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"I assure you, there's nothing to see here right now."Posted: August 13, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment
Last Monday's poll tells me that you folks would prefer to read weekly posts from The Paranormalist on Fridays.
It shall be done.
Macabre & Mysterious Media: Kolchak, In Search Of, Castle RockPosted: August 6, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment
As I write this, Ogre is across the room, watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre … for the very first time. I've opted to stay nearby to see his reaction, but I know the movie well enough that I can be over here, tapping away at the keyboard, while I observe. In an hour or so, we'll be tuning in to the season premiere of Better Call Saul. Until then, I'd like to fill you in on what's going on around here.
If you follow my Facebook page, you probably already know that I'm dealing with some medical issues and preparing to undergo a fairly significant surgery ( to be performed by itty-bitty robots!) … which will be followed by a few weeks of some pretty strict recovery time. (I'm choosing not to go into detail on this, but do know that it's nothing life-threatening.)
BTW, I share interesting links and other snippets DAILY at the Facebook page, if you haven't liked my page, you're missing out on things like paranormal-themed LOLs, Nuclear Week, and Weird Wikipedia Wednesdays.
I only mention the health issues as an explanation for how quiet life has been lately. I'm not having many adventures, paranormal or otherwise. What I am doing is a lot of fiction writing and editing. When I'm not working or sleeping, we've been watching movies and TV. Lacking more exciting topics, the best I can do right now is to share some of my entertainment finds (and my opinion about them) in a mini-version of a former feature at The Paranormalist:
Macabre & Mysterious Media: Mini-Edition
At The Paranormalist Facebook page, I already mentioned that Kolchak: The Night Stalker is about halfway through its entire run on MeTV. It's airing on Saturday nights (but technically on Sundays at 1 am eastern time.) The first episode I tuned into — episode 10, The Energy Eater — was nearly unwatchable, but I still have hope that my fond memories of the series will be vindicated by future episodes. (Check the availability of MeTV to you here.)
Another blast from the past has been more than watchable. The History Channel has rebooted the series In Search of. In this incarnation Zachary Quinto — the most recent actor to play Spock — takes over for Leonard Nimoy. New episodes air on Friday nights at 10/9C. I've caught the 2nd and 3rd episodes, and have been impressed. It lacks that forbidding creepiness I remember from my childhood, but it makes up for that by being more scientifically rigorous. (Though "rigorous" may be too strong of a word to use here.) And I have to admit that Zach is pretty charming, even though I don't love him as Spock.
Over at Hulu, Stephen King continues to reign supreme with the new series, Castle Rock.
(Yes, we finally caved and got a subscription to Hulu … mostly because of The Handmaid's Tale and King's 11/22/63.)
I've seen the first two episodes and I'm intrigued. The greatest fun for me, so far, has been in noticing the dozens of Easter-egg like references to other Castle Rock stories that litter this new series. It's good to see Sissy Spacek in a role here (Though she is definitely not Carrie.) I'm not entirely sure I'm thrilled with the way Sheriff Pangborn has aged, but I'll hang in there to see where we're going (and how he got to where he is.) The acting here is top-notch, the familiar/not familiar setting is a treat for the Stephen King fan, and the story, as it begins to unfold, shows promise.
With that, I'll draw this week's post to a close. (Time to watch Better Call Saul.) Oh — In case you were wondering, Ogre's verdict on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is that it's just sad. I can't say I disagree.
One more thing, before I go:
This afternoon, I found myself trying to remember why I decided to do my weekly check-in posts on Mondays. I came up completely blank. Without any compelling reason to post on Mondays rather than another day, it occurs to me that I should just ask YOU what you want. (Besides, I haven't used the poll function in forever.) So:
Come hell or high water.Posted: July 30, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 4 Comments
When I decided to resurrect The Paranormalist blog, I came up with a very do-able (I thought) schedule. One with only two requirements:
- Post an on-topic, in-depth post on the 13th of each month.
- Post a quick, paranormal-tinged, chatty note every Monday.
That it. No big deal, right?
If you're a subscriber to this this blog, you know I haven't managed to get it right for more than a couple of weeks in a row.
I'm giving it another shot, as of today. It's 11:17 pm, so I've only got a few minutes to get something-anything down.
I almost didn't come in (again) because I thought, "Well, you've been off-schedule for weeks now, what's one more miss? Maybe you can write something decent between now and NEXT Monday."
Yeah, that's the kind of thinking that got me here, so screw the "decent" qualifier.
I promised that the content would be at least paranormal-tinged, so tonight I'll just mention a couple of things that have been in my life lately, and offer my quick and dirty reviews.
For a better than decent review of this game, pop over to Shut Up & Sit Down.
For my quick and dirty review, read on.
I saw Mysterium on the games shelf at our local Alamo Cinema Drafthouse, when Ogre took me to a showing of Three Identical Strangers. (More on both the Alamo and the movie in a minute.) The name and the cover art drew me in.
The $50 price tag, however, put me off and we didn't actually buy it that night.
I mentioned it when I next talked to my roommates / kids, though, because I couldn't get it out of my mind. (Update for long-time readers: the kids are all grown up now, and we are sharing expenses as we settle into our "new" home state.)
We play board games at least once a week around here, so I wanted to see if there was any interest in Mysterium. My son took to the interwebs and found the review I linked to above. By the time he finished reading it to the rest of us, we'd decided it needed to become the next addition to our game collection.
First, it's a BEAUTIFUL game. The art for this American edition has been toned down to be more family-friendly, I guess, but it's still evocative and gorgeous. There are multiple decks of illustrated cards, little plastic crystal balls, a timer with blue sand, and a stand-up screen that the ghost hides behind. From the unboxing to the reboxing (after we played) handling and playing with the pieces was a pleasure.
Here's a 5-minute unboxing video I found if you want a closer look.
Second, the game is frustrating as hell, but in a very good way. My suspicion is that the most fun (and frustration) is had by the ghost. Ogre got first crack at the role and he says I'll love doing it.
Third, Mysterium has several elements that make it a winner for me:
- it's a true cooperative game, (though the ghost's role sometimes feels adversarial)
- it's a reasonably quick game to play, (first time out we played in a little more than an hour, buy it will be faster next time, now that we know how it works)
- it's easy to learn and understand, (probably best to have someone read the instructions first and then just show everyone how to play)
Verdict: Pricey but worth it.
I have 2 minutes left so, in reference to my earlier references:
1) I LOVE the Alamo. (I actually do have a full post in progress about the newest addition to the Raleigh theater scene.)
2) Go see Three Identical Strangers if you have the opportunity. In a year of great documentaries, I think this has a good shot at taking home an Oscar.
How scary, really, is the 2018 movie Hereditary?Posted: June 11, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment
I'm only here today to answer two questions about the film Hereditary (2018).
They are:
1) How scary is it?
2) Is it any good?
I'll be back on Wednesday with a full review of Hereditary which will include spoilers, but for now, you can safely read on.
Hereditary is being billed as a game-changer movie, (one that is "pants-wettingly scary," according to Tasha Robinson, over at The Verge.) Here's a selection of phrases critics are using:
[A] terrifying thriller that pins you to the back of your chair and leaves you paralyzed in fear.
(Detroit News, Andrew Graham)
Are you ready for the year's scariest movie? I don't think you are, not at all.
(Mpls. Star Tribune, Colin Covert)
Creepy beyond belief.
(RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz)
So terrifying that I wanted to hide under a blankie during the screening.
(Us Weekly, Mara Reinstein)
And this:
It's pure emotional terrorism, gripping you with real horror, the unspeakable kind, and then imbuing the supernatural stuff with those feelings. It didn't play me like a fiddle. It slammed on my insides like a grand piano.
(AV Club, A.A. Dowd)
(These review snippets were mostly gathered at Rotten Tomatoes.)
The buzz about Hereditary was so loud and insistent that I considered waiting until it came out on DVD to watch it. (In a theater, I can't pause a machine while I get my nerves under control. Also, I'm more likely to view the high tension scenes through a screen of my own fingers, which means I can miss a lot.) My Ogre, however, surprised me with pre-purchased tickets, so, on Saturday afternoon, we went to the theater.
Our front-row seats boded a particularly intense experience, and I was prepared for the worst.
I'm here to tell you, It wasn't that bad.
Now, maybe that's a consequence of me being me. I have seen a lot of deeply unsettling and frightening movies. Even so, I'm pretty sure that a more casual thriller or horror fan will be fine. The requisite bloody scenes (because this is horror after all) are few and manageable. The jump scares are better than most, and there aren't too many. The tension and dread, however, do begin early and continue throughout the film.
(In my opinion, that gives way to a sense of confusion about the plot in the last third or so of the movie, but I'll write more about that on the 13th.)
When it comes to pure "scariness" I'd say that Hereditary is easier to watch than The Conjuring.
… and well worth seeing on the big screen.
Hereditary will be going onto one of my best horror movies lists, though I'm not yet sure which one(s).
It could fit on:
13 unsettling movies – for psychological horror fans
the 13+ most haunting films, for ghost story lovers
but it really probably belongs on an entirely new list.
Hereditary may actually inspire me to get off my butt and finally write up that demonic / possession collection I've been threatening to do for years.
Overall Hereditary has some problems, but it also has some genuinely amazing moments. The look and feel of the environment, and the camera work used to highlight it, is top notch. The acting is superb. And, when it comes to the motivations and the reactions of the characters, this film breaks new ground.
My final thought (for now)? Don't be scared to go see it.
Top 10 Weird Weather WondersPosted: April 13, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 3 Comments
Weird weather and strange atmospheric phenomena have fascinated me since I read the book It's Raining Frogs and Fishes in 1992. In the years since then, I've sought out and "collected" as many unusual, rare, and wondrous meteorological occurrences as I can find.
I've even been lucky enough to personally experience the occasional odd event. (As detailed below.)
Basically, I turned weird weather watching into a hobby, and I've been indulging in that hobby for decades.
Just lately, though, weather has been even more on my mind than usual. (What with the west coast catching fire, and the east coast getting battered by multiple hurricanes, and the middle ground getting clobbered by historic snowstorms in April.) My anxious soul can't help but note the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather worldwide. For the record, I believe we are experiencing the consequences of climate change. I also believe that human activity is causing, intensifying, or accelerating this change.
This post is not about our new normal of intensifying extreme weather. This post is about mysterious little anomalies that have been puzzling witnesses for a long time, even — in some cases — for centuries.
I guess I just thought it was time to remind myself that weather watching can be fun.
(an incomplete list, in no particular order)
- heat bursts
- thundersnow
- apocalyptic clouds
- rains of dead birds / rains of animals
- brinicles
- ball lightning
- megacryometeors
- red rain / blood rain & watermelon snow
- frost quakes & other mystery booms
- star jelly
- luminous tornadoes
A heat burst is characterized by a dramatic, almost instantaneous, rise in temperature and fall in dew point temperature. Most, but not all, heat bursts are also accompanied by a drop in surface pressure, little to no precipitation, and gusty, rapidly shifting winds. [Interjected note: Most descriptions I've read indicate that these winds are caused by a powerful downdraft that descends through a dry, disintegrating thunderstorm. When the downdraft hits the ground, it spreads out like a drop of water, causing high speed winds in all directions.] Heat bursts are typically a late spring and summer, as well as a late evening and nighttime, phenomenon. … Most heat bursts are detected in the Plains states, but heat bursts have also been recorded overseas, including the United Kingdom and Yemen. — Reference for definition: NOAA.GOV
I have not personally experienced a heat burst, but the phenomenon came to my attention when some of my westerly neighbors in MN did.
To understand this event fully, you may want to have the following reference points fresh in your mind:
On July 17th, 2006, at 10:15 p.m., the temperature in Canby, MN was 90° F. The dewpoint was 70° F. In general, it was a warm, sultry night in the wake of thunderstorms.
By 11:15 p.m., that same night, the temperature had risen to 100° F. Ten degrees is a pretty perceptible spike, particularly when it happens in the middle of the night. The truly amazing thing, though, is that — in the same timeframe — the dewpoint fell to 30° F. In essence, all the sticky humidity was sucked out of the air within the space of one hour. This change was accompanied by hot gusts of winds measuring up to 63 mph.
Several other western Minnesota town experienced heat bursts that same evening. (To see the details of those events, read the report from the National Weather Service here.)
Another dramatic heat burst occurred at the Kansas City airport in June of 2011: At 12.22 a.m., the temperature was 85° F. At 12.44 a.m., the temperature spiked to 102° F. (That's 17 degrees in 22 minutes.) Again, hot winds of 60+ mph occurred.
For the granddaddy of all heat bursts, though, we have to go back to June 15th, 1960, to an event the townspeople of Kopperl, TX would dub 'Satan's Storm'.
Residents of Kopperl — having gone to bed when the outdoor temperature was about 70° F. — awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of howling winds. (These winds were reported to be up to 75 mph. A store lost its roof. Trees were blown down.) It was suddenly so hot that some folks thought their homes were on fire. Outside, the temperature had risen to over 100° F.* Those who fled their houses found the outdoor air difficult to breath. (Due to its extreme dryness.) When daylight came, farmers reported that corn which had been green and growing the day before now stood brown and dead in the fields.
*There are reports that suggest the temperature actually peaked much higher than 100 degrees, a least for a brief time. Evidence offered to support this includes: cotton plants in the fields that were burnt black; a thermometer (calibrated to read up to 140° F.) that exploded; radiators on parked cars that boiled over; and paint on houses that blistered.
In 1960, the heat burst phenomenon was as yet unknown to science.
No wonder Kopperl's citizens called it Satan's Storm.
While relatively rare anywhere, thundersnow is more common with lake-effect snow in the Great Lakes area of the United States and Canada, the midwestern United States, and the Great Salt Lake. Thundersnow produces heavy snowfall rates in the range of 2-4 inches per hour. There is a greater likelihood that thundersnow lightning will have a positive polarity which has greater destructive potential than negatively charged (typical) lightning. — Reference for definition: wikipedia.org
As a former Minnesotan, this is one phenomena that I have experienced on multiple occasions. (Perhaps four or five times in the 4+ decades that I lived there.) Don't think, though, that the experience of such a relatively common event isn't awe-inspiring.
Especially at night, heavily falling snow is so peaceful, and insulated, and cozy, that it's otherworldly. There is luminosity to the night, because the snow reflects and magnifies every bit of available light, but it's a soft glow. When lightning flashes as the snow comes down around you, however, it suddenly seems as if you are somehow inside a strobe light.
The sound of snow thunder is striking too. A snowstorm is a normally a very hushed beast. (Unless there's howling wind, but that's a blizzard, not a snowstorm.) In a seasonally appropriate electrical storm, the sound of thunder can be heard for many miles. In a thunder-snowstorm, sound is muffled by the falling flakes and absorbed by the snowpack that already blankets the world. Under these conditions, thunder can only be heard in a 2–3-mile radius of the lightning bolt. Hearing it a weirdly personal experience, and magical.
Also, it's exciting:
This countdown video will give you a nice overview of eighteen unusual or rare cloud formations. Before you watch, though, scroll down to learn a little about the three most foreboding of them.
# 10 — noctilucent — These clouds were first noted in 1885, after the volcano Krakatoa erupted and hurled plumes of volcanic ash miles into the Earth's atmosphere. Noctilucent clouds develop only in the summer, and they are best viewed during twilight, after the sun has dropped below the horizon. To attempt to spot them, look for luminous blue-white tendrils in the west, 30-60 minutes after sunset, when the sun has dipped 6° to 16° below the horizon. — Reference for definition: weather.com
# 15 — pyrocumulus — Translation: fire cloud. These form when there is extreme heat rising from the surface of the earth. We see them over volcanic eruptions and wildfires. Also, of course, this is the nuclear "mushroom cloud". — Reference for definition: me
# 17 — undulatus asperatus (or asperitas) — The World Meteorological Organization recently added undulatus asperitas to the International Cloud Atlas. They're the first new addition to the Atlas in over half a century. "Although they appear dark and storm-like, they almost always dissipate without a storm forming. The ominous-looking clouds have been particularly common in the Plains states of the United States, often during the morning or midday hours following convective thunderstorm activity." — Reference for definition: wikipedia.org
I need to give you an additional video of this one, because the still photographs in the collection doesn't do it justice. (According to the photographer, there has been time lapse applied to the following video, and a slight tweak to the contrast.)
Raining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which flightless animals fall from the sky. Such occurrences have been reported in many countries throughout history. One hypothesis is that tornadic waterspouts sometimes pick up creatures such as fish or frogs, and carry them for up to several miles. However, this aspect of the phenomenon has never been witnessed by scientists. —Reference for definition: wikipedia
My first exposure to this horrifying possibility was in the It's Raining Frogs and Fishes book I mentioned above. I remember thinking at the time (with quite some relief) that the examples cited in the text were so old, and from such exotic locations, that their veracity was questionable.
Then, in 2011, dead birds started falling out of the sky in Arkansas.
(Yes, I realize the above definition of "raining animals" suggests only flightless animals count, but it seems close enough to me.)
Note, the following video shows dead birds. They do not have any gruesome injuries. I felt it was important to show the video because without it, it's difficult to understand the scale of the event.
Several months after this Hitchcockian episode, a meteorologist found the likeliest explanation for the catastrophe. He was able to confirm that there was an intense temperature inversion in the atmosphere, which probably amplified the sounds of a New Year's Eve fireworks show. His theory is that the exceptionally loud noises from the town that night caused the birds to panic, sending the huge, densely roosting flock aloft all at once, where a fraction of them collided with one another and/or crashed into stationary objects, resulting in blunt force trauma and death. National Geographic reported, in early 2011, that ornithologists are not surprised by mass bird falls, and attribute nearly all of them to blunt force trauma caused by collisions with man-made objects or by being buffeted by storms.
I was not able to find any recent well-documented cases of rains of flightless animals, unless you count ballooning spiders. Most historical instances of this phenomenon involve fish and amphibians, which is an argument in favor of the theory that tornadic waterspouts are the cause. (A normal water spout is not capable of lifting even small animals; only a tornadic water spout — one that forms over land then passes over water — could do it.) It is noteworthy that most anecdotal accounts of other animals falls have been based on sightings of a unusually large number of out-of-place animals that are already on the ground, not actually falling from the sky.
When sea ice forms in polar regions, salt is forced out of it, and saline-saturated streams of water make their way down through cracks in the ice. This briny solution is denser than the seawater around it and consequently it has a lower freezing point. The transformed, ultra-cold sea water cannot freeze and begins to sink. As it descends, it freezes the warmer water it passes through, creating a tube of ice. This tube is the brinicle. Once the brinicle reaches the seafloor, it spreads out, where it can freeze slow-moving animals like starfish and sea urchins. — Reference for definition: Me, after reading a lot of jargon and deciding to spare you.
Now that I've tried to condense the science for you, allow me to share the hypnotic video that caught my attention when it made the rounds on social media a few years ago.
If you have even a passing interest is weird weather, you already know about ball lightning. For weather watchers, this is probably the holy grail of atmospheric phenomena.
Anecdotally, this phenomenon has been described (for hundreds of years) as a floating ball of light, ranging from pea-sized to room-filling (or even larger). The ball lingers much longer than a lightning bolt, and moves relatively slowly along a straight, curved, or erratic path, sometimes bouncing or zig zagging, and sometimes appearing to roll along surfaces. Some reports suggest that it can pass through walls; that it pops or explodes as it disappears; and/or that it leaves the smell of sulfur or burning electricity in its wake. — Reference for definition: me again, after combing through dozens of sources.
Until recently no one had ever captured scientific proof of the existence of ball lightning, even though there have been many credible modern sightings. In January of 2014, however, scientists from Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, China, changed that by publishing a recording which documents ball lightning. The recording was made in 2012, when the scientists were studying ordinary cloud – ground lightning on the Tibetan Plateau.
From a distance of 900 meters (more than half a mile) the researchers witnessed naturally occurring ball lightning. They estimated its visible (to-the-naked-eye) glow to be 5 meters (approximately 16. 5 feet) across, though the ball itself was probably much smaller. The glow burned white, then red, for a second, then disappeared. The scientists were able to record the spectrum of light given off by the phenomenon.
Before you get too excited about the following video, please understand that the recording is not as dramatic as you'd hope. In fact, it may be the most visually anticlimactic clip you've ever seen. As boring as it looks, though, and as brief as it is, it proves that ball lightning is a real thing. I encourage you to read the article at physics.aps.org which summarizes the scientific findings of the published report. It's very accessible, and it explains the significance of the video much better than I ever could.
If you've ever witnessed ball lightning, PLEASE comment below and tell us everything about it!!
A megacryometeor is a very large chunk of ice which, despite sharing many textural, hydro-chemical and isotopic features detected in large hailstones, is formed under unusual atmospheric conditions which clearly differ from those of the cumulonimbus cloud scenario (i.e. clear-sky conditions). — Reference for definition: wikipedia
Seeking additional information about this phenomenon turned out to be depressing as hell, because the topic seems to be a lightning rod for arguments between climate change believers and deniers. I got sucked into reading far too many comment threads than is good for my psyche. In the end, I've decided to simply share some links to articles about megacryometeors. If you're wiser than me, you'll avoid the comments.
- The Peculiar Phenomena of Megacryometeors / damninteresting.com
- What Causes Megacryometeors? / weatherquestions.com
As to my personal opinion about the source of these giant ice balls, I lean toward the theory that dangerously large chunks of ice are forming on the exterior of aircraft, then falling from the sky. For most of the reports, that explanation makes the most sense. I don't know what to tell you about the 400 pound, fridge sized block of ice that reportedly fell on the Brazilian Mercedes Benz factory … except that I couldn't find any reference to the event outside of it being cited in all the megacryometeor articles.
BLOOD RAIN or red rain is a phenomenon in which blood is perceived to fall from the sky in the form of rain. Instances of blood rain usually cover small areas. The duration can vary, sometimes lasting only a short time, others several days. … Today, the dominant theories are that the rain is caused by red dust suspended in the water, or by the presence of micro-organisms, such as aerial spores of the micro-algae Trentepohlia annulata. — Reference for definition: wikipedia
Recent incidents of blood rain attributed to micro-algae have been reported in Western India (2001), Sri Lanka (2012), and Spain (2014). Most blood rain events in Europe (including other rains in Spain) are caused by dust that is lifted from the northern part of Africa and carried northward. According to an article at the website of the American Meteorological Society, there have been at least 510 such events across Europe, since 1900.
WATERMELON SNOW, (also called pink snow, red snow, or blood snow) is Chlamydomonas nivalis, a species of algae. Unlike most species of fresh-water algae, it is cryophilic (cold-loving) and thrives in freezing water. This type of snow is common during the summer in alpine and coastal polar regions worldwide, such as the Sierra Nevada of California. — Reference for definition: wikipedia
"Frost quakes," also known as cryoseisms, are a natural phenomenon that occurs when extremely cold temperatures lead to sudden deep freezing of the ground, after it has been saturated with water. The Vermont Geological Survey defines a cryoseism as, "[a] major frost cracking of the top few feet of the ground, occurring during sub-zero cold snaps, which generates localized ground shaking and is often mistaken for an earthquake." Expansion that results during the process of freezing can lead to the buildup of explosive stress, which may result in fractures within the earth. Small cracks may be visible on the surface near where a cryoseism has occurred, and in some cases, shaking vibrations may also be felt within the vicinity of the frost quake, along with loud booms that sound similar to gunfire. — Reference for definition: FROSTQUAKE.ORG
The following video is labeled as an example of a frost quake, but it appears to me that the person is actually recording the sounds of lake ice fracturing. There are deep, heavy sounding booms, but I don't know if this comes close to capturing the intensity of an earth-based boom. (As far as I know, I've never experienced a frost quake.)
I can tell you that I have heard lake ice "grumbling" and "singing" as it freezes and as it breaks up. Here are two videos that beautifully exemplify those sounds, if you have the patience to watch and wait. (It's much easier to do while you're sitting at a computer than it is when you're standing out in the frigid air.)
If you're only a little patient, the second one is more dramatic.
Here's an extra heads-up: If you watch this next video, help me figure out what the hell happens at the 33 second mark! What am I seeing swimming behind the ice ridge? A dog?
(Edit: the person who posted the video says there is no animal, only a piece of ice breaking away. Hmm.)
Star jelly (also called astromyxin, astral jelly) is a gelatinous substance sometimes found on grass or even on branches of trees. According to folklore, it is deposited on the Earth during meteor showers. Star jelly is described as a translucent or grayish-white gelatin that tends to evaporate shortly after having "fallen." Explanations have ranged from the materials being the remains of frogs, toads, or worms, to the byproducts of cyanobacteria, to the paranormal. Reports of the substance date back to the 14th century and have continued to the present day. — Reference for definition: wikipedia
Star jelly is a relatively common phenomenon, that has been reported world-wild. To be clear, there is not a scientific consensus about the source of star jelly, though it has often been collected and analyzed. Some instances are obviously related to the activities of amphibians, but not all of them, nor even most. Star jelly has been linked in some reports to sightings of will-o-the-wisp type lights and/or UFO sightings. In some areas, where an outdoor location is reputed to be haunted, it has been associated with ghostly activity.
I have to admit that I didn't realize this was "a thing" when I saw similar blobs while out prowling the semi-wild woods and swamps of Minnesota. Frankly, I just assumed that it was expectorated by some person or excreted by some animal that had passed by before me. I didn't look closely, and I didn't search for additional blobs in the surrounding area. And there's no way in hell I ever touched it, not even with a stick. In my defense, It didn't seem particularly striking to me after seeing, then researching, the telial horns of Cedar Apple Rust disease in my own backyard:
Now THAT'S disgusting. But it's not weather per se. Read more at backyardnature.net.
Tornadoes and lightning often go together, but this phenomenon is NOT about lightning bolts illuminating a funnel. Rather, this is about reportage of an otherworldly blue glow emanating from the exterior of the funnel itself, while its interior–it's throat–glows with fire-like hues of red and orange. Some accounts say that balls of this fiery internal light can and do appear to emerge from the narrow end of the funnel. (Ball lightning?) This lightshow is only visible in tornadoes occurring at night. — Reference for definition: Me again. It's what I do: research information then condense and clarify.
Most reports of this phenomenon originate from the infamous 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak. (Over the course of approximately eleven hours, on April 11th and 12th, at least 47 serious tornadoes were spawned along a 450 mile stretch of the Midwest; twenty-one of them were deadly.)
In a 1966 article in the journal Science, a witness — recorded only as Mrs. Highiet — is quoted as saying:
"We were shaken up and our trailer along with others was dented badly from hail the size of baseballs. The beautiful electric blue light that was around the tornado was something to see, and balls of orange and lightning came from the cone point of the tornado. The cone or tail of the tornado reminded me of an elephant trunk. It would dip down as if to get food then rise again as if the trunk of an elephant put food in his mouth. My son and I watched the orange balls of fire roll down the Racy Way Park then it lifted and the roof came off one of the horse barns." (Toledo, OH)
The following photograph was taken by James R. Wyer, near Toledo, OH, on the night of April 11th, 1965. It may show two luminescent funnels.
This same storm system was known to have birthed at least one other pair of twin tornadoes. The following shot was taken earlier on April 11th, in Dunlap, IN:
I don't for a minute think that this post is DONE. But I've been hanging onto it — occasionally adding bits and pieces here and there — for months. It's time to hit the publish button and let it make its way to the search engines.
If you're interested in a particular weather-related phenomenon that I haven't mentioned here, drop a comment below.
I'll add it to my list of things to research and write about.
In the future, I'll likely post about one kind of weird weather at a time, and this page will become a sort of index to additional articles.
So, what's the weirdest weather you've ever witnessed? What weather event would you most like to see … or, conversely, which would you prefer to avoid at all costs?
The Sunset's LightPosted: April 2, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 4 Comments
This week's weekly photo challenge theme is rise/set. This is a bit troublesome for me.
I'm almost certain I've NEVER taken a picture of a sunrise (though I've seen a few just after being up all night) and I rarely take photographs of the sunset itself. Oh, I know. A sunset is pretty, but it's not as compelling for me as the light it casts on the world around me.
Today, (and probably for the rest of the month of April) I need to be in and out of here quickly, because I'm taking another crack at FINISHING the carnival novel before May 1st. (Thank you, Camp NaNoWriMo, for the latitude "NaNoWRiMo" grants me in my personal life.)
With no further nattering on, here are some shots that (almost) capture the sunset's light:
Ooh, ooh, I found an actual sunset … along with a MOON rise. That counts, right?
Here are some of my favorite 'RISE/SET' responses from others:
(I'll add more IF I have time to browse, so feel free to check back.)
a stunning selection of actual sunsets – and another set, in a darker, more somber palette – Invitation to a Haunted Dusk – sunset boats – sunrise mist (On, yeah! I have seen this phenomena, back when I was working the graveyard shift at the Paranormal hotel. Never thought to take a picture though) – Ah! someone else decided to go with the moon too – gold! by 'bonegirl'. Love that name. – roiling sky – Oh, cool. Some-brave-one did a black and white sunset. – sunset Ferris wheel – frozen ground, fiery sky – beach – bridge & balloons – golden harbor – a spill of light – bland – more sunrise mist(!) over falls – For Ogre: Grand Canyon – Now this is the kind of sunrise mist I remember. –
Fair warning: I'm returning to regular blogging after a long hiatus. I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. My posting schedule is off, and things might be a little messy if you wander around long enough.
Horror, Thriller, and Dark Fantasy Movies at the Oscars, Part Two.Posted: February 5, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 Comment
Last week I shared a list of horror, thriller, and dark fantasy movies that were acknowledged at the Academy Awards prior to 1992. (And the list shows that the academy is not as stingy about honoring "our" genre as water cooler chit-chat might suggest.)
If you're a dark movie fan, you probably already know the significance of 1992, but if you've forgotten, I'll give you a hint:
Okay. That was a big hint.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was the third film in the history of the awards to win the Big Five: best picture, best director, best actress, best actor, and best screenwriting. (The other two films that accomplished this feat were It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).)
Here are its stats:
- Winner of Best Picture
- Winner of Best Director
- Winner of Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
- Winner of Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Nominated for Best Sound
- Nominated for Best Film Editing
(If you didn't catch it last week, you ought to take a peek at how well Hitchcock's Rebecca did in 1941. It actually garnered more nominations than SotL.)
Since The Silence of the Lambs so emphatically broke through the perceived barrier to acclaim, many of our favorite movies have been given a nod. This is what the record looks like:
Horror, Thriller and Dark Fantasy Movies
Honored at The Academy Awards Since Silence of the Lambs
(also in) 1992 The Addams Family
- Nominated for Best Costume Design
- Winner of Best Costume Design
- Winner of Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
- Winner of Best Makeup
- Nominated for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration
1994 Addams Family Values
- Nominated for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration
1995 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
- Nominated for Best Makeup
1995 Interview With the Vampire
- Nominated for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration
- Nominated for Best Music, Original Score
1999 Gods and Monsters
- Winner of Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role: Ian McKellen
- Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Lynn Redgrave
- (Also winner of Bram Stoker Award – Superior Achievement in Screenplay, tied with Dark City. See below.)
2000 The Green Mile
- Nominated for Best Picture
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Michael Clarke Duncan
- Nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
- Nominated for Best Sound
- (Also nominated for Bram Stoker Award – Superior Achievement in Screenplay)
2000 The Sixth Sense
- Nominated for Best Picture
- Nominated for Best Director: M. Night Shyamalan
- Nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Haley Joel Osment
- Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Toni Collette
- Nominated for Best Film Editing
- (Also winner of Bram Stoker Award – Superior Achievement in Screenplay)
2000 Sleepy Hollow
- Winner of Best Art Direction – Set Decoration
- Nominated for Best Cinematography
- Nominated for Best Costume Design
2001 The Cell
- Nominated for Best Makeup
- (Also nominated for Bram Stoker Award – Superior Achievement in Screenplay)
- Winner of Best Makeup
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Willem Dafoe
- (Also winner of Bram Stoker Award – Superior Achievement in Screenplay)
2007 Pan's Labyrinth
- Winner of Best Cinematography
- Winner of Best Art Direction
- Winner of Best Makeup
- Nominated for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
- Nominated for Best Music – Original Score
- Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
2008 Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street
- Winner of Best Art Direction
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role: Johnny Dep
- Nominated for Best Costume Design
2011 The Wolfman
- Winner of Best Makeup
2011 Black Swan
- Winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Nominated for Best Picture
- Nominated for Best Director
- Nominated for Best Cinematography
- Nominated for Best Film Editing
Next week, I'll share a list of horror and dark fantasy films that Oscar (wrongly?) ignored in the years between 1993 and the present.
In case you're wondering, yes, I'm annoyed by some of the exclusions — 2002 and 2015, for example, were painful.
(PS: I already have half of next Monday's post written, because I got a bit carried away once I started looking at the films that did not get any love from Oscar. I gotta pull the trigger for today though, so I've decided to stop here for now, and save the rest of today's research for next week. I'll talk more about the Bram Stoker Award for Screenwriting which I mention above — and probably about the SATURN Awards — then.)
Before I go, I want to share something that you can use right now, to see this year's nominees.
For $9.95 per month, you can see one movie per day, in (almost) any theater, at any time. No film exclusions. No catches. You don't even have to sign on for a long subscription period. You pay month to month; it's automatically billed; you can cancel anytime. You need to be able to install an app on your phone, so that you can check-in once you get to the theater. MoviePass then authorizes a transaction. Next, you walk up to the ticketing window and present a MoviePass card which looks like a normal credit card. The theater processes the card like any other, charging the full cost of a single ticket. This card only pays for the ticket, not for concessions.
I know this sounds too good to be true, but it really, truly works. We signed up about a week and a half ago, got our cards in the mail promptly, and used them this last weekend.
Do you have any idea how much money this is going to save our cinephile family?!?
Go here: https://www.moviepass.com/
(I'm still not entirely clear on how this is a sustainable model, but I'm willing to take advantage for as long as it lasts.)
Also remember that many theaters will have special showings and package deals for the nominees. Check AMC, Cinemark, and Regal. There may be others too.
I have now seen ALL the Best Picture nominees for this year's Academy Awards.
Of the nine nominees, I hated two, really liked four, and loved two. If you add that up you'll see I'm missing one. That's because one film has me veering from love, through WTF, to hate, and back.
You can see all the trailers here: http://oscar.go.com/nominees
What have you seen so far, and what do you intend to see before March 4th? What's you love/like/hate tally?


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Duluth packs and gear stowed and ready to go.
On the morning of our fourth day in the canoe, we had an easy two hour paddle, completing our long paddle up Steel Lake, to the first of several portages leading into Aster Lake. Aster Lake formed the apogee of our route and from that point we would turn south and begin thankfully to run the Steel River. We initially found the river to be smooth sailing with only a few minor rapids. If the water had been higher, with sweepers and log jams, it would have been dangerous or have required many more slogging portages. Lower and with rocks and boulders to be avoided, the river would have been too "technical," i.e. crashes into hidden boulders and wading and dragging the canoe would have been the order of the day.
At one of the first rapids, where we could see straight ahead to the very end, a duck appeared. I wasn't into birding then, so I'm not sure what kind it was, possibly some kind of merganser. He would be at the head of the rapids and then dive underwater. His reappearance several hundred yards downstream amazed us at first. This little guy seemed to be leading the way as he repeated this performance several times. The idea was, if this little duck could make it ... so could we!
Troutbirder eyeing a walleyed pike for supper.....

subset: commoncrawl


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chocolate mint cream's
RECIPE: Mint choc cream's - makes 4
500ml pouring cream
1/2 cup chocolate mint leaves (from a chocolate mint plant) or regular mint leaves.
1 tablespoon Cocoa powder sifted.
1 teaspoon of raw honey
Toppings- use any berry/nuts/powders etc
I used:
1/2 teaspoon açai powder
12 x Macadamia's toasted and roughly chopped.
16 x Raspberries
1. Put the cream, chocolate mint and cocoa into a saucepan on medium heat and just bring to a gentle boil. 2. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Leave to cool.
3. Pour through a sieve to leave behind herbs
4. Stir in honey and spoon evenly into 4 small glasses of your choice. 5. Place in fridge for 10 minutes to set.
6. Top with whatever you have available. My mint choc creams were with raspberries, toasted macadamia's and açai powder.
NOTE: This is a rich dessert so 1 part chocolate and 2 parts with your topping.
Chocolate mint is such an amazing herb. Really easy to grow but must be contained in a pot. It goes a bit crazy if planted into the ground. It's great as a tea, making ice cream or you can dehydrate it.


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Cashmio Casino Review
"Original and fun!"
Pros:Lightening fast payouts
Daily missions
Weekend payouts
English, German, Finnish, Norwegian, Spanish and Japanese languages supported
Excellent array of slots and providers
Cool management
Cons:No Loyalty program
The Awesome Transcript
Cashmio casino is a relatively new casino which has a lot of promise. So far, they are a high scoring casino at Casinomeister and I'll tell you why.
To begin with, Cashmio casino is a publicly traded casino – Gaming innovation Group that includes a number of award winning casinos such as Guts and Rizk casino. They have an awesome software package to include Microgaming, NetEnt, Betsoft, Nyx Interactive, Play'n GO, Williams Interactive, Genesis Gaming, Quickspin, Thunderkick, Scientific Games, ELK, IGT.
Their website is easy to navigate, and you can use their search function to search for your favorite games. Unfortunately, you are limited to search only by game – not by game type or game provider.
Signing up is easy – it took me about three minutes. What is super player friendly, is that within your account to can choose whether or not you'd like limits for depositing or other aspects of your play. You can even turn off notifications for your phone or email.
Depositing was a cinch, which is usual, but making a withdrawal was amazingly fast. My winnings hit my Neteller account within three minutes of my request, and this was my first withdrawal.
There are no withdrawal limits – so that is awesome news for high rollers who have massive wins from massive deposits – of even for the occasional lucky low roller. They are licensed in Malta and by the UK Gambling Commission. We have had no submitted complaints at Casinomeister – and their Baptism by Fire went by without a hitch.
All in all, they are a fantastic choice for players – for the full review, please check out the reviews at Casinomeister's accredited casinos.
First Impression
Cashmio Casino is an online casino which requires no download – all of its games can be played in your browser whether it's a desktop, tablet, or mobile. They are licensed in Malta and by the UKGC.
They have a high score at Casinomeister for a number of reasons – one: they are publicly traded owned by Global Innovative Group – the same folks who have been behind the scenes at Guts Casino and Rizk. They are solid and very well managed.
The casino is set up to be very player friendly. The payouts are very fast. As I mentioned in my video, my first payout hit my Neteller account in minutes. I was still uploading a copy of my passport when it came in, so someone is on the ball.
Winnings are processed on weekends as well, so again – another point added to their score.
Further, they have an awesome array of games: Microgaming, NetEnt, Betsoft, Nyx Interactive, Play'n GO, WMS (Williams Interactive), Genesis Gaming, Quickspin, Scientific Games, IGT. Cashmio also offers games from Aristocrat, Elk Studios, NextGen, Lightning Box, Thunderkick, Bally, Big Time Gaming and Blueprint via NYX platform and Foxium, 2 by 2 games and Barcrest via Quickfire channel. Their Live Casino is powered by Evolution.
So there is just about anything for everybody except of course proper video poker casino games. These you will only find on your downloadable Microgaming casinos.
Navigation of their site is quite good. You can search for games, but only for the game name – not by software or game type. So that can be improved.
They have player safeguards in place so that you can set your deposit limits, loss limits, wagering limits, and session time limits. You can also easily opt out of emails ads and the intrusive SMSs on your phone. Personally, I hate those.
They have two SUBs to choose from: Beside an ongoing no deposit bonus, they offer a 200 Free spins (minimum €20 deposit, or a €50 + 100 free spins offer – minimum €50 deposit. I played without the SUB, perhaps that's why my payout was so quick.
Cashmio has a number of special promos going on their site. One is their "missions", where you can participate in earning coins by playing certain "missions" which are free spin offers – which are pretty cool. They also have slot tournaments going on – something you can check oout and hopefully get up on their leaderboard. They have one ongoing for low-rollers as well as for high rollers.
They support several languages: English, German, Finnish, Spanish, Japanese and Norwegian – and support the following currencies: English Pound, Euro, Canadian Dollar
Please read carefully full Terms & Conditions of Cashmio Casino
Don't gamble if you are less than 18 years old. Gambling can cause addiction, so gamble responsibly – https://www.begambleaware.org/
Player's Winning Screenshots
Deposit & Withdrawal
Accepted currencies:EUR, GBP, USD
Deposit Methods:EcoPayz, Euteller, iDEAL, Instabet, Interac, MasterCard, Neteller, P24, Paysafe Card, POLi, Skrill, Sofort (by Skrill), Trustly, Visa, Zimpler
Withdrawal Methods:Bank transfer, EcoPayz, Euteller, iDEAL, Neteller, POLi, Skrill, Trustly, Visa
Cashout time0-5 hrs
Reverse time0-5 hrs
Weekend CashoutsYes
Payout limitsFor winnings of €50,000 and more (excluding progressive jackpot wins), casino reserves the right to divide the payout into 10 installments, paid with 10 percent of the winning sum every month until the full amount is paid out.
Locks WithdrawalsNo
Payout Speed
Data from our Meister Minions.
General Information
Casino RepsAlexCashmio
Live GamesYes
Loyalty programNo
Licensing JurisdictionMalta Gaming Authority , UKGC
CertifiedCertified Casino
No Deposit BonusNo
AccreditedNovember 2016
Publicly tradedNo
Affiliate programcashmioaffiliates.com
Review PublishedApr 17, 2016
Other productsPoker
Authorized Countries
Country restrictions:
Phone contact
No phone support, only email, live chat and social media accounts
Opening hours: 09:00-01:00 CET
Contact email@example.com
User Comments and Experiences
Some User comments and Experiences taken from our forum members:
26th November 2016, by nachhaltig:
"I think I deposited here 2 or 3 times now. Everything is working as it should. Very nice Site-Layout. I like it alot, that you can check your wagering status with the Game open. Not all Casinos offer this possibility.
Then I want to give you a thumbs up for your customer service. Last night I deposited 30€ in order to get the 40FS on Warlords. My deposit was successful but the coin wasn't activated. So I haded over to the Livechat which wasn't available. But I used the "leave us a message" – Form and explained my Problem. As I didn't wanted to wait, I played with the 30€ made some winnings, cashed out most of it, busted with the rest.
This Morning I got an Email of the Cashmio- Customer Service, which stated, that they activated the coin and were sorry for the Problem. This was like 8 hours after I deposited. The Timeframe and the fact, that it is a saturday really impressed me. Keep the good work "
Lightening fast payouts
Weekend payouts
English, German, Finnish, Japanese, Spanish and Norwegian supported
Excellent array of slots
Publicly traded
Limited Video Poker
Casinomeister Rating
Casinomeister's Verdict
Cashmio has the markings of an award winning casino. It's too early to tell, but let's hope they keep it together and continue to please players and remain innovative and well managed. They are a player focused – and so far, so good.
Forum threads
Views: 8573
Views: 9664


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EightyTwo Arcade
Scott Davids and Noah Sutcliffe know how to get the nostalgia glands dripping - buddies and co-owners bring classic arcade games to the Arts District. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Street Fighter are among 40 games and pinball machines that fill EightyTwo Arcade on the corner of 4th Place and 3rd Street. In the sleek and industrial space, vintage consoles stand tall in it's neon glory like a contemporary gallery exhibit, making primitive vector graphics a thing to admire.
Remember when after school hang outs at the arcade was the sole activity that made adolescent troubles disappear into a realm of 1-ups and high scores? EightyTwo arcade revisits these fond memories - just fueled by a pint of beer and a stiff cocktail. The full bar and dj is a friendly reminder that having a curfew and waiting half a block away to get picked up in mom's minivan is a thing of the past. This is big kid territory.
If the flipping sound of a launched pinball is what gets you excited then join the weekly pinball leagues hosted in the second room. This is the opportunity to exhibit a gamer's mating call - get a high score, alarm the analog bells, impress your sweetheart then grab a couple slices of victory pizza from one of food trucks parked out front. At that point, you might want to take a break and rest those victorious fingers in the outdoor patio - give your opponents a chance to catch up because for a quarter a game, every skill level gets a turn.
Written by:
Janica de Guzman
Photographed by:
Janica de Guzman


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Rep. Todd Rokita has introduced a House Resolution asking for members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to denounce Minister Louis Farrakhan of the nation of Islam for his bigoted and hateful stance towards white people and Jewish people (one of whom he says are the devil, and the other he calls for an extermination of).
While most conservatives want to keep identity out of politics, the fact that so many of the CBC has close ties to what is nothing more than a racially motivated hate group is cause for concern. All Rokita is asking for is that they disavow Farrakhan's comments. Should be simple, no?
Of course, it isn't simple. The New Black Panthers, Black Lives Matter, Al Sharpton and others have decided to form a grand coalition shouting down this resolution…There reasoning? That Trump is a racist.
A press release from the group says:
"The coalition will be lobbying key members of Congress-the GOP in particular-to condemn President Donald J. Trump and to leave Louis Farrakhan alone. Please do not try to stop us because we will not turn back. We will represent professionally and politically vigorously."
They may not like Donald Trump (they are allowed to not like him, it's still, despite their best efforts, a free country), but to equate policies that he has proposed and enacted with the same hatred and vitriol that Farrakhan reserves for whites and Jews is just plain ridiculous.
Do you remember when Trump called for the extermination of a race? Me neither. What about the time he called all black people nothing more than devils that need to be gotten rid of? No me neither on that too!


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Criminal Justice Evolution Podcast - Hosted by Patrick Fitzgibbons
CJ Evolution / February 1st / Episode 65 - Who are your personal trainers?
Hello everyone and welcome back. We all need those people in our lives who are pushing us to levels of greatness and success. Who are those personal trainers in your life? Not just physical fitness, although important, but who are the other personal trainers when it comes to your finances, business opportunities, nutrition and spirituality?
I hope you enjoy and thank you for the support.
Please rate and review my podcast at www.cjevolution.net
Create your
podcast in
It is Free


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Interested to learn more about CCMS Staffing services? To request a call with one of our knowledgeable employees, simply fill out the form below. We will be in contact with you soon.
We have national contracts that allow us to staff ancillary and professional staff in all 50 States.Staffing Services
Are you interested in applying for one of our rewarding healthcare staffing positions?Search Job Listing
From expert staffing to survey readiness programs we have the solutions to meet your needs.About CCMS


text:
"I've heard people say that love should be colorblind, but I disagree. Colors shouldn't be looked past, they should be celebrated. From a scientific perspective, the pigmentation in our skin is simply our bodies' adaptation to varied climates and levels of exposure to the sun. We are all the same on the inside, therefore our skin should never affect how we are treated, how much we are paid or what rights we are given. Color is beautiful - in art, in nature and in ourselves."
Love every color. Love everyone. Love yourself.


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Marshalls Antique Alverno Golden Sand Mixed Size Paving - 15.5 m2 pack
Product details
- Thickness: 22 mm
- Weight: 924 kg
- Material: Sandstone
- Colour: Golden
- Colour Family: Browns
- Finish: Riven
- Pack Coverage: 15.53 m²
- Pack Quantity: 80
- Suitable for: Decorative Patios
- Range: Antique Alverno
- Type: Patio
- Brand Name: Marshalls
Features & benefits
- Compatible with Fairstone Circle & Squaring Off Kits and Fairstone Walling
- Fairstone Antique Paving is carefully calibrated to a consistent thickness to ensure speed and precision of installation
- Due to the natural origin of stone products there will inevitable be variants in colour from batch to batch. The colours shown here are a representative sample
- As the slabs are natural minerals, there will be some minor size variations. This can normally be allowed for in the laying pattern but it is recommended that the layout is hacked 'dry' before jointing
- Fairstone Antique Paving is processed and supplied only by proven ethical sources
Data sheets
Customer's gallery
Returns & Refunds
Returns & Refunds
If you want to return your Wickes product for an exchange or refund, you can do so at any time up to 30 days after receiving it.
Faulty or damaged products
In the unlikely event that a delivered product (including made-to-measure items) is faulty or damaged, we will exchange it or provide you with a full refund (including delivery charges), as long as we are notified of the product's fault within 30 days of it being delivered to you.
You can arrange for the product to be collected, by ourselves or nominated carrier, or return the product to your local Wickes store, with proof of purchase.
Products not required
You can return Wickes products you do not require for a refund.
If you cancel your order within 7 days following the date of delivery, we will give you a full refund including delivery charges.
If you advise us of your proposed return within 30 days (but more than 7 days) following the date of delivery we will give you a full refund excluding delivery charges.
Made-to-measure products
Made-to-measure products may NOT be returned unless they are deemed to be faulty or have been damaged in transit.


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Dignity. Life. Comfort.
Contact Us
Contact Us
We welcome inquiries at any time.
Some seniors or their families find themselves in crisis after a medical issue, others are proactive and want to explore options for long-term planning.
Whether in calm or crisis, we would love to meet you and share our vision of care, perhaps it is just what you are looking for.
We will return your inquiry, and plan to meet face to face, to review your needs and goals. We also coordinate with your physician, to make sure we are the right type of care for you.
* The Hamilton Assisted Living is a Tobacco-Free Home/Property


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"Green" Your Packaging
It's really important for me, that my packaging reflects my product. It should be important to you as well- after all how you package your items have a lot to do with your shops brand. Here are some tips to "green" your packaging and add to your customers buying experience.
I started out shipping in handmade brown paper bag envelopes, they offered just the touch I was looking for. They were affordable, eco friendly, but not water proof or durable enough to handle the rigorous routes of the USPS. I suppose I should mention that they can get to be a tad bit time consuming when your shipping out several packages a week. Soon after opening up on Etsy (and running low on glue sticks) I decided to explore other shipping options.
Boxed Up:
- Right size your boxes! Choosing an appropriately-sized box for your product saves energy, cushioning supplies and reduces carbon emissions. You can also make smaller boxes out of bigger ones with a mat knife and a little packing tape. Get creative with green shipping!
- Find cardboard boxes made from recycled content – ask your shipping supplier for options. Recycled boxes are as strong as their counterparts, and by using them, you save trees, water and energy.
- If you can't ship your products out in the same boxes you received them in, find another local business that can use them. You may even find a source for boxes to package your own merchandise
I also found out about Life Box its a cardboard box that contains approximately one tree seed per square inch, so whether you send a Life Box or receive a Life Box, you could be responsible for starting a brand-new ecosystem. (Oh, how I wish they made envelopes! So neat!)
- Use shredded scrap paper or crumpled newspaper.
- Use previously-used peanuts for your green shipping endeavors. If you don't need the peanuts you receive for your own shipping needs, call the Peanut Hotline at 800-828-2214 to find a drop-off location near you. Drop-off locations may also sell you the used peanuts they collect.
- If you need new peanuts, buy recycled or biodegradable. The ones made from cornstarch dissolve in water!
- Use recycled or recyclable bubble wrap and ask about take back or recycling programs offered by the manufacturer or your municipality. Even better, find a replacement for bubble wrap like cushioned craft packaging wrap.
- "Regift" what you can't use! Many shipping storefronts will happily take used packing materials for future use.
- Using bubble wrap? Give it another chance- try using rubber bands to hold it in place instead of tape.
- Help your customers reuse and recycle. If you are using recyclable, reusable or biodegradable materials in your shipping, include a small note in your package or packing slip that instructs people how to reuse or recycle the packaging.
|Green Field Paper Company
Don't forget to include a handwritten note on plantable paper!
If you've already gone green with your packages tell me how. Need help brainstorming ideas? Ask- I'd love to help you incorporate some eco-initiatives within your handmade business.


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Growing healthcare IT and technology solution providers want to scale their organization and increase profitability with drastically increasing expenses. We can help with project-managed, hands-on AI services to augment the capabilities of your team. AI-powered models are deployed within your systems after being tweaked so the predictive power is optimized.
We can help:
Call centers are more efficient and accurate
Accounts receivable can optimize their processes
Marketing and sales have better access to customer data
Blog Posts:
Case Studies:
"Communication. Laying out the possibilities of a solution. Puts together a strong team."


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Canvas Crossbody Hip Ring Bag (Resist)
Canvas Crossbody Hip Ring Bag (Resist)
Resist, Resist, Resist!!
Let's inspire each other to make the best decisions to move humanity forward. We must all take action to stand up for what we believe in.
"For evil to succeed, all it needs is for good men to do nothing" -Martin Luther King Jr
Love these purses, they are so versatile, they can be worn cross body, around the waist, or detach the chain for a ring clutch.
Each one is artfully hand printed and hand shimmered. No two are exactly alike.
Sturdy high quality canvas with a zip top and a large inside zip pocket. It features a large gunmetal ring and a detachable chain strap.
The perfect size for your essentials and to make a very strong statement.
Bag Size 10.5 x 7 inches
Ring Size: 4 Inches
Chain Size: Approx 45 inches
Add To Cart


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Hey Upper Valley, it's a new year!!!
Let's be honest. 2017... kinda sucked. But THIS PARTY is gonna be the most epic way to ring in 2018!
Amazing DJs, Burlesque performances, cocktails by the talented Gabrielle Varela, and produced by the Piecemeal crew who really know how to throw a damn good party.
Only $10 at the door (free admission for early birds!), which includes raffle entries and really good cava bubbles at midnight.
Oysters and Thai bar snacks.
Decked to the max.
Tell your friends. Don't miss out!
Back to All Events
Hey Upper Valley, it's a new year!!!
Hey Upper Valley, it's a new year!!!
Earlier Event: June 2FIRST FRIDAY Photography gallery show
Later Event: February 2FIRST FRIDAY in WRJ


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About blomworks
In my prints, I combine my love for typography, language and its nuances. Sometimes they are things I've said to myself (listen to your own good advice) or what I've said to others (you are loved). The paper stock I use gives a beautiful textured feel and makes each print unique.


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WENDY E. HOY, M.B., B.S.; ALEJANDRO RIVERO, M.D.; MATTHEW G. MARIN, M.D.; FREDRIC RIEDERS, Ph. D.
This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access.
Hemoperfusion with Amberlite XAD-4 resin (X-R004 cartridge; Extracorporeal Medical Specialties, Inc., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) (1) removes meprobamate from plasma and produces better drug clearance than does charcoal hemoperfusion (2). We report here two life-saving XAD-4 hemoperfusions in a patient with a massive meprobamate overdose in which the efficient calculated extraction of drug was confirmed by subsequent recovery of a large quantity of meprobamate from the used cartidges.
A 39-year-old man ingested 200 g of meprobamate and a quantity of other drugs. His stomach contained many pill fragments, and charcoal slurry and magnesium citrate were instilled. He became comatose and
HOY WE, RIVERO A, MARIN MG, et al. Resin Hemoperfusion for Treatment of a Massive Meprobamate Overdose. Ann Intern Med. 1980;93:455–456. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-93-3-455
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Why Sustainable Palm Oil Matters
Posh uses lots of great ingredients that come from the rainforest, like açaí fruit, cupuaçu butter, guava, mango, and papaya. But only one tropical ingredient helps skin stay moisturized and clean while also helping your products stay fresh—palm oil.
Why Posh Uses Palm Oil
Posh uses palm oil in a lot of products, but it's the claim to fame of our Chunk™ Big Bath Bars. It's the star ingredient because it has cleansing properties that help remove impurities like dirt and oil more effectively and naturally than traditional soap without stripping skin of its natural oils or using animal-derived cleansers like tallow and lanolin. Plus, it's rich in antioxidants (it has TONS of vitamin E), which gives palm oil a longer shelf life than most other vegetable-based fats. That means it helps your products stay fresher longer.
You'll find palm oil listed on our labels under a few different names, including Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Butter.
What Sustainable Actually Means
We love palm oil for all the skin-loving goodness it brings to Posh products. Unfortunately, we also know that it is considered a controversial ingredient because of the rainforest it comes from. Already an ecosystem prey to deforestation, palm oil can often be part of the problem. For this reason, we are committed to taking steps toward only using sustainable palm oil. But what does that even mean?
To protect the natural rainforest, it's super important to use sustainable growing, harvesting, and milling methods to protect the fragile and diverse ecosystem in which palm trees grow. In order to be certified sustainable, palm oil growers and millers must meet criteria including:
Environmental responsibility and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity
Commitment to transparency, long-term viability, and continuous improvement
Compliance with laws and regulations
Use of appropriate best practices by growers and millers
Responsible consideration of communities affected by growers and mills
Responsible development of new plantings
Guatemala and Posh: A Partnership
To get a firsthand view of sustainability in action, Ann Dalton, Posh Founder and CEO, went to visit one of our suppliers in Guatemala, Agroaceite, a division of AgroAmerica. Why is this partnership important to Perfectly Posh? We have a long list of reasons:
They are Rainforest Alliance certified
They provide livable wages and a safe working environment to their employees
They are partnered with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
They provide healthcare, nutrition, education, and food security to their employees and the community
They work to reduce their carbon footprint
They use growing practices that don't deplete the soil
They practice responsible water use
They protect native flora and fauna
They are committed to transparency
To see more about Ann's trip and learn a little more about the importance of sustainable palm oil, watch the video below.
To The Future
To date, 62 percent of Posh Chunks contain Agroaceite sustainable palm oil and we're on a mission to get all of our palm oil products certified sustainable. When you shop for products with sustainable palm oil, you help increase awareness and demand for earth-friendly products. To learn more about how Posh supports sustainability and our efforts in Guatemala, check out the You Deserve It Foundation.


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Mini Ulta Haul
HI loves!
What do you think about these kinds of videos? I'm so excited to try some of these products!! Be sure to let me know what you think if you already own any of these yourself!
Batiste Dark & Light Dry Shampoo - #obsessed
Tree Hut Body Scrub in Coconut Lime - this is one of my favorite scents!
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer - Light Warm - I have completely fallen in love with this concealer, it has amazing coverage and feels so light under the eyes
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Pore Minimizing - Not in love... leave tips/tricks/thoughts below..
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara - I have a great appreciation for this mascara after using it for a month or so.. at first I didn't care for it and now I think it's a favorite of mine!
Rimmel Lash Accelerator - TO.DIE.FOR.


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The long-nosed Pinocchio lizard, believed to be extinct for 50 years, has been rediscovered in the cloud forests of Ecuador.
A team of photographers and researchers found the lizard recently in a stretch of pristine cloud forest in the northwest part of the country, said Alejandro Arteaga, a co-founder of the educational and ecotourism company Tropical Herping, which conducted the search for the lizard.
Also called the Pinocchio anole the animal was first discovered in 1953.
But it wasn't seen between the 1960s and 2005, when an ornithologist saw one crossing a road in the same remote area in northwest Ecuador, Arteaga said.
This is only the third time scientists have spotted it since 2005, Arteaga added.
One of his researchers found a single male Pinocchio anole clinging to a branch over a stream in January. The team then kept it overnight before photographing it in the morning in its natural habitat.
"After looking for so long...It was very thrilling to find this strange lizard," Arteaga told LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.
The team then let the animal go. Pinocchio anoles (Anolis proboscis) are an endangered species and have been found in only four locations, mostly along a single stretch of road, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global environmental group.
The lizard's noselike appendage is a sexually selected trait that likely serves no functional purpose but to advertise a male's good genes; females of the species have no such "noses."


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Varsity Boys Basketball All boys interested in playing for the Varsity Boys Baseball team should be informed of our tryout on Tuesday April 18 at 3:00 at Woodhaven Park. Make sure you have all necessary equipment. Inside Ride Good morning Tigers, Friendly announcement here from your grade 12 leadership class as Inside Ride approaches. Just a reminder that packages including your waiver and pledge forms with a minimum of 50 dollars per individual need to be handed in by the 18th of April. You can hand them in to a person at our booth in the caf or at the gym office. Remember we need your help to make this the best Inside Ride yet, so make sure to get your forms in as soon as possible. Also, with this being a long weekend, it is a great chance to get donations from friends and family! Thanks and have a great day tigers!
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Rocketeers of Retail | Master of Social | MELB
Masters of Social
Learn to make your social channels work for you at the latest instalment of the Rocketeers of Retail - The Masters of Social! Partnering with the Retail Learning Channel, join us once again for an evening of knowledge sharing, meeting like minds and insights to help you grow your business to new heights.
What's the point in having a massive following and likes if you're not getting sales? Masters of Social is the latest event that will give you the social media marketing hacks and tactics which have helped some of Australia's most infamous eCommerce names grow their social accounts to high converting sales funnels.
Learn tactical tips from the industry's brightest marketing trailblazers to help you get meaningful results from your social media advertising
So come and meet some of the most successful Australian brands leading the way in Social Media!
The catch? Although we would love to welcome you all, spaces are limited. We have exactly 100 seats so book now to make sure you don't miss out!
*Please note that Rocketeers of Retail passes are open to retailers only, if you are a solution provider wishing to attend, please email Leo at email@example.com


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'Prallsville Mill'
oil on board
I brought just a few paintings with me to Korea 6 months ago. Just some small ones. This was one of them. One of my favorite scenes painted near Lambertville, NJ. A few miles from my old hometown. Prallsville Mill is a complex of old Colonial houses by the Delaware River build in the 1700's. I am most familiar with this type of architecture in my life. So I painted several layers on top, to get a more rustic feel. The house is redder, there's more texture in the buildings, and I added a misty effect for a little mystery. What do you think?
Also, I redesigned my site. I consider my website more like a sophisticated blog, very dynamic as the homepage will change quite often. Its simplicity and design is intentional, I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for reading my post, if you enjoy it, feel free to share it with a friend or sign up for my newsletter!


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What happens at the Meet & Greet?
At the meet & greet, we will take the time to get to know you and your furry loved one(s). We will go over the paperwork together, learn about your pet's daily routines, and how we can best make him/her comfortable and happy while you are away. Please have two keys ready for us. We will keep one key locked in our office, and one key will be with us during your sit.
How are keys stored?
We assign an anonymous code for your key. One spare will be kept locked in a lockbox in our office, and one will stay with your sitter - only while visiting your pet. For your convenience, we can hold on to your keys to simplify booking services in the future, or you can schedule a key return. The first key return is free. All other key returns will incur a $6 key return fee.
Is there an extra charge during the holidays?
Yes, during the holidays listed below, there will be an $10 holiday charge to compensate your sitter for time spent working during the holidays.
New Year's Eve • New Year's Day • Easter Sunday • Memorial Day • July 4th, • Labor Day • Thanksgiving Day • Christmas Eve • Christmas Day
Do you accept last minute reservations?
We understand last minute emergencies can occur. We will do our very best to accommodate your needs, but if possible, please contact us 48 hours or more before your intended service is to begin. (Contacting us two weeks or more before major holidays is recommended).
How do I know when you've visited my pets?
You can opt to use our free GPS check-in/out system to receive email updates that will tell you exactly when we arrive and leave your home.
What happens if my pet requires vet attention while I am away?
First, we will give you a call. If it is an emergency, we will take your pet immediately to the vet or emergency vet of your choosing. If we are unable to get a hold of you or your emergency contact, we will head immediately to the vet per your instructions in our veterinary release agreement.
What does being insured and bonded mean for a pet sitting business?
Essentially, it means that we take full responsibility for your pet and possessions while you are away. For example, if your dog bit another dog while we were on a walk, our liability insurance would cover the vet bills. If we accidentally knocked down a picture while at your house, we would cover the cost of fixing the picture/framing.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, checks and credit cards.
Do you offer any discounts?
We offer a referral rewards program in which you can earn 15% off your next service by referring one of your friends or family members.


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Welcome to Southsea Rowing Club!
Southsea Rowing Club provides a healthy, fun, competitive environment for rowers of varying ages and abilities on the Portsmouth seafront. Whether you are returning to the sport after university, are an accomplished rower, or are just getting started, we have a place for you.
Latest Southsea Rowing Club news
Southsea Rowing Club Facilities
In addition to our fleet of boats, Southsea Rowing Club houses a range of indoor exercise equipment for rowers to train on during colder months, and to supplement outdoor sessions.
Racing at Southsea Rowing Club
After months of hard training, racing is a chance to put your skills to the test and push yourself harder than you thought possible! The adrenaline at the starting line is unmatched.
Southsea Rowing Club socials
At the Southsea Rowing Club we like to train hard but also play hard! Socials are a great way to meet new people and chill with teammates outside the boat.


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You're watching: Chakchouka (Shakshouka)
Chakchouka (Shakshouka)
If you've ever wondered what breakfast looks like in other parts of the world, this is one good example. Chakchouka, or Shakshouka, is a flavorful, colorful dish of eggs poached in a rich, spicy, tomato- and bell pepper-based sauce. It's like a Tunisian-Middle Eastern version of Huevos Rancheros. Get the recipe for Chakchouka Shakshouka.


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ECN, NEON, and iDigBio Together at EntSoc2018: Benefits of Togetherness
by Deborah Paul (iDigBio), Katherine LeVan (NEON), and Kevin Love (iDigBio)
Benefits of Togetherness.
by Deborah Paul (iDigBio), Katherine LeVan (NEON), and Kevin Love (iDigBio)
Benefits of Togetherness.
Entomological collections and Ecological data repositories and data specialists will collaborate at the EntSoc 2018 meeting in Vancouver to add a Data Help Desk to the Poster/Exhibition Hall. The Entomological Collections Network (ECN), iDigBio, and the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) do this to offer their combined expertise and learn about data needs from those attending this conference. Details on the wiki.
November 4-5
Denver, CO
The Entomological Collections Network (ECN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of entomological science through the preservation, management, use and development of entomological collections and taxonomy.
Save the Dates! July 17th - July 20th, 2017.
Pamela Horsley1, Christy Bills2, Floyd Shockley3, Katrina Menard4, Gil Nelson5
1Michigan State University/ECN, 2Natural History Museum of Utah/ECN, 3Smithsonian Institution/ECN, 4Sam Noble Museum, Oklahoma State University/ECN, 5Florida State University/iDigBio


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End poverty
Promote justice
Uphold dignity
Learn about our history, structure, network, mission and mandate.
'Caritas' is a Latin word meaning 'Love + Compassion'. Find out more about how Caritas Australia enacts these terms in our international humanitarian work.
Explore the principles that shape Caritas Australia's work to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.
Join our team of dedicated staff seeking to help others. View our current employment vacancies and volunteering opportunities.
Read or download Caritas Australia's publications and reports, including our Annual Report, CaritasNews, and special reports.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Caritas Australia's work, aid and development approaches, and how you can help.
The year 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of Caritas Australia's journey of love and compassion. Read more and watch videos outlining what we have achieved within our 50 years.
Caritas Australia is committed to transparency and accountability. Caritas Australia's policies and guidelines can be found on this page
Caritas Australia has over 100 long-term development projects across the globe.
Explore the Catholic Social Teaching principles and how they guide the work of Caritas Australia.
Professional development, Just Leadership days and free teaching resources to help embed social justice into your school curriculum and ethos.
Explore and download free prayers, liturgies, group reflection notes and much more to help your community understand more deeply social justice issues and the work of Caritas Australia.
The SDGs are 17 Global Goals adopted by the United Nations to help end extreme poverty, fight inequality & injustice, and take action on climate change by 2030.
The Strengths Based Approach, also known as Asset Based Community Development, focuses on the strengths, capacities and assets of communities so that they may be architects of their own better futures.
Discover how we empower communities so they can help themselves out of poverty.
Understand the issues that underpin human development and impact on poverty.
Explore our current emergency aid appeals, disaster relief work and recent humanitarian responses.
Read the latest blog posts and stories from Caritas Australia and our partners around the world.
The latest news, updates and stories on Caritas Australia, and our aid and development work.
View photos and videos of Caritas Australia's aid and development work around the world.
Working together to create a climate of justice, inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si'.
Join us in calling on Australia to improve its commitment to overseas aid.
Are you a young person committed to social justice? Here you will find actions you can take today to be part of the creation of a just world for all.
We encourage you to watch 'Imagine' to consider why it's so critical First Australians have a voice in decisions that affect them.
Are you looking for volunteering opportunities at Caritas Australia? If so register your interest now.
In response to Pope Francis' call to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate migrants and refugees, we are asking you to support the global Caritas campaign "Share the Journey".
Want to do your bit to alleviate poverty and promote justice around the world? Fundraise for Caritas Australia and help support our life-changing programs. Find inspiration and ideas here.
Find inspiration to join Caritas Australia's campaigns for a more just and compassionate world.
Learn more about Caritas Australia's past campaigns for a more just world.
Together we can help the poorest of the poor live a life of dignity, free from poverty. Every dollar makes a difference. Donations $2 and over are tax
Donating on a regular basis makes a world of difference by providing security and predictable income for life-changing programs around the world.
Fundraise for Caritas Australia! Take a look at some of our creative, sporty, tasty fundraising ideas and help raise money and awareness for our life-changing programs.
Leaving a charitable bequest in your Will to Caritas Australia will help end poverty around the world.
Looking for birthday, wedding or anniversary present ideas? Why not donate instead of buying or receiving gifts?
Are you looking for ways to show your staff, investors, stakeholders, customers and prospects that you care about a just world? Partner with Caritas Australia.
Demonstrate corporate social responsibility by giving your staff the opportunity to donate regularly to charity. Set up a Workplace Giving Program with Caritas Australia.
A charitable trust donation to Caritas Australia helps end poverty, promote justice and uphold human dignity around the world.
Major donors play an important role in supporting our work to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Caritas Australia values meaningful partnerships, and we are able to tailor different options for major donor support.
Donate online to help the millions of innocent people afflicted by natural disasters, international conflicts and humanitarian emergencies.
Buy the gift of food, water, agriculture, education, health, emergency aid (and more). Buy a Global Gift card or e-card to give to your loved ones, and help make a difference around the world.
Donate to our Emergency Response Fund to help deliver aid relief before during and after disaster strikes.
Caritas is one of the world's largest disaster response and development networks. Help us deliver urgent humanitarian aid and assist communities for the long-term in:
On 26 December 2004, a 9.3 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami – one of the most devastating natural disasters on record. Ten years on, we remember and acknowledge the remarkable public support that transformed communities across India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
In what the former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, described as "an unprecedented global catastrophe", the Boxing Day tsunami killed over 250,000 people and displaced millions more. It destroyed houses, roads, bridges, schools, marketplaces and livelihoods, prompting the largest humanitarian fundraising appeal and emergency response ever recorded.
Although the earthquake's epicentre lay just off the coast of Aceh – on the Indonesian island of Sumatra – the subsequent tsunami devastated coastal communities in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, and even affected parts of Africa.
The international Caritas confederation was one of the largest non-government agencies to respond to the crisis. A total of US$485 million was raised by the Caritas network to fund immediate relief and long-term recovery.
True to the motto 'before, during and after the headlines', within hours of the disaster, Caritas launched a response, and today, continues to accompany tsunami-affected communities in their long-term development.
The Asian tsunami appeal was the largest fundraising appeal in Caritas Australia's history. Together with $3.65 million from the Australian Government, Australians generously contributed almost $25 million towards the relief effort.
This marked a turning point in our engagement with the Australian public. Ten years on, your prayers and generosity remain a testament to our Caritas community's steadfast commitment to stand in solidarity with the children, women and men most vulnerable to poverty.
In early December 2014, Caritas organisations from India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand joined confederation members from around the world, Church and other religious leaders to remember victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami.
"Ten years have passed since the tsunami" said Caritas India's Babita Alick. "And thousands are still living in emotional turmoil. Remembering the destructive power of the tsunami, we remember those who lost lives."
The delegates joined local Sri Lankan communities in prayer as they looked towards the future.
"I felt honoured to join the commemoration and represent Caritas Australia and the Australian Catholic community," said Caritas Australia CEO, Paul O'Callaghan. "It was an emotional tribute filled with humanity and hope."
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the papal nuncio to Indonesia during the tsunami said, "The whole world became one people irrespective of national borders, of colour, or religion, to show their closeness to the hundreds of thousands of people who had suffered."
The Caritas network:
Join us online:
Project Compassion helps end poverty and promote justice so the world's poor won't need to rely on charity. Donate today.
See how you can help
Caritas Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of the land, past and present, on which all our offices are located.
© Caritas Australia 2019
Caritas Australia is the international aid and development organisation of the Catholic Church in Australia. We are a member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and the Church Agencies Network. We are endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient (ABN 90 970 605 069) with charity status. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.


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Thank you for adding your voice on controversial legislation. Significant votes will occur this week as the 2018 State legislative session begins on Jan. 3 and 4.
A variety of bills were assigned back to committees for further review in the 2017 session. These have been worked-on over the fall and now those reports need to be voted.
By and large these bills are among the most controversial, requiring some amendment. Many of these you have said are bad ideas. This includes the following:
SB 193 - School Voucher legislation is a very bad bill that would cost the state $10M annually (Reaching Higher) by the fifth year and force local taxpayers to pay for private school choice, and potentially religious school funding, and cost the state a bunch in legal challenges, however the portions of the act not challenged would remain in effect. The bill makes it seem like the ability to establish an education savings accounts for your child would be limited by income but that's a lot of smoke screen. In addition, the requirements added to administer this program are significant for public schools, the savings account administrator, the NH Dept. of Ed., parents and private schools. Recommended in the House ought to pass.
HB 592 - Rolling back Regional Greenhouse Gas incentives to $0, essentially ending the program of incentives for renewable energy projects. Recommended in the House ought to pass.
HB 114 - Rolling back Renewable Portfolio Standard goals to 2015 levels and retaining that level into the future instead of increasing them as in current statutes. Recommended in the House ought to pass.
HB 236 - In child custody cases, relative to determination of parental rights and responsibilities and establishing a presumption in favor of shared parental rights, including residential responsibility, resulting in not less than 35 percent of the parenting time for either parent. Leaves it to court orders that ability to modify parental rights and responsibilities based on the best interest, of the child. Recommended in the House ought to pass.
HB 561 - limiting state retirees ability to work more than 1040 per year, the equivalent of 20 hours a week for another state retirement employer such as a school, city or government, limiting retirees ability to work and the agencies of the state the opportunity to benefit from a skilled labor force. Current limit is 32 hours per week. Recommended in the Senate ought to pass.
HB 372 - suppresses voter participation by setting the standards to vote at the same requirements as running for office. A resident shall be a person who has, through all of his or her actions, demonstrated a current intent to designate that [place of abode) domicile as his or her principal place of physical presence [for the indefinite future] to the exclusion of all others. A college student who is declared by a family's income tax, but attends away from home and is affected by the local laws—tuition, healthcare, drug, guns on campus and any other laws that effect anyone else who lives in somewhere 9 to 12 months of a year. This laws restricts the state's ability to retain and attract college students to reside in its state through civic engagement by defining that state domicile and residency shall not be interrupted or lost by a temporary absence, even if there is an intent to return to such residence or residency. Recommended in Senate ought to pass.
And we discussed a couple good improvements being considered:
HB 628, Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) Program - All employers subject to this chapter shall remit FMLI premium payments on a calendar quarter basis. These quarterly insurance premium payments shall amount to 0.5 percent of wages per employee per week for each week of the preceding quarter. An employee shall be limited up to 12 weeks of FMLI in any one application period. An employee shall have had premium payments remitted as a percent of his or her wages for at least 6 months to be eligible for benefits and shall have worked in employment resulting in wages in the amount of at least 1,040 multiplied by the applicable minimum wage, in either the "base period" or "alternative base period". An employee can opt out. Employers may offer equivalent programs. Recommended in the House ought to pass.
SB 170 - relative to the authority of towns to issue bonds for the expansion of broadband infrastructure, expands authority to public private partnerships and to provide service to any location unserved by FCC minimum rates of 25 mgbt download and 3 mgbt upload service. Defines location as a property and defines the procurement process for towns or municipalities that encourages existing. Recommended in the Senate ought to pass to then move to the House for consideration.


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Toni Visone
Toni found her passion for yoga while traveling in Costa Rica with her family and from that trip on has never looked back. Toni has been practicing for the past 12 years and no matter where life takes her, she always comes back to the practice of yoga. "Yoga has been there for me in tough times, yoga holds my hand when I need it, yoga inspires me, yoga makes me feel alive, and most importantly yoga makes me dig deep to find who I am naturally meant to be."
Throughout her time in law school Toni used the practice of yoga as an escape from the stresses of studying and preparing for exams. By teaching yoga to others Toni hopes to share her healing spirit and energy so that she can provide a safe place for people to come when they just need to "come back to themselves" again.
Her classes are filled with a delightful mix of healing energy, spirituality, flow, and breath.
Jacqueline Moran
Jacqueline is a Yoga teacher, mother, health ambassador, human rights activist, forever student and life lover. With a background in dance and competitative cheerleading Jacqueline was naturally drawn towards the practice and creative movement of Yoga.
Life hit hard for a period of time, and Jacqueline found her self searching for something more, something real. Wanting to deepen her own practice and knowledge as well as nourish her spirit and soul Jacqueline became a Registered YogaTeacher with The Yoga Alliance at Kripalu affiliate Discovery Yoga in 2010. Working to always expand her mind Jacqueline is also a holistic psychology student, which she believes help her to better understand and connect with her students and with herself.
Jacqueline's work as a certified yoga-instructor is rooted in a holistic approach, realizing that each client's body and lifestyle is different. Through the study of the body, mind and spirit Jacqueline assists others in improving their general wellness through healthy lifestyle habits, practices and information. A person's diet, work environment, exercise routines and past are all taken into consideration - Each client is treated as an individual and will achieve overall balance, health and beauty naturally and organically. Wanting her clients to realize their full potential she strives to make a connection, dig deep and ignite the passion within.


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Earlier in the years the EU ruled that individuals in Europe had the right to be forgotten in Internet search results, this applies to European websites, like Google.de, Google.fr and more but it does not apply to the global results like Google.com.
Now the EU are looking to have the right to be forgotten applied to global search results, this would apply to Google.com, and other search engines likes Microsoft's Bing.
The EU's privacy watchdog recently agreed a set of guidelines for the right to be forgotten, and they are looking for it to apply to all search results around the world, not just the ones in Europe.
"From the legal and technical analysis we are doing, they should include the '.com'," said Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, the head of France's privacy watchdog and the Article 29 Working Party of EU national data protection authorities, at a news conference.
According to Reuters, Google have said that they will look at the new guidelines and they will 'study' them carefully, although they have not said whether they will apply these new rules to global search results.
Source Reuters, The Next Web