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Here to Fore, The Naima, Circle-A at 8, SD Release
You can't go much further underground without calling diggers hotline, than the two ravens together know as the The Naima. A metal band playing to jazz principles can hardly be stopped, or seen. They'll drop a super limited edition SD release this Sunday at Circle-A.
Supposedly there's some crazy videos and other lo-tech stuff to distract you from their super ripping tunes, like this mysterious transmission that ended up on The Portuguese SoundCloud.
Hod-A326MT_FINAL by thePortuguese549655404 via The Portuguese SoundCloud
The Naima will be setting clocks forward at Circle-A's Live at 8 with The Nobody Brothers this Sunday January 26, 2014 at 8p. The Naima is not to be confused with Naima Adedapo or The Naima Train, so you don't have to push your jacket sleeves up in the bitter cold or bring a mini-backpack. Actually, you probably shouldn't search The Naima much on the internet because basically the internet avoids the The Naima.
Best Music Shots 2013, Secret Lover, The Lasso
Burrowing deep in a crease at an uncharted pole of your being, resonating frequencies in rare, often musty air; an entity bearing the mark of Rock music, Secret Lover arrives.
They cruise well after the nostalgia that has many clamoring for simple times found in early century blues roots. They dig far beneath concrete foundations, burying acoustic beat era folk in its shallow grave. They leave soundtracks of peace and protest at a forgotten rally with hand written signs. They're really not known to break things that aren't theirs, so they don't need spikes.
They crimp midi cables and corrupt the digital interfaces hiding music hackery. They rewind self-loathing, and close the dairy. They care about what they do, their cool falls secondary, so collars down. Born before Moog was normal, they relish lo-fi. They hid in a shoe box until destiny knocked them off a dusty shelf. They ended up in a cassette tape deck, stellar-as-ever, post-punk, art-core and beyond.
Matter of Tongues
Rolling a new EP release, The Lasso, right at the end of 2013 Secret Lover has stolen the year, giving amplified instruments renewed purpose. Back in Milwaukee a year and half after testing their Summer Demo on a few willing heads, they recently meandered back to a small venue in Riverwest to kick off 2014.
Lyrics rarely carry entire albums so resolutely both in content and vocal quality, and there Sally Horowitz exudes everything that now means. Controlling the mood and moments in every song with her voice, she celebrates micro-drama paradigms and self-determined sensibilities, soaking them in perpetually shifting meter and tempo, unpredictable melodies and soul-snatching contralto octave switches; punctuating stanzas with an occasional evocative spoken "Oh Yeah". And the band has the tab covered.
Mighty Healthy
Lead guitar John Guida divides himself on most songs between rhythm and solo parts, distortion and hollow pickups, like a man with no palms, and a third brain hemisphere. He's the docent for The Lasso, quietly guiding ruddy ears on an indie journey, propelling Secret Lover's purposefully crude product, substantiated by highly technical methods, to the moon.
Sewing the void left between vocals and lead, Lars Paulson pulsates sticky rhythmic effluvia on bass, following structure momentarily before dribbling spontaneous scales with nice handle, subtly giving the final outline to the emotional tones held in the jams, shaking stable feelings from their tree.
Noticeably beefing up the percussion from their initial 2012 release, Summer Demo, Dave Paquette hammers his kit, a contained riot determined to knock down an inhibition or two, pace-setting each song fluidly, throttling and coasting with his mates. Serve the whole ensemble with room temperature Hamm's, and you're basically set.
Taste Dorian to sample Secret Lover's choice of ingredients. Presumably an ode to a friend, lighthearted and heartfelt, Horowitz dives in plainly, coyly, "Dorian you changed your name, and you cut off all curls…" The band rides right in, as Horowitz continues through though the chorus and bridge, each take their turn embellishing a verse with a slight variation. The song builds to the refrain with Paquette rolling, Guida veering off to a half scale, and Paulson syncopating nastily, by the close a climax is reached in deep in harmony, a simple exercise in bliss.
Dorian by Secret Lover off of the The Lasso EP (2013)
Infectious, present and packing some serious performative powers Secret Lover resuscitates and revives those dark and mundane places that harbor rough beauty. Where a lot of music tries really hard to be something, they just are something, and they're evolving rapidly. Secret Lover is touring, so if you're not killing baby red pandas you should check them out. The Lasso is a 6-track EP available for download, and so is equally worthy Summer Demo.
Related Posts
Secret Lover, Unpop Art Show, Orcanine Abbey, http://wp.me/p1hPwN-1lU
(There's a pretty nifty vid too)
One last thing 2013, The Skrauss, Subito Statua
Passers-by on the Riverwalk crossing at Wells Street, squint their gaze at the brownish human figure standing at ease, with arms bent at both elbows to let the most famous thumbs in history point to the sky. Everything's Hey, OK.
For statues with notorious local reputations, the Bronze Fonze stands next to only the random Michael Jackson idol that was stuck in mid-pelvis thrust out side of Fulham FC's stadium at Craven Cottage, London. Let's face it, Fonze in the Happy Days… butter, today the Bronzie attracts its share of ridicule.
On one seemingly normal overcast morning, lurking an uncomfortable distance from the Fronze, another statue suddenly appeared. A seven-foot gangly clay figure glowered over the Fonze, disproportionately large hands' pleading palms inward facing to its chest. It wore a blue suit. It stood on massive black booted feet. Someone had taken the ante up a notch higher than ever before.
Apparently, as the day went on people started to notice; as public art projects tend to be a hot button topic in this town. Having one appear in such a prominent location, with no public hearing, must have raised someone's eyebrows.
A day later, Jim Stingl, known for scrounging up a scoop to post on JSOnline, sent out a plea on NewsWatch to get a bead on the goings on. Amazingly that yielded results in less than 24-hours.
via The Skrauss Speaks, You Listen on YouTube
Turns out a local artist The Skrauss, a recent MFA of UW-Milwaukee and long-time illustrator, has unmistakeable work. Jim Stingl somehow got a hold of Skrauss and pulled a few strained responses from him. A mysterious statue on the Riverwalk, makes a physical metaphor for random acts of love and outburst.
I suppose with a sketchy box van and 10-foot statue, pop-up public art is possible. The Skrauss has art that hangs on walls too, and sometimes cameos in indie films like The Wheel.
Related Posts
Sheer Groovy Outrage, The Skrauss, http://wp.me/p1hPwN-1cv
Ascension into the Fiction, The Skrauss, http://wp.me/p1hPwN-1wH
The Skrauss (c) 2013
How do you get around town? Zipcar Milwaukee is here and growing
Usually the debate about how to get about town in Milwaukee is a decent conversation piece. In the worst cases, it's the way to find the poles of people's outlook on life in the city. Wait what's that? Milwaukee has Zipcar! Now there is even more to talk about, and they're giving away a Zipcertificate worth $100 to get a worthy Milwaukeean moving (details below).
Get a Move On
As Milwaukee tussles with plowing towards becoming full fledged metropolis or remaining a fragmented mid-sized city of suburbs and enclaves, many urbanists vie for a more robust public transit system by adding variety to available modes. From buses, street cars, to bike shares multiple transportation options decrease reliance on cars and increase urban viability as a matter of public policy. Urban Milwaukee, has provided an ongoing commentary on the Downtown Street Car plan and other transit innovations that have made their way through the wringer a few times, some set to see the pavement in 2014.
Other Milwaukeeans make a conscientious lifestyle or personal finance choice to live car-less relying on any of the above, and in certain fits of principled defiance (read: "fun") take "pedicabs" and pedal pubs. Others who come to the city from smaller towns, or who are just prideful locals, may swear by nothing other than a personal vehicle for transportation, lest they have their own personal Jim Anchower moment on the bus. It's quite possible that with Zipcar, Milwaukeeans can now travel the middle ground about town when and how they choose.
Did you know? Zipcars survived the Polar Vortex of 2014
If You Didn't Know…
Zipcar is a car sharing business that has served Milwaukee for the past five years. This University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus got them first in 2007, and soon after Marquette University added the Zipcar option. This past August, Zipcar expanded its presence in Milwaukee to serve nearly 20 locations. Zipcar works like a monthly subscription to awesome cars that you can use by the day or hour, accessible right in your neighborhood.
What about insurance? It's included. What about gas? It's included, if you follow the very reasonable guidelines. What about the hassle, sounds like a rental car? Leave that to the concierge at the airport, with the deposits, and mandatory rental periods and every changing pricing. You sign up for Zipcar and use the mobile web (iOS or Android) or conventional internet to make a reservation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Modern technology allows you to access the car and drive off without having to talk to a person. Even in an middle of the night emergency you can get to where you have to go, as long as it's not to Kalamazoo.
Getting the Picture
Have you a friend that's coming in town on the Hiyawatha or by coach bus from a city like Minneapolis or Chicago that has Zipcar? Say on an occasion your schedules don't match. If they are signed up they can arrange a Zipcar here, they can explore Milwaukee for an afternoon until you can connect.
If you live around downtown Zipcars are stashed about several neighborhoods for your shopping, business, or personal convenience. Juneau Town on Kilbourn and Van Buren, Eastown on Jefferson and Wisconsin, US Bank Center on Michigan and Cass, Public Market on Broadway and Clybourn, Third Ward at Buffalo and Jefferson all have Zipcars.
Some people need car for an afternoon once or twice a month, why go $15,000 in debt or get a hooptie that's going to break down when you need it. For many people, Zipcar is a practical way to save money and abide by a low-car diet. You'll probably be able to enjoy the luxuries of a much nicer car that you can afford while you're at it.
You're a responsible adult, so why shouldn't you be able to drive an Audi Q5, Mini Cooper or Toyota Prius?
To Zipcar affordable does not mean economy. Each of these cars are available in the Milwaukee market in select locations. Other Zipcar makes include Mazda, Ford and Hyundai.
Hybrid City Dwellers
Using Zipcar doesn't mean you have sold out public transit. Zipcar represents the shared option, which is the next most civil thing to the public option, without the nerve racking of lending or borrowing and bumming rides in someone else's car. Matter of fact, it's basically like a bike share but with cars. Well almost. Although our wildest dreams as kids were to put some coins in the kiddy horsey ride and ride off, you'll actually have to sign up and get your Zip Card in the mail before using Zipcar.
Services like Zipcar are huge steps in the right direction and show the surge in vitality Milwaukee has recently experienced in its city center, so it's at least worth knowing about. RadioMilwaukee has a spot with Zipcar's Milwaukee marketing rep, and she's got a great radio voice you can hear behind the "Love's Gonna Get Ya"/"Plug Tuning" and "So Watcha Saying"/"Jackin' for Beats" instrumentals.
To make their 2014 expansion a little more fun, the good people at Zipcar have decided to offer one lucky Milwaukeean, and Local Trolley reader, a $100 Zipcertificate to put towards a Zipcar membership and driving credit, and the folks at Local Trolley are honored to do the honors. To get a shot at starting your low-car diet on the house, "Like" Local Trolley's Facebook page by January 15, 2014 to cast your lot.
One last thing 2013, R.I.P The Onion Print Edition and A.V. Club Milwaukee
I used to have this awfully bad attitude like most teens, especially toward popular media, and for some reason it extended to books of literature. I used to rant about how anyone could just start writing, making up any old thoughts and pass them off as facts or novels. Around this time, this newspaper started appearing in the halls of my high school.
It was filled with all sorts of non-sense like Air Jesus coming back to earth dunking in a Bulls jersey, commentary written under the pseudonyms like Smooth B, Jim Anchower and Higalec of the Healfdanes, and some classic spots like Point/Counter Point. It was foundational material emulate, fertilizer for a generation of native Milwaukeeans with a natural penchant for imaginative banter and hyperbolic heckling coursing through their veins. Milwaukee is of course the ancestral home of Jim Abrahams, Jerry and David Zucker, could anyone expect less.
One day buried, on page 5 or something, a random throw away column appeared, "New Study: Books Don't Take You Anywhere". In disbelief, my eyes swirled in a self-righteously justified tizzy at the mundane black and white picture of a 9 year old sitting in an over sized living room easy chair reading a book. That was the moment the The Onion played my chord, I was hooked.
One Bad Day
At year close Milwaukee abruptly lost a dear smelly old friend. The day it was announced that The Onion print edition was going away should grudgingly join that club of infamous, tragic and otherwise note worthy moments in popular history deserving of a "where were you when…" recollections. It was almost two months ago now when I first heard the news and I've already almost forgotten mine.
I'm pretty sure I saw a status come through the A.V. Club Milwaukee page and immediately dismissed it as "usual antics". About a week later, I was driving down Prospect Avenue while texting and listening to The Disclaimer on WMSE, which included then A.V. Club Milwaukee editor Matt Wild, where the gory details were revealed.
Somewhere along the line, some bastards in Chicago thought Milwaukee shouldn't have a newspaper it helped bring to national prominence over the previous quarter century, circulating weekly on newsstands with the admirable A.V. Club Milwaukee local insert neatly tucked inside. It figures, we also have more bars per capita than Chicago, and naturally more cool stuff going on per capita too.
In Memoriam
According to Wild , the Milwaukee outfit was still profitable, albeit likely on the curvy mounds about the ladies and gents in the Silk and chatline ads, profitable non-the-less (not a directly attributable sentiment of Wild). It is unknown if the same could be said in Madison, Boulder or any other of the cities The Onion phenomenon burrowed underground, later to be snatched up and tossed at a skateboarder.
Let us then remember The Onion as a true beacon of the oft' hidden reality found in the sarcasm of cynical minds. A life line for the consciousness of free and critical thinkers to cling, a boil on the face of overcooked established journalism. The Onion: a testament to the vast potential contained in the sprig of an idea. To the A.V Club Milwaukee, a persistent tap on the side of the head to remind us that the local voice matters, and that their is always a reason to slug some Lakefront pints with your esteemed colleagues in the Onion Beer Society.
The Onion, a crowning contribution of Milwaukee to the patronage of cultural and political satire, one of the first and the last to circulate this Grade "A" American institution: The Onion print edition, gone but never to be erased from memory, at least not in the first two weeks of 2014.


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One more sandwich... :)
As the sun shines brighter every day, the trees are blooming and the weather is really great, for breakfast I decided to make spring sandwich. Well, nothing unusual, I just really enjoyed making carrot and cucumber flowers... :)
What we need:
2 slices of bread
1 egg
1 teaspoon of cheese cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon of sweet corn
1 tablespoon of mayonaise
salt and pepper
carrot and cucumber for decoration
What we have to do:
1. Boil egg in salted water. Peel and cut into cubes.
2. Mix egg with cheese and sweet corn. Add salt and pepper. Some chopped parsley and mayonaise. Mix it.
3. Spread the mix over one slice of bread, then cover with another another slice and put the sandwich on a grill to get a bit of crunch.
4. Serve with some carrot and cucumber flowers and fresh parsley! Enjoy!!!
Have a lovely spring!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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For many, the most stressful thing about cash flow is the 'not knowing'. If this describes you, especially if business slows down during the holidays, spend some time getting reacquainted with the details of your finances.
Grow Your Business by Taking a Pulse on Your Finances
What is your cash flow usually like this time of year?
- Historically low: If things slow down,as they do for many service businesses during the holidays, use this time to dig up hidden gems and opportunities. Search your customer database for inactive customers or one-time customers; grab their email address and send them a special offer or an introductory offer if the service you offer is recurring.
- Historically high: If you offer a service that keeps you busy through the holiday season, think about how you can push that momentum into the New Year. If you get many new customers during this time, consider running a New Year promotion to enroll your customers into monthly subscriptions with a recurring billing setup.
- Historically flat: Maybe things stay steady through the holidays but you'd like to up the ante and boost sales through the season. Consider grabbing a booth at a local festival or event and bring your mobile credit card reader to sell merchandise or gift cards on the go, or schedule appointments with prospective customers.
You may feel like you don't have much control over the impact the holiday season has on your business, but taking an honest look at past years and making a proactive plan will give you an opportunity to make the most of the coming year.
A common challenge for business owners:
Feeling confident about cash flow is one of the biggest concerns of entrepreneurs. If you're using this time of year to gain insight into your business and get a jump on the next year, you might find these resources helpful.
Free Business Guide to Holiday and New Year Success
This short guide will help you give your business a boost through the holidays and into the New Year:
- Get ready for the holiday season
- Be proactive about your cash flow
- Communicate your plan to your customers, friends, and family
- Set yourself up for success in the New Year
Download your guide today! (No email needed).


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UK Charging points – find your nearest on-street point
While plug-in hybrids do not rely on being able to recharge with electricty, operating in electric mode will reduce fuel costs and lower emissions. Accessing home and on-street charging facilities is therefore recommended whenever possible.
EV charging points are primarily defined by the power (in kW) they can produce and therefore what speed they are capable of charging an EV.
There are three main EV charging speeds: Slow charging (up to 3kW) which is best suited for 6-8 hours overnight; Fast charging (7-22kW) which can fully recharge some models in 3-4 hours; and Rapid charging units (43-50kW) which are able to provide an 80% charge in around 30 minutes.
Explore Zap-Map live to locate all public access charge points across the UK. Alternatively visit Zap-Map.com to search by connector and EV model, and access the latest news on EV charging.


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On May 3, 1980, a 13-year-old girl named Cari Lightner was killed by a drunken driver. A terrible alcoholic, the man had three prior drunken driving convictions. He had just come from a bar, on the back end of a three-day binge.
Within weeks, Cari's mom, Candy Lightner, co-founded M.A.D.D., or Mothers Against Drunk Driving. All over the country, mothers fed up with the unwillingness of politicians to do anything about drunken driving flocked to the organization. Within a few years, M.A.D.D. had persuaded President Ronald Reagan to support a national drinking age of 21, and it had pushed through state laws toughening the penalties for driving while intoxicated. Perhaps most important, M.A.D.D. turned a dangerous behavior that had long been socially acceptable into a taboo.
I was out of town on Friday, when the Newtown, Conn., massacre took place and could only connect to my loved ones by phone. My fiancée wept uncontrollably: "I can't imagine what it would be like to drop Mackie off at school, and never see him again," she said, referring to our 2-year-old son. My grown daughter also cried.
Listening to them — and seeing how powerfully affected the country has been by this horrible slaughter of children and their teachers — I couldn't help thinking about M.A.D.D. Its success came about because its founders tapped into a wellspring of anger that had been quietly building — just like the current anger over the recent spate of mass killings. But it also came about because mothers could give a human face to the consequences of political inaction: their own children. How do you trump that?
Sadly, thanks to the elementary school shootings on Friday, children are now inexorably linked with the kind of mass killing that has become far too common. On Sunday, at the vigil in Newtown, President Obama explicitly cast the country's lax gun laws as a failure to protect children. I have no doubt his remarks were heartfelt, but they were also politically shrewd. Rarely has the National Rifle Association been so silent.
One absurd argument some gun extremists are already making is that, instead of tightening gun laws, we should go in the other direction, and start packing heat. That way, you see, we can mow down the bad guy before he gets us.
In Michigan, a bill to allow concealed weapons to be brought into public schools, day-care centers and churches has been approved by the Legislature and is awaiting the signature of that state's Republican governor, Rick Snyder. In the most recent issue of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg argues that the country is so "saturated" with guns — some 300 million — that it's pointless to try to put controls on gun ownership. Besides, he says, "people should have the ability to defend themselves." A Texas congressman, Louie Gohmert, said that if only the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School "had an M4 in her office," she could have stopped Adam Lanza, the Newtown gunman.
But the experience of other countries puts the lie to that argument. In Australia, in 1996, a man killed 35 people in the course of an afternoon rampage. Australia soon went from having relaxed gun laws to having tough gun laws, including such common-sense measures as character witnesses for people who want to own a gun, and the purchase of a safebolted to the wall or floor. There are still plenty of hunters in Australia, but it hasn't had a mass killing since.
South Africa may be an even better example. For many years, South Africa was a country every bit as gun-soaked as America. I have a friend, Greg Frank, a hedge fund manager in Charlottesville, Va., who lived in Johannesburg during a time when it had become so crime-ridden that people felt the need to own guns to protect themselves. He, too, owned a gun as a young man: "I made the excuse that I needed it for self-protection."
The guns didn't make anybody safer. People who were held up while waiting at a red light rarely had time to pull out their guns. And the fact that so many homes had guns became an incentive for criminals, who would break in, hold the family hostage, and then order that the safe with the guns be opened. "Everyone knew someone who had family or friends who had experienced gun violence," he said.
Finally, he says, people got fed up. In 2004, the laws changed, requiring annual relicensing, character witnesses and other measure to keep guns out of the wrong hands. There was also an appeal to voluntarily surrender guns.
"I took my gun to the police station," recalls Frank. "The cop receiving it wrote down the serial number, took my ID, and I was gone. It felt transformational, like a huge weight off my shoulders."
It will for us, too, when we finally get serious about stopping gun violence.


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From small quantities of domestic waste such as paints and thinners through to bulk or packaged materials such as drums or IBCs we can provide analysis for disposal purposes, packing, labelling, transport and disposal. Helping you manage the highly regulated process for safely dealing with your hazardous waste, we'll protect your duty of care.
We'll record the whole process for future reference and ensure your waste is transported and treated without harm to the environment.
Hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. As we are licensed by the Environment Agency we can handle most types of hazardous waste, including chemicals, pesticides, paints, solvents and oils.
Hazardous Waste Removal
We regularly carry out hazardous waste removal for customers across all sectors of our business.
We provide an emergency service with an operator available to take your call 24 hrs a day – every day. Call 0800 171 2204 to speak to a real person who can provide advice and mobilise a response team for you.
Whether you need a one-off small collection, regular drum consignments or a specialist tanker service, we'll work closely with you to help ensure that your legal obligations are met for safe hazardous waste disposal.
Trusted by our Clients
Our client list includes local authorities including East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, utility suppliers, industrial manufacturers as well as home owners.
Working with the support of the Environment Agency, we recently removed thousands of gallons of pollution from the surrounding drainage ditches on an industrial site following a fire at a factory in Sussex. Early detection of chemical pollutants was a critical factor in determining how we managed the spill to minimise cost for our client.
We'll be happy to liaise with insurance companies and agencies and arrange the whole process for dealing with the removal of your hazardous waste including collection, packaging, transportation, recycling or disposal.
Licensed and Accredited by our Industry
Operating across London and the South East supporting the commercial and industrial, utilities, marine and domestic sectors and operate an-out-of hours emergency service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are licensed by the Environment Agency, fully accredited by the UK Spill Association and a member of Alcumus SafeContractor.
We transport all our waste for recycling where possible and dispose of waste responsibly through licensed treatment facilities.
Call free on 0800 171 2204 to talk to one of our team who will provide support and advice and can book any of our services for you.


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Our shop
Letty's Design- your equestrian and carriage driving specialist!
In 1979 Letty Donselaar founded her shop "'t Peerdewinkeltje" ('little horse shop'), in the Dutch town of Veenendaal. Since then her shop has been one of the leading ones in carriage driving and equestrian products. Letty is constantly looking for innovation, and she always has the interests of both her customers as well as their horses at heart. Letty's knowledge of carriage driving is known around the world and the shop has the broadest and most complete collection of equestrian products in the area. Under its own label, Letty's Design, special products for carriage driving are developed and produced- all used by leading top drivers around the world! Placing an online order is safe and easy, but feel free to drop by when you find yourself in the Veenendaal area. Letty would love to meet you! As Letty's Design is always on the lookout for innovation, it goes without saying that you can now also follow ''t Peerdewinkeltje' on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/Peerdewinkeltje.nl
These pictures will give you an albeit small impression of the shop in Veenendaal. A wide range of equestrian and carriage driving products is on offer. Alternatively, several specialised articles are also available online.
Buy equestrian clothing -order online or come to the shop in Veenendaal.
Visit the shop to choose and try on equestrian clothing of several brands and in several price ranges. Alternatively, you can order products online! The shop in Veenendaal has a dedicated Outlet section with more than 100 riding breeches with prices starting from 20 euro; cheaper than buying second hand and plenty of choice available!
For almost 40 years Letty's Design has been the leading specialist in carriage driving!
Shop owner Letty Donselaar has been involved in carriage driving from the very start. From the early stages, she visited carriage driving competitions and when she was given the opportunity to train as a judge, she grabbed it with both hands! Her particular duty as judge at that time was to actually accompany the driver in the carriage during the marathon. The instructor for the judge training was the well-known Dutch carriage driving pioneer, Daan Modderman. Letty was a driving judge for 25 years, including judging at 13 World Championships. This extensive experience and knowledge is now passed on to her customers.
Letty´s Design – products developed personally by Letty.
The very first product that was developed under the own label, was in the year 1980. At that point in time, there were no driving gloves for drivers. Letty developed them herself in cooperation with a leading gloves producer. With the driving gloves, the very first product became a reality. And it did not stop there: Letty became the first producer of driving aprons, kidney blankets were developed and produced, and special types of reins were introduced such as non- slip or cotton lightweights. Letty was also the first one to develop marathon harnesses, produced at her own facilities using especially woven nylon tape and very strong stainless steel rings. The next step, namely synthetic harnesses, was only a small one..
Synthetic harnesses
As early as 1987 Letty came into contact with an Australian carriage driver who subsequently did an internship at Letty's shop ''t Peerdewinkeltje'.When this driver went back to the sport later and competed in the World Championships Two-in-hand using a synthetic harness originally used in trotting, Letty went back to the drawing table. Off she went to Australia where the synthetic harnesses were developed further to make them suitable for carriage driving. Letty was for the major part responsible for the development of these harnesses. Later on, a new series of further developed harnesses was produced together with the famous Kiefer factory in Munich, Germany. The advantage for customers is that production takes place in-house, making prices very competitive. Harnesses are available in either synthetics or in leather.


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Louisa was born in 1847 in NSW to an ex-convict father and a free-settler mother. She was the second child in a large family and when she reached 14 years of age, she became a domestic servant to a solicitor. She was pretty, dark-haired and plump, and wanted to have some fun. But her parents couldn't afford to keep her, so married she had to be. Husband Charles Andrews was a boring, old widower.
Locals were not surprised that Collins took up with the very young, very sexy Michael Collins soon after the death of her first husband. The couple partied and danced, and married within three months of Charles Andrews' funeral, with the bride a little bit pregnant. She was in her 40s yet she had to go through another pregnancy - her 10th!
Collins was immediately charged with murder. The so-called Borgia of Botany, as the newspapers called her, remained in gaol for two years, through four trials. The first two times she was tried for the murder of Michael Collins, the third time for the murder of Charles Andrews, and finally, for the murder of Charles again. Ms Overington discovered all the evidence against Collins was circumstantial, leading the first three juries to return no verdict.
The Crown went after Louisa relentlessly. The case was not only tried in front of four juries, but the Sydney papers covered the trials in lurid detail. The Premier Sir Henry Parkes led the noisy argument for Collins' hanging on the floor of the NSW Parliament. The letters pages of the Sydney Morning Herald were full of opinions about Louisa. And the women of NSW were mobilising. Petitions and letter-writing campaigns were launched on Louisa's behalf; so were marches in the streets. This was raw C19th colonial history in action.. its gender politics and social conditions!
There was only circumstantial evidence in all the cases, about which the first three juries were underwhelmed. So why did the fourth jury fail her? Overington believes that the colony's male establishment felt threatened. There had been a number of poisoning deaths, and the authorities were very concerned because women's position in colonial society was bleak. Most working class women could not get a divorce, and if they managed it, they lost their children. They didn't have the vote and they received no police protection for marital rape or brutality.
But nothing helped and, having maintained her innocence throughout the four trials, Louisa Collins was brutally hanged in January 1889. The youngest of Louisa's children were taken into an orphanage where they were lost to the rest of the family.
Women's marching had not saved Louisa, but it did help energise and focus the women's movement. Because human rights had to be extended to women in the colony urgently, the Suffragettes started organising themselves soon after her final trial.
The author's important questions: Was Louisa Collins a victim of the colony's political pressure, men's fear and women's push for greater equality? Was she was a drunken slattern who killed consecutive husbands by cruel arsenic poisoning? Was she the wronged mother of 10 children, a victim of a male-run system that conferred on women none of its rights but all of its responsibilities? Was she the inspiration for the colony's embryonic suffragette movement?