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At Age UK we will be listening very carefully to the Queen's Speech to see if social care is mentioned and, if it is, what precisely is said. We sincerely hope that an intention to bring forward proposals for consultation will be stated, signifying that this new Government intends to press on with the Green Paper that was already underway before the General Election campaign began.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge over the intervening months, including the outcome of the General Election which very few predicted in advance. The furore about social care during the campaign was unexpected as well. Those of us with a keen interest in social care hoped that all the political parties would recognise the crisis in care in their manifestos and pledge action to tackle it, but at Age UK we were surprised that the Conservative manifesto advanced such specific ideas, and disappointed by these ideas too.
In summary, Age UK's position is that we very much want a Social Care Green Paper to be developed and its proposals to succeed, but not on the basis of the propositions advanced in the Conservative Party's manifesto.
In particular, we oppose the inclusion of housing wealth in the domiciliary care means test. This is for two reasons; firstly, we think it is right to continue to incentivise home care over residential care, given it is highly preventive in nature and supports older people to sustain their independence at home, which is supposed to be the central aim of Government policy towards older people; and secondly, we fear some older people would be put off getting home care when they really need it if they think the value of their house will come into play, electing instead to struggle on alone. This would not be in their best interests and it could also lead to them becoming sicker and frailer more quickly, ultimately adding to the pressures on the NHS – not a good result.
Winter Fuel Allowance
We also oppose the idea of means-testing the Winter Fuel Allowance. This is because the evidence is that when a benefit directed at older people is means-tested a significant proportion of those who could claim it do not do so. In the case of Pension Credit, for example, a benefit that tops up very low pensioner incomes, one in three of all those eligible fail to claim it. This statistic has remained stubbornly similar over many years, despite the efforts of various governments and Age UK too to encourage older people to apply. It is believed that there are a number of reasons for its low take up, including stigma associated with claiming a 'benefit', as opposed to accepting an 'entitlement' available to all as of right; ignorance about the eligibility criteria, leading to an erroneous belief that they would not qualify; the difficulty and hassle of filling in long forms; a desire to keep financial information private; and mental incapacity and cognitive decline.
Whatever the reasons for the poor take up of means-tested pensioner benefits the upshot is that any move to means-test Winter Fuel Allowance would be highly likely to result in some of the poorest, oldest, frailest and most vulnerable older people in our society failing to receive it. Given how important staying warm is for older people's health through the winter months we believe it would be a public health disaster if this occurred.
Cap better than a 'floor'
The idea of the £100,000 'floor' in the Manifesto was novel and definitely better than no help at all with catastrophic care costs. However, as a number of commentators have observed, knowing that your expenditure on care will be capped at a reasonable amount, as Sir Andrew Dilnot recommended, would be rather more beneficial for many older people, including many home-owners in London and the South East, than being told you can keep £100,000 if you need care for a long time.
This is a challenge of principle but in addition there are innumerable practical problems that would need to be overcome too, were the idea of a 'floor' to be progressed.
Taken together, these proposals appeared to us at Age UK to constitute a significant transfer of financial responsibility onto individual older people and their families who are unlucky enough to need care in later life, albeit possibly slightly mitigated by the 'cap' the Conservatives subsequently said they would also introduce – though the value of it depends crucially on the level at which it is set.
This outcome is not what we would consider to be the 'sustainable solution to social care' that the Prime Minister talked about during the campaign.
No doubt some people will say 'well, Age UK would say that wouldn't they?' And indeed, in the last few days, Nick Timothy, author of this part of the Conservative manifesto wrote the following in an article:
"We can ask older people to meet the costs, subject to certain protections, from the wealth they have accrued through life, or we can tax younger generations even more. Somehow we have reached a point where older people with assets expect younger, poorer people to pay for their care. With Britain's demographics, that is not sustainable; neither is it socially just."
Misunderstood reaction
But in our view Mr Timothy has misunderstood the reaction to his proposals – or at least our reaction to them anyway. The problem lay not so much in asking older people and their families to pay more, but in asking them to pay more in the ways specifically proposed and the likely consequences of this, whether intended or not, coupled with the lack of any clarity as to what they might receive in return which might make such policies fair and worthwhile from their point of view. There was also no recognition that many older people and their families are already paying a great deal for social care and not always receiving a good service in return, or that 1.2 million older people have an unmet need for care and require help.
In addition, the Conservatives' decision as expressed in their Manifesto apparently not to contemplate a compulsory 'risk pooling' arrangement, backed by Government, whereby everyone is protected against the risk of incurring catastrophic care costs in exchange for some kind of payment in advance, or possibly in arrears if preferable, seems a big missed opportunity. This approach, interpreted in different ways in Germany and Japan, for example, is not without its difficulties, but it does at least provide the public of all ages with some certainty and reassurance, allowing different age groups to pay in different ways; this, coupled with a cast-iron commitment to fill the social care funding gap, would be far closer to the 'sustainable solution' for social care that we hope we will eventually get.
Social care is complex and riven with technicalities, and public understanding about it is generally quite low; for these reasons it is not very amenable to the 'retail politics' that typically dominate during Election campaigns.
Social care is, however, an incredibly important lifeline for many hundreds of thousands of older people, and disabled adults too, and it is really good that its significance to individuals and to our country came prominently to attention through the Election campaign in a way that had never really happened before.
The Conservatives were right to focus attention on social care during the Campaign, but in their Manifesto they started the conversation in the wrong place and their proposals were insufficiently well thought through. That is unfortunate but it is not terminal and a carefully considered Green Paper, developed by a team of clever and committed officials, would be an excellent vehicle for remedying the problems that emerged during the Campaign and getting social care to a better place.
At Age UK we would however be extremely disappointed if there is no mention of social care in the Queen's Speech at all: that would be a tragedy that would simply pile up greater problems for millions of older people and their families in the months and years to come.


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The BBC has a pretty decent article on the damage to one of the nuclear powerplants in Japan. The type of reactor involved is a BWR, or boiling-water reactor. The Wikipedia article on these is a bit long, but it operates somewhat like a hot water heater in your house. A nuclear core (2 below) produces heat to boil water (7) into steam (6). That steam is used to spin steam turbines (8 and 9) (like big windmills in theory, but not quite) to produce electricity (10). The steam is then condensed (12) back into water and is sent back into the core (15).
With the earthquake they lost electrical power at the station. This caused the cooling water pumps to stop running. The reactors were automatically shutdown, but because the reactor is full of radioactive material that continues to decay, decay heat continues to heat up the core. They started emergency diesel generators to get those pumps restarted, but those generators apparently cut out shortly after starting. They got temporary generators started eventually for reactors 1 and 2, but not 3.
So, without any cooling, the water left in the core starts to boil off. Think a boiling pot of water. If you put a lid on it, the pressure increases until the lid pops off to relieve that pressure. Reactors have built-in relief valves to relieve this kind of pressure into a containment area. Which appears to be what happened. Here's where the bad stuff starts. The reactor can get so hot from decay heat that it breaks down the water into hydrogen and oxygen. Well, in this case the hydrogen, oxygen and some spark look to have caused an explosion damaging or destroying the containment (the gray boxes in the above diagrem) for reactor 1, and the fears are it may happen at reactor 3 as well.
This means there may not be a barrier keeping all radioactive material from the reactor from escaping to the environment. The BBC article mentions they've detected radioactive cesium. That is potentially very bad. Cesium is a fission product (it is produced by the splitting of uranium fuel atoms) and should be locked up inside the fuel elements inside the core. If we're detecting it, it might mean that some fuel elements have ruptured. With the possible loss of containment from that hydrogen explosion, we could see the release of some pretty nasty radioactive materials from that reactor.
Now the situation is not hopeless. It sounds like the reactor core and vessel (1) are still intact. The release of radioactive material is most likely from those relief valves I mentioned earlier. So, if you can get the pressure under control so that it doesn't open the relief valves, you won't be leaking any radioactive material into the open. The heat produced by the radioactive material in the core decays away exponentially, so as time gone by the situation should get better by itself. Whether that is fast enough to prevent the release of a lot of bad stuff is another story. However, they are apparently flying in spare generators to try and get the cooling pumps running again as well.
So, long story long, this situation is a bit worse than the three-mile island disaster already. It is nowhere near as bad as Chernobyl. I don't expect things to get much worse at this reactor, but clean-up will be a huge undertaking. Please, ask any questions you might have, and I'll try to answer them.
EDIT: And as always, it pays to go to the professionals, and not rely on 2nd/3rd hand reports. International Atomic Energy Agency website with updates on Japan.

subset: commoncrawl


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2018-07-31 15:39
A teen in Indianapolis, Indiana, says he suffered second-degree burns to his face and body after friends poured boiling water on him as part of the "Hot Water Challenge" that's gone viral on YouTube and elsewhere. Kyland Clark said he and his friends watched videos of the challenge on YouTube before he fell asleep. His friend attempted the challenge as a joke, Fox 59 reported. "My skin just fell off my chest, and then I looked in the mirror and I had skin falling off here and, on my face," he told the station. "There's a limit to what you should do in a challenge and what you shouldn't," Clark told Fox 59. "Don't take it overboard." Clark was hospitalized for a week. Doctors hope that the pigment will return to his face in several months. They issued a warning about the "Hot Water Challenge," saying that it can cause permanent injuries or death. "If your friends are telling you to do this, they aren't good friends," Dr. Ed Bartkus, of Indiana University Health, was quoted by Fox 59 as saying. In August 2017, an 8-year-old girl died after she allegedly drank boiling water through a straw on a dare, CBS News reported. Ki'ari Pope of Florida suffered breathing problems later that night and lost consciousness. Her mother then called 911. The girl died days later in the hospital. Ki'ari's family said that she watched videos of the challenge. "Parents, talk to your kids about these challenges," Ki'ari's aunt Diane Johnson said. "Don't just let it go by and just give them your phone and let them be. No. Watch what they're watching." From The Epoch Times


text: The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is in full swing and many electronic companies are making their mark at the start of the New Year. Samsung is one of the leading digital consumer products company and they are making sure that they capture the electronic markets in almost every field. This time Samsung is going to launch their new smart TVs, easy to use cameras and camcorders and latest mobile technology. At the 2011 CES in Las Vegas Samsung decided to begin their year with the concept of Smarter Life and therefore they have come up with products that are based on three pillars, Smarter Design, Smarter Experience and Smarter Connections. Samsung said that their product designs are based on the three principles and their every product has a purpose.


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Healthy Hair Meetup UK | We came, we saw, we were beautiful!
This is a quick post for those ladies (and gents) who were unable to be at the meetup, as well as a fun picture share with those who did attend! We had around 25 ladies turn up on Sunday and we were a nice international bunch. With folks from the States and Germany, we had a real mix of ladies (not to mention my buddy from Russia!).
The Elixir Bar really was a perfect venue with friendly staff and great multimedia backup. They were also very accommodating of our haircare obsessions! lol! It's good when your venue host knows the benefits of jojoba oil already!
We had three provisional sponsors when preparing for the meetup but for the day, we had 2 lovely sponsors on the ground: The Calabash Hub and The Goody Box UK!
With refreshments flowing, we jumped right into the presentations with a "Healthy Hair Basics" talk to start with. Then, a Q&A followed: important questions on pH, hair typing and regimens cropped up here!
We had two further presentations: a "Headwrapping demonstration" by Sis E of the Calabash Hub and a "Haircare Tips and Tricks" talk by myself.
In between presentations, we would chat, eat and browse the natural goodies on sale!
I really enjoyed the headwrap presentation - though I know most enjoyed it from the feedback we've received. I was touched by the generosity of both our sponsors on this event (helping with compiling the goodie bags and giving samples away!).
My final few words would be, look out for the next event on the 29th of April being organised by Sis E, a "Product Making/Kitchen Treasures workshop". It promises to be informative and hands-on so get your tickets early! I better go get mine!
The next Healthy Hair Meetup should be in mid-to-late June by God's grace (if not earlier!). It looks like hair conditioning with homemade treatments and twisting / braiding workshops are going to be the order of the day: from the feedback forms...yay! I will get cracking on that one! Can't wait!
Ciao, lovelies!
Video coming soon!
More pictures for your perusal below!
6/23/2012 12:19:00 am
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8/18/2012 03:20:14 am
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9/24/2012 05:02:23 am
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Hi, I'm Lola!
A self-confessed hair addict! On here, I share my hair journey and my inspiration.
Oh yeah, I've also picked up a small running habit. No biggie!
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Email me at email@example.com
Pictures: I do not own the copyright to all the pictures. Hence, I will credit the source.


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Schroeder SHP - A pump protection valve for Power Generation high pressures under all load conditions Since the launch in 2015, Schroeder Valves have had success that exceeded their expectations. One of has been the supply of 36 large units to a power station in Egypt. Schroeder SHP. This automatic recirculation valve was developed for high and extremely high pressures and also works reliably under highly fluctuating load conditions. With this innovation, the specialist in protective pump fittings is responding to the requirements of its customers, primarily from the field of power plant and plant construction and the offshore industry. These valves are ideally suited for Eskom Power Stations where they need minimum flow protection on their steam driven and electrically driven feedwater pumps. The SHP builds on existing Schroeder Valves technology. The company already has years of operational experience with almost all of the effective principles and assemblies used. As such this can be considered 'Proven Equipment'. The individual system components have simply been modified and innovatively combined, as such that they enhance the dependable and low-wear area of application of the existing technology to meet the increased requirements. Thus, the new SHP-series automatic recirculation valve enables and promotes the energy-efficient operation of modern power plant facilities. "The SHP takes the general development of higher pressures and temperatures and the increased energy-efficiency requirements into account," explained Axel Mücher, managing partner at Schroeder Valves. "Alongside this, the changing way in which plants work was also taken into consideration in the development of the SHP. Special load sequence power plants, such as modern combined cycle power plants and coal-fired power plants, are operated at partial load for a large proportion of their operating time, on account of the increasing high proportion of regenerative energy generation and highly fluctuating load conditions." Schroeder Valves has each valve undergo a 100% pressure and functionality testing prior to delivery. To ensure this also with the SHP, the company is currently adding to their flow test center a test stand for pressures up to 400 bar. For more information contact: Desmond Delport Valve & Automation Tel: +27 (0)11 397 2833 Email: email@example.com Web: www.valve.co.za Waco Africa is now a 52% Black Owned Business A learnership programme for 60 females from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, with disabilities, was recently implemented by Sanitech, a division of Waco Africa. The learners, who all reside in rural areas around South Africa, embarked on a General Education and Training Certificate in Hygiene and Cleaning. "This certificate is a level 1 certificate which allows the learner to work and study for a period of 12 months while receiving a stipend," says Sanitech Managing Director Robert Erasmus. "Embarking on a level 1 roll out allows Sanitech to enrol youth that did not finish matric. Once they have successfully completed level 1 they can move on to level 2 and 3 in the following year. "This process will give hope to youth who were not able to finish matric and are given a chance to pursue a career and stand a chance of attaining sustainable employment for the future. We are excited about this journey and look forward to watching it develop during the year ahead." This latest learnership programme has also enabled Waco to move from a BBBEE contribution Level 4 to a Level 3, with a BEE Supplier Recognition of 110%, in addition Waco Africa is now 52 % black owned business. "The Waco Group continuously identifies talented individuals for promotion into positions that are strategically important or require unique skills. This is done through our Employee Development Programmes offered at different levels of the organisation and structured to achieve specific outcomes, contribute to the group's management team and support leadership succession requirements," concludes Erasmus. The Waco Group offers several Employee Development Programmes, including the Waco Africa Cadet Scheme, Supervisory Development Programme, Business Leadership Development Programme and Executive Development Programme. Once the learnerships are complete, the students will be absorbed into Sanitech's business with their current 2 500 employees, and another cycle of learnerships will be rolled out. Sanitech is a leading provider of cleaning and hygiene services, operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. It prides itself on being the continent's leader in toilet hire and technology, providing superior products and excellent customer service. Sanitech is a division of Waco Africa, a Level 3 BEE contributor. Waco Africa includes Sanitech, Form-Scaff, SGB-Cape, Skyjacks and Abacus Space Solutions. These businesses have been providing essential services in their markets for more than 60 years, and form an integral part of maintenance and infrastructure roll-out expenditure programmes including dams, bridges, power stations, petrochemical plants, mines, schools, hospitals, sanitation plants, shopping centres and office blocks. Waco Africa is a subsidiary of Waco International, a global provider of formwork, shoring, scaffolding, industrial maintenances services, hydraulic and suspended access platforms, relocatable modular buildings, portable sanitation, and hygiene solutions. The group operates out of more than 100 locations in 15 countries across three continents. 17
18 18 The recent Sasolburg Petrochemical Roadshow


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Hulu is redefining the television experience for viewers by using AWS to support the addition of more than 50 live channels for its Hulu with Live TV offering. Hulu is an American subscription video-on-demand service owned by Hulu LLC, a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, Comcast, and Time Warner. Running its live TV service on AWS's reliable and secure infrastructure allows Hulu to deliver a great viewer experience, even in times of rapid spikes in viewership and traffic.
To learn more about how AWS is helping other customers transform their businesses, visit the AWS Customer Success page.


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NS Lifestyles
NS Lifestyles: Live a Fashionable Life
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Thursday, July 21, 2016
Here's another cool company that I was recently introduced to......Are you eternally searching for the perfect pair of black pants? The ones that can easily transition from day to night? Ones with a perfect fit that do not gape and lie flat under blouses. Welcome, Betabrand. The company that makes dress pants that are as comfortable as Yoga pants. Perfect for work, travel or just running around doing errands while still being elegant enough to wear out to hit the town. Below I have highlighted some Betabrand looks as well as a transition from a casual black pants day look to a chic nighttime outfit. Click the following to see
the complete line of pants.
Black Pants Day look
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Black Pants Night look
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When one considers beer brands, they most likely think about the importance of responsible consumption rather than responsible production. Of course, responsible consumption of beer is paramount. However, beer brands have a number of unique issues compared to other sectors, including efficiency per liter produced (water, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions) and the opportunity to […]
Tag Archives: Neumarkter Lammsbräu
Beer must be consumed, but also manufactured responsibly
20/10/2016 – 09:00


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Setting a quit date is taking one step on your quitting journey.
Already decided on the big day? Enter it right here on the calendar. It'll automatically update in your EX Plan. We'll count down the days for you, and then once you've stopped using tobacco, we'll start counting up all the days that you've been tobacco-free.
Not sure what day to choose? Check below for advice on what day could work best for you.
When you're ready, set your quit date. This will give you the time you need to get ready—and give you something to work toward.
Already have an account?
Log in to access your EX Plan
You may need time to build confidence and skills before you feel ready to quit (and we're here to help you do just that). So make it easier by giving yourself enough time to get ready.
That may give you too much time to start second-guessing your decision, and you may end up changing your mind. We recommend a day that's about 2-4 weeks away.
Some people pick a special day like a birthday or anniversary. That's great, but keep in mind that for some people celebrations can be a smoking trigger. And quitting on a vacation may sound low-stress, but it can make things that much harder when you get back to the real world. In general, we recommend quitting during a time that resembles your regular life.
Use the Tobacco Tracker to list out the things that make you use tobacco, so you'll know what to watch out for when your quit day comes.


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Your wedding day is infinitely more than a ceremony, a stunning dress, fancy bouquet and a memorable reception. By carefully considering what the theme of your special day will be, you can create the mood and shape the experiences of everyone attending including the bride and groom, family members and friends. Your options are as unique as you are; all you need are some suggestions to get you started.
Share Your Love of Travel
If you and your groom love the footloose and fancy-free lifestyle, why not reflect it in your wedding milieu? Take a look at some ideas that could get you and your guests on the road to one of the most amazing trips of their lives.
The Destination Wedding
A destination wedding that reflects who you are as a couple is sure to give you and your guests an occasion you will never forget. The advantage to this type of wedding is there is often not a lot to plan as the destination itself will serve as the backdrop and décor. Keep in mind, however, that this type of arrangement is best suited for small groups and can often be cost-prohibitive.
World Culture Close to Home
If you would rather have your ceremony closer to home, that doesn't mean you need to give up on your love of experiencing other countries and cultures. Even your invitations and place cards can be designed to look like postcards urging guests to be part of an unforgettable travel experience.
- Use an airport-style seating chart modeled after what you would see at the departure gate.
- Give each table a destination name that means something to you as a couple: where you met, where you took your first vacation, etc. Your table favors can even be customized to match each unique destination.
- Scatter vintage luggage, postcards and your favorite travel photos in strategic locations to keep the travel theme alive and the guests buzzing.
- If you want to give your guests a foreshadowing of your travel theme, create paper airplane invitations. In lieu of confetti, bring out more of these DIY flying objects. They're not only fun for guests to throw but easy to clean up as well.
- Reflect your wanderlust in the thank-you notes you send. One idea is to collect colorful postcards from your honeymoon destination and use them to communicate your gratitude to those who attended your ceremony and reception.
Go Global
Remember that spherical depiction of the world that used to grace your elementary school classroom? Now that you're all grown up, incorporate it into the theme of your wedding. If your love for each other spans the world and back, why not take this opportunity to show it to the people who are most important to you?
- Use globes as centerpieces for each table and adorn your invitations with 3-D globe depictions.
- Use chalkboard paint to cover a traditional globe and self-style it to reflect any words or pictures that are particularly important to you as a couple and reflect your journey together.
- Recycle old maps to be used as covers for favor boxes. Come up with adventure-themed items to give your guests such as airplane bottle openers, bottle stoppers in the shape of compasses or globes, or vintage suitcase luggage tags.
The food and drink you choose for your reception can express your travel theme in a special and memorable way. Give guests small samples of wines from states or countries that have meaning for you as a couple. Since you probably have tons of memories linked to restaurants where you ate or cuisine you love, let your guests in on these special recollections by literally giving them a taste.
If you had your first date at a fast food place, bring out family-style plates of French fries for sharing. Then wow your guests with Chinese dumplings, Indian samosas, Greek souvlaki and French pastries. By the time attendees have finished their meal, they will actually begin to feel like they have been your traveling companions from your first date to the present.
Make Your Wedding Out of This World
Are you and your partner hopelessly obsessed fans of one of the many extraterrestrial-themed movie franchises? As long as you both agree that you want to share your fan love with everyone at your wedding, the sky is the limit. From dressing your bridesmaids and attendants as space creatures to sending Luke Skywalker invitations and thank-you notes, your options are as numerous as the stars. Here are just a few to get you started:
- Say your vows in a planetarium or under the moon. When it comes time for the ring, give each other bands engraved with star insignias.
- As guests come into the reception area to be seated, guide them to their tables with a constellation chart.
- Your centerpieces can have a lunar theme, with your photo backdrop evoking the cool majesty of a crescent moon.
- Engage your guests at the reception by starting a star-naming contest.
- Order a wedding cake with an astronomy theme depicting the planets and stars.
- Your bridesmaids can be adorned in star-patterned dresses, or you could give them zodiac-inspired earrings to wear to the ceremony.
- Don't leave the groomsmen out: Festoon them with your favorite geeky cosmic bow ties.
A Wedding in the Great Outdoors
You don't need to go off-planet for stunningly beautiful wedding ideas. Nature's color palate is as breathtaking and varied as are the patterns and themes seen in our forests, oceans, mountains and deserts. You can choose rustic destinations for your ceremony that reflect your love of the outdoors or perhaps say your "I dos" on a cruise or sailboat in the middle of the ocean. Invitations, place cards and your reception room decorations can reflect your love of living and wild things.
Animal Lovers
You don't need to leave your love for your dog or cat behind as you go to the altar. Use your big day to let the world know how important your pet is to you. Remember, this is your wedding; you can use it to reflect what matters the most to you in your life.
- Decorate your cake using your pet's photo as a model.
- Include your pet in your engagement and wedding photos.
- If you're the type of person who takes Fido or Fluffy everywhere with you, include him or her in the ceremony.
Are you a bird lover at heart? If so, birds can be an integral part of your wedding theme. From doves that symbolize love to robins that represent the freshness of spring and new life, you can fill your invitations, place cards and centerpieces with your feathered friends. You could even take time during your ceremony to allow guests to listen to a minute or two of gorgeous birdsong.
Go Green!
The "green wedding" has also become quite popular in recent years, reflecting the notion that many couples are giving back and taking an interest in the environment around them. If you want to go in this direction, here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Begin by making as many components as possible out of recycled or repurposed materials. This includes the paper on which your invitations are written as well as the clothing you wear.
- Consider wearing your mother's wedding dress instead of buying a new one. If that won't work for you, ask a seamstress to fashion a new wedding dress for you out of vintage fabrics.
- For maximum energy conservation, have your ceremony outdoors during the day to take advantage of maximum natural light. If necessity dictates that you have your ceremony and reception indoors, have them in the same place. By doing so, your guests will save fuel because they will not need to travel from one location to another.
- You might also express your commitment to the cause by having an entirely paperless experience, using texts and emails for all correspondence, and wall mounted digital placecards.
- Instead of cut flowers that you will just throw away after the reception, decorate with potted plants or topiaries that can be replanted outside later.
- Use a caterer that is committed to farm-to-table living, meaning that all food is grown in the area and is more healthy and earth-friendly.
Team Spirit
One of the most popular wedding theme ideas in recent years seems to be the sports team-inspired event. Of course, the specifics depend on your team and sport of choice, but the possibilities are varied enough that you are sure to hit a homerun or throw right to the end zone with some of these ideas.
- Game day-themed wedding invitations and programs.
- Greet your guests with ushers dressed as your favorite players.
- Hand out fan towels embossed with your names and wedding date as favors.
- Flowers in your favorite team's colors
- Write your own vows that reflect your team spirit
Where Love and Work Meet
If you and your partner are as passionate about your careers as you are about each other, have no fear: You can incorporate your job choices into your nuptials.
- If you are a teacher, style your invitations after exam booklets. Offer customized rulers as party favors, and pepper your reception area with apple-themed decorations.
- Librarians can create a book-related theme with Dewey decimal system-inspired place cards and bookend centerpieces.
No matter what your job description might entail, all you need is a dash of creativity. Before you know it, you will have come up with unique ideas that you can probably implement without a lot of expense.
An Historically Inspired Ceremony
Believe it or not, you can have a very modern wedding while still paying homage to former eras. Here are just a few themes that can help you nod to the past and to the future at the same time.
It's All Greek to Me
The ancient Greeks may have ruled the world thousands of years ago, but you can still welcome them to your special day.
- Send Greek key-designed invitations.
- Make your centerpieces out of plaster-of-Paris to resemble Greek statues.
- Name your tables after gods and goddesses.
- Pay tribute to the Olympic Games. This is a great idea if you and your fiancé are sports fans as well.
Combine the above with delicious Greek food and spirited dancing, and your wedding might just be the talk of the modern world.
When in Rome
When you think about Rome, togas probably come to mind. Of course, you could sport them a la "Animal House," but you have other options as well.
- Offer your guests an Italian menu at your reception complete with bread, wine and olives.
- Decorate with Romanesque marbled pillars, Mediterranean trees and flowers.
- If you want to be as authentic as possible, hire a harpist.
- If theater is your passion, pay a troupe of professional thespians to enact a few scenes from "Julius Caesar."
The Victorian Era
If the beauty and exquisite taste of the Victorian Era has always appealed to you, be one of the many couples who have used the designs and moods of this epoch in their ceremony and reception. You may assume that a Victorian theme will always mean high tea, garden parties, bird baths and cherubs, think again.
- You can change it up while remaining true to the spirit of this 19th-century British queen by incorporating décor such as formal chandeliers, lamps and softly burning candles.
- Your music should also reflect the mood, so consider hiring a classical pianist, harpsichordist or a string quartet.
- If you really want to go over the top, require that your guests wear formal dress, including black tails and white gloves.
- If at all possible, get some type of ferns; these were huge back in the Victorian day.
- For an authentic touch, scan images of Victorian-era newspapers, remembering that this time period occurred between 1837 and 1914.
- Since cigars were quite popular among the gentlemen of that age, make some available if your reception venue allows it.
- Before the event, take some Victorian-style pictures of yourself and the groom in period costume and scatter them around the reception room.
- Offer your guests a Victorian-inspired photo booth with period hats, dueling pistols, etc. to add some creativity and fun to the event.
- If you can rent relevant furniture such as grandfather clocks, Oriental vases and overstuffed chairs, you will definitely attain a degree of authenticity that people will talk about long after the day is over.
Finally, enchant your guests with an old Victorian custom known as the cake-pull. Your baker will tie charms to ribbons and place them between the layers of your cake. Before the cake is cut, each of your bridesmaids will pull one of the ribbons out, revealing her fortune. An anchor represents stability; a flower connotes blooming love; a clover means good luck; the cross stands for peace, and the heart symbolizes true love. There should be no doubt about the destiny of the girl who pulls out the wedding ring charm.
Your wedding party and guests alike will be enchanted by this old/new re-envisioning of the bouquet ceremony. Seal the deal with exquisite food including oysters, caviar, beef consommé, foie gras, roast duck, brandy and fine wines.
Art Deco
Maybe a wedding based on a British queen isn't your style. If that is the case, perhaps you would prefer to have something more modern such as an art deco event with jazz, prohibition-era speakeasies and the roaring 20's ethos.
- In terms of décor, remember that this early 20th-century period was replete with glitter, feathers, fans, chevrons, sweeping curves and sunbursts.
- Bring Gatsby glam to your big day by seating your guests in vintage chairs or even church pews.
- In your reception area, let the lighting and decorations drip with the high-flying spirit, intoxication and optimism of this era. Even your place settings and china can be ornate.
- Set up a speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar that serves authentic drinks from the period.
- Add some extra authenticity with a gramophone or two scattered around the reception area. At a quiet moment, play a song or two that will transport your guests to another time and place.
- When the moment arrives to get the crowd dancing, play recorded jazz songs or bring out a live ensemble.
- Toast your wonderful day with an honest-to-goodness champagne tower that Gatsby would have loved.
- Finally, make your exit at the end of the night in a vintage car.
Modern and Contemporary Weddings
Are you a couple who is rooted in the present and the future? If you want your ceremony and reception to reflect the mood of the day, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that there isn't one pre-determined definition of a modern wedding. In other words, you cannot simply order a contemporary wedding in a box, complete with everything you will need from invitations to dress to food to favors.
On the other hand, the good news is that this gives you a tremendous amount of leeway for customizing every aspect of your day. For some couples, "modern" means a city hall ceremony and dinner at a favorite local restaurant. Others go the extra mile in every respect, renting out gorgeous rooftop venues, hiring celebrity musicians and dressing in only the best designer fashions.
Whatever style you choose, the basic advice remains the same: Settle on a theme that you can both agree on, one that reflects who you are as a couple. Make sure it is within your budget, and be certain you give careful thought to your highest priorities. If, for instance, it is very important to both of you that certain family members are in attendance, hold the event in a location that is accessible to these most revered guests.
Finally, and this may be the most crucial piece of advice of all, never lose sight of the reason you are holding this event in the first place. After the caterers have packed up and the guests are gone, after all the gifts have been open and the last drink swallowed, this is really about you and your partner. No matter how stressful the planning process becomes, make every effort to focus on the end goal.
Make your wedding and reception a time that you can share with the people you love the most; reflect who you are in every aspect of the day. And when the last candle has been blown out and the last song sung, you can move on with your life knowing that your day was as special as it could possibly be.


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While the Blue Star Families annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey may show that benefits are the number one topic on the MilFam mind, another issue from the survey stuck out to me: the civilian-military divide.
The survey, which is expected to be released at a press conference later today, takes a look at a host of military family issues including benefits, spouse employment, spouse education, military child support, combat stress and the use of social media by military families.
You can read my story now over at Military.com or see the results here on the Blue Star Families website later today.
According to the survey's results, 88 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement, "The general public is aware of the impacts of military service on military families." In short, military families feel that the civilian community does not understand or sympathize with them. That number is down only 10 points from 2009 when the same question was asked.
Over 5,000 people responded to the 2013 survey, which was conducted online in November, 2012.
This isn't the only study that shows these results. And while I don't know of a study of civilians and their sympathy to military families, I suspect that they would report it as being generally high.
Which means that the programs -- such as Joining Forces -- are only making a small dent in how we feel about our relationships with our neighbors.
This is particularly interesting when you pair it with the survey finding that respondents have a high rate of community involvement. Sixty-six percent, for example, said they have volunteered with a formal organization within the past year. Fifty-five percent said they trust "all or most" of the people in their neighborhoods.
But we know from personal experience that the military community is very insular. we volunteer with organizations that serve us. We live in communities where our neighbors are also military families.
Maybe the problem with the civilian-military divide isn't that the community isn't doing enough to understand us -- but they we aren't doing enough to connect with them? If I really wanted to bridge the gap with non-military members, I'd volunteer at the local library. I'd shop somewhere other than the commissary. I'd join a local community book club.


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Social Security Strategies: Government Pensions and the Windfall Elimination Provision
It seems like many of you have questions about Social Security. Lately, I've been getting several questions from people with government pensions who didn't have Social Security taxes withheld. I asked Tiya Lim, who wrote the section on Social Security in our book The Only Guide You'll Ever Need for the Right Financial Plan, to weigh in on the topic. Here's what she had to say:
There are two provisions that could reduce or eliminate your Social Security benefits if you're also eligible to receive a government pension:
- The windfall elimination provision (WEP)
- The government pension offset provision (GPO)
Why the Reduction? The Social Security system is progressive, meaning lower-paid workers get a higher percentage of their pre-retirement earnings than high-wage earners. According to the Social Security Administration, lower-paid workers could get a Social Security benefit equal to about 55 percent of their pre-retirement earnings, while highly paid workers may receive about 25 percent.
Without the WEP in place, people who primarily worked in a job not covered by Social Security would have their benefits calculated as if they were long-term, low-wage workers. Thus, they would not only receive their pension, but also receive Social Security benefits that represented a higher percentage of their earnings.
How Much Is the Reduction? Your benefits are calculated based on your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for wage inflation and weighted according to a formula from the SSA. The WEP uses a modified formula to calculate a reduced benefit amount.
The maximum reduction possible is based on the number of years you contributed to Social Security and the age at which you become eligible for benefits. The SSA provides a WEP chart and calculator to help you determine your reduced benefit.
The following are examples from Social Security that should help illustrate how the WEP can reduce benefits. Janice never married and is claiming her Social Security benefits at full retirement age. She has 42 years where she earned money covered by Social Security, as well as 38 years of local government employment not covered by Social Security. (Obviously, some of those years overlap. For example, she may have had a part-time job [covered by Social Security] while working her local government job [not covered by Social Security].)
She currently collects $4,246 a month from her government pension, triggering the WEP. Without the WEP, Social Security would have paid her $1,615 per month on top of her monthly pension. The WEP reduces that amount to $202 per month.
Frank, on the other hand, is married. He has 18 years of earnings covered by Social Security and 15 years of earnings not covered by Social Security. His monthly government pension is $1,227. Without the WEP, his benefit would have been $973 per month, with his wife getting a spousal benefit of $486.50 per month. The WEP would reduce that to $156 per month for Frank, with a similar reduction for his wife down to $76.50.
However, when Frank dies, the WEP reduction disappears and the surviving spouse and eligible family members will have their benefits paid based on the regular benefit formula. In Frank's case, his wife could receive a full survivor benefit of $973 per month.
For further reading on Social Security, see the following posts:
- File and Suspend
- Double Dipping
- Former Spouses
- How Are My Benefits Calculated?
- Single Filers
- Understanding the Spousal Benefit
- Government Pensions: Offset Provision and Windfall Elimination Provision
- The Issues with Taking Benefits Early and Investing Them


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Why we become greedy? Why is there no end to our wants? Even if we get what we want, we want even more. Why are we never satisfied with what we have? These questions have always bother me.
Sadly, we see craving for material gain everywhere today. The desire to receive has dominated the urge to give back. In one of my previous organizations, a young executive came to me and asked me a for a promotion within 6 months of getting hired. I looked at him with surprise. He mentioned that his commitments have increased of late. He has bought a new house and a new car. I wondered how one can get into a new lifestyle without first thinking about the means to sustain and maintain that. Is this short-sightedness because of greed?
Is greed going to encompass our lives? Will everyone today get engulfed by the clutches of greed and desire? Are we saying people today have only greed and completely lack compassion? Does everyone have this dark side only? Well, I don't think so. The opposite of greed is generosity. At the heart of generosity is compassion. Every human being has both greed and compassion. But why often greed gets the better of compassion. In the context, Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra says, "The intention to satisfy passionate selfish interest is itself greediness, and this greediness is addiction." So it's addiction which breeds selfish interest and greed. So how do we overcome this addiction? To overcome addiction, we don't have to suppress it. We just need to increase our devotion. What is the difference between devotion and addiction.
"In addiction there is gratification from self-interest. In devotion there is satisfaction from interests for others." So all of us need to bring our devotion back. Without devotion to our Living Ideal, True Master or Guru, overcoming the ill-effects of Greed is not possible. So will you find your devotion?


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A very Happy New Year from all at Walter Reginald! We are looking forward to the year ahead! We are kicking off with an extension to our SALE, so come along and grab yourself a bargain throughout January!
We are introducing an exciting new range of leathers for accessories and upholstery in addition to our existing collection.
Come on down to London's Leather Heaven for the widest range of beautiful, quality skins.


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An article on the MP made me think about stress dreams and how random they seem (while in actuality they are all fairly similar among people I know). So tell me your stress dream! You know, the one where you show up to school/work naked, or you have to recite the Gettysburg Address with Lincoln in the audience, etc.
My stress dreams are always the same. When I was (much) younger, I was on a competitive dance team. My stress dream always involves me showing up for our final yearly recital, except I haven't been to practice all year* and I don't know any of the choreography and I'm not even sure which costume goes with which dance. In my dreams I think, "I'll just hide behind the tallest person on stage and mimic what they do - I can fake it!" but then I'm always blocked front center and I screw up the dance and let the team down.
Tell me yours!
*This detail always bugs me in my dream because I know that there's a miss-three-practices-and-you're-out policy on the team. So half my dream is spent wondering why they're still letting me dance.


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AfriGeneas Free Persons of Color Forum
Re: Egyptians in SC FPOC Indians (from India)
In Response To: Re: Egyptians in SC FPOC Indians (from India) ()
Hi Paul,
Then Francis C. Assisi should have apologized publicly...for all to see. I have been reading and following your research since the early 1990's (in book form first) so I know that Assisi is not the first or the last or the most recent.
Obviously there are some people who think that many of us are not aware of your work and feel free to use freely as their own...and think we don't notice.
Hi Raymond. Francis C. Assisi and I corresponded by email before and after he published that article in which he wrote, "My research into this early American history suggests..."
Messages In This Thread


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By all standard measures, the RBI's second bi-monthly policy review for FY17 was a non-event.
The central bank kept the policy rate unchanged at 6.5% which was widely expected by the markets. While the RBI made the point that it still remains accommodative, it highlighted upside risks to inflation going forward emanating mainly from the upswing in commodity prices and stickiness in core inflation.
We, in fact, expect limited rate cuts (to the tune of 0-25bps) to be administered over FY17 because (1) inflation is likely to remain sticky at 4.5-5.5% even if the monsoons are normal, and (2) it would make sense for the RBI to signal to the Central Government (by not cutting rates) that its fiscal maths appear overly ambitious.
On the liquidity front, the RBI reiterated the point it made in its last policy statement that it will work towards maintaining a neutral position (compared to a deficit position earlier).
As regards growth, the RBI expects GDP growth to be recorded at 7.6% in FY17 compared with 7.4% in FY16. This mild acceleration in FY17, according to the RBI, will come from strengthening consumption demand which will be aided by the tail-wind of 7th Pay Commission award and normal monsoons. However, the RBI highlighted that it remains cognizant of the fact that the private investments in India have not picked up.
While the text of the monetary policy statement was entirely in line with expectations, the absence of any formal commentary on two critical developments that materialised in the run-up to this monetary policy review was conspicuous by its absence.
For one, in the second half of the Budget Session, the Parliament approved a bill that calls for the setting up a monetary policy committee to decide policy rates. While this appears to be a step in the right direction in terms of bringing the RBI's policymaking process in line with global best practices, it is critical to note that the Indian version of the monetary policy committee gives the RBI a lesser say in monetary policy compared with international standards.
In fact, the proposed panel framework envisages lesser independence of monetary policy making than envisaged by the Urijit Patel committee which was set up by Raghuram Rajan 'to revise and strengthen the monetary policy framework' immediately after he assumed office of the Governor of RBI in September 2013.
The Central Government proposed committee comprises three members from the RBI – the RBI Governor, Deputy Governor and Executive Director – and three independent members who would be nominated by the Government. This is in sharp contrast to the recommendations made by Urjit Patel's 'Report of the Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework' which states that, "The Governor of the RBI will be the Chairman of the MPC, the Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy will be the Vice Chairman and the Executive Director in charge of monetary policy will be a member. Two other members will be external, to be decided by the Chairman and Vice Chairman."
The complete absence of the RBI's view regarding this important change was conspicuous and a departure from past practices. For instance, when the RBI accepted the Urjit Patel Committee recommendations and moved to targeting CPI rather than WPI, the monetary policy statement in January 2014 explicitly mentioned this important change.
Secondly, in a significant departure from past practice the government has made the current Cabinet Secretary the head of the interview panel which has been constituted to select a Deputy Governor of the RBI (as Deputy Governor HR Khan's term expires in July 2016).
This appointment is usually the prerogative of the RBI and hence the panel is typically headed by the RBI Governor. This deviation from past practices is clearly an encroachment on the RBI's territory and at the very least, it would have been appropriate for the RBI to convey information regarding the same.
So while the monetary policy review was entirely along expected lines, the RBI's lack of commentary on two material developments that transpired over the last 30 days raises certain uncomfortable questions.
Given that Rajan's report card as the RBI governor has been spectacular on the 'macroeconomic management' front and even better on the 'engendering competition' front, we hope that New Delhi makes an objective decision regarding Rajan's term renewal and we see this Governor delivering the fourth monetary policy review statement in October 2016 as well.
Ritika Mankar Mukherjee is senior economist - vice president, and Sumit Shekhar is junior economist, Ambit Capital.
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Updated Date: Jun 08, 2016 09:26:51 IST