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[Vienna, Sechshauser Str. 28-1A / December 14th 2018 — December 15th 2018 – 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.]
Solo exhibition. Opening on December 14th, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. with a musical performance by Jeremy RR.
With 280A artist collective Unseen Amsterdam's CO-OP
[Unseen Amsterdam / September 21th – 23th 2018]
Presenting an installation created in collaboration within 12 of their artists, 280A proposal for Unseen Amsterdam's CO-OP deals with the significance of the collective in times of progressive individualization, virtualization and ongoing fragmentation, but also with the idea of intensity in arts and culture.
[TOBE Gallery Budapest / June 20th 2018 — August 1st 2018]
Solo exhibition. Opening on June 19th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. with a musical performance by Musica Moralia.
I was featured by "Female Photographers Vienna", a platform for women in photography on their Instagram channel.
[December 11th to 17th]
I was invited to take over the Instagram Account of Revolv Collective, an Art Platform from Portsmouth, UK
[TOBE Gallery Budapest / November 24th 2017 — January 6th 2018]
The gallery presents its new venue together with its artists.
[Alte Sigmund Freud Universität / September 19th – 24th / Room 808]
I show works from my series from a distance together with TOBE Gallery at Parallel Vienna. The cycle consists of 9 works printed on acrylic glass.
[May 2017]
A selection of my work is published in a collection curated by Adela Holmes from Shoot Off Competitions.
[February 24th – March 10th 2017]
My image inhale|exhale is selected to be part of the 9TOPICS TRIAD curated portfolio and represents the topic #myworld.
The selection is shown at Arthill Gallery London.
[January 13th–14th, 2017]
Artworks from my series ages:changes and the secret life of plants are shown at a pop-up group-exhibition by TOBE Gallery at The Collective Art Miami. (photo by Tomas Opitz)
[November 25th – December 23rd 2016]
Works from the circle shapes_and_lines_connections are part of the group exhibition at TOBE Gallery in Budapest. (photo by Tomas Opitz)
[September 21–25, 2016]
I show my latest circle shapes_and_lines_connections in a group exhibition of TOBE Gallery at the Alte Post in Vienna. The works are combinations of drawings and black&white photography.
Interview with Mobiography Magazine
[August 2016]
Andy Butler interviewed me for the Mobiography Magazine, a Smartphone Photography Magazine for iPhoneography and Digital Art.
[July 2016]
My images white poem and fragility got honorable mentions at the iPhone Photography Awards 2016.
Photo/Foto | Australia
[April 2016]
The Australian photography magazine "Photo/Foto" interviewed me about my work and featured a sample of my images.
Read the interview on photofotomag.com
land escapes | Budapest
[Feburary 2016]
17 works are shown in my solo exhibition land escapes at TOBE Gallery in Budapest from February 29th to April 2th. Find out more about this cycle of works.
Shoot Off Competitions | Berlin
[February 2016]
I am featured as artist of the month on Shoot Off Competitions , an online gallery of mobile photography art, curated by Adela Holmes.
"It feels like there is a surprise waiting at every destination of her journey which does not get revealed. Mystery is always lurking and the mood she creates allows the viewer to get lost in thought. Besides all this I am also very drawn to Claudia's photography for the main reason that she treats the natural world with the same love and respect that it reflects." — A.H.
Memory Archive | Melbourne
[January 2016]
My image flare is shown in the group exhibition #memory_archive"
in Melbourne, Australia.
Almost black and white | Budapest
[November 2015]
A group exhibition at TOBE Gallery features images of the series land escapes (photo: Tomas Opitz)
Art Market | Budapest
[October 2015]
I am once again participating in the Anonymous Project at the Art Market Budapest. Brody ArtYard shows works from the series land escapes.
Album Cover
[September 2015]
My image airbrush from the cycle land escapes is the cover art of the new album of Austrian pianist, singer and songwriter Martin Klein. "Das Leben hat's doch gut mit uns gemeint" ("Life has been kind to us after all") is released by Traumton Records, Berlin.
9 Topics Girls Club | Fort Lauderdale
[September 2015]
This Instagram-based art project curated by Amalia Caputo and Marina Font from Florida showcases the works of mobile photography artists from all over the world. Several of my images are among the selected works on display at an exhibition in Fort Lauderdale, USA. (photo: 9 Topics Girls Club)
Secret Garden | Hárságyi Pince
[August 2015]
A group exhibition together with Amalia Pereira at the 8th Ördögkatlan Cultural Festival in Hárságyi Pince, curated by Bea Puskás and Tomas Opitz. (photo: Tomas Opitz)
BLU | Budapest
[June 2015]
Participating in a group exhibition at TOBE Gallery with Amalia Pereira, Carla Tabora, Gáspár Riskó, Ricardo Parra and Tomas Opitz. (photo: Tomas Opitz)
"land escapes" | Vienna
[March 2015]
My solo exhibition land escapes opens in the Schaltwerk ArtSpace in Vienna.
Lélekvirágok "Soulflowers" | Budapest
[February 2015]
A group exhibition at TOBE Gallery together with Amalia Pereira and Carla Tabora. Several works from my floral series ages:changes are highlighted. (Photo: Tomas Opitz)
Art Market Budapest
[October 2014]
My image timeless beauty is part of the Anonymous Project by Brody ArtYard at the Art Market Budapest.
[October 2014]
12 works from the cycle ages:changes are on display together with artworks from Hungarian jewellery designer Flora Vági in a group exhibition at TOBE Gallery.
[June 2013]
The Feschmarkt is a popular art-fair in an old brewery in Vienna. Prints on alu dibond are on display in a fascinating shabby chic setting.
[March 2013]
Photo feature in the independent pop-culture magazine "Fiber" on the subject of "body work".
menschenzwischenräume(n) | Vienna
[December 2012]
Works of my series menschenzwischenräume(n) are shown in a group exhibition in the "Werkerei" in Vienna.
Verdeckt. Aufgebrochen. Sichtbar.
[October 2012]
I present several drawings, paintings and photography in a group exhibition in Vienna.
photo books
A series of self published art books featuring early works.


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Through our marketing and innovation work, we have been approached directly by brands looking to take advantage of the types of projects that have come from those divisions. We have consulted with some of the top brands in the world directly on emerging technology strategy, product management to name a few.
Through our work with agencies, we have also worked to educate and execute for top brands as well. We have helped many brands to understand the best ways to use new technology, this has and continues to allow the brands we work with to innovate in the industries.

subset: commoncrawl


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Discussion in 'Android Devices' started by Simon_Gardner, Nov 6, 2013.
Another software update going on now...
When it finishes, what are the last three characters of your build number?
Thanks, that's just one shy of the update that came out recently for Verizon, MJ7, which may be carrier specific.
What do it do.
Fixes stuff.
I just got mj7. No idea what it is
Change log?
the MJ7 update fixes two things...
improved connectivity
and improved sound quality
according to verizon release notes.
if it actually fixes these things...remains to be seen...
Thanks techman.
There are some folks on VZW's forums that say it fixes the call quality issue.
Heads up guys, just got this update.
Most importantly it addresses the call quality issue that some on VZW were having, similar to the Sprint issue.
For killing root?
Just a guess...
Btw, I see you got the same phone I did again, P-dawg.
Hope you are well.
I am indeed. Hey, I can't help it if we both have incredibly amazing taste in phones!
Invalid pdf
This is all it is, just one page.
Wow, you Euro folks seem to be getting a lot of updates. Nowt on mine since I bought it on October 3rd here in USA.
I just checked mine ..I don't have an update yet :-(
Im on mj1. No updates as of now..
I'm on verizon in us mine was today
I just got it.
I got mine with Verizon. I checked for an update in setup and it said one was available. Not available yesterday morning. Available about 10 pm.
So is anyone noticing a difference in call quality? Or other 'connectivity' related items?
I have autoupdate turned off (froze 2 apks). Does this new update kill root? If so, I'll leave AU frozen; if not, I'll grab the update.
Your experiences of root following the update are most appreciated!


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BioPharma Testing Services
In Eurofins, the bio/pharmaceutical industry has a reliable laboratory partner to collaborate in drug development and quality control. We provide bioanalytical and global safety testing worldwide for clinical research programs. Globally, we work with several of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies and serve many smaller bio/ pharma and biotechnology organizations as well as CROs and phase 1 units. Visit our website detailing our global capabilities covering the whole chain of drug development at http://pharma.eurofins.com.
US BioPharma Testing
Here in the US, we have several locations dedicated to first rate bio/pharmaceutical testing, and their combined capabilities provide the industry with an unmatched and comprehensive portfolio of services.


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Here is a look at my shoe selection for Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2012.Spring 2012 styles.
Shoe #1: Jeffrey Campbell Floral Platform Sandal
Shoe #2: Miss Albright Wooden Clog
Shoe #3: 80%20 NYC Daria Wedge in Navy Baja
|Floral Jeffrey Campbell platform sandals worn by model Audrey.
Adam Streur Photography captured some brilliant moments backstage. I am happy to be able to share these spontaneous memories with you--models work together to tie a loose shoe string! Team work!
|Adam Streur Photography: Backstage at Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2012 - Madison in 80%20 wedges.
|Adam Streur Photography: 80%20 Navy Baja Wedge for my Spring 2012 collection.
|Model Yaryna backstage at Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2012 in Miss Albright clogs.
|Adam Streur Photography: Emma Erickson models backstage at Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2012
Next priority is on my shoe list is Fall/Winter 2012! Let me know if you have any leads! ;) Thank you for reading!


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Take one free, weekly, summer outdoor concert; put it at the Grove Plaza downtown; entice the post-work crowd with drinks, food and tunes; and it's no wonder Alive After Five is Boise's go-to spot for mingling and people watching. downtownboise.org.
Second Place: Capital City Public Market, capitalcitypublicmarket.com
Third Place: Downtown Boise
Comments are closed.
© 2019 Boise Weekly


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Auburn to Celebrate Will Eisner Week Panel Presentation and Documentary Screening Highlight Centennial
Auburn, N.Y. (February 16, 2017) Explore the life and work of Will Eisner with Auburn, N.Y.'s Seymour Library on Monday March 6th with a panel presentation/film screening and on Tuesday, March 7th with a documentary at Auburn Public Theater.
Will Eisner (1917-2005) was a trailblazer in the comic book world, showing the public that comics could be a genuine form of literature and popularizing the term graphic novel. His landmark comic series The Spirit (1940-1952) was noted for its expressive artwork and experiments in content and form. This year marks the centennial of Will Eisner's birth.
Geek Culture expert Ed Catto will host a panel on Will Eisner: Celebrating Graphic Novels: An Appreciation of Comics as Literature at Seymour Library on Monday, March 6th at 6:30 pm. The panel will provide an overview of Eisner's work and highlight other graphic novels that demonstrate the enduring power of Eisner's convictions. There will be a screening of the 2008 film adaptation of Eisner's The Spirit, after the panel.
The documentary Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist will be held at the Auburn Public Theater on Tuesday, March 7th at 7pm. Ed Catto will introduce the documentary.
Industry support for this event has been strong:
• Dynamite Entertainment is donating comics and a hardcover collection of their recent Spirit series as giveaways to attendees
• Syracuse's Salt City Comic-Con (June 24th-June 25th) will randomly give away tickets during both events
• Paul Levitz, author of Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel will be donating a signed copy of this recent book to Auburn's Seymour Library
Ed Catto is a marketing strategist and speaks frequently on Geek Culture and Comic Book History.
"Auburn, N.Y. has a rich, but checkered comic history. In 1948 Auburn held a comic book burning, as part of the anti-comics hysteria of the day. But by the seventies, one of the first comic shops was established in Auburn," said Catto.https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/auburn-to-celebrates-will-eisner-week-panel-presentation-and-documentary-screening-highlight-centennial/https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Will-Eisner-Centennial-logo-600x257.pnghttps://www.firstcomicsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Will-Eisner-Centennial-logo-236x101.pngNews


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Breitbart journalist complains about tactics used by Times journalists #facepalm https://t.co/mrzBcd0aEo— (((FrancesCoppola))) (@Frances_Coppola) October 31, 2016
Monday, 31 October 2016
Kassam Throws Toys Out of His Pram
Friday, 28 October 2016
What An Honour?
Labour strongly deny Heat Street Chakabarti peerage story, but if true it's effectively honour for cash foregone https://t.co/XlNGXzf4BW— Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) October 28, 2016
Wednesday, 26 October 2016
May Emulates Clinton - Speaks With Forked Tongue
As has happened to Hillary Clinton, Theresa May has been outed (via secret recordings) as employing double speak when addressing specific audiences.
As per the Guardian:
"Theresa May privately warned that companies would leave the UK if the country voted for Brexit during a secret audience with investment bankers a month before the EU referendum.Politicians more often than not "nuance" their speeches to suit their audience. Were it not for pesky modern technology these nuances could be hidden!
A recording of her remarks to Goldman Sachs, leaked to the Guardian, reveals she had numerous concerns about Britain leaving the EU. It contrasts with her nuanced public speeches, which dismayed remain campaigners before the vote in June."
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Labour Fined £7K For Ed Stone
As per the Telegraph:
"Labour has been landed with a £20,000 fine after failing to declare election spending during the 2015 General Election, including the £7,000 cost of the so-called 'Ed Stone'."Ed Stone, the gift that keeps on giving!
Monday, 24 October 2016
Benefits of Brexit - Geldof To Leave The UK
Sir Bob Geldolf is thinking of leaving UK over Brexit. 'Don't forget to leave your knighthood on the hall table before shutting the door.' pic.twitter.com/pwaFhAsyn8— Mark Sparrow (@MarkGSparrow) October 23, 2016
Drinks all round!
Friday, 14 October 2016
Tusk Weighs In - EU Shitting Itself UK is Leaving
"In my opinion, the only real alternative to a "hard Brexit" is "no Brexit"."
They are shitting themselves about what will happen after Brexit.
Posted by Ken Frost at 09:46 No comments:
Thursday, 13 October 2016
#Brexit Love It or Hate It - #MarmiteGate
One of the unintended consequences of Brexit is the now looming shortage of Marmite, as Tesco stands off against Unilever (the British/Dutch consumer conglomerate) in a dispute over which company should pick up the costs of the fall in Sterling.
A cynic might say that this is simply an excuse by Unilever to try to increase their prices under the smokescreen of Brexit!
Posted by Ken Frost at 09:29 No comments:
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Brexit Explained
Spectacular flow chart game from Nomura pic.twitter.com/JRHcEDNTk8— Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) October 12, 2016
Posted by Ken Frost at 09:24 No comments:
Monday, 10 October 2016
Question For Amber Rudd
Question: When is a U turn not a U turn?
Answer: When it is a "misunderstanding".
How ironic that the "misunderstanding" had to be explained by Michael Fallon!
Friday, 7 October 2016
Good News Everyone - Blair Wants To Make a Comeback!
As per the BBC:
Tony Blair considering future role in British politics
All our problems are over!
Posted by Ken Frost at 10:52 No comments:
Thursday, 6 October 2016
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
Who will ever tire of this photo? Hands up. What? No one. pic.twitter.com/XVb8RYJ7sn— Andrew Brooks (@taxbod) October 5, 2016
Or in this case one word!
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Farage Is UKIP Leader Once Again
"I keep trying to escape" - @Nigel_Farage confirms he is now @UKIP interim leader https://t.co/gClHuZph6P https://t.co/Tc9tEpxzot— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 5, 2016
Quelle surprise!
The Disunited State of UKIP
Diane James has quit as leader of UKIP, after a mere 18 days.
UKIP now has no leader, and no clue as to who should be leader.
Despite the word "United" within the party's name, UKIP is anything but united!
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Sadiq Khan's Treemendous Exaggeration!
EXCLUSIVE: After Promising 2 Million Trees @SadiqKhan Has Not Planted Single Tree https://t.co/QPciwb6KcD pic.twitter.com/KsLgVpzzsD— Gaia Fawkes (@GaiaFawkes) October 4, 2016
Monday, 3 October 2016
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National Certificate in Dental Nursing
Career Progression
Roxana is a qualified dental nurse with over 4 years of dental experience. She has worked in both NHS as well as private settings gaining broad range of experience in areas such as general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics as well as endodontics.
Roxana enjoys interacting with patients providing a patient centred professional service. In her spare time she enjoys baking, reading and travelling.


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christygeiger necesitaba un nuevo diseño de papelería y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 15 diseños de 3 diseñadores freelance.
Will include on attachment - not sure about "boarder" if more of a straight line or a swoosh line or what. Looking for "brand look" that eventually we can develop more matching pieces. For this looking for LETTERHEAD and a BIZ CARD (vs. envelope). Future things might be: note card, banner, sign, flag, envelope, social media headers, etc. So hoping to use the look from the Letterhead/Business Card in this pack and build on that. Would like it to be colorful and sharp/clean design... and a CLEAR "look" (swoosh, bar, some "stylized" look) -- our old church (good shepherd) had a sky picture behind as part of their look - could do something like this or not) - want it to be more updated vs. old looking. Like what you would design for a Family Life Center, College, Family Program - etc. The design should have life, style and energy to it.... be attractive and eye catching. We have our "process" dots --- I uploaded in the "logo" section - if there was a way to integrate those that would be bonus.... but if it makes it complex forget it. We have brand colors -- http://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/36192 and the yellow of this: http://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/36200 -- the font is Advantage - although if you find a complimenting block font or nice title font that would be ok to have another font style we use.
Cross & Crown Lutheran Church
cheesy images or icons (overly "churchy" look) ...
too plain (not looking for the icon on a white paper - I can do that) :)


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At a recent meeting, it was announced by a high level doctor that under the new program "some women will die! It is a screening program, not an absolute and women will die!"
Wouldn't you love to know which women that will be?
[Back in February 2017 the Change.Org petition, Mr Turnbull: Stop May 1st Changes to Pap Smears – Save Women's, attracted over 70,000 signatures within 2 weeks. Included among the thousands of comments was the following superbly balanced argument that provides clarity to the many issues at stake.]
Why I signed the petition
By Concerned Citizen
As a healthcare professional for over 30 years with a strong focus on women's health and in particular, pap smears, I can categorically say that women should be concerned with the proposed cervical screening changes. Albeit there is absolutely no debate about HPV and that it does cause cancer, the instrumentation used to test for HPV is not robust enough to replace the Pap smear at this time. HPV testing has been available in Australia for many years as an adjunct to the Pap smear. In this forum, HPV testing is safe as you have the cellular indicators as a backup. Without the Pap smear you are reliant on a molecular assay that can be influenced by a number of factors potentially producing a false negative result and sending a woman on a 5 year journey that could result in her developing significant disease.
The proposed renewed cervical screening program has been modeled around the most cost effective option but not necessarily best practice. Some parts of the globe are adopting a co test model which includes both a cellular and molecular assessment. This is the safest and most robust option but is not the best financially and was discarded by the Australian Federal Government. It has been pointed out at numerous meetings that provided you are prepared to pay for healthcare, you can have whatever test you want but in Australia a government funded healthcare system must be affordable. I don't disagree but when epidemiologists calculate the number of dollars spent per lives saved to justify a cheaper, seemingly less robust program you have to wonder where their priorities lie?
At a recent meeting upon receiving relevant questions from the floor, it was announced by a high level Doctor that under the new program 'some women will die! It is a screening program, not an absolute and women will die!' Wouldn't you love to know which women that will be? Not what I would consider appropriate comment when implementing a supposed new and improved program!!
Yes, women do die under today's current program and the Pap smear has received some poor publicity; often ridiculed for being ineffective with an overall increase in cervical cancer by an average of 900 plus new cases per year. Bureaucrats are quick to point out however that the current screening program only has between 40-45% participation leaving 55-60% of the female population never screened or under screened.
Logic dictates that the deaths from cervical cancer and the 900 plus new cases per year are generated from the never screened or under screened population and not the 40-45% of screened women who have enjoyed the most successful and effective screening program in the western world over the last 30 years. Would it not be better to invest money in to educating and attracting the larger population of women who are not screened in to the program?
Australia's multicultural demographic has diversified over the last 10 years with women entering Australia from countries that do not provide healthcare or because of their cultural or religious beliefs would not entertain the notion of a Pap smear. Surely these are the women at most risk and yet are unlikely to have a HPV test any more than they would a Pap smear........so what will change with the new program? Self-collect samples have been advertised as an alternative for these women but the risk of inadequate sampling due to a lack of knowledge, poor collection or anxiety with the procedure is, in my opinion, unlikely to have any meaningful impact in participation and hence we are unlikely to see a decrease in cervical cancer under this program. Invest serious effort in to bringing these women in to the current program; modify the program and offer a co test model of cervical assessment and you will see a significant decrease in cervical cancer.
Every comment that I read from very learned individuals simply quote facts and figures that have been generated by epidemiologists, statisticians and most disconcertingly, the vendors who produce the equipment and assays to test for HPV and who stand to gain the most financially. The focus of the renewed cervical screening program has been primarily on the success of the vaccine over the last ten years followed by predictive statistical modeling to conclude that HPV testing is the best and safest way forward.
The last thirty years of national Pap smear screening data and over seventy years of using Pap smears to diagnose cervical disease have seemingly been ignored in favor of an Australian developed vaccine with little historical data.
There are over 100 different strains of HPV, some low risk of and some high risk of causing cancer. Women are vaccinated against the two most common types of high risk HPV in Australia; laboratories test for the top 14 types of high risk HPV. What about all of the other strains that no one is looking at? As a virus frequently mutates are we not at risk of other strains developing in to high risk types that we don't vaccinate against or test for? Vaccinators love to use the term 'herd immunity' where those that aren't vaccinated share a protection with those that are by virtue of eliminating the virus. The predictive modeling based on the last few years of HPV vaccine data suggests that the virus will ultimately be eradicated but is based entirely on statistics and a computer program and not real world experience. There are a great many assumptions about how this virus will behave and they are gambling with your health to prove it.
There is also the assumption that all young girls and women will develop antibodies upon vaccination and yet there will be no checks or booster shots to ensure they have developed satisfactory immunity. It has been stated by a high level Doctor that the Australian Government is taking a 'punt' on the vaccine and that there is no budget to extend the vaccination program to this level and if pushed would render the entire proposal financially unviable.
With the new program comes the added delay in onset of the screening program from 18 to 25 years of age. I hear all of the time about how we currently over service young women, subjecting them to unnecessary surgical procedures and that delaying the commencement to 25 years will not have any impact and yet in the laboratory we see all too often 16 and 17 year old girls with high grade, precancerous lesions that must be dealt with otherwise they are at risk of invasive disease. It is said that many (not all) of these lesions will regress and disappear without treatment and hence we should sit back and do nothing.
If we are to adhere to this theory, which young women will be the sacrificial lambs that fall outside of the statistical model and develop invasive disease and die before they are 25 years of age because we did nothing? There is an infamous New Zealand case of a doctor (Google ' Dr Herb Green and the unfortunate New Zealand experiment') who believed exactly this and that intervention was superfluous and the disease would disappear of its own accord. Following the deaths of 35 women and numerous others who were subjected to horrendous surgeries it was declared a human experiment without patient consent and an absolute failure. The New Zealand government has in the last month, finally apologized for this atrocity and you would hope will never be repeated and yet here I read about doctors still suggesting that these lesions are over serviced and will regress without treatment.
Alas, working in this field statistics are king and are often forgotten that they represent people - you; and that these 'over serviced' lesions and also non HPV related diseases (yes, not all cervical cancers are HPV related and will be completely missed under the new program) are statistically insignificant - statistics that represent you. You will be considered collateral damage to the new screening program - grandmothers, mothers and daughters alike because there is insufficient budget.
In Victoria there is a large scale 5 year study The Compass Trial being conducted to ensure the proposed program is actually safe, yet the committee responsible for implementing the program is not interested in waiting for this study to conclude. They are going to push ahead....What's the rush? Australia has traditionally been conservative in adopting new technologies and treatments without first appropriate investigation and consideration and yet here we are rushing to be one of the top countries in the world to implement primary HPV testing. Why?
Without any surprise (and thank goodness) it has just been announced that the renewed screening program has been delayed for at least 6 months and will not be implemented in May due to the lack of a new national registry.......run by Telstra Health; a reported $250,000,000 contract awarded to Telstra a few days before the last election and without apparent political debate. Interestingly enough each state has had registries for the last 30 years, any one of which would have been capable of taking on the national role and yet a private company with a poor track record in telecommunications privacy is awarded the contract? Staffing and technology issues have been said to be the major factors with the registry yet there are still no Medicare rebates or guidelines for laboratories to manage the new program. GP's in your communities have little information to advise you on these changes and there is little doubt that the increased referral's to Colposcopists under the new management recommendations, (85000 per annum currently to 250000 per annum under the new program) is ambitious!
I have sat back and watched and listened for the last two years since this new program was proposed and I cannot remain quiet any longer. The political, academic and financial agendas that seemingly surround this program are astounding. I am not alone in my concerns and many of us see this as nothing more than a national human experiment without patient consent and a significant cost saving exercise on behalf of the federal government (reportedly upwards of $54,000,000 per annum) and those laboratories that can replace highly skilled labor with machines.
If anyone takes the time to read this post I am certain some will endeavor to shoot me down in flames but I am convinced that budgetary constraints and vendors pushing to convince everyone that this is the technology we must all have is largely responsible for this current approach. Not to say that this test should never be introduced but I believe there should be more research and review and an adoption of a co test model until such time that at least the Victorian review has concluded. That way we will have real world data to compare and contrast to and possibly increased confidence that women's health will not be compromised by moving to this test.
As women of Australia, do yourselves a favor; research this program yourselves and make your own assessment. Do not blindly follow the hype behind the media coverage; sign this petition to highlight your intolerances to being guinea pigs and ensure your health is placed before budget. I am amazed speaking with women in the community that they are convinced they no longer need a Pap smear and that this new test is in some way a blood test! No, you still need the same procedure as before; it's only what the laboratory does that changes………….do your homework and make your own assessments!
To the Honorable Greg Hunt and Dr Michael Ganon, talk to the laboratories and ask them what they think and what their concerns are, particularly government laboratories that do not have a financial interest in the implementation of this program. I am sure you'll have a different impression of how safe the proposed screening program is.


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Looking for parts for your Lanco equipment? Hoober stocks an excellent selection of Lanco parts for litter spreaders, lime spreaders, and fertilizer spreaders. Search our inventory & get it shipped fast.
Lanco Manufacturing is committed to providing litter spreaders, lime spreaders, fertilizer spreaders, row mulchers and more that make farming easier and more efficient. As the region's premier Lanco dealer, Hoober sells the full line of Lanco spreaders and can provide all the replacement parts you need including bearings, chains, spinners, flow control, hub assemblies, PTO shafts, slats, rims, knives, paddles and more.
Hoober's extensive parts inventory means we're able to get you the parts you need for your Lanco equipment quickly. Parts are transferred between our locations every day and our dedicated parts specialists will do whatever it takes to keep your Lanco equipment running strong.
Looking for new Lanco Equipment? Click Here


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In the second day of our round-up of our 2015 books we see 3 more books that continue to treat the Basque experience in the United States.
Basques in the United States, vol. 1: Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa
Basques in the United States, vol. 2: Iparralde and Nafarroa
Koldo San Sebastian, Argitxu Camus Etchecopar, et al.
The Basques in the United States is a long-term project to gather and publish information about first-generation Basque immigrants to the United States. The first fruit of this project has been published in July 2015 in two volumes (one for Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa, the other for Iparralde and Nafarroa) and contains the most comprehensive listing of Basque immigrants to the United States that has been made until now. Entries are listed arranged by the town or region of origin of the Basque immigrant and are cross-referenced by last name. An updated edition is being published in December of 2015 and plans are already in the works for further additions to increase the number of names that are included and the quality and depth of information that has been found about each person. To this end, the researchers and the Center are looking for the public's help. We also publish a website basquesintheUS.blogs.unr.edu where the public is encouraged to help us enrich the information that has been gathered. With the help of dedicated researchers and the public at large we hope to grow this comprehensive listing of the Basques who ventured across the Atlantic to make a new life into a lasting testament to as many of those brave people who made the long and difficult trek to a strange land that soon became home for many.
Hollywood and I and Mad City, Javi Cillero
Bringing together of 2 collections of short stories, in this book Basque writer Javi Cillero, looks mainly at US culture from they eyes of world weary, well educated, but ultimately disoriented protagonists. The caretaker of a collection of exotic animals embarks on a dangerous relationship with a mobster's girlfriend; the tragedy of Oediupus is retold as a Western with a happy ending; revenge is wreaked on a Bilbao art dealer for his past transgressions. In these two short story collections–"Hollywood and I" and "Mad City," brought together here and published in English fro the first time, Javi Cillero creates an astonishing variety of different worlds: Basque cities and a city of the West; the Nevada desert; jetliners, trains, cars, ferries; classic cinema and Greek myths and legends; and much much more. All are written into existence with a distinctive voice that blends noir fiction and dark humor. These stories generally tell the stories of outsiders, and it is no coincidence that thus the city of Reno, Nevada, also forms a central heart of many stories: like them, it is a place of missed connections, of sad and broken histories, and yet has the capacity for the human spirit to persevere against the odds. The characters here are just as varied as the stories themselves: witnesses and students, cowboys and art dealers, outsiders and insiders and blends of the two. The stories almost defy summary in the incredible flowering of their imaginary worlds, just as desert flowers surprise with their splash of color in the otherwise gray sagebrush steppe.


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History is the construction of our understanding of the past. Taking part in that process is an existential exercise which, in turn, influences our contemporary world view. These three quotes remind me about the importance and power of narrative creation and its subsequent relationship to collective and individual identity.
- "It seems evident, then, that skill in narrative construction and narrative understanding is crucial to constructing our lives and a "place" for ourselves in the possible world we will encounter." – Jerome Bruner
- "Over time and cultures, the most robust and most effective form of communication is the creation of a powerful narrative." – Howard Gardner
- "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." ― Muriel Rukeyser
Moreover, the recognition, creation, and analysis of historical narratives are essential activities for students in history classes in high school and higher education. What resources teachers use with students, as well as the explicit connection to broad concepts and contemporary realities all make for relevant and valuable teaching and learning. I had the pleasure of meeting professor Trevor Getz at a recent AHA planning meeting for the 2018 Conference being held in Washington D.C. Our interview highlights his work with students and the use of graphic novels to develop their historical thinking. Trevor can be reached at either email@example.com or email@example.com
1- Tell us about your journey to becoming a historian and your interest in studying Africa. I learned to love history sitting on my grandpa's knee while he told stories of "the war." I was the only grand kid who
wanted to listen. I loved touching his medals, and watching as he drew pictures of fortifications, and looking through his black-and-white photo albums. I thought I wanted to be a military historian, but then as an undergraduate at Berkeley I learned to love political history, and doing my MA in Cape Town came to appreciate social history, and finally began my transition to cultural history during my PhD research at the School of Oriental and African Studies. In the process, I became immersed in the history of Africa. My first real mentor was Chris Saunders, at the University of Cape Town, who tamed my rambunctious American-ness with his precise and calm Anglo ways. Then with the larger-than-life and wonderfully inspiring professor, Richard Rathbone – truly a spectacular mentor and a fixture in the study of Ghana's past.
2- When did graphic novels come into the mix and how have they impacted your teaching?
My dissertation (and subsequent first book) was very much a social history – putting together many different sources in an attempt to converge them on an explanation for social change in the wake of the criminalization of slavery in nineteenth century Ghana and Senegal. But in the years that followed, I learned to dig deep into single sources, figuring out how to pull apart one document or picture or diary account and explain what it meant. Most of the sources I was working with, it turned out, featured young people – enslaved or otherwise suffering, but frequently strong and inspiring nevertheless. I wanted to bring their stories, their accounts, and their worldviews to the public. I was searching, for much of the 2000s, for a medium that would allow me to do that. I had to dig back into my own past to find one. Of course, not everyone could have a Grampa like mine to inspire them to study the past, and these stories in any case didn't lend themselves to grandparently memory. But the other "history" inspiration of my youth was the comic book – including Franco-Belgian works like Tintin but also Art Spiegelman's incredible Maus. So, I thought I'd experiment with comics (or the "graphic novel") as a medium for telling the story of a young, enslaved woman who forced the government of a Crown Colony to listen to her. Thanks in part to an incredible editor (Charles Cavaliere at Oxford UP) and wonderful artist-collaborator (Liz Clarke in South Africa) it somehow worked out, and Abina and the Important Men came into being. Now we've developed a multi-platform app as well, for the high school classroom. Any teacher interested in trying out the app should email me.
3- What do you want readers to know about your award winning graphic novel, Abina and the Important Men?
This is a book about NOW, because it's a book about power. It's about the power that important men use to subjugate others, like Abina Mansah, who was twice enslaved and then censored and silenced. It's about the power that even seemingly defenseless people have to make their voice heard, as Abina did in that colonial courtroom. It's about the power that historians have (and sometimes abuse) to tell people's stories in a way that appeals to them, and the power that we all have to challenge and correct historians' interpretations. Power is part of any society, but we don't have to accept the way it operates, just as Abina refused to accept attempts to silence her.
4- I argue that one of the best skills people develop from studying history is that they learn how to analyze and evaluate narratives. What do you think are some practical skills students develop by studying the past?
Historians, I firmly believe, are interpreters. The past is a foreign country, and we try to help people in the present to understand what is said and done there, and what it means. Learning to analyze and evaluate not only primary sources but also the work of scholars is a key step in developing a critical mind and media literacy. I talk about this quite a bit in a brief video put together at SF State. I love working with teachers who develop critical tools for this kind of work as well. I especially appreciate the incredible mock trial and role playing exercises that David Sherrin from Harvest Collegiate put together to help students analyze and interpret Abina's testimony.
5- Great. And what about the relating the study of the past to understand globalization? Any major connections?
Everything is global, right? Just like everything is local. We are much richer today for understanding the ways in which even the deep past was shaped by interaction between people, products, species, and ideas moving between societies often separated by vast distances. What we've learned is that in analyzing any situation in the present, we have to develop a scope that includes factors both near and far as well as from the recent and distant past. But how can we move from knowing that this need exists to actually effectively conducting analysis of global as well as local factors? That's a difficult question, and one on which many historians are working. Obviously, we can't answer it here. But I do have one thought that has become clear to me over the past several years: there's no point in teaching content without teaching the underlying skills to work with and interpret it. Telling students that the global past matters doesn't do anything unless they know how to read or view sources and pull from them the evidence of global interaction.
6- What's on the horizon for you and any final comments?
I'm working on so many projects! I have a book on teaching African history about to come out with Duke University Press, a volume I'm co-editing with Rebecca Shumway on slavery and its legacy in Ghana and the Diaspora, and a pet long-term project using comics, other forms of art, oral tradition, and pop-up museums to understand how Ghanaians study their own past. But I'm also teaching, and being an administrator. Most of all, though, I continue to try to think of interesting strategies to engage students with the past in ways that help them to build critical and creative skills they will need for their lives moving forward.
Thank you Trevor. I look forward to future scholarship and collaboration, and wish you a great 2017!


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Ever listen to a particular song on the radio, and find yourself taken back to when you heard it first?
Sometime in January, I was slurping coffee in my study with Jane – no doubt discussing the more unpleasant habits of small children – when the Peatbog Faeries came on the stereo. Now I first heard the Faeries on the juke box in my Scottish local, and in an instant I was there, drinking fine ale and soaking up the craic. I couldn't help it: I started yammering on to Jane about the pub, the beer, my mates...
Jane's eyes began to glaze.
"Why don't you come with me?" I exclaimed. "I'm always thinking, 'Jane'd like this' when I'm there. We could drive up in a day (s'only 600 miles), have a couple of days there, and drive back. Crazy, I know, but hell, life's too short..."
Jane (and others), after much deliberation, declined; but my ace blogmate, Womagwriter, whom I have long bored witless regaled with tales of Scotland, was more than game. Lovely woman. But mad, obv.
So last week we hit the road, drove for ten hours, had two fab days walking (see right), met with friends gu leòr. And drove home again. 1,316 miles.
All because of the Peatbog Faeries.
There's a Will Young song I'll forever associate with a roundabout on the A27. The smell of dry earth has me rolling down an M1 embankment in a red Ford Cortina estate. The taste of mushroom soup always takes me to Knebworth International Guide & Scout camp, 1981. And after last week, I'll never hear another Snow Patrol track without thinking of the M6...
What takes you back, and where does it take you?
Friday, March 25, 2011
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What we offer
Top 6 reasons to work at Avsec
We've got our passengers' backs
Twenty-four hours a day, the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) is at the coalface of an aviation system that lifts thousands of travellers safely off the ground. For every flight it's our job to ensure we keep people safe. And as the last official New Zealand face that each departing international traveller sees, we also get to say Haere Ra – seeing them off in a way that hopefully inspires them to return.
A team with Mana
As an Aviation Security Officer you'll be part of a supportive, dedicated team that takes pride in what we do every day. We care for each person and plane that moves through airport security every day. It's an awesome task and an awesome responsibility.
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While we perform the same tasks every day, no two days are ever the same. In this job we are always learning. Our comprehensive training will prepare you to take your place on our team, and we've got your back with continual learning to help you keep pace with a complex, constantly changing security environment.
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Avsec offers attractive salaries (for full-time employees) and competitive hourly rates (for part-time employees), along with four weeks' annual leave, shift workers' leave, overtime, free parking and a full uniform.
Your initial salary as a full-time Aviation Security Officer will be approximately $57,000 with regular incremental increases. After 30 months you will be on approximately $63,000.
As a full-time Screener your initial salary will be approximately $52,000. With regular incremental increases you will be on approximately $57,000 after 30 months.
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Passenger numbers – both domestic and international – are on the rise. In fact, some of our international airports will see visitor numbers double in the next 10 to 15 years. At the same time, the changing security environment and advances in technology mean we're using new security measures, systems and tools. The result? Plenty of opportunities to grow your skills and your career.
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Shift work significantly reduces commuting times, provides unique opportunities for meeting family commitments, and allows you to beat the crowds, whether it's at the gym, the bank or the supermarket. We're there for every person and plane that moves through airport security, so your shift patterns will vary depending on location.


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|Paisley Arts Centre New Street, Paisley PA1 1EZ
|Paisley Arts Centre Website
|Follow PaisleyArts on Twitter
|Facebook information can be found here
Paisley Arts Centre is one of Scotland's most vibrant and exciting venues, programmed all year round with a diverse range of drama, dance, physical theatre, comedy, jazz, popular music and family events.
This small scale studio theatre is superbly equipped and provides one of the most intimate theatre spaces in Scotland.
A 158 seater theatre with cafe and bar, situated in Paisley. Eclectic range of performances and workshops.
Looking to reach new customers? We offer a variety of advertising options with prices starting from just £30 per month!


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Want some excitement and colour to light up your life? Have a knack for building block creations? Construct your own exciting light-up designs with Light Stax Classic!
Building blocks with a difference! The unique design of Light Stax means light connections are located on the top and bottom of each block which allows the LED blocks to light up when they are stacked on top of each other! Simply stack the blocks firmly on top of the Light Stax power base and watch as they light up to create unique glowing designs. Whether they take you back to your childhood, or you're just starting out, this illuminous twist on a classic construction toy is sure to impress!
Light Stax Classic lets you create classic designs, tall towers, block creatures, buildings and more with 24 brightly coloured plastic blocks. Just use the power base provided to stack the blocks up as high as you can or create your own masterpiece and watch as they light up the room! There are no special connectors or wires needed – just stack from the base and watch the blocks light up!
With four different lighting modes – solid light, 15 minute timer, flashing or fading light and the option to be powered by three AAA batteries or USB cable (both included), displaying Light Stax is easy! Perfect for any age, Light Stax are innovative, fun-filled building blocks guaranteed to light up any room!
The Light Stax Classic includes:
Recommended for ages three and over. Adult supervision is recommended. Not suitable for children under three years of age
Block size: 30 x 30 x 30mm
Power base size: 65 x 65 x 20mm
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Pants by H&M
Bag by Mulberry
Shoes by Marni x H&M
Top by H&M Trend
Sunglasses by Rayban
Necklace c/o Cinderela B
24 Apr 2012
Khaki Pants
11 comments
This looks really love on you :) I love your shoes :)ReplyDelete
I hope you feel better in time for tomorrow :) And good luck, sounds very exciting :)
Laura xoxo
I am constantly in awe of your shoes and bags.ReplyDelete
It's because of great blogs like this I am actually going through my wardrobe and selling some things. Keeping basics and some statement pieces, but it needs re-building/a complete overhaul. I don't feel it fits "me" any more in the sense of how I like to dress... and some pieces are quite young or worn.
Also I think the lipstick was an excellent choice, makes your skin your flawless and rosy cheeked and contrasts nicely with the green trousers.
I need to get more outfit posts done myself. I have not done one in forever.
i like the red lippy!ReplyDelete
feel better soon
Wow, I love this look. You look super sexy!ReplyDelete
Kate x
oh those sandals (so jealous) I could`t get my hands on them (I think I've told you already).ReplyDelete
and that lipstick you're wearing looks great!! which one is it?
Disagree - the pop of red really completes the look! You look gorgeous as usual :-)ReplyDelete
Thank you all so much for your kind and amazing comments.ReplyDelete
You make me so happy and want to continue to blog :)
Beautiful outfit! Love you lipstick too!ReplyDelete
Scarr xx
i just bought these heels too, aren't they AMAZING. They're featured for the first time in my blog post today :)ReplyDelete
Mel http://www.mediamarmalade.com/
love your style! you look stunning!ReplyDelete
Came across your blog, and I just love your style. Very pretty! My blog is very similar to yours, and I will be flattered if you visit mine at www.creativesideofme.com :-)ReplyDelete


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Trine Tuxen Jewelry is providing a universe, where all collections are combined on several levels and carries a deep awareness of coherence in style expression. The overall mood, and the components in each collection, are designed with the possibility to mix, stack and wear across the entire jewelry universe.
Focused on the pure and minimalistic design, Trine Tuxen Jewelry's delicate and timeless style holds endless possibilities to inspire and support in personal style and look. The aesthetically balanced jewelry pieces are reflecting thought, emotion and progress - and are created to last for years to come.


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Decides to recommend 60% import duty, rise in levy sugar price.
The Maharashtra government will ask the Centre to help sugar mills in the state. It plans to recommend an import duty of up to 60 per cent on sugar, bringing imported sugar under the 20 per cent levy obligation, an increase in the levy price paid by the central government to sugar mills and reduction in the levy quota from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.
A state government official said it was decided to take up the matter with the Centre on a priority basis. Maharashtra is largest sugar producing state and accounts for over 40 per cent sugar produced in the country.
While there have been reports of an increase in the import duty as well as the levy price, the steep fall in sugar prices from Rs 40 in early January to Rs 23 per kg in the wholesale market has affected the mills.
The state government's move comes after a meeting with the representatives of sugar mills last Thursday.
In the meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, the mills made a strong argument in favour of imposing an import duty of 60 per cent. The mills also sought Chavan's intervention for taking up issues related to decontrol, levy obligation and an increase in levy prices with the central ministers concerned.
The millers also sought a five-year moratorium on a 10-year loan repayment, similar to what was announced by the Centre in 2006-07.
A state government official told Business Standard, "The mills in the state are facing a unique problem of short margins on pledged accounts. This is due to a sudden dip in sugar realisation to almost Rs 400 per quintal, which is less than the production cost."
"Thus, mills, who were represented by the Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories in Maharashtra, made a strong plea for a moratorium on loan repayment. Loans from Nabard and other banks and financial institutions are over Rs 2,500 crore. The mills said they would face a financial crisis if a moratorium was not granted," the official added.
He said the state government, however, rejected the demand for waiver of the sugarcane purchase tax. The official said the crushing season for 2010-11 would commence from October 1, instead of November 1, following a bumper crop of 77 million tonnes. This year, a record production of 8.2 million tonnes sugar is expected.
The official said the farmers would get the first advance within 14 days of the delivery. It would be equivalent to the fair remunerative price of individual mills. However, it was decided that if a mill has to pay more, it can do so only after the approval of the sugar commissioner. The permission would be granted only after a scrutiny of the mill's financials.
The cane price for crushing season 2009-10 will be finalised on the basis of the actual sale price till June. The unsold stock on June 30 would be valued at the average realisation between June 1 and 15. The price will be announced by the sugar commissioner.


text: Below is a new ad from Barry's Tea that just aired on Feb 16, 2009 (it only aired on tv in Ireland). You can watch more Barry's Tea videos at the official Barry's Tea company YouTube Channel. As we said many time, Barry's Tea is among our favorite teas, with Barry's Classic being our particular favorite.


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Here Jude is just after the nurse had applied anaesthetic cream to his hands, just in case they put in a bunt (which they did in one hand).
Here Roh and Jude are colouring in, waiting patiently for Jude's turn..
Jude and Roh snuggling...Roh was hoping for a nanna nap, and the hospital bed was just there..so it made sense really..lol
Here little Jude is still asleep after his general anaesthetic. He really didn't want to wake up. It was very cute, but he looked so tiny on the big hospital bed.
And lastly, here he is awake, showing me his sore tummy. Looks a bit yuck here but he had the wound re-dressed today, and all is healing well.
Ok, so that was Jude's hospital adventure this week. It's been a struggle trying to keep him reasonably quiet but he got new lego, which helped for about an hour..lol...
But all is good. Jude is well, not in pain and his scar will be tiny. A fantastic outcome, all in all!


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Back in the days of "my apartment in Santa Cruz", Jamie and I were intrigued and befuddled about a story that was in the San Jose Mercury steadily for several months. The gist is the story is that San Jose City Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, a prominent and beloved Vietnamese politician, wanted to name a part of the city "The Saigon Business District", but residents wanted to name it "Little Saigon".
There was a huge outrage about the name, including a hunger strike and extensive front page coverage by the San Jose Mercury News. We could never figure out why this was a huge deal, but leave it to This American Life to explain the great puzzles of the news. If you were also confused in August of 2007, then click here and listen to the answer (I'm sure, blog readers, that your only dilemmas of 2007, were slightly entertaining news stories, right?)
Monday, June 8, 2009
Madison Nguyen: Mystery Revealed
Posted by Julia Fredenburg at 4:09 PM 0 comments
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Every year we head west to the Eyre Peninsula Field Days in Cleve, We load up the car and trailer with plenty of wine including a pallet tank of Tawny to sell by the litre. A tasting bar with wine sales is set up in the Food and Lifestyle area.?It's fantastic to return each year and see our regular customers and meet new ones.
The 2016 Field Days are August?9, 10 and 11.
You can find us at Site 38 on B Road located close to the western public entry point.


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Its December 20th and christmas is around the corner i want to thank everybody who has supported this blog and the email subscribers. I have posted alot of content this year i hope you learnt something, used our articles to wake up a freind or family member or to use as research points.
I wish everybody a happy and wholesome family Christmas, i hope you have a good time with your family and friends and remember its not all about materialism. I am not going to talk about pagan roots to christmas in this article if you are religious you might want to do some research in to this.
Feel free to leave a comment below
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Morning after the night before
There was a certain 'morning after the night before' mood evident among the Barcelona World Race skippers today.
It was not just the bleary eyed tiredness - the inevitable product of more than 48 hours of intense on-the-edge racing in very difficult, unstable conditions and very big confused seas which had prevailed in very different sections of the fleet, but there was also a very obvious measure of relief: satisfaction to have their campaigns still firmly intact, competitive and on course which was immediately apparent.
When the going gets really tough - proper boat breaking conditions - it becomes prudent to back off, to reduce sail and slow down. But when there is a boat alongside you which you have been duelling with, trading blows over previous days, brinksmanship finally gives way to prudence.
And so it was today that both of the co-skippers of third placed Groupe Bel and Estrella Damm, Kito de Pavant and Pepe Ribes, confirmed that the time came almost simultaneously last night when their sparring had to stop and boat and self-preservation took over.
De Pavant, who along with gentle giant co-skipper Seb Audigane, is living this race by the maxim 'sail safe, sail fast' on their Groupe Bel, earlier described the conditions prior to easing off as 'madness'.
It was not so much the wind-strength but the confused cross seas which were launched their IMOCA Open 60 into huge voids or into the back of big waves, which required them to regulate their pace, sailing for several hours with just a double reefed mainsail. He confirmed that Audigane suffered some bruising when he was thrown across the boat like a rag doll.
"The two days that we just had were really difficult. Reaching with the wind at 100 degrees and wind between 25 and 35 knots with impressive boat speeds. We slowed down a little, with a good part of the night only under main with two reefs. We lost some miles but the sea was chaotic, but we prefer to stay in one piece in the Indian Ocean. We were glad to be close with Estrella Damm. It was normal not too push too much. Ahead of 90° of the wind we were going too fast, we said to slow, it was just not good. We stuck the nose into some big waves, with some big frights. So we chose to lift the foot off the pedal a little, perhaps not even for the boat which can maybe take more, but more for us. It was incredibly loud inside the boat. Now it has quietened a bit, we have more sail up again and are making 15-20 knots as the puffs come through.
"The decks have been well washed these last few days, the boat is very clean. Seb tries to find the right settings and gears, not always easy.
"It did not feel a very natural step at first, but now it is quite pleasant to sail round the world with two, to be able to rest or to boost the morale. But we speak a lot about our experiences at sea, and we have a course which is quite a bit further north than we would expect to follow. The gates are very, very north of the 42nd parallel. Normally you'd be downwind in the south, and we are awaiting that, but the conditions in the Indian have not been good. There will be some debate about this before the next Vendée Globe for sure."
Ribes, co-skipper of Estrella Damm, said: " In the last 48 hours we had to back off because the seas were confused and we did not want to break the boat, so we were happy to see they were losing a bit. So it showed us they were backing of a bit, at the same time as we were. But now at the moment we have good conditions, so we have been able to speed up a little and get away from them again."
1800 miles or so behind, on Hugo Boss in tenth place, Andy Meiklejohn and Wouter Verbraak were smiling too, this morning appreciating the sudden appeal of a seascape painted in featureless flat grey hues, reaching along today at workmanlike speeds on nearly flat seas.
The conditions this morning had abated as the duo worked SE and were not so much typical of the Indian Ocean, more reminiscent of Verbraak's native North Sea. But the Dutch co-skipper recalled vividly that only hours earlier, last night they had been relying on simple first principles, sailing the massively powerful IMOCA Open 60 by feel, as if blindfolded in the empty darkness which they found themselves in. It was, they said, physically the toughest hours of their race so far: "We had very difficult sea conditions which meant we could not sail as close to the wind as we would have like to, and so the in the end (getting to the waypoint) was quite tight and we had to tack again. But we got a nice little shift coming in which helped us. Just the sea was really in a bad direction for us and not very kind for the boat. The end goal was just really keeping the boat in one piece.
"We had some good rest, some good food and caught up on a few jobs, baling the boat and doing all the structural checks, and had some sleep as well. But there is plenty more if that to come.
"We have had a few tough moments, but physically and actually sailing the boat that was actually pretty tough. Every time when the pilot can't steer the boat we have to drive by hand for hour after hour. And with seas of three to four metres you jump off the waves in seconds. The big challenge is to have anything to steer off. You can only see the four displays on the mast. Maybe a star here or there, but otherwise it is pitch black, back to dinghy sailing days, sailing by feel blindfold. And we do a pretty good job swapping between helmsmen. After one hour you are cracked, knackered and need to sleep."
So respite is widely welcomed almost all the way through the Barcelona World Race fleet today, even if they are essentially racing in at least three different weather systems, from Jean Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron at the front of the fleet, with a stable lead of 419 miles over Mapfre, making a steady 16 knots, back to the scrapping back-markers We Are Water and FMC.
Xabi Fernandez reported: "Here we are, as I read on the website yesterday, pushing and pushing. Honestly we are going really fast but we are in an area in the low that is not very comfortable of sailing. Lots of changes in direction and intensity and is difficult to do 5 hours concentrating only on making the boat run. But oh well, as I said, we are doing well. Behind us Estrella is the one approaching the best. Yesterday they managed to cut a lot of distance but we hope that in the next few hours we can even gain or stabilize the difference. Besides that everything is going well onboard, very humid but at least we are having days of sailing 450 miles and is unbelievable! We are eating the Indian Ocean reaching at full speed!!! Iker and I, we are perfect so we'll keep pushing hard and watching out for changes in the following hours"
The Spanish duos passed the Cape of Good Hope longitude this morning at only half an hour separating them. The two teams may be nearly an ocean behind Virbac-Paprec 3, but their race is every bit as intense as the leaders! Ironically FMC became the first boat of the race so far to have emerged from Ghost Mode having gained places on the leader board.
Juan Merediz and Fran Palacio emerged from Cape Town this afternoon, getting their race back on track on Central Lechera Asturiana. They arrived for their technical pit stop this morning at 0115 GMT last night and were back out on the race track this evening, the race's youngest co-skipper Palacio and its only true remaining amateur, lawyer Merediz resolute and ready to fight on with a deficit of around 185 miles to 11th placed We Are Water.


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By Lee Rasizer, CCA Director of Media/Public Relations
In darker times, they may have looked up to the sky, searching for answers.
Soon, they'll peer up to a darkened sky and see solutions by their own design.
Thomas Horning, Gregoria Olivas and Juan Garcia-Colque are three of the Community College of Aurora's handpicked, five-person contingent to attend a NASA camp this June, where they will develop payloads to fly on a suborbital rocket.
To say this operation began from the ground up undersells the perseverance, determination and hard work it took for this trio to get to this point.
They soon can say they are NASA Grant Scholars.
The labels affixed to them in the past were far less prestigious.
Not long ago, Horning was a homeless teenager, sleeping in a parking garage near a Borders bookstore in Silver Spring, Md., which he used as his own personal library while dreaming of space.
Olivas got mixed up in the gang and drug scene in Colorado Springs, and even after she tried to extricate herself, bad fortune continued despite the best of intentions, including a mid-life goal of becoming an engineer.
Garcia-Colque was raised in poverty in Guatemala by grandparents who tried to provide for him but weren't always completely successful when it came to putting food on the table and clothes on his back. His journey toward normalcy began about 15 years ago when he moved with his wife – "and a lot of debt" – to a new start in the United States as a computer programmer who wanting much more in life.
Heading to Wallops, Va., Flight Facility and the RockOn! Workshop will serve, not only as a resume builder, but a confidence builder for each of these students.
They are well aware they've been handed golden tickets and are eager to redeem them.
"Our backgrounds may seem a little dark, but something that needs to be taken into account is we've made the best of our problems," Garcia-Colque said.
"They've pushed us to actually move forward and not backward, despite our difficult pasts. Some people decide not to move forward: 'It's bad. Nobody's helping me. I'm not going to do anything.' But if you actually have the strength to say, 'I don't want to be in this place and experience these bad situations,' that's what actually pushes you away from it.
"The key is not wanting to be in that position."
Possibilities abound
That a potentially life-changing experience will occur in a place called Wallops seems fitting given all of life's punches they've endured.
The workshop is designed to engage university and community college students and faculty from around the country interested in learning how to develop science payloads for flight. The eighth-annual RockOn! Workshop the CCA group will attend runs June 20-25 and focuses on the fundamentals of building scientific experiments and the importance of working together in a cohesive manner.
The payload is launched on the final day of the weeklong training program, weather permitting, on a two-stage Terrier-Orion Rocket that flies to an altitude of 73 miles.
The workshop has proven to be a launching point for careers in aeronautics and astronautics for past participants, too.
"I hope that it makes them understand, if they didn't already, that there are things possible for them that they might not have guessed," said Victor Andersen, a member of the CCA Science faculty and part of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium that secured 12 spots statewide for Colorado Community College System students at the RockOn! Workshop.
"It's not always true, but if you come to a community college, sometimes people set their sights too low," he continued. "We have students who have gone way beyond what they ever thought they'd do, or what their ambitions were. And it's just a question of showing them that they can do anything the Boulder or Mines students can do."
Humble beginnings
The idea of college, at one point in time, seemed far-fetched to each of the CCA participants in the aeronautical workshop.
Horning's early vision probably comes closest to what is now unfolding before him. In third grade, he was the kid with the space helmet and NASA gear. A middle-school vacation to Florida was more noteworthy in his mind for the stop at Cape Canaveral than Disneyland. He watched intently as Curiosity was launched in November 2011 as part of a mission to Mars.
"I'm one of the few nerds that actually watch NASA TV," he said, adding with a laugh, "They need better programming."
Horning's own life veered off course during high school, when he spent a half semester on the street. His daily excursions to the nearby bookstore served as his education while formal schooling was on hold.
"I just read every day and tried to learn as much as possible," he recalled.
His father eventually bought him a ticket to Colorado and Horning did just well enough to graduate and begin the process of joining the Marines.
He was a poolee, waiting to be assigned to boot camp, when "for a lack of a better term, I broke my back." Horning ended up working at Walgreens, and despite getting promoted on a couple of occasions, his physical condition deteriorated.
Mentally, he wasn't fulfilled and the life-altering decision to return to school was made. "I decided to attempt what I always liked doing and thought about, which is physics."
The decision to attend the RockOn! Workshop, though, wasn't a no-brainer. He had to be convinced. "I needed summer classes and I also had applied for a NASA internship, which was driving all my plans, so it took awhile and other people telling me I'd regret it if I didn't look into it. I looked into it and learned I definitely would regret it if I didn't do it."
The main attraction was the chance to work alongside people he's admired from afar for many years – ever since he remembers saying to himself that he wanted to send something up toward the stars. Horning envisions a future plotting the trajectories of spacecraft. And getting a chance to see professionals doing actual work in the science and engineering at NASA is as important to him during this program as the actual technical aspects of integrating a payload for flight.
"Everyone who goes into physics wants to be the Einstein theoretician breaking rules and making a name for themselves," he said. "But, to be honest, I've always found doing research for NASA would just be the most exciting opportunity."
Huge turnaround
Breaking the rules is something with which Olivas has been all-too-familiar during her life. She's worked hard to ensure that her missteps don't define her.
"I did a lot of things I'm not proud of," she admitted. "But it's made me who I am."
She uses the term black sheep often to describe her upbringing. She recalls being told she would never become anything. Hardship seemed a constant companion.
"It was always, 'bad this, bad that,'" she explained. "But it's like I tell my kids, just because we make bad choices doesn't make us bad people. I always tried to stay positive. I have a lot of patience. I try to stay happy. And I'm doing this because everyone said I couldn't."
What this is only partially revolves around the NASA opportunity.
Science and engineering are fields where females are highly underrepresented.
Sprinkle in her past, and the uphill battle may seem insurmountable to some.
"I already knew that it would be a task to break through some of that," Olivas said. "And, as I went through school, I had to get past that at first, thinking I wouldn't get picked because I'm female or something like that. My husband helped me through it.
"He was like, 'You have to set the stage for other females, other Hispanics, just anybody.' I've overcome a lot of things in my personal life that have been struggles before where I am now, and it would have been easy to say, 'I can't do it.' This can help set the stage for somebody to say that they can get up there, if they choose."
Yet, even when she attempted to navigate that straight path, trouble seemed to find her. Attempting to become an engineer while also serving as a work-study already had challenges.
"Try doing it while homeless and without a vehicle," she said. "That's what I had to do."
During the spring semester, a well-intentioned purchase of a recreational vehicle started a domino effect that forced Olivas to miss some classes. The RV – purchased for $2,800 as her living space – broke down two exits down the road. It was towed off the road, but it had no tags and was impounded. That's when outstanding warrants, for both her and her husband, for traffic violations were uncovered.
Shelling out more money to extricate them from those issues didn't end the string of problems. Her mother, with whom she only recently had begun rebuilding a relationship, fell ill. Her husband was hospitalized. But even after selling the RV and moving to a hotel, "the money didn't last long."
The low point came when she and her husband "slept on the sidewalk outside the front of the Denver Coliseum because the situation was beyond anything we could do."
"I literally wanted to explode from the inside out," she added.
The entire ordeal meant Olivas had to miss some classes, and in doing so, she felt she was letting down her teammates who were preparing for a spring-semester robotics competition in Alamosa. But, at the same time, she embraced the willingness from CCA faculty and staff to help her get through her hardships and kept trying to move forward.
Andersen knew some, but not all of that back-story, when he extended the NASA invitation. But Olivas' passion and drive stood out.
"I don't like to quit," she said. "I can't preach to my children to keep going if I can't do it myself."
A new life
As a child, Garcia-Coque can recall playing with TinkerToys and the joy that he felt assembling something. That the toy wasn't his but belonged to one of his friends frames his humble roots in Central America.
He's been piecing together an existence ever since.
"All of my life I always thought I would be one of the pawns and I was going to be the first one on the front and the first one to be beaten," Garcia-Coque explained. "Having an opportunity like this has changed the entire picture."
Now the father of teenagers, he was 29 and desperate to change his life when he left Guatemala. His accumulated debt meant he had less than nothing in his pockets when he arrived.
"I didn't start from the ground up," he said. "I started from under the ground."
But the rebuilding process began with his penchant for building things. The TinkerToys of his youth, though he didn't know it at the time, were the building blocks of his future of creating programs on a computer.
He now makes a living working at Dish Network in that field. But his return to school represents a bigger vision of what his future could resemble.
His NASA camp invitation is proof that what he envisioned can be real.
"It opens up doors," he said. "Some of us may think that one day we can maybe work for NASA. Maybe. Maybe not. But we can work in the same field, which is something I've been looking forward to for years."
Like Horning and Olivas, sacrifices have come with the territory.
For Garcia-Coque, it's meant long hours studying and working, without time with his children. The counterbalance is the personal pride he said he feels when his grades or test results reflect his efforts.
"CCA, by no means, is an easy step. It's challenging. It's inspiring," he said. "It also has been the best choice I've ever made.|The RockOn! Workshop is an add-on that "means a lot."
"You're talking about the major leagues," he said. "It's something you're not going to get just anywhere working, and, being in school, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Garcia-Colque said he's going to Virginia for the program "as a blank notebook, willing to learn everything."
The future ahead
Having already worked as Horning's partner during the robotics project, the two are comfortable with their working styles and already have been exposed to one another's strengths and weaknesses. Olivas was on the other team so the two only know her work tangentially.
The three potentially could turn this experience into a longstanding partnership.
Two other NASA programs are possible next steps for participating students in the RockOn! program. RockSat-C and RockSat-X involve the development of the rocket payloads during the next academic year with oversight on design, testing, integration, and launch readiness. Those programs culminate in the final selection by a NASA team of the most able payloads to fly next summer.
If boundless determination is a prerequisite for advancement, there should be no stopping them.
"I think there's a special view of the world that you get from going through hard times and persevering through them that a lot of people don't have," Horning said. "I'm not saying people should go homeless – don't do that. But it definitely gives you that fight and that mentality that you're going to work hard whether or not people are going to see it. And I think that's when people see it the most."
Olivas, Horning and Garcia-Colque will make the trip with two other CCA students, Philip Baranowski and Steven Kenney, who were selected shortly after the initial trio was identified.
But a bond between the first three selectees already is plainly evident.
"Are there people who have the same drive or more drive? I cannot tell. I cannot speak for anybody else," Garcia-Colque added. "We can't be the only three. But are we the best choices for this? We're going to make it that."


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Do you need an agent? Clueless about how to get one? Just how does the author/agent relationship work, anyway? Is your current agent the right one for you? How about your best friend's agent?
Your literary agent is likely to be the most important person in your writing career, yet most authors will agree it's harder to get a good agent than it is a good publisher. Agents sell books, yes, but they do so much more. This workshop will deal with every aspect of professional representation, including how to select an agent from the hundreds out there, how to approach them, how to sign with one, what you can expect in the agent-author relationship, and how to end a relationship with an agent that isn't working out (as frequently happens despite due diligence). Over the course of my career, I have experienced a variety of agent relationships, and I will share some of my personal experiences as well as those of my writer friends (identities shielded, of course!)
This two-week online course (Oct. 4-15) is presented by the Northeast Ohio RWA chapter. Here's where you can learn more and sign up: http://www.neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/Workshops
The fee for this course is $15 for NEORWA members, and $20 for all others. You do not have to belong to RWA to sign up.


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Ben is a full-time and part-time organic farmer. By day he works as the Organic Farm Manager for the University of Kentucky's Organic Farming Research and Education Farm, a job he has held for the previous five years. The university farm is home to a 80-member CSA, grant-funded research, and extension and education efforts relating to organic vegetable production in Kentucky. By night he operates his own (leased) farm in Fayette County, Kentucky where he grows organic sweet potatoes, cabbage, winter squash, and watermelons on 10 acres.
"What's been so great about having the farm is because it has created a visual component to the organic agriculture program [at the University of Kentucky]."
"I've found this movement of young farmers is very inclusive. There's a lot of passion."
— Ben Abell on Greenhorn Radio


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ATLANTA — Black lawmakers in Georgia blasted President Donald Trump's election fraud commission for requesting extensive personal voter information Thursday, accusing the administration of trying to scare people away from voting.
Members of Georgia's Legislative Black Caucus, all Democrats in the General Assembly, said there's no logical reason the federal government would ask states for the information. They said releasing it would violate voters' privacy.
The commission asked every state for publicly available information on all voters including names, party affiliations, addresses, voting histories, felony convictions, military service and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
Other lawmakers said the panel's true intent is to lower voter turnout; state Rep. Roger Bruce of Atlanta said it recalls Southern states' history of suppressing black voters using so-called literacy tests before passage of the Voting Rights Act.
"Let's call it the way we see it," Bruce said. "So far, this president and this administration have not told the truth about anything."
The office of Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, has said it will provide the commission with a copy of the state's registered voter file, which is permitted by state law. Kemp's office told the commission in a letter this week that the file costs $250, the same charge for members of the public who request a copy.
But state law prevents the agency from releasing voters' birth day or month, Social Security or driver's license numbers or the location where someone votes.
The Associated Press has found that no state so far plans to provide all the information requested by the commission.
The AP's review has found that 26 states have said they will provide the commission with some information, but that parts of what was requested are not considered public information. Laws vary widely on what personal information states can release.
The AP's review found that 14 states and Washington, D.C., have said they won't comply at all.
Kris Kobach, the vice chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, said in a statement Wednesday that the commission will "gather the facts through public records requests to ensure the integrity of each American's vote because the public has a right to know."


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The American Anthropological Association is the world's largest association for professional anthropologists, with more than 10,000 members. Based in Washington, DC, the Association was founded in 1902, and covers all four main fields of anthropology (cultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology).
While 75 percent of our members are employed in higher education or are students of anthropology, about 25 percent of our members work in the public, private, and non-governmental sectors, beyond the academy. The Association is organized into 40 sections, each reflecting specialized domains of knowledge. We publish a portfolio of 22 journals, offer career planning and professional development services, support college and university departments, award numerous prizes and fellowships, sponsor a paid summer internship program, a summer field school in ethnography and occupational therapy, and stage research conferences in the Fall and Spring each year. We also have a public education initiative that highlights the contributions made by anthropological research to important and enduring topics such as race and migration.
The Association is proud to belong to a number of inter-organizational collaborations, including the World Council of Anthropological Associations, the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the National Humanities Alliance, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
Visit our website to discover more about the AAA: www.americananthro.org
About the AAA Blog
This blog is a service to our members and the general public. It is a forum to discuss topics of debate in anthropology and a space for public commentary on association policies, publications and advocacy issues. We will post select items of interest to our members or that you, the reader, have voiced an interest in. We invite you to use this domain to spur intellectual discussion and critique that is grounded in anthropological and other scientific research. Please contact us with suggestions, queries or potential contributions you might have.
All guest commentary on this blog is posted with the permission of contributing authors. If you wish to reproduce work that appears here, please contact each author directly.


text: Born November 13, 1955 in St. Catharines, Ontario. Education at University of Western Ontario; Osgoode Hall Law School, York University and University of Ottawa. Admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1985. Consultant to Law Reform Commission of Canada, 1984-88; Counsel, Department of Justice Canada, 1988-89; Sole practitioner, 1989-97; Executive Legal Officer of the Supreme Court of Canada, 1997-2002; Associate Executive Director, National Judicial Institute, 2002. Appointed Judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division and ex officio member of the Court of Appeal, December 12, 2002. Was nominated to the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada on February 20, 2003. Since July 2, 2003, the date of the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act, he is now Judge of the Federal Court. Address: Federal Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H9.


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This week's Speculative Fiction Writer is long-time blogging friend and talented writer, Jeff Beesler. He's just released his fourth novel, Interstellar Dad. Read on for an excerpt and a chance to win an eBook copy.
Hi, Ellie! Thanks for having me! I can't believe how fast this first month of 2014 has gone. Of course, time would fly when you're busy getting a book published like I have. I have this goal to get three books published this year, not counting audio book and print editions. With the release of Interstellar Dad, my latest science fiction tale, I'm already a third of the way there in accomplishing my goal.
Essentially, Interstellar Dad is about a guy named Andrew Skyes who desperately wants to be a dad, but can't have any of his own due to infertility. Because of this, his wife divorces him, and his performance at his job tanks. It doesn't help that his jeep's tire deflates and he has to seek help from a tow truck driver named Tucker. Fortunately, there may be a way for Andrew to still have children of his own. Such help may just have to come from an alien race known as the Ph'mleez. What follows next is an excerpt from the book, near the end of chapter 7.
"Fine," Junos said. "Go ahead and shoot. We won't stop you."
"Junos, that is enough! The longer we antagonize them, the more likely something will go wrong," Univa said. Then to Tucker, she added, "I need you to put that piece of equipment down. Some of it is highly sensitive, given the nature of our mission. If you were to accidentally set it off, it would not end well."
Univa had no sooner uttered those words than Tucker's pinky finger pressed down on a button I wasn't sure he knew was there. The silver glint of the frame became immersed in a greenish glow. Electric sparks rose from the metal baton and shot out in every direction. The alien women immediately took cover. I heard Univa shout Junos's name, as well as reprimand the head of security with more of those clicks and clacks that made up their dialect.
Tucker grinned at this, apparently unconcerned for the fact that the blaster or whatever it was in his hand had the power to vaporize him. His smile melted into dread, however, as he suddenly threw down the device and cried out in agony.
"Ouch! That got hot in a hurry!" he said, kissing his fingers as if his lips were burn ointment.
I was about to say something to him, but then the device emitted a strange, one-note hum that grew louder the longer it went on. Whatever that thing was, the sound it made gave me the impression that it was powering up. Something told me I didn't want to ever find out what this contraption did.
"This is what you get for meddling in our affairs, Earth men," said Junos. "Next time curiosity pecks at your feeble little brains, you may actually want to avoid feeding it."
"Not our fault you crash-landed on our planet!" Tucker shouted. Even at the top of his lungs, he almost failed to be heard over the screech of the apparatus he had foolishly activated.
Whatever words he uttered next went unheard as the machine let loose with an energy discharge. Unfortunately, with his lack of knowledge about alien technology, he hadn't realized he had been holding it where the thing would discharge towards him. A burst of radiation shot forth from the metal baton and struck him in the belly, knocking him to the ground. The scream he gave could not break out beyond the scope of the metal baton's humming, but the way his eyes were shut and his mouth hung open indicated that he had indeed wailed.
For about a minute or two, the same glow from the device enveloped him, preventing me from stepping towards him and offering any assistance. I could only stand by and watch as his body went limp, the energy too much for his body to handle.
But in keeping my attention solely on him, I neglected to watch the metal baton. It wasn't until I caught a flicker of green energy that I realized my mistake. By the time I turned toward the source, I got a full blast of energy right to my stomach. Suddenly I felt what was left of my lunch swirling around, an unexplainable nausea overtaking me as the room began to spin. In the background, I could hear Univa reprimanding the whole lot of her crew for having let things come to this. The murmur of chatter and arguments disappeared beyond a solid layer of blackness.
So what do you suppose happened to Andrew and Tucker? You'll have to pick up a copy of Interstellar Dad to find out. Links are available below…unless you happen to be randomly chosen to win a copy of Interstellar Dad by leaving a comment here! I'll choose the lucky winner sometime on Friday. Good luck!
Book Links: Amazon / AmazonUK / Smashwords
Thank you, Jeff. Interstellar Dad looks like another enthralling read. As with Optical Osmosis, I adore the cover. That's it for this week. Can you believe it's the end of January already?


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We should never blame others for our failed goals. Not even if they are the ones who planted the seeds of negativity. They may have put the seeds there, but we are the ones who allowed them to grow. Excuses are a cop out. If something failed the first time, pick yourself up, dust off the dirt and mud, and start again. Keep trying. Persevere.
Nothing irks me more than seeing others point fingers of blame and allow themselves to be satisfied with their present position in life. The blame game is easy, if you want to accept failure and be lazy. Perseverance demands that you keep fighting your way to victory. You never stop trying.
Cards of life are dealt, but that doesn't always mean you have to accept the hand before you. You can trade some of them in for new cards. We make the choices in our lives. Sometimes the choice doesn't end the best way possible. Sometimes we take a wrong turn and it takes a while to get back on the right path.
I have taken wrong turns in life. Lots of them. I dropped out of college in 1986 and seven years passed before I made the decision to go back. I learned a lot from that experience, but I also learned that my future depended upon what I decided to do next.