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"We can make this a more peaceful century if we cherish non-violence and concern for others' well-being. It is possible. If the individual is happier, his or her family is happier; if families are happy, neighbourhoods and nations will be happy. By transforming ourselves we can change our human way of life and make this a century of compassion."
Tag: Domestic violence
Welcome by Minus The Box
Hello and Welcome to the inaugural issue of Minus The Box!
First, a sincere thank you to the writers that contributed their great talents to this very special project. I hope you enjoy reading their work as much as I did. As I had hoped, the pieces included in this issue give new insight into what it means to be female-identified in the 21st century. The contributors hail from many different backgrounds and influences. This rich diversity works toward furthering our mission of a more understanding and accepting community.
Second, a special thank you to the summer intern Jordana Narin for her invaluable research and commitment to this project. Her insight and positive feedback provided great inspiration.
This inaugural issue is dedicated to self-acceptance. Love Thy Self is not only the theme for the first issue but is also one of the goals of Minus The Box as a magazine. This issue embraces a dedication to creating a positive and supportive virtual environment for those of us discouraged by mainstream media and the values it purports. We aim to create an environment where ALL self-identified females feel safe, welcomed, supported, and encouraged.
Peruse the following submissions with an open mind and you are guaranteed to leave richer than when you arrived.
Happy Reading,
Founder and Editor
Open Call for Submissions – Writers and Artists wanted
Do you have an original piece that sheds new light on the female experience? Then please send it to firstname.lastname@example.com. The theme for the November issue is "Our Voice: Power and Politics"
Minus the Box, a new quarterly online magazine, is requesting submissions to be included in the November issue. The magazine is dedicated to young, progressive, educated, and diverse self-identified females. There is no limit to what can be covered. All self-identified females are encouraged to submit; regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. The more diverse the better. Our goal is to create a positive space where all young women can feel appreciated for the individuals that they are.
Submitted pieces should be thoroughly proofread, correctly cited – MLA format, and a minimum of 1000 words. Minus The Box does not pay for contributions, authors retain full copyright of their work. Although there is no monetary compensation, the goal is to heavily promote this publication and its featured writers. The act of submitting a piece for consideration constitutes the express permission for this magazine to publish that work. Please indicate if the work submitted has been previously published.
In order to be included in the magazine's November 2012 issue, work must be submitted by October 22, 2012. Send submissions and a brief biography to firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Turnaround – A Short Story By Cecelia Schier
Crystal turned twenty the night she moved into Mark's apartment above an antique store. They sat on the futon in the dark living room drinking beer at midnight. He kissed her and handed her a small white envelope.
"No, Mark…no presents. You promised. We need the money for you to start your own business."
* * *
Five years older than Crystal, Mark worked as an assistant to the antique dealer who owned the building and shop below. Mark helped his boss do everything from upholstering weak-legged chairs to buying chipped Victorian tables at house sales and fixing them up to sell. He cleaned the building and got a break on the rent. He wanted to be an antique dealer himself one day.
They met a few weeks before in the arts and crafts store where she had a job cutting fabric for customers. He leaned on her cutting table with his elbows, his arms streaked with veins in relief. She was slicing through a cheap potato-colored remnant he'd bought for one of his boss's footstools.
Crystal had long, dirty blonde hair, parted in the middle, and she was thin. When she stretched to cut the fabric, her waist was thinner than two feet measured on the yardstick taped to the table's edge. She had one blue eye and one gray eye. He compared her blue eye to a target.
* * *
He shook his head. "This is different."
She opened the envelope and found an earring. It was almost as big as her ear and covered with cascading strands of diamonds. The piece glittered faintly in the midnight light of the room. "It's beautiful, Mark." She held it up to the moonlight from the window. "But, I don't wear earrings. I hope you didn't spend much money."
"It's an estate piece I picked up when I was out looking for things to buy for my boss," he said. "It didn't cost much because there was only one, but I could put a needle on it or something and you could wear it as a pin." He lightly tapped the place on her chest over her heart.
Crystal slid the earring back into the envelope. She felt happy he thought to give her a present. But it was a bit useless because she didn't like earrings and she didn't wear pins. Her family never had enough money to give her presents of jewelry, and she never missed having any pieces of her own.
* * *
Crystal's mother cleaned houses, and her father did odd jobs, except during the summer when he worked a ride called "The Turnaround" at a boardwalk amusement park. The strand of cigar-shaped cars turned around 360 degrees over the pier in mid-air at the highest peak of the track. When Crystal was a young girl, it was the most popular roller coaster in the state. Her father went from summer to summer operating "The Turnaround," but the family struggled the rest of the year.
Her mother's jewelry box was a shoebox she'd covered in the worn calico of a shirt she'd loved, but torn beyond mending. Sometimes she'd let Crystal touch the few old pins and necklaces nestled on cotton wool. Her mother said they were pieces she found or her grandmother owned. She told Crystal the box would be hers one day, but after she died, the box disappeared.
* * *
She kissed his cheek on the part of his jaw line between the smooth skin and the dark stubble. Her top lip touched the soft skin; her bottom lip grazed the prickly hair. "Thanks for the gift, Mark. But no more spending, okay?" She kissed him again. "We promised each other that everything is for the future."
He turned on the lamp beside her. "Here's your second present." He handed her a newspaper clipping.
Crystal read the first line. "Her family mourns the death of long-time resident Helen Jasper…"
Mark put his finger over her lips and whispered, "Stop."
She looked at him.
"I've been trying to save money, but if I'm buying stuff for my boss to sell, I'll never get enough money for my own shop." He held her hands in his. "There's only one chance to get the best antiques."
Crystal, confused, continued reading the obituary. The last line said Helen died after an accident in her home, and she left behind a grieving daughter. "I don't understand, Mark."
"I go to the house before the estate sale is announced and ask whoever is there if I can buy some of the dead person's stuff, or help them fix up the place if they're going to sell. I can do it off hours and cheap. They pay me with furniture or collectibles, or whatever." He hugged her. "I'll beat my boss and the other dealers. We'll build up our cash, and I'll have my own store really soon." He kissed her eyebrows, and said in a hushed voice, "And we'll be on the way to our future." He gently reached for her, and drew her close to him.
* * *
The first time they went out together, Mark held her hand over the Formica table at a diner on the highway. She remembered the careful way he brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. One day at work, she heard the unusual announcement on the store loudspeaker that she had a call, and was surprised when she heard his voice on the fabric department phone. He called to say hello, and met her outside after the store closed. He'd softly wake her up without the alarm and bring her coffee in bed after she spent the night with him. She felt cared for, and relief from the loneliness she'd carried since her mother died. And when he talked about their future together, she didn't want to be alone and without him.
* * *
"I don't know, Mark," she said. "People are sad soon after someone dies." She remembered how her mother cried for weeks after her grandmother died. Her eyes were swollen from off and on weeping for months. Whenever Mark asked about her family, though, she said she'd tell him about them someday.
* * *
Her father's moods swung from one extreme to another. Her mother lived for the good times, and the bad she compared to the worst part of the ride he operated at the boardwalk. For some, she said, the ascent was the worst, but for her, the painful part was the crashing of the cars to their lowest point. Crystal took a job washing dishes at a local restaurant after her last class in high school, and realized she felt better being away from her father's angry bursts and peaceful moments.
* * *
"That's the beauty of it, honey," Mark said. "They need someone like me just like they need the funeral parlor people. And all we have to do is read the obits, find out where the dead person lived, and offer our services.
"We…" she said.
"You can help. The woman's touch can make the difference."
"I'm not sure about this, Mark. I just put in an application at that big warehouse store and I could get benefits, maybe for both of us…"
He frowned, and shook his head. "Just come with me the first time, and you'll see how great this is going to work."
She thought he was too confident. If this idea were so great, wouldn't someone like Mark's boss be doing it this way already? She felt protected and loved when she was with Mark, and thought she probably loved him, but she never considered him a genius.
* * *
Mark drove Crystal in his pickup truck to Helen Jasper's house, an enormous mauve Victorian with turrets, towers and white gingerbread trim, on a quiet street in the northern part of town. The house was on a corner in the middle of a large lawn and reminded Crystal of a cake set squarely on a plate. The brick chimneys looked like candles set in no particular pattern. He stopped the car on the street in front of the house.
"You just wait here, and watch how I do this," he said. He got out of the car and
walked up the slate sidewalk.
He looked back at her before he rang the bell. An older woman with long, light gray hair, who was Crystal's mother's age when she died, answered the door. She saw the woman hold the door open for Mark, and he disappeared into the house. The woman let him, a complete stranger, into her home after her mother, Helen Jasper, died.
A white van pulled up and parked in front of the pickup truck. A broad red sign on the back said "Friendly Carpentry" in black script letters. A short muscular man in white overalls got out and walked the slate path to the door of the dead old lady's house. The same woman answered the door and Crystal saw her look confused. The man in overalls pointed back to his van, and the woman peered behind him at the truck. Then she let him inside the house. In about a minute, Mark came out of the house, and walked to their pickup truck.
She asked, "What happened?"
"Just be quiet and let me drive," he said through clenched teeth.
Crystal was silent. Her father always told her mother to shut up, and he called her names. They fought constantly until her mother died. Crystal thought her father wore her mother down like dripping water on limestone. Her mother told her she couldn't bear being alone, and enduring her father's moods was better than loneliness. But Crystal got used to being by herself in her bedroom, listening to their arguments. When Mark held her, she felt part of something greater than herself, and she thought she understood why her mother lived for the better times with her father. She hoped it would be different with her and Mark.
Mark drove the truck down some side streets, and parked on the other side of Helen's house. They were around the corner from the Friendly Carpenter's van.
"She started telling me about things she needed fixed. There's holes in the walls, flaking plaster, furniture that has to be taken to the dump, and the whole basement is full of things from as far back as the 1940s," he said. He slammed the steering wheel and the truck shook. "It was just what I want to do…damn it!" He inhaled. "She was showing me a maple veneer record cabinet when the "Friendly Carpenter" showed up."
Crystal waited for him to finish.
"So, she gets angry at me and says 'I called him, so who are you?' I started to tell her I could do handyman work for her, and I can get rid of her mom's stuff, but she told me to get out of the house. Then she said she didn't call me." He sneered and turned to Crystal. "Right there, in front of that guy, she tells me to get out of the house like I'm some kind of dog."
She put her hand on his, but he slid his hand away from underneath hers. "Let's just go home," she said.
"No!" The muscles in his neck strained in relief.
Crystal never saw him like this before, and she was nervous.
"This time," he said, "you're coming with me to the door, after he leaves."
"I'm not sure…"
"I want you to do this for me," he said.
"We can just keep saving money. We don't have to do things this way," she said.
"Oh, like you know anything. The great fabric cutter at a grandma's craft store," he said. "I'm the one with the ideas. I've got the brains." His voice softened, "It's for our future anyway, honey. Dreaming doesn't get things done. We can't just dream about our future. We have to do something big." He touched her cheek with his hand, and kissed her lips.
She saw him smile, but not with his eyes. She didn't want to go with Mark. She didn't want to do things this way.
"She sees a nice-looking young woman with me who is going to help her organize her mom's personal things, and she'll forget all about kicking me out before."
They watched the Friendly Carpenter leave the house and walk back to his van from their truck parked around the corner. He wrote on a clipboard for a few minutes, got in his van and drove away. Mark drove the truck around the corner to where they'd parked before, stopped short and the truck shook. He opened her side door, reached for her hand and entwined his fingers in hers. She let him lead her down the walk to the front door, and he rang the bell. She thought it was like the quiet part of the roller coaster ride, the easy part before the plunge.
The same older woman answered the door. Her long, white hair looked brittle and the skin around her eyes was swollen and her face splotched red, probably from crying. She said, "What the…"
"Just give me a minute to explain. I do handiwork, and my wife here can help, too."
Crystal looked at him. He'd never mentioned marriage.
"I didn't call you," the woman said. "I don't have your references."
"Of course I've…we've got references." He explained he worked for the only antique dealer in town.
The woman exhaled loudly, and pulled her hair back behind her head with both hands. It immediately returned to its original position around her face. She said she'd been in that shop a few times. Crystal thought she looked very tired.
"How did you know I needed help?"
"I was in the building supply store yesterday picking something up for my boss, and I heard that carpenter talking about your job," he lied. He gestured with his right hand toward her, palm facing upward. "Look, times are tough, and if I can do some work for less than the carpenter, we both benefit."
The woman looked directly at Mark. "Okay, you can do some work here if your prices are fair, and if your boss vouches for you when I call him," she said.
He smiled, and nudged Crystal. "My name is Mark and this is Crystal."
"I'm Angela."
"And like I said before," he continued, "you can pay me with furniture, paintings, china, or even jewelry. I know how to sell these things. They're as good as money to me."
"Maybe…" She opened the door wider and stood back for them to enter.
It took a few moments for Crystal's eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the house. The damask curtains were drawn and the dark wood trim around windows and doors created sunken areas of shadow. Faded chintz covered couches and chairs hugged the perimeter of the room and were interspersed with small tables. A grand piano was in the center of the room, and paintings of landscapes were stacked on top of each other on the walls.
"My mother taught piano," Angela said. "She played in concerts, and she knew famous musicians."
Mark nudged Crystal.
She looked at him, and he winked and gave her the thumbs up sign.
"There was some plaster damage on the third floor when the roof was leaking," said Angela. "Mom got a new roof, but she didn't care about the plaster." She motioned for them to follow her upstairs. "I'm told it's got to be fixed or buyers will think the leak is active."
They were halfway up the stairs when the phone rang. It was the warble of an old phone somewhere in the back of the house. Crystal thought it was probably in the kitchen. Angela stopped and said she'd be back before descending the stairs and disappearing through a door.
Mark tugged Crystal's shirt, and led her back down the stairs into the living room. He walked her through a pair of French doors. "You gotta see this…" He pointed to an enormous gilt-framed painting of two people walking into the ocean. The light in the painting was so bright that the horizon was barely discernable between the sea and the sky. Crystal had to squint to look at it.
"It's a Gisson," he said. "See the name in the corner."
Crystal could barely see the scrawled letters of the artist's name.
"I could get a few thousand for that one easily…I checked," he whispered. "And she's got more in the other rooms." He walked to another doorway and pointed to different framed paintings on the walls. "Those are all Gisson's paintings, too, and people love his stuff. It's thousands of dollars worth of paintings."
Crystal heard Angela's voice raising in the back of the house somewhere. She was arguing with someone on the phone. Crystal wondered how Mark knew so much about these particular paintings, and where they were in the rooms.
Mark nudged Crystal back to the living room to wait for Angela. They passed a tall chest, and he opened a door on its front. "Take a look at this," he said, pointing to a shelf of dull green and blue colored vases with embossed flowers trapped under crazed glaze. "These are Rookwoods, all of them, worth hundreds each and we're not even talking about the stuff on the other shelves…"
How could he have known about these? They were behind a glass door in a chest, and they'd probably been there for years. The old lady must have wanted to protect them in this little closet.
"Tons more where that came from," he said, closing the door and leading her back to the foot of the stairs. He pointed up the staircase at an enormous painting on the wall near the second floor.
Crystal could barely see the outline of the carved gilded frame; the painting's image was dark. She heard Angela's voice rise, followed by a loud slam.
Angela rejoined them in the living room. "My mother made some arrangements for an in-ground pool and playground, though she didn't know how to swim and I don't have any children," she said. "She shouldn't have been left alone, but I didn't live close enough to watch her, and she wanted her independence."
They followed her to the third floor and she showed Mark the flaking yellowed plaster that needed repair on a bedroom ceiling. He proceeded to check the ceilings of the other rooms for more water damage to the plaster. She motioned for Crystal to follow her back downstairs to the second floor. They entered a large room with wallpaper pictures of birds in cages among flowers. A large bed shared space with white and gold bedroom furniture. Open packing boxes were scattered over the discolored, once light blue shag rug.
"I'm going through my mother's clothes and donating them if they're wearable. You can do this," she said. "I need you to go through her drawers and the closet and just put them in the boxes, tape them shut and mark them charity." Angela turned to face Crystal. "Here's something important. I want you to keep a look out for this." She held out her open palm to show Crystal a large earring covered in diamonds.
Crystal recognized the dense maze of short strands, heavy with dimly glittering stones. It was the same earring Mark gave her for her birthday. He gave it to her before they ever came to this place.
"They found this earring on the floor near my mother after she fell down the stairs and broke her neck," she said. "The other one must be around here somewhere." Angela rolled her eyes. "My mother would never be seen wearing one earring, just like she'd never wear pants. I don't care how batty she was…"
"I'm sorry about your mother," said Crystal.
"Thanks. She never fell before, or I'd have moved her to the first floor."
Crystal agreed she would have done the same thing for her mother if she were still alive. And, she considered the earring. The woman told her she's been searching for it for days. Crystal said she'd try to find her mother's earring for her.
Mark came downstairs from the third floor, and they walked together down to the front door. He said he'd leave an estimate for some of the work in Angela's mailbox the next day. They exchanged phone numbers, and Mark and Crystal left.
* * *
They argued that night in their apartment. Mark wanted Crystal to look for jewelry in the old lady's room while packing the old clothes in boxes. She told him she didn't know what was the point of looking. He said it is what you do before taking. She said she didn't want to take anything from the woman who lost her mother. He was slamming kitchen cupboard doors when she went into their bedroom and took the earring from a dresser drawer. The mourning woman showed her the same earring, her earring's mate. Crystal put it in her pocket. She remembered hiding from her parents in her bedroom when they fought in the kitchen. Now, she fought with Mark, and couldn't escape him.
He stood in the doorway of their bedroom, his fists clenched. "You're going to do this," he said.
She shook her head.
He pushed her.
She lost her balance and fell hard against the wall. She struggled to get up, confused about what was happening. It was as if her mind was behind what was going on with her body. It was like a ride she wanted to get off and never take again. She remembered the ones from her father's amusement park. Squeaky, rust-pocked cars in different shapes carried her high into the air and made her sick. They were rides she'd never take again, not even for free. Was it this way with the old lady when she fell from the top of the stairs?
"You're going to do this…forget snooping around, we're going back there tonight, and as many nights as it takes to get what I need."
She thought of her mother. She wished her mother could help her. Her mother was dead now and had taken her share of beatings. Crystal left home because she couldn't watch it anymore. Then, her mother died.
"You'll be my look-out in the car," he said. "You call me on my cell if a light goes on in the house, or a neighbor sees me, or a cop drives by."
"Okay, Mark." He thinks of everything. Her back turned to him; she opened her purse, picked out her cell phone, and put it in her back pocket. "I'll just be a minute," she said, walking into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet, and made a call.
* * *
It was after midnight and Crystal sat in the driver's seat of the pickup truck around the corner from Helen's house. She watched black clouds floating past the moon in silhouette, and drifting away into the dark sky. Mark had been inside the house for ten minutes.
Three police cars pulled up in front. Two officers went to the front door, and four others disappeared into the bushes in the yard. At the edge of her peripheral vision, Crystal saw a shadow pass by the windows of the truck on the passenger side. The door opened and Angela stepped up into the truck, sitting beside Crystal.
She inhaled and exhaled deeply before turning to Crystal.
Crystal smiled at Angela, and locked the truck's doors.
The two women looked at each other in the darkness for a few moments. They watched two officers walk Mark, hands cuffed behind his back, down the front walkway. They leaned him, face first, against the hood of one of the patrol cars. Sirens wailed in the distance.
Angela said, "He's being arrested. He'll be out of commission for a while. He could mention your name as being part of this. They might call you in, too."
Crystal looked down at her hands.
"I know you didn't go along with him. I'll tell them how you called me."
Angela shifted in her seat. "Why did you turn against him?"
"We circled your block that first day after you told him to leave. He wanted your mother's things so much. I didn't like him anymore."
Angela nodded.
"Later, he wanted me to help him steal from you. Then I knew I lost him, or who I thought he was. A flash wave of grief washed over me. It was a little like the way I felt when my mother died. That's when I called you. And…"
"And what?"
"You reminded me of my mother."
"Thank you," said Angela. She held out her opened palm to Crystal. "Take this…please." Helen's diamond earring gleamed in the now cloudless moonlit sky. "This and the other one and you'll be okay for a while."
About the Author
Cecelia Schier lives and writes in Montclair, New Jersey. Her short fiction, poetry and nonfiction have appeared in The Bicycle Review, The Iconoclast, The Pianist, and academic journals. She is currently writing a collection of short stories.


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Hi everyone! I've had this outfit ready since Creation.jp first started last week, but I didn't get a chance to photograph it until now. I love *G-Field*'s lovely ensemble and as a bonus, it's 30% off for the duration of the event. I absolutely fell in love with the two-piece shirt and skirt look and as always, it's incredibly well made. I was also pleasantly surprised by World's End Garden's booth. I've been in love with Lucia Genesis' sim and items since I first joined SL, so I had to snag this lovely hairpiece. It's available in a wide variety of colors and each set with two bow colors!
[Chickadee] is also officially a part of the +Nouveaux+ sim for new designers, and Moon has set out a new group gift. It's a lovely lip stain. You can find it in her new store!
Skin :: <MARIKO> :: remake_yura
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Top :: *GF* :: Sleeveless Tops -pastel 5- NEW! @Creation.jp
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Bag :: .Enfant Terrible. :: Ribbon bag gacha NEW! @The Arcade
Pose :: //elephante poses// :: Unbreakable #3 NEW! free

subset: commoncrawl


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What is an Appraisal?
Buying real estate is the one of the biggest transactions some people might ever encounter. It doesn't matter if it's a main residence, a second vacation property, or a rental fixer upper, the purchase of real property is a detailed financial transaction that requires more than one set of eyes to see it through.
Most homebuyers are familiar with all parties involved in the process, with the most known face in the transaction almost always being the real estate agent. But who is responsible for making sure the property is consistent with the purchase price? This is where the appraiser comes into the picture. We provide an unbiased opinion of what a buyer might expect to pay (or what a seller should expect to receive) for a piece of real estate. Both the buyer and seller are informed parties, never leaving anyone out of the loop. A professional Arizona Certified Appraiser from OnPoint will ensure that you are informed every step of the way.
Where do we begin?
To determine an accurate status of the property, it's our duty to first perform a thorough inspection. We must physically see features such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location, as well as the living areas. We do this to ensure they are actually there and are in the condition a reasonable buyer would expect them to be. To ensure the stated size of the property has not been misrepresented and illustrate the layout of the home, the inspection often includes creating a sketch of the floor plan. Most importantly, the appraiser identifies any obvious amenities (or defects) that would have an impact on the value of the house.
After the completion of the inspection, we consider a couple of approaches when determining a value opinion for a property: the cost approach to value, the sales comparison approach and the income approach.
Replacement Cost
This is where the appraiser uses information on local construction costs, the cost of labor, and other elements to determine how much it would cost to replace the property being appraised. This figure usually sets the upper limit on what a property would sell for. The cost approach is also the least used predictor of value.
Sales Comparison
Appraisers become very familiar with the neighborhoods in which they work. We thoroughly understand the value of certain features to the homeowners of that area. The appraiser looks up recent sales in close proximity to the subject and finds properties which are 'comparable' to the real estate in question. Knowing what certain aspects of the house are worth, such as square footage, extra bathrooms, hardwood floors, fireplaces or view lots, helps us as we add or subtract from each comparable's sales price so that they are more accurately in line with the features of subject property.
In the case where the subject has something such as an extra half bath that a comparable doesn't have, the appraiser might add the value of that bath to the comparable property.
Valuation Using the Income Approach
In the case of income producing properties (lets use rental houses for example), we may use a third way of valuing real estate. In this scenario, the amount of income the property produces is factored in with income produced by neighboring properties to determine the current value.
Once information from all approaches are combined, the appraiser is then ready to document an opinion of market value for the property in question. While this amount is probably the most accurate indication of what a house is worth, it may not be the price at which the property closes as the closing price of a home can always be driven up or down. Regardless, the appraised value is typically used as a guideline for lenders who don't want to loan a buyer more money than they could recover if they had to sell the property again. One of our experienced appraisers will help you get the most accurate property value, so you can make informed real estate decisions.


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Herfin' Heads: Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Serie Velvet Rat
While down in Nicragua for Cigar Safari at Drew Estates, Brian and I were handed a bag of cigars which contained some rare releases and prototype blends made by Drew Estate. One of those cigars was the Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Serie Velvet Rat. Described as a larger, smoother Dirty Rat, the Velvet Rat is in the pre-production stages with a limited release at Tesa Cigars in Chicago, IL late last year. As Brian and I lit up the cigar, we were amazed at how chocolaty the cigar tasted. A nice creaminess soonjoined the chocolate note along with some nutmeg spice. An oakiness was intermingled within the other notes, but nothing was as dominate as the chocolate note. Around the mid way point, the cigar developed an espresso flavor to add a bit of bitterness as the creaminess faded away. This cigar was amazing….until we got to the end. The final third of the cigar developed a sour note that, to us, was very distracting. It killed the other luscious flavors, which was a shame because the cigar's flavors up to that point were epic. I ask Nick Melillo, Grand Poobah of Tobaccos at Drew Estate, about this and he believes the cigars were too humid. I tend to agree. We did received these in Nicaragua, but we did let them sit for about a week in our humidors. Probably should have been longer, but when Drew Estates gives you a rare cigars from their stash, its hard to wait. I'm really looking forward to revisiting these again if they, God willing, come to market. Two thirds of the cigar was absolutely amazing, enough for me to say it would be my favorite Drew Estate cigar. Plus, the size is right up my alley. Chunky lonsdale? Yes, please!
– Ben
PS – A very special thank you to Nick Melillo for giving us the very informative intro to the review and being a fountain of knowledge for us!
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Great review, Ben, please tell me that that isn't a Manchester United hat!
I will definitely have to try this one. If I can ever find it!!! That sour note at the end does sound interesting! Great review guys. O and mad props to Ben, I myself am a huge Manchester United Fan!!! Glory, Glory, Man United!!!! I'm just sad to see Fergy retire!!!! Here's to 20 more championships!
I am a Die Hard Liverpool FC fan!!!! Reds are coming back watch out, they are making Champions league next year! YNWA
Hi, is this Ben formerly with burning leaf? If so how are
you doing? How've you been? I am trying to get my hands on some
rats, hit me up when you got some time
Pingback: Stogie Guys Friday Samper No. 335 | The Stogie Guys


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Focus® DAILIES® TORIC All Day Comfort™ by Ciba Vision can easily claim to be No.1 selling daily disposable contact lenses around the globe. For people with astigmatism, it is their chance to get clear and perfect vision. People who experience dryness and have comfort issues due to contact lenses, they can easily try Focus® DAILIES® TORIC All Day Comfort™. It triggers moisture as you blink. People who lead active life and work in dry air-conditioned atmosphere can use them without a second thought.
Experiencing presbyopia and do not want to use reading glasses or go through the on-off routine of eyeglasses, then Focus® DAILIES® PROGRESSIVES All Day Comfort™ are for you. Being the first daily disposable multifocal lens in the world, they have been choice of many who do not want to read through glasses and looking for all-day hygienic comfort of lenses. Focus® DAILIES® PROGRESSIVES All Day Comfort™ let you see from all distances.
Focus® DAILIES® All Day Comfort™ contact lenses feature blink activated moisture while giving you crystal clear vision. Since they are daily disposable lenses, you do not have to worry about deposit buildup and cleanup. Focus® DAILIES® All Day Comfort™ contact lenses give you an outstanding comfort and ease. People who commute for longer hours and lead active life, these lenses are just perfect for them.
Online platform of all lenses- 99lens.com is also a home to Ciba Vision's Focus® contact lenses. So, do not let your focus dither here and there if you want to experience real comfort and ease.
Shopping Options


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Good new~~One roll gold and one roll silver foil will be sent as gift !!Main Parameter: Brand Name:ZONESUNModel: ZS-90Up and down trip: 16CMVoltage: 220V/110VPower: 300-500WPacking size: 42.5*28*22 CMTemperature range: 0-350°CTotal weight: 6 kgHot stamping range: 5*7cm 8*10cm.10×13cm (the size depend on your logo) This line is 5*7cm price .If you want other size .pls contact with us !!!Application:It is used for bronzing, indentation and branding of leather products, rubber products, technical products, plastic products, paper and other surfaces.Warranty:One year, except for wearing parts (heating pipes/sensors).If you need repair, please contact us. We have a professional after-sales team to provide you with services.we are specialized in stamping machine and mold.if you have any question (like you want the automatic stamping machine)don't hesitate!!contact with us !
Surprising features of the ZS-90: 1) Digital temperature control: Digital display of temperature, very intuitive. The temperature is accurate to single digits with almost no errors. Heat quickly, press the button to set the temperature.2) Digital display of the internal structure of the electrical box: Temperature control and circuit board integration, the failure rate is small, less wiring, and higher safety factor.3) Temperature-controlled probe: Screw-type thermocouple, the tail can be turned, stainless steel shielded tail. Not afraid of bending, accurate and durable.4) Using dual heat pipes, faster heating, longer life, and can achieve constant temperature effect.5) Transfer paper bracket: It can be put on the bracket directly by hot stamping paper, and the hot stamping is faster, more convenient and perfect.6) A scale is designed on the base plate to control the size of the hot stamp, which improves the convenience of use.
Temperature/timePaper bronzing: 100 degree/1 SPaper embossing: 300 degree/3 SLeather bronzing: 100 degree/ 1 SLeather embossing: 180 degree/ 3 SPVC bronzing: 100 degree/ 1 SFood embossing: 250 degree/ 3 SLeaves embossing: 320 degree/3 SWood embossing: 350 degree/5 Sit have video show how it works
Using for leather/wood/paper
with letter holder
easy to change letter
double-purposestmaping mold and T-slot holder
Paper rolling auto
Good choice for stamping
Height easier adjustPull out base to fix position
With letter holder Easier to change alphabet
Use for bag. shoes
Get beautiful design
Customized logo
make a gift for friend
Many kinds of letter font can be chosen .also customized letter
Many color can be customized
make the colorful logo
Q1: Are you factory or trading company?A: We are factory or manufacturer.
Q2: Can you guarantee your quality?A: Of course. We are the manufacture factory. More importantly, we put a high value on our reputation. Best quality is our principle all the time. You can be assured on our production completely.Q3: What should I do if we are not able to operate the machine when we receive it?A: Operation manual and video demonstration sent along with the machine to give instructions. Besides, we have professional after-sale group to customer 's site to solve any problems.Q4: How could I get the spares on machines?A:We will send extra sets of easy broken spares and accessories like O ring etc. Non-artificial damaged spares will be sent freely and shipping free during 1 year's warranty.Q5: Is there any insurance which I pay for to guarantee I will get the right machine?A: We are an onsite check supplier from Alibaba. Trade Assurance provides quality protection, ontime shipment protection and 100% safe payment protection. Our factory already highest stars of the grade.Q6.What's the payment terms and trade terms for new customers?A: Payment terms:T/T,L/C,D/P,O/A, Western Union etc.Q7:What's the Minimum Order Quantity and warranty?A:MOQ:1 set


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An Annuities Explanation
It is easy to become confused about the exact nature of annuities. Explanations of annuities tend to focus on the types available, without providing an overview of the plans. In general, a bank's Certificates of Deposit are similar to annuities. An annuities explanation follows, broaching how they work and what you should consider before choosing an annuity product.
The word "annuity" comes from the Latin "annus," which means "year." An annuity is a contract between an insurance firm and an individual under which the individual makes a series of payments, and in return, the insurer promises to provide payments – with interest – to the individual after some specified future date. In this way, an annuity provides for earnings growth on a tax-deferred basis. Most people purchase annuities to provide them with income after they retire.
Annuities differ from life insurance, health insurance, or savings accounts. Annuities are long-term contracts and are not designed to provide short-term resolution to financial needs. And tax-deferred annuities mean that individuals cannot withdraw money from the plans before a certain age without incurring a penalty.
» Get Quotes From the Best Annuity Providers
Annuity Categories
There are several categories of annuities, which are based on various elements, such as interest rate or payment terms. For example, an annuity can be arranged so that the annuitant – the owner of the annuity – will receive payments for as long as he or she, or his or her spouse, is alive. In another example, an annuity can be structure so that the payouts continue for a specifically defined length of time, e.g. 20 years.
Annuities may be either fixed or variable. With a fixed annuity, annuitants are guaranteed a certain payout amount. Variable annuities involve a variable interest rate and therefore have the potential to provide higher returns.
Insurance companies provide variable annuities for sale through agents and brokers. The insurer places money invested in annuities into sub-accounts. These accounts are often invested in mutual funds, which then invest the monies in stocks. This makes a variable annuity something of a hybrid plan, which contains some elements of insurance and some of investment securities. Variable annuities can be purchased either with a single payment or a series of several payments. And the value of the ultimate payout depends on how the money is invested.
Before You Buy
Before purchasing a variable annuity, define your long-term goals and how long you are willing to put your money beyond the reach of your immediate needs. Be sure to ask about any fees and expenses associated with the plan, and if you are promised a guaranteed return, get that promise in writing from your agent or broker.
It is critical that investors consult knowledgeable financial planners before purchasing an annuity.
To find the best annuity products request a free, comprehensive quote comparision. Secure your retirement today, Get Started Now.


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How my heart just melts
How a year has flown by! We finally received the ADOPTION ORDER, Yay!! So we will be registering our son on our surname very soon.
Not a day goes by that we are not thankful for being his parents. He is a blessing to all he meets and likes chatting to everyone, however I must admit he is a real mommy's boy and I just love it! Especially his random hugs and kisses or when he says "Mommy... Love You..." Oh How my heart just melts.
A mommy's boy but daddy's mini-me definitely. Everything daddy does he mimic's.
He loves climbing, running, kicking ball and cooking. His teachers are amazed at how he is progressing. A one year old that can count until 5; know all his animal sounds and loves consoling his classmates when they are sad. A Charmer with the ladies.. The poor teacher has to constantly watch the girls as they are always fighting to sit next to him. LOL!
Thanks again PROCARE for making all of this possible and for being so professional and caring throughout the adoption, without you this was not possible
Take care and lots of hugs and kisses.
Love Gavin, Sebrina and Samuel


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Bonnie "Prince" Billy 'Is It the Sea?'
Product Information //
UK double vinyl LP pressing. 2008 release. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy offers a beautiful collection of some of his greatest hits, captured during his stunning, atmospheric live performances on his sold out tour of Scotland and Ireland in Spring 2006. The tour found Billy in the company of Edinburgh's Harem Scarem on close harmonies, fiddle, flute, banjo and accordion and Glasgow's Alex Neilson on drums and percussion. For this tour Bonnie reached deep into his catalogue to produce a set long on magic and high on drama. Tracks include 'Minor Place', 'Love Comes To Me', 'Wolf Among Wolves', 'Is It The Sea?' and Master And Everyone'. Domino. 2008.
1. Minor Place
2. Love Comes to Me
3. Bed Is for Sleeping
4. Arise Therefore
5. Wolf Among Wolves
6. Ain't You Wealthy? Ain't You Wise?
7. Cursed Sleep
8. Molly Bawn
9. Birch Ballard
10. New Partner
11. Is It the Sea?
12. My Home Is the Sea
13. Master and Everyone


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Fashion's Night Out in New York City was amazing, per usual. The entire city turns into a runway with an open bar. Every retail store is trying to out-do the next, so the parties are bigger and better with flowing, free alcohol (and sometimes food!).
The best part is the fashion. It is a great excuse (not like NY'ers need one) to put on your most fabulous outfit. I decided to do a pin-up girl ghetto fab look. I always need a theme. I wore an All Saints dress (purchased for $40 at my favorite consignment store) and a DVF belt. My layering piece was a royal blue jacket by Plastic Island ( bought on sale of course) and my Vince Camuto bag. I loaded on gold jewelry, all thrift except for my real gold hoops. The topper was my vintage leopard scarf and crocodile purse from Rome with my Pour La Victoire black pumps.


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Scandinavian Egg Sandwich
intermediate—serves 2
Scandinavia is famous for smørrebrød, an open-faced sandwich style with unlimited variations.
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
4 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 slices dense bread
2 Tbsp. capers
Handful of microgreens
Soak red onion slices in vinegar for 15 minutes and set aside. Cover cucumber slices with water and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Soak 15 minutes, drain, and set aside.
Hard-boil eggs to your liking (see recipe on next page). When eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and place them in a medium bowl. Smash eggs until yolks and whites are a uniform consistency and mixed well. Drizzle olive oil onto the eggs, adding just enough to hold mixture together.
Assemble bread on a plate and coat each slice with a quarter of the egg mixture and top with capers, fresh pickled onions and cucumbers, and greens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recently Joy acted on a persistent daydream by converting part of her backyard into a garden for berries and a second garden to build up the soil for vegetables. When she isn't tending these new gardens, she dabbles in food styling and design for Edible Ohio Valley and volunteers on a local farm.


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All Films.All Above Board.NOW INCLUDES TV SHOWS & TV LISTINGS
Epic true story of Clemens Forell (Bernhard Bettermann), a German soldier who attempts to escape from the Siberian death camp he is incarcerated in at the end of World War II. When Forell's unit is captured by Soviet forces, he is transported to a gulag deep in Russia, where he is told by the formidable Oberleutnant Kamenev (Anatoliy Kotenyov) that he will never escape. After enduring years of barbarity at the hands of the Soviets, he meets Dr. Stauffer (Michael Mendl), who decides to help him escape the prison. However, in order to get home to his wife and child, Forell must battle treacherous conditions and undertake a journey which will bring him face-to-face with death.


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Fiscal Year 2015 Budget
Review important documents:
Scheduled meetings and posted agendas:
|What is the Budget?
The Budget is the County's financial plan for the fiscal year. It determines how much money each County department receives to carry out services. It also sets forth the amount of grant money offered to community organizations and Capital Improvement Projects, such as road paving, park improvements and water system upgrades. The Budget also dictates how much it will cost you to utilize County services and the amount of money the County will collect through taxes and fees.
Ways you can participate:
1. Send a letter to:
Budget and Finance Committee (BF-1)
2. Email the Budget and Finance Committee
3. Testify at a budget hearing
3-minute testimony tips:
4. Get connected:
Budget hearing schedule:


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The Legacies of Industrial Pollution: The Effect on Human Healthby on
For years, residents and activists alike have expressed concern over the history of industrial pollution in our community. From the Meeker Avenue Plumes to the Exxon Mobil Oil Spill to the designation of the Newtown Creek as a Superfund site, there are certainly a number of causes for environmental concern in the Greenpoint community. (Check out the Newtown Creek Alliance's Creek Speak for narrative accounts on many of these issues.) After decades of debate and speculation, the most pertinent question seems to be: What risk does exposure to long-standing enviromental pollution have on human health?
At long last, thanks to the dedicated members of the Newtown Creek Community Advsiory Group (CAG) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the issue of human health risks is being systematically examined. Next week, CAG and EPA will hold a meeting to discuss EPA's recent document "Current and Future Uses in Newtown Creek for Human Health Risk Assessment."
If you'd like to be part of this important conversation or want to know more about the potential human health risk of along our northern waterway, we strongly recommend attending this meeting.
When: Wednesday May 8, 6-8pm
Where: Upstairs Meeting Room in Visitor Center at the Newtown Creek WWTP
Address: 329 Greenpoint Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY, 11222
(Enter at the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and Humboldt Street.)
About: Exposure scenarios for the EPA Human Health


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On October 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted final rules under Title III of the JOBS Act ("Regulation Crowdfunding") to permit a company to offer and sell securities through crowdfunding transactions that raise a maximum aggregate amount of $ 1 million in a 12-month period. Title III of the JOBS Act, enacted on April 5, 2012, created a federal exemption from the requirement that securities offerings be registered under the securities laws. In the words of the Commission: "Crowdfunding is an evolving method of raising capital that has been used to raise funds through the Internet for a variety of projects."
Specifically, Regulation Crowdfunding permits individuals to invest in securities-based crowdfunding transactions subject to certain investment limits. In addition to limiting the amount of money an issuer can raise using the crowdfunding exemption, the rules impose disclosure requirements on issuers for certain information about their business and securities offerings, and create a regulatory framework for the broker-dealers and funding portals that facilitate the crowdfunding transactions.
The Commission also proposed amendments to existing Rule 147 under the Securities Act of 1933 to modernize the rule for intrastate offerings to further facilitate capital formation, including through intrastate crowdfunding provisions. The proposal also would amend Securities Act Rule 504 to increase the aggregate amount of money that may be offered and sold pursuant to the rule from $1 million to $5 million and apply bad actor disqualifications to Rule 504 offerings to provide additional investor protection.
Regulation Crowdfunding and its related forms will be effective 180 days after they are published in the Federal Register. The forms enabling funding portals to register with the Commission will be effective Jan. 29, 2016.
The SEC is seeking public comment on the proposed rule amendments for a 60-day period following their publication in the Federal Register.
A copy of Regulation Crowdfunding and Adopting Release (33-9974) can be found here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.


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Nissan has been teasing its new electric Leaf for months. The sleek teaser images suggest a racy shape and a whole new Leaf experience.
It also came with the preconceived notion that it would come with a range on par with the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan never made specific mention of that, but we all just kind of assumed it would step up to meet the competition.
The new Leaf was unveiled this week, and while Nissan may have expected much fanfare, it debuted to a whole lot of silence. Can anyone else hear the crickets?
The newly redesigned Leaf looks like a Toyota and has the range of, well… a Leaf.
First, let's give credit where credit is due. The Leaf has helped change the face of electric cars. It made them affordable and easy to acclimate to as daily drivers. With a range between 80 and 105 miles, the first-generation Leaf convinced over a hundred thousand drivers that electricity is the fuel of the future. Count yours truly as one of them.
It did all this with looks that could be described as polarizing, at best.
So yes, the Leaf was absolutely due for a refresh. The new look, however, is just a little less than exhilarating.
Charged said,
From a technical standpoint, the next-gen model offers only an incremental improvement – slightly increased range and a couple of new driving features. The main focus of Nissan's effort seems to have been the vehicle's styling, which got a complete makeover. The new Leaf looks more like other current Nissan models, and has dropped the protruding headlights and prominent haunches that made the old Leaf instantly recognizable. This may be of little interest to engineer types, but Nissan is obviously hoping that it will make the EV more attractive to the typical car buyer.
The 2018 Leaf has a more powerful electric motor: 147 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, compared to the 2017 model's 107 hp and 187 lb-ft.
NBC News posted a cute little headline that said Nissan is taking aim at Tesla with the new Leaf. Well, pardon me, but not with its 150-mile range, it's not. The Model 3 will top 200 miles of range and approach 300. The Nissan, to its credit, will cost just under $30,000 (not including the $7,500 tax credit) to start.
The new Leaf may not have the range of the newest EVs, but it's priced accordingly and has looks that are much more mainstream. That should be enough for it to find another 100,000 buyers—I'm just not convinced that I'll be one of them.
Will the new Nissan Leaf be enough to convince you that it's time to take a test drive?
Find Certified Pre-Owned Cars and Used Cars in your area at CarGurus.
Used Nissan Leaf
Used Chevrolet Bolt
Shopping for a new vehicle?
Bring along CarGurus' mobile app to help check prices, find good deals, and research cars on your smartphone.


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Huawei Honor 8X 4/64Gb
Unite4Buy - all deals on Huawei Honor 8X 4/64Gb on one site.
Buy Huawei Honor 8X 4/64Gb at the promotional price $168.99 using of the coupon from our website can be in one of the shops participating in the promotion and listed below.
Many wonder how it is most rational to spend money on a smartphone when you want everything at once, but not at the price of a laptop. Huawei company has created a wonderful balance of wonderfully crafted design, excellent technical characteristics and amazing photographic abilities in the face of Huawei Honor 8X. Framed in a metal streamlined glass case will not leave you indifferent to the perfection of your style. A frameless OGS display of six and a half inches and a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels will delight your eyes with a reproducible image quality; even the brightest sun will not interfere with your gadget. A powerful productive bundle of Kirin 710 processor, MaliG51MP4 video chip and 4 / 6GB of RAM will not disappoint even fans of new products in the world of gaming applications. The latter, with peace of mind, can fit on 64 / 128GB of internal storage and microSD cards , where there is still room for amazing rich photos taken with 20 and 2 megapixel main matrixes and 16MP front cameras. The battery capacity in 3750mAch please 8-9 hours of active screen time, and OTG support, LTE, Android Oreo-to-date and a fingerprint scanner complement the extensive list of advantages of the device.
Buy Huawei Honor 8X 4/64Gb
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Huawei Honor 8X 4/64Gb Specifications
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Supported languages
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- Paypal ,
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- 04.09.2019 - 18.09.2019
- In Stock
- AliExpress Standard Shipping (Aliexpress / Asia-Pacific) ,
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BuyHuaweiHonor 8X Global 4/64GbPrice$219 .99
Aliexpress / HW Retail Store
6.5" (2340x1080) Curved Glass / Kirin 710 / 4Gb / 64GB / 20Mp / 3750mAh
Colors: blue black red


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Anyone who has had me as their photographer has probably heard the line "Don't be afraid of COLOR!" when discussing clothing options for their shoot. These two took that advice and all-out RAN with it, and I LOVE THEM FOR IT. They changed into their second outfit and became a walking, talking Gap ad... and it was perfection with the simple white, snowy tundra backdrop that we were working with at Minnehaha Falls! What better way to insert a little cheer into an otherwise monochrome season??! The fact that Alissa and Chris were truly a BLAST to work with is totally beside the point. ;) But in all seriousness... their wedding at Camrose Hill this fall can't come soon enough! I can already tell it's going to be a gorgeous day filled with a ton of sweet love, laughter, and the perfect amount of goofiness.
Alissa & Chris Engaged
in Engagements


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The Kitchen is undoubtedly the Heart of my Home. Not only do my husband and I gather there when a meal is being prepared but all of our friends gravitate to our kitchen during our frequent parties that we throw. Our kitchen seeing food, drinks and fun. It has been the epicenter of our home forever and we honor our kitchen by gathering within it and enjoying one another.
Where is the Heart of Your Home? I am dying to know!! The post with the most comments wins a Samsung Washer and Dryer. If I happen to win, one lucky follower of mine will win $100 cash!! Do you want $100? Then comment on this post.
Extra entries:
*Follow me on Blogger
*Follow me @royaldixie
*Tell me How you found my blog
*Tweet Daily for your chance to win "I want to help @royaldixie win new #SamsungAppliances"
If I win, the winner of $100 will be announced on October 6th! Thanks and GOOD LUCK!!


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At Total Physio we aim to get you an appointment within 24 hours on a weekday. Contact us now on 01 213 7000 to arrange your appointment.
The Premier Chartered Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Practice in South Dublin
Modern, purpose built treatment rooms and dedicated customer parking
Established since 2004
Open 6 Days a week: Mon to Fri 8am - 8pm & Sat 10am to 1pm+353 1 2137000
Book Online Here firstname.lastname@example.com Sandyford Office Park


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I worked with UVA to create 'Metamorphosis' - with the intention of offering a new perspective on a seemingly familiar subject: the human body in motion.
We captured the beautiful motions of ballerina Eve Grinsztajn as a point cloud of data, and used this to create a dynamic, metamorphasising sculpture. Her movement is expressed through abstracted forms, and a story emerges. The film, which explores the themes of rebirth and renewal, is accompanied by a Baroque-inspired score by Mira Calix.
Creative Director: Matt Clark (UVA)
Dancer: Eve Grinsztajn
Animation & technical direction: Cai Matthews
Animation: Chris Davenport
Producer: Rosie Mitchell (UVA)
Music: Mira Calix
Kinect Shoot: Uberact


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Some Temple Bar goodness/
I just got back from Dublin - love that town!
I spent last week in Dublin and Glasgow, two cities that I really enjoy visiting. I always bring my camera (of course) and take photos, time-permitting. Well, time did permit and I clicked away like crazy. But, I actually didn't take today's shots last week - I took these on one of my previous trips there. I just happened to have them ready, and when I sat down to write this, all I could think about was Dublin!
I just haven't had time to work on any shots from the trip yet - hopefully I will get to that this week sometime. I took over 1500 shots in the two cities last week, so I expect I will have some real goodies to share with you. Plus, I also got to several new spots in each town, which means I can add them to my lists of where to shoot in each city - fun!
So, til I get to processing the new stuff, please enjoy these which are of The Temple Bar in Dublin, taken in broad daylight (of all things!). I just happened to be walking by one day, and it only took a couple of minutes for the scene to clear out, and then I fired away.
The Temple Bar is just so photogenic - I shoot it every time I go there. I just can't help myself! I hope you don't mind seeing it again. And if you do, well...sorry, but there are a million more shots of Temple Bar that I haven't even processed yet. And believe me, I definitely plan to share them here when they are ready!


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Modern Farm House In the Country
I don't care what anyone tells you, building a home is no easy task. But if you have the right team to back you up and help interpret your vision, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences.
Architect Darwin Harrison described this project as "A Study In White." For our first foray into homebuilding, we wanted a farm house style that was modern, but not so much that it didn't fit within the Texas Hill Country setting. Harrison brought our dream to life through his intuitive skill and design talent. Longtime family friend, Jim Cummings executed Harrison's vision as our builder. Today, we're grateful to call this little slice of heaven on eight acres in Dripping Springs, our home.
We took our time designing the project—about a year before we ever broke ground. We wanted to embrace as much natural light as possible to bring the outdoors in from any room of the house. As a cookbook author and wine writer, I needed an expansive kitchen with multiple islands for prep work as well as a separate large island for eating and entertaining. A large walk-in pantry with a devoted wine storage area completes the dream kitchen for this accomplished cook. The master suite includes separate bedroom, bathroom, and home office and is joined by the guest room area at one end of the layout while the laundry room and bedrooms for our two young children are at the opposite end. A detached garage with playroom and home office for the husband creates a wrap-around design at the back yard pool area.
As described by Harrison: "The main room exemplifies the desire for a bright, white palette to enhance the abundant natural light with occasional compliments of unique natural materials such as the polished concrete floors and Shou Sugi Ban (Japanese burned wood) accents. Bedrooms are enhanced with corner extensions to provide play areas or sitting areas to capture views to the landscape beyond and make each room feel adaptable to varied uses over time. The main room is an expansive volume capable of being a cozy intimate environment for the family as well as a grand space for large dinner parties or family gatherings. The exterior continues the elegant, simple palette of white and grey complimented with limestone accents."
Architect: Darwin Harrison
Builder: Jim Cummings
Notable Vendors: Delta Millworks - Shou Sugi Ban, Hemlock & Heather - Custom artwork, Brian Chilton Design - Custom Mantle, Steve Walters - Custom steel island with bourbon barrels from Treaty Oak Distillery, Vintage View - Wine Closet, The Shade Store - Window Treatment, Lights Fantastic - Lighting and Fan Fixtures, Jill Klores, Essential Light - Lighting Design, Gary White - Cabinetry, Mueller High Life - Pool Shades, Justin McGuire, California Pools - Pool, Katie Lyke - Photography


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When asked about the possibility of a "Watchmen" sequel at the West Hollywood Book Fair on Sunday, editor Len Wein replied, "I think you have a better shot of seeing the Thirtieth of February."
Wein entertained a crowd with tales of making the DC Comics graphic novel, writing for the upcoming "Watchmen" video game, and his thoughts on cinematic versions of the creations of his collaborators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons in a live presentation moderated by CBR Executive Producer Jonah Weiland and sponsored by Golden Apple Comics.
Wein's career spans several decades. He co-created such characters as Wolverine, Nightcrawler, the Human Target and Swamp Thing. By the 1980s, he was editing titles at DC Comics and introduced writer Alan Moore into the pool of talent stateside. Asked about Moore's take on Swamp Thing, Wein replied, "If I didn't like it, it wouldn't have happened." To Wein, part of the fun in working in comics is seeing what other people can bring to a character, even if it is a character he created.
In the mid 1980s, just such an approach was planned for the long stagnant set of characters DC bought from Charlton Comics. Heroes like Captain Atom and Judomaster were glimpsed in "Crisis on Infinite Earths," and Moore was interested in working with those characters. As the story evolved, DC's then managing editor Dick Giordano became concerned with the fates of the characters he edited back at Charlton. Wein recalled, "Dick said, 'This is a great story, Alan, but almost everybody dies at the end. What happens to my characters, then? If you want to do this story, why don't you come up with a new set of character and tell the story through new eyes?'"
Moore's concept quickly evolved into a project separate from the Charlton heroes: "The Watchmen." Wein, already Moore's editor, took on the project.
Wein's major contribution to the project was the suggestion of the extra story material at the end of each issue. "We really couldn't sell those books to the advertisers, so we found ourselves with an extra eight or nine pages to fill that were going to be filled with ads," he explained. "Initially, they said we'd fill it with house ads and a longer letter column." Wein felt that approach would not be fair to anyone who wrote in during the last four issues of the run, as the production on those books would be complete before the letters arrived at DC. "Since we have these pages to fill, we can fill them with something that helps gives you back-story."
Wein explained the usual process of editing a script of a comic in the 1980s: "In a regular comic book, you usually sit down with the writer to plot out the story. In general, you get the script first, go over and edit the script; spelling errors, dialogue problems, art direction problems." In contrast, Wein would receive intensely detailed scripts with few errors for "Watchmen." "For a twenty-four paged comic, I would sometimes receive a one hundred-and-thirty-page script."
Indeed, Alan Moore is known for his meticulous planning of every aspect of the page. Wein noted many of Moore's panel descriptions would end with a note for the artist; "If that doesn't work for you, do what works best." The artist in this case, Dave Gibbons, never exercised the freedom he was given and worked to Moore's instructions.
Another difference for Wein, who was located at the DC offices in New York, was that Moore and Gibbons were in their native England. They had the luxury to collaborate closely while Wein would have to receive phone calls from Moore.
Wein also explained why "Watchmen" had an unavoidable gap in its original publishing schedule. "I told Paul Levitz, who was the editorial coordinator at the time, we needed six issues finished before we scheduled the book." Levitz scheduled the book when three issues were complete. "As I told him would happen, you hit a point where it took more than a month to produce the book. You started having the gap." However, Wein also understands Levitz's decision. "I can't completely complain. There are budgetary problems. You have so much material you need to produce a year. You've got budgets to work through. So, I'm sure Paul felt this book needs to be on the schedule to make the money for the company to return its budget."
Wein admitted to being unhappy with the ending of "Watchmen," which depicts the creation of a phony alien menace to unify the Earth. To Wein, the ending was reminiscent of an "Outer Limits" episode. "It's been done before," he told Moore. Moore responded, "But I haven't done it." They argued, and Moore ultimately won, but acknowledged the episode by having Sally Jupiter watch it in a scene in the final chapter.
Wein told the crowed he actually prefers editing to writing. "You have complete control of the package," he explained.
Asked if "Watchmen" is a graphic novel, despite its original serialized presentation, Wein replied, "It was always designed to be twelve chapters of a finite story." He went on to explain many of the collected stories from ongoing titles are not "true to what a novel is." While those stories are "a slice of the ongoing history," a novel needs "a beginning, middle, end, and an overarching plot that starts and finishes in the space allotted to it."
Wein believes the finite nature of "Watchmen" is precisely why a sequel would be next to impossible. "There's not much cast left to do a sequel," he said, explaining that ultimately, any attempt to further examine to world of "Watchmen" would not produce the same book.
However, Wein has looked at the material again in writing a video game based on the "Watchmen" feature film. The challenge for him was "finding what works in the format given." Wein found a period within the thirty-year time-span of the book to set the game. While he could not be more specific as the game is still in development, Wein did say the action is set "ten years before the graphic novel takes place where there were events mentioned in the novel just as throw away lines." Wein could not say which characters will be playable, but he did reveal several characters will be available to the player. The game will be released in February of 2009 as a downloadable title. What he has seen of the game "looks as good as the film looks."
One of the most memorable aspects of the "Watchmen" is the pirate comic book that runs parallel to, and comments on, the events of the main story, "Tales of the Black Freighter." Asked if it would appear in the game, Wein said no. He also mentioned the theatrical film will lack the pirate story, but fans of the Black Freighter are in for a special treat. "They're releasing 'Tales of the Black Freighter' as an animated film about the same time as the feature hits the screen." Currently, the DVD is scheduled for release the Tuesday following the theatrical debut of "Watchmen."
But wait, there's more! "Someone told me that later on, when the Ultimate version of the DVD of 'Watchmen' is done, they will merge the two," Wein revealed.
While Wein is heavily involved in building the video game, he has only seen little footage from the film. Dave Gibbons, on the other hand, is involved in both the game and film, designing aspects of both. As for Alan Moore? "Ask Alan," Wein joked. "Otherwise, I'm just telling tales out of school."
Some of Moore's antipathy comes from his own experiences in watching his work translated to the screen, but Wein feels a certain respect has entered Hollywood in regards to the properties they source from comics. "We can all count the superhero movies where clearly the producers and/or the director and/or writer said, 'Oh, it's just a comic book, why worry about it?' And you see what the product was," Wein said. "The people involved with 'Watchmen,' especially the director [Zach Snyder], really want it to be true to the material and are zealous about it." To the doubters of the film, Wein says, "Give it a chance."
Asked about his favorite comic book-inspired film already released, Wein immediately said, "'The Dark Knight' has got to be way up there." He also pointed out "Spider-Man 2" and "Batman Begins." Wein said he was happy to see a new superhero in the form of "Hancock," but found the film "unfocused." He clarified, "It didn't know what story it wanted to tell." Returning to "The Dark Knight," Wein talked about his thrill in seeing Morgan Freeman play Lucious Fox, another of his creations. "[It] just makes me grin like an idiot," he joked. Of the characters than have made it to the screen, he said Wolverine is closest to his intentions.
Besides the "Watchmen" video game, Wein has a number of upcoming projects. He is writing next year's "Superman/Batman Annual" and has an issue "The Simpsons" coming soon. He's also written a Western short story for an Image Comics anthology and an episode of the Disney series "Ben 10." He mentioned a new project at DC, but could not say more about it.
Writing in such diverse formats and genres, Wein wishes the comics industry had a greater level of genre equality. "When I started in comics many years ago, there was not a genre that wasn't covered," he recalled.
Asked about his favorite moment in "Watchmen," Wein highlighted a favorite line uttered by Rorschach, when he is locked up and chided by the other inmates, "None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me."


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2 Whatcom County children among 8 hospitalized with mystery illness
Two Whatcom County children were among eight admitted to Seattle Children's Hospital recently with illnesses that caused sudden paralysis in an arm, a leg or both limbs.
Health officials don't yet know the reason for the children's mysterious neurologic illnesses, saying they are investigating whether they have a rare condition known as acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM.
The Washington state Department of Health, Seattle Children's, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the cluster of cases, all of which occurred within a month.
"At this point there isn't evidence that would point to a single source of illness among these cases," said Dr. Scott Lindquist, infectious disease epidemiologist at the state Health Department. "However, this investigation is just getting underway and we're looking at all possibilities as we try to understand what might have contributed to these illnesses."
The eight children were admitted to the hospital with a range of symptoms that also differed in severity. But all lost strength or movement in one or more of their arms or legs, state health officials and Seattle Children's said.
"To have eight cases that could fit this syndrome cluster in such a short period of time is what the concern is," Lindquist said Friday, Oct. 28.
The cases have not yet been confirmed as AFM, which affects the nervous system, specifically the spinal cord.
The CDC will confirm whether the cases are AFM, using lab tests and magnetic resonance imaging to search for distinctive lesions in certain areas of the spinal cord, health officials said.
Lindquist said all eight cases may not turn out to be AFM, adding that the investigation is in the early stages.
"I am not convinced at this time that they all are the same thing," he said.
But the number of similar cases so close together was unusual and a matter of concern, Lindquist said.
The children ranged in age from 3 to 14 years. They were from four counties:
▪ three from King County
▪ two from Whatcom County
▪ two from Franklin County
▪ one from Pierce County
Three children remained hospitalized as of Friday, Oct. 28. Five have been released.
It was unknown whether the children from Whatcom County still were in the hospital. Health officials declined to release further information, citing patients' privacy rights.
Symptoms typically include sudden weakness in one or more arms or legs, as well as loss of muscle tone and reflexes.
Other symptoms include weakness or drooping in the face and eyelids, difficulty with moving eyes, difficulty swallowing or slurred speech.
Lindquist said the classic disease associated in the U.S. with such symptoms was polio, before noting that polio wasn't the cause for the Washington state cases.
"We're not suspecting polio here," he said.
The exact cause of AFM is unknown.
Many viruses and germs are linked to AFM, health officials said, including common germs that can cause colds and sore throats, and respiratory infections.
It also could be caused by mosquito-borne viruses such as West Nile or Zika.
Concerned parents don't need to fear that they will miss the symptoms if they're not vigilant, according to Jim Owens, pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital.
"It's something that they would notice," Owens said, referring to the weakness in arms or legs. "It's not subtle."
There were no cases of AFM reported in Washington state last year. There were two in 2014. Health officials said it's rare, with fewer than one in a million people developing AFM.
Still, there has been an increase in AFM cases this year, according to the CDC.
Health officials said there have been more than 50 cases in 24 states across the U.S. as of August 2016.
Kie Relyea: 360-715-2234, @kierelyea
Learn more
Additional information on acute flaccid myelitis and the Washington state Department of Health investigation is online at:
▪ cdc.gov/acute-flaccid-myelitis.


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Contact Brian Oloo at: +255 758316066
info <at> ibukadance.org
Tell us what you think!
We are constantly working to raise the bar and learn from our mistakes. As a social business, we serve the community, provide dance education and are a centre for creation. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.
info <at> ibukadance.org


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Baseball Glove Art featuring 'Bucketfoot' Al Simmons
Hall of Fame Slugger Simmons Portrayed on Vintage Glove
This painting of Aloysious Simmons, one of the best hitters of the live-ball era, has been acquired by The National Pastime Museum.
Simmons was part of the dominant Philadelphia Athletics teams that won the A.L pennant in 1929 and World Series in 1930 and 1931. He was a star outfielder for a total of seven teams from 1924-1944.
An antique baseball glove from the 1930s, similar in style to what Al Simmons wore in the outfield during that era, was used for this painting.
Simmons won the batting title in 1930, batting .381 and in 1931, batting .390. At the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1953, he had the most hits by any A.L. right-handed batter in history with 2831.
Born in Milwaukee, Simmons went on to collect a .334 lifetime average with 2927 hits and 307 home runs. The position of his feet while batting earned him the nickname "Bucketfoot Al".
Sean Kane's baseball glove art has been featured on NBC Sports.com, ESPN.com, MLB Network Radio, and is in the collection of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and private collections across the country.
Inquires about paintings and commissioning glove artworks are welcome. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com or telephone 519-836-5647.


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"I love Andy!"
I just received a balance facial from Andy!! OMG!!! My face feels and looks amazing!!! I have extreme sensitive skin and I've been scared for years to do facials!!! Not anymore!!! My face feels much better then I walked in!!! I LOVE Andy!! Even with my eyebrows!! My face never looked better!! ���������������������
I'm forever a customer!!!!
— Jai Roberts
"Andy is amazing at what she does!"
Andy is the consummate professional. I highly recommend her, especially her facials! She's knowledgeable, always promotes personal service, great care and attention to detail for my skin care needs at each appointment! Andy has transformed my skin in 2 months ! I had problem dark areas on my face that are completely gone ! I am mean vanished ! I am so happy I met Andy and I plan to have a long term relationship with her as my esthetician. Andy is amazing at what she does ! Book an Appointment A.S.A.P !You will not be disappointed.
— Kandyce Taylor


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Transfer candidates must have...
- completed at least one full year in an ACAOM accredited program (35-40 credits)
- a strong interest in hands-on training that includes weekly acupuncture practice with peers in the diverse acupuncture styles taught at the college
- a desire to become an integral part of a serious and supportive learning community
Contact Admissions
Admissions Office
Admissions Information
Transfer to Tri-State
Tri-State accepts transfer students in to the Master of Science degree programs when space is available. We recognize that transferring to a new school can be a challenge, and we are committed to helping you make a smooth transition. You will find Tri-State to be a warm and welcoming community, with passionate students and faculty members, and a dedicated and knowledgeable staff. If you are considering transferring from your current acupuncture school, please contact the Office of Admissions to find out if space is available in your year.
Transfer Credits
The college reserves the right to grant transfer credit where applicants can prove that formal prior learning has covered areas essentially identical to those for which credit is requested. Students must submit documentation of prior learning and experience, including official transcripts and course syllabi, demonstrating successful completion of coursework with a GPA of C (2.5) or higher. Students may also be asked to take equivalency exams or oral evaluations with the Director of Education. The granting of transfer credits is at the discretion of the Director of Education.
In order to graduate from the college's M.S. degree program in Acupuncture and/or Oriental Medicine students are required to complete a minimum of one full academic year in residence (the clinical internship), as well as all Master's capstone projects.


text: Pristine shorelines, magnificent lighthouses, breathtaking falls, scenic parks, boutique stores, memorable people... Rogers City, Michigan is the perfect place to relax, enjoy nature and experience a less rushed part of the world. Here you are able to enjoy all the wonders of nature while only being a short distance away from unique shopping, homemade food and timeless museums. Whether you are looking for a place to unplug or be inspired; Rogers City welcomes you. Come experience for yourself the lifestyle of a Northeastern Michigander. We promise you'll be hooked.


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Mastering the Art ofthe "Pre-Mortem"
There are a lot of great techniques out there for project troubleshooting, but my personal favorite continues to be the "pre-mortem." Though entrepreneurs (especially very enthusiastic ones) find it morbid and deflating, it's awfully useful for identifying flaws in an action plan.
The process is simple. You sit down with your project team and imagine you're living six months in the future. Your plan — whatever it is, a new company, a campaign, a product launch — has crashed and burned utterly. Your time and money have been wasted, your stakeholders are disillusioned and angry. How did it come to this? What on Earth happened?
You can see why a lot of people hate this. It's not exactly a positive visualization technique. But there's a point. Once the happy, overly-optimistic smiles have been wiped off everybody's faces, people start to think clearly about risks. Explanations for the disaster are typically honest and frequently profound. "We didn't do enough research." "We didn't do diligence on our suppliers." "We did what was best for us instead of what was best for our customers."
These "pre-failures" make great project checklists. Make a habit of the pre-mortem and you'll be amazed at how much smarter you'll be the next time you go to market.


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When the lovely ladies with Twin Stripe Magazine reached out to see if they could interview me for Travel Month on their blog, I was thrilled! Katie and Alison have posted the Q & A on their blog today, so head on over and take a gander.
Read more here...
If you haven't been keeping up with their Travel Month posts, be sure to check them out. I'm especially loving their journey to Ireland (part 1 and part 2) and the latest black and white travel gear post.
Many thanks to Katie and Alison for letting me take part in their fun-filled month of adventure!


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Yummy Plants: a vegan lifestyle website and community. We can help you start a vegan diet!
Our vegan-friendly restaurant section lists restaurants where you can get a vegan entree. We only list restaurants that we have visited or our community members have submitted, where we can promise that can eat more than just a salad. Please keep checking back: the Yummy Plants team and our community members are adding new vegan-friendly restaurants all the time. If you don't see your favorite vegan-friendly restaurant listed, please use this link to share your favorites with the community! http://yummyplants.com/submit-a-restaurant/
Note: All of the restaurants that we list are vegan-friendly. Some are 100% vegan restaurants and are listed as 100% vegan in the description. Most of the restaurants in our list serve vegan and non-vegan food options.
Woodlands Vegan Bistro
Woodlands Vegan Bistro (formerly Everlasting Life Cafe) is a 100% plant-based soul food restaurant that offers both organic and raw options. They are open daily for lunch, dinner and brunch (only Sundays). Their comfort food is as nutritious as it is flavorful! They have an amazing shakes, smoothies, and juices bar. Try the Fried Chick'n [...]
- Web: http://www.woodlandsveganbistro.net/
- Location: 2928 Georgia Avenue, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia
- 202-232-1700
Chop't is vegan-friendly.
- Web: http://www.choptsalad.com
- Location: Various Locations, Washington, District of Columbia


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Announced last month, the AZA has instated a new safety policy for keepers working with elephants. This new policy essentially eliminates the option of free contact for accredited zoos.
For those who are unfamiliar with the terminology, "free contact" refers to the husbandry practice whereby keepers and animals share the same space with no barriers between them. This allows keepers to easily train behaviors without impediment, but generally requires use of the controversial bullhook—essentially a stick with a metal hook and pointed end. "Protected contact" is the opposite. All elephant areas must have barriers to protect keepers from harm. This limits direct keeper animal contact and decreases likelihood of injury.
Because of this policy change, some zoos will have to make operational and husbandry changes by 2014, and will of course also cause some need for facility changes, namely the inclusion of additional barriers and dedicated keeper walks within barns.
Perhaps the most controversial effect of the policy change will be the implied elimination of elephant interactions such as rides and possibly some shows. However, most zoos have already eliminated these types of free contact situations, and many zoos have switched to protected contact years ago.
Personally, I believe this is only a positive change as ultimately it will serve to protect both the animals and the keepers. But as we know, for some, change is a difficult pill to swallow. Hopefully those institutions not meeting the new policy requirements decide to pour themselves a nice big glass of water, and join us here in the future.


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A reminder that the church's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held tomorrow night (Tuesday 21 February) at 6:30pm. Each member of the church has the privilege of being able to participate in the functioning and decision making processes of the church. And so we would encourage you to attend this meeting.
Please note that only members may vote at this meeting. If you are not a member, then you are welcome to attend the meeting and observe, but you may not comment or vote at the meeting. Please note that church attendance alone does not make you a member of the church. Only those who have completed the membership classes and have been voted in by the existing members at a members meeting, are actual members of the church.
If you would like to become a member of the church, then please contact the church office for more information.
Please do not confuse this notice for the AGM as being the same notice as the upcoming SGM (Special General Meeting) which is to be held on Sunday 12 February after the morning service.


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Me teased by my grandson
Photo by Kim Martino - NEM Founder Artist
Fresco Flower
A Cold Winter's Day.
Lil' Pink. (straight Hipstamatic macro)
Leme Dandielon
Let's play!
Karate Belt Test
Seeking Dog
Footprints in the Snow (3Gs)
Ball Field
Orchid Bud
Come to the side door
Beer Garden
No title


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Cooking on a hike isn't as simple as chucking some gear in your pack and hoping for the best. For streamlined adventures, you need reliable and whisper light cooking gear to make sure you're not hindered by a heavy pack.
With reliable brands such as Back Country Cuisine, Coleman, Sea to Summit, Companion, Clif Bar, The Outdoor Gourmet Company, 360 Degrees, JetBoil, Gasmate, MSR, Trangia, Campers Pantry, GSI Outdoors, Em's Power Cookies, and Biolite – there's a massive range to choose from.
We've got delicious freeze-dried meals for easy meal prep, snacks for fuelling on the trail, kettles gas and multi fuel stoves for cooking on the move, cups mugs plates bowls and cutlery that won't weigh you down, plus all the accessories you could need – so you can get the whole kit and caboodle here at Snowys.
Exciting news, your order has left our warehouse! If you'd like to keep an eye on it's journey, click the button below.
Oh and don't forget to copy your tracking number.
Tracking number:
Pay for your order in equal fortnightly payments
Your order will be shipped now, just like a normal order
No interest, no additional fees if you pay on time*
You can use Afterpay for orders up to $1,500


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ETERNO is a joint project of one of the largest Russian metallurgic manufacturing companies CHELPIPE and RUSNANO, a company that implements state policy for the development of the nano industry in Russia, acting as a co-investor in nanotechnology projects, which have substantial economic or social potential.
CUSTOMVIEW˚ team's task was to show the uniqueness of the plant, its technical capabilities and aspects of a manufacturing process.
We had made a 360 panoramic video, integrated 3D and infographics in it and created unique ETERNO presentation that allowed our audience to experience production plant from the inside, visit manufacturing workshops and see details of manufacturing processes. The project was made with the support of Radugadesign Studio.


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Mao Dun Zhuang or Combat Stance is an essential posture for developing martial power. Sometimes called 'Shield and Spear,' it is a fully back-weighted side stance which trains among other things, both lifting and sinking power. There is little or no weight on the front leg and the front heel is very slightly lifted. Because this is a martial posture, the eyes want to be open and focused way in the distance, say out to the horizon.
To train lifting and sinking Jin, imagine your arms around the trunk of a tree. Next, feel you are 'pushing' the trunk upward (Lifting Jin) and then feel you are pressing it down, deep into the ground. (Sinking JIn) In order for this technique to be effective, your feeling-awareness must play a leading role along with your imagination. In other words you must 'mock-up' the appropriate feelings until they seem almost real, like you're actually performing the two tasks.
Also while training this posture one often becomes aware of the separating and combining of Yang and Yin. The Yang Heaven energy descends through the back half of the posture down through the head, neck, torso, back arm, the weighted leg and into the foot and especially into the center of the heel. At the same time the ascending Yin Earth energy rises up the front part of the posture, from Yongquan point K-1 up through the forward leg, torso, front arm, neck and head.
Of course, the Mao Dun Zhuang posture and it's variation must be performed on both sides, generally 15-30 minutes per side. The primary difference between the normal posture and it's variation is the lower position of the arms. The lower arm position really only becomes possible to do correctly when much of the body has been stretched and opened up through extensive practice of the basic posture.


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Getting Started
Oranum is one of the newer psychic networks, but it is also the most revolutionary. While other networks do offer psychic chat, the majority of their customers call to speak with a psychic directly. Oranum, however, is chat only. Where they really differ, however, is that their psychics can be seen via live webcam. No other network around does this, so it is truly a unique experience.
Signing Up
It is free to sign up on Oranum. You can also speak to psychics for free; however, they will not provide you with a reading unless you go into a private reading. Think of their main chat area as a lobby where you can discuss anything you like. But, if you want a real reading, you must go private.
To signup, click the "Signup for Free!" button at the top of the website. You'll see the below lightbox pop-up. Enter your desired username and password, and click "next." You'll also be asked for your gender and full name.
Oranum differs from other networks in that you have to buy package of credits, rather than packages of minutes.
At the top of the site you'll now see "Buy Credits"
You have the option to purchase credits several different ways: Credit/Debit, PayPal, online check, bitcoin, or a gift card. It's important to note that they gift you $9.99 in free minutes if you use your credit card. This is a good deal and we recommend that you take advantage of it. That can be nearly ten minutes of free talk-time.
How many minutes you purchase is entirely up to you. What we've found, however, is that a good reading typically takes around 30 minutes. For this reason, we recommend you go with the $27.99 package if you can swing it. This will give you a solid 30 minutes with a psychic charging .99 center per minute.
Once your purchase is complete, your account will be updated with the number of credits you purchased.
Like most networks, the psychics on Oranum have different per-minute rates. Higher rates are typical of more experienced psychics with the highest ratings. However, we've had many readings with cheaper psychics, and we've been very happy, so don't think that just because someone is cheaper they're any less skilled - they may just be newer to the site.
With that being said, you will find psychics with rates as low as .99 cents per minute, and psychics with rates as high as $8.99 per minute. In order to see a psychic's rate, you have to click "Enter private reading." When you do, the psychic's rate will be displayed. In this instance, it is 4.99 credits per minute.
You can view a psychics profile and testimonials by choosing a psychic, closing their live feed, and then clicking "testimonials" in the right hand side bar.
Types of Readings
At the time of writing this, Oranum boasts over 2000 active psychics. This means that you can get many different types of readings.
- Email Readings
- Palm Readings
- Love & Relationships
- Home & Family
- Mind & Body
- Career & Business
- Health & Healing
- Clairvoyance
- Traveling & Relocation
- Dream Interpretation
- Rituals & Energies
- Chakra Healing
Do We Recommend Oranum?
No network is perfect. Each is going to have a mix of good and no-so-good psychics. The tricky part is finding the good ones without wasting money. That's why it's important to look at testimonials before you engage in a reading.
There is one thing we can say about Oranum, however, and that is that it's the most engaging psychic network out there, and truly begins to feel like an authentic community once you get started!
Sign Up for Oranum Free Chat
It's free to sign up on Oranum, and you can chat with psychics for free before you decide to get a private reading.


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Verses including the word Backbiting
O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it...But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. (Surah HAl-Hujurat, 12)
A slanderer, going about with calumnies, (Surah Al-Qalam, 11)
Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and-backbiter, (Surah Al-Humaza, 1)


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My Story
What started as a job at a local bakery when I was 15, grew into a hobby that I couldn't put down. So with 15+ years cake decorating experience, a handful of family recipes and a love of all things baked, I started Snacky French in 2010. Baking is my passion and creative outlet. I love getting to express that creativity in each confection I make. You can find me in the kitchen trying a new recipe or technique even on my days off. Being a home based bakery, while my children are little, has been a dream come true.
Snacky French?
While honeymooning in Mexico my husband and I were walking around one day, looking for a delicious treat. We walked by many great places, but two stood out to us, one with the word "Snacky" in it the other one with the word "French"; well at least that's all we remember because we never ate at either. We put the two together and it soon became our inside joke that when we wanted a treat, we'd say "let's go get a Snacky French". I loved it so much that I decided it would be the perfect, fun, off beat sort of name for my business. So next time you're in the mood for something sweet, remember this endearing term. "Let's go get a Snacky French".