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Covering approximately 60km of Pacific Ocean coastline, no wonder the Sunshine Coast has some of Australia's (and arguably the worlds) best beaches back to back. One of the leaders is Kings Beach. The name says it all. Sure it's a beach, but it's also a lovely suburb attracting tourists from across the globe. And it's number one draw card? Surprise, surprise; the beach.
Kings Beach is just that. A beach so stunning, it really should be labelled as royalty. It ticks all the boxes: Sand? Sunshine? Sea? Technically not the ocean, Kings Beach has double the swimming options. With the oceanfront saltwater swimming pool, you can enjoy a swim at the beach, without worrying about rips, sea creatures or waves.
Not that there is much to worry about in the first place. Kings Beach is the perfect spot for the whole family providing gentle conditions year round. Home to the Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club, enjoy the peace of mind knowing the kids are safe to play around in the waves on a patrolled shoreline.
The Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club doesn't just provide a safe ocean for beachgoers, but fuels their hunger after a big day in the sun. The restaurant upstairs provides delicious meals at rightly prices, breathtaking panoramic views and a good selection of wines and spirits. In fact, it's so nice, it's not just called 'The Surf Club'. Be pleasantly surprised by a whole new taste on club dining at The Met on Kings.
If the modern day Aussie tucker doesn't get you excited, there are plenty of alternative eateries along Kings Beach to explore. From authentic Italian to spicy Thai, there is a flavour to suit every taste bud.
From taste buds to taste in music, the annual Caloundra Music Festival hits the grounds of Kings Beach for four days of sun, surf and soul. Featuring a diverse line-up of Australia's best musicians as well as international artists, the CMF brings locals and visitors together to enjoy world-class music, divine festival food and creative art enriched in the local laidback culture.
It is this relaxed, beachside culture which makes Kings Beach one of the Sunshine Coast's, Queensland's, Australia's and arguably the world's best beaches. It has this festive atmosphere all year round.
What makes Kings Beach the King of seaside suburbs? Perhaps it's the enchanting rock pools, the ocean front saltwater swimming pool, the gentle swell or the playground made of random spurting water fountains.
So round up the family, pack the beach bag and pull out the king of spades, or should we say, bucket and spade? Because Kings Beach is all about laidback, seaside living. Live it up like a coastal King.


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Garage Gear
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subset: commoncrawl


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Recent Graduates
Ami Hirano '18
My time as a student of the French Studies department has been a great learning experience. My favorite part has been the small and intimate class sizes and the close relationships I got to develop with my professors!
Mike DiCosmo '18
Over the past four years I have had the opportunity to work closely with other Italian and French students and professors through the classroom, advisory board, and Italian club. The French and Italian department is a delightful group and you would be hard pressed to find another department on this campus in which the students and professors are as enthusiastic about their own department.
Sarah Shoer '18
My experience studying French at Colby proved to be a remarkable one, both inside and outside the classroom. During my senior year, I put my French skills to good use in the community, working as an interpreter and classroom assistant at Hope Acts, a nonprofit that provides support to asylum seekers in Portland, Maine.
Corin B. '18
My journey as an Italian minor started sophomore year with IT125 as a Liberal Arts language requirement. I had taken Spanish in high school and was ready for a new adventure. After the first course, I knew I wanted to study the "language of Dante" further and decided to pursue a Minor. Throughout the years at Colby I learned both Italian as a third language and Italian as a third culture. I feel so confident in my knowledge of Italy that I could move there tomorrow and I would not feel out of place. Thank you Professor Ferrando and Professor Rizzo for sharing your beautiful culture with me. As a note to future minors: start early and take in as much information as you can, you will most definitely fall in love with Italian!
Victoria Cheff '18
I would say the most important aspect of my time as a French major at Colby was spending my junior year abroad in Aix-en-Provence. This experience challenged me in ways I had not anticipated beforehand and helped me grow both as a French scholar and person. Perhaps the most enriching part of this experience was coming back to Colby and seeing how my time abroad changed my perception of myself and my studies in French. I am grateful for my mentors in the French department and the support they continue to provide as I prepare to spend another year working in France post-grad.
Shaw S. '18
I had a great four years with the Italian Studies department taking courses in language, literature, and culture. Being part of a small (but strong!) department allowed me to work closely with my professors and pursue an independent study to combine several of my interests.
Ben Pipernos '18
From my experience with the department of French at Colby College, the professors truly value both oral and written language acquisition. I truly appreciated how the goal of this program is to become a strong communicator in French and does not focus solely on literary and historical analysis. The upper level courses are for the most part based on literature, but they are in fact used as the foundation for acquiring a high level of French comprehension.
Haransh Singh '18
My Italian minor was one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable aspects of my Colby experience. I got the chance to engage and interact with the lingua bellissima in so many different ways: from spending three weeks fully immersed in the language in Siena during Jan Plan to reading the best components of Italian literature. Even if my Italian begins to fade in the years after Colby (hopefully not!), I would like think that the impact of Pirandello, Calvino, and Leopardi will always stay with me.
Nick Rhodes '18
I'd like to thank the French department for helping me to expand my French education. The study of French has provided me with an outlet for self expression, invaluable new ways of seeing the world, and a deeper understanding of the French language and of francophone culture. Merci beaucoup!
Gianna Nappi '17
My Italian education taught me to be more open to and understanding of other cultures and gave me the skills to communicate well with others.
Melissa Jean '17
Studying in the French Department has maximized my drive to think critically about different ideas/concepts/philosophies as well as analyze these ideas in order to formulate my own. From learning, thinking and writing in French, I gained a lot of freedom. I explored and discovered other cultures as well as my own background/culture beyond France. In the future, I plan to use speaking, reading, understanding French mostly on a personal level. It will be a way of impacting my world or may be the world behind the curtains.
Tommaso Montagni '17
The Italian Program has allowed me to fully experience the liberal arts education: from Italian history and literature to using the digital humanities to explore water's historic and cultural significance in the city of Milan for the Navigli Project. This has all greatly prepared me for life and positively helped shape my entrepreneurial plans upon graduation.
James Manning '17
After Colby, I will be working at a commodities trading firm. This job requires having a good deal of knowledge about places outside of the US, and so being an Italian minor and having a love for other cultures will help me immensely with this. I'm very fortunate to have been able to work with such a great department during my time here, and I will deeply miss all of you!
Yannik Büchi '17
Over the course of my four years at Colby, French Studies has helped me perfect a whole host of skills, including creative and critical thinking. It is a very interdisciplinary major that pushes you to think outside the box and helps you better connect with the francophone world. However, I think the most valuable skill I've gained from being a French major is learning how to communicate effectively, and from there, effectively learning how to bridge culture, as well as ethnic, racial, and national identities.
Cate Johnson '17
My courses at Colby and abroad in France have allowed me to understand and appreciate experiences different from my own, as well as analyze my own experiences in a new light. Learning French has improved my communication and writing skills in both French and English. Through thinking and working in another language, I have gained the ability to think cross-culturally and adopt various new points of view.
Shane Gallagher '17
My time as a French Major both on and off the Colby campus came to be my greatest advantage when it came to pursuing and ultimately achieving my goal for post-grad: a job in consulting. Through my studies, I was able to acquire the tools necessary to read critically, analyze written work, and structure a thesis with well-thought-out arguments, all in a foreign language. On campus, I was fortunate enough to work closely with many of the professors in the French Department. The close attention I was able to receive form the Department was crucial in my learning here at Colby as they were able to give me the insight I needed into producing the best work possible.
William "Bill" Ford '05
I currently work for Cambridge Associates in Boston. It is a financial consulting firm that advises colleges/universities (Colby being one of them), nonprofit organizations, and high net worth families on how to invest their endowments/wealth so as to preserve capital. For the most part, the clients are U.S.-based, but I have been fortunate enough to have a European client that allows me to translate documents from French on occasion. Outside of work, I am a member of the French Library in Boston and try to participate in their various events. My advice to the current seniors looking for jobs and those to follow is, if you are seriously considering looking for a job in France after graduation, do it now. It becomes increasingly more difficult as time passes. I would be absolutely open to anyone contacting me with questions about my job, French after college, or looking for jobs in general.
Higher Education
Whitney Johnson '05
My first semester at Colby I fully embraced the liberal arts experience; I chose courses that spanned the breadth of Colby's offerings: anthropology, psychology, German, and English. It was in this semester, the first term in my life that I had not taken a course in French, that I realized the depth of my love for Francophone literature and culture. I managed to take a French course every semester from that point forward. An English and French literature double major at Colby, I studied abroad in Paris my junior year. In the spirit of cultural research, I took a graduate course in American literature at the Sorbonne with French students and a French professor. The societal and literary implications were palpable; the way Americans teach our literature and the way the French teach the same texts are entirely different. This experiment has inspired my pursuit of cross-cultural literary studies, specifically the unique perspective of one society and its ability to illuminate another society's worldview. I feel that my experiences at Colby prepared me well for this endeavor. During my time at Colby, as I felt my love and interest of the French language grow and deepen, the faculty of the French Department provided a corresponding challenge. I have been consistently amazed at the depth of knowledge my professors provided and shared in class. Their ability to nurture my intellectual curiosity has inspired me to pursue a teaching career of my own. I value my experiences in the French Department; one cannot overestimate the value of coming to appreciate another language and culture. I have found that this understanding sheds light on many aspects of even everyday life in the most unexpected ways. The faculty in Colby's French Department demonstrates a contagious passion for their area of expertise, and any student who enters the department cannot help but be changed by it for the better.
Charlotte Morse-Fortier '08
After graduating with a French studies and psychology double major, I headed off for France in September. I live in Lyon, at the École Normale Supérieure, where I work as a lectrice. I found out about this position from the Colby student exchange with the ENS (this is where all the French language assistants come from!) and from the university's website. I teach English classes to university and master's students whose specialty is not English but who are fulfilling their language requirement. I have a lot of freedom to develop my own curriculum and choose all my own course materials. I have never taught like this before, but it is exciting to get to be on the other side of the classroom. Life in Lyon is great; it is a beautiful city, somewhat more intimate than Paris, with unlimited opportunity to speak French. The students and friends I have made here will last a lifetime, as will my experiences teaching. I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity. I strongly encourage everyone to apply for teaching jobs abroad, whether at the ENS or through Fulbright programs. Teaching can be hard work, but very fulfilling, and it is a great way to make a life in France!
Catherine Sear '05
Right from the start, I was happy to major in French at Colby. I came to college with a strong interest in French and was able to follow my passion for the language and the culture. The variety of courses opened my eyes to new areas of French studies. My first two years I took courses with as many French professors as I could, and I got know most of the professors in the department well. Also, I had a wonderful academic advisor who was a role model and a kind supporter. Junior year exposed me to the joys of living in the language. I spent the year in Paris, which solidified my language skills and gave me to opportunity to see first-hand much of the history and culture I had been studying. I shared this adventure with nearly all the French majors in my Colby class, many of whom became close friends as a result of our adventures together in Europe. Senior year, coming back to Colby I focused on life beyond school. I was lucky to find a job in Paris at a fashion magazine where I was speaking French every day, all day. Beyond my work life, making my own new life in Paris was its own day-to-day challenge. My prior experience in Paris as a student and a strong academic foundation from Colby helped me to take it on. All in all, I could not be happier with my academic and personal experience at Colby exploring my passion for French. Now, three years out of college, I am going back to school to pursue a master's in international relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Looking forward, I do not know where I will end up professionally or personally, but I plan to continue to be speaking and reading French for the rest of my life.
Katie Wight '09
In 2009 I graduated from Colby with a major in French studies. The following fall I planned to begin an internship at a small publishing company in Paris. When this opportunity fell through, I wasn't optimistic about what my first post-graduation job would be. The amount of overqualified and unemployed candidates in the prospective employee pool against my seemingly impractical undergraduate concentration wasn't reassuring. I was living with my parents in Burlington, Vt., and found an ad for a French-speaking rider service representative position at Burton Snowboards. It was a seasonal position, but it was at one of my favorite companies, ever. I received a call for an interview three weeks after submitting my resume, I went in for a second interview a week after that, and seven days later I was offered the job. Despite the fact that I grew up skiing, Burton was willing to give me a shot because I spoke French, and they needed that. They only needed to find one person for the season, and plenty of French speakers applied, but because I seemed to "fit in" with their company culture, and graduated from Colby College fluent in French, they chose me. It wasn't very glamorous to start, but from day one I was aware that I would still be unemployed if it wasn't for my French degree. By now I would probably be employed elsewhere, but it definitely would not be Burton Snowboards, and there is no doubt in my mind that it would be way less cool. I spoke French for an hour or two every single day, and my fluency increased dramatically. I also learned how to snowboard, got to bring my dog to work every day, and most importantly got my foot in the door at a company where it is extremely hard to do so. It was an awesome winter. The following season I was quickly promoted to full-time year-round account manager (for Quebec and eastern Canada), and within a week of that promotion I was hand selected to work in the office of CEO/founder Jake Burton. Hundreds of applicants, tons of interviews, and despite the fact that I didn't apply, my boss came looking for me. Now I don't get to speak French on a daily basis (which I miss, and is definitely a drawback), but the experience I am gaining is invaluable. My boss has told me more than once that one of the reasons she looked into me was because of my French-speaking ability (to quote her, "I knew you must have been smart"). It's been almost a year in this new office, and now HR has approved me for their tuition reimbursement program. I'm headed back to school for my M.B.A., and with the insight I'm gaining in this office, coupled with furthering my education, there is no doubt in my mind that there are more incredible things on the horizon. I fully intend to later pursue a career where I can use my French again, but I feel so incredibly lucky that my French degree has already provided me with all of the opportunity it has.
Alison McAnneny '03
I started at Colby knowing that I wanted to go to medical school. As one of seemingly dozens of other premeds in my class, this was a certainty I did not question. I knew that was the primary focus of my years at Colby. At the same time, however, I was aware of my other interests, those not limited to the strict regime of chemistry and biology that comprised the bulk of my premedical school requirements. I am incredibly grateful for my foresight—more just dumb luck, actually—taking advantage of the liberal arts education Colby offered. As a fourth-year medical student about to begin a career in surgery, I now realize how my "extra-medical" education helped me develop personally and professionally. At Colby, I double-majored in biology and French literature, two areas of study that others would jokingly remark "didn't have much overlap." For the most part, this was true. As my study continued, however, I discovered ways in which French literature and medicine shared an intellectual track—the "medicalization" of 19th-century literature and the theatricalization of madness—and this became the focus of my senior thesis for my French major. A student of both science and French literature and history, I was able to contribute knowledge and interests from these two seemingly separate fields of study, and use them to delve further into a topic of historical and cultural importance. Such integration of knowledge—the ability to personalize your work by bringing your own strengths, values, and interests—is what holds the greatest joy for me in my areas of study. I have found this to be particularly true of medicine, and on several levels. First, medical schools have recognized the importance of cultivating professionalism and humanity in their students, and many have begun to change their curricula to accommodate classes in the humanities. It is no longer acceptable for physicians to simply memorize diseases and treatments—this is where the adage "Treat the patient, not the disease" comes into play. It also looks great on applications to medical school and residency. In fact, admissions committees now almost certainly require that a candidate show interests and dedicated pursuits outside medicine, whether it's playing on a sports team, carrying an extra major, being part of a club or musical group, having a career before medical school, or volunteering. From my perspective, my education in French helped me to develop professionally in many ways and will likely provide many opportunities in the future. Language proficiency or fluency is a terrific asset for a doctor, since the physician-patient relationship hinges entirely on effective communication (I hope one day to participate abroad with organizations such as Operation Smile and Médecins sans frontières). More importantly, however, is the way in which my liberal arts education and my studies in French have helped me develop personally. Medicine is an extremely demanding field, at times requiring one to neglect all else (family, friends, hobbies) in order to succeed. When I begin residency next year, for example, I know I will need to actively incorporate those other aspects of my life that continue to define me as a person, and this will certainly affect how well (emotionally and physically) I am able to train as a surgeon. However cliché, I have found in medical school that the only way to truly succeed is to be yourself. You can learn the lines, memorize the facts, and play the role of a doctor, but recognizing your own strengths and values, and having the courage to apply them and cultivate your own style of practice, is the most rewarding aspect of becoming a physician.
National Service
Hanna Noel '10
Just over a month after graduating, I packed up my car and moved from Connecticut to Billings, Mont., where I am currently serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA. As a VISTA, I am serving a year in Billings to make long-lasting impacts on poverty by establishing sustainable, community-driven initiatives. The Community Garden and Food Security Initiative that I am leading alongside another VISTA is a part of a larger, citywide initiative to impact homelessness. Through an incredible collaboration with the Salvation Army and an extensive network of partnerships with the Billings school district as well as a wide range of local organizations and programs, Billings will be piloting a garden-based learning program this summer. Beginning with a summer program and transitioning into an after-school enrichment program, student participants will learn about nutrition, food systems, sustainable agriculture, and learn to grow food with their own hands on an organic urban farm and in two raised-bed school gardens. Other food security initiatives currently underway include an assortment of community garden projects throughout the city, as well as the establishment of a local Food Policy Council that will address a wide scope of issues relating to food security. So, what do community gardens have to do with French studies? Well, although I haven't spoken more than a few words of French since coming to Montana, I could not have chosen a better field to major in. I know that my Colby education and my double majors in French and anthropology have without a doubt prepared me well for my year as a VISTA and beyond. Though I am still unsure what I hope to be doing in five or ten years, I have a better idea now. I would recommend to anyone who is unsure of what to do post-Colby to look into AmeriCorps*VISTA. Not only is the experience I am gaining tremendous, but it is such an incredible experience being able to collaborate with community members and organizations to enhance (or even create) programs that provide a hand up to members of the community living in poverty. I have met so many extraordinary people since joining the Billings community, and am grateful to be surrounded by such an inspiring group of people. The Community Garden and Food Security Initiative is something I am truly passionate about, so much so that I cannot imagine leaving Billings when my VISTA year is up in July!
Education, Higher Education, and Foreign Service
Jacqueline Mourot '01
I came to Colby as a freshman with an IB Diploma and having studied abroad one semester as a junior in high school in Southern France (Nice). I already had a love for French language and culture and thus a double major in French studies and art was a natural choice for me. I am a strong advocate of studying what you love and enjoy. I believe that when you do, the doors of opportunity will open for you. Little did I know as a freshman how wide those doors would open for me, or what amazing opportunities would lie on the other side.
The Colby Years
During my sophomore and senior years at Colby, I worked as a research assistant for the French Department. During my third year, I studied abroad in Paris with the Hamilton College Junior Year Abroad program. My year abroad was an amazing experience! I attended classes at l'Institut d'Etudes Politiques, l'Institut Catholique, la Sorbonne, l'École du Louvre, and Speos Paris Photographic Institute. The summer following my year in Paris, I interned for two months at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. After completing the internship, I participated in a weeklong art history program at Tate Modern in London. Upon my return to Colby for my senior year, I undertook a Jan Plan independent study project in Paris for three weeks, conducting research in the Parisian archives. I also applied for and was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. My research project was titled "Post Colonial Legacies: The Contemporary Art of Madagascar, Reunion Island, the French Pacific, and the French Antilles." After graduation, I spent the next 12 months traveling to Madagascar, Reunion Island, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience during which I also met my French husband!
Post-Colby and Graduate Studies
After the Watson, I returned to the U.S. briefly before leaving to complete a three-month internship at La Fondation du Musée d'Art Moderne in Luxembourg. During that time, I applied for and was awarded a French Language Teaching Assistantship to Cayenne, French Guiana, where I spent the next year. I got married shortly after completing my assistantship and moved to Montpellier, France, where I lived until beginning graduate studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I received an Ed.M. in international intercultural education in the Specialized Program in 2006. My graduate studies were a great culmination of all of the research I had completed thus far and an excellent conduit for mixing my interests in French, post-colonialism, cultural and identity development, and education. While at Harvard, I completed internships at World Education, Inc., World Teach, and the Harvard College Office of International Programs, and I was awarded a David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Research Travel Grant to conduct a month of research in Nassau, Bahamas, on how Bahamian civics curriculum influenced cultural identity development in adolescent boys. While at Harvard, I also co-chaired three student organizations, one of which I cofounded: C.R.I.O.L.E (Caribbean Research Interests on Learning and Education).
Post-Harvard to Present
Following graduation, I taught middle school French at a private school in New Orleans. I later moved back to Southern France with my growing family. Roughly a year later, I returned to the U.S. to work as the assistant director of study abroad at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. At Holy Cross, I managed the study-abroad programs in France (Dijon and Strasbourg) and Yaoundé, Cameroun, and also traveled to Nairobi, Yaoundé, and Paris to work toward establishing experiential learning and faculty-led programs in those cities. In 2008 I relocated to Paris, where I continued to oversee Holy Cross programs from France until beginning the application process for the U.S. Foreign Service in late 2009. I joined the Foreign Service as a public diplomacy officer in February 2011 and recently moved to Guayaquil, Ecuador, with my husband and four children (ages 6, 4, 2, and 1) to begin my first diplomatic tour. My life since Colby has been an amazing adventure. I will be forever grateful to Professor Paliyenko and her colleagues in the French Department at Colby for encouraging, inspiring, and challenging me to follow my passion. As you can see from my career path, the opportunities for professional growth and personal fulfillment with a French language or French studies degree from Colby are limitless. I encourage you to take advantage of the large variety of French course offerings at your disposal, learn about the rest of the Francophone world in addition to France, and study abroad at every opportunity, and I believe that the doors of opportunity will open wide for you as well. Please feel free to contact me at email@example.com if you have any questions about my experience with French at Colby or my career path.


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I'm having a very lazy Saturday today, partly because I'm still not up to full speed and partly because all my friends are out of town, sick themselves or busy. So I've just sat and watched an old Batman. I love the mythology behind superheros and their evolution. I think the appeal of Batman is that he doesn't actually have a super power, just truckloads of gadgets, knowledge, training and passion.
It got me thinking. What would you want as your super power? Growing up swimming and at the beach I always loved the idea of Aquaman, but let's face it, he's a little average on dry land. I would love to be able to fly, it would really come in handy, especially given Sydney's traffic problems at the moment. The other bonus is that you could get away with some bad food and not worry about your abs, they are built in to your costume. Handy.


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Saturday, July 23, 2011
bad/awesome flixxx review: Leonard Part 6 (1987)
"Cancel the grits!"- Duchamp
"Possum's in Piedmont awaiting orders."- Man Ray
"Mango me." - Medusa Johnson
Everyone claims this is one of the worst movies ever made. Believe me, I've seen way worse. You know what I think the real problem is with this movie? Maybe the editing, and more specifically the music selection. The songs edited into these sequences are fucking tragic, and I think that might be the biggest problem. I'm talking really super shitty sax heavy R&B from the 80s. Sounds like you're getting your teeth cleaned. Cosby isn't that funny really in the first place outside of some of his classic 'parenthood' standup, but here he could've been better had he been the kind of comedian that Richard Pryor was. No, you don't have to swear to be funny, but Cosby was way past his prime here, and could've benefited from some better writing than some of the gags in this one. One bright spot for me was the appearance of Joe Don Baker, ol Mitchell himself as the CIA captain. Definitely some good sight gags here, but Cosby himself apparently denounced the flick before it came out, so he shot it in the foot before the race began. Oh well, if you like spies, and comedy about rich spies, follow along with LEONARD PART 6!!!!
The movie starts off with three quick weird scenes of "Leonard". Him driving a car with a tank turret on the top, jumping a huge SF style hill, him doing ballet, and him jumping an ostrich off of a building. Then you have a dude explaining why you haven't heard of the first five installments of the Leonard series, and how he'll explain how Leonard did all those weird things in the course of a weekend. Leonard was supposedly such a badass and the first 5 installments were such a threat to national security that they were confiscated by the CIA, whom he used to work for. I think it was probably a bad idea to show these three parts of the movie in the beginning, because it reveals a lot of the action that comes later, BUT what do I know, it also kind of hooks you in, makes you want to see why this dude is on a fucking ostrich. His butler Frayn is doing the narration and he explains that Leonard Parker has retired from the spy game to open a restaurant, one of his many successful endeavors. We learn the real reason that he left the espionage game later when it is told that his wife left him and he became disheartened.
A fish is sent to kill an agent, and then you see Joe Don Baker addressing a bunch of other 'agents' who say squirrels, fish, possums, rabbits, etc, are killing agents all over the US. JDB says, I'll send Munroe to get Leonard to help. Munroe goes to collect Leonard at his restaurant but bungles the capture and Leonard has to bring Munroe's dead body back. JDB greets him as if he'll just be ready for his next assignment, but Leonard turns him down flat. JDB says she'll never come back to you Leonard, probably because you aren't with the service anymore. Leonard goes home to meet his daughter.
Another agent is killed by frogs jumping his car into a river. He drowns. Leonard's daughter brings home a dude who is older than Leonard, and says she's gonna marry him. Leonard has a sit down with him and shows us a Coca-cola. He has some choice words with them, then devises a plan to call his wife to discuss the whole thing. She says meet her at her place tomorrow 9pm. Leonard is fucking psyched. Flick cuts straight to a montage of Leonard getting ready all the next day, working out to a Jane Fonda tape where she is speaking directly to him, having old shaolin monks make his suit, spending all day having Frayn pick out ties from a huge closet and then finally picking the LAST one. Then he goes over, she pours the food all over him (prompting the grits line, the best line in the movie) cause she's still pissed that he was fucking around with some 19 year old girl on him, like 8 years ago. He leaves, and tells Frayn to suit him up for duty. Frayn busts out a shitload of awesome weapons, including underarm rockets, and a razor. He puts on a helmet that says "Ipso Facto", and goes to fight the leader of the vegetarian badguy club, Medusa Johnson.
He first goes to meet with this psychic gypsy whom he can't understand named Nurse, and she gives him ballet shoes. He ends up fighting some dudes dressed up like birdmen with them and stealing this ball that supposedly mind controls the animals. Then he goes to watch his daughter's play and she gets naked. Then the ex wife and daughter are kidnapped by Medusa. Leonard has to get the ball back from JDB who wants to use its power as well. Leonard knows he's power hungry so he uses the ball and gets rabbits to attack the CIA, then he goes to get his family. It all comes down to a showdown, and finally Leonard wins his ex wife back... And then more shitty R&B kenny g sax bullshit. Seriously, that was the real BAD part of the flick. It could have been better, but I don't agree that its the shittiest or even one of the shittiest. Let's say this is def in the category of SO bad it's good. Seek out only if you have NOTHING else to do at all.
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Ignoring the new MOT could see motorists paying considerable fines
For those vehicles that are now MOT exempt it is now up to the owners to decide whether their vehicle is roadworthy!
The traditional MOT for cars on UK roads is changing dramatically on the 20th May 2018 and, if drivers and owners are not fully aware of the implications, they can easily run the risk of being caught out, says leading International solicitors Healys LLP
Clive Robertson the leader of the firm's classic car group said: "Motorists whose vehicles require an MOT need to take a long hard look at the regulations otherwise they could not only find themselves falling foul of the law and it could cost them a considerable amount in fines and even collect points on their licences."
Clive added: "There are major changes that motorists need to pay attention to and they fall into five main categories
- How defects are categorised.
- Diesel cars face stricter emission testing.
- The design of the MOT certificate is changing.
- Some vehicles over 40 years old will become exempt from testing.
- A whole raft of new checks are introduced.
"All of these categories need to be studied but motorists need to be aware that there are a whole new raft of checks that are being introduced. These include, but are not limited to:-
- For a diesel - any smoke from the exhaust is now a failure. Any evidence of damage or tampering with the Diesel Particulate Filter, is a failure.
- For all vehicles new test checks will now include:
- If tyres are obviously underinflated - failure.
- If the brake fluid has been contaminated - failure.
- For fluid leaks posing an environmental risk - failure.
- Brake pad warning lights and if brake pads or discs are missing - failure.
- Reversing lights on vehicles first used from 1 September 2009 - failure
- Headlight washers on vehicles used from 1 September 2009 (if they have them) - failure.
- Daytime running lights on vehicles first used from 1 March 2018 - failure. (These cars will only face their first MOT in 2021 but the regulations are in force from 20th May)
Failing to comply with these and the rest of the changes could mean fines and points on your driving licence.
Clive added: "That the MOT has evolved to recognise new technology and better manufacturing practices is a good thing. However, some of the changes can be seen as potential pitfalls for the uninitiated. For instance if the vehicle's tyres are "obviously underinflated" - that could be 2 or 3 pounds per square inch under, if that is what the tester decides, and is, in our view, utterly subjective.
"There is also now a rule regarding fluid leaks that pose an environmental risk. This change is potentially open to variance from test station to test station. A car that spends all of its life in a city is no risk with a weeping radiator, but it would pose one in the depths of the Yorkshire Dales."
Clive Robertson said that the clear message is that to keep within the letter of these new regulations, owners will have to take a more involved interest in the maintenance of their vehicles, and accept the potential rise in servicing costs.
There also seems to be much confusion about "old cars" and MOT exemption and Clive gives an example from a Huddersfield MOT tester that perhaps illustrates what many people view is the new status from 20th May 2019: -
"As a garage owner and MOT tester I think this is a ridiculous change in the rules For example. A farmer has a 40 plus year old diesel Land Rover in a barn, which has failed MOT tests over the years. After the 20th May this year thinks he can now fuel it up run it and as long as insured can use it on the roads. Good chance he knows the chassis is rotten and the engine's belching out black smoke, and thus would fail an MOT - BUT he now thinks he does not need to have one so all is fine!"
Clive Robertson said: "THIS IS NOT TRUE! The Land Rover is no more road legal after May 20th than it was before. If a vehicle would not pass an MOT, it is not road legal. That it does not need to have one simply means the owner/driver must ensure it is still up to the legal level required. This is the crux of the changes in the status of historic vehicles under the new MOT Test Rules.
Clive added: "The onus, which was always on the owner/driver, is as firmly with them under the new rules as ever it was before. The concept of complete wrecks on the road is, however, a real fear, because people do not understand what the 40 year exemption really means - where it USED to be the MOT tester who decided if a vehicle met the construction and use regulations and the demands of the road traffic act it is, from May 20th, now entirely the owner's responsibility to decide if their vehicle IS roadworthy. There is no "requirement" to present the vehicle for test. Quite a shift in the burden..."
Clive sums up the "best practice" recommendation from Healys Classic Car Group:-
"The simplest way to keep safe and legal has to be to keep getting your now exempt car MOT tested. Surely that is a small price to pay for peace of mind? Especially when weighed against the potential penalties?"
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Post Date: May 17th, 2018


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But soon….
We don't yet have 2014 lambs to watch grow. But I'm enjoying watching the 2013 lambs become yearlings.
Moose Mtn Reina and Patchwork Madeleine will be exciting additions to our lilac breeding ewes this fall.
Southwind PopSecret (Pip) is maturing well.
Southwind Sweeney is nicknamed Sweetie because she is!
Patchwork Tempo – another great daughter from Melodie will join two sisters in the breeding flock this fall
Patchwork Jazz. I'm still jazzed when I look at her 🙂
Looking back is fun. Looking forward is more fun! Stay tuned for lambing updates as the 2014 crop arrives.
The papas are ready.


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Cala Deia Snorkeling
The 4th most popular snorkel dive spot in Spain.
Monday 1 May 2017 06:34 GMT
On the northcoast of Mallorca in the Balearic Sea, the snorkeling at Cala Deia offer some of the best water on the island. The pebble Deia Beach can have excellent snorkeling, but is also know for rough surf so make sure to check the conditions first.
Located south of Barcelona off the coast from Valencia, the island of Mallorca is known for its clear waters with good visibility. While snorkeling in Mallorca, you may encounter sea turtles, stingrays, perch, barracuda, scorpionfish, parrotfish and octopus among the anemones and soft corals.
To reach the Mallorca Island snorkeling, fly directly into Aeroport de Palma (PMI) from one of many international cities. The airport is located about 8km to the east of the main city of Palma. The capital city of Palma makes a great base for exploring the Mallorca snorkeling sites.
Overall, Cala Deia is the 4th most popular snorkel dive spot of all 21 snorkeling dives in Spain. Several of the better snorkeling spots are nearby Cala Deia including Cala Figuera, Cala Es Trenc, Cala Llamp, Cala Tuent, Cala Banyalbufar and Cala Mitjana.


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Wheels for Wellbeing
Wheels for Wellbeing (WfW) is an award-winning charity, supporting people of all ages to enjoy the benefits of cycling, regardless of any physical or mental barriers they may experience. Cycling can be easier than walking for those with an impairment or long term health condition; a way to keep independent, fit and healthy, a mobility aid, and a useful form of everyday transport. •We run regular inclusive cycling sessions in South London for disabled children and adults to try our fleet of two, three and four wheeled cycles. •We co-ordinate a network of inclusive cycling projects across London via Cycling for All. •We offer cycling advice, training and consultancy on access, disability and equality issues and share our unique experience with other charities, businesses and local and national government. •We campaign to improve conditions to make every day journeys possible for children and adults on any type of cycle.
- Updated:
- 16 March 2016
- Location:
- London
- Sectors:
- Recreation
- Local Alliances:
- Southwark Dementia Action Alliance
1. Action Plan
1. The National Dementia Declaration lists seven outcomes that the DAA are seeking to achieve for people with dementia and their carers. How would you describe your organisation's role in delivering better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers?
We are working toward dementia friendly cycling sessions and developing a dementia friendly community by reviewing our centers to ensure a dementia friendly environment; by encouraging our trustees, staff and volunteers to become dementia friends so that they can feel confident in their understanding and feel able to talk about it; ensuring our staff and volunteers have the tools to be able to support someone living with dementia enjoy their cycling session with minimal or no obstacles to overcome; to increase awareness of dementia to all that attend our cycling sessions.
We will work with other groups, organisations and businesses by identifying and working together on projects that are beneficial or are inclusive for people with dementia.
2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?
Our cycling sessions are mainly outside at venues that we hire usage and therefore it would be challenging to create a dementia friendly environment that is also a mobile environment. Trustees, staff and volunteers are fluid and our challenge will be to ensure everyone is aware of our values of being dementia aware and becoming a dementia friend. We hold drop-in cycling sessions so ensuring that the people who use our services are informed of dementia and our values.
Member websitewww.wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk
2. Actions
Creating a mobile dementia friendly inclusive cycling environment
We will gather literature and good practice for creating a dementia friendly working environment.
We will seek the guidance and advice of a Dementia Friend Champion to assist with regards to layout, signage, etc. We will be creative with our signage for portability.
- Status:
- Implementation, Planning
2016 - First Quarter Update
New member
Ensuring trustees, staff, volunteers and participants are aware of dementia and our values
We will insure that dementia awareness is highlighted at the induction process for trustees, staff and volunteers. We will encourage all trustees, staff and volunteers to become a Dementia Friend. We will have posters; provide guides and other documents to assist trustees, staff, volunteers, and session participants in their understanding of dementia.
- Status:
- Implementation
2016 - First Quarter Update
New member
Will work with other groups, organisations and businesses by identifying and working together on projects that are beneficial or are inclusive for people with dementia.
We will initiate or act on opportunities to work in collaboration or take part in ventures with our existing or new contacts with regards to external focus areas or self-identified projects that are beneficial or are inclusive for people with dementia.
- Status:
- Planning, Delivery
2016 - First Quarter Update
New member


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American Mythology Productions
Stargate Atlantis Gateways #3
JC Vaughn(w), Mark L Haynes(w), Scottie Watson(a), Jon Pinto(c)
As STARGATE ATLANTIS: GATEWAYS comes to its crashing conclusion, the team deals with the aftermath of the alien attack on Atlantis and Janus' escape into the Pegasus galaxy. Deliberately mentally altered by his own hand, can one of the Ancients greatest minds be stopped now that he has turned against the humans?
Price: $4.25


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If you have been waiting for the Assam HS Result 2019, then you have reached the right place. Looking at the latest happenings at the AHSEC Office in Bamunimaidam in the state capital Guwahati; it seems that the board is planning to declare the Assam 12th Result 2019 soon. Although the final date of the AHSEC Result is not available, in all probability, the council will follow their academic council and declare the results in the third week of May. Immediately following the formal declaration from the AHSEC office, the Assam HS Result will be made available online to the students on this page.
But until then, students have a tough job of staying away from rumours and speculations with regards to Assam 12th Class Result 2019 declaration date. To help you get all the latest news and information about AHSEC Result, our team will share curated updates which would be verified from multiple sources on this page. Students are advised to bookmark this page and visit it from time to time, to ensure not missing out on any of such crucial updates. If it is a bit difficult for you to visit this page regularly, you can also subscribe to email alerts by providing your email id and mobile number in the form provided on top.
After the final announcement of Assam HS result 2019, students can check the merit list, marks sheet, memo, toppers list and pass percentage analysis on our website.
Since the completion of the board exams, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) has been busy completing the evaluation of the answer sheets. Generally, the board takes around 40 to 50 days to complete this task and announce the results. This year, the Assam HS Board Exam for Class 12 students will begin on 12th February with English paper which will be held in the morning slot i.e. 9 AM to 12 PM. The Assam Class 12 Board Exam will end on 14th March when the last paper of Biotechnology / History / Economics / Geography / Music will be held. Taking into account the exam dates, it seems that the AHSEC Result 2019 will be declared on time without any delays or postponements.
Exam Name
Exam Date
Exam Result Date
14th February to 6th March 2019
Last Week of May 2019
Assam Class 12 Exam
12th February to 14th March
Last Week of May 2019
*tentative dates
Looking at this timeline, academic experts have suggested that the results will be declared in the last week of May 2019 or First week of June 2019. However, students must keep in mind that this is merely a speculation and that the final date of Assam 12th result will be soon announced by AHSEC through a formal notification. Until then, you are requested to keep visiting this page to get the latest information and updates about Assam HS Results 2019.
Last year, the AHSEC Result was declared on 31st May for Class 12 students. The AHSEC Council declared the Assam HS Result for all the three streams i.e. Arts, Commerce and Science simultaneously. The key highlights of the Assam Higher Secondary Result 2019 are listed below.
AHSEC HS Result - Science Stream - Key Highlights
Assam 12thCommerce Stream Result – Key Highlights
Assam HS Result for Arts Stream – Key Highlights
Students get very nervous and tensed before result announcement, and it is quite natural. In this emotional turmoil, students often get confused about the online checking procedure for Assam HS result. Keeping this in mind, we have listed down the key steps involved in the process of checking the Assam 12th result through our website.
Step 1: Visit assam12.jagranjosh.com
Step 2: Enter all the relevant details including your admit card number
Step 3: Click on the submit button
Step 4: Your Assam 12th class result 2019 will be displayed on the computer screen
Step 5: Carefully check all the details of your result
Step 6: Take a printout or download your Assam HS result for future references
By following the aforementioned simple steps, you will be able to check your Assam 12th class result 2019 easily. Along with providing the AHSEC Result scorecard online, students will also have the option to download a PDF copy or take a physical printout of the scorecard for reference purposes. Students can maintain this online copy and use it to begin admission procedure in colleges of their choice.
AHSEC or the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council will make the Assam HS Result 2019 available online on multiple platforms including its official website i.e. www.ahsec.nic.in. However, students must keep in mind that the Assam Class 12 Result which they check online is provisional in nature. The AHSEC will make the original mark sheets or scorecards for the Assam 12th Result 2019 to the student through their respective schools or examination centres. Class 12 students are requested to collect the original marksheet for the AHSEC Result 2019 in time. So make sure, you collect the original Assam 12th Class mark sheets issued by the AHSEC after checking your result online.
Like all other educational Boards, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council will also provide the option of rechecking and re-evaluation to the students. This option is ideal for those students who feel that they have done better in the exam and should have scored in the AHSEC Result 2019. Such students can get their answer sheets rechecked or re-evaluated through an independent examiner. Students who are confident about their performance in the Assam Board HS Results 2019 can take up this option. Details about the rechecking and re-evaluation process for Assam HS Result 2019 will be announced by the council after declaration fo the result.
For those candidates who have failed in the Assam Board 12th Result 2019, the AHSEC will give them a second chance to improve their performance without wasting an entire year by appearing for the Supplementary Exams. The Assam 12th Compartmental Exam details will also be announced by the Board after the declaration of AHSEC Result 2019. Students can visit the official website or consult their school administrators to get more information about this.
AHSEC or the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council is based in Guwahati, Assam. The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council works under the state government of Assam. It is the regulating body for higher secondary (10+2 stage) education in the state of Assam. The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council was established by the Assam government on 1 June 1984 to regulate, supervise and develop the system of higher secondary education in the State of Assam.
Since then, AHSEC has been entrusted the task of developing the higher secondary school education in the state. As part of this responsibility, the Council conducts the Higher Secondary (HS) or 12th class examination every year. The council also prepares and issues the exam datesheet or timetable, ensures smooth conduct of the exam and also releases the AHSEC Results.
The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council is going to conduct ASOS Class 12 exam from 14 May 2019. The datesheet has been announced and the candidates can see it on the official website ahsec.nic.in
The ASHEC has released the admit card for the class 12th candidates. Click here for detailed information.
The candidates must note that the board will conduct the examination in two sessions i.e. morning and afternoon.


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Made of metal, with a hook on the bottom for a ground stake or for hanging
6 1/2" L x 6" W x 2 1/4" H
Free shipping applies to US orders only.
All Pictures on this site are the property and owned by www.afroggyplace.com and can not be copied
without permission. "All Rights Reserved" Any questions please call or e-mail.


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I guess this officially makes me part of the Naruto fandom. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Title: An Apology
Fandom: Naruto
Word Count: 926
Summary: Tenten finds Lee training in the middle of the forest, and they have a bit of a chat.
Pairing: A (mild, as always) Lee/Tenten.
Notes: Set after Lee's surgery, so probably during the timeskip somewhere.
Rock Lee hammered the log with his fists. One fist, then the other. He'd been repeating these movements for almost an hour and a half, now, and despite the wrapping around his hands, he was beginning to feel blood seeping from his knuckles. Soon he'd have to switch over to kicks to prevent any real damage to his hands.
Another two hundred repetitions first, he thought to himself. The pain was good. It meant that he was making progress.
"One," he began counting. "Two. Three. Four. Five..."
He stopped suddenly, his right hand spinning out to catch a kunai out of the air. His grip closed aroud the handle, directly behind the blade. His eyes followed the path the weapon had taken, and identified who had thrown it.
"Greeting, Tenten," he said, giving her a quick bow. "I would appreciate it if you would not throw deadly weapons at me without warning."
Tenten, dangling upside-down from a tree branch high above him, giggled. "Aw, Lee, I knew you'd catch it." She dropped from her perch, plummeting towards the ground, and then kicked off the tree's trunk. A few bounds later, she landed, unharmed.
"Besides," she said, brushing her hands off, "It's not like it would have hit you anyway. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention."
"I see," Lee said. "Well, then, do you require my assistance with something?"
"Nah," Tenten said, taking a seat on the grass, "I was just getting a little worried, that's all. You've been out here ten hours, you know. That's a long time, even for you."
"I did not mean to cause you any alarm," Lee apologized. "While I was injured, I was not able to keep up with my training as well as I should have. I need to make up for that lost time."
"Nifty!" Tenten said, drawing her knees up. "Mind if I watch?"
Lee blinked in confusion for a moment. "Certainly, if you wish," he said. Nobody had ever come out to watch him train before. Except for Gai-sensei, of course, but Gai was his instructor. It was expected of him.
"Great!" Tenten sat back, watching expectantly. When Lee didn't move, she gestured at him with her hands. "No, no, go ahead. Don't mind me."
Nodding, Lee turned back to the log and resumed punching. Tenten watched as he moved rhythmically back and forth, striking it with first one hand and then the other. He called out a number with each blow, counting upwards to two hundred. Not once during the set of grueling repetitions did he falter even for a second, even when his blood seeped right through the wrappings and began spilling droplets on the log. Finally, he took a quick rest, turning away from the log and grabbing a towel off of a nearby branch, mopping the sweat off his forehead.
"Hey, Lee," Tenten said as he returned to the log, kicking it this time.
"Yes?" he called out between blows.
"I never really got a chance to tell you before," she said, "but when you fought that creepy sand kid in the Chuunin exam...well, you were pretty incredible."
Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed that Lee's flawless rhythm hesitated for just the briefest of moments. "I appreciate you saying so," Lee said, "but I know that you weren't present to watch it. You don't need to say things like that to make me feel good."
"No, I did see it," Tenten said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "They took video recordings of those fights. Gai...well, he sort of carried the tape around with him for about a month, showing it to everyone he could convince to watch it." Tenten grinned sheepishly, embarrassed on her teacher's behalf.
"I see," Lee said.
"I just...I would never have thought that you had that sort of power. None of us did. I think even Neji was a little bit awed, but he'd never admit that."
Lee stopped altogether. "Neji...was..."
Tenten held up her hands to calm him down. "Whoa, I don't know for certain. I wasn't there, remember? That's just what it seems like to me."
Despite the qualifiers she had tacked onto the end of her statement, Lee was still grinning like an idiot, and his eyes practically blazed with happiness. Tenten couldn't help giggling a little. No matter what happened, it seemed that Lee was still Lee, the eternally enthusiastic boy.
"Anyways," she said, "I guess what my point was is that I used to be kind of a jerk at you because you weren't as strong as Neji. And...and I'm sorry about that. I was totally underestimating you, and I should have known better. So I'm sorry, alright?"
Lee blinked a few times as he processed her statement. "But of course, Tenten!" he declared passionately, one fist clenched in front of him. "No apology was necessary! There was no way you could have known about the secret training that Gai-sensei did with me."
Tenten giggled again. No matter what Lee was doing, he always did it so...gleefully. It was sort of cute, in a weird way. "Well, I'll leave you to your training, then," she said, getting up off the ground. "Just promise me you'll come back soon. Even you can overdo it."
Lee gave her a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, I will," he said.
Satisfied, Tenten went bounding through the forest, and Lee returned his attention to the log, more enthusiastic than ever.


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Jonathan Ment
Five Rivers is a parcel of 450 acres managed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
After years of driving past the place, always a little curious (not too curious) some months ago my wife and I finally took the side road that leads there and spent a while getting acquainted with the center .
Last week, though the temperature hovered near 30, I returned with a camera in search of inspiration.
If you believe, as I do, that the 'devil is in the details,' than no matter how cold and grey, snow and ice covered, or bleak a natural setting may appear, there's always something there – the closer you look.
On this walk, with a dreary light reflected off so much whiteness I was forced to stare down at to maintain my footing, my eyes grew tired quickly (sacrifice for my art!) and I found myself looking for patches of darkness to relieve them. I found those in the trees, and brush
Note: If you find yourself here on an icy afternoon – the facility has crampons to offer some surefootedness, but did I take them up on it? Perish …!
As I walked around the lake (manmade, I believe) things began to present themselves to me.
Almost immediately, there's a bench sheltered from the storm. I immediately named the photo "Rest" although no rest would be required on this short outing – and it was certainly too soon upon just setting out.
Shortly I arrived at this rusted relic, which I felt had a floral quality in its handle design. It was also growing like sort a flower out of the bank of the lake. I imagine it was part of some old waterworks there though its haphazard state of de-installation suggests it's no longer in use.
I was struck by the bark on several trees at Five Rivers, perhaps because it was the closest thing to color I came up this chilly afternoon.
Perhaps because as I've mentioned in an earlier post (LINK) I'm always looking for texture.
I also spotted a stump, which was weathering nicely.
These needles also did it for me. Can't tell you why.
Approaching this particularly treacherous walkway (Just as bridges and overpasses freeze first and harder than the surrounding road surfaces, elevated wooden decks are potentially more hazardous than the dirt and gravel paths they connect) I was struck with a surfeit of paths..
Just as I would walk over the elevated path, aquatic life might travel the waterway below, as small mammals might opt for the log crossing. Just a thought.
And while my icy path provided the opportunity for a hardier freeze, it also permitted me to travel through the undisturbed rustling of the dried winter grasses and weeds. It was here that I took my favorite photo of the trip
Here's where my walk got really interesting.
Focused on the minutia, I wasn't paying much attention to my broader surroundings. And … wait for it, walking around a small man-made lake possibly with several foot bridges intersecting it, I found myself slightly turned around (if it was darker, and I was a drinking man, I'd say o.k. I was 'lost')
Just in the nick, I spotted this.and Although the direction it was pointing in was vague, I took an overgrown path up and eventually found my way back to my car stopping only to study this sundial and wonder, as I often do when faced with acts of unnecessary cruelty and random bits of vandalism …
I don't like selfie sticks.
I maintain selfie sticks are a scourge. They're dangerous and distracting in crowds, as well as being downright ridiculous to watch in use. Coast to coast, many amusement parks most museums and arenas like the LA Coliseum and Madison Square Garden have already moved to ban them.
My wife and I have been taking selfportraits, or more accurately self-two-shots, for about as long as we've been together. Often that's meant propping a camera (or in recent years sometimes a phone) on a rock, or hat, or railing, and setting the timer. (These timers have existed on cameras for at least half a century that I'm aware of).
I'm not sure if I've ever asked a passerby to take our photo, and I'm certain no one has ever offered. Perhaps it's that sense of confidence and known smiles we exude when capturing a moment. Perhaps not.
However, for some reason, I've long found pleasure in helping folks take that photo in front of a scenic vista or landmark.
Perhaps it's my trustworthy face, or perhaps I just give off that photographer vibe, but, for many years I felt I was being singled out to take the photo. It got to the point I occasionally volunteered when I saw one member of a group was obliged to take the picture of the rest. My actions were sincerely appreciated. I felt I'd touched others with a random act of kindness (and a well-composed photo).
But I'm aware that's it's happened less over the past year. Perhaps I need to get out more, or perhaps the opportunities are diminishing as more and more folks can be seen dueling with invisible foes, their phones extended on one of these goofy monopods.
In 2013, Apple declared "Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera." Though the video has been erased from Youtube, the stats back up their claim.
I recall the company's billboard alongside the promenade on my approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. Couldn't find an image to share on line, but on a whim – discovered Apple sells a $50 selfie stick that includes a tripod feature. Ugh.
I've noticed the collapsible sticks have found their way into reality TV with the same dopes vying for fame and prizes required to document their insecurities and isolation by serving as their own camera operator.
Further blurring the lines between photographer and subject as I gather some news organizations are skipping the assignment of a videographer and assigning a selfie stick instead.
There's a joke in there somewhere, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
And sure I've seen selfie sticks at weddings, but fortunately – not yet in the hands of a clergyman. This writer for the Knot.com at least urges folks to be respectful of the photographer, but I figure it's only a matter of time before booze and selfie sticks combine to make the professional's job more difficult. Hope I don't run into them anytime soon in my capacity as a Hunter wedding photographer.
Though… with a number of officiants already presiding over ceremonies at their own for-profit facilities with an interest in the catering and homegrown floral arrangements, will it be too long? If it's this year, you probably heard it here first.
Will a future generation of Shopping Mall Santas wear a coin changer on their big black belt and carry a selfie stick accosting children in the common areas or outside on the street – as the traditional model of a shopping mall (and shopping mall Santas) struggle for relevance?
I remember visiting Niagara Falls in 2015 and shaking my head at all the selfie sticks on display. They made it that much harder for me to take my own shots of the falls – each selfie-sticker effectively taking up that much more space than without.
The author and wife, some years ago at Niagara Falls. Sorta.
This shot could have been taken with a selfie-stick, but alas I DON'T OWN ONE. Of course, it wasn't even taken with the Falls for a background. Instead, it was taken on an assembly line in front of a green screen – prior to (if memory serves) Jennifer and I boarding a ferry that took us into the mist.
I'm sure these things aren't going away, in fact I'm certain they'll become more pervasive. But I don't have to like it.
I simply don't like selfie sticks, though I admit these folks may take their feelings a bit too far with pruning shears (if it's not a gag). The comments, on that link are worth a skim as well.
While researching this story, I did find these ridiculous sticks could be good for a laugh, when I happened on upon this site featuring movie stills (such as the one at the top of this post) in which the guns have been replaced with selfie sticks – and with some overlap this one.
I also found this sign prohibiting their use at the Brisbane Museum on Wikipedia which made me want to get a sign of my own.
Photo by Kerry Raymond.
Jonathan Ment is a writer, photographer, philosopher and consultant. Follow him on Twitter and share your thoughts on this story here.
Political memes have given way to shots of snow covered back yards and decks, and it's these shots that make me laugh.
It's as though everyone is telling everyone else – look, it snowed. The proof is in the photo.
So many of these shots include the snow-covered barbecue, patio table or deck rail.
Perhaps is unconscious.
Cabin fever expressed through a visual declaration of external in-hospitability?
"Look, there's my deck. I could probably go out there, but I'd have to shovel."
Perhaps, and more likely, it's merely the slipper-clad-coffee-cup-wielding-cell phone-camera-clutching masses keeping warm and dry while commiserating.
Christmas wasn't white, except on the ski slopes in our part of the Catskills. (Nor Chanukah!) My snow tires are barely getting a workout … so far … knock on wood … dare I mention it … glad I'm not superstitious … jinx buy me a — Pepsi! (Got ya!) But we have had a fair bit of winter precipitation of late. Flurries, what seems like most days, a few all-out snowstorms with measurable inches.
But course nothing can save the snow from the repeated temperate afternoons, leaving most roads thankfully clear and snow lumps in a sad shrunken state.
The change comes quick. From winter wonderland wow to mud covered cleanup mode. Getting the shot means getting out there as soon as you know it might be waiting.
Now, I will confess to liking my Acorn slippers so much that they're fairly worn out and due for replacement. And – I've taken my share of shots from the safety of the porch. But sometimes – the boots must go on.
Like after an ice storm, when every twig glistens within it's shroud of frozen precipitation, I always admire the scenery when the snow clings just so. Rarely, however to I take off the lens cap and capture it.
Here are a few shots I did venture out for, earlier in this early part of winter.
Some I've taken before, meaning I've shot the same subject over and over before like a waterfall waiting for the shot.
Others are new to me-principally, such as the snow-covered branches for which I rarely get out in time to photograph.
There's a narrow window of opportunity for these sorts of photos. Too early, and the snow is still flying. Too late and it's melted away.
Katy and Trent's wedding was intense! Looking forward to sharing more photos from this weekend.
Reflecting on the opportunity to photograph Katy and Trent at the old Stone Church above Tannersville and the Mountain Brook down below, one of the fun and challenging aspects was a language barrier. Katy's mum handmade the dress. It was amazing, and I had to compliment her on it – through an interpreter. Brother Simon who had flown in that morning from the Dominican Republic helped me out. Perhaps a third of the guests spoke little or no English. Polite hand signals and gestures were the order of the day during the more formal portrait shoots.
Early this week, Weddingwired-dot-com, an everything wedding website clearing house hosted "Happy Hour Albany," a mixer for industry professionals.
I've taken advantage of a free listing offered by this site for several years. To be fair, I've gotten what I've paid for: nothing. Until now. At this swanky soiree I enjoyed a few chicken wings some guacamole, and a seltzer, all complimentary. Congratulations to the company for not holding attendees hostage to some elaborate sales pitch. I think its reputation speaks for itself, and paying for enhanced promotional opportunity makes sense for some folks via this channel.
Also, this evening at the Hall of the Pines in Saratoga Springs, I met a number of possibly like-minded wedding service providers. One has been at it for quite a while. The other is new to the, ahem … business.
Reverend Ronald Hunt travels within about a sixty mile radius of Rotterdam, a town I know fairly well. But he also ventures farther – nearer to http://www.catskillsphotographer.com home base as Windham, and points farther north than Saratoga.
It seems to me that an officiant, or 'celebrant,' as he describes himself might be selected late in the game. But I know I've booked at least one 'rescheduled' wedding in recent years because while I was committed on the original date I was available on the new date when the pastor of choice could conduct the ceremony. Rev. Hunt said he has presided over weddings on as little as two days notice but typically books for the following year as he likes to get to know the couples before the big day.
I liked this guy. I could tell he was the sort of down-to-Earth soul who would bring a joyful and respectful tone to virtually any ceremony. I hope we get the chance to work 'together.' I've worked a bit in Saratoga, and would love to return because there are so many beautiful backdrops there. Hunt has covered the region far more extensively than I so one never knows.
Afloat in this sea of photographers (many of whom seemed to know one another) and DJs, (likewise), was another relative newcomer to the WeddingWire mixer scene; Barbara LeFleur. A musician, who recently was invited to play at a wedding that stumbled upon her (if I got the story straight), LeFleur enjoyed it so much she has decided to pursue it. I commend her, and support her.
While I've never heard Hunt or LeFleur in action, but it is without trepidation that I say I'd be comfortable around either. I can be very focused, easy-going guy and I suspect they are both similarly focused and easy-going. My thanks to each for striking up the conversations on Monday.
I also spoke briefly with a disc jocky, who said he keeps busy with approximately 30 weddings and 30 bar or bat mitzvahs annually. AND he increases his take from many event by offering a self-built 'photobooth.' Photobooths are popular north of Albany. They're typically actual booths like you find in malls these days, or were common in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Several companies specialize in them. This is the first time I've heard of the DJ running the franchise (so-to-speak) but kudos to him for showing the creativity, initiative and ambition.
As a photographer, it might seem kind of funny to compete with my own images by enabling guests to take their own with my equipment. BUT covering the basis would also make sense. Perhaps I could create my own non-booth booth, wire up a spare digital camera, computer and printer and see what happens. Then I could worry that this "Rube Goldberg" was running correctly, while I did my job. Of course I'd need to include the cost of an attendant in whatever I charged, find a reliable and available someone, and convince clients they can't live without offering these party favors to their guests.
Back to reality.
DJ Dancin' David seemed like a nice enough fellow. But I wondered how he felt about the DJ laying the musical backdrop for this mixer.
I recently read a list of things that could be ironed out ahead of time or ways a DJ hoped he and any Photographer he was teamed with at a wedding could work together. I've been meaning to write a similar list from a Photographers perspective.
The best DJs I've worked with have that team approach. We're there to provide a service to the couple and the guests, and working together can help move an event past uncomfortable lulls or unexpected rough spots.
I've found that some DJs do what they do no matter the venue or audience. Somewhere they read that volume and BPM should be increased as time passes.
If getting guests to move on the dance floor is their goal, they might pursue that and never notice that the entrée is being served. If setting the scene for dinner conversation is the aim then, wait, oh right I haven't encountered too many DJs yet that understood the subtleties of volume and mood.
Of course most of the cliques at this mixer were packed in tight around the DJ so I guess ease of chat wasn't the goal. To be fair, further, I liked the mix of music and speculate that perhaps the volume was intended to minimize crowds in proximity to the open bar. Sorry, feeling cynical.
(The worst DJ I ever worked with pushed a couple through their first dance because he wanted to get the "business" portion of the evening over with. What a ma-roon. Rivaled perhaps by the one who came pushing through the buffet ahead of the couple.)
Basically I was confused at this mixer in Saratoga. Not sure it was worth the trip. Not sure it wasn't. Glad I went, but also wonder what I could have been doing instead.
Rather than mixing in, I left feeling mixed up.
Thanks as always, for reading.
~ Jonathan Ment, Photographer


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The Suffering of The Filipino People
Nothing can ever compare to the suffering and death of Jesus in the cross. But we quickly recall the cries of anguish of the Man in Cross as we bear our own crosses in 2013, our "Annus Horribilis"(horrible year).
Yolanda is but the latest of a sequence of human and natural disasters to have hit the Philippines in recent months including floods in Mindanao and Luzon, the violence in Zamboanga and the earthquake in Bohol. In addition, we also have the world-class thievery of our corrupt legislators in the "Pork Barrel" scandal.
We ask ourselves that painful question: "My God, My God , why have You abandoned the Philippines?"
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Gospel of Luke 23:34
Jesus is looking down from the cross just after he was crucified between two criminals.He probably remembers those who have sentenced him - Caiaphas and the high priests of the Sanhedrin. Pilate realized it was out of envy that they handed him over .
But is Jesus not also thinking of his Apostles and companions who have deserted him, to Peter who has denied him three times, to the fickle crowd, who only days before praised him on his entrance to Jerusalem, and then days later chose him over Barabbas to be crucified?
Does Jesus react angrily? No! At the height of his physical suffering, his love prevails and He asks His Father to forgive them!
Does Jesus react angrily? No! At the height of his physical suffering, his love prevails and He asks His Father to forgive them!
We too have our betrayers and torturers.The corrupt Pajero bishops.The corrupt TRAPOS who forgot about their oath of office and instead became brazen thieves.We also have the small band of ageing MNLF warlords who inflicted so much pain to both our Muslim and Christian brothers in Zamboanga.
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Gospel of Luke 23:43
O Filipinas!
a soldier, a father,
a brother, a son,
a husband, a friend
all gave up their lives
In your greatest hour of need.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for risking and sacrificing life and limb in defense of our freedom in the recently concluded Zamboanga rebellion.
Hat tip to our gallant men and women in uniform.
"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son."
Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Gospel of John 19:26-27
Jesus rises above all the pains and sufferings in the cross, and his concerns are for the ones that love him. The good son that He is, Jesus is concerned about taking care of his mother.
Many years ago, Ninoy told Noynoy, "Son, the ball in now in your hands."
Ninoy knew that he was living on borrowed time under the Conjugal Dictatorship.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
One is struck by the anguished tone of this expression in contrast to the first three words of Jesus. This cry is from the painful heart of the human Jesus who must feel deserted by His Father and the Holy Spirit, not to mention his earthly companions the Apostles. As if to emphasize his loneliness, Mark even has his loved ones "looking from afar," not close to him as in the Gospel of John. Jesus feels separated from his Father. He is now all alone, and he must face death by himself.Even by Philippine standards, the natural and man-made disasters so far have made 2013 the most horrible year in recent history. We almost feel like crying and shouting to God, "My God, My God, why have You abandoned our country?"
"I thirst."
Gospel of John 19:28The fifth word of Jesus is His only human expression of His physical suffering. Jesus is now in shock. The wounds inflicted upon him in the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and the nailing upon the cross are now taking their toll, especially after losing blood on the three-hour walk through the city of Jerusalem to Golgotha on the Way of the Cross.
In the Philippines, millions of people live in abject poverty. 27% of the total population live below the poverty line. 11 million are jobless. They understand Jesus' cry of thirst (and hunger).
When Jesus had received the wine, he said,"It is finished;"
and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.
Gospel of John 19:30
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
Gospel of Luke 23:46


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The Book: The 100 (The 100 #1)
The Author: Kass Morgan
The Publisher: Hodder
The Pages: 323
My Rating: 3.5/5
In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland… before it's too late.
Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust – and even love – again.
This book has been on my to-read list for a while, so when I started watching the series on E4 I realised I needed to read this ASAP! I picked it up for the bargain price of £1.99 from The Works, YAY FOR ME!
First things first, if you want to read this book to get ahead of the action in the series, don't bother. The series is already way way ahead. Also major major plot differences. The general plot is the same but oh my life the details have strayed, a lot. So yeah, my advice would be to read it before you watch the series or even after its finished because you'll just end up confused.
The main character Clarke is a fantastic person, I'd seriously love her as a friend. She kind and loyal and I felt like I could connect to her. Wells is a douche. He's supposed to be a good guy who did a bad thing for a good reason, but honestly? He did an absolutely horrific thing for a pathetic selfish reason. Bellamy, well Bellamy I absolutely love. Hes the other half of the only siblings in the universe, ad he did things he regrets to protect his sister Octavia. Hes real, hes funny and I think he's made it onto my book-boyfriends list… Glass isn't in the series but shes an important character in the book. Whilst the others are struggling down on Earth, Glass is showing us the struggles of life up on the ARK. The narrative jumps around each of these characters perspectives and it actually works really well giving us a well rounded clear picture of what's going on.
The characters in the book are 'good', the plot is 'good', the world-building is 'good'. Did I enjoy the book? Yes. Did I connect to the characters? Yes.
But did this book blow me away? Was it gripping and heartbreaking and nerve-racking? Was I thrusting it in peoples faces screaming READ IT READ IT NOW!?
It was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it and I'll definitely be picking up the next book in the series, but it felt like an introductory book. We met the characters, the first major thing happened, a few secrets were revealed and we got to know everyone, there was even a cliff-hanger ending. However, not much actually happened. I mean you might read this and completely disagree with me, and maybe it's because I've watched the series and so it just felt dragged out. Who knows? But that was the feeling I got.
Overall I cant really fault this book, it was good just not fantastic. I give it three and a half stars and I definitely recommend it and for once I actually recommend the TV series too, I'm enjoying it immensely.


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After The Engagement Now What?
Sher Matsen
You've said I do. Now what?
Your minds in a whir all the things you need to do to have that perfect wedding. You begin to panic everytime you think of the planning ahead of you. Your mind is going a mile a minute with ideas and plans what to do when to do it, so many questions, so little time. First don't get ahead of yourself. Before doing anything you should grab a pen and paper and follow these simple steps.
First you need to make a list of the things you need to discuss with your fiancée. Don't go any further until you've done this. Although you might be inclined to rush out and start planning. Remember this is his big day too, and he should have a say in the planning of it.
You'll need to discuss:
• the maximum amount your going to spend
• How many people your going to invite
• How you are going to finance your wedding
• What type of wedding your going to have – big, small, formal, informal
• How many people will be in your wedding party
You'll need to make some time to meet with both sets of parents to further discuss the items above. You need to find out how much, if any the parents will be able to contribute to your costs. You'll need ask them to make a list of who they want to invite - get them to make the list from most important to least important, that way if you need to cut guests you know which ones to cut.
Next set your wedding date. Most wedding facilities advise booking 6 months to a year in advance. You'll want to take into consideration the time of year you plan to get married, any holidays, vacations, or family events that might not work with your date. Once you've determined a date that works for your bridal party and family members, as well as yourself, you can move ahead. It never hurts to have a couple of date options
Now you can get those creative juices flowing. Your wedding should fit both your style and your fiancée's style. Will it be a trendy wedding, traditional, beach, park?? Get ideas from bridal magazines, books, and the internet which has a wealth of free information available. Start a scrap book. Add items and ideas you like to the scrap book. Then you can use your scrap book for reference as you start to fine tune.
The more organized you are the easier it will be to plan and the less stressful it will be. Keep a day timer of what you've done and what needs to be done on or before specific dates. Make to do lists and as you complete tasks scratch them off your list. Be sure to keep your list up current. You might want to buy a wedding management software package or print style. There are some great choices available!
Your wedding is the beginning of a whole new adventure in life. Make the planning an enjoyable part of that planning by being prepared.
About the author:
Sher from Estate Jewelry International has been serving customers for over 20 years, providing fashion, jewelry, and wedding help. Please visit us at
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Forum neighborhood
The Fòrum neighborhood: The new Barcelona
Barcelona KEY is located in the Fòrum neighborhood, dedicated to investigation, university, energy sources, applications and research. The past, present and future live side by side along just a short stretch of our coastline.
The Fòrum: core area of energy and research
- Fòrum's Photovoltaic Panel
- Diagonal-Besòs Campus
- The Districlima power plant
- Besòs Inicinerator
- Co-generation plants of Gas Natural Fenosa and Endesa
- Three Besòs Smokestacks
Barcelona KEY, a space integrated into the city
Barcelona KEY will be located in the Fòrum neighborhood, one of the most creative and highly changing areas within the city.
People have gradually come to understand the logic behind the Fòrum space and its potential in accordance with their needs. Step by step, Barcelona Fòrum has gradually taken on a role in the life of Barcelona, becoming consolidated as a space for openness within the city.
Along with providing those services which are offered to the people, including entities for sports and entertainment, popular libraries, educational centers, etc., the Fòrum area offers new spaces of openness to the city. The BCN International Convention Center (CCIB), the Blue Museum, the Diagonal Mar shopping center, the International Sailing School and the Fòrum Port are facilities which open up new possibilities for the people.
It is an open environment which has demonstrated the great strength of its flexibility by hosting special events, such as the Forum of Cultures in 2004.
The Fòrum is a space filled with life that will allow Barcelona KEY to become integrated as a unique place.
- More than 30 cultural spaces
- Primavera sound
- Barcelona Natural Sciences Museum
- Diagonal Mar Shopping Center


text: "It is as if HE dances each moment twice: first through is the nearness of him, and then through the sounds of Gangnam perceived a crazy other thing.( hilarious we're both awkward." This Guy's description was no other Paula Abdul ( male version) who was classified as epic with his dancing humor . I am dancing as fast As I can . 2012 race for fun… hahahaha


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Lindsey & Chris | A Norfolk Wedding at The NorVA
I met Lindsey in the photo pits of the XL102 Chili Cook Off, she was the only other female photographer and I was the newbie who had just moved to Richmond. Lindsey is a crazy talented photographer and I've had "photo-envy" (yes, that's a thing) forever. She's literally been on billboards and even a DVD cover?! How amazing is that? ANYWAYS, we became good friends and I always looked forward to shooting shows with her.
Fast forward about two years and I get a text from Lindsey saying she wants to book me for her wedding. It wasn't until later that I found out she had only been engaged for 20 minutes before texting me! How sweet is that? When I met them for their engagement session, I couldn't help but get 100x more excited for their big day. Why? Because they were different. They wanted FUN and silly pictures and it was such a breath of fresh air. These two are so fun to be around and I can't explain to you all how much of a difference that makes on camera.
Their wedding day is one that I can never begin to describe perfectly without you actually being there. It was magical. She took the Great Gatsby theme and put a slight rock and roll spin on it to create a wedding unlike any I have seen... and that includes on Pinterest. A VIP list of vendors worked together to transform an already amazing venue into an incredibly unique wedding experience.
For those of you who aren't familiar, The NorVA was voted by The Rolling Stone as the #1 Venue in America, so shooting a WEDDING there was going to be epic. I am so thankful to have been a part of this day and worked alongside Virginia Beach's best vendors.
Lindsey & Chris,
Thank you so so so much for letting me be a part of your beautiful day. I am so happy for you both and I had so much fun hanging out with your friends and family! I wish you the best of luck but I know you two won't need it ;)
Hair: High Voltage Hair by Crystal Casey
Makeup: Makeup by Kim Porter
The Dress: Pure English Couture Bridal
Shoes: BHDLN
Tux: Men's Wearhouse
Florals: Roost Florals
Rentals: Distinctive Event Rentals & Paisley Jade
Ceremony Venue: Norfolk Church of Christ
Reception Venue: The NorVA
Lighting: Blue Steel Lighting Design
Cake: Anna Delcour
DJ: Nick Chappell
Videographer: Tom Odom


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The first, ethereal layer of the aura is the easiest to see. Just a little practice. It is close to the body and emanates intense light.
The second astral layer of the aura is more dispersed and occupies a larger area around the body.
Aura can occur in many colours which can blend and change depending on many factors.
Perceiving an aura is not a paranormal ability but a natural skill that we can train. However, we have various blocks and beliefs that prevent us from doing so. The effective training of perceiving the aura is also connected with personal and spiritual development. It is advisable to perform a cleansing of the pineal gland, for example, by drinking a soda solution.
Our brain is programmed to skip information that is irrelevant to us or we do not believe is true. That's why we have to convince it to recognize this information as desirable for us and to develop a sense that we have not used almost all our lives.
The state of the human aura among other things reflects the mood, personality, state of health, stage of spiritual development. When we have the ability to perceive the energy envelope we are able to see the true nature of beings and their intentions. We are able to discern the origins of various abnormalities in the body that can transform into an illness. A new, intriguing world of colours and dimensions to explore opens up for us.
The 6th chakra is responsible for the perception of aura – it is called the "third eye". It is inactive in most people and in order to activate it, you first have to mature to do it, then use your intention and put in an effort. Through regular work on the third eye, meditation, and the relevant techniques we have chosen to open the third eye, we are able to develop the ability to perceive the energy.
I began training the ability to see the aura about 3 months ago. I was amazed how quickly I achieved some effects. At first, I was only able to see a luminous glow around objects, people and animals. It extends about 1.2 cm around the body or objects.
Then I trained perceiving colours of aura. I placed an object in an intense colour against the background of a light wall about 2 m from me and stared at it using a technique that I will describe in a moment. At first, I only saw a bright glow but after a few moments of looking, I was able to see a colourful aura stretching from a few to several centimetres.
This way I discovered that a purple towel emanates gold-yellow light. Banana has a bright blue-violet field, pink colour has a vigorous green aura and a carrot has a pale green field. I was surprised at how energetic and vibrant the colours are!
It's really exciting!
Once when I was training I saw a series of purple light balls coming out of the chakra of the third eye, away from me and blurring in space. After one sphere had disappeared another would emerge.
I still wasn't able to see the full aura of a human, but there were times when the glow around the body stretched and took colours. The effects are promising and I'm going to practice until I can easily see the energy field of everything that surrounds me. I am truly fascinated by this skill and I have written this article to encourage you to train the perception of the aura because I believe that the perception of energy is one of the natural human skills that have been identified as paranormal but are in reality natural!
How to train a perception of aura?
Basic technic:
Place an object of intense bright colour against a light background (preferably a white wall). It is important not to have intense light in your eyes. At first, it is easiest to train in a room with drawn curtains.
Be relaxed and focused.
Try to look at the item with a side view (a little to the side where you would normally look). Try to look at the object while seeing the space in the vicinity of its outline. Try to look at the item indirectly by focusing more on the space behind or beside the item.
The third eye opening technique according to Robert Bruce:
Focus on the place where the sixth chakra is and use your mental power to lift it up without moving any muscle. It's like visualizing the opening of the third eye. Do this exercise many times while watching the aura and your third eye will be stimulated to open up.
If you have never tried to learn to perceive aura join me and let's learn together! You can contact me on facebook if you have any questions or would like to share your experiences.
I wish you an amazing day!
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