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The stock market has been reacting to news out of Europe and acting like a ping-pong match as news about more plans to save the banks, um, I mean countries (most are giving up on Greece even if they say so differently now), comes out and then denied, then a new plan and then denied. Each news item spikes the market up and then back down and the result has been a very choppy market stuck in a trading range for over a month.
Last night's futures showed the same response and ES (S&P 500 emini) sunk to 1148 after closing the day near 1165. News that all is right with the world sent ES up to 1175, for a 27-point rally in the pre-market. That was just the overnight session! Not to be outdone, the cash market initially sold off, with the S&P dropping down to 1162 and then proceeded to rally 40 points to 1202, helped by some positive news about Greece -- Germany's Merkel and France's Sarkozy reaffirmed their support for Greece and assurance that they would help it avoid a "disorderly default". Funny what we consider good news these days.
We of course have opex shenanigans this week but basically the market is being news driven at the moment and that makes it difficult to trade, especially holding anything overnight. Mix up some low volume, opex and European news and it's a recipe for chop and whipsaws. The 3-day rally this week has been on successively lower volume, not a healthy sign. With a choppy price pattern it's very difficult to figure out whether the choppy consolidation is going to continue, with new highs for the bounce, or break down from what looks like a bearish consolidation pattern. Today's rally, typical on a Wednesday of opex week, was strong and it makes me wonder how much stronger it could have been had we had some GOOD economic news to report.
Starting off the day's economic reports were the two PPI numbers, which were benign. PPI was flat at 0% and the core PPI (less energy and food) was only +0.1%. This gives the Fed some wiggle room to say they can inject more liquidity into the market without fear of stoking inflation, which the market likes.
Retail sales came in flat as well -- 0% and +0.1% excluding auto sales. This is a little disappointing considering even the small expectation for a +0.2% increase (down from July's +0.3%). Consumers spent more at the pump and in grocery stores (where prices aren't, cough, going up). July sales were revised down to 0.3% from the prior estimate of +0.5% and June's was revised lower from +0.3% to +0.2%. So it's not good news for retailers and by extension for the economy. Consumers are hunkering down again.
The only thing that surprises me is that consumer spending has stood up as well as it has. When you consider the high level of unemployment and the rapidly declining consumer sentiment I would have thought retail spending would be much lower. And the employment picture is not expected to get any better any time soon. What's amazing is to see how dismal the employment picture has been since the start of the recession. Joe Weisenthal posted his Chart of the Day last week, which shows the recovery in employment following previous recessions (it might be hard to see the numbers in the chart below but it's the number of week's past the start of the recession, running from 0 to 47. Each recession since 1948 is shown on the chart and how deep it got and how long it took to recover. A picture is worth a thousand words and the current unemployment streak speaks volumes about how this recession is clearly different than anything experienced since WWII (since the Great Depression actually).
Post WWII Recessions and Unemployment, chart courtesy calculatedriskblog.com
So the economy continues to cause worry for the stock market. Recessions are typically met with stock market declines averaging about -40%. We've had only half that so far. Since the decline into the August 9th low emotions have been running high and we've had a market reacting to news. Between hope and fear we've seen an increase in volatility, including today. Europe is currently one of the bigger worries since we're all so interconnected these days. The market's various asset classes have been tightly correlated and the world's stock markets have been mostly in synch with one another.
The worry about Europe is the spreading contagion with multiple countries having unsustainable debt. Right behind Greece is Italy and then Spain and of course there's still Portugal and Ireland on deck. Even France is now being threatened with a downgrade based on its debt load. The problems in Europe are significant and they're going to be with us for a long time (especially considering the tight global financial linkages). Solving Greek's debt issue will not make this problem go away, no matter how much we wish it would.
And lest we think this is strictly a European problem, do not forget that Japan is in even worse financial shape. Their debt-to-GDP ratio is above 200% and the only reason they've been able to sustain this level of debt for as long as they have is because the Japanese are huge savers and they own most of the debt. The U.S. is not so fortunate -- much of our debt is owned by foreigners and when they get worried and stop buying our debt there's going to be trouble. The chart below shows debt for the troubled European countries (PIIGS) and no surprise we see Greece at the top of the list, followed by Italy. But look who's tied with Ireland -- the U.S. with a debt-to-GDP greater than 100% (projected by 2012).
European and U.S. Gross Debt as % of GDP, chart courtesy caseyresearch.com
Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff wrote a book "This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly" in which they state no country has ever been able to get itself out of trouble once the national debt exceeds 90% of GDP. It's considered the point of no return. Unless it is different this time you can see by the above chart that we're all in this together and we'll likely all fail together (the end of fiat currencies as they exist today). It's a sobering thought.
The strongest of the European countries is Germany, an exporting powerhouse and relatively wealthy as compared to several other European countries. So the fact that its stock market has lost a third of its value since July it should be of concern to all of us. The chart below compares the DAX and SPX to show that the U.S. stock market will either join the DAX or the DAX is due a big bounce. As I'll point out, it might be a little bit of both. When the DAX lost its June low near 5800 it would be like SPX dropping below 1010. Instead its flirting with 1200 in the current bounce. Granted, Germany's banks are on the hook more for European sovereign debts but our banks are not immune since we're all connected (and our banks are responsible for a lot of swaps (insurance) on the debt).
Germany's DAX vs. SPX, Weekly chart
The good news for the DAX at the moment is that it looks like it's going to get a decent bounce, which could obviously help the U.S. stock market. Following a bullish descending wedge pattern, with confirming bullish divergences, we could see the DAX bounce back up to the 5800 area, at least, for a back test of broken price-level support.
Germany DAX Composite, DAX, Daily chart
One other thing that could provide a lift for the stock market is the sentiment picture. Simply put, too many have turned bearish for the bear's comfort. It's not a timing tool and with negative consumer sentiment and a poor economy/jobs picture, the bearish sentiment could in fact be a harbinger of a bad moon risin'. Speaking of the moon, did you notice the market turned back up on the full moon on Monday. Highs on new moons (next one is September 27th) and lows on full moons is the pattern so far this year. But I digress. For now the bears need to pay attention to the fact that they have a lot of company.
Bullish vs. Bearish sentiment, AAII data, chart courtesy schaefferresearch.com
Moving to my regular charts, the SPX weekly chart hasn't changed much from last week since price is still stuck in a trading range. While I've pointed out a few reasons above why we could see a market bounce, the bigger price pattern warns me to expect another leg down. We could go higher for a week or so but the path of least resistance is going to be down. In other words, in this news-driven market, one news break about Europe could send our stock market spinning to the downside.
S&P 500, SPX, Weekly chart
SPX poked its head out of its down-channel today and must have been scared up there -- it closed back inside the channel after the late-day selloff. Somebody didn't like it out there. Upside potential remains 1250-1270 if SPX can get above 1205. Otherwise another breakdown could drop it below 1136, which would be a sell signal. There are multiple support levels starting at 1100 on down to a potential downside target near 950.
S&P 500, SPX, Daily chart
Key Levels for SPX:
- bullish above 1205
- bearish below 1136 and more bearish below 1090
The 120-min chart below shows price poked above the top of its down-channel but now it looks potentially bullish since it has pulled back to the top of the channel. This could be setting up a bullish back test if tomorrow rallies. However, a drop back below 1188 would leave a head-fake break and bull trap. It could signal the end of the correction, with the throw-over finish, and I'd want to be short with a stop at today's high. Confirmation of a breakdown doesn't come until 1136 gives way.
S&P 500, SPX, 120-min chart
While the DOW is not challenging the top of its down-channel it did challenge its shorter-term downtrend line from September 1st. The daily chart shows this is potentially bearish but like the intraday chart for SPX, it could be a bullish back test if the market rallies tomorrow.
Dow Industrials, INDU, Daily chart
Key Levels for DOW:
- bullish above 11,477
- bearish below 10,700
NDX did a little better against its 50-dma today than it did on August 31st and September 1st. It was able to rally above it and its broken uptrend line from March 2009 - August 2010. Too bad it wasn't able to hold it. Once again, the daily chart looks bearish with resistance holding but the intraday chart looks potentially bullish with a back test to support if tomorrow rallies. If the market declines tomorrow it will leave bull traps behind and the potential for a strong selloff to follow would mean those who bought the breakout had better sell at the open and get what they can.
Nasdaq-100, NDX, Daily chart
Key Levels for NDX:
- bullish above 2253 and more bullish above 2330
- bearish below 2139
The downtrend line from July 22nd for the RUT is the line in the sand for the bears here. The RUT broke above the line, near 704 but couldn't hold it. Or will it with an intraday back test? It's a common theme tonight and tomorrow could give us the direction for the rest of the month. I'm showing a slightly different idea for a decline into month end -- a descending wedge pattern that sets up a stronger multi-month (into year end) correction of the decline from May/July. It's just an idea at the moment but consider the possibility since it will be a choppy affair.
Russell-2000, RUT, Daily chart
Key Levels for RUT:
- bullish above 704 and more bullish above 775
- bearish below 665
Last week I showed the possibility for a minor new low for TNX, the 10-year yield, to be followed by a stronger bounce that should lead to a multi-month rally. The rally will either be just a correction of the leg down from February or a much stronger rally that will take TNX to new multi-year highs (above the 2007 high near 5.3%). A break above 2.6% is needed to at least give the bond bears a foothold (bearish bonds gives us higher yields). But a bounce up to the 2.6% area would be a back test of the broken uptrend line from December 2008 and a 38% retracement of the decline from February. The longer-term bearish pattern (bullish for bond prices) calls for the back test to fail and a continuation lower (towards 1%). There remains the possibility for TNX to work its way a little lower (dashed red line) before setting up a bigger bounce.
10-year Yield, TNX, Weekly chart
If the Fed starts rolling out their debt to longer maturities, as they say they plan to do, their demand for those bonds could certainly press rates lower over the next year or two. They've made it abundantly clear that they want investors in the riskier assets, such as stocks, instead of bonds. And if they're very successful at doing this it could push bond buyers out the longer-term maturities (30-year) in an effort to get the higher yields. This would also please the Fed since lower 30-year rates should help the mortgage market (sorry retirees, you don't fall into the "I care about you group"). Looking at the longer-term down-channel since 1994 for TYX, the 30-year yield, I can see the potential for a drop down to the bottom of the channel in 2013-2014, which would be near 1.5% (for a 30-year bond!!). It takes a rally above 4.38% to show the bond vigilantes are in complete disagreement with the Fed and abandoning the bonds (driving prices lower, yields higher).
30-year Yield, TYX, Monthly chart
I wider look at the bank index tonight shows a pattern I think will play out this year and into next. Ideally, for a 5-wave count for the leg down from February, the current consolidation since August should be followed by a 5th wave, with a downside target at 27.65 (wave-5 = wave-1). From there a larger bounce correction into the end of the year followed by another leg down to below 20.
KBW Bank index, BKX, Weekly chart
The TRAN was successful in breaking its downtrend line from July and holding above it today. That keeps the door open for the completion of a 2nd leg up for an a-b-c bounce off the August low. The upside target is its 50-dma near 4844, which is also where the a-b-c bounce would have two equal legs. But a drop back below 4500 would be a bearish heads up.
Transportation Index, TRAN, Daily chart
Last week I pointed out the similarities between the basing pattern in 2008 and the current one in 2011. Price came bounding out of the pattern last week and so far is only chopping its way back in a bull flag, pointing to higher highs. We could see a test of the 200-week MA near 78.75 before pullback back again. There remains the possibility we'll see a slightly larger descending wedge pattern with one more new low (dashed line) but at this point the higher-probability is for the dollar to rally into year end and beyond. There is significant upside potential (98-100) and that would place some serious pressure on other assets (unwinding of the dollar carry trade for one thing).
U.S. Dollar contract, DX, Weekly chart
Gold is holding up and the pullback is choppy enough to support the idea that it will at least chop its way higher this month. I'm showing an ascending wedge as just one idea for what could happen if it holds up but continues to chop up and down. A break below 1793 would be a sell signal.
Gold continuous contract, GC, Daily chart
Silver is trying to hold onto the bottom of its rising wedge pattern and just below it is its' 50-dma near 40.10. So a break below 40 would be a bearish heads up and below 39 would create a sell signal. Another leg up within the wedge remains a possibility.
Silver continuous contract, SI, Daily chart
Oil's little rising wedge pattern should resolve the same way as its previous wedge and triangle -- down. A break of the uptrend line from August 9th would be a bearish heads up and below 83 would create a sell signal. In an "all the same" market, a breakdown in oil should be accompanied by a breakdown in the stock market.
Oil continuous contract, CL, Daily chart
Tomorrow morning will be a busy one with potentially important economic reports, especially the Empire Manufacturing and Philly Fed. But we're in one of those times when bad news could be good because the market will expect the Fed to give us some more happy juice to make the pain go away, even if it is temporary relief. Good numbers might get the Bronx cheer (the 3 finger, minus 2, salute).
Economic reports, summary and Key Trading Levels
Selling is on increasing volume and buying is on decreasing volume. The price pattern has been very choppy (corrective) since the August low. The spike down into the August low followed by corrective price action tilts the odds heavily in favor of another leg down, whether directly from here or from a higher bounce. The higher bounce could mean SPX 1250-1260 so respect that possibility if you're playing the short side (above 1205 is potentially bullish).
The next leg down, assuming we get it, could be just a test of the August low (SPX 1101) or it could drop down to 950, with several support levels in between. What that means is the potential for a short play is large but it will have to be managed on the way down and protect/take profits along the way.
Good luck during the rest of opex week and I'll be back with you next Wednesday.
Keene H. Little, CMT


text: Siena Lending Group is an independent specialty finance company that provides asset based loans in the $1-$15MM range for a wide variety of purposes. Our facilities are used for: refinancings from banks or factors, high growth or highly seasonal businesses, leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, restructurings, turnarounds, recapitalizations, Debtor in Possession and exit financing, special situations. We are a highly experienced team that pride ourselves in responsiveness, professionalism and execution. In addition Siena Lending Group works with community banks to provide structuring and servicing of their asset-based loans, so they do not need to build out a platform.

subset: commoncrawl


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Here at Brabarella Lingerie we always carry a good selection of garter belts. We have to – we sell a ton of nylon stockings! Shown here is a new Stockings and Romance style. We also have selections from Triolet, Rago and Leg Avenue. Prices range from $62.00 to $8.00, so there's something for almost any budget.
Brabarella Lingerie Garter Belts


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Occupying a respected place in the etiquette of giving is the most delicious of gifts, the food gift from the kitchen. There may be plenty of unworn ties or garish sweaters hiding in closet corners, but most food gifts rarely go uneaten - or unappreciated.
Cookies, quick breads, fudge and candy are the traditional gifts from the kitchen. But any homemade specialty will do. If your spaghetti sauce is legendary, package a jar with a pound of pasta and a wedge of good grating cheese. If there is an ice cream aficionado on your list, find a recipe for decadent chocolate and caramel sauces.
As a change from the food gifts meant to be eaten during the holidays, consider giving mixes that the recipient can make at their leisure. A brownie mix or a bean soup mix (recipes below) can come in handy when a cook is in a hurry.
Part of the fun of giving - and receiving - a food gift is the packaging. Take a little time to be creative and inspired with these tips:
Check out garage sales, flea markets and import, kitchen and discount stores for glass jars, tins, baskets and other containers for food gifts. Wash and dry glasses and tins thoroughly before use, and line baskets with a colorful napkin or fabric.
Use scraps of fabric, tied with a piece of ribbon or yarn, as a cap for lids. With pinking shears, cut the fabric a few inches wider than the jar lid.
As an alternative to glass jars, pack gift foods in zip-top plastic bags. Tuck the plastic bag inside a fabric or decorative paper bag and tie with ribbon. Or tuck the plastic bag into a mixing bowl, baking pan or decorative storage tin.
When giving a mix for brownies, cookies or soup, add preparation instructions. Write out the directions on a recipe card, punch a small hole in the corner of the card, and tie it to the container of mix.
Plastic wrap not only protects the freshness of foods but also keeps a tray of cookies neat. Choose colored or patterned plastic wrap.
2 cups instant minced onions
¼ cup dried crushed basil leaves
4 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons each: ground cumin, garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 bay leaves
6 cups dried small red beans
2-2/3 cups dried lentils
1-1/3 cups each: dried white navy beans, dried yellow split peas
4 cups uncooked brown rice
Toast minced onion in a nonstick skillet, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat. Remove onion from skillet and cool.
In each of four 1-quart jars, layer the following: ½ cup red beans, 1/3 cup lentils, 1/3 cup split peas, ½ cup red beans, 1/3 cup lentils, 1/3 cup navy beans and ½ cup red beans.
In each of four zip-style plastic sandwich bags, place the following: ½ cup toasted onion, 1 tablespoon basil, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ginger and 1 bay leaf.
Put 1 cup rice in each of four zip-style plastic storage bags.
Place spice-filled bag on top of the beans in each jar and cover with jar lids. Attach rice bag to jar with ribbon or yarn or tuck the rice and bean jar into a small basket. Include a recipe card with these soup mix instructions: Remove spice bag from one jar of beans. Wash beans and combine with 9 cups water in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Return beans to saucepan, and add rice, 12 cups chicken broth and spice-bag contents. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour or until beans and rice are tender. Garnish each serving with sliced green onions, if desired. Each mix makes 6 servings.
A new book, "Simply Homemade Food Gifts" (Meredith, $29.95), offers a great way to satisfy a chocoholic in a novel way. The editors suggest filling a pretty coffee cup with coffee beans and adding two coffeehouse spoons, one covered with white chocolate and the other with bittersweet. Wrap each spoon in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.
6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces or bar chocolate
6 ounces white baking chocolate bar
20 to 24 plastic spoons
In a heavy saucepan, heat semisweet chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate begins to melt. Immediately remove from heat, and stir until smooth. Dip half of the spoons into chocolate, tapping handle of each spoon against side of pan to remove excess chocolate. Place spoons on waxed paper on a cookie sheet, and refrigerate about 30 minutes to allow chocolate to harden. (Chocolate also can be melted in a microwave. Heat for about 2 minutes. Remove and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.)
Repeat process, using white chocolate.
Spoon remaining chocolate into two small, zip-top plastic bags. With scissors, cut a small opening in one corner of each bag. Drizzle white chocolate over the dark chocolate-coated spoons, and vice versa.
Refrigerate spoons for 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Wrap each spoon separately and store in a cool, dry place for 2 to 3 weeks.


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- 04-Oct-2018 to 30-Jun-2019 (PST)
- Sheriff's Department
- Klamath Falls, OR, USA
- Hourly
- Full Time
Corrections Deputy maintains security and manages and supervises inmates in the Klamath County Jail and other duties as assigned.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The following are not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.
01 Maintains security by controlling access to the detention facility; responsible for key and equipment controls; operates and monitors surveillance equipment; conducts security and inmate welfare checks and inmate counts; controls and inventories material and equipment; performs inmate body searches and area searches; performs contraband abatement introduction and searches inmate property; checks perimeter of facility; transports inmate inside and outside facility; participates in emergency drills.
02 Manages inmates by supervising inmate movement; counsels inmate; provides procedural and activity information; supervises inmate program activity; maintains inmate discipline; reviews and adjusts classification/inmate housing; uses physical force and applies restraints as needed; supervises inmate work details inside and outside the jail facility.
03 Conducts hourly inmate checks; ensures inmate health standards; maintains inmate activity schedule; serves meals; provides access to medical and dental care; ensures inmate due process rights; maintains proper classification and housing of inmates; ensures access to the legal system; provides laundry exchange and commissary to inmates.
04 Conducts inmate booking process by confirming arrest agency identification; confirms security of weapons; confirms security of inmate; searches inmates and removes and inventories property; restrains inmates as needed; confiscates illegal property; obtains custody report and conducts required questioning; removes restraints and places inmate in cell; fingerprints and photographs inmate; determines pre-classification; determines release status; conducts pre-housing search according to policy; issues clothing and bedding.
05 Processes inmate release by establishing release validity; moves inmate to release area; verifies inmate identification; re-issues personal clothing and property; collects facility property; ensures proper completion of release agreement; escorts inmate from facility.
06 Writes reports and reads and enforces inmate rules; participates in training; answers telephone and relates information to appropriate individual.
07 Responds to disturbances and medical crises; responds to facility mechanical failure; responds to inmate escape, fire and natural disaster.
08 Operates equipment; such as, typewriter, personal computer, control room and pod panels, cameras, breathalyzer, etc. Based on assignment, may operate firearms (including handguns, shotguns, and rifles) etc.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and/or Experience
High School or GED Certificate, 21 years of age, possess physical capabilities as demanded by DPSST, and be able to be sworn as a Police Officer in accordance with Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 181.610-181.990. Current or recent experience as a Police Officer, Corrections Officer, or Police Reserve Officer is desirable but not required.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
01 Department of Public Safety Standards and Training DPSST Basic Certification, which must be obtained within one year after employment.
02 Oregon Driver's License
03 First Aid Certificate, Required upon DPSST Certification and periodic renewal thereafter.
04 CPR Certification, required upon DPSST certification and periodic renewal thereafter
Work Schedule
The normal work schedule is 8.00 hours per day 5 days per week; exact schedules are assigned by management and likely to include weekends and holidays. It is the attendance standard of the employer that all employees be present and on time each shift they are scheduled to work. Full or partial absence during any scheduled shift, arriving late, or leaving early, for whatever reason, may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. Time off may be approved if allowed by applicable policies covering illness, injury, or other personal emergency.
Klamath County enforces a drug free work place. Successful applicants may be required to submit to drug testing
Applicants cannot have a criminal history involving serious misdemeanors or felonies; background checks will be conducted.
Apply Now
Sign Up For Job Alerts!
- Resources


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The number one action from our symposium last year was to provide more cases studies and examples for the community. Today we launch our video series interviewing Living Lab practitioners in Australia and around the world. We'll be talking about what are the key components of a living lab, case studies, examples of how they operate and get established, stakeholder roles and methods. We have broken up the interview into bite size pieces between 5-10 minutes long.
Our first interview is with Professor Lars Coenen and Professor Annica Kronsell who both work on the Governance of Urban Sustainability Transitions project. In this video we ask the question what is an Urban Living Lab?


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Sara Hyde's wedding was one I was especially looking forward to. Not only was I official photographer, I was official guest too! I met Sara in school and after spending all our 6th form days together in L9. I think it's safe to say we wouldn't have guessed Sara to be the first one in our group to get married. However shortly after 6th form…and with a little help from Cupid Jenny, Sara and James fell in love!
On the morning of the wedding I arrived at Sara and James's house. After successfully dodging the dog who was guarding the house I was welcomed by Sara and her bridesmaids who were busy getting ready.
After a busy morning which seemed to fly by, it was off to the Coot on the Tarn at Urswick where Sara & James were getting married. Her bridesmaids were waiting patiently and the groom and his ushers all ready…
The service was short but lovely, with the exchanging of rings and the register signed it was time to walk down the else as MR & MRS Brakewell…. Only Sara's nearly lost something along the way! Haha.
Capturing that first look at his wife to be…..
Sara's Dad giving her away to James…..
It looks like I have some assistants…..
All smiles walking back down the aisle as the new Mr & Mrs Brakewell
After a celebratory glass of buck's fizz it was time to venture outside into the grounds for group photos… although it can sometimes be a hassle to get everyone together for a large group photo and getting all the family members together for each picture it is worth it in the end….. here are a collection of photos that we took, making great use of the self-timer in some photos near the end!
this one's just for Steph 🙂
Who says you cant be a photographer and a guest……
Sometimes on your wedding day it can all go by so fast that it's nice to sit and have 10minites to spend together…..
I remember Sara telling me on her Hen Night that her and James had something rather special planned for their first dance… They had both learnt a dance routine! This was such a lovely touch to a beautiful day, I must admit I did have a tear in my eye as Sara & James were doing their first dance, it was so moving and as I looked around everyone had a smile on their face.
Sadly I had to leave the wedding shortly after their first dance as I had another wedding to photograph the following day, but after meeting up with Sara to show her the wedding photographs she tells me that she wouldn't have changed anything about the day….which brought a smile to my face. Congratulations again to you both, I'm sure you will have a wonderful life as Husband and Wife. xxx


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Policy paper
Improving the driving test
Updated 25 August 2015
© Crown copyright 2015
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: email@example.com.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-the-driving-test/improving-the-driving-test
1. Introduction
The government wants new drivers to be prepared for driving on their own, and not just passing the driving test
The driving test needs to be reviewed so that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) can better assess whether new drivers can drive safely and competently on their own on our busy modern roads.
DVSA has spent time talking to driving instructor associations, academics and others with a road safety interest to see what can be done differently.
The content of the test is set in law, so there are limits to what can be changed. For example, the 'show me, tell me' questions must be done, but we can consider how they're actually carried out.
2. How the trial will work
DVSA is trialling some changes to the driving test.
DVSA needs between 2,000 and 3,000 learner drivers to take part. The research started in spring 2015 and will last up to 1 year.
This research is part of a routine review of the driving test.
DVSA will:
- compare the results of people taking the current and trial test
- look at any changes in safe driving within 6 months of learner drivers passing their driving test
Another reason that DVSA is doing the research is because it needs feedback from:
- approved driving instructors (ADIs)
- learner drivers
- supervising drivers
DVSA will make recommendations after the research has been done. There'll then be a public consultation about the recommendations.
Any changes to the driving test will only be made when that's been done.
2.1 Which driving test centres are being using
The research is being done at 32 driving test centres. They're a mix of rural and urban locations.
You can only take part in the research if you normally use one of these centres.
They are:
- Basildon
- Bedford
- Birmingham Kings Heath
- Bishopbriggs (Glasgow)
- Blackpool
- Bournemouth
- Bristol (Southmead)
- Burgess Hill
- Cardiff
- Cheetham Hill
- Edinburgh (Musselburgh)
- Enfield
- Farnborough
- Folkestone
- Goodmayes
- Herne Bay
- Ipswich
- Lincoln
- Lower Gornal
- Mitcham (London)
- Northampton
- Norwich
- Oxford
- Plymouth
- Sheffield Handsworth
- Southampton (Maybush)
- St Helens
- Sunderland
- Swansea
- West Didsbury
- Weston-super-mare
- York
2.2 Learners taking the test will get a licence
The test being used in the research is an actual driving licence acquisition test. This means that learners who pass will get a full driving licence.
The assessment of the driving test will stay the same as it is now.
2.3 Who we're working with
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) is doing the research with DVSA.
3. Changes that are being trialled
Two new manoeuvres will, for the purpose of the trial, replace the current 'turn in the road' and 'left reverse' manoeuvres. You should still be taught these, though.
The table below shows the main differences between the current and trial test.
|Current test
|Trial test
|'Show me' and 'tell me' question at the beginning of the test
|'Tell me' question at the beginning of the test and a 'show me' question on the move
|10 minutes independent driving using traffic signs or verbal directions
|20 minutes independent driving using a satnav or traffic signs
|One of the following manoeuvres - turn in the road, reverse around a corner or reverse parking (either into a parking bay, or parallel parking at the side of the road)
|One of the following manoeuvres - drive in to and reverse out of a parking bay, pull up on the right, reverse, and rejoin the traffic or reverse parking (either into a parking bay, or parallel parking at the side of the road)
Everything else stays the same as the current test. The standard of assessment is the same for both tests.
3.1 Independent driving and using satnavs
We're going to use satnavs in the independent driving section of the test, and increase the length from about 10 minutes to about 20 minutes.
Slow speed manoeuvres generally don't lead to serious road traffic collisions. By removing manoeuvres that need us to use backstreets, we can design test routes that are more open and take in faster and rural driving.
Using a satnav also goes someway to addressing concerns that inexperienced drivers are easily distracted, which is one of the main causes of crashes.
We're moving with technology and the technology that new drivers will be using. Following traffic signs will still be a second option.
Candidates will need experience of following directions from a satnav.
About the satnav
We will provide the satnav, and you can't use your own. It will be pre-programmed and the driving examiner will fit it to the windscreen.
We're using a TomTom GO 50 satnav for the trials. We won't necessarily use this model if this does become part of the test in future.
There may be a need to use the in-car power. We'll look at this during the trial.
Following directions
The satnav will provide visual and verbal directions.
It should recalculate and redirect the candidate back onto the programmed route if they don't follow the directions.
The driving examiner can also step in and give advice to get back on the route.
As long as the candidate deals with this safely, they won't be marked with a fault.
Problems with the satnav
The driving examiner will step in to take control if the satnav fails or freezes. They can then go back to giving directions in the same way as they do now.
Where 2 junctions are close together
The driving examiner will give bridging directions if there are 2 junctions close together so that the candidate can plan their drive.
Speed reading on the satnav
The candidate should use the speedometer reading fitted to the vehicle. The satnav might give a slightly different reading.
The examiner will only use the car speedometer reading.
3.2 Pull up on the right
We're going to ask candidates to pull up on the opposite side of the road, and then reverse for a couple of car lengths.
The exercise is perfectly legal. It's challenging and is the kind of manoeuvre a driver will do at some point after passing their driving test.
We'll use roads that represent real-life driving conditions.
This manoeuvre is done more commonly that turn-in-road and left-reverse in real life. It tests the skills that people will need, particularly for those who go on to be professional drivers, eg delivery drivers.
3.3 Forward parking in a bay
We're going to ask candidates to drive forward into a parking bay, and then reverse back out of it.
We'll use public car parks to do this, eg hotels, pubs and other types of locations. Businesses can stop us using car parks on private property, and we'll be monitoring this during the trial.
Driving forward into a parking bay and then reversing out is the sort of thing most drivers do on a regular basis. It's a perfectly legal exercise to do.
The skills you need to drive forward into a parking bay are the same as those for any slow speed manoeuvre – control, accuracy and effective observations.
Parking and reversing
You must reverse either left or right depending on the traffic flow in the car park.
You're not allowed to drive through a first parking bay and then park in the bay directly in front of that.
When you reverse, you're not allowed to reverse into any parking bays behind you.
3.4 'Show me' safety question on the move
We're going to ask a 'show me' safety question while the candidate is driving.
This is no different to what you need to do if the car steamed up or you needed to switch on the lights while you're driving.
The driving examiner will ask the candidate to use a control when they think it's safe to do so. The candidate then needs to do this when they think it's safe.
A 'show me' safety question will be asked on every test.
A 'tell me' safety question will still be asked at the start of the test before the candidate moves off.


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Download EBOOK Isms: Understanding Art PDF for free
Category: Art & Photography
The author of the book: Stephen Little
Format files: PDF, EPUB, TXT, DOCX
The size of the: 239 KB
Language: English
Edition: A & C Black Publishers Ltd
Date of issue: 4 October 2004
Description of the book "Isms: Understanding Art":This is an easy to use guide to a wide range of art 'isms'. From the isms of the Renaissance to the isms of now, it gives a practical introduction to all the significant isms that have shaped art history. For each ism, there is a definition, an introduction to the topic, lists of key artists, key words, and key works as well as suggestions of other isms that the reader might be interested in. This book should be a must for everyone who is interested in art - whether they be Sunday afternoon visitors to galleries, art students or PDF the more knowledgeable art connoisseur.
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Pastor Mark Koekemoer is the senior pastor. Mark and his wife, Samantha, and their two children moved to the American Canyon/Vallejo area in 2012. Prior to 2012, he served as the worship pastor for a Nazarene church in Sacramento, California. He grew up in the mission field of Africa, where he had the privilege of been part of a blessed ministry in many congregations. Mark and his family are actively involved in various aspects of our church.
Email: email@example.com


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Guess Who's Killing the Children awesome blog of Randi James
From Child Deaths Resulting From Inflicted Injuries: Household Risk Factors and Perpetrator Characteristics, by Patricia G. Schnitzer, PhD and Bernard G. Ewigman, MD, MSPH, 2005 (emphasis mine)
We identified 149 inflicted-injury deaths in our population during the 8-year study period. Children residing in households with unrelated adults were nearly 50 times as likely to die of inflicted injuries than children residing with 2 biological parents (adjusted odds ratio: 47.6; 95% confidence interval: 10.4–218). Children in households with a single parent and no other adults in residence had no increased risk of inflicted-injury death (adjusted odds ratio: 0.9; 95% confidence interval: 0.6–1.9). Perpetrators were identified in 132 (88.6%) of the cases. The majority of known perpetrators were male (71.2%), and most were the child's father (34.9%) or the boyfriend of the child's mother (24.2%). In households with unrelated adults, most perpetrators (83.9%) were the unrelated adult household member, and only 2 (6.5%) perpetrators were the biological parent of the child.But women are the child abusers, huh?
Wait a minute though. Using the information supplied above, the "support natural/biological family" crowd's assertion that the biological family is best, is correct; HOWEVER, single parent households (single moms) are just as safe AND STILL on top of that, it is the biological fathers that are doing the killing.
One more time, in case you didn't understand (emphasis mine):
Phoenix toddler killed by father in murder-suicide remembered...Teigan Peters died on Father's Day at a campsite along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. According to police, the 3-year-old's father, Ryan Peters, shot her and then killed himself.
...Investigators said Teigan's father was upset over the custody arrangement.
Starling et al33 speculated that male caregivers are more dangerous then female caregivers. Our data offer support for this hypothesis and identify households in which a young child resides with his or her mother and her boyfriend as dramatically higher risk. In these high-risk households, the boyfriend was typically responsible for caring for the child at the time of the fatal-injury event and was the perpetrator of abuse. At the same time, it is important to note that although the relative risk is greater in households with unrelated adults, the most common male perpetrator of fatal inflicted injury was the child's biological father; nearly equal numbers of children were killed by their biological fathers as by other related and unrelated males, combined. For all household-composition categories, >70% of known perpetrators in our study were male, and >70% of known perpetrators lived with the decedent child.
See Also: Fathers and father figures are responsible for most child fatalities from physical abuse; mothers are held responsible in more cases of neglect abuse, including "failure to protect" from father abuse
Related Posts :
custody arrangements
- Do Children Benefit from Equal Custody?
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- Predictors of children's poor mental health outcomes
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single mothers
- Custodial Parents: Single Mothers and Single Fathers and Those Darn Statistics
- They Have Their Statistics, and then There is the Truth...Somewhere
- A Mother's Day IS Every Day
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child killed by father
- Father and Murderer Leslie Schuler Didn't Want to be a "Visitor" to His Child Anymore
- Kentucky Man, 2½-Year-Old Die In Murder-Suicide
- Texas death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it
- Weekend Visitation Gone Awry
- Dads and Guns


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Instructions to Scan Photographs on a Ricoh Copier?
Ricoh digital copiers are multifunctional devices that can be configured as copier, printer, fax machine and scanner. As scanning documents and photographs is becoming more popular, many customers ...
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How do I connect a Ricoh copier to a network?
Network CardMake sure your Ricoh copier has network capabilities. In most cases a network card can be added to your copier by a Ricoh technician for a charge unless it is included in a rental contr...
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How to Make a Reverse Image on a Ricoh Copier?
Copiers today can do much more than make a copy of a document. Copiers can make multi-sided copies, collate copies, shrink and enlarge copies, lighten and darken copies, produce mirror image copies...
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How to Format a Hard Disk on a Ricoh Aficio 1045 Copier?
In order to format the hard disk on a Ricoh 1045 copier, you will need to connect the copier to your computer with a Category 5 (Cat 5) or Ethernet cable. Formatting the hard disk will erase the da...
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How to Set Up a Ricoh Aficio 3030 to Scan to Network?
The Ricoh Aficio 3030 is a 30-page-per-minute, multi-functional digital copier that can copy, fax, print and scan. Once a print/scan board is installed, the 3030 can be set up to scan directly to a...
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Dr. Cheryl L. Mejta
Dr. Cheryl L. Mejta is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois. She has over 35 years of experience as a professor, researcher, and administrator. Currently, she is the Chair of the Department of Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health at Governors State University located in University Park, Illinois. Throughout her career, she has focused upon the psychological aspects of health and illness. Her interest in complementary and alternative medicine emerged when she observed people with chronic illness receiving limited relief from allopathic medicine. She also saw the focus on treating the immediate symptoms but paying little attention to preventing a recurrence of that illness or the development of another illness. This led her to studying complementary and alternative medicine as ways to improve the health and well-being of people diagnosed with chronic illnesses or diseases. To impart what she learned to others, she developed and teaches an undergraduate course on comparative complementary and medicine. She also is co-editing, with Dr. Serena Wadhwa, a book on complementary and alternative medicine systems and approaches.


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This report analyzes the $166-billion U.S. market for kids' products, which is being transformed by sweeping changes in kids' preferences, strong undercurrents of e-commerce and advanced marketing techniques. The report offers a detailed discussion of kid demographics, market size, growth and composition, kids' behavior as consumers, retail trends and the new fundamentals of marketing to kids. Market projections through 2004 are included. Purchasers can expect a thorough discussion of specific kid-targeted marketing strategies and campaigns that have succeeded in the following product segments: food and beverages, play items, video, apparel, and health and beauty care. Kid-oriented media is comprehensively analyzed, with a special new emphasis on electronic media.
Scope and Methodology
Market Definition: Little Consumers Age 5-14
Packaged Facts defines kids as those age 5-14, a definition often used by in-dustry experts. To delineate the developmental stages children pass through, we divide the kids' market into three approximately equal sub-groups: 5- to 7-year-olds; 8- to 11-year-olds; and 12- to 14-year-olds.
Report Methodology
The information contained in this report is based upon both primary and sec-ondary research. Primary research included interviews with U.S. Census Bureau analysts, media executives, and marketers of products targeted to kids. Secondary research included an exhaustive search of relevant government, trade, and consumer publications, as well as newspapers, websites, and current advertising.
Issues Addressed:
Retailer Profiles:
Hours of Research: 800
Market Size and Growth
Shopping Patterns
Marketing Fundamentals
Food and Beverages
Appendix I: Examples Of Consumer Advertising and Promotions (only available in bound editions of the report)
Appendix II: Addresses Of Selected Marketers
Learn how to effectively navigate the market research process to help guide your organization on the journey to success.Download eBook


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VANCOUVER -- Having smokers in the house increases the risk that a young child with flu will need inpatient care, according to a large retrospective case-control study reported here.
The three-year data analysis of more than 1,300 laboratory-confirmed cases of child influenza, collected by 10 sites in the CDC's Emerging Infections Program, found that if more than half of household members were smokers it doubled the chances a child would have a serious case of flu, said Nila Dharan, MD, of the division of infectious diseases at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City.
Other risk factors for serious cases of flu included having a younger mother and not being up to date on vaccinations, Dharan reported at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
In this study, a serious case of flu was defined as hospital admission within 14 days of laboratory-confirmed influenza.
Dharan said that having a household member vaccinated against flu was protective, even if the child was not fully protected by immunizations.
The data, originally collected by the CDC for an evaluation of influenza vaccine effectiveness during the flu seasons in 2005 to 2008, were analyzed to identify risk factors for hospitalization associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
The current analysis included 290 children ages 6 to 59 months (median age 20 months) with serious cases of flu, compared with 1,089 age- and ZIP code-matched children with the flu who did not need inpatient care during the three influenza seasons, she said.
The researchers used multivariate analysis to tease out risk factors for admission to hospital and found -- not surprisingly -- that underlying medical conditions played an important role. For instance, Dharan reported, having an underlying hematologic or oncologic condition increased the risk by a factor of 12.
Additionally they found:
- The odds were doubled if the mother was 26 or younger. The odds ratio was 2.1, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.3 to 3.4.
- The risk was increased if the child's shots were not up to date. The odds ratio was 1.7, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.1 to 2.7.
- If more than half of household members smoked, the child's risk of needing inpatient care was doubled. The odds ratio was 2.3, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.0 to 5.3. The risk was similar to having any pulmonary condition, including asthma.
- If the child was not fully vaccinated for the flu, having any household member immunized was protective. The odds ratio was 0.5, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.3 to 0.8.
- All of the odds ratios were significant at P<0.05.
Dharan noted that other researchers have looked at a possible association between exposure to smoking and a child's risk of needing inpatient care for flu, but "this is the largest study to date."
Many of the risk factors are well known, according to Andrew Pavia, MD, of the University of Utah, who was not part of the study but who moderated a press conference at which it was presented.
But the link with smoking by exposure, he said, is new.
"Many other complications of indoor smoking have been demonstrated in the past few years," including an increased risk for inpatient care owing to respiratory syncytial virus, Pavia told MedPage Today. But an association between exposure to smoking and the risk of a child needing inpatient care for flu "has not been demonstrated," he added.
Many of the other risk factors, he said, "may be surrogates for poverty, for crowding."
The study was supported by the CDC. Dharan said she had no disclosures.
Pavia reported financial links with NexBio.
- Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner
Primary Source
Infectious Diseases Society of AmericaSource Reference: Dharan NJ, et al "Child and household risk factors for hospitalization with laboratory-confirmed influenza among children aged 6-59 months -- United States 2005-2008" IDSA 2101; Abstract 1430.


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We are so familiar of the cliché of someone being an 'ambassador' for such and such a cause - and it is most often used in cases of the fall from grace of some such 'ambassador' - that it is a curious pleasure to see it used to apply to the fall from grace of a real-life ambassador, who henceforth will probably be remembered as being a great ambassador for the select community of those that get found by the police lying in the street drunk and naked but for the scant cover afforded by bondage gear. Step forward Israeli ambassador to El Salvador Tzuriel Refael; since recalled by Tel Aviv, his arrest has been called an 'unprecedented emabarrassment' by a government spokesman, who was presumably not moved to the same sentiments by the levelling of Jenin, last year's bombing of Lebanon or the erection of Israel's illegal 'security wall' in the Occupied Territories.
My sympathy goes out to Ambassador Refael, who, one imagines, knew how to have a good time and was not willing to allow a mere trifle such as diplomatic protocol to interfere with his fight for the right to party. But one might ask what Israel is doing with a diplomatic presence in such a small republic thousands of miles away as El Salvador. The answer might lie in the Central American state being a loyal client for the Israeli arms industry, and a couple of decades of back, for Israeli expertise in training its government-sponsored death squads. A similar thought ran through my mind when I walked through the beautiful old town centre of Bratislava last month, seeing embassies housed on almost every street corner. I was a bit surprised to see, alongside the missions of better-known countries the consulates of such marginal nations as Georgia and Paraguay, until I realised that such countries are probably availing of Slovakia's long-standing arms industry. Of course, Costa Rica, which famously abolished its army in 1948, also has an embassy there. But Costa Rica still imports weapons for its police force and its state paramilitaries, I presume.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Ambassador, You Are Spoiling Us...
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We heard some rumors on this one a while back, but we finally have it from the source, the Vikings are invading Europe. Activision let us know today that they should be making their push into the heart of the continent this spring when the expansion for Medieval: Total War called Viking Invasion hits store shelves. This expansion will push time back a little bit to 790AD when the Viking hordes decided it was way the hell too cold where they were living and wanted to ruin everybody else's fun just for spite. Well that and a little bit of pillaging and the like.
This new expansion is bringing plenty of new stuff to Creative Assembly's excellent strategy title such as eight new factions. You'll now be able to use the Vikings, Saxons, Scots, Irish, Welsh, and Picts. There'll be new campaigns, such as one to take the British Isles, and new heroes and units like Viking Berserkers. But here's the really tasty part. All of your sieges have now been made even siegier with the addition of sizzling hot flaming arrows and a health dose of boiling oil to greet those unwanted guests.
Perhaps the more interesting additions to gameplay features are some of the new pre-battle functions. You'll now be able to scout enemy formations and positions before battle is joined and plan reinforcements for an even more realistic battle experience.
"We felt the era of Nordic raiders offered the perfect opportunity to add new flavors to the Medieval: Total War experience," explains Tim Ansell, founder, owner and managing director of developer The Creative Assembly. "Players can now sweep west from Scandinavia to raid, pillage and conquer just as they did over 1200 years ago."
Keep those eyes open for when we get our hands on a copy of Medieval's first expansion, we'll be sure to let you know what we think.


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Ballymacrickett Primary School has recognised the ongoing push for STEM within primary schools. With funding and help from Randox Laboratories our school aim to try and develop pupils' understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Ballymacrickett recently purchased Microbots to help the pupils in their projects. The pupils had to build these microbots using all the parts supplied. It was a very challenging, enjoyable and worthwhile experience for the boys and girls.
Ballymacrickett's Primary seven had a recent visit from ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers). The boys and girls really enjoyed getting real life experience of building a bridge and what it would be like to be a civil engineer.
Ballymacrickett Primary School took part in a Microbot STEM challenge in the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. The pupils had to manipulate software to enable the microbots to complete a synchronised dance. The boys showed great expertise winning one of the prizes available.
"Enthuse Celebration Awards for STEM (Science,Technology,Engineering and Maths) Learning"
Congratulations to Ballymacrickett for coming first in the Northern Ireland Primary Schools Category. The presentation took place at Parliament Buildings, Stormont on Wednesday 29th March. This is in recognition of our whole school approach, particularly in science:
Key strengths of our school in relation to this award included:
• The positive impact in the teaching and learning in science, in particular developing children's ability to work together and think scientifically
• The work we have developed through the Shared Education Initiative
• The effectiveness of continued professional development of staff, particularly in science
• The partnership with the local business 'Randox' to develop STEM
Mrs Mc Ilvar, our science coordinator, will be flying to London in July to represent our school at the UK finals.


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Close contest poised for a thrilling end A SELL-OUT crowd of well over 25.000 people at Edgbaston couldn't have asked for more than what they experienced on the third day, absorbing, intense and entertaining cricket.
In the first period of play Pakistan batsmen stuck it out to take a crucial lead of 103. In the last session, however, England had wrested the initiative by wiping off the visitors' lead without losing a wicket.
Earlier, Pakistan after having lost two quick wickets in the morning, had put the shutters down to repair the damage.The failure of senior pro Younis Khan to play himself back into the groove, and Asad Shafiq's dismissal without scoring no doubt gave Pakistan a scare because of its long tail. But it was once again the Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq who came to the rescue to lift his team's sagging spirits and stood up to the challenge to provide the innings a direction from where a lead could be achieved.
He frustrated the English bowlers to a point from where it became a hard grind for them to restrict Pakistan. More so because Sarfraz Ahmed, a reliable late order batsman, also got into the swing of things to play handsomely and share a 62-run stand for the sixth wicket with his captain.
As the contest warmed up and frustration mounted for the England bowlers, their star bowler James Anderson had to be taken off the attack because he frequently ran on to the business area of the pitch, violating the prescribed rules of the game.
That indeed took Pakistan to where they were aiming for, a lead of at least hundred runs that gave them a chance to put England under pressure for a second time in this Test.
The pitch till the third afternoon had not changed in its nature nor in its pace or bounce and appeared nice and friendly.
But foot marks had developed on both sides of the pitch which one thought could be of concern for the England batsmen. However, they countered little trouble and went along merrily in the second innings.
Cricket played by both the teams in the last three days have been of the highest class and as intense as it could be. The potential winner of the this in the end will be the one who could hold the nerve to get the better of the other.
But all said and done, for Pakistan to come strongly back into this game after a heart-breaking defeat at Old Trafford is no mean feat. For them to keep their chances alive in this nerve-tickling series it is important that they display strong temperament and rise above their normal self to walk out from here with honour.
Source: http://www.dawn.com/news/1275668/comment-close-contest-poised-for-a-thrilling-end


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Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine
Eyes: Blue
Gorgeous springtime/summer red polish, especially great for a pedicure! Sometimes you think it's a dark pink color, and other times it's red--very festive in a warm-weather kind of way--it's absolutely the color of those pinkish red tulips you see blooming in spring. Extremely glossy formula almost doesn't need a top coat, but with Seche Vite, it screams gloss. You could also classify this as the color of fruit punch. Love it!
on 10/11/2005 10:25:00 PM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Combination, Other, Not Sure
Hair: Brown, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
I love this on toes - 2 coats gives a pretty cherry red with a very small hint of berry; creamy yet refreshingly light for such a strong colour. Looks great on pale skin. On tips it's a bit garish unless you keep your nails very short. Works better for spring than summer (looks more blah on tan skin) but I can see breaking this out in the late fall with peeptoes. OPI quality is, of course, impeccable. I was just slapping this one to check out the colour and it looks really even!
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Latest Weather Blog
Baker to hire collection agency for warrants
BAKER - Baker council members will consider hiring a collection agency Tuesday to go after people who owe money for outstanding warrants.
Faced with budget cuts to break even, council members will also consider a collection fee of up to 30 percent. Councilman John Givens says Baker has more than 6,000 outstanding warrants that are keeping money out of the city's pocket.
"Right now the city is going through a budget problem," he said. "We have more expenditures than we have revenue. So it would help to give back to the city, and the city can reduce the deficits."
Baker City Court Judge Kirk A. Williams says collection fees would give people an incentive to pay off outstanding warrants to avoid added fees on top of the warrant fee.
"We're talking about roughly $300,000 of bench warrant fees, but there's also fees associated with that which could range up to another $700,000. So maybe you're looking at a million dollars in outstanding bench warrants and fines," he said.
That's money that could help Baker out to offset some of the cuts made to balance the city's budget this year.
"What would happen is we would be able to do some other things and help the city do some other things, helping the budget and different departments like public works and public utilities," said Givens.
Williams also said the collection agency plan could also help out the Baker Police Department. He says officers wouldn't have to go after so many offenders who don't pay up.
Council members will also vote to approve the balanced budget at Tuesday's meeting.


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Is it any surprise that Las Vegas is full of talented entertainers and musicians? In a city that literally exists for fun, there are plenty of employment opportunities for those who can provide fantastic entertainment. For the artists still working on realizing their dreams or perfecting their craft, there are many chances to get onstage in front of a receptive audience to test the waters—and that's where the Las Vegas open mic scene comes in.
On almost any night of the week, performers champ at the bit to get out there, and fans who love fresh talent can put their hands together at many bars and venues across the Valley. Although there is some carryover by the more ambitious artists, each event has its own soul, patronage and identity. The open mics themselves are almost as diverse as the talented people who provide the entertainment, and represent the fascinating and eccentric community that makes up Las Vegas as a whole.
The vibe, focus and rules are different at each of the Valley's open mic nights, which means that potential performers should move around to see where their style fits in best. One local musician, Jenna Reisdorph, is doing just that. She hopes to find a place that will embrace her, especially because she has never performed for an audience before and is nervous about the reception, as most are. She still has plenty of legwork ahead of her to find the right venue.
Conversely, Stefan des Lauriers is a regular at Human Experience, a vibrant and welcoming weekly open mic night at Hop Nuts Brewing in the Arts District. An incredible songwriter and producer, des Lauriers has lost a lot of his vocal abilities due to deterioration from the late stages of Parkinson's disease. His speaking voice is slow and careful, and to combat the lost steadiness of his singing voice, he created artificial vocals digitally for his performances. He hopes to garner the attention of a talented singer to croon his multilayered, poetic compositions.
The title for longest-running weekly open mic goes to Money Mic at Money Plays. The Monday-night event has been going on since the '90s and even stuck around when the bar changed hands years later. As the eager attendees file in and write their names on the signup sheet, you can easily see that there is a community here, as many of the performers know each other by name.
Spending just one hour in any of the open mic nights around town will supply endless entertainment, both due to the undiscovered talent and, sometimes, misguided ambition. The sense of community and palpable passion give even the most chiseled critics some much needed inspiration. Why not see what the city is hiding in plain sight?
Ready to shine?
Where to take the stage across the Valley
Human Experience
With a loyal following of both artists and fans, the seats at this open mic are usually packed. The affordable drinks and relaxed atmosphere make it an easy place to hang out and wait to see what transpires. Mondays, 7 p.m., at Hop Nuts Brewing, 1120 S. Main St., Suite 150, facebook.com/humanexperiencelasvegas
Monday Nite Jamming Session
For musicians who want to jam with a full band, this open mic night provides the support of the Tap House All Star Band. Mondays, 7:30 p.m., at Tap House, 5589 W. Charleston Blvd., taphouselv.com/tap-house-jamming-session
Spit Your Truth
For rappers, singers and poets, Spit Your Truth puts the talent at the forefront, providing the big stage many have been dreaming of. First and last Tuesdays, times vary, at Classic Jewel, 353 E. Bonneville Ave., Suite 111, facebook.com/spityourtruth
Open Mic at The Spike
The young, energetic crowd, open-air venue and hip Downtown vibe make this event a place not only to be heard, but also seen. Every second and fourth Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Gold Spike, 217 Las Vegas Blvd. North, goldspike.com
Money Mic
The unassuming strip mall gaming bar doesn't seem like a treasure trove of musical talent, but with upwards of 20 acts each Thursday, it's a great casual place to take in some entertainment. Thursdays, 8 p.m., at Money Plays, 4755 W. Flamingo Rd., moneyplayslv.com
Soul Sessions
It says it right in its name: Soul Sessions is made for the soulful. The all-ages event focuses on art, poetry and music. Sundays following the first Friday, at Raw Remedies, 203 E. Colorado Ave., facebook.com/soulsessionslv


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Following calls by gedolei Yisroel, including HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv and HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman shlita, roshei yeshivos are issuing appeals to parents to safeguard their sons and remain alert to various spiritual dangers that lurk during bein hazmanim, such as tainted communications devices, including Internet perils and self-styled "chareidi" websites. They also cautioned against unsupervised trips and renting rooms in the North.
In a notice headed, "Amoleinu Eilu Habonim," gedolei Yisroel warned about the perils and snares to be avoided during the Nisan yeshiva break.
"We have heard about the terrible breach in which bochurim from upstanding families rent rooms in hostels, hotels and cabins in the Tiberius area and the North, where they have access to impure devices and unconscionable things and [in certain instances] came to the point of terrible stumbling-blocks, may Hashem spare us. Yeshiva students rented rooms for rest and relaxation and were unable to overcome the test, and they stumbled and declined demonstrably.
"Parents must be alert to the dangers and exhibit foresight and stand guard, not allowing their sons to set out on trips. If there is a real necessity they should take part in organized trips with proper supervision to prevent spiritual and physical dangers."
The letter is signed by both HaRav Eliashiv and HaRav Shteinman shlita.
{Deiah veDibur/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}


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In this video lecture series, I am talking about Agriculture in Punjab for PCS Exam Preparation.
Agriculture in Punjab:
Punjab is known as Food bowl of the Country or Granary of India
Major crops in Punjab are Wheat , Rice , Barley , Maize, Cotton and Sugarcane
43% of India Wheat and 15% of Rice production in country contributed by Punjab
2% of world Cotton, 2% of Wheat, 1% of rice
Ludhiana- Manchester of India
Rabi and Kharif Crops
Rabi crops- Sown in winter, Harvested in summer
– Wheat, Barley , Mustard, Sesame, Peas
Kharif Crops- Sown with onset of Monsoon and harvested in September-October
– Rice, Millets, Maize, Gram
Main Features:
1.Wheat- Paddy Cycle
2.Canal and Tubewell irrigation
3.High use of fertilizers
4.97% net sown area under irrigation
Green Revolution in Punjab:
Before 1965- Less agriculture, droughts, wars- Dependency on foreign markets
1965- Introduction of Mexican varieties of wheat , Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation facilities lead to high production of crops- Called Green Revolution
Mainly confined to Wheat, Rice
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan – Father of GR in India


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Hashtag Basketball / Detroit Pistons
10 games into the season the Pistons best three players are showing some great trends. This is a look at those trends and what they mean for the team.
The Pistons are 10 games into the season, which is still early but it is far enough in to identify trends that may or may not continue. All three of the Pistons big three are trending the right way in big ways that are central to the Pistons success so far and for continued success.
This is bizarre. If you are watching basketball for the first time it would be unimaginable that this guy is literally the worst free throw shooter in history. Everything about this says that it is something that is sustainable, he looks like a fully capable free throw shooter, the only thing that makes it unbelievable is that it is crazy to think that someone could improve that drastically in anything.
If it keeps up though, it is borderline revolutionary for Andre and the Pistons as a team. A lot of people immediately focus on how this means that opposing teams cannot foul Andre to take him out of games at the end, but although that is nice it isn't the biggest improvement.
The most basic improvement is that from a simple numbers perspective, there will no longer be several possessions per game lit on fire by the Pistons per game. Drummond's true shooting percentage has already made a huge jump from last year, 59% this year compared to just 51.8% last year, and it is largely based on his free throw improvements.
The biggest improvement beyond the basic numbers is that Andre can start to play offense around the hoop with a ton more confidence, the game against the Bucks was a perfect example of it. Andre had become so terrified of shooting free throws that he was terrified of getting fouled which resulted in him doing things that no guy his size should really be doing in the paint. He took those awful, fading, hooks in the post, he took floaters in the paint, and generally tried to avoid contact and/or playing too physical in an effort to keep from shooting free throws. Simply put, when you have a guy who is as big and strong as Andre, it is hugely detrimental to his game when he is afraid to use his strength.
Against the Bucks, he was going up strong and even welcomed contact at the hoop while he went through defenders instead of around them. When he does that he suddenly is trading floaters, tough layups, and hooks, for dunks which force opponents the choice between allowing an open dunk or sending him to the line. It will not happen overnight, it takes time to get rid of bad habits, but as the season goes on and he continues to gain confidence in himself at the line he will welcome more and more contact which means going right to the hoop more which makes him much more difficult to guard.
Tobias Harris is not going to keep up his current pace of 45.6% from deep on the season on 6.1 attempts, but there is definitely something there that wasn't there before from Tobias. Harris, a career 33.9% three-point shooter, has always been a guy who can shoot some threes, but not really a three-point shooter. This is particularly problematic with the current Pistons team, where drawing power forwards out of the paint is integral in opening up the paint for Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond to get the juiciest actions out of the pick and roll. Tobias is still a very good player, but there was a bit of a fit issue between him and the Pistons other two best players. Tobias has never been the sort to make his teammates better, and he isn't a good enough ball handler or passer to be as high volume a ball handler as Reggie Jackson. In essence, it meant that on plays that didn't focus on Tobias getting looks in the midrange or into the paint, it was probably better to just have a guy like Anthony Tolliver out there because he spaced the floor better.
So far this season though, it seems apparent that there was a real emphasis on making Harris a full-on threat from deep. He is shooting career-high attempts by a huge margin and he is taking tons more pull-up shots and shots with guys in his grill.
via GIPHY
He will regress, but if he can shoot in the upper thirties while keeping up this sort of volume and difficulty he suddenly eliminates the biggest problem he had as a player, instead of being a skilled player who is a tough fit with his teammates, he is a great fit who can do all of the efficient scoring inside the arc that he has his whole career, but even when the offense isn't running specifically to get him looks he is spacing the floor and canning threes created by others. Throw in Stanley Johnson shooting very well from deep since his 0-13 opener, and there is a chance that the Pistons finally have found the true "4 out" offense that made Stan Van Gundy famous in Orlando.
The first part of this is the important one. Have a quick gander at his shot chart so far this year. And then last year.
The difference in shot distribution is pretty stark. Last year Jackson was hurt, and it was fairly plain to see in his game. He took the lowest amount of shots at the rim and in the paint as he ever had before in his career while taking tons of mid-range shots from all over the court. He is still not getting all the way to the hoop very much, and still struggling to finish when he does, but he is back to getting into the paint consistently which is where he thrives even when he isn't effective all the way at the rim.
Jackson boasts a killer array of floaters and runner that he can leverage his size to get off from all sorts of goofy angles in the paint, per synergy he is in the 95th percentile of the entire NBA with his effective runner.
He can also use his size to view the entire floor from the paint while probing to create space for shooters and he is passing incredibly well. Hopefully, as he gets himself back into game shape and gets some more touch back he is able to get to the hoop more and finish when he gets there, but being in the paint so consistently is a good sign that he has regained much of his athleticism.
The second part of this is the passing. He currently boasts an assist to turnover ratio of just over 3 assists per turnover, well above his career average of just over 2. He has re-committed himself to taking care of the basketball and creating for teammates and it has worked in a huge way. He has eliminated a lot of his worst ball hogging tendencies by trading away a lot of tough mid-range jump shots for more time in the paint and more passes out of it.
For as tough a year last year was, right now it looks like it may have done good things for Jackson's game in the end. Losing his athleticism exposed the weaknesses in his game in a big way, and he was forced to take a hard look at himself to fix them. So far this year he looks like a totally different player, and a better player, than the one who the Pistons originally traded for.
What do you think? Can the Pistons big three keep it up? What do you think of their play?
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Appointment at doctor's officeAugust 4, 2007 – 1:28 pm
Room spinning. Dizzy. Light headedness. Headaches. Welcome to my last Friday-Monday. I would wake up in the morning and as soon as I opened my eyes, the room would be spinning around. Since I wasn't sure why this was happening, so I did what any logical man would do and just waited for it to go away.
After my daughter started giving me a hard time for not being more playful first thing in the morning, I then decided it was time to head to the doctor.
I told a friend about the room spinning thing and he called his father, a doctor. Of course, when you listen to a doctor and you want to get good advice, make sure the doctor isn't sarcastic. In this case, the doctor told me that I could have anything from an inner-ear issue to tertiary syphilis. Of coures, being a web geek to the n-th degree there I was, Googling tertiary syphilis. Just for those of you that don't know me, no chance that I have tertiary syphilis or any syphilis.
So I updated my insurance on Tuesday, it took effect on Wednesday, and my doctors appointment was made for Friday. On Friday I went to the doctor. Tall man. Korean, I think. Easily could have been 6'1″ or 6'2″. Really nice guy. He asked me some questions, checked out my ears, listened to my breathing, then told me that I had some morning vertigo, it happens, and that I should just make sure to drink lots of water. When he went to leave he gave me a post it note with the name of an OTC (over-the-counter) medicine, named Meclizine. Meclizine is like Dramamine, without the extra side-effects. Doctor's orders are I take the medicine the night that I awake with veritigo.
This is something pretty common. A friend's mom had this. Just comes and gos for her, not a big deal. Another friend had this for a week a couple years ago, never again. Another person I know how has, it is one of the post-effects of having an anuyerism. Have you ever had morning vertigo?