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We're delighted to report that Tomato Red and The Siege of Jadotville have both been nominated in the category of Best Sound at this year's IFTA Film & Drama Awards.
Adapted from the novel by Winters Bone author Daniel Woodrell, post-production on the film took place here at Screen Scene, with Room editor Nathan Nugent cutting the film and SSVFX providing all of the films Visual Effects.
Full sound post production was carried out here at Screen Scene and at Ardmore Sound.
Supervising sound editor / sound designer: Niall Brady
Sound designer / sound effects editor: Steve Fanagan
Re-recording mixers: Garret Farrell and Ken Galvin
Foley mixer: Jean McGrath
Foley Artist: Eoghan McDonnell
Foley Editor: Brendon Rehill
Directed by Richie Smyth, The Siege of Jadotville was nominated for eight awards at this years event, including Best Film and Best Director.
The film's final mix and foley was provided by Screen Scene and Ardmore Sound.
Re-recording mixers: Paul Cotterell and Garret Farrell
Foley Artist: Eoghan McDonnell
Foley Mixer: Jean McGrath
Massive congratulations to all involved on the well-deserved nominations!
The IFTA Film & Drama Awards will take place at the Round Room of the Mansion House on Saturday 8th April 2017.


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Oracle Named CRM Leader by Forrester
Today, Oracle announced that Forrester Research, Inc., a market research company, named it a leader in CRM Suites in the Forrester Wave, a quarterly report. Oracle's CRM On Demand was named a leading solution in the CRM Suite for Midsized Organizations, Q2 2010, category. Oracle's Siebel CRM was named a leader in the CRM Suite for Large Organizations, Q2 2010, category.
The Forrester reports stated that Oracle CRM On Demand "has achieved success in the market by offering the same benefits as other CRM SaaS solutions: quick time-to-value, strong usability, and low upfront costs. This value proposition attracts midsized organizations, and it is finding increasing acceptance in units of large companies." The reports also praised Oracle's "innovative" features, including social CRM. Oracle's social CRM helps increase collaboration within organizations. It also helps companies deliver differentiated sales and services. The report continued to say, "The product offers strong sales force automation (SFA) capabilities and partner channel management, and it provides sound support for customer service, customer data management, and analytics."
Oracle's Siebel CRM was named a leader for large organizations. The report said, "Siebel CRM is designed to provide robust capabilities that empower users to better address customer needs… the Siebel CRM product for large organizations has achieved best-of-breed status for most CRM functionalities, including: sales, marketing, customer service, field service, partner relationship management, and customer data management."
Oracle is delighted to have been recognized by Forrester. The SVP of Oracle CRM, Anthony Lye, said, "Oracle CRM enables organizations of all sizes to transform their customer experience by promoting customer acquisition, increasing loyalty and lowering the cost of marketing, selling and servicing. We are pleased that Forrester recognized Oracle for its diverse range of solutions, targeted industry expertise, and flexible deployment options."
Oracle's E-Business Suite CRM and Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM were also mentioned in the Forrester Report as good ERP options. The E-Business suite provides easy integration and is useful in sales compensation management. PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM also provides strong integration benefits.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chandigarh, a Union Territory (UT) Administration in India, is hoping that training its tourist police in English and French languages will bridge the communication gap and bring in more tourists to the region. Chandigarh, which is called The City Beautiful, is the capital of the states of Haryana and Punjab, located at the country's northern section. The city is a union territory and therefore ruled by the Union Government of India directly. It is not a part of the states where it serves as their capital.
Tourists from France
Many tourists from France come to Chandigarh to explore the beautiful city that was designed by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, also known as Le Corbusier, who was a Swiss-French urban planner, designer and architect. The city is actually very popular due to its urban design and its architecture. Most of the French tourists do not speak any English at all, thus the city administration is now having a group of 30 city police officers trained in English and French to act as tourist police to help foreign visitors.
Domestic tourists on the other hand who come from other parts of India do not speak Hindi although they can speak English. The most common language in Chandigarh is Punjabi, which is spoken by nearly half of its population. Others speak Hindi while the younger generation speaks a bit of English, and has created words combining Hindi and English.
A challenge
The language training program was launched on July 1 by Anurag Aggarwal, the UT Home Secretary at the Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management in Sector 42.
According to Shashi Kapoor, who was a guest lecturer at the language workshop, it will be a challenge for them to teach the police officers. They come from the interior areas of Pubjab and Haryana and mainly speak Punjabi and Hindi and very little English, thus they will have to conduct the training in the two prevailing languages.
Ekta Nayyar, an assistant lecturer said that there will be five instructors who will teach the police officers about grooming, personality development and how to deal with foreign visitors. They will also be taught methods on how to deal with complaints, basic etiquette and ethics in the workplace, as well as teach them about image building, which is one of the purposes of the program – to build the city's image and encourage more tourist arrivals.
They will be taught basic phrases in French and in English to help them build their confidence in speaking with foreign nationals and encourage rapport. Participants will receive lectures and practical training, giving them scenarios so that they will know how to handle different situations. They will also be taught inter-personal skills.
At the end of the training, the workshop participants will be asked to give verbal feedback rather than take a test.


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- Research article
- Open Access
Sorption of phosphate onto mesoporous γ-alumina studied with in-situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy
- Ting-Ting Zheng1, 2,
- Zhong-Xi Sun1Email author,
- Xiao-Fang Yang2, 3 and
- Allan Holmgren2Email author
© Zheng et al.; licensee Chemistry Central Ltd. 2012
- Received: 11 January 2012
- Accepted: 23 March 2012
- Published: 3 April 2012
Due to the extensive use of phosphates in industry, agriculture and households, the phosphate - γ-alumina interactions are important for understanding its detrimental contribution to eutrophication in lakes and rivers. In situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can provide more detailed information on the adsorbate-adsorbent interaction and the formation of hydrogen bonds.
In situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify phosphate complexes adsorbed within the three-dimensional network of mesoporous γ-alumina at pH 4.1 and 9.0. The integrated intensity between 850 cm-1 and 1250 cm-1 was used as a relative measure of the amount of adsorbed phosphate. The integrated intensity proved to be about 3 times higher at pH 4.1 as compared with the corresponding intensity at pH 9.0. The adsorption of phosphate at the two pH conditions could be well described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm at low concentrations and the empirical Freundlich adsorption isotherm for the whole concentration range, viz. 5 – 2000 μM.
From the band shape of infrared spectra at pH 4.1 and pH 9.0, it was proposed that the symmetry of the inner-sphere surface complex formed between phosphate and γ-alumina was C1 at the lower pH value, whilst the higher value (9.0) implied a surface complex with C2v or C1 symmetry. The difference in adsorbed amount of phosphate at the two pH values was ascribed to the reduced fraction of ≡ AlOH2+ surface sites and the increased fraction of ≡ AlO- sites upon increasing pH from 4 to 9.
- Attenuate Total Reflection
- Adsorbed Phosphate
- Mesoporous Alumina
- Aluminum Phosphate
- Phosphate Species
The concern about phosphate distribution in fresh water and soil is motivated by its detrimental contribution to eutrophication in lakes and rivers and the extensive use of phosphates in industry, agriculture and households [1, 2]. The mobility of phosphate in soil and aquatic systems is largely determined by the reaction between phosphate and mineral surfaces [3, 4]. Because of the abundance of aluminum and iron oxides in soil and sediment and their sorption reactivity to phosphate, the interaction of water with alumina and iron oxide [5–10] and the uptake of phosphate on various Al- and Fe-oxides (e.g., boehmite, gibbsite, goethite, ferrihydrite, hematite) has been studied extensively in the past decades by both macroscopic and spectroscopic methods [11–28, 30]. These investigations showed that phosphate inner-sphere complexes were formed at the metal oxide-water interface within a certain pH range. The type of surface complexes that may form, i.e. monodentate, bidentate mononuclear or binuclear and the degree of protonation varied with pH. The surface coverage was both pH and contact time dependent and in addition to surface complexes also aluminum phosphate precipitates may form.
In situ or ex situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can provide molecular scale information on phosphate configuration at the surface. The type of phosphate complexes that are formed in a fixed aqueous environment may be proposed based on the symmetry of the phosphate complex in combination with curve fitting analysis of the stretching ν3 vibration of phosphate. However, the bonding of phosphate to the metal oxide surface is difficult to unambiguously predict in detail due to the interplay between protonated surface species and hydrogen bonding. For instance, the protonated monodentate inner-sphere species (≡AlOPO2OH) can not be distinguished from monodentate species with a hydrogen bond to an adjacent surface hydroxyl group (≡AlOPO2O-HOAl≡), since both species have equivalent low molecular symmetry. In spite of this limitation, FTIR spectroscopy has become one of the most useful tools in the analysis of phosphate species sorbed on solid surfaces. However, IR studies of phosphate sorption onto aluminum oxides are much less common than the corresponding studies on iron oxides, despite the well-known strong interaction between phosphate and aluminum ions implying a high potential to affect the mobility of phosphate in soil systems containing aluminum oxides. Many of these studies were performed using ex-situ methods [23] where spectroscopic data are collected under more or less dry conditions affecting the formation of hydrogen bonds and possibly the adsorbate-adsorbent interaction.
In this study the in-situ Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) –FTIR spectroscopy technique was used implying that data were collected simultaneously as the adsorbate (orthophosphate) entered the detection volume of the adsorbent deposited on the ATR crystal. The detection volume consisted of a synthesized aluminum oxide with large surface area. A large surface area is advantageous in adsorption studies using the ATR method since the signal to noise ratio is improved implying a lower detection limit for a certain amount of adsorbent. The γ-alumina material used in this study improved the signal to noise due to its large surface area and mesoporous structure. The concentration of the total soluble phosphate was very low, down to 5 μM, which was admitted at least at low pH because of this large surface area. The in situ ATR- FTIR method used is also advantageous compared to batch methods since it admits molecular level information of adsorbed species in real time. These advantages facilitated the study of aqueous phosphate adsorption onto mesoporous alumina at both low and high pH and in the concentration range 5 μM to 2000 μM. The objective of the study was to elucidate the structure of complexes formed upon phosphate adsorption on alumina as functions of pH and phosphate concentration and to be able to suggest a possible sorption mechanism based on collected infrared spectroscopic data.
Results and Discussions
It is well-known that upon attenuated total reflection at the surface of an ATR crystal, the electric field will decline exponentially with the distance from the crystal surface. Accordingly, phosphate adsorbed in the mesoporous alumina layer closer to the reflecting surface will contribute more to the recorded infrared absorption than phosphate species adsorbed in the outer part of the detection volume. The penetration depth is the distance from the crystal surface where the electric field has dropped to e-1 of its value but the electric field is of course larger than zero also beyond that distance. For a ZnSe crystal, the penetration depth is ~1.6 μm at 1000 cm-1 provided the refractive index of the porous alumina layer in water is ~1.4. However, a deposited layer thicker than the penetration depth is rather an advantage here since the intensity recorded from adsorbed species will not be much influenced by the layer being 3 μm or 5 μm thick.
Effect of pH and concentration on phosphate sorption
As calculated from the thermodynamic equilibrium constants, H2PO4- and HPO42- are the dominating species in solution at pH 4.1 and 9.0, respectively (see Additional file 1: Figure S3). Therefore, the relative amounts of adsorbed phosphate at the two pH values could be estimated assuming that equal amounts of γ-Al2O3 was penetrated in each experiment, which also was supported by the pH-envelope experiments where the same alumina layer was exposed to phosphate in solution starting at pH 9.0 and ending at pH 4.1 (see Figure 2). A layer thickness larger than the penetration depth seems to facilitate this estimation. However, it is not straight forward to compare the amount of adsorbed H2PO4- and the amount of absorbed HPO42- because the transition moments of the two adsorbed species may be different implying different absorption coefficients. To approach this problem, the absorption of the two species in solution was compared. It turned out that the same concentration (10000 μM) of the two species resulted in a slightly higher integrated absorbance for HPO42- as compared with H2PO4- and that the splitting of the ν3 vibration is different because of different symmetries (C3v and C2v). According to the Beer-Lambert Law, it implies that the absorption coefficient for H2PO4- in solution should be slightly lower than this coefficient for HPO42- in solution. A first assumption would be that the absorption coefficients of these two species, when forming surface complexes, are either close to similar or the coefficient of adsorbed H2PO4- is rather lower than the corresponding coefficient for adsorbed HPO42-. In either case, it seems reasonable to suggest that the amount of phosphate adsorbed at the lower pH value is much larger than the amount adsorbed at the higher pH value as indicated in Figure 3.
This relation between the two adsorbed species at low and high pH is also supported by batch experiments [11]. It is also supported by Johnson et al. in their study of phosphate adsorption onto γ-Al2O3 using NMR spectroscopy [28]. The latter investigation indicates that the amount of phosphate adsorbed at the lower pH should be about a factor of two larger than at the higher pH value, compared to a factor of about 3 estimated from our infrared spectra (Figure 3) assuming that the ratio between the absorption coefficients for the two species in solution is similar to the adsorbed species. It is clear from these comparisons that the transition moments of the phosphate species in solution change upon adsorption.
Spectral simulation
Excluding the band at 1080 cm-1, this result is fairly consistent with previous studies of phosphate adsorption onto, ferrihydrite [16], hematite [17] and goethite [18] from aqueous solution, which suggested that the dominant surface complex at low pH was (FeO)2-PO-OH. The ν3 peak positions in these studies were obtained at about 1120, 1006, and 970 cm-1, where the highest frequency was assigned to a mode involving the P = O double bond. Some difference in frequency positions, compared to alumina, was expected since the adsorption sites are represented by two different metal atoms although the valence of the two is identical. However, according to our findings there is also an absorption band located at ~1080 cm-1 that may not to be due to the splitting of the ν3 vibration. According to calculations using density functional theory (DFT) by Kwon and Kubicki [29] on phosphate adsorbed onto iron hydroxides, the most probable structure was found to be a diprotonated bidentate binuclear complex at low pH (4.2 – 5.7). The calculated vibration frequencies showed for example absorptions at 1120, 1080, 993, and 940 cm-1. Comparing our experimental results for the adsorption of phosphate onto mesoporous alumina with results from computed infrared frequencies from phosphate adsorbed on iron oxide [29] and experimental results from phosphate adsorption onto iron oxides [16–18], the diprotonated bidentate binuclear complex was excluded. There are well documented experimental results showing that the frequency appearing at 1126 cm-1 in our experimental spectra should be mainly due to the P = O entity. Accordingly, the dominating surface complex at pH 4.1 would be a monoprotonated bridging complex or a diprotonated monodentate complex. Moreover, the calculated frequencies of the monoprotonated bridging phosphate complex with Fe-hydroxide implied an absorption at 1113 cm-1, which is close to the expected frequency of the P = O stretch that should show up in this surface complex. The difference from our experimental value (1126 cm-1) is about 1 %, which to our experience is very small, especially since the surface site atoms are different (Fe instead of Al). Due to the appearance of the latter frequency in our spectra at low pH, it seems reasonable to suggest that the surface complex formed between mesoporous γ-Al2O3 and phosphate at low pH is a monoprotonated bidentate binuclear (AlO)2-PO-OH complex or a diprotonated monodentate complex. The sub-band at 1080 cm-1 should at least partly be due to precipitated aluminum phosphate. In a separate experiment the infrared spectrum of AlPO4 nH2O was recorded. A broad infrared absorption was obtained with maximum absorbance at ~1087 cm-1. Subtraction of this band from the total band shape in Figure 4 (pH 4.1), resulted in only minor wavenumber shifts of the simulated bands but in addition a band of low intensity appeared at about 1250 cm-1. The latter band may be due to PO-H bending vibration indicating that the complex formed is protonated.
It may be added that normalized absorbance spectra (not shown) recorded for phosphate concentrations from 5 μM to 2000 μM (at pH 4.1) showed that; the peak frequency shifted to higher wavenumber (~15 cm-1), the infrared bands became slightly broader with increasing phosphate concentration, and that the increased half-width was caused by an increased broadening only on the high wavenumber side of the band. The shift of the peak frequency became evident at high phosphate concentration (see Additional file 1: Figure S5). The reason for this change of the line shape at high phosphate concentration is ascribed to aluminum phosphate precipitation, as discussed below.
Sorption isotherm
The adsorption of phosphate at the surface of alumina has been studied by different methods and the proposed types of binding differ from monodentate to bidentate upon varying the solution pH and surface coverage. However, it seems that the monodentate type of phosphate binding to the aluminum and iron oxide surface is often suggested [32]. For example in the adsorption of phenyl phosphonic acid on the alumina surface a strong adsorption was observed at pH < 7, whereas a strong decrease in adsorption affinity was observed within the approximate pH range of 7.7 - 9.5 [33], The results of phosphate adsorption at the surface of γ-Al2O3 in this study showed a tendency similar to that of the adsorption of phenyl phosphonic acid onto alumina, although phosphate here was still adsorbed at the higher pH limit. However, the lack of a band due to P = O stretching at high pH suggests a bidentate bridging or a monodentate type of binding upon increasing the solution pH. The monodentate type of complex might be preferred since a free rotation about the Al–O bond may facilitate hydrogen bonding interaction.
Taking all these pieces of information into account, including the higher density of adsorbed phosphate at low pH, it is suggested that the inner-sphere surface complex between phosphate and the current alumina surface is of the diprotonated monodentate type or a monoprotonated bidentate binuclear complex at pH 4. In addition, precipitated aluminum phosphate seemed to be formed at this pH, which also is in accordance with results from previous NMR measurements [28]. At a pH value of 9, the infrared spectra of the adsorbed complexes are in accordance with a nonprotonated bidentate binuclear or a monoprotonated monodentate configuration.
Mechanism of sorption
As already pointed out the amount of phosphate adsorbed at pH 4.1 is about 3 times as large as the amount adsorbed at pH 9.0 (Figure 3). This is supported by the simulation of the protonation state of adsorbent surface sites (as shown in Additional file 1: Figure S4), suggesting that the number of ≡ AlOH2+ sites at the solid surface is reduced substantially upon increasing the solution pH from 4.1 to 9.0 and therefore the observed reduced intensity of adsorbed phosphate at the higher pH value might be explained by the reduced availability of positive adsorption sites along with an increasing number of negatively charged surface sites (see Additional file 1: Figure S4).
However, the ratio between the amount of adsorbed phosphate at pH 4.1 and pH 9.0 (~3) increases with the bulk concentration of phosphate (Figure 6) largely caused by the increased infrared intensity with phosphate concentration, at pH 4.1. This increase in intensity can not be due to infrared absorption from anions in bulk solution considering the thick (~4 μm) alumina layer on the ATR crystal, but could be interpreted as an increased aluminum phosphate precipitation.
It seems also reasonable to assume that phosphate entities in solution take part in hydrogen bonding to already adsorbed inner-sphere complexes thereby forming outer-sphere complexes. Most likely the negatively charged part of the H2PO4- entity takes part in this interaction with the diprotonated or monoprotonated non-charged surface complexes. The hydrogen bonded H2PO4- anion has C2v symmetry in aqueous solution since three υ3 bands were observed at 1159, 1074, and 939 cm-1. The 1074 cm-1 band had the strongest absorbance.
The symmetry and the peak positions are expected to be the same when H2PO4- is hydrogen bonded to an inner-sphere complex. Accordingly, the strong absorption at about 1080 cm-1 (Figure 4) may, in addition to precipitated aluminum phosphate, also be caused by contribution from hydrogen bonded phosphate species in outer-sphere position.
At pH 9.0, the surface complex is supposed to be nonprotonated or monoprotonated implying that the negatively charged surface complex offers hydrogen bonding possibilities to the proton of the HPO42- anion. However, this interaction is prohibited by the repulsion between the negatively charged species adsorbed at the alumina surface and the anion dominating in the bulk solution (HPO42-) and therefore the increase in bulk phosphate concentration does imply only a small increase in adsorbed amount of phosphate (Figure 6).
At pH 4.1, the zeta potential measurements showed the alumina surface to be positively charged irrespective of the bulk concentration of phosphate being 5 μM or 50 μM. The zeta potential measured at 5 μM (~20 mV) only decreased by a few mV upon increasing the phosphate concentration to 50 μM. At this phosphate concentration the number of surface sites on the alumina surface (assuming 1 site per nm2) is far below the number of H2PO4- units in the aqueous solution but the concentration of protons at this pH exceeds the concentration of phosphate anions (50 μM) by a factor of 2. However, it seems reasonable that the number of adsorbed species at pH 4.1 is much larger than at pH 9.0 since a positively charged surface should be more prone to accept negatively charged species.
Synthesis and preparation of alumina layer for IR analysis
The hydrous mesoporous alumina was prepared by adding NH3·H2O solution (2.5%) slowly to a rapidly stirred AlCl3·6H2O solution (1 mol⋅L−1). PEG (relative molecular mass = 4000) solution was used as a structure-directing reagent and as a dispersant to prevent the solid particles from aggregation. In addition dodecylamine was used as co-template. The suspension was centrifuged after being intensively stirred for 1 h at pH 9.0. The centrifugate was then rinsed with distilled water and ethanol in order to remove extra PEG and other impurities. The resulting gel was dissolved in ethanol solution and distilled at 100 °C to remove the alcohol. In the last step, mesoporous γ-alumina was obtained by calcination of the aluminum hydroxide powder at 650°C for 6 hours. The resulting adsorbent had a N2 BET surface area of 329 m2/g, which may be compared with a common surface area of γ-Al2O3 offered by suppliers, viz. 140 m2/g.
Stock alumina dispersions (0.5 g⋅L-1) were prepared by dispersing solid mesoporous γ-alumina in 0.01 M NaCl solution. The resulting dispersion was shaken during one hour. 2.0 ml (≈1 mg) of the alumina dispersion was evenly distributed over one side of the trapezoidal (50 x 20 x 3 mm) ZnSe ATR crystal (45o bevel) by a pipettor and subsequently dried in air overnight to deposit a dry alumina layer. The oxide layer was then rinsed with water to eliminate the particles that were loosely adhered to the crystal.
In situ ATR-FTIR measurements
The experimental setup for in situ ATR measurements is described in more detail elsewhere [27]. The dimension of the ATR crystal and the experimental setup used allowed 10 reflections to penetrate the mesoporous layer. The refractive index of the ZnSe crystal was 2.41 implying a penetration depth of 1.6 μm at 1000 cm-1 assuming a refractive index of 1.4 for the porous γ-Al2O3 phase on the crystal surface. Since the porous alumina layer is assumed to be penetrated by water, the refractive index of the alumina/water phase was estimated from the refractive index of water at 1084 cm-1 and the refractive index of γ-alumina (1.6). Data for the phosphate adsorption isotherm were obtained at fixed pH values of 9.0 and 4.1. Phosphate solutions were prepared from Milli-Q water and NaH2PO4.H2O (Sigma-Aldrich). For these experiments, the alumina deposit was first equilibrated with 0.01M NaCl as ionic medium adjusted to the pH of interest and subsequently a single beam background spectrum was recorded. Then, the aqueous phosphate solution was allowed to flow over the alumina layer at a rate of 1 mL min-1 (0.01 M NaCl as ionic medium). Spectra of phosphate adsorbed onto the alumina layer were recorded every ten minutes. After an initially fast adsorption, a constant slow adsorption rate was obtained, which was confirmed by the difference in the spectral intensities of two successive spectra (less than 2%). A small volume of concentrated phosphate stock solution was added to increase the phosphate concentration stepwise. The initial concentration of phosphate at each step was used for isotherm data evaluation, since the amount of phosphate in solution was in excess relative to the amount of surface sites, due to the small amount of alumina deposited. Assuming a surface site density of 1 site/nm2, only for the lowest phosphate concentration (5 μM) the number of phosphate entities in solution corresponds to the number of surface sites in the detection volume. The incremental increase in phosphate concentration or change of pH was accomplished through an external reaction vessel implying that a set of adsorption experiments could be performed on the same layer of γ-alumina.
Experiments using a non-coated ZnSe crystal indicated that contributions from aqueous phosphate to the IR spectrum became visible above the noise level only at solution concentrations higher than 1000 μM. However, the amount of γ-alumina deposited on the ATR crystal was large enough to prohibit most of the infrared field to reach into the bulk solution and therefore all spectra are dominated by absorptions caused by alumina-sorbed phosphate complexes with a negligible contribution from phosphate in the bulk. Infrared spectra were recorded on a Bruker 66v/S FTIR spectrometer equipped with a DTGS detector and at room temperature (23 ± 1oC) and atmospheric pressure using the double side forward-backward acquisition mode. A total number of 128 scans were signal-averaged using an optical resolution of 4 cm-1. The resultant interferogram was Fourier transformed using the Mertz phase correction mode, a Blackman-Harris 3-term apodization function, and a zero filling factor of 2. The recorded intensity of adsorbed phosphate at each bulk concentration was determined by integrating the absorption due to phosphate between 1250 cm-1 and 850 cm-1.
Zeta potential measurements
The zeta potential measurements were carried out on mesoporous γ-alumina sample using Zeta Compact zeta potential analyzer (CAD, France). An aliquot of the sample suspension with or without phosphate was dispersed in 40 mL NaCl solution. The concentration of γ-alumina in the dispersion was ca. 5 mg·L-1. The pH was adjusted with diluted NaOH and HCl solution. The conditioning time corresponds to that of FTIR measurements. After conditioning, the solution pH was measured and the electrophoretic mobility of particles was recorded and further processed by the Zeta 4 software applying the Smoluchowski equation. For each sample, the measurement was repeated three times and the final zeta potential was calculated as an average of the obtained values.
Speciation modeling
The speciation modeling of phosphate species in solution was carried out using computer program MEDUSA and the relevant equilibrium constants were collected from the MEDUSA database [34]. The speciation of mesoporous γ-alumina surfaces was obtained using computer software WinSGW [35]; the surface acid base equilibrium constant for mesoporous γ-alumina was taken from our own published results [36].
Adsorption of phosphate onto synthesized mesoporous γ-alumina was characterized at acid (pH 4.1) and basic pH (9.0) by in-situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The results indicated that different phosphate surface complexes were formed at the two pH values. At low pH, infrared spectra could be interpreted as a diprotonated monodentate inner-sphere complex formed together with outer-sphere complexes hydrogen bonded to the already formed inner-sphere complexes. However, a monoprotonaded bidentate binuclear inner-sphere complex with the same symmetry could not be excluded implying that both types of inner-sphere complexes can appear simultaneously on the γ-alumina surface. In addition, precipitated AlPO4 nH2O was formed on the γ-alumina surface at this low pH and started to form already in the beginning of the adsorption reaction as judged from the smooth change of the band shape with increasing phosphate concentration.
The amount of adsorbed phosphate increased rapidly at high phosphate concentrations and short reaction times followed by slow and small constant increase at longer reaction times. At pH 4.1 an equilibrium plateau value was not reached even at long reaction times (> 300 min) probably due to precipitation of aluminum phosphate.
At pH 9.0, the amount of adsorbed phosphate was only about 33 % of the amount adsorbed at pH 4.1, provided the transition moment of the surface complexes formed at the two pH values are about similar. This difference in adsorbed amount increased slightly at higher bulk phosphate concentrations (> 500 μM).
At the highest pH value studied here (pH 9.0), the surface complex formed at pH 9.0 was most likely a non-protonated bidentate binuclear complex with C2ν symmetry or a monoprotonated monodentate complex (C1). From our infrared spectra it was not possible to differentiate between these two types of complexes. At this high pH there was no indication of precipitated AlPO4 probably due to an increase in the solubility of aluminium phosphate with increasing pH in combination with the detection limit of the spectroscopic method used.
The adsorption of phosphate at the two pH conditions could be well described with the Langmuir type of adsorption isotherm at low concentrations and the empirical Freundlich adsorption isotherm for the whole concentration range, viz. 5 – 2000 μM.
Financial support from National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2011CB933700) and Chinese Natural Science Foundation (No.50874052; No. 20677022; 20810102001) is gratefully acknowledged.
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I'm going to try to blog about "life" here. That may be a DIY project, a party that I'm creating or just random thoughts here and there. I'm one of those people that usually has a mess of things circulating in my head and has big plans for all of them. Then life happens. I think we are going to have to let the cards fall where they may on this one.
Let's start with a little background info, shall we?
I've introduced myself to blogs over the past year or so. I honestly didn't realize the extent of them prior to that. I really like the learning/sharing/camaraderie associated with them and decided that I wanted to become a part of that community. It's part of the "branching out" promise I made to myself. Every experience offers the ability to grow and I need a little bit of growth in my life right now.
If I could describe myself as an extra-curricular activity, I would say 100% that I am a DIY'er. I have been since I was a kid (although then it was referred to as being "crafty"). There was the cross-stitch phase and the latch hook rug making days of the 80's intermixed with friendship bracelets and strategically ripped jeans with colorful threaded detailing...and I can't look back on my childhood without touching base on all the baking that I did. Loosely translated, I'm referring to my infamous banana bread and Chex mix (seriously the only two things that I make REALLY well). I could have hosted the first Food Network show on making banana bread using only my mother's kitchen and a tape recorder. I was that good. I've since graduated to coffee filter wreaths and fabric buntings, and my baking skills are more about the presentation than the actual "baking". It's all about evolution.
I enjoy making my family's surroundings pretty and fun. By no means does my house look like a page from a magazine or anything (because it is a far cry from being magazine worthy-think circa 1960's with a pink bathroom and room-to-room wallpaper), but I do enjoy decorating for holidays and making the place homey. The big stuff (such as the de-pinking process) will come in time. My hubs and I have already re-trimmed, re-painted, re-carpeted...you get the idea...our starter home. We basically had just gotten it to where we wanted it and ended up selling
More recently I have become a fan of sewing. I'm not good, but I like to dabble. I've held my own with a few blankets and a handful of burp cloths to date. I've had material for a pillow case dress and skirt for months but haven't actually sat down to do it (see...ideas galore but no execution).
I have a deep rooted love for designing/planning/organizing a good party. My biggest time investment right now is on a small business that I am developing that stems from this addiction. Beautiful Realities Paperie. I create custom invitations ranging from children's birthday parties to weddings. It is small and slow going, but I'm determined to make something out of it because I enjoy doing it that much. I have always wanted to do something that I both love and can make money at (don't we all), so I really, really want it to succeed in some form. I just want to have fun doing something that makes people smile.
Well, that sums it up...a little bit. This is going to be an interesting journey. I hope I'm up to the challenge.
Oh, two more things. I have a slight Pinterest obsession and my 1 year old is running around in footy pajamas with her sister's underwear on over the top of them. Just keeping it real.
Until next time...Cheers!


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albumen to afford considerable nutrition, but the chaff is quite in excess of the kernel, and, when bruised together in their rude mortars, the Indians are compelled to gorge quantities of the material to satisfy their hunger. It is poor food at best, but is a welcome resort when, as it often happens, they are on the verge of starvation,
10. Nut-Pines.—In various parts of the Far West grow species of Pinus in which the seeds are of unusual size. The primary object of this is undoubtedly to furnish an adequate amount of prepared food to the germinating plant in regions where the struggle for existence is desperate, not with competing forms of vegetable life, but against the sterility of the soil or the severity of the climate. Incidentally this provision of Nature is of great benefit to a variety of animals, and even to man himself. It is evident that this special device for securing the perpetuation of the species is vicarious with the development of the wing upon the seed by which it is caught in the wind and its distribution favored. Where the seed is unusually large and heavy the samara can do little for its transportation, and where it is largest the wing is reduced to a simple raphe, or has entirely disappeared. For the most part these nut-pines are the inhabitants of arid regions where the amount of animal life is small, and therefore there are few enemies by which the seed would be destroyed. And there the sterility is such that any device by which the seed was carried away from the protecting shade and the fertilizing influence of the parent tree would be destructive rather than protective. Hence the seeds are wingless, and are dropped among the decaying leaves that gather under and about it. To the Indians these pine-nuts are in some regions not only an important but almost an indispensable source of subsistence; they gather them systematically, as our farmers harvest their crops, and, in cases where for any reason a failure of this crop occurs, some tribes or bands have been brought nearly or quite to starvation for the want of the nutriment they afford.
The list of the nut-pines of the Far West includes the following species: Pinus Sabiniana and P. Coulteri, of California; P. albicaulis and P. flexilis, which grow on the mountains of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, etc.; P. edulis and its variety, P. monophylla, of the arid districts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico; and, finally, P. Parryana and P. cembroides, of Lower California and Northern Mexico. Of these, P. Sabiniana has large, ovoid, massive cones, six to eight inches in length and four to six inches in diameter, of which the surface bristles with strong and curved spines. The seeds are as large as good-sized beans, and of much the same form. The tree grows to a moderate or large size, but never forms forests. It is generally found scattered over the rocky foot-hills of the mountains, up to the height of three or four thousand feet—its great spiny cones, its spreading form, and blue-green foliage, making it everywhere conspicuous.


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13 JUN 2018: Put aside, for argument's sake, the question of what was actually accomplished, when Donald Trump met Kim Jong Un - at least in the way that we usually use the word. Put aside your politics, - if only for a moment and ask yourself – what the hell was this about? And if you're wondering what it has to do with travel – give yourself a shake. It has everything to do with everything.
The summit that brought the two together for gripping, grinning and signing on Tuesday is being vigorously debated across the planet for what it did, what it didn't do and who emerged on top.
Strip away the spectacle and look for the substance, so say the pundits. But what if that's not the whole point? What if, on a sunny tropical morning in Singapore, the spectacle itself was the most substantial thing of all?
On paper Trump got less than nothing from Kim Jong Un – it's a vague statement with no timelines and no detailed commitments from North Korea.
But as Trump made clear, none of that really matters to him.
Instead, he is betting everything on the "terrific relationship" and "very special bond" that he said he developed with the 34-year-old dictator, and Trump's is certain that they now view the future elimination of North Korea's arsenal of atomic weapons the same way.
He swatted away suggestions that the phrase "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" means something different in Pyongyang than it does in Washington.
"People thought this could never take place. It is now taking place," Trump said after the meeting. And in that he is utterly correct. A decade ago, a year ago and certainly six months ago, the notion of these two sitting down together - "Little Rocket Man" and the "deranged US dotard," as they derisively called each other - seemed unfathomable.
But it did happen. And with uncanny timing. After arriving late to a meeting with his closest allies, Trump left the G7 summit early and flew halfway around the world to meet the leader of one of the world's most repressive nations on the theory that if he could win over the country's leader with a vision of future wealth, North Korea would determine that it no longer needs its nuclear weapons. Or its missiles, its stockpiles of VX and other nerve agents or its biological weapons.
That theory is based on nothing but Trump's assumption that his personality, and deal-making skills - in which he almost alone has total confidence - will make all the difference. Essentially however, nothing has changed except that Trump denigrated his country's closest and long standing allies, to toady up to a dictator whose regime had killed hundreds of thousands of people and who has tortured and enslaved as many as 130,000 political prisoners in gulags.
No specific preconditions for the meeting were proposed and no commitment on human rights secured, nor was there any firm promise to denuclearize. Instead Trump blindsided allies by agreeing to the dictator's demands to end annual joint military exercises with South Korea.
Trump suggested that he was ending the "very provocative" war games as an incentive for North Korea to denuclearize, granting the North one of its most avidly sought objectives even before the country has begun dismantling its nuclear weapons and with no time commitment from them.
Just imagine what Republicans would have said or done if Barrack Obama or Hillary Clinton had done what Donald Trump just did.
Incredibly Republicans remained silent and made no protest, as Trump chillingly, lavished unrestrained praise on Kim Jong Un as a, "very talented man" who, "wants to do the right thing." Kim is, gushed Trump, "a worthy negotiator … a very worthy, very smart negotiator." No kidding.
Kim Jong Un is, said the US president of a man who has imprisoned, tortured and killed thousands of his citizens, a "funny guy" who "loves his people" has a "great personality." It's a "a great honor" the said, and they have a "very special bond."
"I do trust him."
Well, Mr. Trump, you are perhaps the only leader in the free world who does.
All this came from a man who just insulted and denigrated America's longtime allies – Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, because they don't bow to his whims. "A great honour" to have met with Kim Jong Un whom he reviled just months ago? How easily he can be played.
This would be laughable, if it wasn't so tragically insane that the President of the United States could be so easily duped.
Trump says he has no doubt that Kim has made a strategic decision to give it all up.
"I think, honestly, I think he's going to do these things," Trump said. "I may be wrong. I mean, I may stand before you in six months and say, 'Hey, I was wrong.'"
"I don't know that I'll ever admit that," he added, "but I'll find some kind of an excuse."
He will never admit it - and he will find an excuse – or pretend he never said it.
This is not really a meditation on whether it was right for Trump to meet with Kim, or whether by doing so he legitimized a despot. You can make up your own mind.
Instead, let's examine whether, in a modern media age when we do so many things remotely and then move on with lightning speed, an old-fashioned tete-a-tete - no matter how high-profile or tabloidy - is still important of its own accord.
First of all, the notion of personal relationships - of actually looking someone in the eye - is of great importance in East Asia. No matter how heartfelt the letter, no matter how big the envelope, correspondence can easily fall short. Face-to-face interaction is far superior to any other form of contact - a version of what George W. Bush, referring years ago to Vladimir Putin, called the ability to "get a sense of his soul."
People who seem intransigent or even sullen in writing or on the phone can bloom with generosity if you sit down together with a cup of tea or a glass of soju, Korea's clear and potent liquor. So, what might be considered a concession by some is, in much of East Asia, simply table stakes.
But what actually HAPPENED at the summit beyond the spectacle? What is really going to come out of this other than words? Isn't the act of meeting with Kim nothing more than a miscue that legitimizes his regime?
But what also happened was that they talked and shook hands and breathed the same air and walked away, by all appearances, in reasonably good moods. What happened was that 70 years of conflict were supplanted for a historical micromoment with a few hours of collegiality, at least on the surface. And in doing that Trump gave Kim Jong Un legitimacy in the free world.
South Korean media noticed that Trump wasn't domineering in his approach to Kim as he has been with some European leaders. What happened was that Kim appeared to hold his own in the spotlight - and that some people could thus conclude that the "hermit kingdom," might not apply quite as much anymore. That has potential implications for North Korea.
In the end, the very questions - What actually happened? How did it end? Who was the winner and who was the loser? Those may be very American questions to ask -but the answers resonate globally.
Americans have a rich history of being an either-or nation. Encouraged even by the way they've made films and TV shows. For Americans, ambiguity - even in entertainment - is still a relatively rare phenomenon. They are black and white, big and small, yes and no, good guys and bad guys, and Hollywood endings to wrap it all up.
Reality, however, can be messier.
Above all else, Americans are a nation of spectacle and big stories. And Pyongyang? Pyongyang has practically made a doctrine out of spectacle in everything from its carefully co-ordinated rallies to the over-the-top rhetoric it wields against anyone who dares to nip at its ankles.
So, for two nations and two leaders so captivated by spectacle, could it be that spectacle is not just the means but also the end?
A generation or two ago, Canadian philosopher and media scholar Marshall McLuhan offered us the notion that "the medium is the message." His quote has been used and overused for a half-century, a tired trope that nevertheless is relevant once again.
The message from Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un - whether you agree with it or not, and there's evidence on both sides - was that beyond the lacerating volleys of words and the threatened volleys of missiles that have hung over the two nations for decades, something might be possible.
Perhaps something concrete will be constructed from this particular event. Perhaps not.
But, if you're a gambler, would you bet on it?


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Click here to see photos from the opening reception.
We Buy White Albums looks like a record store. But upon closer inspection visitors will discover that the store only stocks one title: The Beatles' "White Album." And nothing is for sale. In fact, Chang is interested in buying more copies.
Pursuing an interest in exhaustive cataloguing, Chang has collected over 750 first-pressings of "The White Album," featuring an all-white cover designed by Richard Hamilton. He considers the serialized first-press, an edition running in excess of 3 million, to be the ultimate collector's item, and aims to amass as many copies as possible. Chang has created an archive, listening library, and anti-store to house and grow his collection of the Beatles' iconic record.
The album covers are weathered, often with marks or writing from previous owners, and the vinyl discs are usually scratched or warped. The character of each copy, distinctly shaped by its history, is told through the physicality of the media. This phenomenon, at the cusp of extinction due to digital technologies, is made apparent by the identical yet unique multiples that comprise Chang's collection.
Visitors are invited to browse the collection and listen to the records. They are also encouraged to bring their copy of "The White Album," as iMOCA will continue to buy albums on Chang's behalf, expanding the collection throughout the exhibition.
Rutherford Chang was born in Houston and currently lives and works in New York and Shanghai. He received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2002. His work has been exhibited internationally at venues including White Space in Beijing, Brown Gallery in London, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.
This exhibit is sponsored by Big Car, Smallbox, Steven Pettinga and Michael Byrum, and Luna Music.
All our programs and exhibitions are made possible with support from The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, The Anonymous Fund, The Efroymson Family Fund, Deer Zink Foundation, KEJ Foundation, The Indianapolis Foundation, The Tracy Haddad Foundation, The Netherleigh Fund, The Indiana Arts Commission, The Arts Council of Indianapolis, The Murphy Arts L.L.C., Penrod Foundation, and Big Car Art + Design.


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Invicta Women's 18319 Pro Diver Quartz 3 Hand White Dial Watch
Plunge into any horizon using the steadfast guidance of the Invicta Pro Diver. Stylishly classic, internal workings are forged with variations of bold movements. Built with confident prowess, the fortitude with which these timepieces function makes the Pro Diver the quintessential in performance.
- Gender: Lady
- Dial Color: Mother of Pearl
- Band Color: Stainless Steel
- Band Material: Stainless Steel
- Case Type: Stainless Steel
- Case Tone: Stainless Steel
- Case Diameter: 38.00
- Strap Size: 12mm
- Clasp Type: Fold over clasp with Safety
- Crown Type: Pull
- Water Resistant: 50m


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Hello guys!
Today I'm back with a new blog post that I should have written some days ago... but I have to feel in a good mood to write on the blog so, sorry!
Anyway, like the title of the post says, my friend Komarin sent me another pack (Yes, she's so kind with me!!!) and it arrived after about one month. (She sent it on May 23rd and it arrived on June 22nd)
This time too, she sent me a very nice newsletter of the 3rd period of WANDS that she didn't like! But for me it's a precious good of the fanclub! (Happy me! ~ ♥ ) And of course she sent me also a lot of beautiful things, I'm so moved! ~ ♥
So, here the photos:
The official envelope with still the logo of the 2nd period ^^" I suppose it is one of the first newsletters of the 3rd Period
This is the newsletter! It seems to be a presentation of the new band's composition: in fact, on the right there are (probably) the biography of each members and on the left there is (again, probably) a letter written by Shinya Kimura, maybe to let all the fans know about the changes into the band.
I think I will ask my father's colleague's wife who is Japanese to translate the two newsletters... I hope she will accept because those two newsletters could be useful for me to understand more things about the 3rd Period which still has, unfortunately, many mysteries for me.
If I'll be able to have the translations I'll surely write them here in the blog.
Anyway, I have another thing to talk you about, but today is already too late, so I'll write about it another day, ok?
Now I want to say thank angain my friend Komarin! Thank you!!!
Bye! ♥


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Vivitar Telescope/Microscope Combo Kit
Observe your surroundings and beyond with the Vivitar Telescope and Microscope Set. Complete with everything you need to practice a little science, this set comes with collection vials, blank slides, specimen slides, slide covers and tweezers to perform small experiments. Increase the magnification on your microscope with a magnification range from 60x to 120x for a closer and more optimized view. The telescope in your set comes with a tripod for a focus at a variety of different angles as well as a compass to navigate the night sky. The telescope isn't complete without a full-sized adjustable tripod made to fit the height of any aspiring scientist! With a quick screw-type assembly and mirrored diagonal eyepiece for easy viewing, this set is perfect for tracking new constellations, observing wildlife or gazing at any cityscape!


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Since the start of the economic crisis, the volume of commercial property transactions has fallen to an all-time low.
In some cases, asset values have fallen by as much as 50%, and at one point the market stagnated. But those who managed to survive the downturn believed values had hit the floor, so started returning to the market.
Vulture funds sought opportunities that they believed would present the least risk and the best long-term growth prospects.
This led to an insatiable hunger, mainly from institutions and overseas buyers, for vanilla-type investments – properties let to strong covenants, on long leases and in prime locations.
At the start of 2009, commercial properties that were let to banks as tenants were being offered at yields of around 9%. Those brave enough to acquire these deals with the belief there would be no further economic meltdowns will have seen the value of their investments nearly double in just 18 months.
But the secondary market has seen no such recovery, so demand for retail, office and industrial property – which is let to firms with more questionable accounts and on shorter leases – remains thin on the ground.
Those seeking secondary stock are typically cash-rich investors looking to buy risk where returns could be as much as 400% higher than leaving their cash on deposit.
But most investors today, still mindful that the secondary market could fall further due to increased insolvencies and a dearth of debt, are sticking with vanilla for now.


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According to a report from the New York Post, Trump's people have been "aggressively courting" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appear at the Jan. 20 festivities.
If not, Trump's people — led by son-in-law Jared Kushner — would like a meeting with the Israeli leader before the president-elect takes office.
"There's a plan for Trump to meet with Netanyahu," a source within Trump's team said. "They're talking all the time. And Netanyahu is talking about possibly going to the inauguration."
Donald Trump has been vocal about his support for the Jewish state.
According to Times of Israel, Trump lambasted the United Nations resolution against Israeli settlements, telling reporters Thursday that "horrible places, that treat people horribly, haven't even been reprimanded" by the U.N.
"Look, we have to protect Israel. Israel to me is very, very important. We have to protect Israel, and I disagree with what (President Obama)'s done with Israel," Trump said Sunday. "I listened to Secretary Kerry's speech, I think it's very unfair to Israel, what happened."
According to the Jerusalem Post, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he has not received an invitation yet. However, there are several weeks to go, and Netanyahu has seemed more receptive to Trump than he's been to the Obama administration. He tweeted thanks in both Hebrew and English after Trump made his statement on Kerry's speech, and he had met with Trump back in September. We can only hope he's there on Jan. 20.
Netanyahu would make an excellent guest for Donald Trump and would really show that he plans to do things very differently compared to our current president from the very moment that he takes office.


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I appreciate Christopher Roberts letter of April 2 regarding rising tuition costs. I too am mystified at the cost of higher education, but I think a closer examination of why costs are increasing is necessary.
According to the Kansas Board of Regents, state funding of the six regents universities increased 13.2 percent from FY2005 to FY2008. Meanwhile, in-state undergraduate tuition at Fort Hays State University increased 21.9 percent. Tuition at the University of Kansas increased 48.6 percent.
Mr. Roberts laments a cut in university funding he believes will result in higher tuition. So if the Legislature were to reverse course and increase funding, students would see a decrease in their tuition, right? Unfortunately, the numbers show that doesn't happen.
Between 2002 and 2012, one semester of tuition at KU went from $1,442 to $4,234, a 193 percent increase. FHSU tuition increased by 86 percent. The average health insurance premium increased by nearly 100 percent. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates inflation at only 28 percent during those same 10 years. Where's the public outrage at a quadrupling of rates at KU?
FHSU should be commended for providing a quality education for a much more reasonable cost than its competitors. However, by claiming state funding is the reason tuition goes up, one has to assume universities are spending money in the most efficient manner possible. From 2002 to 2012, total spending by all six universities increased by 69 percent, more than twice the rate of inflation. Can taxpayers assume each and every dollar is being spent in the most efficient manner possible? To do so means universities are completely excused from controlling costs and in turn, lowering tuition.
Rather than turning to state legislators, I encourage students to turn to their student governing body. Although a tuition fee breakdown is hard to find, students are actually charged tuition and fees. In most cases, fees are set by the student governing body, which is directly elected by the students.
At FHSU this year, the in-state cost per credit hour is $141.10, of which $32.80 are "fees." As listed by fhsu.edu, these fees include student union fees, student athletic fees, and so on. If students want lower costs, then they could start by reducing fees through their student body legislators.
Of course, this rarely happens. Fees at FHSU went from $239 in 2002 to $463 in 2012, a 93 percent increase. Fees at KU increased 55 percent. Fact is, students are complacent in their ever-increasing costs.
Until students demand lower costs and get active in their own student government, they shouldn't expect the taxpayer to bail them out, especially since history shows more government money does not mean lower tuition.
And, yes, after two undergraduate degrees at Emporia State and one doctorate at KU, I finished with student loan debt equivalent to a nice house.
James Meier


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Today's theme is snowman. While it's singular, I did snowmen, since I did more than one. I didn't really have a plan for this manicure, so I just painted and let it unfold!
I started off by painting all of my nails plain white. I then took a sparkly blue jelly polish and outline where I wanted my snowmen to be - easier than painting sparkles first and then trying to cover them up with white. I then free handed some black hats on them, and put little scarves on them in different colors.
It looks like I used a ton of colors, but I really only used them for the different snowman scarves. I used nail art polishes in (left to right) Blood Diamond, Red, Neon Orange, Gold Rush, Tea Leaf, Miss Sergeant, Crushed Seashell, Retro Denim, 12 AM, Black, and Pearl Silver. I also used Wet n Wild French White Creme (base color) and Black Creme (dots).
I think they're pretty cute! I'm not sure why I chose to do just a face as the accent nail, but I like it, since I think five identical snowmen would have been a little much. The accent one is a little plain, but he's adorable!
I wonder what the others did for their snowmen!
<3 Corrinne


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Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sleddin' the Week Away
On to the card...
Sledding on the Weekend
~Base card Stampin' Up card stock
~Layer of My Mind's Eye snowflake design paper
~Music stamp on snowflake tissue paper using the Faux Silk technique over at Splitcoast Stampers; corners punched
~Strip of dry wall mesh
~Strip of holographic metallic sticky paper
~Sled stamp (present from sissy Gail) colored with Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder; cardinal paper pieced and popped up with dimensionals; edges torn and smudged with ink
~Twine handle glued to sled handle
~Touches of Uchida Liquid Applique puffed up for highlights of snow
Just Us Girls - Faux Silk Technique
Retro Sketches - sketch
Our Creative Corner - vintage with neutrals (no reds/greens) (I hope that cardinal is legal!)
Creative Knockouts - 'tis the season
Southern Girls - Christmas wishes
Challenges for Everybody - anything goes
Have a wonderful Monday! Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa
10 comments:
Beautiful card! Love the musical score with the snowflakes, the sled and that bright red cardinal. Thanks for joining us at Just Us Girls!ReplyDelete
Fabulous Card Nancy. Have a Great Christmas. Hugs from Scotland. Rita xxxReplyDelete
Lots of lovely texture on this card. Love the touch of snow on the sled rope! Thanks for joining us at Just Us Girls.ReplyDelete
This is stunningReplyDelete
Such a lovely textured a card you have here Nancy! Love the sled and rope with the added snow! Well done! Thanks of joining us over at Just Us Girls~ReplyDelete
Love the music panel using the technique! Thanks for joining in with JUGS!ReplyDelete
Beautiful.Thanks for sharing with us at Creative Knockouts. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year.ReplyDelete
Hugs Helen DT
Don't know how I missed this!!! So beautiful and a perfect scene for Christmas. Love the way you did the handle on the sled! So very pretty!ReplyDelete
Hope things settle down with the "she who must be obeyed" boss!
Also hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
A wonderful card and love that sled image. Hope things improve at work for you.ReplyDelete
This card is so gorgeous - Thanks for sharing with us at Our Creative Corner. Sadly we will have to delete it because it doesn't follow the challenge rules of no red or green. Love from Laura xxxReplyDelete


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Featuring structured support and dynamic designs, London based activewear label, Lucas Hugh, will take you seamlessly from workout to weekend. Designed with the ultimate performance in mind, the directional gym essentials will allow you to make a style statement in the studio.
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How To Release Fear & Turn Your Dreams Into Reality
One thing I hear way too often from my students is how they feel like they're living their lives in what appears to be guilt.
Sometimes it's because they feel they're living a lie.
Sometimes it's because the only reason they're currently breathing is because there's one person begging them to stay alive.
I can empathize with each and every student because in 2011, I felt the exact same way.
I distinctly remember lying on my bedroom floor with the sunlight beaming in from my window, only half hitting my face. It's where I admitted to myself that I didn't feel alive.
At this time in my life, I truly felt like I was watching a movie.
It was like my eyes were the lens in which the film was shot through.
Nothing felt real, I didn't feel emotions other than pain and sadness, all I wanted to do was lie there - right where the sun could only half blind me.
I wanted to stay there until the sun went down, came up and went down again.
I felt like everyone was the enemy.
No matter what I was doing, I was constantly defensive.
No one could possibly have any idea what was going through my head.
There was no way anyone could even dream what I was going through mentally (or physically due to my eating disorder).
I didn't believe anyone who offered help or positivity.
I was too wrapped in self-loathing that when a comment was made, I automatically took it as criticism or a back-handed compliment.
Honestly, the only reason I was living was because I felt obligated to live for someone else.
At the time, I believed it was to stay in my parents life.
However, now I can see it was so I could be here for you. Each and every person reading these words are another reason why I stayed alive.
In 4 Hours To A More Fulfilling Lifestyle™ we will dive into how to manage your thoughts, how to release your fears and how to turn your vision of a perfect life into your own reality. It's a quick guide to radically loving yourself, unlocking your not-so-hidden potential and understanding how to conquer your anxieties. I can't wait to see you on the other side.


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Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Missing Mojo (What to knit when you can't concentrate)
What do you knit when your mojo is missing? This is the question I have been asking myself for months since I finished Fruhling. It's like I sprained my mojo and could not concentrate on my favorite Niebling lace. I blamed menopause, I blamed stress from work, I blamed aliens who must have stolen my mojo when I was not looking. Who knows how this works? Anyway, do I lie down and just take it? Heck NO!
While waiting for my mojo to return I have been spinning. See above my version of the Color Affection shawl using Loop bumps in the Raindrop colorway and the coordinating color bump. This is part of the Loop SAL on the Ravelry group and was my first attempt at spinning a gradient. I did a chain ply for this one to maintain the colors and it turned out pretty well though I would rather gnaw off my hands at the wrists than do another project in garter stitch again.
Next I used the 2 ply hand spun gradient lace weight yarn I made using the Fiber Optic Yarns merino/silk roving in the Rouge-Violet-Cerulean Gradient. This was part of TheKnitGirlls SAL The shawl is a mash-up of Laminaria and Echo Flower Shawl The shawl is based on on made by Dobranoc .It doesn't use much of the red section from the gradient but I have saved it in case I want to knit something else from it.
Below that I am blocking a Mystery KAL from Boo Knits. It started on Valentine Day and finished up this last week. The pattern is called "Temptress" and is now available for purchase on Ravelry. It does not show true colors while blocking but I hope to get shots once it's dry.
Finally, I have more fiber from Fiber Optics Yarns. This one has some cashmere in it and will be yummy to spin with. The batt below is from Fleegle's Etsy shop. I am spinning this one right now and it almost spins itself it's THAT GOOD! I can't wait to see what I end up making with it.
I am hoping that my mojo can be found in the next few months. I did lay hands on a hibernating Niebling and did a few rows while waiting for the doors to open at the Market Place at Stitches West 2013. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could concentrate on it for awhile. Cross your fingers :-)
4 comments:
- MoniqueB. said...
I'm glad I'm not alone in this. Some time ago I was on Shetland, and eversince I came back, hardly any passion was found to knit again.
By the time it was february I decided (!) it was time to just get back to work, get into a ritme of knitting again; commissions started to get in and before I knew it, in my free time I found my passion back. Plainly knitting a very delicate edging, véry time consuming therefor extremely relaxing.
I admire the things you make, so delicate and fine. Sometimes you might need a little break to get back to it later. Maybe visiting a museum, go for a walk.
I've knitted a "Boo" shawl too, a refreshing design in lace land!
You'll be fine. I'm sure of it.
Fingers crossed!
- Jane said...
Dear MoniqueB,
I love your knitting so I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who gets bogged down. I really like the Boo Knits patterns because they are fun, easy and easy for others to wear. Niebling lace is enjoyable for me to knit, but they are not that easy to wear. I'm trying to particpate in some KAL's for fun. It takes me outside my rut! Thank you for leaving your kind comment!
- Amanda said...
I hope you get your mojo back! In the meantime I love the fibers you're spinning!
- Jane said...
Dear Amanda,
Yes, it's been pretty slim pickings for lace knitting lately but I think it's starting to pick up a little and there is always the comfort of spinning as you say :-)


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It's officially not Christmas anymore. Phew. Back to ordinary living.
Well, not really. My daughter's still here, my brother's coming up at the weekend for a visit, there's a heap of presents to work through – I love it when people give me novels I haven't read yet! – and there's a few activities still to unfold. I organised a clay pigeon shooting lesson for my daughter and I – a mother/daughter activity session – so that'll be a fun end to her holiday, just before she heads back to Glasgow and gets her nose back to the uni grindstone. I'm looking forward to it, too! There's also the Amazon tokens to spend – and a contribution to the gun fund from my mother as a present, so that's good too.
We've nearly finished clearing the allotment, with just some equipment to come home now; posts, wire, netting, hoops and so forth. I'll see if I can pressgang my brother into helping with that – we sank the posts pretty well! Hopefully the ground won't be too frozen – we've had a few sharp frosts but that's all, to date. I was even out tonight with the dogs, just before midnight, without a coat – which shows how mild the weather is. It's freezing, yes, but only just.
So, as one year draws to a close and another is poised to start, it's time to review what we've learned, what grew well – and what flopped spectacularly, like the sprouts. We've harvested about three meals of sprouts, they just never grew for us this year. Last year they were the size of ping-pong balls and we scoffed them from November to March! Ah well, that's gardening. This year the onions have been excellent, we're still only half-way through the stored onions. The roots haven't been bad, though I'd've liked them bigger. Courgettes – a show stopper. We still have jars of pickled courgettes in the cupboards, along with pickled beetroot and beet relish.
Next year we'll be seeing how much we can grow in the garden – more deep beds to build and fill, though the bunnies are producing plenty of excellent compost material for that purpose! They, too, have been one of this year's star projects, and hopefully next year they'll continue to be as prolific.
I want to do more vertical gardening to maximise the available space – simple things like stacked tyres for potatoes, to get a bigger harvest in the space, and close-planting roots under the beans and peas, for example. If I get round to it, we have an old window with glass and I'd like to put together a hot bed to go under it, to lengthen the growing season.
The fruit cage needs to be assembled. It's not doing any good lying in a stack waiting to be put together, and the blackbirds had too many of our raspberries this autumn!
It's coming up on time to order next spring's seeds, so I'd better go make a list.
Hope everyone had a peaceful, happy midwinter celebration!


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The IMA Foundation provided grants to nearly 100 nonprofit organizations in 2017.
Through IMA Foundation grants and our employee matching gifts program, the IMA Foundation supported nearly 100 nonprofit partners in 2017. Because of the passion of our associates, dozens of nonprofits benefited from twice the financial support through matched donations. Our nonprofit partners continue to be incredible stewards of these resources to impact our communities. Our associates continue to live IMA's mission to protect assets and make a difference.
Upholding the mission to make a difference in our communities.
Overall, 2017 was one for the record books adding to our long history of successful fundraising events.
IMA is excited to announce our community report for 2017 is here. With over 13,000 volunteer hours completed by IMA associates, it's clear our team is dedicated to making a difference where we live, work, learn and play. Here are a few quick community stats:
- Over 400 of our IMA associates, friends and families volunteered during IMA's annual I Make a Difference Day
- Ping Pong on the Plaza and Sandblast raised nearly $200,000
- The IMA Foundation provided grants to nearly 100 nonprofit organizations
- Earlier this year, IMA's Kansas City office put together their inaugural fundraising event, Pickleball, raising over $30,000


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In addition to General and Specialty care during regular business hours, we receive and treat emergencies 24 hours/day – 365 days per year.
The Coral Springs Animal Hospital has experienced dramatic growth since its establishment in 1977 in its first location in a small rented space in a shopping center. We have grown from one doctor and three employees in 1977 to twenty six doctors and nearly 100 employees in 2009. It is only by consistently meeting or exceeding the varying needs and desires of the large majority of the pet owning public that we have been able to achieve this astounding growth.Our formula for success is quite simple, quoting from our Doctor's Manual: "veterinarians should consider first the welfare of the patient for the purpose of relieving suffering…while causing a minimum of pain or fright. Benefit to the patient should transcend personal advantage or monetary gain in decisions concerning therapy." This animal hospital strives to practice veterinary medicine and surgery with the highest degree of ethics and professionalism. We have worked hard and have earned a reputation for doing just that.
More hospital search options


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Ensure for Cats with Cancer
Ensure for cats with cancer is specially formulated to strengthen cats after surgery, or during serious illnesses. Liquid nutrition for cats may be given to cats that are suffering from illnesses that weaken their bodies. Felines that are fed liquid cat food have their bodies strengthened with important nutrition that increase their chances of beating their illness. In some cases, cats are given Ensure for cats because they have mild or severe irritable bowel syndrome and need something that can be digested easily.
Sometimes human beings wonder if they can feed their cats Ensure. Ensure is meant for human beings. Even though cats share some similarities with human beings, they cannot eat everything that we do. Ensure is formulated for humans and has ingredients that are not as beneficial for a cat that is sick.
Ensure has lots of sugar and lots of milk. Both of these are not good for a cat that is sick. In fact, some cats are lactose intolerant and having a food that contains milk will only make them feel worse. If your cat is weak and you are looking for a good liquid cat food, give them Catsure instead. This can help them to get the nutrients they require.
Cats that are suffering from cancer can be fed Clinicare Feline Liquid Diet. This form of liquid nutrition for cats is completely balanced, so you don't have to worry about whether they are getting all the nutrients they need. Clinicare Feline Liquid Diet is basically Ensure for cats. It is made by the same company that makes Ensure but it is safe for cats.
Ensure for cats
Liquid nutrition for cats with cancer
Liquid cat food
Liquid food for cats
Catsure meal replacement


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Cheerios® Childline Breakfast is a fun charity breakfast which is hosted across the country to help support ISPCC Childline, the national listening service for children and young people in Ireland. Childline answers calls from children in need through its phone, text and online services. In 2017 there were over 350,000 calls to Childline.
Cheerios® Childline Breakfast Week
15th – 21st October 2018
Join in the fun!
Whether you are a business, playschool, crèche, community group, school, or organisation you can join in the fun and register to host a breakfast to help support children who need the continual support of Childline.
When you register you will receive your registration pack containing posters, money boxes and sponsorship cards. You will also be able to receive portion packs of Low Sugar Oat Cheerios® to help with organising your breakfast.
You can register now by calling 1850 50 40 50 or
When you register you will receive your registration pack containing posters, money boxes and sponsorship cards. You will also be able to receive portion packs of Low Sugar Oat Cheerios® to help with organising your breakfast.
You can register now by calling 1850 50 40 50 or
About Cheerios® Childline Breakfast Week
The 2018 Cheerios® Childline Breakfast Week will take place from Monday 15th – Sunday 21st October.
We are asking as many people as possible – offices, workplaces, schools, crèches, coffee shops, friends and families – to come together, hold a breakfast event and raise much needed funds for Childline.
Where does your money go?
- All funds raised from Cheerios® Childline Breakfast Week to fund Childline, the only the national active listening service for all children and young people in Ireland, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Childline is free, anonymous and confidential.
- Every year, over 350,000 calls are made by children and young adults to our phone line, text and online services.
- Childline is staffed by a team of volunteers and by staff members who train and supervise volunteers to ensure a consistent and high quality service to children and young people.
- Children call Childline for many reasons; they might just want to talk to someone, or may be lonely, upset, worried, or may have experienced trauma or abuse. When children contact Childline, they are seeking a listening ear and often feel that they have nowhere else to turn.
We would like to extend a huge thanks to our sponsors!
Register now for your Cheerios® Breakfast Pack
You can register now by calling 1850 50 40 50 or
Cheerios® Childline Breakfast – Registration Form
How to return the money you have raised for Childline.
Thank you for hosting a Cheerios® Childline Breakfast!
Cheque/Postal Order
Make payable to: Childline Breakfast Appeal
Return to: CHEERIOS® Childline Breakfast Week
29 Lower Baggot Street,
Dublin 2
Directly to the Bank
You can lodge your money directly into the following bank account:
AIB Bank,
Dublin 5
Account Number: 28000165
When lodging directly to the bank, please use the bank lodgement slip provided in your registration pack.
If you don't have this lodgement slip, please make a reference to your company or organisation when lodging to the bank so that we can identify it and acknowledge your fundraising.
You can also send us the return of funds form (attached) to us by post or email.
Credit Card
We also accept credit card donations. Just call us on 1850 50 40 50 and speak to one of our team or click here to donate online.
Please text RISE to 50300 to donate €4.
Text costs €4. ISPCC will receive a minimum of €3.60. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY, Helpline: 076 680 5278″


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Directions Palatka, FL 32177
Estimated Monthly Payment will depend on vehicle make and model and will be determined upon actual vehicle inspection. All payments are estimates. Tax, title and any other fees are extra.
*Offer disclaimers and eligibility included in details.
Exterior Color: Gun
Interior Color:
Vin Number: JN1AZ4EHXGM933541
Stock: NN9619
View this 2016 Nissan 370Z Coupe Sport for sale at Beck Nissan in Palatka, FL


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The knowledgebase is a categorized collection of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) and articles. You can read articles in this category or select a subcategory that you are interested in.
Article ID: 9
Category: Knowledgebase
Date added: 19:11:46 17-02-2011
Views : 3425
Rating (Votes): (12)
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Loaded with vintage appeal, Kompa is an artful marriage between art deco influences and classic Caribbean style. With its brass nose bridge and striking tortoiseshell finish, this frame breathes new life into the traditional rectangular frame.
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Looks awesome great design love it
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exactly what i expected
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Nice frame! Wife likes the look.
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Tallinn is a historic city dating back to the medieval times that was first recorded on a world map in 1154, although the first fortress was built on Toompea in 1050.
Later the city became a pawn in the geopolitical games of its big neighbors, passing into Swedish hands in 1561 and then to Russia under Peter the Great in 1710.
Today, Tallinn Estonia is a bustling, gleaming metropolis of over 430,000 people. However, among the tall glassy buildings and corporate headquarters, Tallinn retains an inner charm seldom found anywhere else. Estonians consider themselves to be living in a Northern European/Scandinavian or an eastern European country depending on who you ask, with very close ties to Finland (ethnic, linguistic, and cultural).
Visiting Tallinn you will find a mixture of at least three styles of architecture in this very visual city - old Europe (the city walls with rustic buildings and charming living areas with well-preserved and colourful wooden houses of bourgeois taste of 1920s), Soviet brutalist (concrete apartment blocks), and modern Europe (including McDonald's next to the city walls!).
Start off your journey of the capital of Estonia at the hill of Toompea and descending down to explore classic European fashion cobblestone streets through medieval houses and alleyways. Continue on past the foot of the hill into the city wall of the lower town or explore Tallinn's wonderful greenery in the handful of surrounding parks. You will certainly stop at the zoo and explore the copious live exhibits of mountain goats and sheep or elephants and crocodiles or the lake-sized ponds housing birds of all types.
Past the zoo, just 15 minutes, is the Open Air Museum hosting 72 buildings of Estonian vernacular architecture and the dark mysterious forest of Tsarist-ruled village life. Get there before 11am and you might be lucky enough to catch one of the free Estonian dance performances each Saturday and Sunday.
Fill your fancy of museum exploration at the National Art Museum next. You can either go inside or simply stand in awe of it's exterior. The architecture of this museum alone is, in and of itself, a worthy sight including a cyclopic house that is partly cut out of limestone.
Finish your exploration of Estonia's capital with the Culture Kilometre enjoying every step of the free 2.2km walk on an old railroad that passes the fish market, the looming Patarei Prison and the tranquil greenery of Kalamaja park.


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Republicans on Wednesday failed for the second time in 24 hours to pass a bill under suspended House rules.
In a 259-169 vote, the House fell short of a two-thirds majority needed to move legislation under the suspension of House rules.
The House failed to meet this requirement on H.R. 519, which would instruct the administration to insist the U.S. be repaid $179 million in money it has overpaid to the United Nations.
This follows a Tuesday vote in which Republicans also could not get a two-thirds majority to approve the extension of three Patriot Act surveillance authorities.
The GOP needed scores of Democrats to vote with Republicans to move the U.N. bill, but only 23 Democrats supported it.
Republicans who supported the bill said the United States should be repaid the money. In a brief statement toward the end of the debate, Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) said it is a "disgrace" to fund the U.N. at all, given how its efforts "hinder progress instead of help it."
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.) said the Congressional Budget Office found the bill would not save any money. He also argued that the U.N. needs the money to improve security at its New York headquarters, that these security improvements are an obligation of the host country and that pulling money out would put the United States in arrears.
"So we're not saving money, we're spurning the important security requests, and we are going back into a pattern of arrearages that undermines our efforts at the U.N.," Berman said.
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) summarized his assessment: "It's stupid," he said. "Vote 'no' on stupid."
Supporters of the bill, led by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), have argued the U.S. has been overpaying into the U.N.'s income tax reimbursement fund for several years now. She says the Obama administration has failed to reclaim that money, which the U.N. now wants to use for items such as security improvements.
But Berman said Wednesday that the administration and the U.N. have already gone ahead with plans to spend $100 million on security improvements. He said this was done in part because Congress did not pass any spending bills last year that might otherwise have been used to fund needed U.N. security improvements. As a result, he said the bill is "poorly crafted" because not all the money is in the U.N. fund to be returned.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said the New York City Police Department thinks use of the U.N. funds for security purposes is critical and "will save lives." Another Democrat, Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), charged that the Republican vote is part of an "anti-U.N. strategy" by the GOP.


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Hi all, After my 1k giveaway I am so glad to announce another giveaway for my lovely followers. For those who have missed my previous giveaways here is the chance to win some awesome goodies . I am going to arrange a series of giveaways , today i will announce my giveaway #1
Category Archives: Giveaway
Blippo Kawaii Giveaway and review
Hello Friends, today i am teamed up with Blippo to arrange a giveaway of cute products for all of you. Blippo is an online shop having cute , adorable stationary , fizzy pop drinks, purses , bags , phone accessories, jewelry. and much more on their website.
Let me share you first the surprise Kawaii box i got from Blippo.com .
Giveaway time
Hi all ,
I am glad to says that my one year of blogging is completed 2 days ago . I want to announce a giveaway for my followers. You can will all these goodies by following simple rules
evian® Facial Spray's Bon Voyage Sweepstakes
Evian , a familiar and a well known product in the market. It's water in a can , but from ancient glacial filter deep in the heart of the French Alps.
Aside from mineral water evian® is also having a magnificant product which is
evian® facial spray
According to evian® www.evianspray.com
Pura d'or Argan Oil (Giveaway)
Products with natural ingredients are the most used and beneficial for everyone. Natural organic ingredients has no side affects and safe for us. Pura d'or is the company that providing organic personal care solutions that work naturally made with the highest quality ingredients.
There products are free from SLS, parabens and gluten.
Today i am going to review
1. Premium Organic Argan Argan Oil Based Hair Loss prevention Therapy Shampoo
2. Premium Organic Argan Oil Based Conditioner, Lavender Vanilla
3. Pure and Organic Argan Oil Continue reading


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Wanted to share this with you guys..
You can find them here Ecorations
or here ArtFire, just to name a few.
Or learn to make your own here Reusable Gift Bags
When you think about what you spend on wrapping paper, tape, boxes and not to mention the time it takes to wrap presents EVERY year... these will save you time and money!
...And no more paper everywhere
Go Green * Recycle
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