text:
But he didn't. His family chose to live in the rural areas, to serve the broader community.
His presentation was incredible, varying between a comfortable coffee-shop camaraderie and moments of somber reflections.
These deformities weren't detected simply because the diagnosis is free. All it took was to place the newborn face down and spring their legs apart. If their legs quickly moved back, the joints were in the sockets and everything was peaceable.
Local doctors, however, were reluctant to check - they fear being blamed for this inherent disability. They weren't paid anyway.
And do you have any idea what is the cost for correcting this deformity? Be prepared for an incredible answer. It was so brilliant that none of us would have guessed.
An extra diapers. All it requires is for the baby to wear an extra diapers for the next few years - there is a good 70 - 80 percent chance that the joint will pop back into the socket and a person, saved from a lifetime of waddling.
It was heartwarming to learn of his experiences, to know that there are people out there fighting for what they believe in.
But what struck me was a friend's response prior to the talk.
"Listening to such people only make me feel inferior."
A shadowy something draped over my vision.
These people existed not to make us fell inferior or helpless or banal, but to help us understand whom we can be.
Dr Tan Lai Yong.
They let us know what can be.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Another story from Jerez...
Somehow I convinced everyone to go to bulerías class with me
I told them how it terrified me. I told them I was terrorized by it. But they still wanted to go.
I took them there even before our first class with Mercedes.
I needed for them to see it. I was hoping they would want to take it too. I was worried they might think it was too much on top everything else.
Physically it is not demanding. So, that would be no issue.
But mentally, well...
I had told them about it the night before
They were ready for certain things.
Like the smoking.
And the coming and going.
The confusion.
And the unexpected.
They were open.
Everyone wanted to go, at least to watch. Only three were planning on taking it. But we got there, and one by one they jumped on board.
Now, they're all taking it, except for one. Though that one recently told me that she wants to do it next time.
The Class
It's a place I've spent a lot of time freaking out in and a lot of time feeling absolutely joyful in.
I feel so exposed in there.
It is unlike any class anywhere. Ever.
It takes place in a peña, a flamenco club.
It goes from 11:00am, más o menos, to 1:30, o un poquito más tarde.
Some people arrive at 11:00. Some at 12:00. Some at 1:00. And at any time in-between. Some stay for an hour. Some stay for the whole class.
There is always guitarra and cante. And you dance. Just you. By yourself. Unless you really don't want to. You mess up and you try again. And again. And again. You watch other people mess up, again and again and again. You play palmas. You give jaleos. And you learn. A lot.
Sometimes people cry. Always people laugh.
Most people come to dance. Some have been dancing for years and years. Some have had no flamenco training whatsoever.
And all kinds of people stop by during class. Some play guitar. Some sing. Some play palmas. Others just pop in to say hello. Occasionally even people like Joselito Méndez.
I don't really know how to describe it.
But there is something about that class.
It still scares me. But it makes me so happy.
This morning I wasn't feeling so great
You could say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but I went to bulerías class anyway.
Hearing the music
Playing palmas
Seeing people dance
This put me in the moment
I was taken to the present. And it felt good.
About the class...
It is with Ana Maria López. Many people have studied with her. So many people. Famous people, like Mercedes. And Jerezanos, like Jaime who was just in Portland for Sherry Fest. All kinds of people.
For more experiences from bulerías class, take a peek at these posts:
What I Learned From Dancing on a Floor Tile
Viernes con una Letra | Still in Jerez
Tell me about an less than conventional class that you've attended. How was it for you? Perhaps you've been to class with Ani. What was it like for you? You can leave a comment below.
You can come too!
Find out more about the Flamenco Tour.


text:
Functions of the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and exercise of delegated authorities by the Chief Executive
The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (the Commission) is established by the Financial Services Commission Act 2007 (the "Act"). The Commission's functions are set out in section 6 of the Act. A copy of section 6 of the Act is set out in Schedule 1.
Section 6A of the Act establishes the Auditors Regulation Committee (ARC). The Commission has arranged for its functions to be carried out by the ARC as competent authority under the Auditors Act 2009 (the Auditors Act). A copy of section 6A is set out in Schedule 1.
The Commission must discharge its function in the manner set out in section 7 of the Act. The Chief Executive of the Commission (the "CEO") is appointed under section 8 of the Act.
The Commission has the power to delegate the discharge of any of its functions to the CEO under section 9 of the Act. The Commission may also delegate to any other person with the consent of the Minister of Financial Services and Gaming (the Minister). Any delegation by the Commission does not prevent the Commission discharging the same functions. In the event the Commission decides it should exercise any of its functions, it can. It is able to revoke any delegation at any time.
Section 10 of the Act sets out the Commission's powers for the discharge of its functions.
The Commission delegates its functions under section 6 of the Act and its powers under section 10 of the Act to the CEO. This delegation excludes the functions set out in section 6(1)(g), (i) and (j). The CEO must discharge the delegated functions in accordance with section 7 of the Act.
The delegation excludes the Commission's functions under one of its Supervisory Acts, the Auditors Act. The CEO has recused herself from the ARC and from the exercise of executive functions under the Auditors Act.
The ARC delegates its functions as competent authority under the Auditors Act to Kathryn Morgan, Director of Regulatory Operations at the Commission. The delegated functions must be exercised in accordance with section 7 of the Act. The Minister has consented to this delegation.
Schedule 1
Functions of the Commission.
6.(1) The functions of the Commission are-
(a) to supervise Authorised persons in accordance with this Act and the Supervisory Acts;
(b) to consider and determine applications for authorisations, licences, recognitions and registrations made under the Supervisory Acts;
(c) to monitor compliance by Authorised persons with such legislation, rules, codes and guidance made under this Act or any Supervisory Acts;
(d) to monitor compliance by Authorised persons with legislation, rules, codes and guidance relating to the prevention of financial crime;
(e) to monitor financial services business carried on in or from Gibraltar and to take such appropriate action as it is empowered to do against persons carrying on such business without the necessary authorisation, licence or registration;
(f) to carry out the duties and discharge the functions imposed on, or given to, it under this or any other Act;
(g) to determine subject to the approval of the Minister the terms of service of the Chief Executive;
(h) to determine the number and skill mix of employees required by the Commission to carry out its functions and to determine their terms and conditions of employment;
(i) to monitor and oversee the performance by the Chief Executive of all functions delegated to him by the Commission;
(j) to approve the annual estimates of income and expenditure to be furnished to the Minister under section 16; and
(k) in respect of those areas of financial services business where Community law applies, to supervise and regulate financial services business carried on in or from Gibraltar in accordance with Community obligations and in those areas to establish and implement standards and supervisory practices which match the standards and supervisory practices governing the provision of financial services within the United Kingdom.
6A. (1) The Commission may, by resolution, arrange for the functions conferred upon it by section 2A of the Financial Services (Auditors) Act 2009 to be exercised by a committee of the Commission to be known as the Auditors Regulatory Committee ("the ARC").
(2) The ARC is to comprise–
(a) not more than six members appointed by the Commission from among its members; and
(b) the Chief Executive (without further appointment).
(3) All of the members of the ARC must be non-practitioners (within the meaning of the Financial Services (Auditors) Act 2009).
(4) Section 12 applies in relation to the ARC with the following modifications–
(a) a committee established under section 12(1)(b) may not discharge any function of the ARC; and
(b) section 12(3) does not apply to the ARC.
|Date Issued
|CEO's Delegated Functions


text:
BriteCore's Lines module empowers insurers to define their own products. Business users can easily build coverages, endorsements, underwriting rules, rates, and forms from the ground up. Bulk editing tools increase the efficiency of updating rates and expanding lines to new states, saving you countless hours of configuration time.
time-Saving Rate Management
With manual and automated rating variables, powerful bulk editing tools, and an organized graphic interface, our clients spend hours, not months, setting up rate changes and deploying new lines. BriteCore allows you to copy all of your existing rules and rates with the click of a button. Never again will you have to spend weeks manually calculating and re-entering new rates or memorizing arcane rate codes.
Broad rate coverage
BriteCore supports a broad range of rates, including both manual and automated rating variables, flat rates, rate pers, table-based rates, and factor based rates that can all be tied to user-entered or lookup data to support your company's needs. In our experience of serving over forty carriers, we have never encountered a rate we couldn't offer or that wasn't supported by with the system.
Version control
The Lines Module is fully versioned by date, allowing you to update rates and forms in advance and review prior Lines configurations. You can copy existing rules and rates, make changes, and then set a future effective date for new rates. When the date arrives, your agents automatically see the updates in the quoting system and all of your billing and print deliverables reflect changes, dramatically reducing time spent planning and executing rate changes and deploying new lines of business.
Automatic Updates
With BriteCore, it's easy to change the version of your forms or even your entire rating bureau. When decs are printed, forms are automatically generated and delivered to insureds. Dec sheets can be configured to print with company-specific layouts and language. You don't have to worry about incorrect forms being given to insureds or about keeping paper copies. Everything prints and emails correctly and automatically.


text:
Rose Geranium Herbal Oil
Homemade rose geranium oil infused and made with coconut oil, rose geranium flowers and leaves in a glass jar.
Canon EOS 50D 1/13s, f 20.0, ISO 200, 117 mm
License: CC0 Public Domain
Note: If you intend to use an image you find here for commercial use, please be aware that some photos do require a model or property release. Pictures featuring products should be used with care.
268,782 free pictures
1,807 users online
Public Domain Pictures.net created by Bobek Ltd. Copyright 2007 - 2019 by Bobek Ltd. Registered in England and Wales No. 5951382


text:
The Truss Jewelry collection was inspired by complex space frames structures found in various avant-garde architectural projects. While working in architecture, we developed a series of scripts that allowed us to create space frames structures which were designed to fit within unique envelopes of a building. With some adjustments, we used the same principles of the script to start generating ornamental structures for bracelets. When printed in Nylon using SLS Printing technology, the space frame design allows for sufficient rigidity while maintaining ample flexibility for the bracelet.
Products are available on our Shop.


text:
Special Constables are needed in all of the Operational Command Units (OCUs) covered by Hampshire Constabulary. As a volunteer, a Special Constable has the same powers as a regular officer.
Want to be a Special Constable?
We will support you…
What is a Special Constable?
Special Constables are volunteers who work closely with regular officers to help police their communities. They have the same powers as a regular police officer and wear the same uniform. They are given proper training for the role and gain a thorough grounding in many aspects of police work before they are expected to carry out any police duties.
What would I be expected to do as a Special Constable?
Duties include:
- Neighbourhood policing
- Foot patrol
- Helping to tackle anti-social behaviour
- Road Safety initiatives
- House to house enquiries
- Helping safeguard public safety and security at local or major events.
How much training is there and when does it take place?
Hampshire Constabulary has recently introduced a new training course for Special Constables called the Gateway Programme. This is a module-based pre-join qualification which has to be completed before successful applicants can officially join the force. It is delivered in-house through a mixture of distance learning (workbooks) and some classroom training (workshops) at no cost to Special Constables. You will complete the workbooks in your own time and, when completed, book yourself onto the relevant workshops. These will be available at different times on weekends and during evenings to meet a variety of needs.
The Gateway course will cover:
- Learning about the police service and the duties of a police officer
- Criminal Justice system
- Police powers
- Basic offences
- Public order related offences
- Traffic
- Public protection
When you join the Special Constabulary upon completion of the gateway course, the subsequent foundation training will focus entirely on practical operational skills. You will then join your colleagues at the front line fully trained and deployable.
How much time would I be expected to give?
Specials volunteer at least four hours per week or 16 hours per month of their spare time.
What are the benefits of becoming a Special Constable?
New experiences: You can expect to enjoy much of the variety that comes with police work. You might find going out on patrol a welcome change from your usual working day.
New people: You will be working as one team and the experiences you share in working closely together can lead to lasting friendships. You will learn more about life and human nature than most people will ever see.
New skills: You'll learn new and develop existing skills, like problem solving, negotiating, decision making, coping with pressure, communications and interpersonal skills. These skills will help you not simply as a Special but in your daily life, as well as in your current (or future) workplace.
Self-discovery: As a Special you'll discover a lot you did not know about yourself and just how much you are really capable of. You'll develop self-respect and self-confidence, and you'll earn the right to feel pride in having played your part to make your community united and stronger in the fight against crime.
What is the recruiting process?
There are a number of stages in the recruiting process:
Request, complete and return the application form.
- If you meet the initial criteria you will be invited to an assessment centre which involves a written test, a situational judgement test and an interview.
- Successful candidates will be subject to vetting (including Financial), a medical questionnaire, and references.
When might I start?
You will be able to start on the Gateway programme when you have been successful through the recruiting stages (completion of the assessment centre). As the training in form of the Gateway Programme has to be completed before you can join the force, your actual start date depends on how long it takes you to complete the course, which may vary from candidate to candidate.
Further information
More information can be found at www.youdrawtheline.co.uk or you can call the Recruiting Department on 023 8074 5315.


text:
In a new format this week we have a look at a veterinary case of the week, Jet the American Bulldog who took on a Taipan. We head back 60 million years in the Land Rover Time Machine to have a look at the largest snake ever to have lived, Titanoboa. Our new business website is up at Seadog Veterinary Services. We also went for a sail out to the Great Barrier Reef and Xanthe and Harri give us a report on the wildlife we saw.
Tag Archives: kids podcast
Podcast Episode 35 Animal Geeks – Pakicetus
We are back to the old school team of Duncan and Harri this week. We look at Whale evolution, heading back in the time machine to have a look at Pakicetus, Ambulocetus and Remingtonocetus. Harri also hatches a plan to corner the whale milk market, but realises the practicalities of whale milking might prove problematic.
Podcast Episode 34 Animal Geeks – Neanderthal Man
We have a Mystery guest in the house and we head back 50000 years to what is now modern Europe to have a look at Neanderthal Man. Twit the owl is going well at SeaDog Vets and we have been treating a Northern Blue-tongued Skink
Podcast Episode 32 Animal Geeks – Tyrannosaurus and Laramedia
This week we head back 100 million years to Laramedia and post-mortem a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Harri gets worried about getting home in time for dinner and before 75% of the extant life forms disappeared at the K-T extinction event.
Podcast Episode 31 Animal Geeks – The Bering Land Bridge
We dust off our time machine to head back 10000 years to visit Beringia. Harri gets a bit freaked out at the thought of Smilodon (Saber-toothed tiger) attack. We discuss the migration of humans to modern day North and South America, Australia and Japan. Xanthe contemplates getting stuck in Beringia and the kind of Hunger Games-esque bow skills that would be required.
Podcast Episode 30 Animal Geeks – Bugs
This week we indulge in a bit of Q & A about bugs. Somehow we also mention rhinos, body farms, savannahs, edible insects and maggots. Stories via Steve Backshall, Stuff You Should Know Podcast and Entomologist Alex Wild's www.myrmecos.net
Harri recommends the Body Farm episode of Stuff You Should Know for some gross fun
Podcast Episode 26 Animals Geeks @Flying High Bird Sanctuary
Podcast Episode 26 Animal Geeks – Flying High Bird Sanctuary -It's ANZAC Day in Australia. And we visited Flying High Bird Sanctuary near Childers on the Fraser Coast. Duncan, Xanthe, Harri and Monty check in from the main aviary and we talk about a selection of the more than 3000 birds on display. We meet Berri the Cassowary, giant macaws and have our ears nibbled by Rainbow Lorikeets. Closing music by Julie Collier, available for download from iTunes #cassowary #sanctuary
Flying High is for sale, if you know a birdlover/entrepreneur/zookeeper who would be interested, please tell them about this fantastic place. www.flyinghighbirdsanctuary.net.au


text:
Friday, April 22, 2016
A Week Of Lunches
9 comments:
You went ziplining?!??? Holy crap!!ReplyDelete
What delicious lunching you have had lately- that spiced chickpeas and tofu dish looks so good! I always appreciate creative vegan meals the most. And feta free greek salad is one of my favorites! Must be the oregano dressing or something.
Dunno that a large tattoo of ms peanut is the way i would express my love of a child, but it's quite clever.
The ziplining itself isnt scary, it is just the idea that the line might break and you will plummet to your death that is scary. Feta-less Greek Salads are my new favorite, thanks to you. What I have been missing all these years!Delete
Ahhhhh what a great zip lining pic!! That is amazing! I can't even imagine how cool that must have been.ReplyDelete
All of your lunches look incredible. I am obsessed with greek salads and that one looks pretty incredible. I definitely have to try the mango and avocado salad at some point because every time I see it here I feel like it looks really refreshing and delicious. Definitely going to be a summer meal! What kind of dressing do they use? A side of sweet potato fries is the perfect complement.Replies
You would probably love zipliining. You are into challenging yourself a lot. I remember when you were hoping to go on Wipeout. The Salad Dressing is so light. It is supposedly a Starfruit Vinaigrette, but I cant detect the particulars of it.Delete
Zip lining!! How fun, that is definitely something on my list of things I need to do! Was it fun, or terrifying, or both? The tofu dish and the mango avocado salad look out of this world!ReplyDeleteReplies
I am sure there must be ziplines in those Pacific North forests. My exoerience was fun and terrifying, a good balance of both those emotions, but I was happy when it was over and now I never have to do it again.Delete
Yes to all of it! Those are some beautiful meals. I wish I could have lunch out in such a scenic area! I've never been zip lining, how cool! I hope you continue these adventures 😀ReplyDelete
BlueHost is ultimately the best web-hosting company for any hosting services you require.ReplyDelete
Just received a cheque for $500.ReplyDelete
Sometimes people don't believe me when I tell them about how much money you can make by taking paid surveys at home...
So I show them a video of myself getting paid over $500 for paid surveys to set the record straight.


text:
Charitable Giving: More Than a Donation
Enhance the lives of others as you lessen your tax burden.
Most donations are made at the end of the year, but there's more that just writing a check, and remember, it is important to know if your contribution qualifies for a tax savings.
In this workshop we discuss:
- How to maximize your charitable donations
- Gifting your IRA required minimum distribution
- Non-cash donations in excess of $500
- Donating appreciated securities
- Researching your charity
We also review the benefits of foundations and funds for your gifting options such as:
- Community Foundations
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- Charitable Lead Trusts
- Donor Advised Funds


text:
Happy New Year everyone! Today not only starts 2013, but also a new nail challenge. In the Facebook group, Crumpets Nail Tarts, we are doing a new 31 day challenge. I am really hoping I can keep up with this one. Today's challenge is black and white and I decided the best way to showcase these two colors was in a water marble. I was really nervous that this wouldn't turn out, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This is my third one and I love it!
Base coat: Pro FX Fiberized Ridge Filler
Base color: White on the Spot from Milani -2 coats
Marble colors: Black Creme from Wet N' Wild and Bubble Bath from Sinful Colors
Top coat: Seche Vite


text:
April 21, 1995, Section B, Page 7Buy Reprints
Milovan Djilas, the Yugoslav Communist revolutionary whose denunciation of his former comrades in 1957 as a privileged and self-serving "new class" became an early banner of dissidents and anti-Communists, died in Belgrade yesterday. He was 83.
His son, Aleksa Djilas, a historian, said Mr. Djilas was treated Wednesday night for a heart complaint and died at home on Thursday. The elder Djilas had been increasingly weakened by age and heart problems in recent years, but he remained intellectually active to the end.
A revolutionary, soldier, political leader and writer, Mr. Djilas, in his own phrase, "traveled the entire road of Communism," from Partisan guerrilla fighter against Nazi occupiers of Yugoslavia and ardent believer in Stalinism, through disillusionment and revulsion at the "all-powerful exploiters and masters" it had brought to power -- Stalin first among them.
Mr. Djilas was the closest lieutenant to Tito in the resistance to the Serbian monarchy, in the Partisan struggle against German and Italian occupiers and in the creation of a Yugoslav Communist state. It was he whom Tito sent to Moscow in January 1948 to tell Stalin that Yugoslavia intended to pursue its own national development, independent of Moscow.
The divorce was made public in June 1948, and Yugoslavia became the first Communist state to break with the Kremlin, a move that gained it respect and assistance from the West and a leading role among nonaligned nations.
But Mr. Djilas (pronounced GEE-lahss) soon began to voice disenchantment with his own party, and in 1954 Tito expelled him from its ranks and from his Government posts. Mr. Djilas spent much of the next 36 years in prison or in official disgrace.
In January 1955 he was put on trial for "hostile propaganda" over an interview with The New York Times, and received a suspended sentence. It was at this time that he began work on "The New Class," as well as "Land Without Justice," a history of his native Montenegro. In December 1956 he was imprisoned for "slandering Yugoslavia" in statements made to a French magazine and in an article for The New Leader in New York.
The prison to which he was sent, Sremska Mitrovica, was the same in which he served three years as a young revolutionary, fresh out of law school, when he was arrested for organizing demonstrations against the monarchy. It is a reflection of Mr. Djilas's political development that during the first incarceration he learned Russian and in the second he studied English.
With prison imminent, Mr. Djilas managed to smuggle the manuscript of "The New Class" abroad. Its publication in 1957 was an immediate sensation.
Though the cold war was at its zenith and denunciations of Stalinism and Communism were common, the prevailing image of Communist leaders was of ruthless ideologues. "The New Class" was the first exposure from within a Communist state of leading Communists as a new elite dedicated to its own privileges and power, and the first denunciation of the system from an unimpeachable source.
"Membership in the Communist Party before the Revolution meant sacrifice," Mr. Djilas wrote in "The New Class." "Being a professional revolutionary was one of the highest honors. Now that the party has consolidated its power, party membership means that one belongs to a privileged class. And at the core of the party are the all-powerful exploiters and masters."
The criticism was devastating for Communists. Foreign and domestic attacks until then had focused on the ideology and the system, which Communists could rebuff as class warfare or ideological sniping. But Mr. Djilas accused the Communists of the highest hypocrisy, of living and acting like the "exploiters" they had fought against.
Among dissidents and critics of Communism, Mr. Djilas became a symbol of resistance, and "new class" entered their vocabulary as a synonym for the secretive and devious Communist ruling elite. Mr. Djilas's book became taboo in all Communist states, and it was not published in Yugoslavia until 1990.
"The New Class" resulted in another trial for Mr. Djilas on charges of being "hostile to the people and the state of Yugoslavia," for which he was given a seven-year sentence. After the appearance of another book, "Conversations With Stalin," in which he branded Stalin "the greatest criminal in history," five years were tacked on to his sentence.
After he had served nine and a half years, Tito set Mr. Djilas free, and he left on visits to Britain, the United States and Australia. "Prison transformed me," he said in an interview many years later. "It transformed me from an ideologist into a humanist."
He was a visiting professor at Princeton in 1968 when the Soviet Union led an invasion of Czechoslovakia. His criticism of that invasion and other interviews led to the revocation of his passport on his return, and it was not returned for 18 years.
Mr. Djilas spent most of the last decades of his life in Belgrade, writing commentaries, histories and novels.
Watching from afar the attempts by Mikhail S. Gorbachev to reform the Communist system in the Soviet Union, he predicted that the Soviet system would not survive the lifting of centralized control.
In 1988 Mr. Djilas told an interviewer who asked about Mr. Gorbachev's efforts that "his difficulties will begin in three or four years when decentralization, privatization and self-management will confront him with the painful fact that none of these reforms can be made really effective without revamping the political profile of Soviet society."
The collapse of Communist regimes across East Europe confirmed Mr. Djilas's critique of the system. But in his last years, Mr. Djilas seemed to move from satisfaction at the defeat of Communism in Yugoslavia to dismay at the ethnic violence that emerged in its aftermath.
He welcomed the first wave of anti-Communist demonstrations in Belgrade in March 1991, which he said reminded him of uprisings 50 years earlier against Prince Paul, who had attempted to align Yugoslavia with the Nazis.
But he opposed Belgrade's war against Croatia, gaining the opprobrium of the former Communists who had emerged as Serbian nationalists. The old Communist daily, Borba, accused him of betrayal.
In an interview with David Binder of The New York Times two years ago, Mr. Djilas said he could see "no way out" of the violence.
Nationalism, he said, had replaced Communism as the main ideological currency in the Balkans. And his life had taught him that "you cannot reform an ideology."
Mr. Djilas's pessimistic view of the Balkans came with his descent "from an ancient tribe of peasants and shepherds" in the mountains of Montenegro, in southern Yugoslavia. From his birth there on June 12, 1911, one of seven children of a Montenegrin officer, he wrote in his biographical book, "Land Without Justice," he was immersed in clan feuds:
His mother was from a Serbian clan that had settled in the area, but kept its Serbian identity. Leaving home at the age of 10, Mr. Djilas attended school in nearby towns and, at 19, enrolled at the University of Belgrade to study philosophy and law. Already drawn to Communism, he became a student leader.
His first arrest came in 1933. On his release he returned to the fray and, in 1937, met Josip Broz, head of the clandestine Communist Party, who went under the nom de guerre of Tito. Tito charged Mr. Djilas with finding volunteers for the Spanish Civil War and assigned him to the party's Politburo.
World War II claimed the lives of Mr. Djilas's father, two brothers and two sisters. He himself held key positions with the Partisans and their political arm.
Mr. Djilas made his first trip to Moscow in 1944 at the head of a military mission, and there he held the first of the meetings with Stalin that he subsequently described in "Conversations With Stalin." Though he arrived "totally loyal" to the Soviet leader, he wrote, he developed doubts that grew in subsequent visits to abhorrence.
Mr. Djilas's strongest differences with the Soviet leadership developed over the systematic looting and rape of Yugoslav civilians by the Red Army, and the reaction of Stalin and other Soviet leaders to his complaints. At a meeting in Moscow, Stalin ridiculed Mr. Djilas and demonstratively kissed his Serbian wife while accusing Mr. Djilas of ingratitude.
Mr. Djilas was instrumental in Tito's break with Stalin and the international Communist movement that Moscow dominated. He defended Yugoslavia's national Communism as editor and contributor to Kommunist, the theoretical journal, and to Borba, the party daily.
But by the early 1950's, Mr. Djilas was growing increasingly disenchanted with the course of Communist development, in Yugoslavia as elsewhere, and his writings became increasingly critical.
Ousted from the party in 1954 and under a suspended sentence, he lived jobless and under surveillance in Belgrade until the publication of an article, "The Storm in Eastern Europe," appeared in The New Leader in New York in 1956. The article welcomed the Hungarian uprising that year as the beginning of the end for state Communism. But it took three decades of prison and isolation before Mr. Djilas's prophesy came true.
In those years, Mr. Djilas completed many works of fiction, biography and history. He wrote a major biography of the Montenegrin prince-poet, Njegos, a translation of Milton's "Paradise Lost," and a classic about the partisan struggle entitled, "Wartime."
Mr. Djilas is survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Vukica, his son, Aleksa, and a grandson, all of Belgrade. His second wife, Stefanija, died in 1993. His first wife, Mitra, survives. Both were Partisan fighters. An Insider's Critique Of Stalin and Communism
From 'The New Class' (1957)
"In contrast to earlier revolutions, the Communist revolution, conducted in the name of doing away with classes, has resulted in the most complete authority of any single new class."
"A theater without an audience: the actors play and go into raptures over themselves. This is how it is with these high priests who are simultaneously policemen and owners of all the media which the human intellect can use to communicate its thoughts -- press, movies, radio, television, books, and the like -- as well as of all substance that keeps a human being alive -- food and roof over his head."
"There has not been a single noted scientist in the U.S.S.R. who has not had political trouble."
"In Stalin's time things reached the point where all forms of artistic expression were forbidden except those that Stalin himself liked. Stalin did not have particularly good taste . . ."
"History will pardon the Communists for much. But the stifling of every divergent thought, the exclusive monopoly over thinking for the purpose of defending their personal interests, will nail the Communists to a cross of shame in history."
"Even under Communism, men think, for they cannot help but think." From 'Conversations With Stalin' (1962)
"As I was leaving, Stalin presented me with a sword for Tito -- the gift of the Supreme Soviet. To match this magnificent and exalted gift I added my own modest one, on my way back via Cairo: an ivory chess set. I do not think there was any symbolism here. But it does seem to me that even then there existed inside of me, suppressed, a world different from Stalin's."
"Every crime was possible to Stalin, for there was not one he had not committed. For in him was joined the criminal senselessness of a Caligula with the refinement of a Borgia and the brutality of a Czar Ivan the Terrible. I was more interested, and am more interested, in how such a dark, cunning and cruel individual could ever have led one of the greatest and most powerful states, not just for a day or a year, but for 30 years."
"He was one of those rare terrible dogmatists capable of destroying nine-tenths of the human race to 'make happy' the one-tenth."
"Stalin's dethronement proves that the truth will out even if only after those who fought for it have perished. The human conscience is implacable and indestructible."


text:
One-eyed wonder Jamie Caven set up a blind date with his old chum Wayne Mardle after a nerveless debut at the world darts championship.
Unseeded Caven shocked world No.24 Wes Newton 3-0 at Alexandra Palace, including a masterful second-set checkout of 121 on the bullseye.
And afterwards Caven joked about his first appearance at the Ladbrokes.com world championship, chortling: "With all the cameras around, it's easy to take your eye off the action - even if you've only got one of them like me!"
Caven, 31, was blinded in his right eye as an 18-month-old toddler when he was stung by a bee on the eyeball as he was being taken for a walk in his pushchair.
Despite several operations to recover his sight, none succeeded - yet incredibly still throws darts right-handed.
But Newton had no answer to the 31-year-old from Leicester, who only booked his ticket to Ally Pally by battling through the qualifiers in Wolverhampton last month.
And Caven, nicknamed 'Jabba' by opponents because he is a diabetic who needs daily jabs of insulin to regulate his blood sugar levels, admitted his first appearance in front of the Sky Sports cameras could hardly have gone any better.
He said: "It was so surreal being out there that I can't even remember anything about the match, but it was a fantastic experience. I came here to enjoy myself, but I think I justified being up on that stage.
"I tried to shut out the fact it was on TV, but you are aware of the cameras being on you and you have to stay focused as much as possible.
"Right now I'm thrilled to bits - I know how good I can be, and hopefully that will start to show as the tournament unfolds."
Caven's reward is a second-round tie against Mardle (right), and he is relishing a reunion with the popular three-time semi-finalist from Romford.
He added: "Wayne is a good pal - we came through the youth system around the same time. He's given me plenty of advice down the years and I have a lot of respect for him.
"He is made for that big stage and loves being up there, but I'll give him nothing - I just want to enjoy it, that's the key, and hopefully I'll do well again."
While 750-1 outsider Caven pulled off the biggest shock of the tournament to date, there was no fairytale for Philippines cabbie Rizal Barellano in the preliminary round.
Barellano sold his taxi to pay for the boat fare to Manila just to qualify for the PDC showpiece and pick up a guaranteed £2,500 in appearance money. But poor Barellano got stage fright and was rolled out 5-0 by Miroslav Navratil of the Czech Republic, who now gets a dart at Andy Jenkins, a semi-finalist last year.


text:
Welcome to Reception
Mrs Wood
Mrs Simmons
Please click here to view a curriculum map showing the exciting learning the children will be experiencing this year.
Please click here for the latest curriculum newsletter.
Please click here to see our Forest School page.
Please click here to find resources to support your child's Phonics, Reading and Writing at home.
What did we find?
It was very exciting coming into Year R this morning. We discovered a huge egg in our outdoor classroom!
We all took a good look at it to try to see if we could find out what sort of egg it was.
"I think it is a dinosaur egg because there is a pattern like a dinosaur hand on the side" – Lily.
"I think it's a bird egg because birds do lay eggs" – Elijah.
"I think it is going to be a baby dinosaur because it is a big egg" – Gabriella.
"I think it is a big duck egg because it's yellow" – Oscar.
We called in Mr Seal to ask if he saw what laid the egg, unfortunately he didn't so we will have to see what hatches.
We have been checking it everyday to see if there are any changes.
"I think it is going to hatch because I can hear something" – Toby.
When we went out to Forest School we discovered some more clues that make us think it is a dinosaur egg. We found large footprints, Sophie found long claw marks on the logs and Charlotte found something she thinks is either a dinosaur tooth or a claw!
Godstone Farm
Continuing with our Animals topic we have been looking at farm animals this week. To get a better uderstanding of some farm animals we visited Godstone Farm.
We were greeted by Farmer Sarah who told us about the animals we would see around the farm and about some animals we wouldn't usually find here!
Our first adventure was a tractor ride around the farm to give us an idea of where we could go to find different animals.
Next we were off to meet some of the animals. We got to hold or stroke a rabbit called Buttons, a guinea pig called Crunchie, a cockroach, a millipede, some chicks and a stick insect.
As it now started to rain we headed back to our barn for lunch.
Thankfully the sun came out after lunch so we set off to see what animals we could find on the farm trail.
After looking at the farm animals we entered the Creature Caves where creepy creatures live in a darkened room. We saw some snakes, spiders, bearded dragons and lizards.
Our final visit was to the Dino Trail. We discovered some dinosaurs, found out some interesting facts, walked in their footprints and tried to dig up some of their bones.
We had an amazing time at Godstone Farm!
Animals around the World
To get our topic off to an exciting start we welcomed Maria from Animal Encounters to our school today and she brought along some amazing animals for us to learn about.
We got to see an African Pygmy Hedgehog, a Golden Bell Frog, a Giant African Millipede, a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, a Tortoise and a Rabbit. We asked lots of questions and found out lots of facts about each animal. When we came back to the classroom we wrote about which one we liked best.
Whilst we have been doing our Space topic we decided to do a little experiment to see if we could get a fizzy drink to come out of the bottle and shoot towards space. We did a countdown from 10 and added some sweets to the bottle and watched the results.
"It just exploded!" – Oliver
"I thought it was going to go really high and it did". – Nieve
"It was exciting I thought the whole thing was going to go to the moon!" – Toby
"It was very scary, I thought it was going to fall on us". – Pippa
"It was very high and it was like a rocket. I thought it was going to go up to the aliens on Mars". – Bella
Please see our video below to see what happened.
Poppy planting
This week the whole school made and planted a Poppy to commemorate Remembrance Sunday.
Stay and Play
The children took ownership of their classroom today, Tuesday 17th October, when they showed their families around. The children talked to them about the learning we have been doing over the term, showing them their fantastic work on display. They also engaged their families in some of the activities they enjoy doing and explained how to use the resources in the classroom.
How can I help at home?
One of the best ways you can support your child's learning in reception is to have fun and follow your child's interests. In early years we ensure that everything is as practical as it can be and this should be continued at home too. Please remember that your child is at school for a large part of the day and after a day at school, they will be tired and need time to play without structure. Below are some of the activities that can be done during the year.
Encouraging Independence
At Hildenborough CEP Primary School we encourage independence very early on in order to support self-esteem and a positive self-image. With our growth mind set school ethos we always say that 'we can't do it… yet'. Therefore the children know with practice and determination that they will be able to do it soon.
- Encourage your child to get dressed in the mornings.
- Get them used to putting on their school coat and 'having a go' at the zip.
- Going to toilet independently and remembering self-hygiene.
- Recognising their name for school peg labels.
How to support your child in Reading and Phonics
We want your child to have a passion for reading and writing. This can be done through you reading to your child as well as them reading to you. From term 2 your child will be bringing home a book to share at home. Here are some other activities:
- Set aside a special time for just you and your child.
- Read/share with your child what they think will happen in the story to build vocabulary and interest.
- When outside, encourage your child to read signs, instructions etc.
- When reading unfamiliar words, break up the word into phonemes to sound it out and blend. Eg, shop = sh-o-p cat = c-a-t.
- At home expose your child to different forms of text and encourage them to read with you where applicable. Eg, recipe instructions, TV guide, cereal boxes.
- Playing guess the letter by writing on each other's backs.
- Play 'I Spy' with phonic sounds. (I spy t… for television.)
- Encourage all members of the family to share and read books with your children.
- Join a local library. This is a fantastic way to create an early love of books.
- Going over the phonic sound cards. These are sent out at the beginning of Term 2. Later on in the year high frequency word cards will also be sent out to help consolidation.
How to support your child in Mathematics
Maths is all around us and we're using it every day! Many of you will already be doing these types of mathematical activities and practising your child's numerical skills without even thinking about it! The most important thing is to make learning maths FUN!
Here are some activities:
- Counting – Your child will begin to realise that everything can be counted, not just objects! During your everyday lives encourage your children to count everything – the stairs, cuddly toys, pieces of fruit. But also – claps, jumps, kicking a ball. The list is endless!
- Recognising numbers – Children will soon realise that numbers are everywhere, on doors, gates and number plates.
- Sing and say number rhymes.
- Make number lines and tracks e.g. chalk on the pavement.
- Play board games. Games with dice, snakes and ladders etc.
- Play 'I Spy' with shapes in the environment.
- Share things out.
- Size, who has the biggest/smallest socks, gloves etc.
- Let your child handle money, sort and name coins to make amounts.
- Addition and subtraction – You have 3 cars and 4 trucks so how many vehicles do you have altogether? We have 2 bananas and 5 apples in the fruit bowl so how many pieces of fruit do we have altogether?


text:
What is a glass floor?
Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 6:37AM
View this video interview with Michael Hocking of Green Rhino . . .
A glass floor is a floor finished with actual crushed glass.
1. We grind the concrete floor to make it nice and smooth;
2. we install a waterproof coating;
3. we install an epoxy coating;
4. then we broadcast glass which is crushed down to 1 to 2 ml (through a hopper), which gives you an incredibly attractive coloured glass floor, and extremely long-lasting.
For a no obligation quote for your location, contact us:
For a no obligation quote to diamond grind your concrete floor and/or use coloured glass, contact us.


text:
In case folks may have missed this item on the front page: Normal, OK is a collection of stories and portraits of characters based on place names in and around Oklahoma. It was produced in conjunction with the Art 365 project and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.
This book is not an exhibition catalogue. It includes images and stories that are not on display in the Art 365 gallery show.
Normal, OK: Sketch for Blaine Quay. Ink on paper, 2007.
Hardcover Edition
I have produced a hardcover edition limited to 25 copies, signed and numbered by the artist (me). Copies of the limited edition are $75 (shipping included) while supplies last. Contact me to reserve your copy. Please allow one month for printing, processing, and shipping.
Paperback Edition
The paperback edition is available via the on-demand publisher Lulu.com. Paperbacks are $25 plus shipping. Click here to order.


text: It all started at a party with a bottle of protein powder. Erin Parker, a Stanford graduate and enthusiastic proponent of "bikini bodybuilding," was visiting a friend's party while holding some protein powder. These amino acids proved relatively unpopular with the other guests in attendance, but one other person at the event was at least curious about the woman holding protein. Read More


text:
This is very exciting news!
ZiiLabs (a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative) today unveiled the Creative Zii EGG multi-purpose handheld and the Creative Zii Plaszma Operating System and SDK Platform.
The Zii EGG itself is the first handheld "StemCell Computer" that has all the features and benefits of the ZMS-05 chip. Although it resembles many touchscreen devices out there, it is packed with hardware features and covered with Android OS. To begin with a 3.5" 10 point Multi-Gesture Capacitive Touchscreen display, 2 Cameras of which one is HD, 720p HD playback and 1080p HD Output, SDHC slot, up to 32GB built in storage, speaker and a microphone.
The Plaszma OS is going to be Creative's own Open source Linux based OS supported by the Plasma SDK. More info on that below.
The Plaszma Platform :
The Plaszma platform as shown above consists of the Zii EGG "StemCell Computer", the ZMS-05 System Module, the ZMS-05 processor itself, Plaszma OS and the Plaszma SDK. The whole Plaszma platform while supporting the Android SDK as well, allows additional HD and 3D performances. This is Creative's take on the Android SDK to make the Zii EGG device more of their own which provides you, the developer, with better tool-set for the Zii EGG.
The ZMS-05 System Module:
More in the video below:
The Zii EGG "StemCell Computer" :
The Zii EGG is ZiiLabs' Developer's Edition Hardware handheld device for the Plaszma platform. You either have android installed on the Zii EGG or the Plaszma OS. Either way, a developer would be using the Plaszma platform for development work on the device. The EGG has a generous and impressive hardware feature list:
• Capacitive 10-point multi-gesture touch display
• Hardware GPS receiver
• 3.5" 320x480 HVGA true-color display
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• X-Fi audio processing
• 3-axis Accelerometer
• Up to 32GB Internal Flash Storage
• Ambient light sensor
• 32MB NOR (Linux Kernel Boot ROM)
• SDHC slot (supports up to 32GB of external SDHC Card)
• 256MB Mobile DDR RAM
• USB 2.0 Mini-B (MTP and Charging)
• Supports 720p and 1080p HDTVs via HD cable
• Universal Docking connector (USB, Audio)
• Composite video out
• Headphone socket, built-in speaker and microphone
• Dual cameras
• Supports Plaszma OS and Android
- Forward facing HD camera (720p)
• 1200mAH rechargeable lithium-ion
- Rear facing VGA camera
• Light weight: 108grams
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• 115 x 62 x 12 mm
• Weight: 104g
Demo of the Zii EGG video:
Dimensions, Comparisons:
The Zii EGG has nearly the exact dimensions to that of the iPhone (115x61x11.6mm) vs (115x62x12mm) Zii EGG. Coincidence?
Capacitive Multi-touch Display:
The Zii EGG has a 3.5" 10 point multi touch capacitive display with a resolution of 320x480. This again is the exact size and resolution as that of the iPhone. However the new 10 point multi touch display is something not seen before. Engadget recently had interviewed Synaptics (a touchpad technology provider) with the same 10 point multi-touch capacitive technology. Creative could have partnered with Synaptics in providing the 10 point multi-touch display. Courtesy of Engadget:
X-Fi audio processing:
We've seen Creative fit in their much adored X-Fi sound enhancements into portable devices before such as the Zen X-Fi and Aurvana X-Fi. The Zen X-Fi was speculated and we hope this audio processing isn't completely software pushed but rather more hardware centric like the Creative Xmod. Can the ZMS-05 SoC handle that? Audio processing most likely would mean the same X-Fi Crystalizer and Expand we saw in the Zen X-Fi. However this is another great acoustic feature to set other handhelds apart.
USB 2.0 Mini-B (MTP and Charging) :
The Zii EGG data transfer protocol is MTP. Which is good news and bad news. Good news is it would work perfectly and seamlessly with your Windows machine. Bad news is, there is no native support for MTP on the MAC OS. I know, you can use XNJB, etc but having no native support on another powerful OS isn't quite the good news.Some of Creative's ZEN line up were MTP and Creative had no native support for the MAC.
Ordering the Zii EGG+Zii Plaszma Starter Kit:
You can pre-order the Zii EGG Development Kit at www.zii.com. The 32GB Plaszma Platform model will cost you around US $399 and blunt (0GB) model Plaszma Platform for US $199. Here is what you get out of the box of the Zii EGG:
(Those are some new headphones I want to know about!)
'Shanzhai' Marketing Program :
"With the ZMS-05 System Module, not only can we simplify and accelerate the development process for all our customers, we plan to further engage the huge 'Shanzhai' OEM market that is proliferating in China today. These 'Shanzhai' OEMs and similar setups around the world may not have brands but have an insatiable appetite for ready-to-go technologies, and can adapt these technologies very quickly to new market opportunities. Moreover, they are very efficient and can move very fast. Using our modules, they can leverage on our state-of-the-art technologies and brand equities to bring a plethora of high quality and low cost products rapidly to market,"
Hock Leow, President of ZiiLABS.
Also mentioned Pricing and Availability:
Volume shipments of the ZMS-05 System Modules are expected in September 2009 with volume pricing starting at US$75. Customers who wish to manufacture or customize the modules themselves can obtain all the hardware design data required for US$5,000. Specifics of the "Shanzhai" OEM Marketing Program will be detailed later. For more information, please visit the Contact Us section at: www.ziilabs.com .
[Press Release, Zii, ZiiLabs]


text:
The move is likely to be welcomed by campaigners, who have complained that health issues are lost in the busy agenda of the environment, public health and food safety (ENVI) committee.
Intense discussions are underway which would lead to a major overhaul of several committees in an effort to bring greater efficiency to the work of MEPs and give greater weight to key areas like health, energy and the environment.
The starting point for sweeping reforms of the Parliament's committees is perceived dissatisfaction with the performance of the internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO), particularly in its capacity for dealing with consumer issues.
MEP and parliamentary sources have said one option under serious consideration is the effective disbandment of IMCO.
If this were to happen, legal aspects of the internal market that are currently dealt with by IMCO would be handled by the legal affairs committee (JURI), while the industry, research and energy (ITRE) committee would take over responsibility for the economic and industrial elements of IMCO's current workload.
This permutation would see energy matters taken away from ITRE and paired with environmental issues, a combination described by one senior source as "a better fit" than existing combinations.
The shake-up would see health and consumer affairs dealt with under a single committee, which would cover the programme of work undertaken by DG SANCO (responsible for health and consumer affairs).
However, it would also have to deal with complex elements of the pharmaceutical package, including directives on information to patients and counterfeit medicines.
The pharmaceutical package was in fact published by DG Enterprise and Industry, due to its significant impact on Europe's pharmaceutical sector.
A number of groups representing patient associations and healthcare professionals have lobbied for greater input from DG SANCO on issues affecting patient safety, including medicines.
The workload related to health alone was "underestimated" by ENVI, which often prioritised environmental issues, according to a parliamentary insider.
More information: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&type=IM-PRESS&reference=20070215IPR03201


text:
Finally, the main buttons on the G-17 are located on its right side; they include power, volume, input selection, and wireless connection configuration.
Setup, features, and performance
The G-17 certainly packs in a healthy feature set, but its highlight has to be its compatibility with the Apple wireless standard, AirPlay. Any device that has iTunes, including, iPads, and iPod Touches can stream music wirelessly to the G-17 with ease.
Setting up the G-17 for wireless playback involves a one-time configuration (though if you switch networks you'll need to reset and perform setup again). First, I had to connect to the G-17 like it was a wireless router through my laptop. Once connected to the G-17's "access point," I could then configure the device to learn the SSID of my home network and voila, my G-17 was ready to stream music via AirPlay. A simple tick of a few iTunes preferences then allowed me to control the G-17 within iTunes, and I was all set.
In my testing with actual music playback, of all the connection options available I found that direct connections trumped wireless play in terms of quality. This falls in line with my experience with other AirPlay and wireless devices in the past as well, so it really was not a shocking revelation. That said, the Klipsch's overall sound quality packs a heavy punch.
I was blown away with the way the G-17 handled the sludgy composition of Mastodon's "The Hunter" album. It's a muddy record with every imaginable chance for distortion, but the G-17 played it all the way through with precision. Next up was Fitz and the Tantrums' "Pickin' Up the Pieces," which orchestrates a more jazz-influenced sound, allowing the ears to isolate instruments more easily. Again, I was really impressed here with the G-17's performance. I love how the volume can really be turned almost all the way up and the Klipsch will continue to hold its composure all the way through.
It's no secret, I'm very much in love with the G-17's fantastic sound and ability to stay sharp and crystal-clear at high volumes. The fact that I was able to get it up and running in under 15 minutes adds more bonus points as well. That said, Klipsch's G-17 price tag is asking way too much. Its retail of $550 is enough for anyone of any income level to balk at.
If you're a lucky-enough soul where cost is of no importance and your only concern is whether or not a device works and sounds great, go buy the G-17. If you're among the masses and consider price to be a major factor in purchasing an AirPlay accessory, I'm afraid the G-17 is not worth it.
AirPlay devices aren't cheap as we've seen in our AirPlay accessory roundup, but for the money, there are other alternatives. And besides, if you're spending upward of $500, why not opt for something like a new AV receiver that can handle AirPlay, too? CNET really likes the Pioneer VSX-1021.


text:
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
1. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Nude, MAC Lady Grey Eyeshadow Quad, OPI nail polish in Over The Moon!, Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara and Kérastase Nectar Thermique 2. Agent Ninetynine and Hel Och Ren tank tops from General Pants Co. 3. September issue of Elle UK
Between my never-ending wishlist of clothing and beauty products, upcoming music festivals, wanting to buy new furniture for my bedroom and saving for my travels next year, I'm stressing out a little about money at the moment. It may surprise you when I say that my savings account is actually looking pretty good at the moment, but I haven't put any money into savings for a couple of weeks now and it makes me feel so guilty! I'm just going to have to work insane hours at work, but that's okay. With Christmas just around the corner, they'll need me to work and I like keeping busy. I'm really excited about the new pieces I want to get for my room - they include a lamp, bedside table and make up storage. I'm not going to buy these things all at once, but when I do, I'll be sure to do a bedroom picture post!
Anyway, here are some bits and pieces I've picked up recently. After months of being on my shopping list, I finally bought Laura Mercier's Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser. I usually use MAC's Studio Fix Fluid everyday, but now that my skin's looking a little bit better thanks to Liz Earle, I want to go back to using something lighter on an everyday basis. So far, I'm absolutely loving it! It's light like a moisturiser, but the coverage is impressive - very buildable. I decided to look into Kérastase's Ciment Thermique after Caroline featured it in her August favourites here. It sounded like the perfect product for me as my hair has been giving me some grief lately. I went to two salons, which were both sold out, but the really sweet hairdresser at Maurice Mead who was dying my hair, suggested Nectar Thermique. I naturally have dry and coarse hair, but my fringe is even worse because I blow dry it. I've noticed such a considerable difference after using this product. It's softer and in photos, it even looks shiny! Amazing. I also picked up Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara (my holy grail), OPI nail polish in Over The Moon! (I think this would be a nice colour for space nails) and MAC's Lady Grey Eyeshadow Quad, which I've had my eye on for a while.
Lastly, I bought a couple of tank tops from General Pants Co. (yay for summer!) and the September issue of Elle UK was finally released in Australia and I couldn't not buy it because Kirsten Dunst looks too pretty.
Have a fabulous weekend! I'm enjoying my Friday night in with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a friend from work brought back for me from Melbourne. Yum!


text:
One part talk show, one part game show and one part cabaret, Liza Live! is all that and more! Experience Liza May Minnelli as you've never seen her before. Liza Live! played to sold-out capacity and appreciative crowds at both the Next Stage and Toronto Fringe festivals in 2013.
Come see what Toronto audiences are raving about and catch Jennifer Walls in Liza Live! at the Staircase Theatre in Hamilton on January 11, 2014 at 8pm. Presented by Baby Gumm Productions.
Tickets for Liza Live! are just $20 and can be purchased online in advance at Ticket Scene or at the box office on the evening of the performance.
The Staircase theatre is located at 27 Dundurn Street North in Hamilton.


text:
When a game is released, it used to mean that the game was done, completely, and emphatically. What was there, was what you were able to play. Even in regards to multiplayer, everything was in the game at launch. But, once consoles were able to connect to the internet, the option of adding more content post-launch became appealing, and soon, it became a way of life. But is that a good thing? Especially when the DLC is better than the main game? Say for like, The Division?
Why are we singling out The Division? Especially since it's one of the bestsellers of 2016 on GamesDeal? Well, context is everything.
For one thing, when The Division arrived, it was filled with bugs. Like, numerous, numerous, bugs. But also, while the gameplay at times was fun, it seemed to get very repetitive after a while. Add that to the bug problem, and it lost a lot of gamers. True, a lot stick around, and still play the game, but there are limits.
But then…the DLC started coming out, and it totally changed the game in many ways. Underground took the fight to the literal underground beneath New York, and offered a more claustrophobic experience. Then, there was Survival, which to many was the best of all the content updates. For here, it not only added the Survival Mode setting, which could be tuned to PVP or PVE settings, but also, it gave the game a whole new texture.
In this version of Survival, Manhattan was besieged by a massive blizzard, supplies had run out, and now every agent had to fight for survival by trying to get supplies in a city that was cut off, and full of people wanting to live. Just this alone was more exciting than the main mission of the game.
Now, we got the Last Stand expansion, which is set to make the Dark Zone a much more fun place to be, while also giving us the Last Stand Game Mode.
Now yes, it's clear that since The Division took a very long time to make, it was going to have problems from the start, and it did, and that's ok. But you have to wonder…what if…they waited one more year? Waited to do all these expansions and just put them in the main game? Waited and did all they could to fix the bugs. Would this new "main game" be better than what we got when it launched? Guess that's up for you to decide.


text:
Everybody knows we should "eat healthy", but just what that is can be … confusing at best. The thing it shouldn't be is limiting—in nutrients and your social life. The focus on quality and purity can deteriorate into orthorexia, a term coined in 1996 by physician Steven Bratman to describe a "fixation on righteous eating." Like anorexia and bulimia, it can wreak serious damage on the health of someone trapped in the obsession.
Orthorexia is not a formally recognized psychiatric diagnosis or eating disorder, although most experts agree it blends elements of both. While an anorexic or bulimic person is fueled by a desire to lose weight, someone with orthorexia single-mindedly pursues health through food.
Some with the condition eat only raw or organic foods. Some may follow a strict vegan or fruitarian diet. And others may eliminate sugar, processed ingredients, artificial flavors and colors, or anything that contains additives.
As the list of unacceptable foods lengthens, going hungry rather than eating something "unhealthy" seems increasingly reasonable.
The risks are more than physical, as those with orthorexia tend to isolate themselves. Because they may eat only specific foods in specific situations, dining at restaurants with friends becomes impossible. And their world revolves around planning, purchasing, and eating meals.
When you take that to an extreme, when you lose your flexibility, you're stressing the system—not supporting it. The most important factor is balance.


text:
After years of waiting, Pacific Rim 2 is finally on the way. The movie is in the can and is set for release next year. If all goes well, it won't stop there either. Director Steven S. DeKnight has been talking a bit about future plans for the franchise, which are quite big. Literally. As it turns out, there's been discussions with Universal about having Pacific Rim crossover with their MonsterVerse, which includes Godzilla and King Kong. Here's what he had to say about it.
"I won't say there's an Easter Egg but there's been a lot of discussion about that possibility [of crossing over]. Look I think it would be fantastic to have the Pacific Rim universe join Legendary's Monster Universe, it seems like a natural step. And part of the big overall plan after the third movie we've talked about is that could happen, it's always a possibility. It's by far not a certainty; it's merely theoretical at this point, but as a fan myself I would love to see that happen."
When Universal announced their plans for the MonsterVerse, which started with 2014's Godzilla and continued this year with Kong: Skull Island, fans speculated that Pacific Rim could factor into that at some point. But this serves as confirmation and that is a huge deal. If Pacific Rim does well at the box office, there's a real chance that something like this could happen. As Steven S. DeKnight also reveals, the upcoming sequel does leave it open for Pacific Rim 3 to happen.
"Oh we definitely leave it open to another installment. The tricky thing with something like this is you want to not end on a cliffhanger. You don't want an Empire Strikes Back cliffhanger unless you know you're gonna do a third movie, you want to leave it open but also wrap it up. So that's very much what we did on this movie. It has a definitive ending but very much open to the next chapter."
It sounds like that next chapter could involve giant robots throwing down with Godzilla and, who knows? Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah are being introduced in Godzilla 2, which arrives in early 2019. Maybe Mechagodzilla could throw down with a Jaeger? As revealed in a previous interview, Steven S. DeKnight, who took over as director for Guillermo Del Toro on this upcoming Pacific Rim installment, is open to turning this into a cinematic universe. Why not just make it part of the MonsterVerse instead?
"The plan was always to use this movie as a launching pad. If enough people show up to this, we've already talked about the plot of the third movie, and how the end of the third movie would expand the universe to a Star Wars/Star Trek-style [franchise] where you can go in many, many different directions. You can go main canon, you can go spin-offs, you can go one-offs. Yeah, that's the plan. And I would love to see an animated TV show based on this."
The real question is, can they add Pacific Rim to the MonsterVerse without it feeling totally insane and forced? It's possible, but also hard to imagine. Then again, whatever gets us Godzilla squaring off with a Jaeger may be worth it. As this interview with Collider reveals, if Pacific Rim 2, which arrives on March 22, 2018, is a hit, that may be enough to make this happen. Next up for the MonsterVerse is Godzilla 2, which arrives on March 22, 2019. Godzilla vs. Kong is up after that on May 22, 2020.


text:
For the most part, successful people set goals and then attain them. This is true in almost every part of life, from your career to your workout. If you can't afford the gym or just prefer to run outside, your fitness goals will benefit from a dynamic pedometer that can keep up with your every move.
Garmin's Forerunner 205 fits the bill for every runner's goal attainment endeavors. Using GPS satellite technology, it calculates your speed, distance and pace, and uses your inputs to also calculate calories burned. It even recognizes inclines and adjusts your readings accordingly.
Since it stores lap history according to day and week, you can also monitor your progress over time in one place.
Pick up the Garmin Forerunner 205 at REI for a worthwhile investment of $155.


text:
8 Comments
Top 50 Holiday Season Icons to Stitch: Vote!November 28, 2011, 18:21 pm Posted by needlearts
In honor of the handmade holiday spirit, we want to find out your top holiday season icons to stitch! Whether it's an embroidered Grinch on some handmade sewn stockings, a plush knitted snowman, or that funky crocheted Santa hat, we all have those special seasonal signs that really get us in the spirit. We put together a list of 50. Now you vote for your favorites!
[poll id="21"]


text:
Like they say in Jewish vaudeville: "What's not to like...?" That can most certainly be said of "David Hockney Portraits," the first large museum exhibition devoted solely to Hockney's portraiture, one of the most popular if not conceptually challenging of his styles. Here is a draftsman who can capture/summarize reality with such ease that it almost looks decorative. He lives a life that intersects with seemingly all of culture's literati, appealing to the voyeur in us. On top of which he possesses the ability to yoke pure form to an undertow of emotional mood. The fun part is that this concentrated dose permits us to see that his portraits actually vary widely in style, reflecting whatever compositional or technical goal Hockney is working out. Images of his young lover at the pool are broad, flat areas of Palm Springs pastel color. "Mum" (the artist's mother) is a study in van Gogh-like texture, in which painter's paint moves across the canvas in thick impasto. In this mega-mug affair you will see Hockney capturing intimate subjects--friends, family, lovers, patrons, critics, and even himself--as well as all manner of wannabes and movers and shakers who have hung onto the artist in his sustained rise to star status (Los Angeles County Museum of Art [LACMA], West Hollywood).
David Hockney, "Self Portrait," oil and
charcoal on canvas, 76 x 22 1/2" on 5 panels.
Kehinde Wiley, "St. John the Baptist II,"
2006, oil on canvas, 8' x 6' .
Kehinde Wiley's portraits of black men are often based on images and poses from Renaissance artists coupled with baroque decorative patterns. His current exhibition is titled "Columbus" because Wiley based his models' poses on specific works in the Columbus (Ohio) Museum's collection, but his subjects' dress and attitude are entirely modern. The installation resembles a museum show where the walls are painted and wallpapered, the floor carpeted, and the works hung in the midst of wooden decor. The traditional setting of the works provides obvious counterpoint to the images of the young men who, depicted as they are in blue jeans, baseball caps and untied sneakers, speak to contemporary issues.
|When planning his work and selecting his models, Wiley often invites them to his studio for them to choose a painting or pose that they would like to be painted in. The large-scale works here convey a striking presence, perhaps heightened by this aspect of collaboration between sitter and painter (Roberts & Tilton, West Hollywood).
Jorge Marin's new work is his most interesting to date because he relies less on his ability to make sensuous, gorgeous figurative objects and turns instead to a provocative mixture of abstract figuration and ancient Olmec styles of representing the human form. There are twelve figures massed together, each with the broad cheeks, short neck and handsome features typical of the Olmec and Mayans. Each figure has its own headdress, each has their eyes barely closed and lips slightly parted, so that they seem personages or beings recalled from the ancient Meso American past (Couturier Gallery, West Hollywood).
Roe Ethridge is an observer. He creates stunning, if ultra safe chromogenic prints that record his travels in Los Angeles as he prepped for this first west coast show. The process is very deliberate and directorial in the filmic sensecarefully, even beautifully staged. As such, the images are circuitous signifiers of what it means to live 'round these parts. In an image of a decaying apple next to a barely visible bush of flowering plants, if the message of a contemporary L.A. "vanitas" were not clear enough, Ethridge tosses in an ashtray overflowing with used and noxious cigarette butts. There is exotica such as the redhead smoking a water pipe, and many portraits (one of a cop) that come across as 1950s and '60s era cinema stills (Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills).
Kristen Morgin's latest set of sculptures are simply amazing. Her play with scale makes the objects she fashions out of wood, unfired clay and various glues into dilapidated, eerie and slightly scary dopplegangers of the real things. Aside from the sense of imminent collapse and decay that these sculptures elicit in a viewer, there is a sly sense of humor at work. Morgin's "Topolino" car lays out like the evening sky of T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". Her "Carousel Horses" are both a majestic residue drawn from memory and an unsettling deterioration of physical matter (Marc Selwyn Gallery, West Hollywood).
Kristen Morgin, "Topolino," 2003, wood, unfired clay, paint, wire.
Roger Ballen, "Puppies in Fishtanks,"
2000, silver gelatin print, 16 1/2 x 16".
If you want to make an argument for never, ever using a digital camera, go see these drop dead gorgeous, sonorously poetic silver gelatin prints by Roger Ballen. These images are funny and grotesquely pretty at once. There is a sullied little boy wearing a mask that's all askew, framed by abject walls, who peers out as if we disturbed his play. A fellow with an oversized head and gruff workman's features, peers at two tiny cages in which puppy bulldogs are confined. All the photographs have this sense of capturing the bizarre poetry of situations and people that the naked eye would pass over as not more than scruffy (Fahey Klein Gallery, West Hollywood).
You can talk and talk about what it is that makes Los Angeles so strange, and you can mention the gap between the real and simulated that pervades and defines this city. We have all heard the cliché that the perfect metaphor for this city and its odd life is the car. We wear our cars as status, and the streets they travel on spread us out so that we preen and pose but never actually touch. In a drop dead gorgeous group of color photographs Adam Bartos, captures this city via its abandoned or stopped vehicles parked in underpasses or in front of bleak apartments. Bartos nails dead on the strange and distant silence in a city often full of sound and fury and signifying nothing in particular (Rose Gallery, Santa Monica).
Adam Bartos, "108 Paloma Avenue, Venice
Beach," 2004, color photograph.
Carol Kaufman, "Untitled 1," 2006, colored
pencil, graphite and gesso on panel, 10 x 13".
Carol Kaufman creates her dense drawings with progressive overlays of mostly graphite and sometimes colored pencil. Viewed as a whole, they tend to look like a sheet of metal or lead, much like the graphite covered surfaces of Nancy Rubins. Upon closer perusal however, the overlays reveal themselves to be a dense network of differentiated marks crisscrossing the underlying support in a variety of directions. Kaufman's labor-intensive procedures gift the viewer with more than just a simple material transaction; the varying weights and tones of the marks conjure up landscapes and skyscapes, albeit as seen from a great distance (d.e.n. contemporary, Culver City).
Jose Bellver, "Untitled #2,"
2004, acrylic on panel, 74 x 68".
Patsy Krebs, "The Hours: Nones",
2002, watercolor on paper, 22 x 22".
|"The Hours: Abstract Watercolors" are Patsy Kreb's poetic studies of light and atmosphere. These petite and sumptuous squares of watercolor that rise from the dark lower edges into an ever lighter atmosphere are condusive to contemplation and introspection. Named after the prayers that once marked off the devout's voyage through clock-less time, her use of subtle gradations of luminescent colors both evokes and projects states of consciousness. José Bellver's intense bands of brilliant colors mark a dramatic contrast to Kreb's muted hues. Though each painting focuses on a dominant color, underpaintings of gold, platinum, copper and silver pigments where the gesture is agitated and smoothed out successively in waves. The result is hovering Rothko-like forms and suggestive shapes that morph into a more structural study of the ebb and flow of tint (Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art, Santa Monica).
Light and Space artist Helen Pashgian's copper and epoxy constructions capture and manipulate shifting realities. Evocative of Robert Irwin's circular light pieces and Craig Kaufman's plexiglas forms, mysterious floating circles and cylinders are animated and clarified through the viewer's changing position. Technically impressive, they hover between being a mystifying perceptual puzzle and adamantly tangible object. These suspended forms, with their coppery shadows and pearlescent surfaces, project and recede into visual and meditative explorations. They force the viewer to pry into the myriad ways light emanates and reflects, free of literary or narrative translation (Patricia Faure Gallery, Santa Monica; see also Jeanne Willette's review of the "Translucence" exhibitionEd.).
Helen Pashgian, "Untitled," 2006,


text:
Job Opportunities
Continue to develop with us: You can always find our corporation's current employment offers in the "Career" area. We look forward to your application!
Your Local Contact
BST eltromat International
Heidsieker Heide 53
33739 Bielefeld, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 5206 999-0
Find your local contact
Highlights at K Show
At this year's K Show BST eltromat will present its solutions and products with focus on sustainability and cost-efficiency. ...Read more
BST eltromat at Labelexpo Europe and FachPack
Visit us at Labelexpo Europe in Brussels and FachPack in Nuremberg and learn more about our solutions. ...Read more
New President at BST North America
Since September 3, 2019 BST North America has a new President: Mr. Robert Buongiorno. ...Read more


text:
Just before my mom died, well I guess a good year to fourteen months before she died; they'd found that she had colon cancer! When she had her surgery in September of 2001, I was there for her. We'd been on bad terms for a number of years because I had confronted my parent's re: a number of things that they had done to me as a child growing up in their home, that I felt were abusive. Later on, when I went to get help for anxiety, depression & Anorexia Nervosa; The Dr.'s validated my feelings and then some! My mother's own youngest brother (my Uncle) called and spoke to my Dr. and validated everything I'd told them, and more!
That's another story for another day…..For today, I wanted to talk about the day of her surgery and how she had to choose one person to stay with her prior to surgery. She chose me! My heart was so very happy! My father,my mother's older sister, & my 2 older brothers were all furious! They all had to wait for about 2 hours during her pre-op, out in a visitors/family waiting room. I had the nicest two hours that I can ever remember having with my mother that day. We talked about life in general and "girlie" stuff that we never really talked about before. It was a good bonding time that I'll never forget.
Even though my father, two brothers and my Aunt all treated me horribly that day. It's still a day that I won't forget. It was time well spent feeling closer to my mother than ever before! Just for the record, my dad and brother's made fun of me, taunted me about "Anorexia, dieting,food etc…" They even forced me by teasing me incessantly, to eat french fries smothered in cheese and then dipped in a Chili and Ranch sauce!! After all of those years of them teasing me,calling me "Fat", taping pictures of cows on the mirrors in my bedroom, and writing "Fatso" on pictures and putting the pictures up on display for all to see on the front of their refrigerator! NOW they wanted to tease me about being "too thin"..& told me that I "should eat ranch fries and chili dogs" as they rubbed their obese stomach's!
Well somehow none of that mattered so much on that particular day, because "I" got to spend those quality time hours with my mother! So after her surgery, we kept trying to keep things "patched up" for the most part. My youngest daughter had even had been given some flowers after winning a Highland Dance competition. She wanted to stop at my parents home and give her flowers to her "Nuna". But When we arrived and saw that my middle older brother was there visiting with his two kids and also my oldest brother and his then wife of 12 years; were all there visiting…then my daughter didn't want to go inside. She begged to stay in the car and for me to just go up to the door and offer Nuna the flowers. (**you see, my middle older brother was the one that was and is most abusive towards me, He also was charged with "molesting his daughter when she was 3 years old! He also was diagnosed as having " Bi-Polar disorder!" He would not take the Lithium prescribed for him because our mother told him that It made him"fat" and he "looked like a Buddha"! My oldest brother had been cheating on his wife and everyone knew everything but pretended that it wasn't so! )… So I just went up to the door with the flowers from my daughter and told them we just wanted to drop them off for Nuna!
In the few moments that I was inside their back door, my brother's made crude remarks about my "lack of largeness of certain "women" body parts! Also then to follow that, was my 10 year old nephew laughing so hard about what his Uncle and father had just teased his Auntie about! I was mortified! I quickly left and my sweet husband drove us home safely while I told them what had transpired! They were all angry and upset and hurt for me! When at home, I called my dad to tell him how appalled I was at the things he allowed my brothers to still say to me after all of these years! My fathers response was " yes, I'll have a talk with them to let them know that their timing was off! Since your mother just had surgery" I told him that He "just didn't get it..and that what they said TO ME WAS WRONG!!!! Not the timing!!! I was furious again…as usual!
Well, needless to say I / we didn't see my family much during that year either, though we made a valiant effort again at the time of mom's surgery. When she went through her chemo therapy, I wasn't there for her! For one thing, any time I would ask where a procedure was or what time it would be, my dad would tell me lies or just tell me that my mom "didn't want me there! So sometimes I'd find out on my own that she was hospitalized and I would just show up ! I would get yelled at and called names and so i just stopped! But then I was called a "bad daughter for not being there for her mother! No matter what I ever did or did not do, I could not please them!
Then in August 2002, My husband and I were in a bad car accident! Luckily my daughters weren't in the car with us and luckily my husband wasn't injured. I was injured badly with multiple lower back,neck,head,bi-lateral knees and shoulders injuries,…and more! I had to go to TBI rehab for three years! i have had several surgeries, including: both knees, shoulders, face, had a permanent pacemaker and more! I had to have two titanium screws put into my shoulder and the pacemaker does 60% of the work for my heart! Now after all of that, I had a heart attack then in 2005 & a CVA or stroke in 2006! My family was called from the hospital about how injured I was and they cared nothing about it or me! They scolded me for "not being there for my mom during her chemo therapy time"!
Just three months after our MVA, my mother died from complications of colon cancer and I also believe from her hidden lifetime of abusing laxatives and suffering from eating disorders!
My father and brothers treated me worse than the scum under the bathroom sink, from that day and forward through even today. When I found out that my mom was sick and dying in the hospital, I found out from my Uncle, not my father or brothers! I was in a wheelchair from my injuries and when I'd get to the hospital, my brothers would block the doorway to my mom's room. They wouldn't allow my husband anyplace but the hallway! He knew what they were/are so he did it for "me". He took me each day for the next ten days that she was alive. At first she was still awake and more lucid. I would sing "You'll Be In My Heart" to her and I would whisper in her ear. I told her that " I loved her and that I knew it wasn't her fault. The last thing she said to me was "I love you infinity"! I knew that she meant she was sorry for hurting me growing up…I told her that "I love her infinity" too! She turned to my girls and told them that she"loved them infinity too! We all cried because those were the last real words we heard her say.
She was in and out of sleep mostly and it was the week of Christmas! On December 22nd, at 9:00 am, we got a phone call from my father. He told me that my mom had died at about 4:00 am! Yes… They all had time with her, they had her body taken away and already cremated…then they called me!
I should have known and somehow inside, I knew they enjoyed hurting me more! I was crying and since my father, ex sis-in-law, and both brothers were together crying, I thought this a good time to put all things aside and grieve together as a family. Then my father actually said "NO", that I couldn't come over to his house and grieve together with my family! I was so hurt that my EX sister in law was there but I was not allowed. They all "hate me" because I am the truth bearer. I spoke up and confronted them about the abuse I endured growing up. Actually, I'm still trying to deal with it. But since they lie, deny and get pleasure from my pain, I cannot make it stop and so I am forced to stay away!
Just recently as this Summer, 2012, my hubby and I saw my father and his girlfriend at the free concert in the park three times! Oh….and…by the way when I tried to introduce myself to her ( his now 3rd one! ..He re-married only months after my mom died and she divorced him only a year later. She even wrote to me and told me that she "always believed in me but every time she tried to stick up for me/defend me; my dad & bothers got verbally and horribly abusive towards her. Later, she wrote to me as I've said, and she told me that my "father never speaks the truth and does not know what "truth" is"!!! FINALLY SOMEONE BESIDES A PSYCHOLOGIST/& Dr's believe me!)..so again…when I tried to introduce myself to this lady, outdoors on the patio of a coffee shop; she just looked right through me as if I was some kind of "monster". She gave me a most horrifying,nasty look and then she walked the long way around the table and away from the coffee shop! Now…that behavior coming from a person who's never ever met me nor even been in the same room or space as me…ever! Of course I Cried, especially then when I saw my own father come out of that coffee shop looking for her; and when he got a cell phone call from her, he looked up and over, then saw her and quickly walked by me without even a nod or 2nd look!
The next time that I saw him was at my Aunt Vera's funeral. When my cousin's husband was finished with the Eulogy he said "does anyone have anything else that they want to say before I close"? Well I'd seen my dad crying and then clenching his jaw when my cousin's husband, Paul, was saying very kind things about my husband and especially me! He said that I "am an Angel to their family, for helping with my Aunt with her hair,nails and for taking her to church theater and out to concerts in the park and for ice cream!" Also he liked that we frequently visited her and I even used to decorate her door for each new holiday! (Well…I did that until my father butt in and went over to her apartment and took down all of the decorations that I'd so painstakingly put up for her)! When I saw my dad crying and after hearing my other cousin, Aunt Vera's son, tell me that when my father arrived he'd told him that he "didn't want to ever see me or speak to me again especially not that day! So to be kind at my father's sister's funeral, I went up and gave him a hug and he actually hugged me back and the cousin who had given the Eulogy, said out loud "I do believe a miracle has happened here today!" Well…after that, on the same day, my dad shook Craig's hand ( my hubby) & told him "thank you for taking care of Suzanne all of these years"! I quickly explained that my husband and I "take care of" each other! No one "takes care of me and though I'm disabled, I'm not unable! That day at the cemetery he took pictures and he even "forced" me to be in his pictures! But then, the very next time that I saw him about 10 months later, at the free concerts in the park; he snubbed me and shook his head " NO!!!" While walking right in front of us on the sidewalk, with his little "friend"! The people next to us were so appalled and said " honey, was that your father?" (Because I had yelled out "Dad!!..Dad!!").. I was crying, and said "yes…and my parents were and have been abusive for my whole life and I tried to confront them and they hate me for it forever! She said that was despicable behavior for a father and I should be glad to be rid of him! Well the next time we saw the two of them at the next concert in the park, I tried agaIn and said "hi" and was totally ignored. The final and third time, I walked right up to him, as he/they were sitting in lawn chairs, and I hugged him lightly by the shoulders and I said "I love you and I forgive you!" He said nothing but shrugged me off..once again! I do understand though…because at my Aunts funeral "people were there,family was watching"! At the park, only his girlfriend was there and she didn't go to my Aunts funeral. She never got to hear anyone say kind and nice things about me…dang!!! She only hears the lies and twisted stories told to her! Well, it's his/their loss..because anyone who truly tries to get to know me, knows that I am a good and kind Christian person!
I guess I'll end this blog today, by sharing that I have gotten a couple of text messages from my oldest brother, lately. He said "Merry Christmas" and then "Happy New Year"! I wrote back a kind and short response saying the same to him. Then I decided to tell him about my upcoming heart surgery on Feb19,2013! I don't know why I expected him or any of them to care? They've not cared or helped or shown any kind of normal loving responses since my MVA 8-11-02! They don't like me, don't love me and never have! It's always been about them! They just lie, deny and get pleasure from my pain! My cousin even told me as much! I somehow always knew and always felt it! I knew that "if" I ever "told", I would lose their fake, overbearing, bullying, teasing, hurtful and vulgar "kind of love"! Well, I even have lost my oldest daughter to their "need" to hurt me. Instead of helping me to keep her a "good girl" …they "egged her on to hurt me/us", gave her excuses and covered for and helped her along in those behaviors! They've even gone so far as to befriend my ex., who was found "Guilty" by a jury, of hurting another girl besides me and after me! At first, during the divorce, my dad was helping and even got his BFF to write a letter to the F.O.C. Stating that he'd witnessed my husband being abusive towards me!!! But now, I'm "a liar" and they all are horribly abusive and mean to me!!! It's hard having several chronic pain issues. Having RSD/CRPS, along with Atrial fib and Dysautonomia/POTS/NCS , degenerative disc disease and much more but too much to go into to here today! But I will say that I then had a heart attack and a year later I had a true CVA or stroke and they continue to be mean, hateful, hurtful etc…and I just leave them alone! I mentioned to my oldest brother on that text message, that I'm having heart surgery on February 19th and none of my family cares! They've not been there for me through any of my pain or surgeries or anything since my MVA in 2002, I thank God daily for those who have been there for me; my darling husband of 16 years now, and my great friends!!! Thank you ….love, Suz
Yes, Suzanne…you're still Invisible!
Just before my mom died, well I guess a good year to fourteen months before she died; they'd found that she had colon cancer! When she had her surgery in September of 2001, I was there for her. We'd been on bad terms for a number of years because I had confronted my parent's re: a number of things that they had done to me as a child growing up in their home, that I felt were abusive. Later on, when I went to get help for anxiety, depression & Anorexia Nervosa; The Dr.'s validated my feelings and then some! My mother's own youngest brother (my Uncle) called and spoke to my Dr. and validated everything I'd told them, and more!


text: More - Prints / Le Monstr Go, Girls Print —$175.00 CAD Default Title Silkscreen print by Le Monstr. Paper size: 26 x 20 inches Art size: 24 x 18 inches Edition of 25 1 color hand-pulled silkscreen print Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with a certificate of authenticity Sold unframed Printed on black paper We offer framing options! Inquire at email@example.com Add to cart


text:
The Avanti Entrepreneur | Podcasts by David Mammano
Mark Babbitt is the co-author of the Amazon Bestseller, A World Gone Social: How Business Must Adapt to Survive. An in-demand speaker and mentor, Mark has been named as a "Top 100 Leadership Speaker," and a "Top 50 Leadership Innovator" by Inc.com and one of the "15 Twitter Accounts Every Entrepreneur Should Follow" by Business News Daily.
Mark serves as CEO of YouTern, a community that enables young talent to become highly employable by connecting them to high-impact internships, mentors, and contemporary career advice. Mashable calls YouTern a "Top 5 Online Community for Starting Your Career" and Forbes has repeatedly named YouTern a "Top Website for Your Career."
Mark is also President of Switch and Shift, a site that champions social leadership, creation of an optimistic workplace and human-centered business models. Switch and Shift has been named a "Top Leadership" site by many publications and news agencies, including Huffington Post, ServetoLead.org, Leadership Insights and The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness (CMOE).
His newest community, ForwardHeroes.org, will launch in 2017 to help our military veterans transition successfully into civilian careers.
When not working to help clients from start-ups to Fortune 100 clients embrace the Social Age, Mark writes and appears for outlets such as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Inc.com, Huffington Post and Bloomberg News. He also serves as a Futurist in IBM Social Business' think tank designed to help organizations understand what the future of work might look like a decade from now.
Mark is the father of five children and two Labradors. He and the woman who tolerates him (barely) call the mountains of Colorado home.
• Mark's background with YouTern, Switch and Shift, and Forward Heroes
• Why it's so important to build the right team
• Why you need to be yourself when you speak
• Why public speaking makes you a stronger person
• How and why YouTern transitioned from B2B from B2C before launch
• Why you need to be a master delegator
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Twitter: @marksbabbitt


text:
Greensboro student accidentally stabbed during school play
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Police said a Caldwell Academy student in Greensboro was accidentally stabbed during a school play.
Greensboro police said they responded to the school at 2900 Horse Pen Creek Road around 10 p.m. Saturday in reference to the stabbing.
Officers said one student accidentally stabbed another cast member in the abdomen with a stage prop during a production of "The Three Musketeers."
Police said the student was taken to Moses Cone Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries that did not require surgery.
Greensboro police said the stabbing was accidental and not an act of school violence. No charges were filed.
School officials said it was the final performance of the play.