text:
If you don't hire juniors, you don't deserve seniors
Isaac Lyman ・9 min read
Let me tell you the story of a very successful company that made a very big, dumb decision.
We don't hire junior developers or interns...if you don't get a puppy, you don't have to clean up its messes.
~ Netflix
I'm flabbergasted that some corporate schmuck figured out a way to cast puppies in a negative light and people kept listening. I mean, puppies are the purest beings on planet Earth. Literally made out of playtime and fur. Bright spots in a lonely world. But I digress.
A lot of companies have followed suit with a "we only hire seniors" strategy. When asked why, they'll offer responses like:
- We don't have the time or resources to hire junior developers; we're moving too quickly.
- The company can afford senior developers, so there's no need to hire juniors.
- We can't afford to make mistakes at this point. The stakes are too high.
- Our organization gives a lot of autonomy to its employees. We aren't set up for the kind of hand-holding that juniors need.
- We want to get our base software product in place before we hire anyone inexperienced.
The implication here is that junior developers are a liability, something that a company takes on out of a sense of duty or because of an ailing budget. And the implication of that is, well, maybe other companies can afford to do corporate charity projects and substandard work, but we sure can't.
By the way, there are over 100,000 tech companies in the US, and I've never heard one single CEO say "our mistakes don't matter a lot" or "we need a way to spend some of this loose cash we've got sitting around." So, all you "senior developer only" outfits, whatever shortcut you think you're taking, whatever system you think you're cheating, the reality is that you've hallucinated the entire thing. There's no competitive advantage to shutting out juniors. And you've outed yourself as a poorly-managed company.
The way you hire and treat junior developers is a valuable proxy measure for the health of your organization, your product line, and your internal culture. Senior developers know this. And if that isn't compelling enough, hiring a fair balance of junior developers is a smart financial decision as well.
Preventing messes
If you refuse to hire junior developers because they make "messes," you're sending a strong and unintended message about your company culture: no mistakes allowed. You're painting yourself as the company that fires somebody every time a server goes down. Regardless of how much you pay, nobody wants to work in an environment where job security is touch-and-go. And trying to initimidate developers into making less mistakes spreads a culture of fear and initimidation, which is disastrous for mental health and productivity.
You might argue that this attitude encourages developers to be cautious and implement processes that guard against error: automated testing, QA, failovers, access protection, and reversible code changes, to name a few. But this theory is entirely backwards. If company guidelines encourage the use of failsafes like these and the company provides the time and resources for developers to implement them, the "no mistakes allowed" culture isn't necessary or valuable; most issues will be caught long before they reach production. And every developer, junior and senior, thrives in an environment where strong development processes protect them from worst-case scenarios.
What about the errors that make it past every layer of prevention you've put in place? Think of them as valuable opportunities to shore up your defenses. Junior developers, admittedly, usually uncover these opportunities sooner than senior developers. So the only question is, do you want to debug your process sooner or do you want to debug it later? "Never" is not a choice, as any experienced developer will tell you. If something can go wrong, eventually it will. No amount of experience can prevent human error.
Naturally, you'll need a few senior development and ops leaders to lay the groundwork and set precedents for an error-resistant development cycle. Nobody's saying you should only hire junior developers. But if you truly have a workplace that cares about mistakes--that is, a workplace where mistakes are caught early and often--junior developers will fit right in. And developers of all levels will enjoy higher job satisfaction, since error resistance liberates them to build great software (instead of constant firefighting) and protects their nights and weekends.
Saving money
According to Indeed, a Junior Software Engineer makes an average salary of $55,394, while a Senior Software Engineer makes an average salary of $117,374. A Senior costs more than two times as much as a Junior.
The cost is often justified. Senior developers are expected to be more productive than junior developers. That's not the whole story, though, and thoughtlessly writing it off as the cost of doing business is both lazy and expensive.
Not all application code requires years of experience to write, or even to write well. Every program includes "glue code" that connects various inputs and outputs in a mundane way. It doesn't matter a lot who writes it. You can pay someone $28 an hour to do it, or you can pay someone $59 an hour to do it. Either way it will come out about the same. If you only hire seniors, you're paying a premium for a great deal of entry-level work.
Code also varies significantly from application to application, and familiarity is a key factor in productivity. In most cases, a junior developer with six months of experience on a team will be more effective than a senior developer who just signed on, for no other reason than familiarity with the domain.
The aforementioned glue code and domain-specific code account for at least half of all development work. What remains is code that truly demands and benefits from the expertise of a senior developer. And even for this code, a junior developer can do outstanding work if they have access to sufficient educational resources and the guidance of an experienced mentor.
For these reasons, a pairing of one junior and one senior developer is generally equivalent to two senior developers, and comes at less than 75% of the total cost. If your goal is maximum productivity for minimal expense, this junior/senior pair should be the fundamental molecule of your organization.
As an aside, one factor that's impossible to account for in these numbers is the widespread tendency of senior developers to debate about topics that end up being trivial--such as algorithms, microsecond optimizations, and code style. If an organization hires only seniors and doesn't have a rock-solid decision-making process in place, hundreds of payroll hours can be lost to these arguments. Junior developers rarely have this kind of problem.
Building careers
If you don't hire junior developers, another message you're sending is that you don't know how career progression works.
Again, this isn't about corporate citizenship or "doing your part" in the tech community. This is about making your company a decent place to work so that developers will join your company and stay long enough to make an impact.
I've heard a few developers say "I'm done changing job titles. I just want to be a senior developer forever." However, I've never heard one say "I hope I never get a pay raise or learn something new or get recognized for my achievements ever again." And, inconveniently, the resources necessary to sustain ambitious ladder-climbers and complacent but passionate senior developers are about the same. You need ways to measure and recognize a job well done, plentiful educational resources, and a variety of projects young and old in your development pipeline. You need to create a sense of progress, even for those few who don't want a promotion.
But don't get stuck on those folks. They're a minority. Most people in tech aren't planning on being senior developers for 40 years straight. We dream of being software architects, team leads, CTOs, and founders. And a company that advertises its blatant disinterest in career progression is going to rank dead last on our list of prospective employers.
One of the most impressive things a developer can hear as they walk into a job interview is, "Hi, I'm a team lead, I've worked here for eight years and I joined the company as an intern." Impressive and very rare. That person is intensely valuable to the company--they know the product line in and out, they've seen code from every project within a 100-yard radius, and they've worked alongside everyone in the organization. They can innovate within that company in a way that very few can. And the company is earning inestimable dividends on that person's work because they figured out how to keep them interested for eight years--about one tenth of their life expectancy. That's a sign of success for the company's culture. It marks a workplace where morale is high, good work is recognized, and interesting projects are waiting around every corner.
Saying "we don't hire juniors," on the other hand, is an open admission that your company isn't prepared to be part of someone's career. It essentially advertises stagnancy: the company expects experienced and talented developers to join the company and contribute indefinitely while getting nothing but a paycheck for their efforts. Some might be willing to do that, but you'll never see their best work.
If your company is truly committed to career growth, on the other hand, an arbitrary restriction against junior developers only serves to shrink your hiring pipeline and shorten the possible tenure of your employees.
Making great software
Junior developers have several unique traits that their more experienced colleagues have usually lost. One of these is blind optimism. Another is a willingness to follow. But perhaps the most valuable trait juniors bring to the table is their lack of baggage. Senior developers have seen technologies come and go, projects fail, teams dissolve into infighting, and all the other trappings of the technology sector. They build up strong opinions and often overgeneralize, assuming that what worked (or didn't) for one team or one project must be equally effective for another. And this can manifest as a reluctance to learn the nuances of a new problem space.
Sometimes a project manager's job is to say "I know that didn't work there, but maybe it will work here." And a junior developer is usually the best person to test that theory--they can build a proof-of-concept or a prototype without bringing along any of the biases that senior developers have built up over the years. As a junior developer I frequently took on this kind of work, trying out new tools and technologies, rebuilding things in a different way, proving out ideas that everyone else had judged too quickly. I often discovered better ways to build and the company's software was materially better as a result. There were cases where page load time improved by an order of magnitude; multiple pages were condensed into one, saving weeks of future maintenance; or the company was able to rule out insufficient technologies that could have led to a lot of wasted time. The benefits provided by a clean slate and a fresh perspective are impossible to ignore.
Many companies can get away with putting a bunch of senior developers in a room and letting them fight through to a consensus over how to solve problems and build things. But adding a few juniors to the mix, developers whose time you can afford to spend on one-off experiments and wild ideas, will turn up surprising improvements to your products.
When it comes to software quality, junior developers also do an important form of work that generally goes unappreciated: they place limits on the heady, overengineered code that their senior colleagues may be tempted to write.
If you replace "average or mediocre" in the above tweet with "junior," you can see how this works. A codebase is an abstract record of the way its contributors think critically. A healthy mix of junior and senior contributors creates opportunities for simplification, which makes features easier to build as time goes on.
In summary, the widespread "seniors only" attitude in tech undervalues junior developers. It's a detriment to everyone, especially the organizations that mistakenly think they can make things easier by shutting out inexperienced candidates. Although some of these companies have been financially successful, the waste of money and opportunities they've absorbed is likely massive.
If your company is ahead of the curve on this issue--if you know how to hire, train, and retain junior developers--you're reaping benefits I've only begun to describe here. Your company has lower turnover, higher diversity, and less overhead than the competition. Your software is less likely to break and more likely to delight. There are, of course, other factors at play. But a positive approach to junior developers is an important mark of a quality workplace for developers at every level.
Agreed 100%. Lots of places don't realize that these seniors must have come from somewhere or learnt their craft at some point. They are not born seniors :D
The part of about baggage and preconceptions is definitely true. I'm more productive now than I was years ago but I can also get stuck in a rut faster than before.
Mixing is the key.
Another thing that I think it's very important, which might not apply to Netflix due to size and their "magnetism", is how risky it is to have only senior developers in smaller companies. You increase the bus factor a lot and, as you said, the company is also sending the signal that they don't really care about career development (which might also entail that they don't care about people that much, just the product). So eventually one or some of them will leave. I'm speaking from personal experience here.
This is awesome. I've worked with people who were huge proponents of the "hire only seniors" mentality. To them, senior devs == productivity. There were many times I found this to not be the case. I had teams where my employees were mostly junior, and each one of them contributed more and in more valuable ways than many of the seniors. Seniors often over engineer, over complicate for the sake of complexity, and waste tons of time arguing of nuances of the "best way". (Which typically meant the most complicated way) This is not to say all seniors are like this or that juniors are better than seniors, but that juniors in my experience make exceptionally valuable contributions to the company.
Stellar post Isaac, very needed right now.
That highlighted something I've only seen a little -- I didn't know it was so widespread, since I'm not in the industry. I'm old enough to know that I want little-to-no part of it, but also inexperienced enough that I would barely apply "junior developer" to my name.
While I was reading, I thought, could it be that this trend is a proxy-block against diversity quotas? Though you mentioned big companies in the public eye that probably should/do have a diversity quota, it just seems like experience is the perfect negative to your average "problem glasses" wearing, super passionate about everything, everyone is so talented and amazing, intern for hire. Junior developers may not be the specific target at all.
Way off?
I thought, could it be that this trend is a proxy-block against diversity quotas?
I think perhaps only unintentionally it could be. Most companies actually dont have those quotas.
I think it mainly comes from companies just wanting to get top talent.
I think perhaps only unintentionally it could be.
Unintentionally, sure.
My aim with that probe was to point at the plausible deniability it gives a group of people. Hiring filters out on all kinds of categories and always has. If young people are all up in identity politics (the source of all this bs), then it follows that they, making up the majority of juniors (grads, soon to be or recently) are also excluded by something innocuous.
Two birds, one stone.
I think it mainly comes from companies just wanting to get top talent.
I think, when top talent clashes with company culture, top talent will lose. Otherwise, top talent would be running all the companies, and I think that's a stretch.
Yes, perfect sense. Minorities can't always get the 5 years of experience to become senior, when all the jobs want senior devs.
I wasn't thinking minorities in particular, but such a proxy-block does prevent the status-quo from changing too much/too soon in any one direction.
Seasoned programmers will still come in all shades, since "5 years experience" can still be done at home... that's how most of the early guys did it. The key is, rather than look for a job, they used what they learned to create their own businesses (mostly porn back then, but a lot of e-commerce in general).
No logic, doesn't it make it harder for ALL juniors, not just the minorities? Or are you implying that there are more juniors among minorities?
No logic, doesn't it make it harder for ALL juniors, not just the minorities?
Yes, logic. It's where the recent praise for junior developers has stemmed from. If all juniors didn't have it so bad, this wouldn't be/have been a topic of discussion among devs of all ethnicities.
A way to maintain the status-quo is generally to not hire people unless they really give you a reason to hire them (experience greater than 5 years is probably included).
I don't think we are disagreeing. My point - it has nothing to do with minorities.
From my experience of working in IT in Australia (white majority country) most developers, including in junior and leading positions were either from India or Asia.
(I know that India technically is Asia, but you know what I mean)
This is a great post! I really like how you presented the argument for junior devs. Something, I have not really given much thought to, even thou I was a junior dev about 4 years ago.
I think it is intutive to adopt the "we only hire senior devs" mentality. And the reasons for it, on paper, make some sense. However, as you pointed out, that mentality is absurd and those reasons are not practical.
TBH, I've also fallen to that train of thought at some point, after having bad experiences with a few junior devs who were slacking. On the other hand, I've had great experiences guiding other junior devs who had the aptitude to learn and always reached out for guidance. There is a satisfying feeling that comes with helping other devs who are willing to learn.
Great post! And thank you for sharing!
Great post, Isaac!
Does anyone know of a good resource for finding remote junior dev jobs? It feels rare to find companies hiring remote juniors, or holding remote internships.
JrDevJobs is a great jobs board, but I've never run across a resource specifically for junior devs looking for remote opportunities.
I started a list on GitHub. If you know of a company that hires remote Jr devs, please submit a pull request. :)
I think any job board will do. Just look for positions that match your skills and ignore the title requirement.
"In most cases, a junior developer with six months of experience on a team will be more effective than a senior developer who just signed on, for no other reason than familiarity with the domain."
I just couldn't agree more. It just happened in my project, about 2 weeks ago: one of the seniors of my project, who had been working for two years, left. Management had this brilliant idea of replacing him with another senior from a different project.
It was a total failure. Not only he does not know anything from the project itself and he is as lost as a junior would be, but the bias he carries on from other projects makes him challenge things rather than learn them. He just hates it! Everything is different, and messy (as every project is, at some level).
Bottom line is: when we bring seniors to our project, way too often we have to confront them and their bias (e.g: PR reviews), whereas when it comes to junior devs, we can teach them, and, eventually, they excel.
EXCELLENT! Thank you!
Now we need to find a way to hack the "love" button so I can press it several hundred times. Just saying.
I didn't know I can't press it multiple times, I tried and failed.
Thanks for posting. I didn't know this was a thing and I'm going to reconsider my conversation with Netflix about upcoming interviews. It definitely speaks loads about the culture.
I had recently worked at a company for a short-while where they had zero tolerance for mistakes and it ended up that there was so much blame shifting and lies that were spewed by the executive management. The entire company culture was so toxic. However, they did hire plenty of junior developers. Mistakes are inevitable when you hire junior developers. That's why they're given more time to get things done and paid less. Excellent managers understand how to deal with that.
Great article. Many companies expect people to be productive instantly on joining which is difficult even for experienced developers as each company has different tech stacks, organization of teams, work culture, etc.
Many companies have HR filters which screen out most applicants over whimsical criteria like less than 5 years experience in a 3 year old technology. The only way to even get a shot at it is through referrals.
Another issue is that teams are so caught up with "productivity" that they ignore mentoring. Anything which is not considered to add direct value to the bottomline are discouraged.
I've been studying for nearly a year to become a junior developer. I know enough to work as a junior web designer, but I've been terrified of actually applying. It's motivation-killing to be turned away, and I still have a lot to learn. Knowing that some companies appreciate a developer with my low level of experience makes me feel better about applying. Even if I'm turned down, I can feel better knowing that I probably wouldn't like working there anyway.
I agree to the substance of this article, but found myself zeroing in on the $54k figure for a junior developer. What city/state/country is that? I can't find anyone who will work for less than $80k because of the tight labor market in IT right now. I'd gladly hire a junior but when the cost difference is only a few k more why would I? When I started my IT career in 1993, I was making $32k and still had to wait tables on the weekends to pay bills!
Location matters a lot. Those numbers are a nationwide average for the U.S. (I link to Indeed in the article, if you want to follow up), but in SF, SoCal, NYC, Seattle, and other places with a high cost of living you'll definitely be a couple standard deviations above the mean.
If the cost of a junior developer and a senior developer were the same, the case for junior devs wouldn't be quite as compelling. However, I'd still argue strongly in favor of hiring them.
In my experience, the cost difference is more or less fairly represented by those numbers from Indeed. When I started full-time as a junior a few years ago, $54k was roughly what I was making--and I was grateful to have it. But I'm in Utah, where the cost of living is very reasonable.
I know at least one junior dev who would consider an offer at that rate. I'd be happy to introduce you.
Here is the open rec: lifeatmatch.com/jobs?gh_jid=1232409 I'd love to talk with them if they qualify!
It asks for 3+ years of career experience...that's mid-level around here. And Dallas is probably out of his range. Thanks all the same, it looks like a cool place to work.
I'm the hiring manager - I can bend the requirements if he's awesome. No worries, though, it's a hot market and I'm sure he won't be unemployed for long - especially if Amazon builds HQ2 in Dallas !!!!
Great post!
I believe there is another reason you need less experienced developers (both junior and semi-senior). You will certainly have senior developers who, like you mentioned in a paragraph, want to become VPs, CTOs, Team Leads and so on.
They need not only to guide people technically but also become Counselors, Human Managers, Career Builders or whatever you want to call it. You need your seniors to have time to build soft skills and work with the junior and semi-senior devs in bringing them up.
You probably won't get far in your career without soft skills. From one side you can always look "up", work with managers, POs, PMs and build your soft skills when communicating "up", but you cannot be a good lead if you never work your soft skills "down" with your colleagues, build relationships and bonds, understanding their emotions and thoughts.
Like everyone is posting. Mixing is always' best. Sometimes you still need at least 1 senior in the team, and that's a great opportunity for that senior to become a tech lead, and for the juniors to learn from an experienced person. Results will be good. But as a manager of that team, you can expect delays and bad code here and there. Senior developers are still learning!
So hiring only seniors is hiring people that might still be eager to learn but they will have no room to do so. Probably you will only be left with the less passionate ones, and just a couple of the good ones (probably because they see some career opportunity among this group).
This is a great post! As a junior web dev, I understand why company won't hire junior developers, but I really just want an opportunity! Diversity is really important for a company, I guess junior developer is always good for the growth of company.
Thank you for your great post :)
I disagree. Speaking from recent personal experience, sometimes hiring Junior Devs is the worst thing you can do to your company and team, especially if your company is small and in the middle of a large project. However, if your company is a household name and you can't afford to higher Junior Devs, then you're doing something wrong.
The ultimate key is to have a diverse team.
Great post! Totally agree with every argument you gave. We was having this same kind of discussion at the company I work, and we don't came to a decision yet... But if we all could read this text together, I'm sure that we begin to hire some junior devs ASAP!
Being in the later end of junior, but not quite mid level, is proving difficult because of this. I'm seeing very little junior roles in my area, that or I'm not looking very well and I've noticed a lot of reasonably sized companies in that area looking for mostly senior roles.
It's totally possible I'm not looking in the right places, but this is something I 100% agree with.
Also companies wanting juniors with 4+ years of experience.
Great post. Hopefully it changes the way some employers think.
If you refuse to hire junior developers because they make "messes," you're sending a strong and unintended message about your company culture: no mistakes allowed.
Disagree, the message seems to be something more along the lines of "We do not have time to train junior developers"
Which is a fair point from business perspective.
"Hi, I'm a team lead, I've worked here for eight years and I joined the company as an intern." Impressive and very rare.
It is very rare to find a developer working at the same company for more than a couple years. Nothing to do with juniors and the point of this article.
The author seems to be thinking that junior developers are somehow 100% guaranteed to become senior developers in the near future. A lot of "juniors" are just trying out IT to see if the career works for them.
Look at it from the stand point of business.
Perhaps making a statement like "we do not hire junior developers" is kinda too blatant, but the statement "if you dont hire juniors your company has shitty culture" - is just plain wrong.
I worked at places that hire juniors and I worked at places that don't - it has nothing to do with the company culture, it has everything to do with the business structure and how well off the company is on the market.
I think the problem does not really exist, if you are a junior dev - just apply for positions that match your skills and ignore the title requirement.
Investing in the right technologies to avoid technical debt
How patience can help you avoid jumping on the wrong tech.


text:
Supervolcano: Eruption
Harry Turtledove
- Description
- Author
- Info
- Reviews
The New York Times bestselling author and "maven of alternate history" (San Diego Union-Tribune) presents a near- future thriller.
A supervolcanic eruption in Yellowstone Park sends lava and mud flowing toward populated areas, and clouds of ash drifting across the country. The fallout destroys crops and livestock, clogs machinery, and makes cities uninhabitable. Those who survive find themselves caught in an apocalyptic catastrophe in which humanity has no choice but to rise from the ashes and recreate the world...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Reel Reviews – Faces
Reel Review #35: �We had a couple of bimbos with… No. Actually they were, they were very nice girls. They reminded me a lot of you two. � John Cassavetes can make a movie! Find out about one of Cassavetes best received "independent" films from the 60's. This is the tragic story of a marriage falling apart. Do infidelity and alcohol fill the void of a loveless life? Find out in this powerful and engaging film – one certainly worth watching.
Direct download: Reel Reviews – Faces (18:29min 12.8MB)


text:
Hi folks, we want to take a moment and thank for coming to our website and clinking on this page. Below you will find USA Today Crossword December 24 2018 Answers answers and solutions. This one is certainly an interesting one and the concept is pretty much simple. Find out all the solutions of USA Today and we also covered answers and solutions of Worddle which is also a fun game.
This USA Today is truly a magnificent game to play. We have make sure you enjoy all the given answers and solutions you are looking for everyday use. If it is necessary then you can try and check more solutions on USA Today Crossword December 23 2018 Answers, USA Today Crossword September 27 2018 Answers, Crossword Champ Premium June 27 2018 Answers and Crosswords with Friends August 26 2018 Answers for your convenience. Thank you for your precious time for visiting our website.
If you like this game and want to play more than you have to bookmark this page quickly and we will release them in few weeks. If you need any daily clue or can't find the solution then you can check USA Today for more answers. We thank you for your time.


text:
I will be doing some travelling in 2017 and this is why…
Reflections on life and plans going forward…
After countless dreams and visions about travel, and building my own "off the grid" house, I have decided to take on the challenge. I will be travelling this year, with the intention of learning about permaculture, solar/wind power, rain catching, fruit forests and eco housing/earthships. I have never explored this way of living, though I have always dreamed about it.
I have often pondered "Why do I live in Johannesburg?" and "Am I restricted to my current way of living?"
This is a strange question because I have been taught how to live a western life, how to make money, how to market myself, how to offer a unique service, how to pay tax etc. But what if that was all taken away? What if there is another way to survive? And there most definitely is another way. I just dont know it yet.
I have had this battle in my head since as far as I can remember… And most of the time I end up doing whats comfortable. What I know.
Phrased differently, I could ask myself "What does my being yearn for?"
I think it is so easy to stop listening to our inner voice, and follow the multitude of distractions and trends these days. But how long can this go on for? Eventually there is a boiling point. I have ignored my heart for far too long. I have always wanted something different.
Adventure, travel, meeting new people, sustainable living, and the great outdoors… The thought of this brings me peace.
So this is the other side of my fence: Living in nature and being off the grid.
This is the side I have not yet had the courage to explore. It is unknown territory. And I would like to think that I can survive in the wild, as my forefathers did, harnessing the forces of nature to my advantage. I realized that the worst outcome for me, is that this lifestyle doesn't work for me, but at least I will have clarity, if this is the case.
It sounds daunting and challenging. My worries are: How am I going to make money? Will I fall behind in business skills/connections? Will my friends move away? Will I be in danger? Do I need money?
But then I realize that this journey ahead requires a shift in mindset. For example, Instead of seeing money as the only currency, I am starting to see the value in other natural phenomena… Like water, food, love, gifting and exchange…
In permaculture, we are taught to catch rainwater, and store it in tanks for later use. This is like gold! This is used to water the plants, which create food, which sustains us humans. So instead of putting my efforts into marketing and sales, my mind is pondering how best to catch and use water. In permaculture, they explain the importance of creating the right landscape, so that water can travel as slowly and reach as many places as possible. Think of building a river path that snakes from the highest point of your garden to the lowest. This is efficiency.
I often ask kids in my coaching practice, where food comes from, and they tell me "woolworths" or "Pick n Pay". This is a reminder of how far we have removed ourselves from our true source. I remember, on one of our camps last year, us facilitators created a massive bonfire in the Magaliesburg. The kids were braaing marshmallows and telling ghost stories. And then one kid, a 12 year old, told me she had never seen anything like this before. I asked her "what are you talking about". She said "fire" (She had never seen fire before.).
Most of us were not taught how to grow food, or even how to have a relationship with our Mother Earth. This is something I have decided to explore. In the past 2 weeks I have planted the following trees in my garden: 2 Avos, 2 granadilla, 1 pomegranite, 1 blackberry, 2 apple, 1 banana, 1 macadamia nut, 1 orange and 1 fig tree. And to be honest, I am learning more from my gardener right now than anyone else;)
Spiders spin their own webs. These webs have various uses: survival – catching food, a home to live in, finding a mate, and even a place to hang out and stretch their legs. You will notice that each web is unique, some big, some small, some laid out between trees, some between bushes, some between car tires (not the best location).
Anyway, I have realized that I have used the same "web design" for too long, and it is time to create something completely fresh. Einstein's definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting the same results". So 2017 is my year of creating a new life for myself. I feel kinda like an artist with a blank canvas 😉
My Plans for 2017
Please note I will be available for Skype calls between now and 10 March!
25 Jan to 5 Feb – I will attend my 2nd Vipassana course – This includes 10 days of silence and mediation. I last attened this in 2012. After-which I was inspired to start coaching kids, create kids camps, run kids workshops and start a band. All of this has transpired and I have been more successful than I could have possibly imagined. (for info on Vipassana in Cape Town visit https://www.pataka.
5 Feb to 24 Feb – I will be volunteering at an Eco Retreat Centre in Knysna called Peace of Eden – http://www.peaceofeden.co.za – where I will be helping with creating and maintaining a veggie garden, looking after the horses, and building eco toilets for their resort.
24 Feb – 10 March – I am fortunate to have good friends. A friend of mine will be paying for my flight and accommodation to Bali, where I will learn about whatever comes my way. I have never been before and look forward to the adventure.
10 March to 1 May – I will be back in Johannesburg, and will be running my coaching business as usual. If you would like to book a 1-on-1 session in advance, please let me know and I will do so. However, I will still be available on Skype while travelling, for kids/teens and parents' coaching sessions. I have made it my mission to bring my business with me so that I can continue doing my work online 😉
1 May – I will be traveling to South America. I will report back on this later.


text:
Make Hay While the Sun Shines
May 31, 2016
The planting season is in full swing and many farmers have already finished. For organic farmers, timing and location is even more important than for traditional farmers. They have to be very strategic about when the seeds are planted. One farmer told me he has to wait for just the right moment, after the weeds have had their first big growth spurt. He cultivates the weeds first, then plants the corn so it doesn't have competition.
We have had continuous rain for the last several days and the weatherman is predicting continued rain through next week. This has complicated things for many farmers who are trying to get out in the field before June. It's nearly impossible to work in a wet field. Not only is it hard on your equipment, but you might just get planted yourself out there and set yourself back! It's best to wait. Farmers have to be ready at a moment's notice – I guess you could say farmers are on call all the time. During the rain they can work on equipment and solidify a planting strategy. This is also a good time for doing some socializing!
In addition to farming, this time of year is spent attending graduation receptions, finishing up with school activities and making plans for the summer months. Our local farmer's market is opening up this weekend and we are trying to determine whether or not we will participate. Dad and my sister Anne are also traveling to Missouri tomorrow to visit our friend Frank Reese and pick up a few chickens to add to our flock. Another friend of ours from Minneapolis is a teacher, and as part of his classroom instruction his class hatches chickens eggs. We reap the benefits from this hatching as they come to our farm to live with us. As you can see, there is a lot of activity on the farm. That's why we say, "You've got to make hay while the sun shines."


text:
Request an Application
Please complete the following form to request an application. If you need help filling out the form, please call our Administrative Office at 1-800-393-3641 Pacific Time. You may also call us and ask for an Application Form to be mailed to your home.
- Prospective students must be at least eighteen years old.
- All applicants must have orientation and mobility training, with at least six months of independent travel experience.
- While we work with many and differing degrees of visual impairment, we find our dogs are best suited for those who have a definite need for a working dog.


text:
A school crossing guard was hit in a pedestrian accident in front of a Texas high school while trying to stop traffic. The crossing guard was stationed at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station when a 16-year-old male driver approached the marked crosswalk. The crossing guard, a 58-year-old male, stepped out to stop traffic when the teen driver hit him after not stopping. The individual was rushed to a local hospital where he is being treated. It's reported that his injuries do not seem to be life-threatening and the investigation is currently ongoing into the accident.
It's estimated that over 65,000 people are injured each year due to pedestrian accidents. Sadly, many of these accidents can be avoided if both drivers and pedestrians are alert to their surroundings and to each other. Anyone who is biking, running, walking or on sidewalks or roadsides are in danger of being involved in a pedestrian accident. Drivers and pedestrians both have responsibilities to obey all signs and signals when driving and crossing roadways. However, pedestrian accidents can cause severe injuries that can result in expensive medical bills, undue stress and even possible home modifications to accommodate life-altering injuries. Always contact a personal injury attorney if you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident. An attorney will investigate your case and can determine if you have grounds to pursue legal action and if so, will defend your case in court to get the care and compensation you deserve.
The personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord and Meyerkord, LLC focus on the victims of pedestrian accidents. We understand that injuries are not only stressful but can cause money, work, and family issues. We work diligently for our clients and focus on their needs while striving for maximum compensation for their injuries. Contact us if a pedestrian accident has resulted in injuries to you or a loved one. Our St. Louis office offers free no-obligation consultations at our downtown office. Call us today to schedule your appointment and let us help you get on the road to recovery.


text:
Spread The Spirit Of Meaningful Giving This Holiday Season
Talk about giving with your family to instill philanthropic traditions. The holidays tend to ignite the spirit of giving in all of us. As your family gathers to celebrate, the dining room table is a great place to start the discussion of philanthropy. As you give thanks, give back. As you fill your bellies, think about how you can fill the bellies of those in need. This time of year, especially, families come together and volunteer for worthy causes, give to their favorite charities and visit charitable organizations. The holiday season reminds us of the importance to "spread cheer" and do good in the world. As the end of the year approaches, this is a great time to assess your … Continue reading Spread The Spirit Of Meaningful Giving This Holiday Season


text:
The Internet Information Services Management Pack provides proactive and reactive monitoring of your Internet Information Services (IIS) environment.
- This management pack provides an early warning to administrators on issues that could affect services so that administrators can investigate and take corrective action, if necessary. The management pack helps to simplify the administrative environment by providing a single console for the administrator to perform a number of useful management tasks. To help troubleshoot common issues, the management pack contains helpful product knowledge and a way to extend this knowledge through adding your own company or organization knowledge related to an issue.
Feature Summary:
The IIS MP provides monitoring of the following objects:
- Web Sites
- Application Pools
- FTP Servers
- NNTP Servers
- SMTP Servers
Release History
- 1/10/2016 - version 10.0.6.0
Supported Operating System
Windows Server 2016
- This management pack is supported to run in System Center 2016, System Center 2012 Operations Manager, System Center 2012 Operations Manager R2
- Please refer to MP Guide for instruction.
Some Key Things inside the Management Pack and Documentation
Changes in Version 10.0.6.0
· Fixed bug: SCOM was alerting if World Wide Web Publishing Service was disabled manually.
· Fixed bug: Web Management service was discovered even if it was not installed.
· Start all IIS Services, Stop all IIS Services, and Restart all IIS Services tasks were fixed to work with IIS services correctly.
Supported Configurations
The System Center Management Pack for Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Internet Information Services 10 supports monitoring Internet Information Services (IIS) 10 on Windows Server 2016 on System Center 2012 R2 and System Center 2016.
Please note that Nano Server monitoring is supported by SCOM 2016 only.
For detailed information about installation of IIS server role on Nano Server, see IIS on Nano Server article.
Before you Import the Management Pack
Before you import the System Center Management Pack for Internet Information Services 10, note the following limitation of the management pack and perform the corresponding actions:
· Agentless monitoring is not supported. You must deploy an agent on every Internet Information Services (IIS) 10 server that you want to manage.
· Install the up-to-date version of Windows Server 2016 Base Operating System Management Pack.
Files in this Management Pack
The download package includes the following files:
· Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2016.mp
· Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.CommonLibrary.mp
These files enable you to monitor IIS 10 (on Windows Server 2016). Note that the management pack guides that include information on IIS 5.0, IIS 6.0, IIS 7.0, IIS 8.0 and IIS 8.5 are separate from this guide.
This guide documents information specific to the Internet Information Services 10 Management Pack for Windows Server 2016.
Optional Configuration
Information about performance collection rules that are disabled by default in this management pack is provided in Appendix A. Since the action of collecting data about performance has a performance cost itself, enable only the performance collection rules that you care about.
Security Considerations
You may need to customize your management pack. Certain accounts cannot be run in a low-privilege environment or must have minimum permissions. If you operate in a low-privilege computing environment, you may need to elevate the level of permissions assigned to the accounts you use for running management pack rules, monitors, discoveries, recoveries, and diagnostic tasks. These accounts must have minimum permissions in order for management pack components to run properly.
Low-Privilege Environments
The System Center Management Pack for Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Internet Information Services 10 requires local administrator privileges to discover, monitor, and execute tasks. For the management pack discoveries, monitors, tasks, and diagnostics that require administrative privileges, the management pack uses the Privileged Management Run As profile, configured by default to use the Local System account.


text:
City of Rockport | "City Seeks Volunteers For Major Long-Term Committees"
The Sesquicentennial Committee will help steer the planning and activities associated with the City's 150th anniversary in 2020. A preliminary outline has been developed and the committee will work with community partners to assist in its implementation. In addition to the Mayor, City Manager, staff and representatives of the Chamber and local taxing entities, the Committee will consist of volunteers in the areas of hospitality, tourism, real estate and history.
The Comprehensive Plan Committee will be tasked with reviewing and updating land use plans that promote the City's long term vision. While there are updated zoning maps currently in use, the future land use plan has not been updated since the 1990s. Under the guidance of the City's Community Planner, the committee will encompass representatives of local businesses, Home Owner's Association, developers, natural resource advocates and more.
The Sesquicentennial Committee will hold its first meeting within the next month and the Comprehensive Plan Committee will begin work in the Fall. Criteria for consideration include a minimum two-year commitment and either residency or employment within the city. Anyone interested in consideration for one of the committees should contact their City Council representative or call 361-729-2213 x 121 with their name and contact information.
Facebook Comments


text:
PRIME178 is the number one online casino gaming site for Malaysian players looking to enjoy the best online slots, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, video poker, arcade games, sportsbook betting and other exciting games. The games in PRIME178 are divided into suites, each with its own uniqueness and superlative features to ensure you will enjoy a prolonged gaming experience.
PRIME178 Online Casino and Sportsbook is powered by the industry's top software platforms – Playtech, Gameplay, Betsoft, 1S Games, WinningFT, SBO Sports, Ho Gaming and YoYou Gaming; offering safe and fair gaming services in online slots and games, live dealer casino, and sports betting.
Download Free Online Casino Software or Play Instantly
Play PRIME178's Casino games the way you like! PRIME178 offers a 'no download' Flash gaming platform, enabling you to instantly play a huge and diverse range of over 150 popular, as well as up and coming new games. Most of the popular game titles are available with free trials and complimentary credits, without any risks involved, under the 'fun play' option. Or, you may choose to add some thrill and excitement to your game with real money! Choosing to download our free casino software directly onto your computer gives you access to a bigger and wider collection of games that you may not find in the instant play 'no download' version. For those who are always on the move, PRIME178's mobile casino will keep you entertained wherever you go. Our mobile casino consists of multiple gaming applications which supports Android on all suites (Royale Suite, Dragon Suite, Empire Suite). It will definitely be worth your while if you happen to be stuck waiting for something and you might just want to kill time by slipping in some casino fun time!
The Bonuses Just Get Bigger and It Never Ends
One of the most popular bonuses for newly registered players is PRIME178's Welcome Bonus, which offers a 100% Bonus of up to MYR 1000 on the first deposits made. Other promotions which are open to all PRIME178 members include daily and redeposit bonuses, weekly cash backs. Almost all of PRIME178's fabulous promotions run 365 days a year, meaning there will never be a day you'll play without a bonus!
Secured, Trusted & Reliable Online Casino Malaysia
PRIME178 Online Casino Malaysia offers all Malaysians the most secured, trusted and reliable online gaming and sportsbook betting services, allowing everyone to play online casino games or bet on their favourite sports matches conveniently with peace of mind. We guarantee you that we are the best online casino site, and we ensure your privacy of sensitive personal information and the security of all money transactions are not shared to anyone at all costs. PRIME178's casino and betting software system has been installed with the latest firewall and encryption technology. All money and wagering transactions are carried out in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) via local online transfer or manual transfer via local cash deposit machines. Your entire money management history and statements are made conveniently accessible via logging into your account dashboard.
Quality Customer Service 24/7
To ensure the best experience and hassle-free casino playing session at PRIME178, we have made our customer support team available to all, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Our in-house support team are not robots, but they are a group of skilled customer service representatives who know exactly how to help and assist you with anything related to PRIME178. The fastest and most efficient way to reach us is by chatting with us on LiveChat, where you'll get your answers anytime of the day within seconds. You can also contact us via email, telephone, Facebook page, or WeChat; details are available at our Contact Us page.
MYCASINO.TODAY – The Best Online Casino Review Website in Malaysia. We provides the accurate information and platform for Online Casino Malaysia to share their experience and problem they facing on related Casino Website. We attempt to recommend the Best Online Casino for our reader.
MYCASINO.TODAY Welcome Online Casino or Player to provide Online Casino detail or sharing Blacklist Online Casino to US.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
** Mycasino.Today will start accept Advertisement on year 2019 and we are trying to complete @ making website as perfect as possible.
The Main Purpose of MYCASINO.TODAY is sharing the most Safety @ Trusted @ Reliable Online Casino Malaysia to Online Betting Player. Our Platform will selected SPONSORSHIP company in variety aspect including the Reputation in market.
MYCASINO.TODAY is non-profit platform and Advertisement Fee collected for Website maintenance fee or compensate for member who manipulate by our Sponsor Company.
MYCASINO.TODAY attempt to update to Sportsbook, Live Casino playing method, Malaysia 4D Result, Livescore for Sports match to make our reader @ member convenient. We hope to become 1-STOP with Trusted Website in Malaysia Gambling sector.


text:
Have you ever wondered how to pray? Do you find yourself saying the same prayer over and over again? Or maybe you only pray before a meal or when you need something?
Reading through the Bible, you'll see many times when people call out to God for a variety of reasons. One verse in particular, Ephesians 6:18, lets us know that we can come to God about anything,
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
Not only can we pray about anything any time, but we even have a Helper for those times when we don't know what words to say. From Romans 8:26,
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
So is there a right or wrong way to pray? Thankfully the Son of God Himself gave us an example that we can follow.
In the Book of Luke, the Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. The longer response is recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 so we can learn how to pray like Jesus.
Some people say this word-for-word. I mean, if it's good enough for Jesus, then why not? But if you take a second to break it down, you can see the spirit of His example.
How to Pray Like Jesus
Addressing God:
Our Father in Heaven
This is addressing who you pray to and shows your relationship. As Christians, you are adopted into God's family so that he calls you His son or daughter. Addressing Him as Father not only shows a greeting, like "Hi Sarah," but always calls to Him lovingly as your Dad. He is Lord of all, but also very personal.
Hallowed be your name
Instead of throwing up a peace sign and saying, "Yo, Dadio!," this recognizes His holiness and that you acknowledge his reverence out of respect. You are giving Him the supreme place. Commit to using His name respectfully; not with disrespect or in vain.
Your kingdom come
Jesus has been talking with the crowds of people following Him around about the Kingdom. John the Baptist talked about the Kingdom. Verses like "Seek first the Kingdom" (Matt. 6:33) and "Repent for the Kingdom is at hand" (Matt. 4:17) have been said around this time. The person's hearing The Lord's Prayer already know what the kingdom is. Sometimes we lose sight that God is the King of Kings; He is the sovereign Ruler of all. This acknowledgement refers to Him ruling in your heart, but also Heaven.
Your will be done in earth as it is in Heaven
This part goes hand in hand with another verse found in 1 Peter 4:2: "As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God." This has been a challenge in my life multiple times. As my daughter died in my arms, it was a struggle for me to accept it as God's will. Life is full of scenarios that don't make sense, but desiring God's will is an incredible act of faith. There are many things that I may never know the "why's" or "how's" to on earth, but in Heaven we will see the big picture. Asking for God's will to be done is yielding to Him.
Addressing Man's Needs:
Give us this day our daily bread
You'd be wrong to assume that you can fully provide for yourself. It is because of God that you have all that you need. He sustains you and ensures that you have food. In America, we don't even realize how much we have and too often take it for granted. This has never been more evident than when my family started sponsoring a child in Kenya through Compassion International. Receiving letters asking for prayers that her crops do well or that she has a diet solely of rice and beans opened my eyes to all that God gives me. Rely on Him for your needs.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors
How many times have you held grudges when someone has wronged you? You feel entitled to because you didn't deserve it and put up walls to protect yourself from being hurt again. Can you imagine what it would be like if God operated that way? You would have no hope in this world, nor for eternity. Instead you are to show grace to others like God does to you.
And lead us not into temptation
It's a given that there are things in the world that are enticing, but are really destructive in disguise. Praying this not only asks for God's direction away from temptation, but also for help in recognizing what is harmful. Should an alcoholic go to a bar, saying they're just there for the food? No way. To avoid temptation, they would choose another place to dine. It isn't always that obvious. Hanging out with friends is great, but often it can lead to gossip. Does that mean you should never hang out with those friends? Maybe, if you can't control your tongue. But maybe God wants you to use your words to steer the conversation into a positive light or draw attention to the issue of gossip. Leaning on God to guide you means that He will empower you as you trust Him.
Deliver us from evil
Some translations have this as "Deliver us from the evil one." Satan is the father of lies, seeking to destroy while he is still able. He knows that his time is limited, so he wants to sow discord in relationships, especially your relationship with Christ. The Bible also describes him as "crafty," using everything in his power to get ours eyes off God. He did that in Eden, and does it still today. Pray that God would deliver you from it.
Takeaway from How to Pray Like Jesus
You can see from above that Jesus showed us the example of addressing God before addressing our physical and spiritual needs. While you have the Holy Spirit to interpret on your behalf, follow this outline to keep your focus aligned with Him.
Read More about Prayer:
How to Pray When Brokenhearted
Stop Saying Prayer Works When You Get the Answer You Want


text:
Who we are
Broadstaff Construction is a Chartered Building Company established in 2008, undertaking works within the residential, commercial, educational and ecclesiastical sectors of the Construction Industry and operating within the Midland and North West regions.
The Directors are both professionally qualified, with a proven track record at senior management level across a variety of construction disciplines.
The founder of the company has over twenty years of experience in senior management positions within the construction industry.
David is completely focused on customer needs and expectations and has a reputation for a totally collaborative and non-adversarial approach. David is a construction professional who is very much a team player advising on design, budget and programme working with the client and designer to achieve their mutual aspirations.
David graduated from Staffordshire University in 1992 obtaining an Honours Degree in Quantity Surveying. On graduation he joined William Press before embarking on a career with a regional developer. In 1998, David established his own construction company, initially focusing on residential projects and later expanding into all sectors of construction. David is a Member of the CIOB and was instrumental in Broadstaff achieving Chartered Building Company status in December 2008.
Andrew is a Chartered Member of the RICS and CIOB and has in excess of 25 years' experience at a senior commercial and operational level in a variety of sectors within the construction industry.
He joined Broadstaff at the beginning of 2014. Prior to joining Broadstaff, Andrew was a Director of Access Design and Engineering, a subsidiary of Hill and Smith Holdings PLC, who are an international group specialising in the design, manufacture and supply of infrastructure, building and construction products to global markets.
Having started his career as a Quantity Surveyor, Andrew has also developed extensive Project Management experience and most notably completed the handover of two major contracts for the design, manufacture and installation of motorway gantry systems just prior to joining Broadstaff.
Our mission
To provide excellent construction solutions within a safe and secure
environment where our workforce feels valued.
Our Vision
To be a diverse family owned construction company, synonymous with exceptional quality and world class service and who will grow to be the contractor of choice within our areas of operation.


text:
SBI Cards initiates credit cards for farmers
Kolkata: State Bank of India's subsidiary is planning to launch a credit card for farmers for which it has initiated a pilot launch in three states, an official said on Tuesday.
"SBI Cards and Payment Services has started a pilot launch of credit cards for farmers in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Applications are coming in. On the basis of the success of this pilot project, it would like to launch it nationally," SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar said here.
According to him, it would be different from the existing Kisan Credit Card. (IANS)


text:
Swim and track coach arrested after allegedly having sex with 15-year-old boy
VICTORVILLE, Calif. — A 58-year-old swim and track coach was arrested after he allegedly picked up a 15-year-old boy and had sexual intercourse after a night of drinking, officials said.
On April 25, 2018, at approximately 7:34 a.m., the Hesperia Police Department received a call of a missing 15-year old boy. Prior to the deputy's arrival, the boy returned home. He said he had been picked up the previous night, by an unknown male, as he was walking in Victorville.
"The boy said the suspect, identified as 58-year old Steven Lawrence Ortiz, told him he would take him to a homeless shelter, but after talking to the victim for a while he took him to his house in Victorville. The suspect and victim drank alcohol and then engaged in sexual acts. The victim remained at the suspect's house until the next morning when the suspect drove him back home," described a sheriff's news release.
Detectives with the Victorville Police Department began an extensive investigation into the allegations. On May 10, 2018, a search warrant was served at Ortiz' home in the 13600 block of Dean Ave.
Ortiz was detained and transported to the Victorville Police Department, where he was interviewed by detectives. Ortiz was subsequently arrested and booked at High Desert Detention Center for sexual intercourse with a minor and Sodomy. He is currently being held in lieu of a $75,000 bail.
The suspect has been a swim and track coach at various schools throughout the High Desert for more than two decades. Most recently served as the walk-on track and cross country coach at Granite Hills.
Officials from the Apple Valley Unified School District issued the following statement:
Apple Valley Unified School District is aware of last night's arrest of a Granite Hills High School walk-on track and cross country coach. According to the Sheriff Investigator, the alleged victim is not a student at Granite Hills High School. We have no further information regarding this case.
A photo of Ortiz is being released, as it is believed other victims exist.
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact Detective S. Boydston at the Victorville Police Department, (760) 241-2911. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.
(source: SBSD – Victorville Police Department)


text: Mishcon de Reya is one of ten founding members of a new charity called the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP), a unique and award-winning social mobility programme formerly called The Legal Social Mobility Partnership, which is launching today in the House of Commons. The SMBP will promote social mobility in business, with particular focus on legal and accountancy professions. The SMBP brings together professional bodies (including the ACCA, ICAEW, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and CILEx) social mobility experts and existing profession-led movements (including The Sutton Trust and PRIME), as well as commercial businesses, legal and accountancy firms and sports clubs, to deliver insight and skills programmes for Year 12 students in different regions. The programme, driven by ITV's Barry Matthews, starts with an induction where students learn about the different pathways to the legal and accountancy professions, the future impact of AI on the delivery of professional services and the facts about university finance. The students then participate in a week-long programme of work insight and skills experience in which they are given the opportunity to spend a day at four different high-profile businesses, before attending a day run by a professional sports club to learn about the psychology of resilience and goal achievement models. Afterwards, the students have access to online 'virtual coaching' from legal, accountancy and business professionals. 14 people from Mishcon de Reya have volunteered to lead initiatives in teams in Brighton, Birmingham, Reading and Manchester and Managing Partner Kevin Gold is a trustee of the charity. Commenting on the firm's involvement, he said: "We are very proud to support the Social Mobility Business Partnership. At Mishcon de Reya, one of our core values is to empower individuals to fulfil their potential. We believe in creating equal opportunities for everybody, regardless of their background, and so this is a cause that is very close to the firm's heart."


text:
Lucy Sutcliffe's 'Girl Hearts Girl' can easily be described as unputdownable. Funny, charming and beautifully candid, it's gone straight up there as one of our faves.
And even though Pride month has come and gone for another year, celebrating the bestest in LGBTQ+ YA fiction should never stop. We could easily have let this list run on and on, but we held ourselves back… It was hard… But this is what we settled on:
1. 'Carry On' by Rainbow Rowell. Because SnowBaz. That's why.
2. 'Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens' by Becky Albertalli. Such a fun and addictive read. A definite must. It'll make you feel good.
3. 'Everything Leads to You' by Nina LaCour. Beautifully written, you'll quickly fall for the characters and be totally invested in their journey. Guaranteed!
4. 'You Know Me Well' by Nina LaCour and David Levithan. Because two YA powerhouses coming together is bound to produce something achingly beautiful and perfect.
5. 'Star Struck' by Jenny McLachlan. The LGBTQ+ element isn't the main focus in this story but it forms an important part and it's an absolute darling.
6. 'Read Me Like A Book' by Liz Kessler. Poignant and heartbreaking. The teacher-student relationship has been explored before, true, but maybe not in the same way or intensity as this.
7. 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' by Emily M. Danforth. As if losing both your parents isn't tragic enough… To then be packed off to a conversion camp? Yikes.
8. 'If I Was Your Girl' by Meredith Russo. The kind of book that grips you by the heart the whole way through. Amanda seeks a fresh start, but naturally her previous life doesn't stay secret for long. The fact that Amanda used to be Andrew… GAH! FEELS!
BONUS – Anything by David Levithan. Preach.
Do you have a fave LGBTQ+ title? Tell us in the comments below!
- Lauren Oliver spoke to MP! about what's coming next and we're already excited
- We need 20 lucky MP!ers to read & review this 100% LGBT story
- QUIZ: Think you can pass our impossible Spinster Club trivia quiz? You're on!
- 9 of the most gorgeous Jennifer Niven quotes that will give you all the feels
- QUIZ: Think you know your Potter? Who said it: Fred or George Weasley?
- Why this book about a geeky feminist model has been blazing a feminist trail


text:
Find the perfect dock for sale or rent to fit your unique needs and/or wants
* Boat slips/ dockage classifieds for sale or rent in the beaufiful Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama. Transient slips, weekly slips, monthly slips, seasonal slips, and yearly slips available. You can begin your search below by clicking on the area of interest!`


text:
Wild Cats - Facts About the Lion
12 Facts About the Mighty Lion - King of Beasts
Animals have been common to man since ancient times. Written and drawn records show animals being used in fields, farms, and homes.
Unlike other animals that are there for protection, as a food source or to help with human work, the lion has nothing to give to humans.
They can not be tamed for domestic use and are not to be trusted in domestic situations; the African lion is a predator nonpareil.
However, in cultures across Europe, Africa, and Asia, this animal has become a symbol of bravery, earning it the nickname "King of the Jungle". So, why does the lion fascinate humans so much, from the ancient times until today?
1. Son of Lion
The fact that some of the most common names, like Leonardo, originate from the word "lion", shows just how important this animal has been to the imaginations of humans throughout the century.
Leo, which means lion in Latin, was among the most common names of famous rulers. In fact, six Byzantine emperors were called that, as well as twelve popes.
The name of the famous Spartan king, Leonidas, who fought Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae, means "Son of Lion."
The most famous English ruler of the Middle Ages, Richard I, was nicknamed "The Lionheart".
2. An Ancient Predator
It may seem unbelievable, but in the past, humans have had much more contact with this animal.
Around 10,000 years ago, the lion was plentiful, only falling behind in population to humans on the Earth.
When the great ancient civilizations started emerging in the Mediterranean, these animals were all over the place.
According to Herodotus and Aristotle, lions were common in Greece in the 5th and 4th century BC.
3. The Lion - Sire of the Gods
In ancient Egyptian mythology, all cats have a special place and the same is true of the lion.
The God of war, Maahes, is a creature with human body and the face of a lion.
The Egyptians believed he was the son of the god Ptah - the creator of the Universe - and the feline goddess, Bast.
4. A Fierce Warrior
The ancient Egyptians are known to have depicted their god of war as a lion. Some think it is because of the lion's ferocity and proficiency at battle.
It is in their nature – males fight all the time. In fact, male lions live for over a decade longer in captivity than in nature, for that very reason.
A male lion's life usually ends spectacularly on a blood-drenched field, whereas a lioness dies like a glowing ember - slowly, surrounded by family.
The African Lion and Other Big Cats
Which one is your favorite Big Cat?
5. Fight till the End
Lions live in family groups called prides and for a male lion to become the alpha of a pride, he must prove that he is the strongest.
It's a tempting position for every lion, so when the leader lion gets old and weak, a younger one will fight him for the lead position.
The "boss" gets all the females and the food as lionesses are the ones who hunt.
6. Night-vision by Starlight
Lionesses work together to catch prey, using different strategies.
They hunt almost exclusively by night as their night vision is a major advantage.
Compared to humans, lions are six times more sensitive to light.
7. A Bevy of Super-senses
Despite all the fighting and hunting, the lion is still just a big cat. That's why it's not surprising that they adore sleeping. In fact, they love it so much, that on average, they sleep 16 to 20 hours a day.
Lions, as with humans, greet one another by a handshake, or in this case, a paw shake. Head rubbing and licking are also signs of peaceful intentions between lions.
They also purr, meow, hiss and roar. The lion is the loudest big cat and their roar can be heard 5 miles away.
8. The Lioness - A Dedicated and Able Huntress
The male lion's mane is a physical characteristic that no other big cat has. It makes them look bigger and scarier.
The bigger the mane, the more attractive is the lion to a lioness.
On average, lions are 4.6 to 8.2 ft long, with their weight being between 265 and 420 lbs.
9. Hercules the Hybrid Lion
Talking about size, the biggest cat in the world is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress.
His name is "Hercules the Liger" and he weighs over 900 pounds, which got him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.
10. Cecil the Lion
Speaking of famous cats, one lion's death sparked a public outrage in 2015.
"Cecil the Lion" was a huge tourist attraction the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, before he was killed by a recreational big-game hunter.
Prior to that, Cecil was being studied by the Oxford University, who tagged him, along with 62 other lions. As of January 2016, 24 of those lions have been killed through sport hunting.
11. Lion Conservation Methods
Despite the declining population of the African lion, humans are trying hard to bring their numbers back up. Safaris, for example, bring in money to help establish and maintain parks where hunting is not allowed.
Additionally, although many people might balk at allowing hunters to kill lions in some places, the privilege to do so is very expensive, and the money, in a way, helps saves more lions from being killed.
Would You Ever Go on an African Safari to See Lions?
12. A Dying Big Cat?
Recreational hunting is among the factors that brought the lion to the verge of extinction. The IUCN Red List considers the lion to be a vulnerable species.
The last couple of decades saw a significant decrease in the lion population in Africa.
It is estimated that a hundred years ago, there were over 200,000 lions in the African wilderness, while today, there are nearly 10 times less.
It is safe to say that, while the world stands, the lion will be revered in human cultures. If you enjoyed reading this, please consider buying Apex Predator: The African Lion - Lord of the Serengeti. It is over 60 pages of information elaborating on all aspects of the African lions life - from the adaptation of his mane, to the reproductive cycles of the lioness.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the lion images below!
Which Big Cat wins in a battle between a Tiger and a Lion? For Fun!
I Like Trains... *train randomly comes in*
This is a great hub on lions. A real tribute to the African lion - my own hub is right here if you have a chance to take a look. african lion facts: https://hubpages.com/education/Simba-the-Lion-The-...
Lions are my favorite big cats. There is nothing like the sound of a lions roar, it send chills down my spine! This is a very informative hub.
Thanks for the lovely comenmt. These charts will be available in my zoo literacy pack which I hope to have finished by the end of the week. In it will also be tree maps and bubble diagrams for 9 other animals as well as word wall words, word families and other literacy activities.
Wow. What lucky guests they were. We were with you a clpoue of years ago and had several similarly memorable moments. The hippo we encountered face to face on our walk, who shouldn't have been on his way up to the camp watering hole for least another two hours was one! Fortunately our guide seemed to have been trained in hippo whispering, so we lived to tell the tale.Here's hoping we come again sometime.Best wishes to you all.Annie and Roy
Guys plz donate money to save the lions plzzzz!!!!
Amazing information and excellent photos. Thanks.
Wow! I mean, this is superb man. .! You've done a great job on this hub. VOted up! =)
Beautiful hub and beautiful pictures of lions! I wish I could have one as a pet, especially the cubs hehehe. Voted up.
What a beautiful hub on lions. I mean, this is really good - must have taken a lot of effort. You're a beast, lol.
Awesome article. I love lions, they look so powerful.
Fascinating hub! I love all cats--large and small, wild and domestic. It was hard to pick a single favorite in your poll, therefore, because I love them all...."all of the above" would have been my ideal answer. ;-)
You've provided many interesting facts--especially about their manes--that I did not know before. Thanks for contributing to my "learn something new each day" philosophy.
Voted up, interesting and beautiful.
I love all the big cats. Thanks for all the wonderful pictures and interesting facts. Great job. Voted up and beautiful.


text:
Dora Journey Difference
Played 1544 times
Dora Journey Difference game information:
Point and click on the differences on two identical Dora pictures as fast as you can. Gain score for each discovered difference. Remember each wrong click will reduce your score.
How to play:
This game is played with the mouse only
Add this game to your website or blog!
Popular Tags
Latest Games
- New Vampire Room Escape
- Finding Interior Designer Bag
- Army Trucks Hidden Letters
- Forgotten Academy Award Escape
- Knf Santa Claus Christmas Gift Escape
- Help The Santa
- Santa Double Adventure
- Liberation Of Santa
- Recover The Gift
- Memory Loss Santa
- Xmas Pass Over
- Perfect Winter Trendy
- Santa Arctic Adventure
- Knf Winter Wooden House Escape
- Santa Way 3
- Bart Shootout
- The Hulk Differences
- Princess doll house 2
- American Trucks Memory
- Sailor Ship Escape
- Defend Kindom Wars
- Deadpool Jigsaw
- Offroad Race Truck
- House Cleaning
- Kings Castle 20
- BMW F32 Jigsaw
- Art Gallery Escape
- Fairy Beauty Salon
- Daredevil Jigsaw
- Semi Truck Jigsaw


text:
LED more affordable, trendier than ever
Now is a great time to take advantage of Georgia Power's abundant energy efficient lighting rebates. If you haven't checked pricing and selection for LED lighting recently you might also be in for a good surprise. In recent years technology has improved both the color and look of LED lighting
Here are four benefits to using LED lights:
- It's safer for food; no thin glass or mercury exposure
- Produces less heat, which keeps your space cooler
- The lights use 75% less energy than a traditional bulbs
- They last for a minimum of 15,000 hours
Email us with your lighting questions.
A waste audit can be a helpful tool to ensure that you don't over spend on your waste bill. Here are three questions to ask yourself about the waste you generate:
1. Are you being billed correctly?
2. Do you have know what types of waste you create?
3. Are you maximizing waste reduction?
Ask us for help; get more tips
New sustainability start-up kit
Participants who join our Zero Waste Zones program can begin practicing sustainability with our new start-up kit.
Some of the features of the kit include:
- A low-flow pre-rinse spray valve for your dish area that can save you $1000's
- A DIY Energy Audit to help you spot areas for improvement
- Stickers to label recycling and trash receptacles
- A sample LED light bulb
- A desk side recycling bin
- Water drip meter
- Oil life meter
- A 60-day trial with a state-of-the-art food-waste reduction program!
Join Zero Waste Zones today to receive your start-up kit!
Sustainability trends at the NRA Show
At NRA Show 2015 in Chicago last month, we saw more environmentally friendly trends and products than ever before. Among the most popular trends to reduce waste,
save energy and conserve water were:
- In-house food-waste disposal, which reduces the amount of food waste sent to landfill
- Plant based disposable products for takeout and fast casual operations


text:
Dr. Trieu graduated with academic honors from Park College of Chiropractic in Dallas, Texas in 2005, and she also holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She started her chiropractic career at Sheridan Park Chiropractic under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Brinkman. After working for five years as an associate, Dr. Trieu welcomed the opportunity to become the owner and president of Sheridan Park Chiropractic, while Dr. Brinkman began to gradually transition into retirement.
Dr. Trieu uses Applied Kinesiology, Diversified, and a low force drop table in her chiropractic treatment. She has pursued extensive post-graduate studies in a variety of new and well-established modalities including non-force Impulse Adjusting, Kinesiotaping, Decompression Therapy, Cold Laser and Functional Medicine, which allow her to utilize a variety of methods to help patients attain optimal health. Dr. Trieu is passionate about Chiropractic, health, and well-being. She enjoys working on babies, pregnant moms, athletes and people of all ages. She is committed to working together with patients to provide thorough, gentle, and effective chiropractic care to reduce pain, and restore balance and productivity to their lives.
Outside of the office, Dr. Trieu enjoys spending time with her two little girls.
- Park College of Chiropractic, Dallas, Texas, 2005
- University of Colorado at Boulder, B.S., Biology
- Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners
- National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
- American Academy of Chiropractic Acupuncture
Memberships & Associations:
- American Chiropractic Association, 2002 – present
- Colorado Chiropractic Society, 2015 – present.
- Colorado Chiropractic Association 2005 – 2015


text:
Recently, I have come across a number of issues triggered by compatibility issues between Zend, Magento, php 5.4.12, and APC. One, if you cannot print Magento invoices, it's because of one of the files in the Zend framework. The other READ MORE
Recently, I had a client who wanted to be able to add an item to the WooCommerce shopping cart from a static html or php page. Now, it's been done for single products with no problem. But, it seems that READ MORE


text:
The 20th century was the century of the automobile. This drastically changed the way in which people lived their day-to-day lives, in turn influencing societal and cultural values, the economy, architecture, urban design and as is alarmingly evident today, the environment. The ability to travel greater distances in less time enabled families to establish homes farther away from the cities where they worked. Infrastructure and cities were molded into the image of the car, land cleared for roads and parking lots.
Today, we are faced with the challenges of our dependence on cars. Cities across the globe are dealing with congestion issues in an era when a reduction of our carbon footprint is critical. The solution lies in alternative forms of transportation. Bicycles, certainly not a new technology, are one piece of this solution. They provide the independence of a car and are healthy for both the human body and the environment.
Infrastructure is an important component of promoting cycling as it improves its convenience and safety. Providing bicycle storage, designated paths and bridges all contribute to this and show that the needs of cyclists are being heard and supported. This is exemplified by the following examples of bicycle bridges. Sculptural and immensely useful, they have made commutes that much easier and shorter for bikers and pedestrians, similar to the way the car once made life easier. There exists a certain sense of contentment and awe as one cycles across any of these bridges; an uncrossable obstacle has been overcome as one travels suspended safely over water, air and in some cases, busy streets.
CYKELSLANGEN by DISSING+WEITLING architecture, Copenhagen, Denmark
Cykelslangen ('Bicycle Snake' in Danish) is a bicycle-exclusive bridge that creates a safer connection between two popular urban neighborhoods of Copenhagen by separating cyclists and pedestrians. The bridge provides a convenient commute for cyclists who no longer have to avoid the large number of pedestrians coming to and from the shopping center nearby. The eye-catching orange path snakes its way through buildings and over canals, providing a unique perspective of the city and harbor that can only be accessed by bike, further incentivizing biking over driving.
CIRKELBROEN by Studio Olafur Eliasson, Copenhagen, Denmark
This bridge, designed by world-renowned installation artist, Olafur Eliasson, sits in a central location of Copenhagen's harbor canal, directly across from the Royal Danish Library. The bridge was inspired by the city's maritime history with its 'masts' creating a silhouette of ships when seen from afar, particularly when lit at night and reflecting on the harbor water. The non-linear path across the five circular platforms invites pedestrians and bikers to slow down and take a moment to experience the harbor and its surrounding life from a new perspective.
MELKWEGBRUG by NEXT architects, Purmerend, The Netherlands
Melkwegbrug continues the Melk Weg ('Milky Way' in Dutch) by connecting the Weidevenne district to the historic district. In connecting two different elevations, the bridge had to be at least 328 feet in length in order to achieve the ramp angle required for bicycle and wheelchair traffic. This provided the opportunity to separate bicycles and wheelchairs from pedestrians, with the bicycle path snaking across the water and the pedestrian path being a steep, Dr. Seuss-like arch that seems to jump from one side to the other. The flatter bicycle-wheelchair path can be opened to allow boats to pass through the canal.
VLOTWATERING BRIDGE by NEXT architects, Monster, The Netherlands
This bridge aims to meet the needs of three users: bikers, pedestrians and some unexpected winged friends, bats. Being located on the flight route of several bat species, the bridge consists of an 82-foot grooved concrete arch that provides a stable and suitable climate for bat nests. This under-bridge space is made accessible through entrance slots that have been left rough to allow for better grip. The north abutment is meant to be for winter roosting while the deck is meant for the summer.
BOB KERREY PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE by HNTB, Omaha, United States
When completed in 2008, this steel bridge was one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world spanning 2,300 feet across the Missouri River and Nebraska–Iowa border. Built as part of a riverfront revitalization effort, the bridge was designed with consideration of migratory birds and includes interactive sculptures to create awareness of the endangered species that share the river with pedestrians and cyclists alike.
On a daily ride to and from Eindhoven, the Hovenring is an exciting moment when a commute briefly turns into a self-powered carousel ride. The simple yet striking form of this bicycle bridge is what visitors first see as they enter the city. The cable-stayed, steel bridge looks as if it is suspended from the 230-foot central pylon. With the increase in car traffic in conjunction with a new nearby housing development, this elevated crossing was the solution to avoid building a bicycle underpass or a roundabout at the car-heavy street level.
NESCIO BRIDGE by Wilkinson Eyre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This soaring suspension bridge in Amsterdam is the longest in the Netherlands, stretching 2560 feet. Suspension bridges are uncommon in the country due to the prevalence of soft soil, demanding of the Wilkinson Eyre architects and Arup engineers a clever and self-supporting structure. The elegant curving bridge forks at both ends to establish separation between cyclists and pedestrians.


text:
MWC 15 Special
First time showed during this years CeBIT, ASUSTeK Computer Inc. now introduced the P525 quad-band PDA phone, which incorporated Push E-mail, Wi-Fi support and built-in numeric keypad to deliver a complete mobile business solution. Users can now stay connected no matter where they are.
"Business Anywhere" is the design concept behind the P525. As enterprises continue to globalize, business professionals should no longer be confined by their office desks or even wireless hotspots.
The P525 leveraged Push E-mail functions to deliver real-time synchronization with email, phonebooks and calendar items as changes occur on the Exchange account through continuous connection with a mobile operator between the P525 and a server. Supporting Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, the ASUS PDA phone supports office applications, including Excel and PowerPoint Viewer etc., permitting completion of everyday tasks even on the road.
With both Wi-Fi and GPRS support built in, the P525 provides wireless online connection for research and instant messaging even when wireless hotspots are not available. Skype-in and Skype-out functions further reduce costs on long distance phone calls. Combined with Bluetooth wireless technology for quick file sharing without the tangling cables, the P525 delivers true mobile office.
The 2M-pixel digital camera also acts as a business card recognition device.
Simply take a picture of a business card, the P525 will automatically convert
information on the card into Outlook's contact list. In two steps, organizing
business cards collected from conventions and conferences is no longer such as
The 5-way joystick enables one-hand menu navigation for accessing and
managing the various powerful functions. The smart PDA phone also comes equipped
with a numeric keypad for easy input. For those who prefer using a stylus, the
2.8" display is a touch screen as well.
For sensitive information, the P525
offers MySecret. Whether it's word documents, spreadsheets, videos or photos,
users can save them in MySecret files and protect them from unauthorized
Asus haven't given any further information yet, where the P525 is
available nor has given an estimated resale price. Also it's not appearing
on Asus Pocket PC website yet.
Cheers ~ Arne
Article Source
Related Articles Asus
No items available


text:
Mustafa IV, (born Sept. 8, 1779, Constantinople—died Nov. 17, 1808, Constantinople), Ottoman sultan from 1807 to 1808 who participated in the reactionary conservative coalition that overthrew his reforming cousin, the sultan Selim III.
A fanatical and ambitious man of low intelligence, Mustafa, under the influence of the shaykh al-islām (head of the Muslim religious hierarchy) and the Janissaries, ended Selim's reforms and killed most of the reformers. Meanwhile Bayrakdar Mustafa Paşa of Rusçuk (modern Ruse, Bulg.), a reformist supporter, marched to Constantinople to restore Selim III. Mustafa, informed of Bayrakdar's intentions, killed Selim. He himself was immediately deposed (July 28, 1808) and lived in confinement until he was strangled on orders from his brother, who succeeded him as Mahmud II.


text:
I assumed that miscarriage happened like on tv, you find out you're pregnant, you bleed, you go to hospital, you come home and try to get on. However mine lasted what seemed an absolute age.
I didn't feel pregnant, I took the test because I was late. It was positive. I didn't get any symptoms and after having 5 previous pregnancies I kind of knew what to be looking for. I went to the doctors anyway, Emily made me, and they did a repeat test and bloods. After having a previous ectopic they wanted to keep an eye on the hormone level as it can indicate ectopic if it doesn't get above a certain number. A week later I was back with spotting and lower abdomen pain and a slight fever. My GP taking no chances sent me straight to scan to check it was where it should be. It was and everything looked ok except I still didn't feel pregnant. I was booked in for the following week for another scan when they would be able to see a heartbeat. In the mean time they drew new bloods. I phoned for the results and the numbers didn't work. Pregnancy hormone usually doubles every 2/3 days and mine didn't sound high enough. I could hear the nurse on the end trying to do a positive voice "I'm sure if we sat down with a calculator it's high enough" but I knew then that this baby was never going to happen. No one thought I'd have coped anyway.
At the next scan the blob had grown but I had a "bulky" uterus. "You may have got your dates wrong, come back next week and we'll see" accompanied by a sympathetic head tilt and smile. They put your results in a brown envelope to take back to EPAU (they eventually got their own scan machine so you don't have to sit with pregnant women) and who wouldn't have a look at their own notes? Gestation was 5 weeks. I knew that wasn't right. I went back, and I told Leon that there'd be a heartbeat, I know how cruel the universe can be, he didn't think so. There was. Very slow, the sonographer had to have it confirmed by a colleague. The doctor talked to me and said I may start bleeding at any time, I told her I hadn't stopped. And then I stopped bleeding, so I thought maybe, just maybe I did get my dates wrong, maybe his heart had only just got going and it would get stronger.
The following Tuesday I was back at the unit again. They had changed floors and the scan room hadn't been set up so I was sent down to the pregnant women bit to wait my turn. Oh I should mention that Emily had come with me on every visit. She was working at a hotel at the time so changed shifts to fit in with my appointments and my mum had the little ones. She is someone you want to have with you at times like this as she is amusing- not always on purpose which is even funnier. We were in the waiting room and a woman was staring at Emily whilst sucking on a juice box. It wasn't just looking it was staring and aggressive sucking. She was whispering to me "why am I being stared at in that way" but I couldn't reply as I was sniggering with my face turned away. I suppose you had to be there. Anyway scan time came and there was no heartbeat. She got a colleague to confirm and asked if I wanted to see, I did as it was going to be my only chance. Then they put us in a room with sofa's – a bad news room- and did her report. I had seen gestation 5 weeks, gestation 6 weeks and this one said Gestation 0 weeks. I was offered 3 options, wait and see, medical management with pessaries or vacuum. I wanted to go home so took the pessary option. I had to have bloods done first and they'd take an hour to come back. Emily phoned work and said she may be late, explained the situation and told them to "fire her then". I asked what was wrong and she said they'd been "nobs" but I know she would have risked her job for me. She needed to be there for me. Leon had been phoned and told to pick up the little ones etc. I got the pessaries eventually and given a shed load of codeine then sent home. Come back in 2 weeks for a check up.
So on the 24th November, I had really bad, what felt like labour pains and copious amounts of bleeding. It was truly truly awful. The codeine didn't really touch the pain, and I couldn't sleep, probably because I'm a self recriminator and I was trying to figure out what I did wrong.
2 weeks later I had a positive pregnancy test at the hospital, scan sent home come back next week. We watched some good Christmas films, me and Emily. She kept my spirits up, and the littlest vampire was on which was a trip down nostalgia lane for us. They Kept coming back positive, and on the 29th December I had a scan that showed a small "mass" that the doctor said would pass naturally. Hurrah! Finally discharged. Errr……..no. After a Consultant had seen the file he wanted me in for an extraction the next day- buggered up Christmas, now New Year too. Dropped off- no one allowed to stay, picked up a couple of hours after surgery. I'd given Leon my engagement ring to keep hold of and he'd lost it somewhere. No big deal. In the car, nothing to say. Got home, nothing to say. Took codeine, went to bed. Spent the next few days in a fog. My mental health did get progressively worse (that's a different tale) but I never realised how long miscarriages last. And just how emotionally draining it is to go back week after week, to be given hope then it be taken away, not to mention the physical toll. Feeling like a failure, again. Being given a number of a counsellor you're never going to call. Feeling so alone. Crying over nothing.
"It's probably for the best" "you can try again" "you've got four already- be grateful" are phrases you don't really want to hear. I don't know how couples go through it, time and time again. They have my admiration, they must be so strong.I plant another tree and plan another tattoo. Maybe I'm just daft- I know not everyone even sees it as a baby til a lot later, but I do. I saw him on screen, his heart tried so hard to beat. He just couldn't do it. In my darker moments I think "maybe he didn't want me to be his mummy, maybe he heard people saying I couldn't cope, maybe he felt unwanted" I know it's stupid thinking but it's when I'm low these thoughts come. I have four beautiful, healthy children that drive me insane at times. I love them and am so grateful for them but it doesn't mean I can't take a moment every now and then and think on what could have been. I know that without my parents, my partner, Emily and my aunt and uncle I couldn't have got through it, I may not have a large support network, but what I have is small and mighty.
I looked around that waiting room every week and hoped and prayed that those women would have a different outcome and that they'd get to hold their angels. I really hope they did.


text: Our Sunday Eucharist at 10 am according to the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church is the focus of worship at St. Augustine's. Except during their summer break our worship is accompanied by our talented choir who normally sing two anthems, as well as supporting the congregational singing of hymns taken from the Episcopal Hymnal. Worship is traditional and reverential, without being "staid" or "stuffy." After the service we meet for fellowship over coffee and cake etc.


text:
So I rewarded myself by staring at this......Oh, wait, that's not what I meant. It looks like I dug a hole for David to take a dump in. Really, it was for a tree. It was just a bonus that I had his ass in my face while digging the hole. Not to mention the fragrant odor of the chicken shit manure wafting my way. It might as well have been a latrine. Well, at least there were no trips to the ER.
The hole was for this tree. It's a bottlebrush variety called 'Hannah Ray'. I have one over by hammock. When I took this picture, it had a good 6 monarch butterflies on it, 3 different species of bees, and other unidentified pollinators. Just a month ago, it had 4 hummingbirds fighting non-stop over it. I'd lay on the hammock for a study break, close my eyes, and hear the hum and chattering of them fighting.
But what about the other side of the yard where my wife and I eat eggs on the weekends? I had planted a native yaupon (Ilex vomitoria, you gotta love that latin name of vomitoria). One Christmas, I had purchased a yaupon as our living Christmas tree. It was covered in red berries (it's a holly) but a bit too Charlie Brownish for the rest of the clan. That was at our old house but I brought a small transplant along to our new one for memory's sake. But as I sat on our patio, I realized that it would outgrow it's spot. So why should the hammock have all the beauty? I planted another one right behind Michelangelo's David for balance.