main Results
In an intention-to-treat (n = 419) analysis, compared with patients assigned to placebo, the median time to crusting for patients receiving 750 mg of famciclovir was reduced from 7 to 6 days (HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.9). In patients receiving either 500 mg or 750 mg of famciclovir, the median time to resolution of vesicles was reduced from 6 to 5 days (HR, 1.4; CI, 1.1 to 1.9 and HR, 1.7; CI, 1.3 to 2.2, respectively); the median time to resolution of ulcers was reduced from 9 to 7 days (HR, 1.6; CI, 1.1 to 2.2 for both); and the median time to last positive culture was reduced by 1 day (HR, 2.0; CI, 1.4 to 3.0 and HR, 2.3; CI, 1.5 to 3.3, respectively). In patients receiving 500 mg of famciclovir, the median time to resolution of crusts was reduced from 21 to 19 days (HR, 1.3; CI, 1.0 to 1.7). The median time to resolution of postherpetic neuralgia was reduced from 119 to 63 days (HR, 1.7; CI, 1.1 to 2.7) in patients receiving 500 mg of famciclovir and from 119 to 61 days (HR, 1.9; CI, 1.2 to 2.9) in patients receiving 750 mg of famciclovir. The groups did not differ for adverse effects.
Famciclovir decreased the duration and symptoms of acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.
Sources of funding: SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals and National Institutes of Health.
For article reprint: Dr. S. Tyring, University of Texas Medical Branch, Route, Galveston, TX 77555, USA. FAX 713-333-2338.
Few problems are more vexing for patients and their physicians than postherpetic neuralgia (1). Because this pain syndrome is so difficult to manage with analgesics, various alternative agents have been investigated, including tricyclic antidepressants, topical capsaicin, topical aspirin, intravenous and topical lidocaine, ketamine, narcotics, selective sympathetic or somatic nerve blockades, low-energy laser, and other neurosurgical procedures. Unfortunately, unpleasant side effects, cost, and limited efficacy prevent the routine use of these treatments.
The lack of a satisfactory treatment has spurred the search for effective prevention. Systemic and intralesional corticosteroids have been tried and found wanting. Although the antiviral agent acyclovir speeds the healing of acute herpes zoster, it has little effect on postherpetic neuralgia. Famciclovir has pharmacokinetic properties, such as the markedly increased intracellular half-life of its active metabolite, that make it an attractive alternative to acyclovir.
The study by Tyring and colleagues shows clinically important treatment effects on several parameters of postherpetic neuralgia that have proven elusive in studies of acyclovir. The 3 times/d dosing schedule and the paucity of side effects are likely to improve compliance compared with the 5 times/d dosing of acyclovir. A once- or twice-daily dosing interval should be considered in patients with renal impairment (2). Although the cost-effectiveness of famciclovir is not addressed, the 3.5-month reduction in the duration of postherpetic neuralgia in older persons makes this methodologically rigorous study one that should strongly influence our management of acute herpes zoster.
Jay S. Luxenberg, MD
University of California San Francisco, California, USA


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Hello all. Welcome to boatdesign.co.uk, where I intend to share with you my thoughts, opinions and ideas regarding maritime vehicles, the technology around them and their construction.
Within this site I shall also be showcasing my own sketching, drawings, renderings and designs, as well as sharing any hints and tips I come across.
Until the next post.


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EXCLUSIVE! Is Angelina Jolie Going To Play A Lesbian Officer Alongside Sarah Silverman???
She will if Sarah Silverman gets her way! Do you think Angelina would be right for this particular role?
Angelina Jolie may have come a long way since her days romancing Jenny Shimizu, but Sarah Silverman wants to see Angie go back to being a lesbian – onscreen, that is!
Brad Pitt's baby mama professed her desire to work with Sarah recently, and the comedienne extraordinaire, 39, knows exactly what Angelina, 34, should play. "I always thought of her as Officer Tigs [on the Sarah Silverman Show], like a lesbian police woman," Sarah told us March 16 at the Alliance for Children's Rights Event in Los Angeles, Calif. "Or I can see [Angelina] as someone's girlfriend."
Whoa! We wonder what Brad, 46, would say about his partner tackling on a bi-curious role. Would he approve? If he's not game to let his woman swing the other way, Sarah also tells us that she would basically let Angelina play "anything she wants." Can't say we blame her!
How would you like to see Angelina and Sarah collaborate?
— Allison McNamara
Get More On The Latest Hot News On Brangelina:


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Aviva Reads GEB, Part 0+1
"Every few decades, an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity, range, wit, beauty and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary event."
Martin Gardner, Scientific American book review
"This is simply the best and most beautiful book ever written by the human species."
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, AI researcher
"I picked up this book thinking from the title and content it would be the greatest thing ever…. Little did I know that after a few pages I would want to hang myself with the eternal golden braid."
Goodreads review by exoduslaughing
Like many other nerds on the internet, I recently read and enjoyed The Atlantic's profile of Douglas Hofstadter. (Here it is.)
In case you missed it, the SparkNotes story of Hofstadter is this: Brainy physics graduate student goes on a cross-country drive to find himself. At night, he ponders the mysteries of the human brain, particularly what it means to be alive and conscious. He starts writing his ideas down in a letter. Seven years later, in 1979, that letter turned into an enormous, Pulitzer-winning book about artificial intelligence.
Godel, Escher, Bach: The Eternal Golden Braid garners high praise — from those who manage to complete it. For one thing, the damn thing is 824 pages long. For another, it's notoriously dense. Even Justin Curry, the instructor for MIT's online course about GEB, admits that it took him about seven years to finish.
A quick Google search for "godel escher bach hard to read" turns up thousands of hits, as well as this charming video.
So obviously, I had to get a copy.
I'll be posting updates under the Aviva reads GEB tag here on The Raptor Lab. I'm also going to try to use any resources that are already out there. Here's what I've turned up so far:
* MIT OpenCourseWare class on GEB with corresponding notes and online video lectures
* UMich course notes for What is Mathematics?
* This GEB subreddit (although it looks like a ghost town now)
* Huge background resource from some guy named Mårten Stenius
To get us started, here's a little about the first chapter and one of GEB's main men…
The book begins by waxing pretty on Bach's 'The Musical Offering', also known as 'Ricercar a 6'. Pianist Charles Rosen calls this piece one of the greatest achievements of Western European civilization:
It can be appreciated above all by the performer: listening is only a poor second for the musical experience of immersing oneself actively in the polyphony, which here has an emotional and physically expressive impact rarely found in a work of music. It is a piece for meditation. The large-scale form is easy to grasp, and the texture is full and complex, moving from one to six voices and back with wonderful contrast. The composition does not emphasize contrapuntal virtuosity, but rather richness of harmony. The imaginative invention is dazzling.
For the musically ignorant readers like myself, Hofstadter takes pains to explain exactly what it is that makes the piece so great. The very short version is
1. 'The Musical Offering' is a fugue.
2. A fugue is a piece of music that takes a single theme (one recognizable melody) and then messes around with it in different ways. This can mean making the theme faster or slower, or maybe changing the pitch, or maybe making it play backwards.
3. Most fugues have two or three "voices" = two or three different alterations on the theme.
4. 'The Musical Offering' has six voices.
5. Hofstadter says: One could probably liken the task of improvising a six-part fugue to the playing of sixty simultaneous blindfold games of chess, and winning them all. To improvise an eight-part fugue is really beyond human capability.
But, you know, writing about music is like dancing about architecture. It's much easier to listen and watch the voices weave together.
Until next time.


text: Microsoft's latest 10-Q SEC filing saw the omission of Windows Phone as an investment and suggested that the company had finally given up on that business, yet the CEO believes they will (or, at least, should) continue making devices, particularly those that create new categories (e.g., the Surface line). I still think that Microsoft has a Surface Phone up its sleeve, which could be a true stroke of genius on a hardware basis, but is it too late to sell people on their mobile OS? Microsoft has all but given up on Windows Phones, but it seems the idea of a smartphone running a Microsoft OS has not completely died at Redmond. In an interview with MarketPlace discussing Minecraft and H1B visas, they also touched on Microsoft's plans for phones in the future. Nadella emphasized that if they would make a phone, it would be a device which breaks the mold like their Surface line, and creates new product categories. "We make phones today, we have OEMs like HP making phones and others and we picked a very specific area to focus on which is management, security, and this one particular feature that we have called Continuum, which is a phone that can even be a desktop," Nadella said.


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On The Road
W P Lewis & Son best in Wales
PEMBROKESHIRE Vauxhall retailer W P Lewis & Son is the top for customer care in Wales for the seventh year in a row.
Denis Chick, Communications Director of Vauxhall Motors visited the dealership to present the team with Vauxhall's 2018 customer excellence award.
The award is based on the results gained from Vauxhall satisfaction surveys sent out to customers and W P Lewis & Son is one of only four in Britain achieve award status consecutively since inception of the awards in 2012.
Steve Lloyd, Managing Director said, "I am extremely proud of our team who work tirelessly to provide the personal touch when it comes to customer care and Vauxhall's customer excellence awards is testament to the hard work of our small team".
The company is the only Vauxhall retailer in Wales to have achieved all 7 consecutive awards.
"Much of our team have been with the family business for many years and we certainly see ourselves as one big family. Our team provide a great service to our customers who in turn have provided us with wonderful feedback to Vauxhall which we are hugely grateful for," added Steve.
Vauxhall Communications Director Denis Chick praised the team's continuing success, "W P Lewis is a credit to the Vauxhall franchise. Winning the Customer Excellence Reward 7 years running shows that caring for customers is a top priority and one that the whole team can be proud of".
Steve concluded "On behalf of our Director Margaret Lewis, I would like to thank staff and customers alike for their overwhelming support".
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On The Road
The all-new Fiesta
By Robin Roberts
CAR sales rise and fall, but when it comes to choice there is enduring popularity for the Ford Fiesta, the top seller in Wales and the rest of Britain so far this year.
Nearly 40 possible versions are available to British buyers with three and five-door bodystyles, six trim levels and a choice of petrol or diesel engines with manual or automatic transmissions. Essentially there is something to please almost anyone and residual values hold up well because of this strong demand.
But time doesn't stand still and the seventh generation Fiesta launched last year is bigger than before and matching the early Focus model which has now been enlarged as well. There is more legroom front and back and a decent sized boot continues, while upfront the completely new fascia display comes with a big infotainment screen and communications system to meet what buyers expect.
But it's not all forward progress because with the new Fiesta series, Ford has reverted to a traditional automatic transmission and spurned the dual-clutch system it has offered for a few years, citing cost considerations for the move.
That's not a bad move, however, because the six-speed automatic box is a very easy to use, smooth if not quiet unit well matched with the 100ps 3cyl turbo-petrol engine. It's not the quickest or most economical powertrain in the range but it means you have a very easy to drive city car for those who simply want to get from A – B or even C.
It will cover distances with ease and fairly economically nudging 40mpg most of the time, with smooth changes and the ability to hold down for more rapid overtaking. The test car also had automatic stop/start to save fuel but even with this its realistic consumption figure was well short of the claimed amount in publicity material based on European tests.
The little engine is generally quiet but push it hard and the effort is heard and overtakes the constant road rumbles from the tyres. Wind and other mechanical noises were very low in contrast.
A lot of effort has gone into the new Fiesta's ride and handling and both are very good, slightly firm, but generally compliant and responsive with accurate steering and strong brakes. Roadholding is safe and sure.
The secondary controls are straightforward and unchallenging to master and use, with decent sized instruments, a good-sized infotainment display on the upper Vignale spec and reasonable oddments space infront. Heating and ventilation was also comfortable throughout with powered windows appreciated as well.
The five-door style gives very good rear-seat access, much easier than the restrictive three-door shape, and when inside the head and legroom was reasonable. I had an issue with the extremely poor adjustment for the front seats rake and which was almost impossible to select without opening the a door to move the release.
The front seats were big, possibly too wide in the cushion for the cabin space, but they were well padded, shaped and comfortable. A fairly low waistline, big windows, strong headlights and effective wash/wipers meant visibility was generally clear.
Personal taste meant I found hard plastic surfaces unpleasant inside the new Fiesta where so much has been done to lift refinement and keep it ahead of the game.
Rivals are now harder to beat and Ford cannot be complacent with their best seller because buyers have freedom of choice.
At a glance
Ford Fiesta 1.0I VIGNALE E/BOOST S/S 5DR 100PS P/SHIFT
- Price: £21,840
- Mechanical: 100ps 999cc 3cyl petrol engine, 6sp auto
- Max Speed: 111mph
- 0-62mph: 12.2sec
- Combined MPG: 38mpg
- Insurance Group: 10E T2
- C02 emissions: 118 g/klm
- Bik rating: 24%, £160FY, £140SR
- Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles
- Sizes: L4.04m, W1.74m, H1.48m
- Bootspace: 292–1093 litres
- Kerb: 1206kg
For: Engine refinement, ride quality, handling
Against: Front seat adjustment, hard int surfaces, some road & engine noises
On The Road
Kia Stinger 2.0 turbo-petrol
By David Miles
IT'S expected to become the best seller in this exciting new range of luxury saloons from the Korean manufacturer, which introduced the new model series at the end of 2017 with a powerful 365bhp 3.3 litre GT-S and they will be joined this spring by 197bhp 2.2 turbo-diesel.
Kia's current advertising theme is 'The Power to Surprise' and with the arrival of the Stinger that is certainly true. The stunning to look at Stinger is the latest result of ex-Audi designer Peter Schreyer move to the Kia and Hyundai brands and that has been further enhanced by the recruitment of ex-BMW M division's chassis and vehicle development guru Albert Biermann joining the team.
The Stinger is an imposing five door coupe styled GT car with muscular wheelarches, a low stance and roofline, sculptured door panels, a sleek new version of the Kia Tiger Nose grille, long bonnet, air flow vents in the front lower bumper and lower front wings with air intakes in the bonnet for the intercooler. At the rear is a sharply raked tailgate, a spoiler plus a lower body diffuser flanked by double twin exhaust tailpipes.
The GT-Line versions with the 2.0-litre petrol engine has a comprehensive level of sports specification including 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, sports front seats, heated and powered driver's seat, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, head-up display, parking sensors, cruise control, selectable driving modes, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, high beam assist, driver attention warning alerts and speed limit information as well as DAB radio and the usual Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity functions. The GT-Line S level adds blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, LED headlights, heated rear seats, powered tailgate, 360-degree surround view camera, sunroof and wireless phone charging.
When it comes to performance the 2.0-litre Stinger is not all 'show' and no 'go'. With the eight-speed auto gearbox and an ample 353Nm of torque from 1,400rpm the acceleration is responsive when needed yet remains calm when the car is travelling on congested roads.
The official Combined Cycle figure of 35.8mpg for the 2.0-litre petrol model was optimistic as I couldn't get close in my brief test drive so the real-life figure was 25.1mpg.
As is often the case, a smaller capacity engine works harder and uses more fuel for the same result but the benefit is significantly lower taxation costs.
In most other respects the Stinger is well balanced with its long wheelbase and wide front and rear tracks and fast response steering rack.
All versions have a Drive Mode Selector which gives five different gearshift and throttle settings and a limited slip differential for optimum traction from the two rear wheels during cornering.
So, true to their advertising word, Kia 'continues to surprise'.
At a glance
For: Great exterior sports five door GT coupe styling, high specification, good value for money, much cheaper to buy with less costly taxes than the 3.3-litre version but it still looks the same, long warranty, good to drive, roomy with ample boot space
Against: Cluttered interior with unrefined layout of controls and switches, limited rear visibility through the tailgate window, no rear window wash/wipe unit, lacks a suitable sporty exhaust tone.
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A puzzling phenomenon known as hair ice has revealed it's origin and, in the process, confirmed a 100 yearld old theory.
The vast majority of the population has probably never seen or even heard of it. But hair ice, a rare form of ice that takes the shape of fine, silky hairs and looks like white candy floss is impressive nonetheless.
Hair ice forms on rotten branches of particular trees, when the weather conditions are just right. This usually is during humid winter nights when the air temperature drops slightly below 0°C. A team of scientists in Germany and Switzerland have established the missing ingredient which gives hair ice its peculiar shape, and it is a fungus known as Exidiopsis effusa.
Christian Mätzler from the Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Bern in Switzerland, says:
"When we saw hair ice for the first time on a forest walk, we were surprised by its beauty. Sparked by curiosity, we started investigating this phenomenon, at first using simple tests, such as letting hair ice melt in our hands until it melted completely."
Alfred Wegener, a polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist who pioneered the Continental drift theory, was the first to study hair ice. In 1918, he observed a whitish cobwebby coating on the surface of hair-ice-bearing wood, which his assistant identified as fungus mycelium, the mass of thin threads from where mushrooms grow.
Wegener suggested there was a link between the ice and the fungus in the wood. Some 90 years later, Gerhart Wagner, a retired Swiss professor who has been researching hair ice for decades, found evidence of this relation.
Treating the wood with fungicide or dunking it in hot water, Wagner found, suppressed the growth of hair ice. But the fungus species and the mechanism that drives the growth of hair ice remained un-identified until now.
Mätzler, a physicist, joined forces with Chemist Diana Hofmann, and biologist Gisela Preuß to conduct a set of experiments. They wanted to find out precisely what conditions are equired to grow this type of ice, and what its properties are.
Mätzler's findings confirmed hypotheses by other researchers that the mechanism producing ice filaments at the wood surface is ice segregation.
Liquid water close to the branch surface freezes in contact with the cold air, forming an ice front and 'sandwiching' a thin water film between this ice and the wood pores. Suction caused by repelling intermolecular forces acting at this 'wood-water-ice sandwich' then gets the water inside the wood pores to move towards the ice front, where it freezes and adds to the existing ice.
"Since the freezing front is situated at the mouth of the wood rays, the shape of the growing ice is determined by the wood rays at their mouth," says Mätzler. "The same amount of ice is produced on wood with or without fungal activity, but without this activity the ice forms a crust-like structure. The action of the fungus is to enable the ice to form thin hairs – with a diameter of about 0.01 mm – and to keep this shape over many hours at temperatures close to 0°C. Our hypothesis includes that the hairs are stabilised by a recrystallisation inhibitor that is provided by the fungus."
Biologist Preuß analyzed samples of hair-ice-bearing wood collected in the winters of 2012, 2013 and 2014 in forests near Brachbach in western Germany. She identified eleven different species of fungi.
"One of them, Exidiopsis effusa, colonised all of our hair-ice-producing wood, and in more than half of the samples, it was the only species present," she says.
According to the researchers, the main reason why it took almost 100 years to confirm Wegener's hypothesis is that hair ice is a fairly rare and fleeting anomoly, seen mainly in broadleaf forests at latitudes between 45 and 55°N.
"Hair ice grows mostly during the night and melts again when the sun rises. It's invisible in the snow and inconspicuous in hoarfrost," says Preuß.
Hofmann, D., Preuss, G., and Mätzler, C.
Evidence for biological shaping of hair ice
Biogeosciences, 12, 4261-4273, doi:10.5194/bg-12-4261-2015, 2015
Photo: Gisela Preuß


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Building the Pioneer Trail Potting Shed: Everything you need to know
This new building, available to players Level 15 and higher, allows players to unlock two brand new crops and create a new item that's said to make planting crops far easier. The new feature is introduced through three new Goals that will slowly guide you through the Potting Shed's many features and eventually reward you with Cranberries and Pineapples to plant. Here's everything you need to know about the Potting Shed:
When you first log into the game, you will be greeted by a pop-up that explains that Granny has come down with the collywobbles (which is a real thing, mind you). Click on the "Let's Build" button to get started on creating your very own Potting Shed and this series of Goals.
A Cure For The Collywobbles
- Place The Potting Shed
- Clear 5 Rocks On Your Homestead
- Collect 15 Ginger Ale
After placing the Potting Shed from that introductory pop-up, just click on five rocks to clear them. Then, the 15 Ginger Ale look like they're requested for through your friends. Once this simple Goal is complete, you'll score 250 XP and 250 Coins.
A Symbol Of Welcome
- Craft 1 Multi-Planter
- Clobber 5 Groundhogs
- Collect 10 Pineapple Cuttings
The fastest way to clobbering five Groundhogs is to plant lots of Potatoes, which cost 90 coins and take four hours to harvest. The 10 Pineapple Cuttings seem to also come from friend requests, too. At this point, the Goals assume you've already built the Potting Shed, which, once placed, requires the following items to complete:
Then, that Seed-O-Matic and 15 Whirelygigs (found through asking even more friends) are used to craft the finished product, the Multi-Planter (pictured below). Once you finally finish this long and arduous Goal, 500 XP, 500 Coins and the Pineapples crop are yours.
- Harvest 30 Pineapples
- Clear 15 Debris On Your Homestead
- Collect 15 Buckets Of Bog Water
Now, this final is somewhat simpler. Simply plant and harvest 30 Pineapples, though information on the exact stats of this new crop are unavailable to us as of this writing. Then, simply click around on 15 Debris. The 15 Buckets of Bog Water most likely come from asking your friends, as per usual.
This final Goal, once completed, will reward you with 750 XP, 750 Coins and the Cranberries crop. Now, enjoy your new crops and the ability to plant eight crops at once with the Multi-Planter.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Have you already started on your Potting Shed? What tips do you have for completing these Goals, the new building and the Multi-Planter even more quickly? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.


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Green Lawn Fertilizing Ranks No. 4582 on the 2012 Inc. 500|5000 with Three-Year Sales Growth of 19%
Inc. magazine ranked Green Lawn Fertilizing number 4582 on its sixth annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent entrepreneurs. Unified Payments tops this year's list. Green Lawn Fertilizing joins Yelp, yogurt maker Chobani, Giftcards.com, KIND, and famed hat maker Tilly's, among other prominent brands featured on this year's list.
Green Lawn Fertilizing provides a well-rounded menu of Lawn Fertilizing Services, from Core Aeration and Seeding to Tree and Shrub care. As of 2012, Green Lawn Fertilizing launched their Pest Control division, Green Pest Solutions, providing superior Pest and Termite services to the tri-state area region.
"We are quite privileged to represent America's private sector and are honored to be mentioned in this nationally acclaimed list. From day one, our mission was to become the largest independent lawn care company in the industry by providing superior customer service. To this day, Green Lawn Fertilizing thrives on superior customer service and I thank our employees, brand-loyal customers and Inc. Magazine for this prestigious acknowledgment," says Jesson, President of Green Lawn Fertilizing.
Green Lawn Fertilizing is an independent lawn and pest control company that was founded in 2004. Under the leadership of Matt Jesson, President and Owner of Green Lawn Fertilizing and Green Pest Solutions, they are dedicated to becoming an industry leading company in the Lawn and Pest Industry. The company is currently ranked 16th in the country by Landscape Management Magazine, August 2011. They perform lawn fertilizing management services for residential and commercial clients. Green Lawn Fertilizing also has a branded Pest Control Division – Green Pest Solutions. They are active members of PLANET, National Landscape Association, and NPMA – National Pest Management Association.
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Please visit our Green Pest Solutions service page for more information.


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by Alan Bisbort
Two years after his graduation, Dan Bailey '08 found himself leading a group of perfect strangers into the heart of the Amazonian rainforest to save their lives. No, this was not an episode of Lost but the start of a project with Nick Polizzi, his cousin, that resulted in their riveting documentary film The Sacred Science. The film debuted on Oct. 12, 2011 at the Mill Valley Film Festival in San Francisco, where it sold out two screenings, then garnered similarly auspicious responses at other festivals before being released for sale on DVD in early 2012.
The Sacred Science documents the attempts by eight people suffering from chronic, and lifethreatening illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and depression to find cures or relief for conditions that mainstream medical methods had failed to deliver. Their destination was an isolated, primitive outpost two hours by boat from Iquitos, Peru, which is surrounded by rainforest and only accessible by plane or boat — the largest such city on the planet. Their "doctors" were indigenous shaman healers who, over several generations, have developed medicines from plants in the surrounding rainforest which they combine with "spiritual disciplines" to affect their cures.
As the film's poster put it, "Eight people, thirty days, one journey: To find life, they had to face death."
This is one of the rare occasions when the spin matches the intensity of the filmed experience. There are, in fact, scenes in the film that are surprising, shocking, and moving in equal parts.
"I met the eight patients for the first time in person at the airport in Lima, Peru," said Bailey, who now lives in New York City. "It was a daunting commitment to make and they were not absolutely certain that it would have a desirable outcome. Once we got upriver to the base camp, some took a look at the primitive conditions… the outhouses, huts, isolation, and were apprehensive, to say the least." This is not to say that Bailey and Polizzi were not a bit apprehensive themselves. However, they'd done enough preliminary work to trust their instincts and their lifelong close relationship. Though Polizzi is eight years Bailey's senior, they bonded early. "Over the years, we always talked about having a venture together in the future," Bailey said.
That "venture" became the "adventure" of The Sacred Science, a journey that began long before the shooting did.
Top left: Shaman Edwin and his son and apprentice Christian on a medicine walk. They spent the day gathering healing plants in the jungle to bring back to the center for the patients; bottom left: Dan Bailey '08 sitting in the "Big Hut" at night where the staff stayed during the making of the film.; above right: A Shaman from the Madre de Dios river tribe, performing a ceremony.
"About two years ago, Nick threw this idea at me: 'Dude, we're going to film shamans… it'll be so sweet'," said Bailey, laughing. "You don't hear the words 'shaman' and 'sweet' in the same sentence every day. But Nick is really plugged into this whole holistic community so I just went with it."
Polizzi had, in fact, made two earlier, well received documentary films dealing with similar themes of holistic medicine. One, The Tapping Solution, focused on "meridian tapping," a form of acupressure and talk therapy, and the other, Simply Raw—Raw for 30 Days, documented the health benefits of prolonged raw-food diets. (Think of it as the organic version of Supersize Me.).
The cousins first had to find "shamans" who were legitimate — a daunting task in a country several thousand miles away with language and cultural barriers and, perhaps needless to add, without any governing board or accreditation agency for shamans. In March 2010, Bailey and Polizzi took a flight down to Peru to explore the possibilities.
"The first task was to find people who weren't going to swindle us," Bailey explained. "Everywhere we went we were told, 'If you want shamans, you really need to talk to Roman.'"
Indeed, Roman Hanis proved to be the film's salvation as well as its central figure. A Russian-born practitioner of alternative medicine, Hanis came to Peru more than 10 years ago seeking a cure for his Crohn's disease. Once his symptoms dispersed with the help of shaman healers, he remained in Peru to learn at the feet of his healers. Now himself a legitimate shaman, Hanis is part of a circle of local healers he was willing to introduce to Bailey and Polizzi.
"Getting into the world of shamans is not meant for any random tourist," said Bailey. "The shamans, including Roman, had to vet us as we had to vet them. They had to see our hearts were in the right place."
Once they decided on Hanis as a medical coordinator and guide to rainforest culture, Bailey and Polizzi had to find eight people willing to travel to Peru in search of cures. Bailey, Polizzi, and Polizzi's mother (Bailey's Aunt Peggy) went through 500 applications, set up a bulletin board and systematically whittled down the possible candidates. Many were weeded out when they heard about the primitive conditions and isolation.
"Many more bowed out when we asked them 'Are you afraid of spiders and snakes?'" said Bailey, adding that this was not meant to simply spook people. The base camp where The Sacred Science was filmed was so isolated that if someone were bitten they would in all likelihood die before help could arrive.
The final eight were chosen. Polizzi and Bailey went back down to Peru in May 2010 to meet Hanis. And in October 2010, Polizzi, Bailey, an art director, a soundman, and the eight patients arrived for their adventure.
"Had Nick described the whole set up to me and I didn't know him I would not have been impressed," said Bailey. "I came into this project as the raging skeptic, but this was no hippie fake-out situation. Even I was changed by the experience. There were some pretty irrefutable benefits to the majority of the patients, and nobody said it was a waste of time after they returned home. Even if the shamans' cures were total nonsense, which they are not, the mere fact of being detached from all the toxic distractions of consumer culture has benefits. The rainforest is therapeutic just by itself. It's a healing, calming atmosphere. The stresses I felt were more like a constant voice saying, 'I am responsible for these eight people.' But everyone had a way of righting themselves during their stay."
Above left: Jon Wood, a 69-year-old man from Australia suffering from prostate cancer, makes his morning commute to the showers; top right: Shaman Don Bechin crushes ingredients for a poultice (basically a medicated bandage) being made for Melinda, a patient suffering from breast cancer; bottom right: a small tree frog visits with a patient in one of the dieta huts.
Each of the eight patients was assigned a separate and isolated hut in the rainforest; each hut, in turn, became a kind of stage on which their particular drama could play out.
At the beginning, the most intense drama involved Joel, whose football-player physique shielded a deadly secret — type II diabetes that had resisted all previous efforts to curtail it and had shortened the lives of other members of his family. Though the shaman's treatments quickly proved effective at lowering his blood sugar level, Joel was hounded by an unforeseen enemy — jungle noise and crawling, slithering creatures — which generated so much fear he was unable to sleep. After much soul-searching he begged out of the month-long commitment and, consulting with the visiting medical staff, was allowed to leave after two weeks. Happily, we later learn that Joel was able to maintain the lower blood sugar level once he got home.
And then there was John, a slight, older Australian whose prickliness was barely concealed behind a veneer of practiced civility. The medical regimen, strict diet, and isolation eventually pushed John toward a breakdown, a potential crisis situation nicely handled by Hanis, who in addition to being a shaman doubled as a sort of unlicensed shrink. John's distress turned out to be partly due to his prostate cancer but mostly to his lifelong "lone wolf" persona, which had made it difficult to be dependent on the kindness of strangers. After a good weep, John turned the corner. Ultimately, he may have been the patient most assisted by the shamans' ministration. His PSA readings were the lowest they had ever been and, later, we learned that he, too, was able to keep the readings down once back home.
The most quietly inspiring story belonged to Nicola. Barely in her 50s, she was already near paralyzed by Parkinson's. But her iron will somehow got her, uncomplainingly, to and from the assigned hut in the rainforest. By month's end, she'd regained enough movement to take walks without assistance. Her stroll through the forest with Gretchen, an attractive former actress suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, made for genuinely moving cinema not unlike the scene in Awakenings when Oliver Sacks' patients "awaken" from their decades-long deep freeze. Gretchen's IBS, too, has its drama — as she comes to terms with the childhood sexual abuse that had made her, she believed, susceptible to chronic illness.
Bailey and Polizzi are both listed as producers on The Sacred Science, which really means they did just about every job imaginable. Polizzi is credited as the director, since it was his idea from the get go. Though they had the small crew, it was their film all the way. "We did the setting up, the shooting and the editing," he said. "We all became like a unit as events unfolded."
The month of filming in Peru netted 270 hours of footage, from which a 78-minute film was carved. This may have been the hardest part of the cousins' adventure.
"Like a lot of fledgling filmmakers, we thought our film would be totally original and free form and awesome but our first version was such a jumble," said Bailey. "People we showed it to had no idea what was going on."
However, Bailey then recalled a formula about filmmaking that had been drilled into him by his mentor at Fairfield University, Rev. James Mayzik, S.J., director of the University Media Center.
"Dan took a course here based on a book called Hero's Journey, which developed from Joseph Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces," said Mayzik, who came to Fairfield University in 1995 after completing film school at NYU. "Basically, it shows how storytelling throughout all cultures seem to have this same narrative structure."
"The closer we got to this [the Fairfield film school's] formula, the better the film got," admitted Bailey.
Above: Director Nick Polizzi, co-editor Peggy Polizzi, and Bailey at the premiere screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Bailey grew up in Brookfield, Conn., where he showed an early interest in filmmaking.
"In high school I was the kid with the camera," he recalled. Although his father, Carl Bailey '75, and uncle, Rich Bailey '71, are both Fairfield University alumni, Bailey did not at first want to become a "legacy" enrollee. Like a number of his high school friends, he couldn't wait to get out of Connecticut after graduating. He tried a year at the University of South Carolina, while his friends tried the University of Georgia and University of Tennessee.
"We all came running back to Connecticut for our sophomore years," he said, laughing. Upon arrival at Fairfield, Bailey was placed in the Ignatian Residential College, led by Fr. Mayzik.
One film project at Fairfield on which Bailey worked, with roommate Tim Comer '08, was a 10-minute film called All The People "about a progressive rock snob whose favorite band's music is ruined when they got a number one hit single." The featured band was Yes. Jon Anderson, the actual leader of the real band Yes, saw the film on YouTube and was impressed.
"He thought it was hilarious, so when he went on tour with the Paul Green School of Rock students, he asked us to film the tour," said Bailey, who explained that Paul Green is a franchise aimed at gifted children (or, as he put it, "talented nerds") who learn to play rock songs while working toward actual concert performances. Anderson went on tour with the cream of Paul Green's crop, which Bailey called, "the best Yes cover band on the planet."
"Anderson is a consummate professional but a musical eccentric," he said. "Tim and I shot the tour over our winter break with HD cameras borrowed from the University."
"The best thing Dan did was his senior capstone project about Yes," said Fr. Mayzik. "It was a big project and a great success."
"Fr. Mayzik always told us not to ever expect megahits, that we would likely get right to the edge with projects and they would fall apart and he was right. In fact, if I spoke to a film class today I would say that, number one, nobody cares about you unless you can produce something. And then you will need a lucky break."
The Sacred Science might be one of those "lucky" breaks, but even if it is not, Bailey has learrned what all humans should value above all other things — their health.
"Modern medicine is not about you taking responsibility for and control of your healing process. It is going to the doctor and saying 'heal me, give me some pills.' This film shows that you have to take the reins and take responsibility."
For more information on the film, go to www.thesacredscience.com.


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This offer is not limited to any particular artist or image. Choose from over 170 wildlife and domestic animal images from my gallery ... or even browse the site for images you like better than mine (shame on you! ;)) It doesn't matter. Whatever tickles your fancy, whether wildlife art, floral, landscapes, portraits, or abstract, it's all available for FREE shipping to the UK and Europe. But only for a few more days, so hurry!
Here are a few examples my my art you can now have shipped affordably to the UK and Europe.
Many more images and types of animals available! Check them all out here!


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For more than 30 years, Beth Cornell has provided the communities she serves with professional creative and artistic products and services. From web and digital graphic design to writing and publishing, her services have propelled clients' success in industries as varied as home construction, pet services, retail, and spiritual services.
As a self-taught painter, Beth achieved International recognition during the 2000s. Locally, Beth's success came in the form of exhibition, collectors, commissions, and development grants from the late 1990s to the present.
Ordinary and extra-ordinary, visionary and modern, her art engaging every step of the way. You are invited into the process...
Current painting themes bring ordinary objects into the realm of extraordinary sensory engaging experiences. Her fascination with circular drawings, Mandala, began with a sketch every day in 2013. From Beth's early beginnings in Western Pennsylvania where Hex Signs are part of the local folk art to more recent Tibetan influences, Beth's Mandala drawings and paintings retain the unassuming depth all of her fine art portrays.
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I Juni måned har vi en nydelig engelsk herremann som pryder forsiden vår.Sjarmerende som få og passer kjælenavnet sitt med rette.
Billstes Fantastic Mr Fox
The story of Mr Fox began at my friends (Bill and Steve's) house. When I arrived there, I sat on their sofa and immediately was launched upon by a foxy looking cat. He sat on my knee and rolled around purring.
He then had his little paws up around my neck ... you can imagine what happened next. I whisked him off in my handbag, knowing fine well I had no place for a stud cat but I was moving to Sweden soon.
My husband rang while I was in the car on the way home and he asked me "Oh, how did it go - your visit to see Bill and Steve?" ... with Foxy meowing in the background!
He fitted in no problem to my house and made best friends with my Siamese neuter boy, Yoshi. They did everything together. Foxy would enjoy lying in bed with his head on the pillow, fully stretched out.
About six months later, I rented my house out and moved to my parents house as I prepared to move to Sweden. While at my parents house, I noticed that my mother's Chesterfield sofa seemed to be wet ... all over.
To my horror I realised the little Fox was not so little anymore and had adorned my mothers beautiful sofa with his charming perfume lets say. A new cat house was quickly resurrected from an old playhouse in the garden and the Fox and Lumai went to live in their little luxury palace. Throughout this time I took him to some cat shows - he did well and the judges liked him.
However, by this time, Foxy had grown a little paunch (kalaskula)! I had to cover his ears when other breeders would point and laugh! Poor Fox .. We moved to Sweden and Foxy lives happily with Lumai in his Icicle House of The Fox. He doesn't really like the winter and has to come into the house if it gets too cold .. we don't want a frozen Fox on our hands. It is really difficult to have him outside - I feel very guilty at times, and often think I should just go and get him neutered. At the same time, I know in my heart I do all I can to keep him stimulated and make sure he is as happy as possible. He has a t.v. which my husband I can watch on an evening with him.
If I am outside he can help me do the gardening and annoy the neighbors. He is good at this. One day, while I was in the garden, I heard a shriek! The neighbor from next door came bursting out of her back door and started sprinting over to me. She told me that she had been having a little nap in bed and saw a large object under her duvet. It started to move and out popped the Fox! I had to try and comfort her without bursting out into fits of giggles.
Foxy has sired some beautiful babies in Sweden and England. He has a lovely long tail and straight profile. though his ears are not so big so he could take off nor be mistaken for a fruit bat in the dark.
I notice a big difference in Foxy's kittens in comparison to other stud cats I have used. Their temperaments are always very calm. They are more like ragdolls than orientals. From a few days old they seek you out and shout to be on your knee. They also seem to have the jealous toy growl off to a tea - Biggles growled around the house for about 1 hour the other night with a pipe cleaner.
Baby Biggles
The Fox has been to two shows in Sweden. I plan to go to more, but I am not so keen on showing. I find it a little intensive on the occasion and poor Fox gets laughed at. Perhaps I will put him on an exercise regime - I could borrow my Dad's home made greyhound treadmill. I am hoping Foxy will be my stud cat for a little longer, perhaps another year.
Thank you Line for asking me to write this little Foxy story!
Tusen takk Jamie for de fine bildene og den herlige historien om Foxy. Jeg kan virkelig se for meg hvordan din kjære reagerte da du kom hjem med han.
Og hvordan din stakkars nabo våknet med han under dynen
Jeg har vært å snoket etter bilder av Foxy sine fine kattunger og la inn et par av de også
Vennlig hilsen Line


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text: Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni No flash player has been set up. Please select a player to play Flash videos. A young male perched on a branch, and calling.15 Aug 2006Locality: Gunung Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Peninsular MalaysiaFicedula westermanni westermanni 0 Your rating: None 4.166665 Average: 4.2 (6 votes) More info & map


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https://www.berkpartners.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RG1.jpg 273 367 Frans Jan Vergouwen http://www.berkpartners.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/BERK-beeldmerk_100PE-since-1992-tbv-logo-website-e1514976036664.png Frans Jan Vergouwen2018-02-22 14:40:552018-04-05 16:08:15Rimco Geels
Rimco Geels
1977 – Studied Applied Physics and Business Economics at the University of Groningen. Graduated in analytical chemistry in the field of mass spectrometry. Made the switch to business by working for OC & C (now: Parthenon EY), strategy consulting and then started working at Galapagos as director business development, a biotech company. In 2013 he switched to private equity as a partner at Wagram Equity Partners. Since September 2016 part of the investment team of Berk Partners and co-founder / shareholder of the Berk Partners Growth Fund.