text:
In January 2017, Aminder Dhaliwal learned the pilot for the animated children's TV series she'd spent three years developing for Nickelodeon wasn't going to be made. Instead of lingering on the rejection, she launched a new project: a daily web comic. One year later, after amassing enough comics for a book (and a six-digit Instagram following), she signed a deal with Drawn & Quarterly for the worldwide rights.
Woman World is a refreshingly funny and imaginative feminist satire for the #MeToo era. After a birth defect wipes out the entire male population, women learn to talk again because they're no longer being interrupted. Under the leadership of women, the way people relate to one another changes. Priorities shift. Only grandmas remember what men were like.
Although the official release date for Woman World isn't until September, Dhaliwal is juggling her day job as a director for Disney TV animation with appearances at all the major comic conventions, including the Toronto Comic Arts Festival last May. After two long days of promotion at TCAF, she was still enthusiastic to talk about her book. "I'm excited to have something out there I'm proud of," she says.
Publishing Woman World is more than just a creative success. It finds the author finally speaking up, defending her ideas, and discovering an audience for her blend of playful, pointed humour.
"When I started [Woman World] I was going through a crisis of voice and [questioning] whether I was funny," Dhaliwal says. During the three years her TV pilot spent in development, it morphed into something totally different from what she'd originally pitched. Not only did she not get a show, in the end she hated her own pilot.
"The show became an accumulation of different executives' notes," she says. "I felt like I needed a stronger voice to be able to fight back on things I believe in. I would listen to notes and, because I valued my own opinion so little, I would assume every note was right. I kept changing my project to fit what they were trying to make, and not what I was trying to make."
This experience wasn't new for Dhaliwal. She grew up in Brampton, Ontario; studied animation at Sheridan College; and, almost immediately after graduating in 2012, landed an internship and then a job at Nickelodeon in L.A. But she lacked faith in her own ideas. "I'd get nervous at the end of a movie when my friends started talking about it because I didn't trust my own opinion of whether I liked it," she admits. "I was that confused."
Working at Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, and Disney helped Dhaliwal gain storytelling experience, but her failed pilot was a blow. Her friends, many of whom are also in animation and comics in L.A., suggested she start something new. "A couple of them mentioned making something daily, even if it's really small and for yourself," she says.
Finding a story didn't happen overnight, of course. She tried a few web comic ideas out, but it wasn't until she attended the Women's March in L.A. that she realized what she wanted to say – and how to say it.
"It was like a funny-sign convention," she says of the march. "A whole bunch of my friends posted their signs online and on social media and I watched as that human connection, that human empathy, instantly switched to people mocking, strangers leaving nasty comments. And that's where the idea started. I saw so many 'the future is female' signs, I wondered, 'What if it actually was?'"
At the same time, she recalls reading Adam's Curse: A Future Without Men by geneticist Bryan Sykes, about how the Y chromosome is disappearing and how, in a 100,000 generations or so, men could eventually die off.
"All of these ideas started coming together like that Beautiful Mind moment where I had overlays of equations and I was seeing it all," she says. She texted the concept to her friends Megan Dong, a comic artist and director, and Maha Tabikh, a storyboard artist and animator. Their supportive text exchange is included at the end of the book.
Dhaliwal ran with the idea, posting daily comics as a series online. It blew up on Instagram, where she has nearly 150,000 followers.
From direct messages, comments, and new follows, Dhaliwal learned what was working. She also practised defending her work. Not everyone loved Woman World. "From the first comic, there were people hating on the idea," she says. "Skip to eight months later and those people were defending the idea to newcomers."
While working out the deal with D&Q, Dhaliwal asked if the publishing date could be pushed up from 2019 to 2018. For many web comic creators, traditional publishing deadlines can seem glacial. "I'm used to a lot of nos in television, but they said okay, and I suddenly had a lot of work to do," she says.
Dhaliwal spent a harried four months laying out the manuscript, adding new comics, and finessing jokes. "With Instagram, I could control where people were pausing before a punchline with swiping," she says. "In a print layout, spreads didn't have the same effect." She enlisted the help of her husband, animator Nikolas Ilic, as colourist.
She made her deadlines by working on the manuscript every evening. Although she admits juggling a creative job all day with her own creation at night was exhausting, she enjoyed immersing herself in a diverse world of her own making, with a range of characters from young to old, in different shapes and sizes, all facing unusual situations. "Sometimes in television the designs of characters or their stories become homogenized and you become accustomed to drawing the same thing again and again," she says.
Dhaliwal originally pursued work in animation because she wanted to make children laugh. Now she's aiming at a much wider audience. "I hope there's something in there for everyone," she says. "Including for every man who reads it."
As to whether she would take another run at a pilot by adapting her own book, she says, "That I can't actually talk about."
Whatever she pursues next, the experience will be different. "I've learned when someone gives you notes it's an 'I feel' statement," she says. "No one can tell you, especially in creative endeavours, that something is right or wrong." Understanding that changed everything. "My voice was just like, 'I've been hiding here all along. You're finally listening to me so I'm going to start saying more things.'"


text:
Gilbert, Katherine Everett
By C. Sylvester Green, 1986
29 July 1886–28 Apr. 1952
Katherine Everett Gilbert, educator and philosopher, was born in Newport, R.I., the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sue Morrison Everett. After attending local schools in Newport, she taught for a year in an ungraded school at Mount Hope, Conn. In the fall of 1904 she entered Brown University, where she was graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1908 and a master of arts in 1910. During the master's program, she was an assistant in philosophy to Dean Alexander Meiklejohn and Professor Walter G. Everett. Continuing her graduate studies at Cornell University, she was a scholar and fellow in the Sage School of Philosophy and received a doctor of philosophy degree in 1912. On 1 Aug. 1913 she married Allan H. Gilbert. Two years later she became the assistant of Professor James E. Creighton, editor of the Philosophical Review at Cornell.
When her husband became associated with Duke University, Durham, Mrs. Gilbert accepted a post as Kenan Research Fellow in Philosophy at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she worked from 1922 to 1929, the last year as acting professor of philosophy. In 1930 she was appointed professor of philosophy at Duke, and in 1942 she was named head of its newly established Department of Aesthetics, Art, and Music. Mrs. Gilbert was the first woman to become a full professor and, until the time of her death, the only woman to hold the chairmanship of a liberal arts department at Duke University, where she also was instrumental in inaugurating the Chamber Arts Society.
Early in her career, she joined the American Philosophical Society; later she was a member of the program committee, served a term as vice-president of the eastern division, and subsequently was elected president—one of the three women up to that time to hold the office. Other memberships included the International Spinoza Society, the Southern Philosophical and Psychological Association, the American Society for Aesthetics (president, 1947–48), and the American Association of University Women (member, National Committee on Standards, 1942–46). In 1938 she organized a program on the education of women for Duke's Centennial. The previous year she had served as a representative of the U.S. State Department to students of philosophy in Italy.
Mrs. Gilbert was a meticulous and prolific writer. Many of her articles appeared in the American Philosophical Journal ; she also reviewed numerous books for that and other journals and magazines. As a research student, she was continually accumulating information on subjects in her field that had received scant attention from others. Consequently, her works were highly creative. Principal among her published books are Maurice Blondel's Philosophy of Action (1924); Studies in Recent Aesthetics (1927); with Helmut Kuhn, A History of Aesthetics (1939); and Aesthetic Studies: Architecture and Poetry (1952). She was a contributor to Philosophical Essays: Studies in Honor of James Edward Creighton (1917). In 1942 she was awarded the honorary doctor of letters degree by Brown University.
Her husband, a distinguished English and Renaissance scholar, taught at Duke University for thirty-six years. They had two sons: Everett Eddy, a chemist and investigative scientist; and Creighton Eddy, an international authority on art history and education.
Mrs. Gilbert died in Durham at the age of sixty-six. The Gilbert-Addoms dormitory on the East Campus of Duke University was named in honor of her and a contemporary.
Durham Morning Herald , 29 Apr. 1952
Office of Information, Duke University, Durham, for information on Katherine Gilbert
Raleigh News and Observer , 29 Apr. 1952
Image Credit:
"Moving Into the Dorms, 1960s," Gilbert-Addoms Dorm, East Campus, Duke University. Photo courtesy of Duke University Archives. Photo uploaded on February 21, 2003. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeyearlook/2035750472/ (accessed April 17, 2012).
1 January 1986 | Green, C. Sylvester

subset: commoncrawl


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By William Blum (The Anti-Empire Report)
Murdering journalists … them and us
After Paris, condemnation of religious fanaticism is at its height. I'd guess that even many progressives fantasize about wringing the necks of jihadists, bashing into their heads some thoughts about the intellect, about satire, humor, freedom of speech. We're talking here, after all, about young men raised in France, not Saudi Arabia.
Where has all this Islamic fundamentalism come from in this modern age? Most of it comes – trained, armed, financed, indoctrinated – from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. During various periods from the 1970s to the present, these four countries had been the most secular, modern, educated, welfare states in the Middle East region. And what had happened to these secular, modern, educated, welfare states?
In the 1980s, the United States overthrew the Afghan government that was progressive, with full rights for women, believe it or not , leading to the creation of the Taliban and their taking power.
In the 2000s, the United States overthrew the Iraqi government, destroying not only the secular state, but the civilized state as well, leaving a failed state.
In 2011, the United States and its NATO military machine overthrew the secular Libyan government of Muammar Gaddafi, leaving behind a lawless state and unleashing many hundreds of jihadists and tons of weaponry across the Middle East.
And for the past few years the United States has been engaged in overthrowing the secular Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. This, along with the US occupation of Iraq having triggered widespread Sunni-Shia warfare, led to the creation of The Islamic State with all its beheadings and other charming practices.
However, despite it all, the world was made safe for capitalism, imperialism, anti-communism, oil, Israel, and jihadists. God is Great!
Starting with the Cold War, and with the above interventions building upon that, we have 70 years of American foreign policy, without which – as Russian/American writer Andre Vltchek has observed – "almost all Muslim countries, including Iran, Egypt and Indonesia, would now most likely be socialist, under a group of very moderate and mostly secular leaders". Even the ultra-oppressive Saudi Arabia – without Washington's protection – would probably be a very different place.
On January 11, Paris was the site of a March of National Unity in honor of the magazine Charlie Hebdo, whose journalists had been assassinated by terrorists. The march was rather touching, but it was also an orgy of Western hypocrisy, with the French TV broadcasters and the assembled crowd extolling without end the NATO world's reverence for journalists and freedom of speech; an ocean of signs declaring Je suis Charlie … Nous Sommes Tous Charlie; and flaunting giant pencils, as if pencils – not bombs, invasions, overthrows, torture, and drone attacks – have been the West's weapons of choice in the Middle East during the past century.
No reference was made to the fact that the American military, in the course of its wars in recent decades in the Middle East and elsewhere, had been responsible for the deliberate deaths of dozens of journalists. In Iraq, among other incidents, see Wikileaks' 2007 video of the cold-blooded murder of two Reuters journalists; the 2003 US air-to-surface missile attack on the offices of Al Jazeera in Baghdad that left three journalists dead and four wounded; and the American firing on Baghdad's Hotel Palestine the same year that killed two foreign cameramen.
Moreover, on October 8, 2001, the second day of the US bombing of Afghanistan, the transmitters for the Taliban government's Radio Shari were bombed and shortly after this the US bombed some 20 regional radio sites. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended the targeting of these facilities, saying: "Naturally, they cannot be considered to be free media outlets. They are mouthpieces of the Taliban and those harboring terrorists."
And in Yugoslavia, in 1999, during the infamous 78-day bombing of a country which posed no threat at all to the United States or any other country, state-owned Radio Television Serbia (RTS) was targeted because it was broadcasting things which the United States and NATO did not like (like how much horror the bombing was causing). The bombs took the lives of many of the station's staff, and both legs of one of the survivors, which had to be amputated to free him from the wreckage.
I present here some views on Charlie Hebdo sent to me by a friend in Paris who has long had a close familiarity with the publication and its staff:
"On international politics Charlie Hebdo was neoconservative. It supported every single NATO intervention from Yugoslavia to the present. They were anti-Muslim, anti-Hamas (or any Palestinian organization), anti-Russian, anti-Cuban (with the exception of one cartoonist), anti-Hugo Chávez, anti-Iran, anti-Syria, pro-Pussy Riot, pro-Kiev … Do I need to continue?
"Strangely enough, the magazine was considered to be 'leftist'. It's difficult for me to criticize them now because they weren't 'bad people', just a bunch of funny cartoonists, yes, but intellectual freewheelers without any particular agenda and who actually didn't give a fuck about any form of 'correctness' – political, religious, or whatever; just having fun and trying to sell a 'subversive' magazine (with the notable exception of the former editor, Philippe Val, who is, I think, a true-blooded neocon)."
Dumb and Dumber
Remember Arseniy Yatsenuk? The Ukrainian whom US State Department officials adopted as one of their own in early 2014 and guided into the position of Prime Minister so he could lead the Ukrainian Forces of Good against Russia in the new Cold War?
In an interview on German television on January 7, 2015 Yatsenuk allowed the following words to cross his lips: "We all remember well the Soviet invasion of Ukraine and Germany. We will not allow that, and nobody has the right to rewrite the results of World War Two".
The Ukrainian Forces of Good, it should be kept in mind, also include several neo-Nazis in high government positions and many more partaking in the fight against Ukrainian pro-Russians in the south-east of the country. Last June, Yatsenuk referred to these pro-Russians as "sub-humans" , directly equivalent to the Nazi term "untermenschen".
So the next time you shake your head at some stupid remark made by a member of the US government, try to find some consolation in the thought that high American officials are not necessarily the dumbest, except of course in their choice of who is worthy of being one of the empire's partners.
The type of rally held in Paris this month to condemn an act of terror by jihadists could as well have been held for the victims of Odessa in Ukraine last May. The same neo-Nazi types referred to above took time off from parading around with their swastika-like symbols and calling for the death of Russians, Communists and Jews, and burned down a trade-union building in Odessa, killing scores of people and sending hundreds to hospital; many of the victims were beaten or shot when they tried to flee the flames and smoke; ambulances were blocked from reaching the wounded … Try and find a single American mainstream media entity that has made even a slightly serious attempt to capture the horror. You would have to go to the Russian station in Washington, DC, RT.com, search "Odessa fire" for many stories, images and videos. Also see the Wikipedia entry on the 2 May 2014 Odessa clashes.
If the American people were forced to watch, listen, and read all the stories of neo-Nazi behavior in Ukraine the past few years, I think they – yes, even the American people and their less-than-intellectual Congressional representatives – would start to wonder why their government was so closely allied with such people. The United States may even go to war with Russia on the side of such people.
L'Occident n'est pas Charlie pour Odessa. Il n'y a pas de défilé à Paris pour Odessa.
Some thoughts about this thing called ideology
Norman Finkelstein, the fiery American critic of Israel, was interviewed recently by Paul Jay on The Real News Network. Finkelstein related how he had been a Maoist in his youth and had been devastated by the exposure and downfall of the Gang of Four in 1976 in China. "It came out there was just an awful lot of corruption. The people who we thought were absolutely selfless were very self-absorbed. And it was clear. The overthrow of the Gang of Four had huge popular support."
Many other Maoists were torn apart by the event. "Everything was overthrown overnight, the whole Maoist system, which we thought [were] new socialist men, they all believed in putting self second, fighting self. And then overnight the whole thing was reversed."
"You know, many people think it was McCarthy that destroyed the Communist Party," Finkelstein continued. "That's absolutely not true. You know, when you were a communist back then, you had the inner strength to withstand McCarthyism, because it was the cause. What destroyed the Communist Party was Khrushchev's speech," a reference to Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev's 1956 exposure of the crimes of Joseph Stalin and his dictatorial rule.
Although I was old enough, and interested enough, to be influenced by the Chinese and Russian revolutions, I was not. I remained an admirer of capitalism and a good loyal anti-communist. It was the war in Vietnam that was my Gang of Four and my Nikita Khrushchev. Day after day during 1964 and early 1965 I followed the news carefully, catching up on the day's statistics of American firepower, bombing sorties, and body counts. I was filled with patriotic pride at our massive power to shape history. Words like those of Winston Churchill, upon America's entry into the Second World War, came easily to mind again – "England would live; Britain would live; the Commonwealth of Nations would live." Then, one day – a day like any other day – it suddenly and inexplicably hit me. In those villages with the strange names there were people under those falling bombs, people running in total desperation from that god-awful machine-gun strafing.
This pattern took hold. The news reports would stir in me a self-righteous satisfaction that we were teaching those damn commies that they couldn't get away with whatever it was they were trying to get away with. The very next moment I would be struck by a wave of repulsion at the horror of it all. Eventually, the repulsion won out over the patriotic pride, never to go back to where I had been; but dooming me to experience the despair of American foreign policy again and again, decade after decade.
The human brain is an amazing organ. It keeps working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year, from before you leave the womb, right up until the day you find nationalism. And that day can come very early. Here's a recent headline from the Washington Post: "In the United States the brainwashing starts in kindergarten."
Oh, my mistake. It actually said "In N. Korea the brainwashing starts in kindergarten."
Let Cuba Live! The Devil's List of what the United States has done to Cuba
On May 31, 1999, a lawsuit for $181 billion in wrongful death, personal injury, and economic damages was filed in a Havana court against the government of the United States. It was subsequently filed with the United Nations. Since that time its fate is somewhat of a mystery.
The lawsuit covered the 40 years since the country's 1959 revolution and described, in considerable detail taken from personal testimony of victims, US acts of aggression against Cuba; specifying, often by name, date, and particular circumstances, each person known to have been killed or seriously wounded. In all, 3,478 people were killed and an additional 2,099 seriously injured. (These figures do not include the many indirect victims of Washington's economic pressures and blockade, which caused difficulties in obtaining medicine and food, in addition to creating other hardships.)
The case was, in legal terms, very narrowly drawn. It was for the wrongful death of individuals, on behalf of their survivors, and for personal injuries to those who survived serious wounds, on their own behalf. No unsuccessful American attacks were deemed relevant, and consequently there was no testimony regarding the many hundreds of unsuccessful assassination attempts against Cuban President Fidel Castro and other high officials, or even of bombings in which no one was killed or injured. Damages to crops, livestock, or the Cuban economy in general were also excluded, so there was no testimony about the introduction into the island of swine fever or tobacco mold.
However, those aspects of Washington's chemical and biological warfare waged against Cuba that involved human victims were described in detail, most significantly the creation of an epidemic of hemorrhagic dengue fever in 1981, during which some 340,000 people were infected and 116,000 hospitalized; this in a country which had never before experienced a single case of the disease. In the end, 158 people, including 101 children, died. That only 158 people died, out of some 116,000 who were hospitalized, was an eloquent testimony to the remarkable Cuban public health sector.
The complaint describes the campaign of air and naval attacks against Cuba that commenced in October 1959, when US president Dwight Eisenhower approved a program that included bombings of sugar mills, the burning of sugar fields, machine-gun attacks on Havana, even on passenger trains.
Another section of the complaint described the armed terrorist groups, los banditos, who ravaged the island for five years, from 1960 to 1965, when the last group was located and defeated. These bands terrorized small farmers, torturing and killing those considered (often erroneously) active supporters of the Revolution; men, women, and children. Several young volunteer literacy-campaign teachers were among the victims of the bandits.
There was also of course the notorious Bay of Pigs invasion, in April 1961. Although the entire incident lasted less than 72 hours, 176 Cubans were killed and 300 more wounded, 50 of them permanently disabled.
The complaint also described the unending campaign of major acts of sabotage and terrorism that included the bombing of ships and planes as well as stores and offices. The most horrific example of sabotage was of course the 1976 bombing of a Cubana airliner off Barbados in which all 73 people on board were killed. There were as well as the murder of Cuban diplomats and officials around the world, including one such murder on the streets of New York City in 1980. This campaign continued to the 1990s, with the murders of Cuban policemen, soldiers, and sailors in 1992 and 1994, and the 1997 hotel bombing campaign, which took the life of a foreigner; the bombing campaign was aimed at discouraging tourism and led to the sending of Cuban intelligence officers to the US in an attempt to put an end to the bombings; from their ranks rose the Cuban Five.
To the above can be added the many acts of financial extortion, violence and sabotage carried out by the United States and its agents in the 16 years since the lawsuit was filed. In sum total, the deep-seated injury and trauma inflicted upon on the Cuban people can be regarded as the island's own 9-11.
- US Department of the Army, Afghanistan, A Country Study (1986), pp.121, 128, 130, 223, 232
- Counterpunch, January 10, 2015
- Index on Censorship, the UK's leading organization promoting freedom of expression, October 18, 2001
- The Independent (London), April 24, 1999
- "Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk talking to Pinar Atalay", Tagesschau (Germany), January 7, 2015 (in Ukrainian with German voice-over)
- CNN, June 15, 2014
- See William Blum, West-Bloc Dissident: A Cold War Memoir, chapter 3
- Washington Post, January 17, 2015, page A6
- William Blum, Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II, chapter 30, for a capsule summary of Washington's chemical and biological warfare against Havana.
- For further information, see William Schaap, Covert Action Quarterly magazine (Washington, DC), Fall/Winter 1999, pp.26-29


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You erect
as a doorway within a brick wall
a gigantic pair of buttocks
Clutched by a pair of hands.
You suspend in mid air
in front of a brick corner
a clothes hanger
bearing a suit
of brick patterned weave.
You place a pebble filled,
thigh high, high heeled
ladies leather boot
on a pedestal
with lichens and fungi
saprophytically seeping from its seams and stitches
like a decaying tree trunk.
These material juxtapositions
These unnatural pairings
Jar our eyes
Compel us to touch, to sniff
In expectations of flesh giving
of threads loosening
of polish smelling.
But that's not what happens.
Instead our minds reel
baffled by the bum
confused by the crotch.
Should we put on the suit
and like an asshole walk through
some mushroom powered psychedelic trip
to unravel and experience the installation's truth?
we just stand
bemused and bewildered by your art
asking "what ARE you trying to say?"
© Sheila Ash, 2016


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Gipsy Dharma is a passion for unique clothing and women's footwear.
At Gipsy Dharma, we realize that looking good and feeling good is deeply intertwined and result in a much more positive self perception, which all of us so very much wish to achieve. We also believe that the right footwear carries with it a feeling of inspiration and beauty from deep within, because ultimately it is our feet that connect us with the beautiful planet we live in.
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The world is a magnificent place ready to be explored and there is no better feeling than setting off on your incredible journey in great comfort and unique style. As a result, our footwear is designed for people who are constantly on the move through life, and our philosophy is simply about beautifying and perhaps even encouraging your inspirational journey. So live wildly, let your free spirit roam the beautiful Earth in our handmade leather boots and unique clothing range, made especially with you in mind.


text:
On the Ibuildings techPortal today there's a new post with the latest in their Dutch PHP Confernece 2009 sessions podcasts. This episode is Juliette Reinders Folmer's presentation Everything you always wanted to know about UTF-8 (but never dared to ask).
With PHP6 in the works and said to be fully UTF-8 compliant, the interest in the community in using UTF-8 has grown. On top of that, with PHP entering the – often multilingual – enterprise web playing field, the benefits UTF-8 can bring are getting more attention. Unfortunately most developers at one point or another run into problems implementing UTF-8.
Her presentation included some basic linguistics, client side things you'll need to consider and things to watch out for on the database side too. As usual, you can listen either through the in-page player or you can download the mp3 directly.


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Art Deco Society of Los Angeles |
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Elton John Says He's Recorded 'Something' with Metallica
Elton John revealed he collaborated on an unidentified project with Metallica in recent months.
Speaking on his Apple Music 1 show Rocket Hour, he told guest SG Lewis: "I've just done something with Metallica. During this lockdown period. I've been working with Gorillaz and people like that. I haven't been doing any Elton stuff, but I've been doing great stuff with other people."
While no further details were offered, it's possible that Metallica have been trying different approaches to writing new music after Lars Ulrich reported they'd been unable to proceed with a new album as far as they'd hoped. Describing their progress as "glacial" in January, the drummer told Classic Rock, "These are the craziest of times and nothing is letting up. There's a little bit of movement, but it's hard to do a lot when we're not together."
In September 2019 Ulrich posted a picture of himself, his wife and John on Instagram, writing, "Beyond inspiring to spend an evening in the company of one of the greatest songwriters and entertainers ever... thank you Elton for your generosity and embracing vibes!"
Last year John appeared on Ozzy Osbourne's album Ordinary Man, playing piano and singing on the title track. Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who also played on the record, described the duet as "fucking awesome," adding: "They're singing – these two iconic, legendary English fucking rockers that have been through it all – about the end of their lives: 'I don't want to die an ordinary man.'" He recalled John saying: "I'll do anything for Ozzy. I love Ozzy."


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Sony selling convertible bonds worth $1.9 billion to help fund Gaikai acquisition
Sony is making a little extra cash by selling $1.9 billion worth of convertible bonds. Some of the figure will be used to finance the company's purchase of Gaikai, while up to a third will be invested into Japanese optics group Olympus Corp.
Sony is also looking to repay debts and heighten its focus on CMOS image sensors. A net loss of $198 in Q1 2012 has forced a major rethink, as the gaming division continues to suffer a year-on-year decline in profit.
Sony has already lowered its yearly sales expectations from 16 million to 10 million for the PSP and PS Vita, with PS3 hardware sales also down from 4.9 million to 3.5 million in the last report.
Still, Black Ops: Declassified should help shift a few more handhelds, right? Oh.
Thanks, Joystiq.


text:
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- Attractive terms and conditions for contract customers


text:
Searching for recurring patterns in network systems has become a fundamental part of research and discovery in fields as diverse as biology and social media. KAUST researchers have developed a pattern or graph-mining framework that promises to significantly speed up searches on massive network data sets.
"A graph is a data structure that models complex relationships among objects," explained Panagiotis Kalnis, leader of the research team from the KAUST Extreme Computing Research Center. "Graphs are widely used in many modern applications, including social networks, biological networks like protein-to-protein interactions, and communication networks like the internet."
In these applications, one of the most important operations is the process of finding recurring graphs that reveal how objects tend to connect to each other. The process, which is called frequent subgraph mining (FSM), is an essential building block of many knowledge extraction techniques in social studies, bioinformatics and image processing, as well as in security and fraud detection. However, graphs may contain hundreds of millions of objects and billions of relationships, which means that extracting recurring patterns places huge demands on time and computing resources.
"In essence, if we can provide a better algorithm, all the applications that depend on FSM will be able to perform deeper analysis on larger data in less time," Kalnis noted.
Kalnis and his colleagues developed a system called ScaleMine that offers a ten-fold acceleration compared with existing methods.
"FSM involves a vast number of graph operations, each of which is computationally expensive, so the only practical way to support FSM in large graphs is by massively parallel computation," he said.
In parallel computing, the graph search is divided into multiple tasks and each is run simultaneously on its own processor. If the tasks are too large, the entire search is held up by waiting for the slowest task to complete; if the tasks are too small, the extra communication needed to coordinate the parallelization becomes a significant additional computational load.
Kalnis' team overcame this limitation by performing the search in two steps: a first approximation step to determine the search space and the optimal division of tasks and a second computational step in which large tasks are split dynamically into the optimal number of subtasks. This resulted in search speeds up to ten times faster than previously possible.
"Hopefully this performance improvement will enable deeper and more accurate analysis of large graph data and the extraction of new knowledge," Kalnis said.


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During a late night mediation, it became clear that it is time to tell the world about my journey over the past 13 months. You see, unbeknownst to most in my life, I went through a huge life transformation during this past year.
My marriage of 30 years had fallen apart and although I was living in the same house with my husband, we had been living separate lives for over a year. It was what felt like a precursor to the dissolution of our marriage.
My relationship with my two adult sons was strained at best; they were busy living their independent lives and didn't want to get in the middle of their parents' relationship issues. What kid wants to acknowledge that his parents are breaking up? My interactions with them weren't very fulfilling for the most part; they left me empty and feeling alone much of the time.
I felt there was something more, but didn't know how to make the changes to find out what it was. During therapy, I was encouraged to separate from everyone in order to return to an independent way of living and explore what I really wanted out of life.
The catalyst to change came about when Thanksgiving loomed in front of me and no one wanted to celebrate in a traditional way. A lot of emotions were stirred up in response to that reaction and to exacerbate this heightened emotional response I faced an ultimatum from my husband: continue living in no man's land or leave (since he had no intention of doing so).
And so I left.
I rented a house out of state for a fresh start.
I filled my car with as much personal belongings as I could.
I temporarily secured my canine companion and
said a tearful goodbye to my sons, my home and the town I had lived in for 30 years.
Over the next 6 months I would be required to make so many life changes that it was like I had been through BOTH a hurricane and tornado all at once.
The future I had envisioned at the beginning of my husband's retirement and after I became an empty nester no longer existed. My future had to be redesigned, but I was no where near ready to think about it as I was just struggling to get through each day.
Somehow I managed to survive those beginning days.
It was one step at a time, one task at a time, one room at a time … some days even one thought at a time.
I outfitted the house with the basic necessities to live and slowly moved most of my personal belongings and small furniture from the home I left. I traveled back to that home several times throughout the year, each time dissolving a different tie.
I muddled through several passing illnesses, a few minor surgeries and established myself with a team of medical doctors to handle my health conditions.
I survived. And…
My life continues to change…even grow. I'm continuously learning about myself every day.
I am finally settled into a house that I now consider home. I've become familiar with the area and although I'm not sure it will be my 'forever' location, it will do for now.
I've spent a great deal of time over the past year understanding my inner emotions and dealing with the effect they've had on my psyche. I've healed many hurts as well as resolved several lingering childhood issues.
I'm working on making my relationship with my sons stronger & healthier; setting boundaries and holding them accountable while expressing how I feel at times and not allowing anyone to diminish those feelings.
I created a temporary backyard garden for creative inspiration and even put up decorations for the Christmas holiday this year. The house feels more like a home than a just a temporary residence and I find this grounds me.
I've even started rethinking my business and taken baby steps to change its direction. As well as (and this one's the big Kahuna) I'm starting to plan for next year; defining personal dreams to explore and detailing business goals, all through a vision board.
I'm embracing life as it is now. So…
The ending is unclear. I consider my life a work in progress and I'm okay with that.
I haven't completely figured out where my marriage is going. Is it ready to be dissolved or can it be resurrected? The answer I'm not sure of yet, but I DO know that I will know what it is when it's time for me to know it.
I realize that the beauty of designing one's own life is that you can change it at anytime. For only YOU are the writer of your own novel and YOU get to write each chapter and the ending however you choose and as many times as you like.
So, finally, I am able to tell the story of That was then…This is now.
And I can easily say that I'm pleased with how it reads….for now!


text:
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Holiday Reception and Giving Opportunity
December 6, 2010
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to thank you for your excellent work -- as always -- during this academic quarter, and to remind you of our holiday reception from 2 to 3:30 this Wednesday, December 8, in the Campus Center.
I'd also like to let you know about the opportunity to give to our own CalWORKs students and their children this holiday season. Here's how:
- Purchase a Target gift card for $25 or more.
- Select a name ornament from the Giving Tree in the lobby of the Administration Building.
- Place the ornament and gift card in the envelope provided, write the student's name on the outside of the envelope, and place it in the mailroom drop box outside the Administration Building.
Thank you for the generosity I know you'll show our students.
It's a bittersweet time for us as the quarter ends and the holidays begin. The economic and political news is consistently bleak, and yet our own work continues to engage us deeply. Our students inspire us every day, with their deep and abiding intelligence, their commitment to each other and to the future, and their own multiple forms of engagement.
Our short-term future is framed by the continuing budget crisis in Sacramento. Despite having won the support of a solid majority of local voters, we were unable to secure the two-thirds majority required for the approval of our own parcel tax. This would have given us a small buffer against state cuts, and allowed us to add sections and services. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the dozens and dozens of students who worked countless hours on the campaign-making the phone calls, walking the precincts, raising dollars. It is a blessing to have students fight so hard for us, and to have so many neighbors who volunteered for the campaign.
So now we wait for news from Sacramento. In her recent e-mail, Chancellor Thor gave you the broad outline of what we're facing, and I won't repeat her message here. What matters to her, and to all of us, is that we face the current budget crisis the same way we have the others: with an honest assessment of our choices and a transparent process. The college and the district have adequate reserves for just about anything Sacramento does this year, but that's cold comfort as we look to the following years.
The good news is right here in front of us: in each other, this beautiful campus, our students and the communities they come from-and the broader community we create among us all.
I hope you have a good holiday break. Take the time to enjoy your families and friends, and I look forward to seeing you in January.
Best wishes for the holiday season,
Brian Murphy


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early morning in the shed, nesting mode well and truly in gear |
a nubbly little number most suited for granny curtains |
a flannel fabric to make windows feel cozy and loved |
early morning in the shed, nesting mode well and truly in gear |
a nubbly little number most suited for granny curtains |
a flannel fabric to make windows feel cozy and loved |
A former colleague decided to assist his friendly local corner shop by buying a dozen unlabelled cans, all roughly the same size. And then, he bought one to work every day so we could share in the excitement of cracking open the contents and listening to the gloop noise from some cans to try and guess what was inside. Is it peaches? Is it soup? He had chosen well and did not have catfood for lunch. Good luck with the freezer contents. Lynda
o goodness
I just love the bunny lamp!!
Good luck with your nesting and freezer cleaning.
I love the idea of flannel curtains for the winter. If I had a cottage back home, I would be for sure hanging some flannel curtains to ready for the seasons snow days.
Take care
Tres beautiful Tif. Cozy windows sound like the best of ideas.
Daisy xxx
Hi-larious! Who knew that mystery meals could add such a dash of adventure and derring-do! Thank you for inspiring me to look for / create "thrillingness" in my week as well. My cats should be afraid...very afraid...
I look forward to seeing your flannel curtains hung up! We're at the beach.. pix on blog.. come see! Lots of time to crochet on my ripple here..
((hugs)), Teresa :-)
I just found your blog and I love it to bits! Your home is so gorgeous <3 I'm excited to go through the archives :)
love the "mystery dinner" surprise AND the curtains will be splendid (i use wool army blankets for my windows in the winter) AND so looking forward to the shop update...blest be! :)
i lovelovelovelove that flannel fabric!! cute pattern & i just adore flannel.
so cozy!
Jen x
That rabbit light is ridiculously thrilling. :)
loving the curtains tiff and the v funky bunny lamp!!!! I have gone into winter nesting mode as well!!!! I sorted out my bedroom and got rid of wait for it................. 70 bags of clothing that I never ever worn!!!! But I did get some cash for them so I was well happy!!!!! Now I can dance around my bedroom and no do the WTF fallover everything dance!!!!! Just to sort out the cupboard under the stairs now!!!! yay NOT!!!! Take care and did you want some ladybird books you never got back to me on that one!!!!
And the book is fab!!!!
Love your fabric! They will make such a cosy home :o)
Aha! You've just given me a marvellous idea to help my draughty old windows! They do shiver so in the winter months :(
Hello ! Just a message to tell you I bought your book by chance in France and I had the chance to discover your universe this way. Love it and love also the rabbit light (which is in my daughter's room). I was dissapointed baceuse I did'nt get the glassine envelop with the book but I am so glad to know your blog that is ok !
Kind regards !
how oh how could dinner be any more perfect than orange and mysterious during this lead-in to halloween?
j'adore la lampe lapin!!!^^
Lol its like russian roulette but with dinner! Happens all the time in this house! Love your bunny lamp so cute x
Thanks for the reminder to choose to find thrilling things each day :) :) Was looking for aurora borealis last night - now THAT would have been thrilling....
Oh my god, i love the bunny rabbit light and the vintage wallpaper. lovely stuff x
Oh my, the bunny light, I am in love. Amanda.....x
oooh delicious granny curtains, such distractedness can surely only be virtue and creativity in disguise...
Cannot wait to see the gleeful sweetness you will make. and good luck on the curtains !
Oohhhhh dreamy sighs, that flannel fabric you have found for your windows is just lovely!
Love the thought of those unmarked dinners too, might do that on purpose in future, just for fun!
Love Julia x x x
oh my bunny lamp is positively beaming with your kind comments this morning!
cheers my dears for fabby words of kindness and thrillingness :)
marjolie! gosh i am delighted you found my book in france but tres saddened to think you did not get a little envelope wtith it... i do not know the reason why but i do know if you send me your details i would happily send you a few little goodies to go with the book :)


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Entertaining in today's economy calls for resourcefulness, so we've decided to focus our "In Good Taste" department on helping home cooks plan wallet-friendly dinner parties. Over the next few months, we'll design different challenges for a series of local chefs. First up: Charleston Grill executive chef Michelle Weaver cooks up a champagne celebration on a house wine budget, treating her gal pals to a fancy girls' night in at a fabulous Folly Beach house.
For these friends who have wined, dined, and traveled together, she created a four-course dinner from last-of-the-season local products made luxurious by generous lamb chops and decadent triple crème cheese. Just as Michelle carefully sets the course of action each night for the kitchen at the Charleston Grill, this evening she has planned a menu that requires her actual cooking time to be only the few minutes when the lamb chops are on the grill. Having everything else either completed or prepped to plate-ready is a smart strategy that allows the cook to enjoy her company. With good friends, good food, good wine, and rocking chairs on a porch that looks over the Folly River, this chef knew she didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen!
"Some might ask why I choose to include two tomato dishes in a fairly simple menu," says Michelle. "I'm a huge tomato fanatic." As September rolls in, local tomatoes make their final appearance, so Michelle likes to use them as much as possible, hence a gazpacho for the first course and a tomato salad with the lamb later in the evening. "The soup is smooth, cool, and velvety, a mellow celebration of the fruit, and the tomato salad with the main dish is a big shout-out," she laughs. And it only takes two poached shrimp per serving to add an additional layer of luxury.
The Shopping List
• Tomatoes 2 lb. @ $3.99/lb. $7.98
• Onion 1 lb. @ $1.29/lb. $1.29
• Pepper 1 @ $2.49/ea. $2.49
• Garlic bulb 1 @ $.50/ea. $0.50
• Limes 2 @ $.69/ea. $1.38
• Shrimp in shell (extra to account for shell weight) .75 lb. @ $7.99/lb. $5.99
• Cucumber 1 @ $2.00/ea. $2.00
• Cilantro 1 bunch @ $1.69/ea. $1.69
Final Cost: $23.32
From the Pantry
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Old Bay seasoning (for poaching)
(see all recipes below)
A graduate of the prestigious New England Culinary Institute and now the executive chef of the four-star, four-diamond Charleston Grill, Weaver can't help adding a little luxury to even the simplest of salads: the peppery undertones of extra-virgin olive oil and the unmistakable richness of Parmigiano-Reggiano. (To take the salad to an even higher level, splurge and add a touch of truffle oil to the dressing.) Combine these with the short list of the salad's very fresh ingredients and you have the components to take a budget meal from the commonplace to the sublime.
The Shopping List
• Lemon 1 @ $.44 $0.44
• Arugula 1 carton $3.99
• Parmesan .25 lb. @ 15.99/lb. $4.00
Final Cost: $8.43
From the Pantry
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Black pepper
• Sea salt
(see all recipes below)
Pinching pennies doesn't have to mean a dinner party menu that sends guests home hungry. After a soothing soup spiked with a lagniappe of shrimp and a flavorful riff on the classic green salad, Michelle has saved her big bucks for the entrée and its hearty helping of protein. At three and a half ounces per lamb chop, each guest's serving of two is more than satisfying.
Although Michelle uses dry-aged American lamb at Charleston Grill, for entertaining at home, Australian lamb is more readily available and less expensive. The chops should be cut about 3/4-inch thick. Have the butcher "French" them for a nicer presentation. This is a process of removing the meat and fat from between the rib bones, and a pro can do it much faster and more easily. Because Australian lamb has a delicate flavor, Michelle keeps things simple, only rubbing the chops with olive oil and seasoning them with salt and pepper.
The Shopping List
• Rack lamb 2 lb. @ $14.99/lb. $29.98
• Tomatoes 2 pts. @ $3.99/pt. $7.98
• Shallot .25 lb. @ 2.49/lb. $0.62
• Olives .25 lb. @ $9.99/lb. $2.50
• Oregano .75 oz. pkg. $1.99
• Basil .75 oz. pkg. $1.99
• Lemon 1 @ $.44/ea. $0.44
Final Cost: $45.50
From the Pantry
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
Both in the restaurant and when entertaining, Michelle feels that cheese is an excellent alternative to sugary sweet desserts. "It can be a divine finish to any dinner, offering a variety of textures and flavors," she says. The chef plans on three to four ounces of cheese per guest and purchases it from a store that lets her taste what she's buying. Take the cheese out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving to allow it to come to room temperature. Present it with crusty bread, such as slices of toasted French baguette, and a drizzle of honey or fresh berry syrup. Add some nuts, either candied like the Marcona almonds that Michelle chose to serve with the Saint André, or salted Marcona almonds, walnuts, or pecans. (Shorter and rounder than a traditional almond, the Marcona variety, which originated in Spain, is sweeter, softer, and more delicate in texture.) If you wish to take your cheese plate to the next level, substitute a Brillat Savarin for the Saint André.
The Shopping List
• Saint André .75 lb. @ $12.99/lb. $9.74
• French baguette $1.99
• Almonds .25 lb. @ $15.99/lb. $4.00
• High-quality maple syrup 8 oz. $6.59
Final Cost: $22.32
From the Pantry
• Unsalted butter
• Kosher Salt
(see all recipes below)
Want to splurge?
Here are suggestions for wine pairings that weren't factored into the budget:
• First Course: Avinyó Cava "Brut" Bubbles offer just the right touch of fruit and acidity to pair with fresh ripe tomatoes. Your favorite Champagne or Prosecco would be another excellent option.
• Second Course: Glatzer Grüner Veltliner (Carnuntum, Austria) 2006
Austria's grape of fame, Grüner Veltliner, dances easily with the spiciness and bitterness of arugula, as well as tricky food pairings like asparagus and artichokes.
• Third Course: Chateau Redortier Côtes du Rhône Villages Beaumes-de-Venise (Rhône Valley) 2001 Grenache-based wines from the Rhône Valley and Spain will have just the right balance of body and aroma to pair with Mediterranean-inspired lamb dishes.
• Fourth Course: Marenco Moscato d'Asti "Strevi" (Piedmont) 2007
There are plenty of great frothy Moscatos on the market that would be the perfect light touch to finish the evening.


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The global Takaful insurance market
Charting the road to mass markets
It is clear that national and international regulatory initiatives will affect the way in which firms interact with their retail clients and regulation. Senior executives of Takaful providers should begin assessing the challenges that might affect their ability to generate growth and profitability. As noted in this report, there is a lot going on in the regulatory and practice environment. Takaful business strategies and models will need to be revamped, taking into account expanding regulation, increasing competition from conventional insurers, pricing strategies and costing models. General and Life Takaful solutions may need to be redesigned to accommodate a wider customer base including non-Muslims and should provide for generic insurance coverage in all kind of Takaful products. Product governance and processes should be improved to ensure regulatory and Sharia'a compliance.


text:
Banking News Newsletter
Keep up-to-date with what's happening in banking and financial services across the Asia-Pacific. Banking News contains a wrap-up of the week's key news and events, and is delivered direct to your inbox. If you wish to be added to our distribution list, simply click on the subscribe button and complete a short subscription form.


text:
As Democrats remain nervous over the status of the Senate and White House, Democrats will likely retain the House.
This comes despite losing some ground so far in the House. As of 3:30 a.m. ET, Democrats have flipped two seats in their favor, while Republicans have flipped six, resulting in a net gain for the GOP of four. Democrats can afford to lose 14 seats and retain a majority in the House.
All six seats Republicans flipped on Tuesday were ones that Democrats flipped in 2018.
The two seats gained by Democrats both came in North Carolina. Deborah Ross took the state's second congressional district, while Kathy Manning won the state's sixth congressional district. Both seats were open as the two GOP incumbents were not in the general election.
The Republicans gained a seat in Florida's 26th district as Carlos Gimenez upended incumbent Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Mucarsel-Powell was only a one-term member of Congress as she herself defeated an incumbent GOP representative. The Florida 27th was also a turnover for Republicans, as Maria Elvira Salazar defeated Rep. Donna Shalala, who was a freshman first elected in 2018.
In South Carolina, Nancy Mace narrowly defeated Rep. Joe Cunningham. In Minnesota, Michelle Fischbach defeated Rep. Collin Peterson by what appears to be a sizable margin. Stephanie Bice won a narrow race over Rep. Kendra Horn in Oklahoma. Yvette Herrell has defeated Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in New Mexico.


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Please welcome, novelist, Gina Holmes. Gina is the founder of popular literary site, novelrocket.com. She is a two-time Christy and ECPA Book of the Year finalist and winner of the INSPY, Inspirational Reader's Choice, and Carol Award. Her books regularly appear on Christian bestseller lists.
Gina, tell us a little bit about your newest release, Driftwood Tides.
Driftwood Tides tells the story of an aging, alcoholic driftwood artist turned beach bum, Holton Creary, and young Libby Slater. Libby grew up with an absent father and a loving but cold, socialite mother. Leading up to her wedding, Libby and her groom-to-be go through genetic testing and she learns her blood type doesn't match either of her parents. She confronts her mother and is reluctantly told that she's adopted. She goes searching for her mother, Adele, only to find her husband, Holton Creary lying face down on the carpet of his Nags Head beach shack.
She lies about her real identity until she is finally found out. Holton does not welcome the news. He never knew the wife he had given saint status too had given up a daughter for adoption. Together the two search to find the truth about Adele, Libby's father and themselves.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
At its heart, Driftwood Tides is really about discovering who we are, whose we are, where we belong and the need to accept and bestow forgiveness.
Why did you set the novel in Nags Head?
Oh, how I love that place! I'm not sure there's a more peaceful setting in all the world. And the further out I get from civilization, the happier I am. I love the sand dunes, the untouched nature, the quaint towns. Just everything! (Well, except sand in my bathing suit maybe J)
You seem to have a recurring theme in your novels about absent fathers, if it's not too personal, why do you think that is?
It is too personal, but I don't mind answering (wink!) When I was 6 years old, I was packed up by my stepfather and driven to my father's house. Overnight I had a new Mom, new sisters and brother, house and life. It was as traumatic an experience as I can imagine. There were few explanations that made sense to me and I missed my other family desperately. I think ever since I've been trying to settle some pretty deep-seated questions. Writing books is wonderful for that.
The novel you've written that seems to be a fan-favorite is Crossing Oceans, do you ever see yourself writing a sequel?
I love that book too. Makes me cry just thinking about certain scenes. I would love to write a sequel, prequel or off shoot stories. I love those characters dearly. I'm under contract for three different novels, so I'm not sure when I'll have the time, but I'd love to explore Craig's story and of course, Bella's. I miss Mama Peg very much!
You've said that your favorite novel you've written is Wings of Glass. Why is that your favorite?
Well, for storyline, I think Crossing Oceans is the strongest. I think my writing in Wings of Glass was my best, plus when I was very young I watched my mother in one abusive relationship after another, and then two of my sisters. I had been there too, despite thinking I was better than that. I know the mindset that keeps a woman (or man) in a relationship like that and I wanted to give insight to those who don't understand. I've received enough letters to know I did what I set out to do.
You're originally from NJ but write all your novels from the South, why do you set your novels down South if you're from up North?
Ha, you found me out! Yes, I was born and raised in NJ. As much as I love my friends and family, I am definitely more suited for the slower pace of the South. I've lived in Southern VA for half of my life and I plan to spend the rest of my life here if I can help it. I try to write books from settings that make me happy. So I write where I want to be. (Although, I've got to say, NJ food is amazing and you've got to love a boisterous NJ laugh!)
What do you like most about being a writer? Least?
Most, I like being able to have a platform to share lessons I've learned in my life that I know others would benefit from. And more than that, I just love to tell a good story.
Least, would be the unpredictability of the business. Sometimes it seems so random and the lack of control makes me uncomfortable sometimes. (Which is probably right where God wants me!)
Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?
My advice is pretty much always the same. 1. Write. So many people want to have written but don't actually do the work. 2. Get to a writers conference because there's so much you don't know, that you don't even know you don't know. If you don't you'll be spinning your wheels for years, wasting valuable time. 3. Run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and buy yourself a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Then apply it. (Best money I ever spent!) 4. Join a good critique group and get a nice thick skin, 'cause you're sure going to need it!
If you could go back to the pre-published writer you were, knowing what you do now, what advice would you give her?
Well, I wouldn't have told myself how many novels I'd write that would never see the light of day, because I would have given up. I wouldn't have told myself how little money there is actually to be made or how lonely writing can sometimes be. I wouldn't have told myself that I'd still have a day job with 4 novels out in stores, including 3 bestselling novels… okay, but that wasn't your question… I would tell myself to relax. Some of this, most of this is, is out of your hands, and that's okay. It's not going to be at all what you think it is, but it's going to be so much more. You won't get rich, but you will touch lives. At the end of the day, that's going to be exactly what will fulfill you.
Where can readers find your books and more about you?
Thanks for asking. My books are in B&N, BooksaMillion, Amazon, Lifeway, Parable, Family Christian and hopefully a good number of independent bookstores. You can find me at Ginaholmes.com. Thanks so much for hosting me!
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Enjoy a guilt-free feast in the Dubai shopping malls.
The best healthy restaurants in Dubai
Healthy food need not be dull and tasteless, in fact, quite the opposite - the shopping malls in Dubai and across the Middle East are brimming with delicious and nutritious foodie spots.
Scroll down below where we reveal the insider foodie favourites you need to try this weekend.
Paul Café
Paul Café is a favourite lunch spot with a healthy food set
A long-standing favourite, not just in the region, but also across the globe, Paul Café first started as a low-key bakery in France more than 125 years ago. Using only the freshest ingredients in an extensive menu consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner staples, and the café is also our go-to for a light and healthy bite in the mall - that is, if you can resist the display of golden baked goods!
Star menu hits include the smoked salmon omelette, poached eggs with avocado, farm salad and grilled sea bass filet.
The details: Paul Café is located in Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Bahrain, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif and City Centre Me'aisem
Veggie packed bites at Carluccio's in Dubai
A long-standing favourite for the whole family, Carluccio's might be best known for their mouth-watering lasagne and pizza, but the Italian café and deli chain also offers up a whole host of delicious low-calorie dishes - we can vouch for the goat's cheese and beetroot salad and seafood skewers.
The restaurant also serves some light sides to pick from, including braised fennel, tenderstem broccoli and sautéed spinach.
If you are craving pasta but don't want the extra cream and calories of carbonara, opt for the Penne Giardiniera - a popular menu pick bursting with fresh courgettes, spinach and red chilli: https://www.citycentremirdif.com/blog/dining/recipe-to-try-fresh-pasta-dish-by-carluccio-s-dubai
Common Grounds
Common grounds is a health food haven in Dubai
A hotspot on the Dubai foodie scene, Common Grounds is an always-bustling casual café serving up full breakfast plates, along with superfood salads, wraps, tacos and soups. You can also grab a great cup of freshly brewed artisan coffee or a veggie-filled juice or smoothie.
For those looking for a healthy menu option, the acai bowl and veggie-rice wrap are both a must-try.


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Our customer service representatives are available to help you with any issues, anytime.
Trusted Cleaners
Our cleaners are background checked nationally and statewide to ensure that they're qualified.
Affordable Cleanings
Our flexible and affordable subscription model to give your home the highest quality clean.
Cleaning Services
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Welcome to Booster Maids
Booster maids is dedicated to providing a convenient and affordable service for your residential cleaning needs. Our company offers deep cleaning services to homes, apartments, offices, and houses all across the Metro area.
We can guarantee that our cleaners will do an amazing job for your home or business. We will always go above and beyond to ensure that you have a clean house and its left in immaculate condition for you when you return.
What is Daily Maid Service
Daily maid service is a great way to keep your home clean without having to do the work yourself. A professional maid will come to your home each day and clean up, leaving you with a fresh, clean space to relax in.
This can be a great option for busy people or those who simply don't have the time to clean themselves.
When looking for a daily maid service, be sure to ask plenty of questions. What services does the company offer? What is included in the price? How often will the maid come to your home? What are the company's policies on cancellations and refunds?
How Do I Ask For a Cleaning Service?
When it comes to hiring a residential maid service, it's important to do your research. Ask around for recommendations, read reviews, and compare pricing structures to find the best deal.
- What kind of services do they offer?
- What is the pricing structure?
- Do they have any references or reviews I can look at?
- What kind of training and insurance do their employees have?
- How often will the cleaning be done?
- What specific tasks will be included in the cleaning?
- Can they accommodate special requests or dietary restrictions?
- How long have they been in business?
- Are they licensed and insured?
- What is the cancellation policy?
What Are the Duties Of a Cleaning Lady?
Housekeepers are responsible for cleaning and reporting any safety hazards to the homeowner or manager. and maintaining a client's home. They may be asked to clean floors, surfaces, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Some housekeepers also provide laundry services.
If you would like to hire a housekeeper to clean your home, here are some tips on how to ask for a cleaning service:
Decide what services you would like the housekeeper to provide. Do you need them to clean your floors, surfaces, bathrooms, and bedrooms? Would you also like them to do your laundry?
Estimate how many hours of service you will need each week or month.
Draft a request for a cleaning service
Send the request to multiple housekeeping services and compare prices.
Choose a housekeeping service that fits your budget and needs.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, please let us know.
Is The Difference Between a Maid and a Housekeeper?
If you are looking for someone to clean your home, you would likely hire a maid. If you are looking for someone to manage all aspects of your home, you would likely hire a housekeeper.
The terms "maid" and "housekeeper" can be used interchangeably, but there is a distinction between the two roles.
A maid is someone who is employed to clean and maintain a household, while a housekeeper is responsible for all aspects of running a household, including cleaning, cooking, and laundry.
What Are The 4 Types of Housekeeping?
There are many different types of housekeepers, each with their own set of skills and duties. Here is a brief overview of the four most common types:
Live in Housekeeper. A live-in housekeeper is a very popular type of housekeeping service. They will move into your home and take care of all the cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping for you. This is a great option for busy families or those who travel often.
Live out Housekeeper. A live-out housekeeper is someone who comes to your home to clean on a regular basis, but does not live there. This is a good option for those who need more frequent cleaning but don't want or need a live-in housekeeper.
House Manager/ Housekeeper. A house manager/housekeeper is a more specialized type of service. They typically come to your home once or twice a week and take care of all the cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and other household tasks.
This is a great option for those who need more help managing their home but don't have time to do everything themselves.
There are also a number of housekeeper cleaning companies that offer a variety of services. These companies typically have a team of cleaners who come to your home on a regular basis to clean everything from the floors to the windows.
They can also provide more specialized services like deep-cleaning, floor waxing, and carpet cleaning.
How Do You Train a Maid?
When it comes to training your maid, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, there are a few basic tenets that you can follow in order to create a well-trained and effective team.
- First, be sure to cover the basics with your employees. This includes things like scheduling and task allocation, as well as customer service skills. In order for your maids to be effective, they need to be familiar with the basics of the job.
- Second, focus on soft skills. This includes things like communication, team work, and problem solving. These are essential skills that will help your maids work effectively together and provide excellent customer service.
- Third, give your employees the power to upgrade customer service. This means allowing them to make decisions on their own and taking care of customers in a way that meets their needs. This will help create a more personal connection with customers and increase loyalty over time.
- Fourth, focus on building long-term clientele (and lucrative relationships). This means going the extra mile to make your customers happy and taking care of them long after they've hired you. By establishing strong, lasting relationships with your clients, you'll be able to keep them coming back for years to come.
What Are 3 Qualities a Housekeeper Should Possess?
Housekeepers play a very important role in any home. They keep the house clean and organized, which helps to create a healthy and comfortable environment for everyone living there. A housekeeper is responsible for many tasks, such as cleaning the floors, bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchen.
They may also be responsible for doing laundry, ironing clothes, and grocery shopping. It is important that a housekeeper be patient and organized, as there are many tasks to complete each day and they need to be able to stay on top of it all. They should also be reliable, so that the homeowners can count on them to do their job each day.
A good housekeeper is someone who can work independently and doesn't need a lot of direction. Lastly, they should be responsible and accountable for their actions. This means that they take responsibility for their mistakes and make up for them. If you are looking to become a housekeeper, make sure you possess these qualities! They will help you succeed in this career.
What Are the Steps to Deep Cleaning A House?
Clean the Surfaces. Dirt and dust accumulate on surfaces and in cracks, so it's important to clean these areas before you deep-clean
Vacuum. Vacuuming is an essential part of any deep-cleaning routine. Vacuum all the surfaces in the room, including the floor, furniture, and walls
Clean the Furniture. Wipe down all of the furniture in the room with a damp cloth. If there is any dirt or dust on the furniture, you should be able to remove it with a little bit of effort
Clean the Walls. Walls can get dusty and dirty over time, so it's important to give them a good clean. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the walls, then dry them off with a towel
Finish Up. Once you have finished cleaning the floors and walls, it's time to put everything back in its place. Make sure everything is neat and tidy before leaving the room
What is The Fastest Way to Clean a House?
There are a number of ways to clean your house quickly. But some methods are faster and more efficient than others. Here are the best tips for how to clean your house fast:
Start by decluttering your home. Get rid of any unnecessary items that are taking up space and making it harder to clean.
Make a plan. know what you are going to clean and how you are going to do it. This will help you stay organized and efficient.
Use the right tools. Make sure you have all of the supplies you need to clean your home quickly and effectively.
Tackle one room at a time. Don't try to clean the entire house at once. This will only lead to frustration and chaos.
Make a cleaning schedule. Set aside time each week to clean your home. This will help you stay on track and make sure everything is clean and organized.
Use a vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming is one of the quickest and easiest ways to clean your house. Make sure you have a powerful vacuum cleaner that can get the job done quickly.
Use a mop. Mopping is a great way to clean your floors quickly and easily. Make sure you have a good mop that will get the job done fast.
Use cleaning products. There are a number of different cleaning products available that can help you clean your house quickly and easily. Choose the products that work best for you and your needs.
What Order Should You Clean Your House?
One way to remember the order is the acronym "S.P.A.C.E":
- Sinks and counters
- Pots and pans
- Appliances
- Cupboards and drawers
- Everything else (floors, furniture, shelves)
Another way to remember the order is with the mnemonic device "H.O.T. W.I.N.D":
- Horizontal surfaces (sinks, counters, tables)
- Ovens, toasters, microwaves
- Trash cans, dishwashers
- Windows and mirrors
- Doors and door handles
- Everything else (floors, furniture, shelves)
Whichever system you use, make sure to follow it each time you clean your house. This will help you to be more efficient and to avoid having to go back over the same areas multiple times. Soon, cleaning your house will be a breeze!
How Do You Organize a Cluttered House?
Use Vertical Storage. Instead of piling things on top of each other, use vertical storage wherever possible. This might mean using a stack of baskets to store rolled up towels in the bathroom or installing shelves to make better use of the space in your closet.
Install A Pegboard In Your Workshop. A pegboard is a great way to organize tools and other items in your workshop. You can hang tools, baskets and other items on the pegboard to keep them within easy reach.
Use Labels. Labels are a great way to keep track of what's in your closet, drawer or cabinet. When everything has a place and a label, it's easy to know where to put things back when you're finished using them.
Create A System. When everything has a place and a purpose, it's easy to stay organized. Create a system for yourself and stick to it. This might mean designating one shelf in the pantry for canned goods or organizing your makeup by type (lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, etc.)
These are just a few ways to organize a cluttered house. With a little bit of effort, you can declutter your home and keep it organized for years to come.
Get rid of flat surfaces. Surfaces like countertops, shelves, and other flat surfaces are clutter magnets. It's okay to keep some things on your counters, but you should try to keep all surfaces free of clutter. Make space in drawers or on shelves for paper items, or add small boxes or bins
How Do You Declutter When Overwhelmed?
Decluttering your home can be a daunting task, especially when you feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your space. But it's important to start somewhere, and there are a few tips that can make the process a little bit easier.
First, try to focus on one area at a time. Rather than trying to declutter your entire home in one day, focus on one room or even one section of a room. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and make the process more manageable.
Second, create a plan. Decide what you want to get rid of and come up with a strategy for how you're going to do it. This can help keep you organized and on track.
Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help. If you're struggling to get started or feeling overwhelmed, don't be afraid to ask a friend or family member for assistance. Sometimes it's helpful to have someone there to motivate you and keep you on track.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you treat a cleaning lady?
Be respectful of her time and schedule. If you have specific instructions or requests, be sure to communicate them in a timely manner so that she can plan her work accordingly.
How long should a cleaner take?
Generally speaking, a professional cleaner should be able to clean a standard-sized home in about three hours.
How often does your cleaner come?
Most cleaners will come once a week or every other week, but you can also hire them for dedicated hours or a specific day.
How do I ask my cleaning lady to clean better?
Try to be specific about what you want them to do differently,if you feel like they're not dusting enough, ask them to focus on that area. Or if you want them to use a different cleaning product, let them know.


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Are you wondering about the parts of your GG Mods and Atomizers? Would you like to know how they look outside the assembly? Do you want to see those parts in detail through HD pictures? Would you like to perfectly understand how these parts work together giving you the vaping result that you love?
Click on pictures to enlarged them and to see the status of every part and its full name
standard package
Anchor 40
after sales parts
No extras produced
The Professionals and Inventors of Modern Vaping
atomizers mods and liquids
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The Concorde: Where Doing Business is a Pleasure
Easily accessible by road, rail and air, The Concorde is a relaxed and unique venue for business meetings, events and conferences for up to 200 people.
Whether it's a formal client presentation or a more relaxed catch-up with colleagues over coffee, holding your meeting at The Concorde takes the hard work out of doing business, with unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi, audio-visual equipment and comprehensive in-house catering services. With overnight accommodation at our on-site 3-star hotel we offer the perfect delegate package.
Tucked away from Southampton's bustling city centre, The Concorde is located in a tranquil setting, adjacent to the Lakeside Country Park, with ample free parking for more than 200 cars. At less than half a mile from junction 5 of the M27, two miles from Southampton Airport and Parkway Rail station, and only five miles from Southampton Central railway station, we are ideally placed.


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Cattleya schroederae
A lovely Orchid for a lovely Lady
Baron J. H. W. von Schröder had one of the finest orchid collections in Europe and he loved cattleyas. The largest and grandest greenhouse on his estate near Windsor was built just for cattleyas, and his appetite for fine Cattleya species was insatiable. At The Dell, as he called his estate, he wanted only the best and nothing less would do.


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Sponsored by the TFT Foundation and supported by the Nalaniikaleomana Foundation in Hawaii, Dr. Caroline Sakai and Cyndie and Gary Quinn went to Rwanda in September to help give more TFT trainings–and to support, however they could, the TFT IZERE Center, Byumba, and TFT Kigali. This included TFT trainings for the Rwandan Correctional System, part of the TFT Foundation's new Rwandan Prison Project.
In order to expand TFT to all the prisons of Rwanda, which has been requested by the Rwandan General Commissioner of Corrections, funds are greatly needed. For more information about these efforts–and to help the foundation heal the hearts of Rwanda's prisoners, their families, and prison staff–click on this link. Such a powerful way to contribute to World Peace.


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The Picturesque City of Winterthur
Firstly I apologise for a such a poorly punned title. I did consider alternatives, but the play on
Hot Chocolate's 'It started With a Kiss' just wouldn't work. 'It started with
an offer of a free Subbuteo team in a football magazine' just doesn't quite cut
So what am I going on about? Subbuteo! Despite being aware of
Subbuteo from a very early age, being more into cricket than football meant I
was more obsessed with obtaining Test Match than any flick-to-kick related
products (and for £7.99 from Goldies toy shop, Test Match would be mine –
replete with signed photo of the then England team... Botham, Gower et al. Now
all that was required was some friends to play with... oh well, back in the
As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I had seen lots of Subbuteo
items in the windows of the toy shop in town, but even when I first became
beholden to football, it still never appealed. It just seemed way too nerdy and
serious. Yes they had lovely shiny
trophies, but one didn't need to love Subbuteo to desire those. I'd already dipped my toe into the world of table football a few months earlier when I purchased an all white team from the bargain bin at that same toy shop, but other than drawing my own kits on the blank plastic kit canvas, I still wasn't really getting it.
Two factors combined to change my stance:
- There were pretty much no other football toys out there at the time (Striker had disappeared a few years earlier and wouldn't be available again until the '90s)
- An offer of a free Subbuteo team in Shoot! Magazine.
Yes, a FREE Subbuteo team! Which one would I get? As the advert clearly stated, 'You could even get your favourite team!' The excitement!!!
The form was filled in, the requisite Stamped Addressed
Envelope (how I miss that phrase) included and the standard 28 days for
delivery was waited. Finally, one
day after school, a package had arrived. A package that had seen better days by the look of it; my SAE a shadow
of its former self. Whether it had suffered some rain damage followed by a
letterbox-induced shredding or had just been used as a football for the posties
at the local sorting office I shall never know. Nor indeed did I care for I
was possibly about to embark on my full-on Subbuteo journey. I tore open the parcel, excitement building... who could it be, who could
it be???
Well... you know the answer to that. Kinda gave it away in
the title, really.
So...Winterthur... Who???
According to Wikipedia, Winterthur (German
pronunciation: [ˈvɪntərtuːr],
English: /ˈvɪntərtʊər/)
is a city in the canton of Zurich
in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population estimated at more than 100,000 people.
So there you have it. Furthermore, FC Winterthur play in
the Swiss Challenge League, the second highest
tier of Swiss football. They play at the Schützenwiese Stadium.
Their home colours are all red. Only, they weren't back then. Their home colours were white shorts and
socks and white shirts with, if the Subbuteo figure painters are to be believed, three vertical gashes to the upper body. I'm
assuming they were supposed to be uniform stripes, but the ones on my figures
definitely looked like the result of some coordinated machete attack. Guess that would explain the blank stares on
their plastic faces. The pic below is from an eBay listing (not mine - I'm holding on to my beloved Winterthur!) Mine came in more modern Subbuteo packaging (landscape
layout, not vertical), but the figures are identical.
The Walking(?) Wounded
I now had two complete teams and, along with some cheap balls from the same bargain bin as before, could fully immerse myself in the murky waters of Subbuteo. Now all I needed was a pitch...and maybe some corner flags...and obviously a ref and linesman. A scoreboard would be quite useful too. Oh dear. In one fell swoop my interest had gone from passing to 'collector'. 0 to Geek in under 5 seconds...
And so yet another expensive pastime came into existence. One
I shall delve into in greater detail in future, but for now, Merry Christmas people
of Winterthur... and please, get to a hospital – those wounds need serious