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Wednesday 28 October 2009
Blog Giveaway Reminder
If you don't want to leave a comment on the blog just email me on email@example.com and I will add you into the pot!
Thursday 22 October 2009
Craft Fairs
This weekend sees the beginning of the Christmas Craft Fair season for me and we start off in style with 4 days on the run starting this Saturday.
Here is a list of all the fairs I am doing up until Christmas.
24th & 25th October 2009
Crafts at Lancing College
26th & 27th October 2009
Christmas Craft Fair
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
6th & 7th November 2009
Christmas Fair at Cooden Beach Hotel
East Sussex
14th & 15th November 2009
Michelham Priory
28th November 2009
Wealden Craftworkers
Memorial Hall, The Tye, Alfriston
29th November 2009
Christmas Fair at the Llama Park
Ashdown Forest
10th December 2009
Wealden Craftworkers
Memorial Hall, Battle
This Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th I am at Lancing College. It is a stunning venue and a really high quality Craft Fair. Everything is handmade. Do come and say hello if you are in the area. It is organised by Woodland Crafts who do a great job and are lovely people.
On Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th I am at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens. This is a new venue for me. It is a National Trust property so it should make a great day out.
Sunday 18 October 2009
Art Clay Charms
I have had quite a few requests for close up photos of my charms so here are some more photos.
I'll be posting all about my Paper Texture workshop I did with Lynne Glazzard next.
Don't forget to enter my blog giveaway below. Everyone is welcome.
Tuesday 13 October 2009
My First Blog Giveaway
Monday 12 October 2009
Art Clay Copper
Sunday 11 October 2009
Beautiful Jersey
Here is a photo looking across St Aubins harbour in Jersey. The buildings on the waterfront are where most of the conference events were centered. How about that for a stunning location. Not that we had time to look out the windows much as we were all so busy. I took some great workshops and made some lovely new friends as well as catching up with existing ones. I'll be posting updates this week on all the things I learnt and photos of the pieces I made.
Watch this space....
Saturday 10 October 2009
Home Again
just got back home to Hastings. Hopefully I have sorted out the photo in the last post which was not displaying properly.
Loads to tell you about the Art Clay conference etc.
Dinner and unpacking tonight - more blogging tomorrow.
Monday 5 October 2009
Do I look pleased ..... ?
Here is a photo of me with Dice and Ryota from Japan after winning the trip to Japan. Aida, the makers of Art Clay sent them over to the conference to teach us workshops and to launch the new products. Aida also supplied all the Art Clay we used at the conference which was really generous of them. A big thanks to them from me for everthing.
You can tell I am chuffed with winning can't you!! Thanks for the photo Lynne.
By the way in case you are wondering I uploaded the photos of my competition entries in draft before I left for the conference and I see when I posted the entries on my blog they came out dated 30th Sept instead of 4th October! If you have not yet seen them just scroll down to the earlier entries.


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Doctors Visit
An older man goes in for his yearly physical, with his wife tagging along.
When the doctor enters the examination room he says, "I will need a urine sample, a stool sample, and a sperm sample."
The old man, being hard of hearing, turns to his wife and asks, "What did he say?"
The wife yells back to him, "GIVE HIM YOUR UNDERWEAR!"

subset: commoncrawl


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Médiamétrie TV Twitter ratings
January 30, 2015
From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris
French ratings institute Médiamétrie has launched, in association with Twitter, its Twitter TV Ratings tool that measures the number of tweets made in relation to a television programme.
Proving that entertainment programmes are amongst the most tweeted about shows – and also engage viewers beyond the broadcast of the programme itself – Médiamétrie points out TF1 's talent show, The Voice, came first over the January 19th to 25th period. The prime time show generated 397,000 unique tweets, since the unique audience category by Médiamétrie measures one tweet per account.
Médiamétrie talked about this new social audience tool as it was presenting its yearly TV report 2014 about the French market.
Last year, with nearly 50 million viewers watching it for almost four hours each day, on all type of screens, TV "has reaffirmed its role as the benchmark media" the study suggests. Sport (Sotchi Winter Olympics, Football World Cup) attracted a record number of viewers in 2014.
The French had on average 6.4 screens per household in 2014, which increased the opportunities to watch live, delayed or replay TV, at home or on the move.
Computers were the 2nd most popular way of watching television.
Two million viewers in the 15+ age group watched television every day on another screen, which is 82 million higher than two years ago.
Besides sports, drama was the leading genre on prime time television representing 32.6 per cent of the offering.


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Well now you can save the lame excuses for why you don't floss. I've written ibid, a simple tool for performing incremental backups on Linux and Unix-like systems — possibly also Mac OS X, I haven't checked yet. And who knows, maybe it can even be made to run under Windows.
Incremental backups
An incremental backup is a backup of just those files that have changed since the last backup.
Many people use mirroring for backups, periodically duplicating essential files to some destination, such as a spare external hard drive, replacing those copies with fresh copies on each backup. This approach is economical in terms of the storage space used, but it only allows you to restore the latest version of a given file. If you have a file called my_novel.doc and you mirror it to a spare hard drive, then you accidentally delete half of it but don't notice until after the next time you mirror it to that hard drive, then the pre-accident version of my_novel.doc is gone forever.
With a true backup system like ibid, the pre-accident backup copy of my_novel.doc still exists; the post-accident backup copy is separate. The main drawback to this safer approach, of course, is that the more backups you do, the more space you need.
For a long time I used a makeshift system that backed up files to blank CDs or DVDs, but it was slow and difficult to use and it required my constant attendance (for swapping discs in and out) and very often the disc burner would crap out at the last minute after half an hour of burning and produce an unreadable disc. I didn't trust the archives that I created with this system; it was annoying to have to render botched discs unreadable with scissors all the time (for privacy reasons); and the more backups I did, the more crowded with discs my safe-deposit box got.
Then I discovered Jungledisk, a commercial "infinite filesystem" service that's easy to use and has good privacy and security features, not to mention reasonable fees. In conjunction with davfs it can be made to act just like a mounted filesystem.
Ibid doesn't care if you're using Jungledisk or some other destination service or media. It simply copies the files you ask for to the target directory tree. The backed-up copies are just plain files residing under their original names in a plain filesystem, so retrieving old data is simple.
Here are ibid's other main features:
- Written as a single Perl file, no complicated build/install process;
- Limit sessions by size;
- Exclude files and directories by pattern (using Perl "regular expressions");
- Files with multiple "hard links" stored only once — link names stored separately;
- Files re-backed up when they change;
- Files not re-backed up if they're merely renamed (the new name is stored separately);
- Can run unattended, and even at automated intervals (e.g. via cron).
You can download it here. At some point soon perhaps I will create a proper website for it, at which time I will update this blog post with the new information; meanwhile, this is the definitive home of ibid (and I will keep the copy at the above link up to date with bugfixes and other changes).
Here is the documentation for ibid.
ibid – incremental backups to infinite disk
ibid [options] FILESET TARGET ibid --dump FILESET [PATTERN ...]
Ibid is a simple tool for performing incremental backups. An incremental backup is a backup of just those files that have changed since the last backup.
Ibid backs up files to any destination that can be mounted as a writable filesystem. It was developed for the author's use with Jungledisk (http://www.jungledisk.com/, a commercial "infinite filesystem" service) in conjunction with davfs (http://dav.sourceforge.com/), but any similar service or mountable media should also work.
To back up files, you must first define a fileset, which is an ordinary text file (whose name is the name of the fileset) listing files and directories to include in the backup, one per line. This file is typically stored in the directory $HOME/.ibid. Example:
/home /var /etc /usr/local
Each item in the fileset definition must be a full pathname. Directories are processed recursively but filesystem boundaries are never crossed.
You may also define a set of exclusions in $HOME/.ibid/fileset.EXCLUDE. This is a list of Perl regular expressions, one per line. These are matched against each candidate file and directory; if a match is found, the file or directory is excluded from the backup. The pattern is matched against the full pathname of the candidate file or directory. You must explicitly use
^ and
$ to anchor your match to the beginning and end of the pathname. Example:
~$ /#[^/]+#$ /tmp/ /core$ ^/home/bobg/src/extern/
This excludes Emacs-style backup and checkpoint files; everything under any directory named tmp; any file named core; and the tree rooted at /home/bobg/src/extern/.
With the fileset and optional exclusions defined, start a backup with:
ibid FILESET TARGET
where TARGET is a directory on the destination filesystem; e.g., /mnt/jungledisk. Ibid will copy eligible files from the fileset to a new tree rooted at TARGET/FILESET/1. Here, 1 denotes this is the first session for FILESET; each time ibid runs it creates a new session. A record of the backup is stored in $HOME/.ibid/FILESET.1 and in TARGET/FILESET/FILESET.1. If you later reinvoke
ibid FILESET TARGET
then any files created or changed since session 1 will be copied to a tree rooted at TARGET/FILESET/2, and a cumulative record of all sessions will be written to FILESET.2.
Symlinks are not copied to the target filesystem, but they are added to the session record. Hard links are detected and are also added to the session record only. In both cases the target of the link is recorded too, permitting a later "restore."
If a file is renamed between sessions but remains on the same filesystem and is otherwise unchanged, the new name is treated as a hard link: the file's contents are not recopied to the target filesystem, but the name is added to the session record.
You may compress old session records in $HOME/.ibid with
gzip or
bzip2. Ibid will still be able to read them.
--no (or -n)
Don't make any changes: files are not copied and a new session record is not written. With
-v, this is a good way to preview what a backup would do.
--verbose (or -v)
Increase verbosity. Each
-vadds more.
--dir DIR (or -d DIR)
Look for filesets and sessions in DIR. Default is
--limit LIMIT (or -l LIMIT)
Limit this session to copying LIMIT bytes. Copying ends after the file that crosses the LIMIT threshold, so it's possible for LIMIT to be exceeded by quite a lot.
LIMIT may have the suffix
m, or
gto denote kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes.
--preserve-mode/--nopreserve-mode (or -m)
Copy the mode bits of backed-up files or don't. Default is to copy them.
--preserve-owner/--nopreserve-owner (or -o)
Copy the uid and gid of backed-up files or don't. Default is to copy them.
--preserve-time/--nopreserve-time (or -t)
Copy the last-access and last-modification times of backed-up files or don't. Default is not to copy them (because Jungledisk+davfs, which the author used during development of ibid, doesn't support that operation [yet?]).
--restore-atime/--norestore-atime (or -a)
After copying files to the target filesystem, restore the file's original last-access time or don't. Default is to restore.
--restore-atimeis in effect, enabling this option causes ibid to double-check the original file's last-modification time against its original values after the last-access time is restored. This is to detect the bug in some versions of the Linux kernel and/or the ext3 filesystem that caused
utime(2)to store bogus values. Default is to perform the recheck and
dieif the bug is detected.
--ensure/--noensure (or -e)
Before deciding to skip a file because it's unchanged from its last backup, ibid will check the supposed backup copy to see if it's present and has the proper size. If not, it'll get backed up "again." This option defends against the possibility that your "infinite disk" service dropped some data undetected, as can happen with Jungledisk (for instance) when using "background mode" and three consecutive retries all fail (as of version 1.13, see http://forum.jungledisk.com/viewtopic.php?t=421).
For purposes of this option, ibid assumes all prior sessions can be found under the same TARGET root as the current one.
Using this option is costly in time and network I/O, so the default is off.
--version (or -V)
Report the version of ibid and exit.
--dump (or -D)
Rather than perform a backup, ibid dumps the contents of a session record (the latest session for the given fileset) to standard output. The information includes the session number, the start and end times for that session, and the complete list of filenames, including symlinks and hard links. Beneath each filename is a list of sessions in which that filename appears, and either (a) the last-modification time and size of the file when it was backed up in that session, (b) the symbol
S->(to connote a symlink) and the target of the link, or (c) the symbol
H->(to connote a hard link) and the pathname under which the contents were most recently copied to the archive.
After the fileset, you may specify on the command line any number of Perl regular expressions; only matching filenames will be included in the output.
- $HOME/.ibid/FILESET
- $HOME/.ibid/FILESET.EXCLUDE
- $HOME/.ibid/FILESET.1, FILESET.2, …


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They've been told that now she needs professional, individual coaching. This is different from lessons. This means someone who devotes himself to training her. They are talking Olympics. They talking prize money. They are talking fees that he can't afford.
Nicholas remembers driving out of Cyprus. There was a terrible smell, and the car crept cautiously into a village. A man in khaki trousers lay in the dust, and suddenly, his mother's hands covered his eyes. Your life is upended, you change countries, you cut hair, and suddenly you have a chance for your daughter to really achieve something. And she wants it. She works so hard, so small, so serious, her face like a little hazelnut. What wouldn't he do?
Nicholas decides. He'll remortgage his house.
Previous passenger
Next passenger
Car 4 map
Journey Planner


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When you or one of your parents enters a nursing home, you assume they will get the utmost care and attention. For thousands of nursing homes across the country, that is absolutely the case. However, there have been numerous instances of negligence in these facilities. If you believe you have experienced some form of abuse from the caretakers at your nursing home, then you need to get in touch with Libertyville nursing home negligence lawyers. They will be able to tell you more about these types of cases and review your rights.
Reports of Nursing Home Abuse Are Higher Than Most People Realize
Tens of thousands of these cases come across lawyers' desks every year, and those cases are not even the full story. It is reported that only one in 14 instances of elderly abuse actually get reported. That means a lot of people out there are suffering in silence.
The reason for why so many instances go unreported can vary significantly. Some individuals are simply too afraid to speak up. Others do not even realize that they are being neglected. Even if you only have suspicions that abuse has taken place, it never hurts to review your options with Libertyville nursing home negligence lawyers to see what can be done.
Abuse Takes Many Different Forms
When most people hear the word abuse, they conjure images of physical violence. Although physically abusing the elderly certainly takes place in some nursing homes, there are various other types of negligence that some people are not aware of. Yelling or humiliating a nursing home's residents is another type of abuse that can leave emotional scars. It is also possible that the nursing home will isolate an individual from his or her friends and family.
Malnutrition and dehydration can take place due to neglectful monitoring. Additionally, medical care can be neglected, so some residents do not get the medication or medical care they desperately require. All of these are just as detrimental as physical harm, but many people still view them as lesser variations of abuse, which is why they often never get reported. It is crucial that you know what your rights are so that you can recognize neglect.
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, pay attention to see if he or she has any unexplained bruising, sudden weight loss or other symptoms of neglect. Libertyville nursing home negligence lawyers are waiting to assist you in any way they can.


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Getting oral surgery can be scary, but don't let fear keep you from getting the dental work you need. To alleviate your fears and help you find a skilled oral surgeon, we've put together a helpful guide about oral surgery safety. We know dental surgery can be intimidating, but with the right information and a skilled surgeon, it can be a positive, rewarding experience. Get your smile back and restore dental health. Call us if you have any questions or to learn more about the services we offer at Hill Country Oral Surgery.
Oral Surgeon vs. Dentist
An oral surgeon, also known as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, is a type of dental specialist. They have attended dental school and hold a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) degree, like a traditional dentist, but they have additional training. After dental school and a licensing exam, a dentist can open up a practice and begin seeing patients. Oral surgeons have more education than a standard dentist. After dental school, they obtain specific surgical training, a process that can take an additional four to six years. A regular dentist can perform many surgical tasks, like extractions or dental implants, but since an oral surgeon has more training and more experience with these surgical techniques, they generally achieve better outcomes.
For a dental cleaning or a simple cavity, go see your regular dentist, but if you need surgery, see an oral surgeon. Oral surgeons offer many types of dental surgery including:
- Wisdom tooth extraction
- Tooth extraction
- Impacted canines
- Apicoectomy
- Facial trauma
- Jaw surgery
- Dental implants
- Bone grafting
Choosing Your Oral Surgeon
If you need an oral surgeon, your general dentist is an excellent place to start. They often offer referrals and may be able to recommend a surgeon in your area. If you live in the Austin, TX area, Hill Country Surgery is an excellent option for all your dental surgery needs.
As you meet with potential surgeons, ask lots of questions. Choose an oral and maxillofacial surgeon that is willing to spend time with you, answer your questions, and alleviate concerns. You should feel comfortable and confident with the surgeon you've selected. If you feel rushed or not listened to, choose a different surgeon.
What Sets Hill Country Oral Surgery Apart from Other Dental Practices?
Techniques and technology are constantly evolving in oral surgery and dental implants. At Hill Country Oral Surgery, we keep up with the changes, remaining at the forefront of these advances. We want our patients to receive the best outcomes possible from their procedures and work diligently to ensure that we offer state-of-the-art options when possible.
We've adopted several emerging technologies, often not offered by other dentists, to provide our patients with precise, safe, and successful surgery outcomes.
- 3D X-Ray Analysis– We have our own in-house cone beam CT that we can use to evaluate your anatomy in 3D. This helps to facilitate safe extractions and dental implant placement. We can easily evaluate your bone condition, proximity of vital structures, and even virtually place implants during your consultation.
- Guided Implant Surgery– For complicated implant placements, we can import your 3D X-ray into specialized planning software. This allows us to carefully plan your surgery and fabricate surgical guides for precise placement. In many practices this is contracted out to third party companies, but at Hill Country Oral Surgery, we complete every step of the process in-house.
- 3D Printing– We have an on-site 3D printer to fabricate custom surgical guides that aid us in accurate implant placement. This allows for expedited treatment and reduces delays. We also have in-office quality control, ensuring that each guide meets our exacting standards.
- Advanced In-Office Anesthetic Options- We want your dental surgery to be as comfortable as possible. Anesthetic options must be highly tailored to a patient's needs and personal desires. We can customize your anesthesia options and individualize your procedure to reduce and eliminate anxiety. Our in-office anesthetic options are chosen with your safety in mind. We use the most up-to-date monitoring systems available and are fully equipped to handle emergency situations. Oral surgeons have specialized anesthesia training and we carry all the necessary permits for in-office anesthesia from the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners.
Safety should be a priority when preparing for any dental procedure, but especially before oral surgery. Choosing the right surgeon can significantly improve your results from oral surgery. Although some dentists offer surgical treatments, remember that oral surgeons have specialized training and may provide improved outcomes, especially with complex cases. Choose a surgeon with advanced training, lots of experience, and the latest available technologies. Call today to schedule your oral surgery consultation at Hill Country Oral Surgery.


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P.U.P. Condemns House Assault on Media
There is condemnation of the attack on the media by political operatives. This afternoon, the People's United Party condemned the actions of Yellow Man and U.D.P. Chairman Alberto August as well as Allan Kelly. The P.U.P. finds it unacceptable that Chairman Aldo Salazar allowed the disruption to unfold without demanding that Police take control of the U.D.P. cronies. The P.U.P. calls on the P.M. to discipline the U.D.P. supporters and instruct them not to return to the Senate. The party also demands that the Prime Minister rein in Yellow Man, who acted criminally by assaulting two members of the media and threatening to throw another one over the railing of the gallery. The P.U.P. also strongly condemns the vicious assault on the press, saying this type of criminality cannot be countenanced. The P.U.P. says that the disruption of the proceedings in the Senate was orchestrated to delay or perhaps even halt the very revealing testimony being given by former U.D.P. Minister Elvin Penner. It notes that just prior to the disruption, Penner during his testimony insisted that the Prime Minister and Cabinet received monthly activity reports from the Ministry of Immigration, which would mean that Mister Barrow knew what was going on in that Department. When asked about those reports after the recent sitting of the House, the Prime Minister could not recall.


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Recycling is not the exception anymore; it is the norm. People submit various unwanted stuff to be recycled. But most of the time they are unaware of what actually happens to them after being recycled. Do you ever wonder if they are being used again by someone? Here are some things you can do with your waste materials that will make them stay with you as useful additions even after you have chucked them off.
What are the items that can be reused?
Let's take main elements that we throw out; paper, hardboard, metal and clothing. Another major waste is food. But it is easy to recycle food; use it to make compost. Especially vegetable cut-outs can be stacked up in a big compost-maker to be disintegrated with time and from the bottom of that container you can get the fertilizer out. Paper and hardboard can be easily recycled at any of these recycling plants; but if you are using it yourself, what about making those cute little stuff for kids' handwork items? You can use empty toilet paper rolls, newspapers, other used stationary etc. for this. Used clothing which is still wearable can be donated; which are not suitable for donation can be cut in to small pieces and carpets or pillow cases can be sewn out of. Metal recycling should be done by professionals as that will include heating them to bend it. However as long as they are in "sheets", you can use it for a metal retaining wall in the garden, in the balcony or as a perimeter lock.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Reduce means literally decreasing the amount of things you use. For example, do you really want two cars for a 3 member family? Or does your kid need all those books, notebooks, drawing books and so on? Reuse is using an item again and again as it is, or making use of it repeatedly to reduce waste. For example, you can buy metal cutlery instead of plastic ones which you can use continually at events or work. You can use a lunch box rather than wrapping food in a lunch sheet everyday which you will throw off. Recycle means an item or its components being changed to makesomething anew. For example, plastic bottles are made in to carpets and benches. Paper can be recycled to produce paper again. Whatever it is, just make sure you somehow contribute to reducing the toll on earth by taking all 3 or at least one of these steps.
Heavy duty items
There are some items which are difficult to discard and even more difficult to recycle. Plastics are a good example. There are various sorts of this and many household items are made of plastic and its derivatives. Concrete is another such material; it is used in construction and at times, a part made could be useless. But throwing it away is not an option due to its bulk and refusal to be recycled. If you can integrate those pieces in to a pathway, it can be blended in. Even can then do a simple concrete resurfacing Melbourne to cover the different parts and make it seem like an even surface. Earth is the only place for all of us to live in. We must protect it today for a better tomorrow for our children.


text: Yes I am afraid it was true, after you alerted me, thank you. I spent the night fixing my machine. The download now is free of virus and I am using a scan on my machine - so this never happens again. I am sorry. -Andras The new virus free download is back. You comments as always are welcome! http://homebased-books.com/eBooks.htm


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Milos and Kimolos sailing holidays
The island of Melos – Milos, the most westerly of the larger Cyclades, owes its distinctive topography and the pattern of its economy to its origin as the caldera of a volcano of the Pliocene period, to which the sulphurous hot springs in the north-east and south-east of the island still bear witness. Kleftiko It has one of the best harbours in the Mediterranean, formed when the sea broke into the crater through a gap on its north-west side.
The north-eastern half of the island is flatter and more fertile than the upland region in the south-west, which rises to 752 m in Mount Profitis Ilias. The island's principal sources of income – besides the tourists either on a sailing holiday or island hopping by ferry – are its rich mineral resources, including pumice, alum, sulphur and clay.
Kimolos is an arid and inhospitable island of volcanic origin lying, which was known in antiquity for its terra kimolia (cimolith), used both as a detergent and in medical baths.
The chief place on the island, Kimolos, lies near the sheltered port of Psathi, round the remains of the late medieval settlement of Kastro. On the island's highest point is the ruined medieval Castle of Palaiokastro.
GREECE is a unique place to choose for your summer holidays.
Choose a section on the map to navigate
The Greek islands are an ideal place for summer holidays and the best way to explore them is to rent a charter a sailing boat in Greece.
Greece's Island Groups
Greece's roughly 6,000 islands and islets (227 of which are inhabited) are scattered far and wide across the eastern Mediterranean. Most are in the Aegean Sea (south and east of mainland Greece), while a few are in the Ionian Sea (west of the mainland). The islands are divided into distinct clusters:
The Ionian Islands, are Greece's northwest gateway to the Adriatic and the rest of Europe — they've had more foreign invaders and rulers than anywhere else in the country. The main island is Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek), with a bustling, architecturally eclectic main town and a lush, green islandscape dotted with attractions and beaches.
The Saronic Gulf Islands ( Argosaronikos ), conveniently wedged between the Peloponnese and Athens, ooze lots of island charm and give you a chance to get away from it all without actually going very far. Hydra, my favorite, is in this group.
The Sporades Islands, due east of Athens, are dominated by the giant Evia island, which is attached to the mainland by a bridge. Thickly forested and less touristed by international visitors, the Sporades are a popular and handy weekend getaway for Athenians.
The Cycladic Islands (or simply Cyclades ) — a bit farther south, between Athens and Crete — are the prototypical "Greek islands," boasting chalk-white houses with colorful windowsills and doorways; rocky, sun-parched landscapes; delightful beaches; old-fashioned white windmills topped with tufts of grass like unkempt hair; and an almost overwhelming crush of international visitors. Mykonos and Santorini are the two best and most famous of the Cyclades. Near Mykonos is the archaeological site of Delos (one of the most important locales of the ancient world).
The Dodecanese Islands, at the sunny, southeastern end of the Greek lands, are more rustic and less developed than the Cyclades. Their proximity to Turkey and historic ties to Venice give them a hybrid Turkish-Venetian flavor (though the population is mostly ethnic Greek, these islands merged with Greece only after World War II). Rhodes, with an appealing and very real-feeling Old Town, is the biggest of these islands.
The North Aegean Islands, relatively untrampled and remote-feeling, lie roughly between Turkey and Thessaloniki (at the northern end of mainland Greece). The southernmost of these, Samos, is a particularly handy springboard for Turkey, as it's very close to the Turkish port city of Kusadas? (near the remarkable ancient site of Ephesus).
Crete is Greece's biggest island and practically a mini-state of its own (in fact, from 1897 to 1913 it was an autonomous state within the Ottoman Empire). While many of Greece's smaller islands merit a day or two of fun in the sun, Crete could occupy even a busy traveler for a week or more. Historically, Crete was home to the Minoans — the earliest advanced European civilization, peaking around 1950 B.C., centuries before "the ancient Greeks" of Athens. While Crete's modern main city, Iraklio, is drab and uninviting, the rest of the island offers an engaging diversity of attractions: Minoan ruins, scenic mountains, enticing beaches, characteristic rustic villages, and dramatic caves and gorges (including the famous Samaria Gorge).
Even if you are having no sailing experience we can offer you a sailing yacht with a captain.
Experienced sailors can enjoy the strong winds in the Aegean Sea, while others might choose the mild winds and safer bays of Argosaronicos Gulf, Sporades islands or the Ionian Sea. In few words, sailing in Greece can offer all the pleasure a sailor might seek in summer holidays.


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PORT ANGELES — Democrat Mike Doherty will face off against incumbent Bill Peach, a Republican, as they vie for the District 3 seat on the Clallam County Board of County Commissioners during the Nov. 6 general election.
After the initial count of primary ballots Tuesday night, Doherty won 1,937 votes, or 48.06 percent, to the 1,804 votes, or 44.76 percent, won by Peach, who is seeking his second term as West End-Port Angeles-area commissioner.
On Tuesday, 19,122 ballots were counted out of 51,833 provided to registered voters for a 36.89 percent turnout.
More ballots will be counted by 4:30 p.m. Friday.
"To everyone who voted, I appreciate them," Doherty said when reached by phone Wednesday. "Now I just have to earn their trust in the second half of the election here."
Doherty is a former four-term county commissioner who did not seek re-election to the four-year seat in 2014.
Peach did not return calls for comment Wednesday.
Dale Wilson, who registered with no party preference, had 289 votes, or 7.17 percent.
"I'm kind of relieved that it's over," Wilson said Wednesday. "I gave it my best and came up short. I have no regrets."
Wilson said he would encourage his supporters to vote for Doherty in the general election in November.
He also suggested voters elect Selinda Barkhuis, who is challenging incumbent Mark Nichols for his position as county prosecuting attorney.
Nichols had 9,982 votes, or 56.85 percent, to the 7,578 votes, or 43.15 percent, for Barkhuis, a nonpracticing lawyer and former county treasurer, in the initial count of ballots Tuesday.
"I was in several candidate forums and [Doherty] just makes more sense," Wilson said.
"He has a deeper grasp, has a more open concept of what is going to be necessary to face some of the challenges we have ahead. We need to have someone with a grasp of the problems."
Doherty said he hopes the campaign moving forward will be more issue oriented and he plans to rely on his previous experience as a commissioner.
"I'll just keep reminding people when I was a commissioner I was a very active commissioner in all the small communities," he said. "I was in those communities a lot."
Doherty said he was surprised to learn Peach had loaned himself $20,000 for his campaign.
Peach told the Peninsula Daily News previously that he loaned his campaign $20,000 in May, but didn't report the contribution to the state Public Disclosure Commission until Friday, after he talked to a reporter about campaign contributions.
"He was intending to spend some money on this campaign and here we are using our used signs from the past," Doherty said. "That could be why I like candidate forums and getting out in front of voters. It's a little less expensive."
District 3 includes precincts on the west end of Port Angeles and extends to the coast. Only voters living within District 3 could vote in the race.
Doherty had the strongest support in the Port Angeles area, but also won the Neah Bay and the Freshwater Bay precincts.
Nearly half of Doherty's votes came from voters within the Port Angeles city limits. Port Angeles voters accounted for 47 percent of Doherty's total votes, while Port Angeles voters accounted for 34 percent of Peach's votes.
Peach earned 1,183 votes from voters who live outside Port Angeles, about 16 percent more than the 1,017 votes Doherty earned outside Port Angeles.
Doherty said he's not reading too far into the precinct results and that he's going to wait until all the votes are counted in November.
Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at email@example.com.


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Orioles third baseman/short stop Manny Machado is responding to the worst year of his major league career in 2017 with the best start he's ever had in his young career in 2018. Unfortunately, the 25-year old third baseman probably won't net the return many are expecting for him on the trade market.
Machado is currently hitting .354/.440/.667 with a wRC+ of 188 while already being worth 2.1 wins through 164 plate appearances. The seventh year veteran has absolutely torn the cover off of the ball this season as he's seen his hard hit rate skyrocket this season 30% while his soft contact rate has dropped down nearly six points to 35.8%. It's unlikely that those contact rates — or his abnormally high BABIP of .348 — are sustainable as those numbers are well over his career norms; but he's still going to be a valuable third basemen at the end of the season…even if his bat cools down.
The good news for any team looking into Machado is that he's making "only" $16 million this season; the bad news is that he'll be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of 2018. While a player's status as a rental hasn't completely repressed their trade value in the past, it has limited the returns that the team trading them gets.
For example, prior to the 2008 trade deadline the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim traded Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to the Atlanta Braves for three-plus months of Mark Teixeira — Tex had a wRC+ of 140 heading into the trade, Kotchman's was at 101. The process behind the trade was bad for Atlanta as they were swapping for a relatively unremarkable Double-A arm — who'd been hot up to the deadline in '08, but was mediocre (at best) the previous two years — and a much weaker first baseman that made their major league squad worse. It was a bad deal that left the Braves in a big hole that they're just now digging out of.
Unfortunately for Baltimore, a team that's tanking, the tale of teams that trade a young All-Star on the last year of his deal is littered with many tales like Atlanta when they ditched Teixeira at the deadline. It's going to be tricky for the Orioles front office to get a deal done that will help replenish their depleted farm system while the team continues to tank for draft picks.
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Categories: MLB


text: This winter, I've been passing the time rereading a few French classics. It's been a great way to while away the hours, especially since many of the books focus on life in the garden. Such is the case with Honoré de Balzac's 1835 novel, Le Lys dans la Vallée (The Lily of the Valley). It's a great story of French love and society and how a pair of frustrated lovers establish a secret correspondence by flowers. Continue reading


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Date:July 31, 1979Time:2:00 pm
Alt.:9630 ft.
Barom.:24.8 steady
Place:Sonora Pass
Auspicious beginnings. I spoke to three cowboys who had pulled over in their pick-up truck. I was struck by the dust on the truck, the dust on their tack, heaped high in the bed, and the dust on their faces, where little canyons were created each time they smiled. With beer cans in their hands, they gave advice and encouragement. I couldn't tell them that I had not even begun my trek, they had such high regard.
Two trail weary folks were resting under some small pines, packs dusty and well used. They offered that the trail to Wolf Creek Lake was pretty good, well marked, and easy to make time on.
Sherry had dropped me off only an hour earlier, after a three hour drive across the valley. My intention is to walk this middle part of the Pacific Crest Trail, from Sonora Pass to possibly Beckworth Pass almost 300 miles north. In addition, I would like to spend some focused time at each of the major passes along the way. I hope to get a sense of the difficulties the emigrants might have had when they faced the eastern wall of the Sierras over a hundred years ago. Except that I was on top of the wall, while they had to climb it.
After Sherry left, wishing me luck, and worrying about my safety, I preceded to walk around the Pass area, making notes, trying to be observant. It was hard to stay focused, knowing that I hadn't really started the hike, and wondering what might happen during the next few weeks.
The cowboys saw me wandering about, looking at the approach to the Pass, making notes and looking down the ridge that led to the Pacific Ocean. I'm sure it would have sounded a little odd to them, but my trail hardened emigrants struck a familiar chord with them and their own rugged lives. My only complaint is that their cold beer offer came at the very beginning of my hike, not three days from now, when I would really, really enjoy it.
Two red-tailed hawks cruise overhead, one peels off and dives on me like a Stuka from WWII. After the fly-by, he (she?) screeches good luck, almost waves his/her wings, and disappears over the ridge, in search of marmots. Too bad I don't talk hawk- still, I take it as a good omen.
Date:July 31, 1979
Time:3:00 pm
Alt.:9980 ft.
Barom.:23.75, slight fall
Place:Sonora Pass area, creekside
I've been on the trail for about an hour, I'm tired, out of breath, and already have intestinal cramps. Situation as expected.
This is the first water I've come to that flows directly to the Pacific. It's quite likely to have been the first of it's kind to the emigrants as well. Having the name Deadman's Creek leads me to believe something unfortunate occurred here at some point in time. The trail leads up the ridge, just to the east of Sonora Peak, where this creek has it's birth in some snow field or another.
Wild flowers are in abundance, I've taken some photographs while taking a short breather. Timeless here, the creek cold and noisy, the afternoon sun laying hot upon my knee. Feeling pretty good again, remarkable what a few moments of rest does.
Date:July 31, 1979
Time:4:00 pm
Alt.:10,440 ft.
Place:Sonora Saddle
Met a hiker here on the saddle, between the S.F. Bay and the Nevada sink. Wonderful accent, doesn't listen very well, but polite in trail etiquette. I expect to see him now and then as he is heading to Echo Lake.
Windy here, coming in from the west in sharp gusts. One cloud in the sky with the mountains of Yosemite in the south. Great slabs of granite and snow, overlooking the local peaks with their thin garments of storm pressed pines.
Small lake up ahead, should be able to find a decent place above the water.
Date:July 31, 1979
Time:5:20 pm
Alt.:10,200 ft.
Barom.:23.55 falling slightly
Place:Wolf Creek Lake
First camp. White barked pine trees on the opposite east shore, I'm resting in the shadow of Sonora Peak, hoping to pick a spot where I can have the first light of dawn strike my camp. It's quite cold with a twenty plus degree temperature drop in the last 30 minutes. My German friend is either hiding or perhaps climbing Sonora Peak as he had mentioned, I don't see his camp. I've only come 4 miles in about 3.5 hours. Hmm, a little arithmetic and I can estimate that it will take me only about 350 hours for 400 miles, 175 hours for two hundred miles, ten hours a day hiking will take me about 17 days to reach Donner Pass. Not good. At this rate I will run out of food about six days before my next mail drop. I'm even more tired.
Obviously I need to adjust to the altitude as well as the trail. Well, tomorrow is the first long day.
Date:July 31, 1979
Time:8:48 pm
Alt.:10160 ft.
Barom.:23.6 rising slowly
Place:Wolf Creek Lake
Finished my first dinner, curried bean with chicken chunks, spicy. Just the right thing to take a little of the chill off. I've bedded down beside this wonderful rock that still radiates the heat from the afternoon sun. I'm about 100 yards from the lake, reclining in my sleeping bag with a poncho ground cloth. The effect is similar to a lounge chair on the deck of a mountain resort. I cooked the meal on my little camp stove just to the right, leaning over a little to stir the pot. It seemed like room service.
Lonesome. It's a word to describe this place. The wind comes down from the peak, replacing mountain lake silence with a vague whisper that speaks of a greater silence. Lonesome is a word to describe this place and myself. I'm feeling somewhat pathetic, considering that only hours before I had a wealth of company, and even now I know that within a mile or two there should be a German sleeping in his camp. It's not a serious problem but I'm a little shocked by how suddenly it cropped up. I had expected it to happen a few days from now. Of course I didn't expect that I was going to stop a write a little every hour or two either.
I've concluded that each day might be dedicated to a thought or concept of import. It's a nice idea to have a topic to ponder while these boots are pounding up some small mountain or another. Tomorrow I'll consider relationships.
I go to sleep hearing coyotes circle the lake.


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D2 Turbo 12V DC Sliding Gate Operator Kit - Raz Rack - 250kg Kit Includes : Operator, Foundation Plate, Controller with integral 800mA SM Charger and multichannel NOVA Receiver, 5Ah Battery, 4m RAZ Nylon RAZ Rack (Bundle) and 2 x 4 Button NOVA Txs
Prepare for your sliding gate to be turbocharged. The D2 Turbo is a high-speed, cost-effective operator for domestic gates weighing up to 250kg, with a maximum speed of 400 millimetres per second and powerful peak push force rated at 9kgf. This operator is exceptionally quick and easy to install and set up, with all settings easily configurable via two dials on the controller. With loads of features, the D2 Turbo is the complete motor for a standard, domestic four metre gate.
The D2 Turbo Low-Voltage operator is designed specifically for sites with no mains at the gate to reduce installation costs while delivering outstanding reliability, comprehensive functionality and selectable high-security or standard speeds. With the D2 Turbo Low-Voltage, there is no need for costly high-voltage cable runs and expensive isolators. Simply use a low-voltage step-down transformer or solar power supply. Now that's fast! Sleek, strong, stylish – and even eco-conscious – this CENTURION has it all.


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This is when Grantham roadworks will be complete
See the timeline of roadworks in Grantham
Three major highways projects in Grantham are underway, with some roads being rebuilt entirely.
The first phase of work was started on Sunday, July 26 on the London Road and Wharf Road junction, these were finished on August 3.
The second project began on Monday, August 6 to replace the traffic signals at the junction of London Road and Bridge End Road – it is expected to take four weeks.
Work will also be underway on Avenue Road and Stonebridge Road from Monday, August 3 and is expected to be completed by Sunday, September 2.
Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: "These sections of road are in need of repair, but instead of just filling in the potholes, we're going to be completely rebuilding them.
"Similarly, the traffic lights at the junction of London Road and Bridge End Road are reaching the end of their life and need to be replaced.
"We've scheduled all this work for the school holidays, when there's much less traffic about, which will help reduce the impact on motorists.
"That said, there is still likely to be some disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and would encourage people to use alternative routes where possible."
As a result of the works, the roads will be closed and diversions are going to be in place.


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Godox V860IIS TTL Li-Ion Speedlite for Sony
Version III of the V860 is now out and offers a modelling light and uses a lithium ion battery. More power, faster recycle and the modelling light but at a much higher price.
- Built-In 2.4GHz X Wireless Radio System
- Compatible with Sony ADI / P-TTL
- Guide Number: 60 at ISO 100 and 200mm
- Zoom Range: 20-200mm (14mm with Panel)
- Tilts from -7 to 90°
- Rotates Left & Right 180°
- Wireless Master/Slave TTL Functionality
- Recycle Time: 1.5 Seconds at Full Power
- High-Speed, 1st and 2nd Curtain Sync
- Runs on Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery Pack
Power, speed, and integrated radio transmission make the VING V860IIS TTL Li-Ion Flash Kit from Godox a hard-to-beat option for your Sony cameras. Fully compatible with ADI / P-TTL systems, the V860IIS supports many advanced functions and features. Also, it features the Godox 2.4GHz X wireless radio system which provides both master and slave TTL functionality with a range of up to 100m.
On top of this, the flash is powerful and versatile, featuring a guide number of 60 at ISO 100 and 200mm along with a zoom range of 20-200mm, which can be expanded to 14mm with the use of the pull-out panel. And, this flash runs off a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack, that ensures fast recharge and long-lasting shoots.
For general operation, the V860IIS features full bounce flash capabilities, including tilting from -7 to 90° and rotation left and right 180°. As a ADI / P-TTL-compatible unit, this flash offers support for high-speed sync, flash exposure compensation, 1st and 2nd curtain sync, and much more. Additionally, it can function as an optical master or slave unit if needed.
- The Godox 2.4GHz X wireless radio system has an impressive range of 100m along with the ability to choose between 32 channels and set up three groups. The system is compatible with Godox's X series or transmitters for more advanced functionality and setups.
- A powerful guide number of 60 at ISO 100 and 200mm ensures your subjects are properly illuminated.
- A zoom range of 20-200mm, as well as a wide-angle panel that supports 14mm, ensures maximum compatibility with a range of lenses and shooting styles.
- The flash head can tilt from -7 to 90° and rotate 180° both left and right for full bounce capabilities.
- Optical wireless transmission is available with access to four channels and two groups as well as a range of up to 49'.
- An AF assist light is present with a range of 2-32.8'.
- This flash supports various functions, including multi flash, high-speed sync, 1st and 2nd curtain sync, flash exposure compensation, and more.
- The 11.1V, 2000mAh Li-ion polymer battery pack included with the flash will provide recharge times of faster than 1.5 seconds and approximately 650 full-power flashes.
- In addition to the hot shoe and wireless triggering, the V860IIS offers a 2.5mm sync port for a wired connection to a camera or receiver.
- A micro-USB port is available for installing firmware updates.
Whats in the box:
1x Godox V860IIS TTL Li-Ion Flash for Sony
1x VB-18 Li-Ion Battery Pack
1x VC-18 Battery Charger and Cable
1x Mini Stand
1x Protective Case
1x User Manual
The Godox V860IIS TTL Li-Ion Speedlite for Sony comes with a full Godox Australia warranty.
Cameras Direct since 2003. Pop into our Gold Coast camera store & warehouse or order online. We look forward to being at your SERVICE Australia wide. We look forward to helping you take a better photo soon. Thank you


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The Minister using augmented reality equipment, with Sarah Chitongo Midwifery Educator and Manager of the Clinical Skills Department at MDX
Chris Skidmore, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation had a packed agenda when he visited Middlesex this week. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Blackman and his team used the opportunity to talk to the Minister about commuter students, widening participation and the ongoing Government review of post-18 education and funding.
The Minister was particularly keen to find out more about fast-track two year degrees. To help him get a real insight the MDX team arranged for him to meet two students who opted for accelerated study, Paulo Manso who graduated last year and Taniya Ali who is in her First Year.
"As part of a diverse portfolio of pathways, accelerated degrees can extend student choice and create the opportunity to fast track into the workforce, but they are not for everyone" Professor Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University
Commenting on two year degrees, Professor Blackman said:
"Middlesex University is committed to developing more choice in higher education and has long worked with employers to design new and innovative pathways that lead to successful graduate careers, including our Fast-Track BA Honours Degree in Business Management. As part of a diverse portfolio of pathways, accelerated degrees can extend student choice and create the opportunity to fast track into the workforce, but they are not for everyone. While saving on costs may be an attractive option for some, the demands of intensive study mean students must be very focused and will have less time for part-time work or caring responsibilities. We have found that their particular appeal is for highly motivated students seeking employment in a specific industry.
"For universities, the overall cost of providing accelerated degrees is similar to a standard degree as their quality and content must be comparable, and some students will want to switch track between an accelerated and standard route through the same programme. We therefore very much welcome measures to ensure that these programmes are properly resourced."
After hearing from academics and students about fast-track degrees it was time to experience some of the cutting edge teaching methods that MDX teams use every day. The Minister was given a demonstration of the augmented reality equipment that nursing and midwifery students have recently incorporated into their studies.
As part of Middlesex's strategy to offer a wide portfolio of study options the MDX Nursing leadership team talked to the Minister about the University's innovative course to develop Nursing Associates through apprenticeship funding and the BSc Nursing programme for overseas nurses.
No visit to Middlesex is complete without a hug from Pepper and the Minister seemed delighted to meet the robot.


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Summary: Now that we're extricating ourselves from the first two nations we occupied in the War On Terror, with no gains to offset the cost in money and blood, let's re-examine the advice that led us into those holes. Like the memos planning the Vietnam War, after the war they'll read as madness. Historians will wonder why we took this foolishness seriously. But we can learn from this experience, as we failed to do from Vietnam.
We had a wide range of advisors for our futile wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some charlatans, such as Max Boot. Some brilliant, like Ralph Peters and David Kilcullen. The latter are more interesting. With good senior leaders, political and military, the work of Peters and Kilcullen would have earned themselves prominent places in the annals of military history. But instead their expertise was used to justify and support wars probably impossible to win — and destructive to those who try. Great men in the service of donkeys.
Today we'll look at Kilcullen's best-known work, highly influential mid-way through our wars — after the first rush of enthusiasm had passed and doubts appeared. This is an excerpt from an article I wrote in rebuttal. The Editor (rightly) dissuaded me from calling Kilcullen's article pernicious nonsense, requiring instead a detailed analysis. Now we can see more clearly. Six years later all that remains is one important question, left for readers to answer in the comments (because I haven't a clue): why did anyone consider as sensible Kilcullen's pernicious nonsense masquerading as advice?
Why do we lose 4th generation wars?
Originally posted on at Defense and the National Interest, 4 January 2007.
An early symptom of impending defeat is loss of confidence in one's tactical doctrines. In a strong military culture, though, this can spark a burst of creativity. In WWI, this resulted in the perfection by the German Army of infiltration tactics. Later, with new technology, this became blitzkrieg.
How has the prospect of defeat in Iraq affected the US military?
The first effect has been to grasp at our strengths, the attributes that have proved insufficient in Iraq. Like a "drop of the hair of the dog that bit you" on the morning-after, it does not help. Enthusiasm for the work of David Kilcullen clearly shows this dynamic at work. He has a strong background in modern military theory: Lt. Col in the Australian Army, Ph.D. in anthropology, Chief Strategist in the Office of the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, recently awarded the Medal for Exceptional Public Service …
Let us look at the most widely circulated of his works about counterinsurgency: "Twenty-Eight Articles: Fundamentals of Company-Level Counterinsurgency" Military Review, May – June 2006. Explicitly written for a Coalition company commander just warned for deployment in Iraq or Afghanistan … At the opening Kilcullen defines his subject:
{Counterinsurgency} "is a competition with the insurgent for the right and the ability to win the hearts, minds and acquiescence of the population."
As noted above, Kilcullen is not drawing distinctions between guerrilla warfare, to which this statement applies, and insurgency. With that in mind, we can then ask whether it is possible for us "to win the hearts, minds and acquiescence of the population"?
The answer is "no," and the rationale is critical to appreciating why Kilcullen's lessons learned for tactical commanders may mislead politicians who try to generalize it to a war-winning strategy (just implement his tactics and we win) or even worse, to grand strategy. For an explanation we must look at the different types of 4GW. …
Kilcullen's Article #1 – Know your turf.
"Know the people, the topography, economy, history, religion and culture. Know every village, road, field, population group, tribal leader and ancient grievance. Your task is to become the world expert on your district."
It is easy to read this as important but banal. Centurions posted to remote Roman provinces were probably told to "know your turf." This ignores the depth of Kilcullen's insight. Kilcullen here describes the "home court advantage." It is a powerful advantage in 4GW, perhaps one reason for the consistent victory of locals over foreigners. This is not a new aspect of war.
"As we shall show, defense is a stronger form of fighting than attack. … I am convinced that the superiority of the defensive (if rightly understood) is very great, far greater than appears at first sight."
— Clausewitz, On War, Book 1, Chapter 1.
Unfortunately, in the Middle East everyone has this advantage, except us. The world expert on "your" district already lives there and probably was born there. US company commanders on six to twelve month rotations cannot develop anything comparable to the locals' knowledge about their home, especially in so foreign a culture. It might be difficult for some of them to do so quickly in Watts or Harlem. …
Article #2 – Diagnose the problem.
"Once you know your area and its people, you can begin to diagnose the problem. Who are the insurgents? What drives them? What makes local leaders tick?"
Having "strategic corporals" was insufficient. Now we need "sociologist captains." This is not a task for company commanders, already carrying a complex and heavy load of managerial and leadership duties. Nor does Kilcullen explain how to apply this advice. Once you have understood the insurgents and diagnosed the problem, how do you construct a solution? A handbook offering these answers could solve many of America's own domestic problems.
Worst of all, this advice crashes on our lack of the home court advantage. How can someone newly arrived in a foreign culture – Iraq and especially Afghanistan are very foreign to most Americans – do this without speaking the local languages? …
Article #10 – Be there
"The first rule of deployment in counterinsurgency is to be there. So your first order of business is to establish presence. If you cannot do this throughout your sector, then do it wherever you can. This demands a residential approach – living in your sector, in close proximity to the population, rather than raiding into the area from remote, secure bases. Movement on foot, sleeping in local villages, night patrolling: all these seem more dangerous than they are."
This is good advice for insurgents, well known since Mao said that the guerrilla is like a fish that swims in the sea of the people. In chapter 37 of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence wrote words that apply equally today (although in a different context) to the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan (bold emphasis added):
"Our largest resources, the Bedouin on whom our war must be built, were unused to formal operations, but had assets of mobility, toughness, self-assurance, knowledge of the country, intelligent courage. With them dispersal was strength. Consequently we must extend our front to its maximum, to impose on the Turks the longest possible passive defence, since that was, materially, their most costly form of war."
Will this work for us? Perhaps Kilcullen is correct that "these seem more dangerous than they are", but in insurgent-held areas patrolling has run up casualties with no evident benefit. Kilcullen might have in mind the Marine's combined action platoons (CAP), Marines deployed to live in Vietnamese villages. They proved effective in Vietnam's largely neutral (i.e., apolitical) rural areas. Iraq is highly urbanized, with a far more politically "mobilized" people than Vietnam's 1960′s rural peasants. Dropping a unit of Marines into an Iraq town might be …
- a waste of effort, if in a (relatively) peaceful Kurdish or Shiite area (i.e., already run by the locals), or
- suicidal, if in an area controlled by the insurgents.
I doubt there are many intermediate situations, except for what are in effect urban war zones like Baghdad, where coalition forces are bunkered in the Green Zone. Anyone suggesting the "residential approach" in Baghdad should be invited to be to test it out, personally.
Kilcullen's expectations for our company commanders.
We have fielded some of the best-educated and trained company commanders the world has ever seen. We can ask much of them, but not everything of them. Increasing their responsibilities should not substitute for the military's lack of effective doctrine and operational intelligence. Simplifying their job might produce better results than making it more complex. Certainly, the insurgents' operational doctrines do not require leaders with a college degree, let alone graduate studies. Perhaps we can learn something from them in this respect.
Furthermore, they are products of America – perhaps our finest "products." As such, they carry with them both the strengths and weaknesses of our culture, and it is not realistic to expect them to quickly free themselves from what they are. In general, since early childhood they have been indoctrinated to value and believe in freedom and equality, and to consider opposing beliefs are unreasonable. However fine and just, this does not help them understand and empathize a culture with different values – such as Iraq and, even more so, Afghanistan, where religion and tribal/ethnic loyalties play a much larger role.
Good commanders can do much. Great commanders can do almost anything. However, nobody can do everything. Perhaps Kilcullen asks too much.
From another perspective, these 28 articles help us even if we cannot implement them as well as can local insurgents? That misses their significance. These are the competitive advantages of insurgents. To borrow Michael Porter's phrase, these are insurgents' "core competencies." In conventional wars, such as WWII, armies could copy tactical innovations from their enemies. In 4GW's what works for the insurgents often does not work well for foreigners – a basic tenet of asymmetric warfare.
We can learn from our enemies, but we will continue to lose these wars unless we find other, different, advantages vs. the insurgents. The search for these continues, but for us this is at present a "Handbook for Losers." …
For more information
For more information about Kilcullen, including links to many of his articles:
Posts about COIN:
- More paths to failure in Iraq, 16 December 2006 — Myths about COIN in Iraq
- How often do insurgents win? How much time does successful COIN require?, 29 May 2008
- No coins, no COIN, 6 October 2008
- Is COIN the graduate level of military hubris?, 30 July 2008
- Max Boot: history suggests we will win in Afghanistan, with better than 50-50 odds. Here's the real story., 21 June 2010 — Boot discusses 7 alleged victories by foreign armies fighting insurgencies.
- A major discovery! It could change the course of US geopolitical strategy, if we'd only see it, 28 June 2010 — Andrew Exum (aka Abu Muqawama) points us to the doctoral dissertation of Erin Marie Simpson in Political Science from Harvard. She examines the present and past analysis of counter-insurgency. This could change the course of American foreign policy, if we pay attention.
- A look at the history of victories over insurgents, 30 June 2010
- WPR: "Counterinsurgency in the Post-COIN Era", 31 January 2012


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Norway's most popular newspaper, Aftenposten, has described Norway as the world leader in casual sex and one-night stands and proclaimed that 'Young, sex-happy Norwegians are the quickest to hop into bed with casual conquests'.
On the last day of his trial on 22 June 2012 Norway's Muslim-hating mass killer Anders Behring Breivik told the Court:
"The ideal is to have sex with as many strangers as possible. Rather than to idealize the nuclear family, that was the emphasis in Europe until the mid-sixties, we focus on dissolving the nuclear family with all the problems it brings with it… This is a sickness. These sick ideals must be censored and kept away from our society."
Author and London solicitor Frederick Delaware digs deep into Norway's free-wheeling sexual bonanza over a thirty year period which resulted in him being branded Norway's first ever 'sex-terrorist'. Fact had become fiction and fiction had become fact.
Get ready for Norway Shockers…


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November 29th Optum is attending the 7. annual Geotechnik Fachtagung in Switzerland. We will be hosting a workshop which gives the attendees the possibility to work with the newest development in the area of Finite Element Limt Analysis (FELA). The theme of the conference is Geotechnical design with new technologies and the aim is to demonstrate the progress in geotechnical design, to … Read More
More Universities take OptumG2 into use
We recently welcomed the following Universities into our Academic network: University of Zilinia, Slovakia Gazi University, Turkey Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland Siberian Transport University, Russia University of Strasbourg, France Beijing University of Technology, China Indian School of Mines, India The American University in Cairo, Egypt University of Zagreb, Croatia HSR Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil, Switzerland Government … Read More
12 more Universities join our Academic users
We would like to welcome the following universities on board as OptumG2 users: Parthenope University of Naples (Italy) University of Seoul (Korea) Norhwestern University (USA) Hunan University (China) University of Graz (Austria) University of Greenwich (UK) Semnan University (Iran) University of Southern Denmark (Denmark) Don State University (Russia) Stellenbosch University (South Africa) Fuzhou University (China) Belarusian State University (Belarus)
Article about Optum in "Ingeniøren"
The Danish engineering journal "Ingeniøren" has written an article about the new program OptumCS. (The article is in Danish) Working in a consortium with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the Danish Concrete Element Association (BEF), OptumCE has been granted DKK 5,2M (€ 700.000) by the Danish Innovation Foundation to develop a new software for finite element limit analysis … Read More
Happy holidays from OptumCE
Our holiday newsletter is out! Read it right here, or sign up via this link: https://www.facebook.com/optumce/app/100265896690345/
OptumG3 sneak peek!
Something great is coming soon – and it's not Christmas we have in mind…
Optum welcomes new universities
We would like to welcome the following universities on board as OptumG2 users: University of Algarve (Portugal) Newcastle University (UK) Narotama University (Indonesia) University of Alberta (Canada) ENTPE (France) University of Jember (Indonesia) HKUST (Hong Kong) University of British Columbia (Canada) University of Oslo (Norway) University of Naples Federico II (Italy) Beijing Jiatong University (China) University of Salerno (Italy) OptumG2 … Read More
New app for OptumG2 – bearing capacity
New app for bearing capacity of footing on two-layered soil subjected to combined vertical, horizontal and moment loading. Rigorous upper and lower bounds are computed using the OptumG2 engine. Download the app here.
OptumG2 2016 release
The latest release of OptumG2 is now available for download. This release includes a library of 82 sheet pile profiles from the 2016 ArcelorMittal catalogue. Download the newest version right here.
Optum sponsors 2016 AGS Sydney Symposium
Optum is sponsoring the 2016 AGS Sydney Symposium. Check out the presentation by Dr David Oliveira from Jacobs: Ground control for a deep basement excavation in Sydney GPO fault zone on Friday 11 Nov at 16.05 for details on an interesting application using OptumG2.
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Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) has been trained to believe that he is a crime-fighting dog with super powers. In reality he is a canine actor who has lived on a television set since he was a puppy. He thinks that his young owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) lives under constant threat from a mad scientist, the evil green-eyed Dr Calico (Malcolm McDowell), and his equally evil cats. Week after week, Bolt manages to save Penny from kidnap by using what he thinks are super powers.
When network executive Mindy (Karl Wahlgren) orders that the show's consistently happy endings should be changed, the Director (James Lipton) ends one episode with Dr Calico successfully capturing Penny. Wanting to save her, Bolt escapes from his trailer into the real world. After a comedy of errors, he ends up being trapped in a packing container and accidentally shipped from Los Angeles to New York.
Still believing that he has super powers, Bolt sets off to track down and rescue Penny from the evil Dr Calico. He is assisted in his travels across the country by a stray cat named Mittens (Susie Essman) and a feisty hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton).
Super powers; crime
Super powers; crime
This film contains scenes depicting peril, action adventure, cartoon action violence, threats of violence and intimidation, slapstick violence and recklessness. Examples include the following:
This film contains scenes depicting peril, action adventure, cartoon action violence, threats of violence and intimidation, slapstick violence and recklessness. Examples include the following:
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
None of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
This movie contains some mild coarse language and put-downs.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Bolt is a fast-paced animated adventure film that is clever, witty and entertaining for both children and adults. The film does contain some scenes of animals and children in danger, which may distress younger viewers.
The main messages from this movie are:
- We do not have to have super powers in order to do heroic deeds.
- If you do right, no matter the obstacles, the impossible can become the possible.
- Never abandon a friend or someone you love in time of need.
Values in this movie that you might wish to reinforce with your children include loyalty, perseverance and selflessness. No matter how difficult things became, Bolt never gives up searching for Penny, and he risks his life to protect her.
This movie could also give you the opportunity to discuss with your children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as Penny's dilemma. She is torn between her duty to the film studio and her desire to take Bolt home and treat him like a regular dog. Parents may wish to discuss the consequences of each choice – who would be affected, and how.


text: The thesis is an elongated and prescribed piece of writing that students engrave to acquire an academic degree. However, most students locate it incredibly complicated, because, they have no experience to inscribe their dissertation. Here, the professional writers of PhD dissertation writing services will discuss tips for best thesis writing online. The second alternative is […]Read More


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What should the State of Maryland do with large vacant historic complexes? A new report prepared for the Maryland Department of Planning calls for strategic policy changes and increased project funding to advance preservation and reuse.Continue Reading
As part of a major multi-year public and private initiative to rehabilitate the historic Glenn Dale Hospital in Prince George's County, the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) has commissioned Alexander Company to complete a new redevelopment study.Continue Reading
For many years the historic Glenn Dale Hospital complex was de facto protected from incongruous development by a long-standing deed restriction. Now that there is a committed interest from a team of public agencies, preservation organizations, and private firms, in the redevelopment of the site, the deed restriction was deemed unnecessarily strict.Continue Reading
Thanks to a bill sponsored by Senator Katie Fry Hester, with language provided, in part, by Preservation Maryland, the Maryland Department of Planning is now seeking a qualified consultant to conduct a study to address the challenge of reusing large campuses of historic structures, such as Preservation Maryland's Six-to-Fix project Glenn Dale Hospital in Prince George's County.Continue Reading


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iPolitics | Jul 22, 2014
CETA 'should be initialed by September 25′: EU Trade Commissioner
By BJ Siekierski
The end of the Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA) technical negotiations are "in sight" and the deal should be initialed in time for a late September bilateral summit in Ottawa, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said Tuesday.
As the EU continues separate negotiations with the U.S., however, the trade commissioner warned that shifting European views on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) could cause complications.
In short, the EU's position on ISDS — which essentially allows investors to sue governments outside of domestic courts for unfair treatment — has evolved as a result of their Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks with the U.S.
And a European public consultation that ended on July 13 could ultimately result in its exclusion from TTIP.
That could put the incomplete CETA negotiations in a tricky spot, since both Canada and the EU agreed to include it in their agreement.
The main concern in Europe appears to be that American corporations — as in NAFTA's Chapter 11 — could use offices in Canada to file claims.
A TTIP exclusion, in other words, might not end up mattering; in many cases, American investors could use CETA, making its final outcome that much more important.
De Gucht addressed that Tuesday.
"We have negotiated an agreement with Canada, and apart from a really, really minor thing now — this is done. We have been negotiating that agreement on the basis of a mandate that has been given to us by the Council of Ministers: a unanimous one. And as a result of that, ISDS is in that agreement," he told the European Parliament's international trade committee.
"If we had not negotiated an ISDS provision with Canada, we wouldn't even have fulfilled our mandate. We will see in the coming weeks what happens — in the coming months what happens."
Should the EU leadership change their minds at this late stage on including investor-state dispute settlement, a frustrated De Gucht added, there could be serious repercussions.
"It's very clear what happens with CETA, once it is ready and initialed. I think it should be initialed by the 25th of September when we have the summit with Ottawa," he said.
By initialing, he was referring to both sides' chief negotiators signing off on every page of the agreement so that it can then be translated and eventually go through the ratification process.
"Then it will end up on the desk of the Council," De Gucht said, meaning the body made up of the heads of state of the member states, together with its president and the president of the European Commission.
"If the Council, in all of its wisdom, decides that they don't agree anymore to something that they had unanimously asked us to do — ok, that's up to the Council to decide. That's not in my hands in anymore. The agreement is negotiated on the basis of what was our mandate, and so the Council will have to decide what they do with this. And also you will have to consider what you do with this."
With the incoming EU Commission President Jean-Claude Junker apparently opposed to including ISDS in the agreement with the U.S., the Council changing their minds is a distinct possibility.
That's part of the reason the Canadian and European business communities have urged a quick conclusion of CETA.
"This will be a very interesting thing, because it's not only CETA. We will be confronted with that problem in a number of agreements," De Gucht said.
"Parliament will have to ask itself whether they want to put in jeopardy a number of agreements and work of years and years on this. I mean, it's a Parliament, so a Parliament can vote. And that's what a Parliament is made for, to vote."


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Omar to America: 'You Bunch of Racists'
Stop being bigots, she says, and start implementing the Left's socialist agenda.
Ilhan Omar, the congresswoman from Minnesota, is one of the more bigoted members of the Democrat Party. And that's saying something. Yet she took to the op-ed page of The New York Times Thursday to lecture the rest of us about race.
"It Is Not Enough to Condemn Trump's Racism," blares the headline, which is followed by the teaser, "The nation's ideals are under attack, and it is up to all of us to defend them." So what are those ideals? In a word, socialism. Of course, we'd expect nothing less from Omar and her fellow "Gang of Four" travelers. But what's most appalling about her moral preening is how she's throwing rocks from a glass house.
We've documented Omar's bigotry plenty in the past, but it's somewhat amusing that on the same day she published her Times screed, video of a 2018 interview surfaced in which she said this:
"I would say our country should be more fearful of white men across our country because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country. And so if fear was the driving force of policies to keep America safe, Americans safe inside of this country, we should be profiling, monitoring, and creating policies to fight the radicalization of white men."
Actually, roughly half of the murders in America are perpetrated by black men — murdering other black men — despite the fact that the entire black population is just 13% of the whole. This violence largely takes place on Democrat-run urban poverty plantations. We suppose it's "racist" to point out those inconvenient truths, however, because Omar and her ilk would rather spin a narrative of the deadly danger of supposedly surging white nationalism.
As for her op-ed, Omar first tells us her personal story of arriving as a refugee from Somalia (well, she left out the part about her own alleged marital fraud). But instead of telling how a poor foreign girl became an American citizen who went on to win a seat in Congress — what a great country! — she expresses her bitter disappointment in America: "The America we arrived in was different from the one my grandfather had hoped to find. The land of opportunity he imagined was in fact full of challenges." In short, those challenges were rampant racism and bigotry, on top of the fact that she wasn't handed everything just for being here. No one forced her to stay.
She then blames President Donald Trump and Republicans for what Democrats specialize in doing: "weaponizing division," using "racist language" to "turn American against American," and ensuring that "Americans are too busy fighting with one another" to address the nation's real problems.
While decrying what is really her own party's strategy, she then declares socialism to be the American ideal needing protection. Open borders, voting without ID, demolishing the economy to fight climate change, eradicating "soaring inequality" through raising the job-destroying federal minimum wage, and providing "affordable health care" via single-payer government control are just some of the
socialist agenda items "ideals at the heart of our founding" she purports to defend.
Omar and her fellow socialist travelers are quickly becoming the face of the Democrat Party. They're its ideological driving engine. So when one of them takes to the pages of one of America's biggest newspapers to articulate their radical vision, take heed.
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New Degree Programs Combine Nursing with AI and Biomedical Engineering
Beginning this fall, Florida Atlantic University 's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the College of Engineering and Computer Science will offer two new combined programs in nursing and artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering.
This innovative, forward-looking and convergent curriculum design was conceived by Safiya George, Ph.D., dean, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science; Javad Hashemi, Ph.D., associate dean of research, College of Engineering and Computer Science; Karethy Edwards, Dr.PH, APRN, associate dean of academic programs; and Joy Longo, Ph.D., assistant dean, undergraduate programs, both within the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. The need for such a program was recognized through a number of research collaborations and discussions between the two colleges.
"Nurses spend more time with patients in clinical settings than any other health care provider. They are inherently problem-solvers and provide an invaluable perspective in the engineering industry," said George. "Our joint programs in nursing and engineering are a 'dynamic duo' that will build the foundational skills to better position nursing students to participate as future health care innovators and inventors."
The combined degree programs will provide FAU bachelor's in nursing (BSN) graduates with a leading edge in artificial intelligence, which includes algorithms, pattern matching, deep learning and cognitive computing to learn how to understand complex data. Artificial intelligence can be applied to almost every field of health care, including drug development, treatment decisions and patient care. Graduates of this new program will be able utilize knowledge to tackle complex problems that would otherwise be difficult or very time-intensive to address without artificial intelligence. FAU BSN graduates who continue on to the master's in science (MS) in the biomedical engineering program will use engineering principles to define and solve problems in biology, medicine, health care and other fields.
"We anticipate that in the future, health care delivery systems and personnel will rely more on automation and artificial intelligence," said Batalama. "It is likely that there will be a paradigm shift in the nursing field towards a more targeted, technologically advanced and data-oriented health care delivery system. FAU wishes to be at the forefront of developing the necessary workforce for such a future."
Details of the program were developed by Mary Ann Leavitt, Ph.D., R.N., an assistant professor in the Christine E. Lynne College of Nursing; Mihaela Cardei , Ph.D., associate dean of graduate programs and a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science; and Hanqi Zhuang , Ph.D., chair and professor, Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science . Leavitt is board certified in critical care nursing and heart failure nursing. Her current research interests include transitional care interventions for patients with heart failure to decrease hospital readmissions, and the development of skin-based wearable sensors to alert for heart failure decompensation. Cardei and Zhuang have been leading the educational efforts in artificial intelligence and data science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which is housing the first master and certificate programs in artificial intelligence in the state of Florida.
For the "B.S. in Nursing to M.S. in Artificial Intelligence Degree Program," students will complete a BSN degree first and then continue to complete a master's in science degree in artificial intelligence within the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. For the "B.S. in Nursing to M.S. in Biomedical Engineering Degree Program," students will complete the BSN degree first and then complete the MS in science in biomedical engineering within the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering. Students will receive their BSN degree from the College of Nursing and their master's degree from the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Both programs can be completed in approximately five years and provide an attractive way for students to continue their graduate work after completing the undergraduate program.
Both combined programs require up to 120 credits in the bachelor's degree and up to 30 credits in the master's degree. Students in the programs will take pre-requisite courses while pursuing the bachelor's degree, ensuring a smooth transition into the artificial intelligence and biomedical engineering programs. The combined programs preserve and enhance the quality of both degrees and are open to Freshman Direct Admit students who have a cumulative FAU GPA of 3.25 or higher.
Nursing students can apply to the MS program at the end of their junior year in the nursing program, after completing at least 90 credits. Bachelor's degree students who take graduate courses in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science may count up to nine credits of approved graduate coursework toward both their bachelor's and master's degrees.
Students must meet the admission criteria for each program to be eligible. They also must complete these pre-requisites for artificial intelligence: methods of calculus; introduction to programming in python; and data structures and algorithm analysis with python, as part of the BSN program. Students must complete these pre-requisites for biomedical engineering: methods of calculus; genetics; introduction to programming in python or introduction to programming in C, also as part of the BSN program.
More information is available at https://nursing.fau.edu/admissions/bachelor-of-science-nursing-program/freshman-direct-admit/bsn-ai.php or https://nursing.fau.edu/admissions/bachelor-of-science-nursing-program/freshman-direct-admit/bsn-bio-eng.php.
Tags: students | nursing | engineering | technology


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Bernie Sanders, California, Democrat, Democratic Presidential Nomination, Democrats, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Hillary Clinton, New Jersey, Presidential candidates, Presidential election, Presidential race, Primaries, Primary, Senator Bernie Sanders, Vote
Hillary Clinton will take the next step to being our country's 45th President tomorrow. Despite what the Sanders Desparitas say, the race is over. Clinton's quiet wins in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands put her only 26 pledged delegates from clinching the nomination. Shortly after the voting ends in New Jersey tomorrow, she will have the over 80 more pledged delegates to clinch the nomination as the Democratic Presidential nominee.
With a near tie in California, Clinton will win another 270 pledged delegates, and Sanders will be about 300 pledged delegates behind. The four other races tomorrow will have no impact on the outcome, as each of those States have fewer delegates at stake than the District of Columbia.
It is likely that Sanders and some of his supporters will follow through on their threat to violently disrupt the National Democratic Convention; however, many Sanders supporters joined the campaign to work for positive change, and Sanders is demonstrating that he cares less about building, than destroying.
On the other end of the spectrum, Donald Trump is heading toward political bankruptcy as each news cycle becomes less about his campaign, and more about his unethical behavior. Even Trump's tweets make him look pitiful and stupid.
Unfortunately for the Party of Stupidity (POS,) Trump delegates are locked in for the July National Convention, and regardless of how dismal his poll numbers, Trump will be the POS nominee, as thousands of our country's worst citizens will be in Cleveland to cheer him on to failure.
Nine months ago, I said that the GOP Presidential Race is Over and this has continued to be true. All we have left to do is watch how bad the Republicans lose.


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Hello Loves!
I finally got the chance to check out Light Cafe in Baldwin Village and I've got some good news and some bad news. Good news, the place is super cute and some of the food is really good. Bad news, the lighting is awful and some of the food could be better.
I got the mushroom truffle croissant sandwich which was amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone…unless you don't like mushrooms of course. Just thinking about it is making me salivate. The croissant was nice and flaky so expect lots of crumbs. To drink, I got the iced southberry herbal tea which is beyond beautiful. I love the effort they put into presentation! Definitely makes it Instagram worthy. It is light and refreshing but might come off tasting medicine-y to some. You've be warned.
My friend got the lobster bisque soup which I have to say was quite a disappointment. The soup was very watery and did not taste like lobster at all. It's a shame because it looked promising, especially in that rose gold mini pot. She got an italian soda to drink which was refreshing as well. Perfect for those who like a little fizz.
Here is a close up of the beautiful drink. Bonus, you get to eat the fruits after or while you're drinking!
Sadly, I didn't get to take pictures of the restaurant because the lighting was horrible. We actually waited specifically for the only window seat in the restaurant. If you're looking for a nice brunch spot and don't care for photos, I would suggest going to Light Cafe. If you're like me and need to have pictures of the food you eat, be ready to wait.
They've got a bunch of interesting looking desserts that I didn't get to try this time around but I'll have to go back sometime to try them. Let me know if you've been to Light Cafe or if you plan on going.
xo, Rose


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Binecuvântat? Fii, Închisoare / Bless You, Prison (2002, Romania)
When people talk about prison movies or the prison movie genre, I don't think they have this film in mind. It's a film about a political prisoner being sustained through four years of harsh imprisonment by her Christian faith, and how the strength of that faith changed others.
The title comes from a quote from fellow political prisoner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, dissenting from the view that prisoners are routinely to be sympathised with and prisons cursed. "I have been in prison a long time. My soul was shaped there. And I can say without hesitation: May you be blessed, prison… Blessed be the role you have played in my existence." It's a generous view, I would have thought, not shared by too many who have spent time in the nick.
It's August 1949, in Bucharest. The Communists are rounding up members of democratic parties, amongst them Nicoleta Bruteanu (Maria Ploae). She is interrogated and tortured; the soles of her feet are beaten, and she is required to be constantly on the move for 12 hours every day, between interrogations. She is kept in solitary and blindfolded when out of her cell. She is exhausted, but doesn't crack; instead, she "decide(s) to be serene" and put her trust in Jesus. She smiles at her tormentors and starts etching bits of remembered Scripture into the wall of her cell.
Unbroken, she is moved to Mislea Prison and placed in a big dormitory with other assorted 'enemies of the republic'. "If this republic is afraid of me," says one very old, frail woman, "pity help it." Nicoleta is not only a stoic enemy of the State, but she's brave. She refuses to back down from her political beliefs in a risky confrontation with the prison Governor. She tries to smuggle biscuits to the women in solitary. She smuggles a bible in from a church that is being used as the prison storehouse and soon has most of the women in her dormitory reading Scripture and celebrating Easter with some very subversive hymn-singing.
With many of the others she's then moved to a massive labour camp where they are put to work constructing the Danube-Black Sea canal. It's hard work and there are casualties, but Nicoleta catches up with old friends who bring her news of her parents, and she continues to buoy the others. After four years she is released without charge, promising not to talk of her prison experience.
The story is based on the life of Nicole Valéry-Grossu (or Nicoleta Valeria Bruteanu, as she was pre-asylum-in-France and pre-marriage), who clearly broke that promise. It's a powerful story of an innocent woman's courage and endurance, quite apart from its evangelical theme. And not one cat-fight, stabbing or shower scene anywhere.
Posted on August 2nd, 2010 at 9:38 pm. Updated on August 24th, 2010 at 8:16 pm.
#252 in the Top 500


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New York's underworld quivers at the mention of his name. Evil courses through his veins like blood and his conscience has lain dormant for over a decade while he has slashed and burned his way to the top of the food chain.
The Dark Man, born of torment into an existence of death. In the underworld of killers he reigns supreme. And yet he is chosen for a task of supreme benevolence. Why would he be selected to save a young boy, the Avun-Riah, and then protect him against a horde of enemies, both mortal and demonic?
Because he is the only one with any hope of success.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have risen from the pits of Hell and, along with a fanatical army of cultists, are ranged against Vain. If the boy is slain then Sordarrah will be raised to destroy the Earth, a feat even Lucifer never managed.
Evil is being used to fight evil in a battle for the outcome of existence. Armageddon sits upon the horizon and all that stands in its way is a man whose path has always been dark.
The Dark Path Extract
Vain entered the warehouse lot, swiftly becoming one with the shadows. Finding every alcove and hiding place, floating smoothly and without haste from one to the next, he finally reached the warehouse and slid along the outside wall to the back of the building. Once there he paused and listened. Satisfied nothing felt amiss, he vanished through an open window and into the darkened building.
Light flickered from a small office towards the front of the warehouse. Vain slowly made his way along the inside wall and paused outside the doorway. Inside he could hear quiet breathing and a low hum. Noiselessly he drew a dark bladed knife and dropped to the ground, inching his way into the doorway.
From his position on the floor, Vain watched a lone man dressed in a suit sitting cross-legged before what appeared to be an altar. However, this altar contained neither crucifixes nor holy water. Splayed across a black marble bench top, Vain noticed the remnants of what might have once been a dog. Not much remained to identify the beast, except for a single bloodied paw hanging by a sinew towards the centre of the mound. Amidst the mangled flesh, a smoldering pile of coals discharged a noxious odor into the air. The man inhaled the smoke from the burning flesh and rocked back and forth, murmuring softly.
Vain sank into a crouch, and crept up behind the man. Nearing the altar, the assassin's mind began to swim from the fumes, and he realized the smoke must have been a narcotic. He glanced at the walls of the office, suddenly dripping with blood and gore, small mouths opening and closing in silent screams of anguish.
Copyright (c) 2009 Luke Romyn The Dark Path
Praise for Luke Romyn's writing
"A highly imaginative and hugely complex story" Lynk
"Splendid and very satisfying" Authortrek
"A definite 2 thumbs up! More if I had them!" Author Marna Loftis.
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Tag: cyber monday
Save the planet and your bank balance – boycott Black Friday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching. What started off as a simple way to bag yourself a few deals and get ahead with your Christmas shopping, has fast become a rampant display of mass consumerism and mindless spending. This year, I'm urging you to boycott Black Friday. With the environment being such a…


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Cedar Falls Downtown Streetscape Update: Week of May 18
Beginning Monday, May 18th, multiple closures will be placed in the area around 3rd and Main Street as we work to improve the area:
Please note, no business hours are affected by construction. To learn about services in the Cedar Falls Downtown District, please visit communitymainstreet.org. We are excited about the progress in the area and thank you for your understanding as we work to improve the district!
Stay updated on the 2020 Streetscape project by signing up for notifications at www.cedarfalls.com/notify.