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Brazilian round draws record bid total
Brazil's 11th bidding round for onshore and offshore exploration rights, its first in 5 years, auctioned 142 blocks and drew bids totaling a record $1.4 billion.
This story was updated May 16 and May 17.
Brazil's 11th bidding round for onshore and offshore exploration rights, its first in 5 years, auctioned 142 blocks and drew bids totaling a record $1.4 billion.
The blocks cover 100,300 sq km of the 155,800 sq km offered by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP).
The bid total represented a 798% premium over the total auction starting price. Total forecast investment to be made by winning companies under minimum exploration work programs is $3.45 billion.
Thirty-nine companies from 12 countries participated. Thirty companies had winning bids. Among winners, 12 are from Brazil, 4 from Canada, 3 from the UK, 2 each from Colombia and the US, and 1 each from Australia, Bermuda, Spain, France, Guernsey, Norway, and Portugal.
ANP said the average percentage of nationally owned/produced technology and assets for the 11th round was 62.32% for the exploration phase and 75.96% for the development phase of the concession agreement.
The biggest signing bonus, with a winning bid of $172 million, came from a group involving Total E&P Brasil, operator with a 40% interest, and Petrobras and BP EOC, 30% each. The bid was for offshore Block FZA-M-57 in the Foz do Amazonas basin of northern Brazil.
Total will be the operator with 40% interest in five blocks in the Foz do Amazonas basin, the other four being FZA-M-86, FZA-M-88, FZA-M-125, and FZA-M-127, and with 45% interest in the CE-M-661 block in the Ceara basin. Total also acquired a 25% working interest in the ES-M-669, ES-M-671, and ES-M-743 blocks in the Espirito Santo basin and a 50% interest in the BAR-M-346 block in the Barreirinhas basin.
Total won the various blocks in partnership with Petrobras, BP, Statoil, OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA, and Queiroz Galvao Exploracao e Producao SAU.
Premier Oil PLC won three blocks in largely underexplored deepwater basins offshore northeastern Brazil that contain prospects and leads each capable of delivering 250 million-1 billion bbl.
Premier and Cia. Espanola de Petroleos SA were awarded 50-50 interests in blocks 717 and 665 in the Ceara rift basin.
In Block 717 the companies will pursue a potential extension of the Pecem discovery south into the block and a slope channel play that will require more 3D seismic to mature to drillable status. Meanwhile, a large Cretaceous onlap play has been identified In Block 665, and a block-wide 3D seismic survey will be acquired to assess this opportunity in 2014.
Premier was also awarded a 35% nonoperated equity stake in Block 90 in the Foz do Amazonas basin. Queiroz Galvao will operate Block 90 with 35% interest and Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. has 30%.
Block 90 provides Premier with access to a high impact Cretaceous exploration play proven across the border in French Guiana. Specifically, stratigraphic traps onlapping a rift basin high will be targeted. The plan is to shoot 3D seismic in 2014.
Well commitments include one exploratory well in Block 90 and two in Block 717 at an estimated total net cost to Premier of $100 million.
Gran Tierra won the REC-T-86, 117, and 118 blocks onshore in the Reconcavo basin. The blocks total 20,658 gross acres. Gran Tierra will pay a $16.5 million signature bonus and expects contracts to be finalized by August 2013.
Gran Tierra committed to drill five exploratory wells and shoot 84 sq km of 3D seismic in the initial 3-year period.
The blocks lie north of the company's existing core areas in the basin, where Gran Tierra is developing the Tie conventional oil discovery, having grown production to 1,000 b/d from 400 b/d.
Petrominerales Corp., Calgary, said its Alvopetro SA Extracao de Petroleo e Gas Natural subsidiary was awarded a 100% interest blocks REC-T-106 and 107 in the Reconcavo basin and a 75% interest in Block TUC-T-177 in the Tucano basin, all onshore in Bahia state. The first phase lasts 3 years on each block.
Block REC-T-106 covers 7,759 acres, and the first phase work commitment is to shoot 10 sq km of 3D seismic. Block REC-T 107 has 7,561 acres near the company's Bom Lugar field. First phase work program is for drilling two wells.
First phase work commitment on 46,505-acre Block TUC-T 177 in Tucano is one well and 31 sq km of 3D seismic.
Petrominerales said the three blocks "increase our exposure not only to the deep tight oil potential in the (Neocomian) Gomo horizon but also add considerable exploration potential in shallower conventional reservoirs. Our initial focus will be to demonstrate the commercial deliverability of the Gomo sands using fracture stimulation technology.
Petrominerales said, "Our vision in Brazil is to implement a large-scale, repeatable, low-risk, multiwell development program, utilizing advanced technology and completion techniques. We look forward to drilling our first wells in Brazil later this year."
OGX acquired working interests in seven deepwater and two shallow-water blocks. The company came away with 100% interests in three Barreirinhas basin blocks and one each in the Foz do Amazonas, Potiguar, and Ceara basins. It won 50% interests in Potiguar and Ceara basin blocks operated by ExxonMobil and a 30% interest in the Total-operated Ceara basin block.
OGX also was awarded four onshore blocks in the Parnaiba basin and plans to sell a 50% stake in the four blocks, PN-T-168, PN-T-153, PN-T-113 and PN-T-114, to MPX Energia SA. The blocks average close to 3,000 sq km each.
The 142 auctioned blocks are in 11 states and 11 sedimentary basins. Other basins are Barreirinhas, Ceara, Espirito Santo, Para-Maranhao, Parnaiba, Pernambuco-Paraiba, Potiguar, Reconcavo, Sergipe-Alagoas, and Tucano Sul.


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blue marlin
martina clark • winter/spring 2017
It was one of those rare hot days in San Francisco. Which worked out well given I was basically naked. A make-up artist from the San Francisco Ballet was taking a break from his regular duties for the 1993 season and was painting my 29-year-old body blue. It felt like a tiny dog had been licking me for hours. At least it wasn't a tiny cat, so it wasn't scratchy; it just tickled and was very peculiar. The licking sensation, that is. Well, all of it, as I think back.
I was in an artist's loft-cum-studio somewhere down south of Market Street preparing for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz. There were about a dozen of us being painted, all in varying stages of nakedness, all of us women living with HIV. Ms. Leibovitz had been in town shooting an outreach campaign for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. My favorite image from the Foundation, so far, was one from a previous campaign with the words "Be Here For The Cure" superimposed on a picture of planet earth as taken from space. Being alive for that day—for the cure—was a goal I intended to work toward. Ms. Leibovitz's images were intended to complement that message with images of healthy, happy HIV-positive people, to counter the dying face of AIDS we'd seen for so long. That was also a goal I would work toward, living with HIV as a healthy, happy woman.
When we'd first heard about the campaign—we being the women I knew living with HIV in the San Francisco Bay area through a local group called WORLD where many of us worked, volunteered, or participated in support groups—it was not long after Demi Moore had appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair. In 1991 she'd appeared pregnant and naked and then a year later with body paint depicting her in a suit. Both images, taken by Annie Leibovitz, had rocked the world of journalism and photography.
A few of us thought it would be a powerful statement if we could portray ourselves the way we saw HIV in our bodies. The world of HIV was a small one (still is) and word of our idea reached the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Annie Leibovitz and, through channels I was not a part of, the photo shoot for us became a reality. I was, however, chosen to be a part of the project with a group of about a dozen HIV-positive women of varying ages and ethnicities.
Some of the women chose to be painted like their medications, some like wild animals, one with a snake and one with her hands covering her chest making the shape of a heart. My body looked like I was trying to be a mermaid, but, in fact, I was trying to be a blue marlin.
"Are you sure about the worms?" the artist asked, holding a three-inch length of brownish-red yarn in his hand. "You look so gorgeous just as a fish. I mean the blues make your eyes look like sapphires!"
"I'm sure. The worms stay," I answered. "Remember the story?"
"Okay. Here come your worms," he said as he brought out the eyelash glue to adhere each one to my belly before painting a simulated gash around them.
The story referred to both my distant past and my recent past. The day that it was confirmed I had HIV, in May 1992, I'd had a flashback to sailing through the South Pacific some 10 years prior in the early 1980s when I was still in my late teens crewing on sailboats.
Somewhere between Hawaii and Tahiti, we were trolling a line as we always did and when it tightened we struggled to pull our catch on board. The fish turned out to be a six-foot blue marlin, the kind you'd stuff and hang on your wall. I had never seen such a beautiful living thing up close. Massive, it shimmered like a slice of South Pacific sea, glistening in the setting sun. It flipped its tail in protest against being out of the water. We were a hospitable crew so we got the fish drunk by pouring a shot or two of rum in its mouth before giving it a swift final blow to the head.
We were stunned that such a magnificent fish had snagged on our line. When my crewmate sliced into the marlin's belly, however, we quickly understood how we'd caught it. What should have been vibrant white or pink flesh, was dull and graying. Inch-long worms were making their way through its innards, like children playing in a maze, up and down and back and forth and hidden and reappearing as they ate their way through this dying creature's core.
When I was given the confirmatory results in 1992 that, indeed, I was HIV-positive, the image of that infested fish and those hungry worms flooded my brain. It was so beautiful on the outside and yet being eaten alive from within. That was how I felt. I knew I looked perfectly normal and healthy to everyone else but I suddenly saw HIV like an evil Pac-Man, devouring all of my essential parts. So when the photo shoot came along and I met with my artist, I shared that experience and we agreed it would make a powerful image.
And there I was, transformed into the marlin. Beautiful and blue and iridescent outside with worms spilling out of my belly: inside, an incurable virus eating away at me. It was not lost on me when, by chance, k.d. lang's dulcet voice wafted from a radio in the background as the worms were glued to my belly and she sang:
"Even through the darkest phase, be it thick or thin. Always, someone marches brave, here, beneath my skin…"
What struck me as most peculiar about that day—even more than being naked and painted and about to be photographed by one of our greatest living photographers—was that I was alive and, at least on that day, in great spirits.
I could barely remember what my life was like before HIV. The virus may not have consumed my entire immune system yet, but it had definitely taken over my existence. I was still only 29 years old and I had not entirely unreasonable questions about whether I would ever see 30. At the same time, emotionally, I'd aged decades in the 12 months that had preceded that day in the studio.
The day I'd heard the news for the first time replayed regularly, like an old vinyl record that I frequently had to push forward so I could hear the rest of the song. It took a conscious effort not to stay stuck in that scratch in my life story and remember that I was alive and my future unknown. Without warning, a moment, a feeling, or a word could still send me back to mid-May 1992 and I'd be yet again recalling the moment I was told of my diagnosis.
Barefoot on the smooth terracotta tiled kitchen floor where I was housesitting—a place I called The Garden House—I returned the call from my doctor's office that Tuesday in May 1992 and gazed out over the landscaped yard of the Zen oasis the owners had created up on that hill, overlooking San Francisco.
Within a few seconds, my doctor was on the line. Not a chatty man, he jumped right in.
"So, I have your results back," he said. I could hear him shuffling papers then taking a drink and clearing his throat. "Um, you don't have mono, so that's good." I had had a strange rash and general fatigue for months and my doctor was trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Oh good, that's good," I said.
I tilted a bottle of wine on the counter slightly to see the year on the label. I was so nervous I couldn't read the numbers.
"Or strep. That infection in your throat—how is it, by the way?"
"Uh, a little better I guess. I've been drinking lots of fluids and maybe that's helped," I said, setting the bottle back down on the marble counter.
"Good," he continued. "But the thing is, your blood work was still off and, well, um, the HIV test…"
"Well, you see, it came back positive."
I had begun walking around in little circles, feeding the phone cord from the wall up and over my head, like a cat following its tail. And then I froze. Every inch of my body tingled and I shook ever so slightly. My clammy hand nearly dropped the phone.
Could he possibly have just said what I think he said?
He continued speaking but nothing registered. I continued walking my circles and made so many turns that I managed to wrap the cord around my neck to the point that I was struggling to breathe. I unwound myself and tried to focus.
"…so here's the number for the clinic up in Novato. You should probably go there and have another test, to confirm the diagnosis," he said. "Hello? Are you still there?"
Now in a complete, confused daze, I attempted rejoining the conversation.
"Yes. But I kind of missed what you'd said, after the HIV part. I'm sorry, but could you start again?"
"Of course," he said as he continued. "I was just saying that since I've never dealt with this before that you should probably go to a clinic and have another test to confirm the HIV and then they can refer you to a specialist. I'm suggesting Planned Parenthood—they do excellent work."
"Oh, okay," I said.
"I am so sorry. I've never had a patient have a positive test. I'm just so sorry. I don't really even know what to say."
"Oh, all right then. It's okay. Thanks."
I took the information from him, although what I wrote was illegible on the notepad. Then I hung up the phone. My brain felt as frozen as if I'd eaten too much ice cream. My head throbbed—thoughts were impossible to process. I stood in the sleek kitchen and stared at the pantry door for what seemed like hours. I didn't cry, didn't make a sound. I just stared at the blank surface that reflected my new reality, as if my existence—my entire past—had just been wiped away. It was all I could do until eventually the phone rang and I jumped back into my sweaty skin.
"Hey you!" I heard my sister on the line. I'd been living with her and her family for a few months, saving money so I could move overseas. She had been the one to relay the message earlier that afternoon to call the doctor.
"Did you call him back? It's been an hour. Any news?"
"Yes. Well. I called and everything was positive. I mean, no, I don't have mono or strep, but I guess I have HIV. He said that. He said I have HIV."
"Oh my God. No, no. Oh no…!" I could hear her breathing fill with sobs as she began repeating my name. "I'm on my way, I'll be there as soon as possible. I love you so much."
I remained there, standing, holding onto the cool marble counter and staring at the flat white pantry door. In under an hour my sister arrived with a bottle of wine, which we drank, and then a few more that the owners of the house had left for me. The information was like a fly banging against an old window screen, hitting and hitting, but unable to find that one open spot where it could get through.
How can this be true? I'm only 28 years old. I'm too young to have my life stolen away.
Eventually the question crossed my mind: How could I have become infected? I knew that like most people—over 90 percent in the world—the infection came through unprotected sex. Probably, based on the preceding six months and the course of my illness, it had been a one-night stand that I'd had in Italy. I used to joke that as a single woman in gay-friendly San Francisco, I had to go overseas to meet a straight man. And I had.
Beyond that moment, however, the details of the how and when and where made no difference and I never again gave it much thought. How it all started was no longer of any importance. What mattered was how the story would end, and, most importantly, how I would live my life in the interim.
Somehow, I made it to work each day for the rest of that week. I am nothing if not practical. I needed the money. I was temping in a bank at that time and a cute guy sat at the desk across from me. He was probably in his mid-30s. Married with a child. He'd just found out that they were pregnant with a second baby. Clearly he felt trapped.
He kept saying, "My life is over. I can't believe this. I'm done. Now it's all about them. My life is over."
I wanted to scream and throw things at him.
Listen, asshole, you think YOUR life is over? Wanna hear how MY Tuesday played out?
But of course I didn't. I sat at my desk and did the most menial tasks possible so I could avoid having to switch on my brain. Filing and photocopying were ecstasy. I could now add "mindless drone" to the skill set on my résumé.
In the evening, I went back to The Garden House where I'd sit on the master bed—that whacky bed surrounded by mirrors, even on the ceiling—and take my frustrations out on the pillows. I watched myself fall apart from every possible angle.
The first time I'd visited The Garden House, the woman who owned it told me they'd bought it partially furnished and with that bed—and mirrors—in place. It was an extra-long California king and had, apparently, been hard to get up the narrow stairs so many years earlier, so they just went with it.
"Yeah, the last owner actually died in this bed," she said as she patted the corner of the bedspread back into place.
"AIDS," she continued. "What a shame, such a nice man according to his lover who sold us the house. I don't doubt it, this house has amazing energy. He must have had a good soul. Never met him myself, of course. I mean, you know, he's dead."
A few weeks later, after my housesitting gig I was returning to my sister's house in Novato, in Northern Marin—an hour or so north of San Francisco. As I approached her house I stopped to collect the mail. I went through the stack of letters as I sat in the idling car next to the rickety old mailbox filled with spiders.
I'd received two letters, one from the Peace Corps and one from the Language School in Prague. Having applied to jobs with both organizations months prior as part of my plan to get myself living overseas—long before being told I had HIV—I'd been waiting anxiously for their decisions. I'd hoped one would provide me a chance to escape this harsh new reality.
Both announced that I'd been accepted. Thank God. My French would be useful for a post in Senegal, the Peace Corps wrote. Yes! My willingness to venture to Eastern Europe was appreciated and would serve me well in the rapidly changing homeland of Vaclav Havel, stated the flowery text from the language school. Excellent! Finally I had something to look forward to. All I needed to do was complete and return the enclosed paperwork.
Upon closer examination of the papers, back in my room at my sister's house, I realized that both organizations required an HIV test: With an HIV-negative result.
No, no, no, this cannot be.
At the time Czechoslovakia refused visas for people living with HIV. And the Peace Corps categorically refused HIV-positive volunteers.
That night I fell asleep clutching the envelopes that held a future that would not be mine.
I was always friends with the kid who died.
Although I can't quite recall the specifics of his death, the disembodied head of the boy from my kindergarten Sunday school class hovers forever in my mind above the pair of sharp crosses that topped St. Therese's: one cross on the Church, one on the bell tower, my friend's head just up and to the left, that much closer to God. They'd printed his image among the clouds on the front of the flyer for his funeral mass and even though I can't recall his name, I can see his kind young face, dark hair and eyes, hanging there still, a life cut short and forever suspended in time.
A year or two later, there was that boy from my 2nd grade class who grew smaller and more crumpled over time until his disease overcame him and eventually took his life. In my mind I see his mother crouched down next to him in his wheelchair, holding his dying hand. Their house is in the background, the street just ahead. Salmon-colored roses in the distance as they remain trapped in that moment on their walkway that led only to sadness.
In April of my last year of grade school, just days after my 11th birthday, my father was late to pick me up, as he often was.
"Sorry to keep you waiting—I was with your grandmother," he said.
"Oh well, I guess that is a good excuse. This time. How is she?"
My father grasped the large steering wheel of our beige VW camper van and paused for a moment before pulling back out into traffic.
"I'm sorry to say that she died last night in her sleep."
"Then I guess this won't happen again."
I share a dark sense of humor with my father. He smiled ever so slightly as we drove home for lunch. I put my hand on his whenever he reached for the gearshift, feeling it my duty to comfort him.
"You're back early," I said to the friends as they pulled their boat into harbor. Nobody spoke until a local official arrived, boarded the boat and left. Soon after, the government agents went on board. Other travelers, like myself, who were catching rides on sailboats around the South Pacific pieced together the story from rumors we overheard onboard.
Many young college-age men start a band. Some start a business. These Canadian friends saved their money, bought a sailboat and headed to Tahiti. They often went spear diving for fish, and a day or two prior, one had gone down and got the bends. When he didn't return, another went after him, panicked and, ultimately, the two died. The remaining friends, and a girlfriend or two who'd followed them to the South Pacific, suddenly found themselves not only with two deceased friends, but also navigating the murky waters of their closest friends' deaths in another country, at sea.
I felt sad for their loss and the mess they had to deal with, which only delayed their grieving that much more. I barely knew any of them, but I'd shared a few evenings with the group and also felt the permeating sadness. I don't remember crying but I do recall losing any interest in diving from that day forward. Years later I went on a "try dive" and found it cathartic and decided that underwater was about as beautiful place to die as one could imagine. So peaceful.
A few days after I returned to the USA after two years of traveling abroad, I found out that my closest friend from my sophomore year of high school had died. I was, of course, sad to realize that I'd never see her again and even sadder to learn that she might have caused the car accident that killed her by turning into oncoming traffic. But I remember mostly being angry that nobody had told me even though she had died the previous year. The morning after I found out—I'd been at a club dancing with someone who, by chance, had also known her—I asked my mother if she'd heard the tragic news.
"Did you know that Kelly died? Apparently it was a car accident."
"I did know. I went to her funeral," she said.
"What? Why didn't you tell me? We were inseparable in sophomore year!"
"Well, sweetie, I didn't know how you'd take it. I didn't want to upset you."
"It would have been the same news then as it is now—she's dead. The only difference is I wouldn't have heard it from a stranger in a bar."
That news did explain why she hadn't written back to my last letters, for I was a voracious correspondent.
Another letter that I'd written to a young woman with whom I'd become friends—and had traveled with in Western Australia—was answered by her mother. I'd even been invited to stay at her parents' home in Perth, and had gratefully accepted their generous hospitality, cherished respite after months of hostels and traveling by bus.
A month or so after I'd sent my letter, her mother wrote back to tell me that she had died. In scratchy handwriting she explained how her daughter, my friend, had been born with a hole in her heart and hadn't been expected to live to see her teens. The fact that she'd made it into her 20s was nothing short of a miracle. She was determined to live fully and was forever giving her mother reasons to worry about her, but the mother was also so proud that her daughter hadn't allowed herself to be defined or defeated by illness. Her mother thanked me for having helped create good memories for her daughter to enjoy in her last months.
By the time I was old enough to drink, I'd already lost at least a dozen friends and family members. All of these people, plus a few other kids in high school, my maternal grandfather, even my first cat that we'd only had for a year or two, were gone. Perhaps I am not a sentimental person. Perhaps I am simply a very practical person who knows that grieving the dead can equally include being glad to have known those beings and moving forward in life because they cannot. Perhaps because I'd begun dealing with death from an early age, it simply seemed normal.
"Did you hear that?" my roommate asked.
"What? The ambulance? Sure, why?"
"Yard sale next weekend!"
We'd smile, knowing our humor was off and could be misconstrued as mean, but that it was also realistic. Gay men in the Castro—the fabulous heart of gay life in San Francisco—were dying at alarming rates when I lived there in the mid-1980s. My upstairs neighbor died. Coworkers died. Friends died. It seemed simply that everyone died.
When I was told I too had HIV, this non-sentimentality seemed to kick up a notch. Because of my own life experiences, because of the compounding fact of knowing an inordinate number of people with HIV, because of my own diagnosis, death became the norm. Had my non-sentimentality not stayed intact, I'm not sure how I would have coped. When the number reached 50, I stopped counting the number of people I knew who'd died of AIDS. That was in 1993—early in my time becoming involved in the work of the epidemic.
Until I had any reason to believe that my body was becoming ill, I chose to ignore the virus inside and focused rather on what I could do to stop the epidemic in any way possible. Ironically, that effort became my defense mechanism, my way of staying one step ahead, my way of feeling my life could still have meaning. My non-sentimentality has helped me stay alive.
When death is stirred inside, it becomes absurd to fear it externally.
MARTINA CLARK shares her time between working as an international public health professional, singing, teaching, and writing. She writes memoir, personal essays, and travel narratives. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, but is—and always will be—a Californian at heart. Martina holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook Southampton. Her writing can be found at martina-clark.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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|King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and their children Crown Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore of Belgium pose for pictures during their winter holidays on February 08, 2016 in the skiing resort Verbier, Switzerland.
The Belgian Royal Family Photocall in Verbier 2016
Author Helen Electra On February 08, 2016
6 comments:
- Anonymous2/9/16, 12:53 AM
Lovely family-pics.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous2/9/16, 1:51 AM
Wonderful pictures of a beautiful and caring family!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous2/9/16, 7:54 AM
Too much love in this beautiful familyReplyDelete
- Royalfan2/9/16, 8:54 PM
Queen Mathilde had 16 engagements on January!Well done!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous2/9/16, 8:55 PM
She looks much younger dressed sportyReplyDelete
- Anonymous2/9/16, 9:35 PM
Hermosos y simples. Los amo!ReplyDelete
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Openreach using another way to deploy FTTP in remote Scottish communities
Openreach is working to bring FTTP to two remote Scottish communities on the mainland and as part of this they are exploring using different kit to allow them to bury armoured fibre cable quickly and also different ways of building the network compared to the usual FTTP build out from aggregation nodes.
Two communities are set to benefit via the pilot and these are Altnaharra and Skerray by Bettyhill with around 145 premises benefiting (45 in Altnaharra) and for with some of these people enjoying ADSL so slow its symmetric at 0.25 Mbps in both directions a faster more reliable full fibre service will be a massive change. The pilot is expected to have delivered working services by the Autumn.
As our core fibre spines penetrate even deeper into rural Scotland, it brings new opportunities to improve broadband speeds for remote communities.
In Altnaharra and Skerray we're assessing a new concept, building fibre from new nodes off the spines direct to local properties with support from the local communities. This builds on recent partnership and commercial investments in the Highlands and Islands.
We'll test how we can use the spines to reach very rural communities, and the distances over which we can use fibre effectively. Our learning from these innovative trials will inform our wider fibre strategy and could potentially help us to reach other very remote communities around the UK.
The two pilot communities will see their broadband speeds jump dramatically, as well as improvements to their existing services, so this is a win-win situation.Openreach chief executive Clive Selley
This pilot is funded by Openreach, but there will be some digging carried out by communities themselves, with some digging following Openreach specifications to cover the distance between their property and the main part of the pilot core. Interestingly the existing copper cables that travel under Skerray beach are regular victims of lightning strikes, and fibre should not suffer from that (i.e. no induction of surges down the pathway, though if metal armour rather than Kevlar is used there may be a risk of physical damage with direct strikes).
The pilot is already showing as FTTP build underway for some of the premises and postcodes and while on a pilot like this where the community is involved it is likely everyone will know about the roll-out, for other areas across the UK it is important to keep an eye on the checker progress since upgrades to your broadband service are not automatic and even if your provider sells the FTTP service (which many do not) they appear very lax at pointing out the new much more reliable and faster option has arrived.
For the wider picture across Scotland, playing around with different techniques such as the 'Ditch Witch' may help to speed up roll-outs, thus reducing costs and may mean that as the Digital Scotland and Scottish Government push onwards towards the goal of 100% superfast by 2021 that the proportion of full fibre involved can increase and the amount of 'too expensive' to service properties that might end up relying on an up to 30 Mbps satellite service will decrease.
Hope they try this in rural N. Ireland
This brings a little hope. Can't complain as i'm getting 8mbps just now compared to these guys that were getting 0.25mbps. I'd rather they were seen to first. I just hope this technology becomes widespread, looks simple and effective, where was this 5 years ago! :)
@woodmass14 Agreed. Openreach quoted £28k to connect 16 EO lines in our London street to FTTP, despite being within a few yards of two FTTC cabinets. Understandably the residents baulked at £1,750 each when others get it for nothing and said they'd wait until it became universal. Could be a long wait.


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MIRAMAX® to distribute rock & roll thriller from Sumerian Films
In Theaters Friday, October 13th, EST and VOD Q1 2018
SANTA MONICA – Sumerian Films and MIRAMAX announced they have partnered to release AMERICAN SATAN. Sumerian to distribute In Theaters on Friday, October 13th and VOD early in 2018. Miramax will handle all worldwide distribution rights.
Sumerian Films presents an Intrinsic Value, Jeff Rice Films, and Execution Style Entertainment Production from producers Andy Gould, Ash Avildsen, Jeff Cohen, Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins, Matty Beckerman, Jeff Rice and Sean E Demott.
AMERICAN SATAN boasts an all-star cast including Golden Globe Nominee Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Halloween, Amazon's "Mozart in the Jungle"), John Bradley (HBO's "Game of Thrones"), Mark Boone, Jr. (FX's "Sons of Anarchy"), Denise Richards (Wild Things, Starship Troopers), and teen superstars Disney's BooBoo Stewart (The Twilight Series, X-Men: Days Of Future Past) and Nickelodeon's Drake Bell.
From the producer of Halloween & The Devil's Rejects, AMERICAN SATAN is directed by Ash Avildsen – Founder of leading independent rock and heavy metal label Sumerian Records. International recording stars Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides) and Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria) bring rock & roll authenticity to the film, starring as leads in the fictional band The Relentless that the movie centers around, along with Jonathan Davis of platinum selling mega group Korn and Nicholas O'Toole composing the score.
AMERICAN SATAN plays upon the dream every kid has of becoming a rock star and asks the question, what would you do to achieve that dream? The story follows a young rock band that moves to Los Angeles to chase their dreams of stardom on the Sunset Strip. Hell-bent on following in the footsteps of their musical idols, they meet an enigmatic stranger (McDowell) who seems to know them better than they know themselves. Preying on their most basic desires and emotions, he entices them with an offer that sets them on a path to fame and fortune; but when they release their debut album, "American Satan," it sets off a firestorm of controversy, death and destruction beyond anything the music world could ever imagine.
The first single from the AMERICAN SATAN soundtrack, "Let Him Burn" performed by The Relentless was released worldwide on August 11th and hit #1 on digital music charts in 15 countries.
Ash Avildsen: "Some of my favorite films of all time are MIRAMAX movies, so naturally, partnering with them for distribution is incredibly exciting. Finding a home that truly understands rock & roll culture and the loyal fan base that comes with this world of
music and storytelling is hard to find in Hollywood. The MIRAMAX team truly gets it. I am ecstatic to show the world AMERICAN SATAN and give both the new and classic generations of music lovers a movie they can call their own."
The film will open in over 50 cities in the US (listed below), as well as in Canada, Mexico and Australia all on October 13th. The UK release is scheduled for October 20th and plans for expansion in to more cities and countries is planned for later in the month.
The most up to date information is available on americansatanmovie.com where you can also get tickets, along with Fandango.com and AtomTickets.com
Albuquerque, NM | AMC Albuquerque 12
Atlanta, GA | AMC Southlake 24
Austin, TX | Regal Gateway Stadium 16
Bakersfield, CA | AMC Bakersfield 6
Baltimore, MD | AMC Loews White Marsh 16
Boston, MA | AMC Methuen 20
Camp Hill, PA | AMC Camp Hill 12
Chicago, IL | AMC Streets Of WoodField 20
Charlotte, NC | AMC Concord Mills 24
Cincinnati, OH | AMC West Chester 18
Cleveland, OH | AMC Solon 16
Columbus, OH | AMC Lennox 24
Corpus Christi, TX | AMC Classic Corpus Christi 16
Dallas, TX | AMC Mesquite 30
Dallas, TX | AMC Arlington 18
Denver CO | AMC Highlands Ranch 24
Detroit, MI | AMC Star Southfield 20
Elizabeth, NJ | AMC Jersey Gardens 20
El Paso, TX | Carmike 16
Grand Rapids, MI | AMC Grand Rapids 18
Houston, TX | AMC First Colony 24
Indianapolis, IN | AMC Indianapolis 17
Las Vegas, NV | AMC Town Square 18
Las Vegas, NV | Regal Village Square Stadium 18
Louisville, KY | AMC Stoneybrook 20
Los Angeles, CA | AMC Universal Citywalk 19
Madison, WI | AMC Desert Star 15
Miami-Ft Lauderdale, FL | AMC Aventura 24
Minneapolis, MN | AMC Arbor Lake 16
Milwaukee, WI | AMC Johnson Creek 12
Nashville, TN | AMC Thoroughbred 20
New York City, NY | AMC Empire 25
Oklahoma City, OK | Regal Spotlight 14
Omaha, NE | AMC Oakview Plaza 24
Orange County, CA | AMC Orange 30
Orlando, FL | AMC Universal Cineplex 20
Philadelphia, PA | AMC Cherry Hill 24
Phoenix, AZ | AMC Classic Arizona Center 24
Pittsburgh, PA | AMC Waterfront 22
Raleigh-Durham, NC | AMC Southpoint 17
Sacramento, CA | Regal Natomas 16
San Diego, CA | AMC Mission Valley 20
San Antonio, TX | AMC Boerne 11
San Jose, CA | AMC Saratoga 14
Seattle, WA | AMC Classic Gateway 8
Tampa, FL | AMC Classic Centro Ybor 10
Tulsa, OK | Regal Promenade Palace 12
Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA | AMC Hampton 24
Washington, D.C. | AMC Hoffman Center 24
About Sumerian Films
Sumerian Films was founded by Ash Avildsen, creator of Sumerian Records. Shortly after the laptop he used to begin the label on was inducted in to the Grammy Museum as part of the Golden Gods: History of Heavy Metal exhibit, he decided to diversify the company and go in to tv/film. It wasn't until after he directed his first feature and began writing his second that he met his father, Academy-Award winner John G. Avildsen (ROCKY, THE KARATE KID) AMERICAN SATAN would become the first thing Ash and his dad bonded over. Growing up knowing his father was a famous director of some of his favorite films but never having a relationship with him made Ash very determined to make it in entertainment on his own, choosing the music business first. Ash and John would go on to spend the last two years becoming great friends and making up for lost time. John was an executive producer on AMERICAN SATAN and also had a cameo in the film, which would become the last movie John worked on before passing away in June 2017. Ash continues the Avildsen legacy with Sumerian Films, focusing on compelling human stories of underdogs and relevant, inspiring characters that speak to today's culture.
Sumerian Films has a staff of seven at an office just north of the Hollywood Bowl, including producing partners Jeff Cohen and Lorenzo Antonucci.
About MIRAMAX®
Acquired by beIN Media Group (beinmediagroup.com) in March 2016, MIRAMAX® is a global film and television studio best known for its award-winning and original content. Nasser Al-Khelaifi serves as Chairman of MIRAMAX® and beIN Media Group. Upcoming projects include the Johnny Depp film Labyrinth which MIRAMAX® is co-financing with Open Road Films, and Whitney, the documentary feature from Oscar®-winning director Kevin Macdonald on pop icon Whitney Houston. Recent releases include Bad Santa 2 starring Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates, Bridget Jones's Baby, with Oscar® winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth reprising their roles in the third installment of the Bridget Jones film series, and Southside With You, inspired by the first date of Barack and Michelle Obama.
Collectively, MIRAMAX's unrivaled library of more than 700 titles has received 278 Academy Award® nominations and 68 Oscars®, earning most notably four Best Picture awards for The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago and No Country for Old Men. More iconic titles from the library include critically acclaimed and commercial hits alike, such as Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Bridget Jones's Diary, the Scream film franchise, Kill Bill Vol. 1&2, and The Aviator.
"Oscar®" and "Academy Award®" are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "MIRAMAX®" and the "MIRAMAX" Logo are the registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of Miramax, LLC.
James Weir
Natalia Barlcay
Enrique Curiel
Anderson Group Public Relations 323-655-1008 | email@example.com


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Private Parties
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Your party would enjoy use of our reception and lobby areas, which offer perfect views of all six courts. All the better for checking out your friends' games as you catch up over refreshments.
The courts are equipped with a new sound system, and a wide range of music can be played at your request. We have a tidy kitchenette area for storing your food and beverages, and chairs and tables for lounging or socializing.
Tennis professionals are available upon request. We are also happy to help you set up a round robin format for your party, just let us know ahead of time.
Please call us for scheduling and pricing information.


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Notice how the girl on the left forgets her line...
Small World
Looks on the Bright Side of Sister Being Murdered???
Correctional Employee Pretending to be Convict who saw James Holmes?? Sure Looks That Way
Daniel Hernandez Managed to Hold Gabrielle Giffords' Head and Save Her life without getting a drop of Blood on him.


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If you have any questions about the filming of Breaking Dawn, please check here first, as there are a lot of questions that he has already answered. You can easily search this blog with keywords for Frequently Asked Question, such as:
What are Rob and Kristen like?
Jack: They're are great people and Bill loves them, but I have never met Rob, Kristen... or Bear, for that matter.
Are you going to be in the film? Maybe the wedding scene?
Jack: No way.
Here is where you will find all Jack's Q&As for the lead up and subsequent squee-fest of the Breaking Dawn Part One film and DVD release. We've tried to tag as much as we can, and there is a handy SEARCH button over there on the right, but really, I suggest reading through them all because it's all great fun and great info.
ADAPTING1. Why doesn't Bella have her scar on her arm in some scenes?
Jack: Continuity error.
2. Why doesn't Edward sparkle on the beach?
Jack: He sparkles at the waterfall, all other times it is overcast and cloudy.
3. What was your favorite scene in Breaking Dawn Part 1?
Jack: Too many to mention, honestly!
4. What is Bill's favorite part of BD1?
Jack: A favorite moment of his is when Bella comprehends her pregnancy.
5. What was the most difficult scene to shoot?
Jack: Maybe the birth.
6. What do you think about the birth scene?
Jack: It's very intense, realistic and subjective.
7. Have any of the actors seen the film yet?
Jack: Yes, Kristen, Rob, and Taylor have all seen many cuts of it, from the first rough assemblage through the final cut.
8. Will we see the night before the wedding in Bella's room? The stag party?
Jack: Sort of.
9. Will we see the garter throwing at the wedding?
Jack: Nope.
10. Do we see Bella and Edward telling Charlie about the wedding?
Jack: You've already seen it.
11. Jack, where is the break between BD 1 and BD2?
Jack: You don't really want to me to give away the ending, do you?
12. Is Rob is going to speak Portuguese in the film?
Jack: Yes.
13. In the behind the scenes footage, we saw Jacob and Edward fight when Edward finds out about the imprinting. Why wasn't in the movie?
Jack: Bill decided that he preferred Edward learning that Jacob imprinted at the end of the battle.
Dunno if it will be on the DVD.
14. Why didn't the movie have any of Bella's inner monologues?
Jack: Bill and Melissa didn't feel it was needed, I guess.
15. Why was scene where Edward slams Jacob into the wall cut?
Jack: Bill came to feel that it was best for Edward to learn about Jacob
having imprinted when and as he does in the movie. Also, he decided against
showing Edward having a negative reaction to it, as he does in that deleted
15. "Was the scene filmed where Edward bites the pillows?"
Jack: Schnope!
16. "Is Bella wearing pajama jeans in the first scene?"
Jack: Uh...I have no idea. Check the Blu-ray in two weeks (Editorial note: I saw the movie 6 times. Those are totally pajama jeans, IMO ;)
17. "Why does the bridal bouquet disappear during the wedding? Bella has it at the beginning then nothing?"
Jack: She tossed it? No idea. Sorry! There's no deleted scene there, I don't think.
18. "I would love to know why the Volturi's "home" is different from what we saw in New Moon."
Jack: Bill and his production designer Richard Sherman wanted to go in a different direction with that set.
19. "How long was the first cut of BD1?"
Jack: I can't remember, honestly. How much longer will the last cut of it be, is the real question.
20. "who designed Bella's wedding dress in the nightmare?"
Jack: Michael Wilkinson, the costume designer for both parts.
21. "who played chelsea and corin volturi?"
Jack: Uh who are they?
(Editorial Note: think they meant the new wolves? Collin (Brayden Jimmie)Brady (Swo wo Gabriel)
22. "What kind of cellphone does Edward have? The LG Optimus black or GT540?"
Jack: I have no idea - sorry!
23. Was using the instrumental from Turning Page for Bella's walk down the isle Bill's decision or Carter Burwell's?
Jack: It was Bill's decision but Carter was fully in agreement with it. They just saw each other today, btw.
24. (follow up) They saw each other today? Working on BD2 already? Or just socially?
Jack: Already working on BD2.
25. "Is there any chance ever of a director's cut?"
Jack: Yes, there's a chance... I should add that the cut you saw in theatres is really more or less Bill's cut. We all know what's missing. ;)
(Editorial note: ::scowl:: Teasing Brat.)
26. You've said you had some creative input in BD1, can you please tell us what?
Jack: Did I really say that? Was that my exact wording? I'm too...I dunno, shy about that, but I earned the credit.
27. Why didn't we see the last pic in the companion in the movie?
Jack: The author photo? ;-P Which photo are you referring to?
28. just before Bella opens her red eyes- is that her pupil you see sealed with venom or just last blood cell?
Jack: Her last human blood cell. Interesting question!
29. "What type of flowers are hanging during the wedding?"
Jack: Fake ones that have been cut up and packaged with that DVD edition in two weeks! :-D
30. Is there a color chart for the pack? In Tippett vid they are color coded.
Jack: I expect so, yeah, but I haven't seen it.
31. Is Bach Violi Concerto in E major playing during wedding 1st or 3rd movement?
Jack: On it!
32. Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
Jack: Team Peter. I have and wear the shirt to prove it!
33. Why do these movies always stay around 2 hours? is seems the 1st scenes fly by and could use a couple more min each.
Jack: Can't speak for the first three but BD1 is exactly how Bill wanted it, less a few seconds of Rob's back dimples!
34. "Can you please address WHY we are not seeing deleted scenes or additional commentaries on DVD features?"
Jack: WHYYYYY?!?!?! :D No idea about the commentaries, but you may see some or all of the deleted scenes down the road.
P.S. The Official Illustrated Companion is FULL of stills from deleted scenes!
35. "What is the website Edward visits when researching the baby?"
Jack: The Immortaculum, of course! I'm probably misspelling that.
36. Don't laugh- I'm really curious why it looks like they gave Bella padding in her bra and what was the point?"
Jack: Hmm, dunno. I never heard that.
37. "Will we ever see an R-rated edition of BD1?"
Jack: Hope springs eternal! And wouldn't "unrated" be better?
(Editorial note: YES.)
38. In Burwell's Love, Death, Birth hear parts of songs from Twilight & Eclipse. Is there something from NM? if so, which song?
Jack: Hm, I don't THINK so?
39. Do DVD sales get counted in a movie's gross or is that separate?
Jack: Separate.
40. How was filming the reception scene? Was it intentional to make it more funny than in the book?
Jack: Yeah. Bill also thought about having a rehearsal dinner but ultimately decided to get to the wedding faster.
41. Have they ever nominated the Twilight Saga for anything serious? I don't think so. Shame.
Jack: What's wrong with MTV Movie Awards?! :-D
(Editorial Note: So many things, but that's a different discussion :P)
42. Was the "rings being exchanged at the wedding" filmed?
Jack: Nope.
43. "Do you know why DVD editions are so different between US and around Europe?"
Jack: I don't, other than different distributors.
44. "Are some instrumental tracks from the film not present on the score?"
Jack: Probably not. This is usually the case with score CDs.
45. Okay, can you explain a "posed still" to me? What's the point? Since it won't be in the movie. #confused
Jack: It's just a photograph that the still photographer composes to capture an idea.
46. Were Kristen's own rings left on in the first scene on purpose or accident?
Jack: Hmm, who would know the answer to that. Maybe the director.
Keep reminding me. #ringgate2011
47. "Who decided on the honeymoon boat to be a chriscraft?"
Jack: Didn't I just answer this?
48. In and Out Burger Pro or Con?
Jack's answer:
(twitter/fandom editorial)And Kristen's knee. And lots of thrusting.
49. Jack's One and Only Answer to All Wig-Related Questions:
"There Will Be Wigs", but remember...Michael Sheen will be seen passing through the Vancouver airport as well. -- Jack
50. What is the run time for BD1?
Jack: The run time is 1:55. It's only PART I and Bill doesn't want it to be one minute longer than it should be for the best storytelling. Pace and flow!
51. Were the wedding rings added post production?
Jack: No, they were not. As Bill mentioned at Comic Con, the fans spoke out when the first Rio stills were released and they did not see wedding rings. Originally, Stephanie Meyer did not have wedding rings as part of the plan to stay consistent with Edwardian customs. The decision to go without rings was reconsidered after fan feedback. Since the bit that was shot without rings was brief, it was unnecessary to go back and add rings.
52. Can you explain what went into the decisions about hair?
Jack: Here's the thing about the haircuts and/or wigs: as Bill said at Comic-Con, he felt like BD was about growing up for most of the characters, or certainly moving beyond high school, so the hair choices are about that. You may like this one but not that but that was the intention and the hair and makeup artists are all extremely talented. And Bill knows his way around this stuff from DREAMGIRLS, which was all wigs all the time. There was thought and design behind all of it, but as with everything in both parts of BD, that doesn't mean you have to agree with the thought or design, or like it. That's just movies. A team of the best people you can get all work hard with a director, and those choices and decisions get filmed and edited anyway.
53. How does the director go about deciding which songs appear under which scenes in a movie?
Jack: Every single movie happens uniquely--you kind of have to know someone who worked on. or close to any specific movie in order to know how it all happened and came together. And, for these two BD movies, you do!
For PART I--in broad terms--Bill received CDs with submitted songs. He and his team listened to each song a number of times and then take only the songs they like and try them under certain scenes. Once a song feels like a great fit with a scene musically, and sometimes even lyrically, the producers (including Stephenie) watch/listen, as did the music supervisor and studio execs, and approve.
54. How is the orchestral score placed?
Jack: When scoring the film, first the director, the editor, and their team try a temporary score cue over this scene, or a song under that scene, until they get the movie roughly where they want it to be musically. Then the composer and director "spot" the movie in a spotting session, where they talk through all of the score cues needed, what and how they need to be, and when they need to start and finish. Once agreed upon, the composer goes off and composes.
55. What are your favorite songs from the soundtrack?
Jack: My favorite songs are, in order, "Northern Lights", "Turning Page," "Requiem on Water", and "Endtapes." You will LOVE "Cold".
56. What is Bill's favorite song?
Jack: Probably "Requiem on Water" and/or "Turning Page".
57. Which is your favorite of the Twilight Saga soundtracks?
Jack: Not counting BREAKING DAWN I, I'd say the Twilight Soundtrack.
58. Why isn't Muse on the soundtrack?
Jack: I can't explain that, sorry. Not Bill's fault.
LINK: Muse Article on MTV
59. The film Twilight had blue lighting. Do the BD films have a signature color?
Jack: Signature colors are something Catherine Hardwicke does. For example, check out "Red Riding Hood." Also, we have too many locations for one color. You'll notice the marketing materials-posters, calendar, trading cards--have the colors of dawn breaking.
60. Do you know when the soundtrack score will be released?
Jack: I don't think a date has been announced. Patience.
Promoting61. Jack, where are the premieres and promotional events taking place?
Jack: The publicity/promotional event/premiere decisions are in the hands of other people. We have no control over that at all.
62. Will Kristen Stewart be promoting BD1 while she's filming SWATH?
Jack: I have ZERO control or influence over what any of the actors choose to do or not do -- sorry. As you know, Kristen Stewart is shooting right now, and not all productions are accommodating for other movies and their promotional/publicity schedules.
63. When will you be at Tent City, Camp Breaking Dawn?
Jack: When WON'T I be there?
64. Are you coming to the London Premiere?
Jack: I will be visiting Tent City for the London Premiere on the afternoon of the 16th. See you there.
65. When are more trailers coming?
Jack: There will only be TV spots from here on out.
66. Is Summit going to release the Comic Con trailer?
Jack: I do not know.
67. Will Breaking Dawn come out in IMAX?
Jack: I don't think so. HAPPY FEET 2 took all the IMAX screens.
68. Was BD filmed in 3D?
Jack: The decision was made early on not to film either chapter of "Breaking Dawn" in 3D.
DVD69. What special features will there be on the DVD?
Jack:Haven't they been announced?
70. Will Bill be record his commentary solo or with others?
Jack: Solo
71. Is there going to be an UNEDITED DVD version of "Breaking Dawn"?
Jack: Hope springs eternal
72. Rumor has it that Edward's thrusting was cut from the film. Is that true?
Jack: Don't you worry.
73. Can you please tell Bill that we want an R-rated version of the film on the DVD?
Jack: Bill has heard the requests for an R-rated cut of the film.
74. Are Robert and Kristen going to be on the DVD commentary?
Jack: Hope springs eternal.
75. confirmation on whether the DVD has deleted scenes?
Jack: It doesn't.
76. Was there any behind the scenes footage shot during the actual last scenes filmed in the Caribbean?
Jack: Yup and it's included in the awesome DVD documentary.
Our epic Twilight 4Peat Contest!
We all know Breaking Dawn Part One was the best movie this year, so let's show the world!
As an added incentive, Team Jack has some AMAZING prizes to give out when you tell us you've voted. You can vote as many times as you like, so Vote for Breaking Dawn at the MTVMAs!
Start today, voting closes on June 1st!
Contest Rules:
To enter simply vote for Breaking Dawn as
Best Movie at http://t.co/xa5zo0ED
or for Best Kiss at http://t.co/lkwBKdqk
Then use the tweet function to let everyone know you voted and include the hashtags #TJBD and #Twilight4Peat.
One winner will be chosen everyday through 10pm ET June 1st! Between June 1st at 10pm ET and June 3rd at 10:30pm ET Thirteen winners will be chosen for a variety of prizes! Contest is open to residents of the US only. Winners will be announced each day via twitter after 10pm ET.
One of the following will be given away each day over the next 12 days:
- Four (4) Breaking Dawn Part One Movie Companions, signed by both the author Mark Cotta Vaz, and director Bill Condon!
- Four (4) Breaking Dawn Part One Scores signed by director Bill Condon!
- Four (4) Breaking Dawn Part One Soundtracks signed by the director Bill Condon!
These will be given away at random on the final two days in addition to one of the above:
- One Breaking Dawn: Part One Target exclusive DVD with Prop Flower signed by director Bill Condon!
- Four (4) Breaking Dawn Mouse Pads signed by director Bill Condon!
- One Breaking Dawn Wedding Barbie signed by director Bill Condon!
Not signed, but fun prizes anyway:
- Five (5) Team Jack Tshirts
So keep voting and let's get ourselves that historic Twilight 4Peat!


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By changing nothing, nothing changes! Although some changes may be tiny, they combine to transform the lives of vulnerable children and the communities in which they live. Be inspired by keeping up to date with what's happening to give children a better future.
New children's centre takes place in Munsieville
Munsieville's brand new children's health campus, Hope Park, is rapidly taking shape. The last of the five modular units has now been installed and work to transform the construction site into a place of true beauty is in full swing.
Spreading good hygiene messages in Munsieville
It is holiday time in Munsieville! The children are enjoying the well established kids' holiday club with indigenous games at the Children's Embassy alongside plenty of health education. Avadhesh, one of the GSK Pulse volunteers, takes the opportunity to reintroduce oral hygiene in a hands-on workshop as well as healthy hand washing. Read more here.
New After School Care centre opens in Munsieville
Thanks to donations from our trustees and staff, we have been able to build a new Fhulofhelo Centre in Mshenguville, Munsieville's informal settlement, to be used for after school care and activities such as baby bathing classes during the day. The Thoughtful Path team and volunteers from the community worked hard over two weeks to construct the centre and landscape the grounds, including creating a demonstration vegetable garden for our 'You Grow, They Grow' programme. Read more here.
Fundraise while you shop online
Download the easyfundraising app and help to raise money for Project HOPE every time you shop online with 2,700 retailers including Amazon, eBay, John Lewis, Tesco, Asda, Next and many more. Click here find out more.


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The Woods, Photographic studio
This street frontage, centrally located photographic space and gallery window right near Collingwood station in the beautiful Abbotsford is packed full of shooting options.
The studio offers a cyclorama/infinity wall, white walls, black velvet curtains, floorboards and a stereo.
Included in bookings are Elinchrom lighting system, stands, autopoles and tripods. It's a fantastic equipped space to create photographic content for your business or project.
Available equipment for in-studio hire:
~ Full frame canon camera and lens system
~ Projector
~ Overhead projector
~ Redheads and stands
~ RGB wash lights
~ Clothes Rack
~ x8 Philips Selecon BeamShaper. lights used in national galleries and museums to display items to there full potential allows focusing and cropping of this large colour space projected light.
We also offer photography, install and set/production.
Lease Conditions
~ Please take care while setting up and packing down equipment any damage at hirees cost
~ Allow 30 mins within your booking to clean the space.
~ Four people maximin included in booking charge, please request prior for more.
~ No alcohol or drugs.
Parking Notes
There is plenty of 4hour parking on neighbouring streets. As well as parking available out the front of the building after 9.30am


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A christian girl Anna asked two questions from Dr. Zakir Niak. His questions were;
- What happened if non-Muslims have never been exposed to Islam?
- What if one says that Miracles of Hazrat Easa Alehislam are great than Hazrat Mohammad S.A.W?
After getting the very good answers, the christian girl Accepted ISLAM.
Watch the full video to know about the answer given by Dr. Zakir Naik


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Desigual Fall/Winter 2013-2014 Shoes and Accessories
It's Desigual and only the name is already enough for us to imagine those iridescent waves of positive energy filling the atmosphere we see in the newest Desigual fall/winter 2013-2014 shoes and accessories collection. If only the images manage to change our mood so vividly, just imagine what the real pieces might do! Every time this brand introduces something seeming like an energizing bomb, which is about to explode once more and charge everyone around with positive and joyful mood. Whatever we saw with the garments is true of the separately taken accessories as well, since they have been created to match with the thematic concentration of the apparels, thus having the typical colorful prints on.
The descriptive cornerstone element taken this time is the optical influence of the prints, which we've also seen with the cool Desigual fall/winter 2013-2014 collection. Here, these patterns are introduced on the comfy handbags and boots. It's like the background of the pieces, in any case, are the colors, or their diversity to be more exact. However, what is peculiar to these rich color palette, is that the taste of combining these color shades is extremely delicate and professional. This way an interesting floral motive has been created to introduce the colors by means of that as well.
Thus, the various shapes of the new Desigual handbags, including shopping bags, shoulder variants, patch bags, and flaps, are carefully adorned with embroidery, appliqués and just prints gifting the pieces with irreplaceable flamboyant looks. The main types of footwear, around which the whole concentration is made, is the ankle type, as well as some lace-up boots options, all of which also have the specific features of the Desigual fall 2013 accessories collection.
These accessories seem to be most perfect finalizing elements for any sun-inspired combination. If you want to bring light and sunny mood into your day, you should start from your outfits. They are the first step to having a successful and energizing day, and Desigual collections may be a great help for you in this!
Photos courtesy of Desigual


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OLD 2 - Books and Publications
What We Do
I have written numerous articles, reports and books on personnel management. Listed below are my books and articles on aviation.
Some now out of print copies of my books can usually be bought second-hand through www.bookfinder.com at between U$20 and U$100.
The RAF in the near and middle East 1919-1939
My latest book, is available for purchase from Air-Britain.
It costs £52.50 to non members of Air-Britain.
or just £34.95 to members.
Membership of Air-Britain is just £23.00 and gives you access to a quaterly magazine and extensive aviation information. The other members around the word share their experience and information.
Previous books:
Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present
Arms and Armour Press, London, 1989.
What the reviewers said:
"In the 10 years I have been writing this column I have seen hundreds of books. If I had to choose the one book that represented a publishing milestone, a stupendous effort, and a major source all in one volume, it would be this one." Peter Mersky, Naval Aviation News
"This is an immensely valuable single-source reference providing facts and figures on subjects ranging from the Greek Civil War to the Gulf War, and from Northern Ireland to Mozambique.****" Aircraft Illustrated
"At first glance the title....might appear to be another skimming the surface coffee table work - not so, go seek it out and discover the depth of this monumental reference tool." Flypast
"Vic Flintham has produced something that covers just about every small war that has taken place since World War 2, joined them all together and provided his readers with the most amazing set of facts and figures that can hardly be beaten for its comprehensiveness and skill in research." Aviation News
"Among the book's manifold virtues for the enthusiast - and I suspect that all the information in it must have been compiled by someone with the dogged devotion to the research task that only a true enthusiast could bring and another could appreciate - is that as a part of the coverage of each conflict there is a table of aircraft units involved, as well as notes on individual airframes and their colours." Scale Aircraft Modelling
Aircraft in British Military Service: British Service Aircraft Since 1946
Airlife, Shrewsbury, 1999.
What the reviewers said:
"This is a practical book which offers a minimum of pointless comment and a maximum of detail. Highly recommended as a quick reference for all military enthusiasts." Air-Britain Digest
"Though not a prolific author, Vic Flintham is an experienced writer and researcher whose long association with military aviation is clearly demonstrated in a fact-filled work of reference. .....provides the reader with unprecedented depth and breadth of information." Air Forces Monthly
"A well illustrated encyclopaedic tome, this product justly deserves inclusion in the serious enthusiast's book collection!" Flypast
"The author.... set out to provide an extensive aide-memoire to a very large subject. This he has done extremely well. If you want a reference between two covers to every post-war British military aircraft from the Eurofighter to the Procter Kittiwake then this is the book for you." Aerospace International
"This is one of those books that you pick up to check on a type and get side-tracked and find some equally fascinating information, despite being advised that it is a fine work of reference, rather than a reading book." Air Pictorial
Combat Codes: a Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938
With Andrew Thomas Airlife, Shrewsbury, 2003
What the reviewers said:
"….the two authors….have completed a remarkable research project which is probably about as accurate as you can get. …the ace factor is the almost unmatched collection of pictures." Aviation News
"At last we have a comprehensive and near-definitive work on the squadron and unit markings carried by the RAF and later Allied aircraft during the Second World War. Destined to become the standard work on the subject, it is a must for the bookshelves of both serious researchers and aircraft modellers." Air-Britain
"This is one of those essential reference tools which form the skeleton on which historical research is based." Aeroplane


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Something To Strive For
This morning while Laurel was working on a Bob the Builder puzzle, she remarked, "Mommy, you know what's funny? Bob the Builder always looks happy even though he's always so busy!"
This simple observation stopped me in my (frenzied house tidying) tracks. From my own experience, and from a majority of what I read about friends, family, and colleagues via my Twitter and Facebook feeds, the human condition is to be busy, and - it seems - to suffer through an awful lot of that busyness. Indeed, when I'm oscillating at a high stress level, I even tend to forget about how truly miserable my postdoctoral fellowship was and that the whole point of jumping academic ship was to construct something new and joyful for myself. I may not be making gobs of money (although I certainly wasn't doing that in academia either), but I'm living the dream via a flexible, creative lifestyle that allows me lots of time with my daughter through the week. Unfortunately, I tend to lose sight of this fact when I'm feeling overwhelmed by my to-do list.
I've never even seen a Bob the Builder cartoon, but thanks to Laurel's observation, I'm going to try to ride that cheery dude's wave. Why not strive to be happy while busy and look for the positives even in the less exciting projects? The universe needs all the positive energy it can get right now.


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A bunion is a deformity of the joint connecting the big toe to the foot and is known as a hallux abducto valgus among medical professionals. It is characterized by medial deviation of the first metatarsal bone and lateral deviation of the hallux (big toe), often erroneously described as an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the bottom of the big toe (known as the metatarsophalangeal joint).
The symptoms of bunions include irritated skin around the bunion, pain when walking, joint redness and pain, and possible shift of the big toe toward the other toes. Blisters may form more easily around the site of the bunion as well.
Having bunions can also make it more difficult to find shoes that fit properly; bunions may force a person to have to buy a larger size shoe to accommodate the width the bunion creates. When bunion deformity becomes severe enough, the foot can hurt in different places even without the constriction of shoes because it then becomes a mechanical function problem of the forefoot.
Orthotics are splints or regulators while conservative measures include various footwear like gelled toe spacers, bunion / toes separators, bunion regulators, bunion splints and bunion cushions.
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Let's get started building your dream home, addition, or remodel! Call us today to book your free consultation.
Reiner White & Sons, Inc. has built longstanding relationships with our subcontractors and suppliers, and together with our team of highly skilled, organized, and reliable craftspeople we are confident we can help you make your vision a reality. We share a common goal: to build a high quality project that will exceed your expectations.
From start to finish we can help you through the entire design-build process. Or if you prefer, we are equally comfortable working from your construction plans or with your architect. Whatever your needs, we will listen carefully to your ideas, offer helpful suggestions, and develop the best solutions for your priorities and budget. View our NEW CONSTRUCTION portfolio.
Have you outgrown your home but don't wish to move? Are you expecting a new child or plan to have older relatives move in? Or, do you just need a more organized, functional, or decorative space? We will be happy to help you build your new artist's studio, master bedroom suite, child's room, guest room, family room, office, exercise room, garage, or in-law apartment. View our ADDITIONS portfolio.
Your kitchen and bathrooms are the most important rooms in your home because they are the center of your family's day-to-day living. Having these rooms remodeled professionally with top quality modern conveniences will bring not only years of enjoyment, but added value to your home. View our KITCHENS & BATHROOMS portfolio.
Interior renovations will greatly enhance the enjoyment you experience in your home and are a key part of any home improvement plan. From fresh paint and trim, to new flooring or drywall repair, remodeling can dramatically improve the beauty and energy efficiency of your home.. Whether you need a minor facelift or a major remodel, we can help. View our INTERIOR RENOVATIONS portfolio.
Exterior renovations (putting up new siding or a roof, windows and doors, landscaping, or adding trim, a portico, or a detached building) can dramatically change the overall appearance and personality of your home. There are a a full range of maintenance-free products that are now available that can make your life easier and your home more enjoyable. View our EXTERIOR RENOVATIONS portfolio.
We live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. Adding a deck, porch, and/or sunroom will extend your home's living space and increase its overall value. There are many options that will make it easier for you, your family, friends, and pets to relax, enjoy the sun, and get closer to nature. We can also help you decide on the best location for placement. View our DECKS, PORCHES, & SUNROOMS portfolio.
Professionally installed custom millwork accentuates the beauty and elegance of your home, it helps raise your property value, and it increases the organization of your space. From smart storage solutions like built-in desks, shelves, and custom cabinets, to staircases, crown molding, chair rails, and wainscoting, we can help you add architectural details that express your personality. View our MILLWORK portfolio.


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Thoroughly Modern Books
Alexis Harrington founded Sand Dollar Bookkeeping in 2015 after 7 years as an accounting assistant at TCG Chartered Professional Accountants. Alexis' work experience went well beyond bookkeeping to personal and corporate tax preparation, non-resident filings, and estate tax preparation. This experience gives Alexis the knowledge to bookkeep with confidence and to a higher level knowing exactly what accounting staff are looking for. It also highlighted that the businesses that were succeeding were working with good a bookkeeper. Keen to work one on one to help develop strong small businesses in the community, she opened Sand Dollar Bookkeeping.
Alexis has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma in Business Administration from Capilano University.
Sand Dollar Bookkeeping's goal is to integrate modern technology with the fundamentals of accounting. Gone are the days of data entry and boxes of receipts. All elements of a modern office should speak to one another in an integrated system that frees your time to do what you do best.
In 2017, Sand Dollar Bookkeeping became 100% dedicated to the Beautiful Xero Cloud Accounting system, and in May 2018, we achieved Xero Silver Partner status.