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While every reasonable care has been taken in preparing this brochure and in constructing the models and sales gallery/showflats, neither the Developers nor its agent representatives from ERA Realty Network Pte. Ltd. nor SingaporeCondominiums.ForSale will be held responsible for any inaccuracies or omissions. All statements are believed to be correct but are not to be regarded as statements or representation of facts.
All information and specifications are current at the time of going to press and are subject to such changes as may be required by the developer. All plans and models are not to scale unless expressly stated and are subject to any amendments which are required or approved by the relevant authorities.
Renderings and illustrations are artist's impressions only and photographs are only decor suggestions and cannot be regarded as representations of fact. All areas and other measurements are approximate only and subject to final survey.
The Sale and Purchase Agreement embodies all the terms and conditions between the developer and the purchaser and supersedes and cancels in all respects all previous representations, warranties, promises, inducements or statements of intention, whether written or oral made by the developer and/or the developer's agent which are not embodied in the Sale and Purchase Agreement.
This disclaimer is current and in effect.


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Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam has declared that the trading of the digital currency Bitcoin is unlawful; thus, issuing a sternly worded fatwa (religious edict) that trading with the cryptocurrency can lead its users to "fraud, betrayal and ignorance" and could be used by terrorists.
Allam also said that terrorist and criminal groups can abuse the crypto-currency to fund their illicit activities such as moving drugs and weapons, Daily Mail reports.
Egypt's Grand Mufti is the highest official of Islamic law in Egypt and the one who issues legal opinions, fatwas and interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence.
The theological leader said in a published ruling that Bitcoin – launched in 2009 and based on a peer-to-peer payment system – poses 'high risks to individuals and states.'
Suggesting his decision to declare a fatwa was based on discussions with economic experts, he concluded bitcoin is not permissible as it undermines the state – a central feature in Islamic sharia.
Minting and issuing currency is an 'absolute right' of monetary institutions and 'one of the most specific functions of the state,' said the country's official interpreter of Islamic law.
"This currency is used directly to fund terrorists," Ashour told Egypt Today, adding that its usage could cause major damage to the country's economy.
"It has no set rules, which is considered as a contract annulment in Islam, that is why it is forbidden," the counsellor said.
Last month, a team of Australian researchers found that nearly half of bitcoin trades they tracked over the past decade were used for illegal activities.
"Bitcoin is like all other currencies so what are the reasons that have suddenly made it so unlawful" said Atef Al Khateeb, a Cairo based Bitcoin trader who has set up a Facebook group to discuss the finer points of crypto-currencies and to help other new traders understand how to invest their money.
"It's all commerce in the end, you win some, you lose some. Even the Prophet Muhammed was a trader", he told Quartz.
The stateless digital currency has grown this week on the back of early Facebook investor, Peter Thiel's bet rising in its price to over $15,000 after its bubble burst late last year with a sharp drop of 30% over six straight days.
There are no reliable figures on the number of bitcoin users in Egypt as its first bitcoin exchange only went live in August.
Bitcoin has been booming in other African countries such as Nigeria and Zimbabweowing to bypassing capital controls and weak foreign exchange markets.
Bitcoin is a virtual currency created from computer code.
It and other virtual currencies use blockchain, which records transactions that are updated in real time on an online ledger and maintained by a network of computers.
Its value surged as high as $19,500 in December from around $1,000 last January, but has slipped back after a series of warnings from governments and analysts about the risk and volatility associated with cryptocurrencies.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rio Ferdinand delighted fans by sharing a photo of him together with girlfriend Kate Wright for the first time.
The pair were all smiles as they wrapped their arms around each other as they dined at Rio's restaurant Rosso i Manchester.
Kate, 26, was dressed up in a black mini dress and thigh high boots for their date night, while Rio, 39, kept it casual in jeans and white trainers.
The former TOWIE star then shared another picture, presumably taken by the ex footballer, as she relaxed with a glass of wine.
The couple have been growing closer this year after Rio - who was left devastated by his wife Rebecca Ellison's death from breast cancer in May 2015 - introduced Kate to his kids.
They've even been holidaying together as a family, with Rio sharing a snap of Kate walking through their hotel in Dubai holding his daughter's hand in October.
And they confirmed they're moving in together just days ago, with Rio's rep telling Mirror Online that Kate is planning to leave Brentwood and move in permanently with the former footballer.
"She's all but moved in already – Kate and Rio are inseparable," a source told the Sun earlier this month.
"It's the next natural step for them – after spending so much time together in Dubai, it seems ridiculous that she'd move back to her flat in Essex.
"She already spends a lot of time at Rio's and keeps a lot of her stuff there too. It's only a matter of time until they make it official."
The pair, who are getting ready to officially move in together, were spotted on another rare public outing at the weeken d as they hit the shops in Manchester, having presumably left Rio's three children - Lorenz, Ria and Tate - at home.
Kate was wrapped up against the cold in a black puffa jacket worn over a long black tunic, black leggings and matching thigh-high boots.
She ditched the usual makeup for her casual look and carried a couple of bottles of drink in one hand while toting a designer handbag in the other.
Her long blonde hair was left down and staightened for the low-key look.
Rio, meanwhile, walked a couple of steps behind her and was dressed for comfort in a pale grey zip-down hoodie and jogging bottoms, carrying a takeaway coffee as he and his reality star girlfriend browsed the Christmas markets.
They spent a bit of time looking around the stalls, attracting glances from curious passersby until they got picked up in a chauffeur-driven van.


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2016 Dodge Journey in Mission, British Columbia, $36,995
General Information
- EngineV6
- TransmissionN/A
- Body StyleN/A
- DrivetrainAll wheel drive
- Doors4
- Exterior ColourBlack
Stop by our dealership and discover our great offers at Matt's Wheels. Check out this amazing used Dodge Journey 2016 near Mission. Inspected and certified by our experienced technicians, the Black model has logged 1000 km. You can buy this pre-owned Dodge Journey 2016 at a great price of $36995. It's a N/A with 4 doors, N/A transmission and All wheel drive. If you'd like to learn more about this used Dodge Journey 2016 for sale in Mission, don't hesitate to contact us by phone at 604 308-5823 or on our web site at http://www.mattbyeman.com.
Make the most of your visit at Matt's Wheels and discover our entire lineup of new and used vehicles. Our expert sales consultants will provide clear and precise answers to all your questions. Don't miss the opportunity to test drive the vehicle you're interested in. We offer financing solutions for all budgets. At Matt's Wheels near Mission you will find a vehicle that meets your needs at a great price. And remember that our after-sales service is impeccable.
Including Uconnect Voice Command with Bluetooth, Second Row Overhead Video Screen, Back-up Camera with Rear Park Assist Sensors, Navigation, Power Sunroof, Three Zone Air Conditioning with Temperature Control, Heated Seats, 8.4 Touchscreen Display, Satellite Radio, Heated Steering Wheel, and more. Offering everything to keep you and the entire family comfortable and entertained, come take a look at this 2016 Dodge Journey Crossroad today. We offer big store selection with small town prices. Offering the best in sales and after sales service in the lower mainland. All vehicles sold are certified and accompanied with either an ICBC detailed claims report, Carfax, or Car-proof. Pioneer Chrysler offers bank and in-house lease and finance options for all credit types. Call today to discuss options with one of our experts. Office: 778-994-2241 Kary Maxwell: 604-217-9008 *Payment is based on 5.99% over a 96 month term including taxes, fees, $0 down, O.A.C. See dealer for details.
Call us toll-free at 1 855 781-7947
- CD Player
- Power Windows
- Power Doors
- Power Steering
- Air Conditioning
- Cruise Control
- Sun Roof
- Electric Mirrors
- ABS Brakes
- Heated Seats
- Tilt Steering
- Climate Control
- Driver Airbag
- Passenger Airbag
- Clock
- Tachometer
- Block Heater
- Navigation System
- Power Brakes
- Traction Control
- Child proof locks
- Third row seating
- Rear window defroster
- Backup Camera
CARPROOF is Canada's most trusted vehicle history report.
A CARPROOF report gives you full details about a vehicle's past when you buy or sell a used car.
Model Information
1Minimum MSRP (2016) $22,495
2Average Price (used) $20,510
3Maximum MSRP (2016) $37,395
4Seller's Price (used) $36,995


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Selborne and Noar Hill
- Trails /
- Hampshire /
- Trail
The natural world was a puzzle that 18th-century minds longed to put together. From the orgasms of swifts to the submarine breathing of deer, Gilbert White, curate of the Hampshire village of Selborne, noted and questioned everything around him.
The gentle and curious clergyman's letters, published as The Natural History of Selborne, have sold countless millions; and thousands of White's admirers and adherents still flock to Selborne to look round his house, The Wakes, and to climb the Zig Zag path cut into the steep face of The Hanger, the 300-ft chalk escarpment behind the village, by White and his brother John.
- Walk
- 4.8 miles / 7.7 kms
- 620 feet / 189 metres
- Add to Basket
- Christopher Somerville
- 12 Jul 2010


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Enterprise Mobility Transformation Baseball Game of the Season
We spoke with top industry leaders from different sectors about their experiences and outlook on what's happening within the enterprise mobility space right now.
You can also see the top 10 investment priorities from 2016 to 2017!!
Download now to hear from NASA,United Bank, Captial One, AR VR Association and Southwest Airlines
Please note: That all fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.


text: VIBRA Fest VIBRA Fest Desenzano del Garda VIBRA is an event linked to contemporary art, music, education and new trends in general, connecting various artists with the aim of making "vibrate" different disciplines in the name of creativity. The main purpose of this event is to spread culture on Lake Garda and surroundings. VIBRA aims to become a Festival to promote the best national offers, to make the province of Brescia and Lake Garda one of the most important cultural promoters of the Country. In VIBRA find their place all the forms of artistic, cultural and educational expressions that contain the fundamental elements to characterize the "unique" and non-serial production, and to sustain curiosity, energy and imagination for the nourishment of knowledge (and awareness). The common thread of VIBRA is interaction. Interaction between music, videos, brushes, spray, lighting, words, colours, textiles, motions and material to produce a unique and synergic artistic movement, ready to interact with the audience to transfer it to a new emotional and sensory experience. VIBRA Fest's tracks Ale Palma & MAGMA DEEP by VIBRA Fest published on 2015/07/06 14:25:13 +0000 ALESSANDRO PALMA // HOUSE by VIBRA Fest published on 2015/06/01 16:41:01 +0000 Robytek Vs Shield @ Vibra Festival [Rebirth Records Showcase] by VIBRA Fest published on 2015/05/28 18:12:32 +0000


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World Hockey Championship and UEFA Euro 2016
It's time for hockey and football! Enjoy the game on the big screen at Russian Standard Signature Bar and do not forget to taste our snack menu with beer. Special offer for beer – three for two (ask the barman)! Snack menu includes chicken wings, spare ribs, nacho chips, tortilla chips and French fries.
- Crispy lavash with herbs, paprika, cheese with garlic.
Served with guacamole and spicy tomato sauce (120/30/30 g) – 320 RUB
- Wheat-flour tortilla chips.
With two sauces: sweet chili sauce and spicy tomato (70/30/30 g) – 150 RUB
- Nachos.
Served with guacamole and spicy tomato sauce (70/30/30 g) – 300 RUB
- Spare ribs BBQ (370 g) – 540 RUB
- Chicken wings BBQ.
Served with vegetable crudités and barbeque sauce (370 g) – 390 RUB
- Beer set for two.
Cheeseburger, chicken wings BBQ, spare ribs BBQ, nachos, wheat-flour tortilla chips and French fries. Two big glasses of the beer "Siberian Crown" as a gift (450/180/180/30/30/80 g) – 1500 RUB
Russian Standard Signature Bar stays open till 1:00 am. All prices are listed in Russian Roubles and include VAT. The offer is available till July 10, 2016.


text: The N Engl J Med image of the week shows the lower extremities of a cachectic patient. We see also his hands and a bladder catheter. Note the huge fingernail, indicating that personal hygiene was not a priority of this patient. The thighs are atrophic and the knees appear swollen. Bilateral pigmented lesions are visible on the inner aspects of the thighs, almost mirror images. You are asked, which system here is responsible: endocrine, gastrointestinal, hematopoietic, neurologic, or respiratory. I did not know this answer either. Nicotinic acid (also known as niacin) is necessary to produce NADH oxidase among other things. Deficiency results in pellagra. Nicotinic acid given pharmacologically lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol. However, nicotinic acid also leads to increased superficial perfusion, a flush syndrome, which is an uncomfortable, prostaglandin D2-mediated side effect. Laropiprant can block this side effect. Niacin prescriptions are a billion-dollar business in the US. Investigators finally tested the efficacy of niacin in lowering cardiovascular risk. After a prerandomization run-in phase to standardize the background statin-based LDL cholesterol–lowering therapy and to establish participants' ability to take extended-release niacin without clinically significant adverse effects, they randomly assigned 25,673 adults with vascular disease to receive 2 g of extended-release niacin and 40 mg of laropiprant or a matching placebo daily. The primary outcome was the first major vascular event (nonfatal myocardial infarction, death from coronary causes, stroke, or arterial revascularization). The results kill niacin in terms of cardiovascular disease prevention. The Bruton tyrosine kinase is mutated in Bruton's agammaglobulinemia. The kinase is necessary for B-cell proliferation and is therefore an important target in B-cell malignancies. Investigators evaluated the efficacy of ibrutinib, a covalent inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase, in patients at risk for a poor outcome in chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) or small-cell leukemia (SLL). In a multicenter, open-label, phase 3 study, they randomly assigned 391 patients with relapsed or refractory CLL or SLL to receive daily ibrutinib or the anti-CD20 antibody ofatumumab. Bruton inhibition beat anti CD20 therapy. Lanreotide is a synthetic analogue of somatostatin, a naturally occurring inhibitory hormone, which blocks the release of several other hormones, including growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), insulin, and glucagon. Lanreotide binds to the same receptors as somatostatin, although with higher affinity to peripheral receptors, and has similar activity. The drug has a much longer half-life, and produces far more prolonged effects. Investigators conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational study of lanreotide in patients with advanced, well-differentiated or moderately differentiated, nonfunctioning, somatostatin receptor–positive neuroendocrine tumors. Another success story is marked for lanreotide; octreotide is on the way out. The efficacy and toxic effects of nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are uncertain. Removing the NRTIs or replacing them with raltegravir may provide a benefit. The efficacy and toxic effects of nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are uncertain. Removing the NRTIs or replacing them with raltegravir may provide a benefit. Investigators tested this notion in sub-Saharan Africa. The review in N Engl J Med is on single-pill (polypill) combination regimens for HIV-1 treatment. The patient of the week is a 40 year-old woman who develops dyspnea after delivery of a healthy infant. Echocardiography shows generalized cardiac dilatation. In the Lancet, we revisit the topic of gravity effects on volume of placental transfusion. Should newborns be held for 2 min at the level of the vagina or placed on the mother's abdomen to assure closer maternal-offspring "bonding"? The Lancet published a study on this stuff last year. In any event, you can vote for bonding. We then learn about underlying causes of death in people with HIV actively treated with ART. Less than one third now die of AIDS-related causes. Epidemiological data show substantial variation in the risk of HIV infection between communities within African countries. Investigators hypothesized that focusing appropriate interventions on geographies and key populations at high risk of HIV infection could improve the effect of investments in the HIV response. We then learn that HIV has been transformed from a pandemic to a low-epidemic condition. The Lancet case of the week involves a 48-year-old woman who presented to a psychiatric emergency room with panic attacks. Her last attack, with anxiety and restlessness, had occurred 2 h before presentation. She fractured her ankle several weeks earlier and receives enoxaparin as thrombosis prophylaxis.


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25 Jul The Positives and Negatives of the BMI Scale-Is It Right for You?
Body Mass Index or BMI is a value which we calculate by dividing our body mass by our height squared. This is something doctors, dieticians, nutritionists and the health community as a whole uses to determine our general health.
This BMI chart determines whether or not you are either underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese based on these numbers. This formula and chart was first developed to give people a general idea to whether or not they need to lose weight.
The BMI scale is a great tool to give us a quick insight to whether or not we should lose a few pounds, however there are some things you need to know about the BMI index, and how it could potentially give you misleading information.
You still see this chart hanging in doctor's offices in pretty much every practice, because it can give us a good idea of how susceptible we are to other diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. These diseases are linked with being overweight and obese, so the BMI chart can be useful in that regard.
The problem with the BMI index is that it can be inaccurate in some cases because it is a general tool, and doesn't take things like muscle mass into consideration when determining whether or not someone is obese.
Three Potential Issues with the BMI Scale:
May Give False Impressions to Athletes and Weight Lifters
If you are someone who lifts weights regularly, plays sports or are someone who just has more muscle mass because of genetics, the BMI scale may not be the best tool to determine whether or not you are obese or overweight.
As mentioned earlier, the BMI scale is based on your height versus your bodyfat. It doesn't take things like muscle mass and bones mass, and on average an athlete is going to have more of both than your everyday person.
Another thing to consider when looking at your body fat and how it affects your overall health is where exactly the fat is located. Fat located around the stomach, or visceral fat which accumulates around our organs is much more cause for concern then just having too much body fat period.
In a similar vein, BMI doesn't take in to account the body type of the person, where some people just have a bigger frame than others. These people have more bodyweight than others because of that additional bone mass. This can throw off the BMI scale for these people, which may indicate that they are overweight when they are in fact of healthy weight.
Could Potentially Give Inaccurate Readings to the Elderly and Aging
One thing that happens to everyone as we age is the loss of bone mass and muscle tissue. We do our best to minimize this by keeping active through exercise, however the loss of some muscle and bone as we get older is inevitable.
This loss of muscle and bone tissues are something to consider when using the BMI scale to determine whether or not an elderly person is of healthy weight. Many elderly people who have too much body fat still score in the healthy range on the BMI scale due to their reduced overweight because of the muscle and bone loss.
There are other tools and instruments out there which can give you a better idea of what your body fat actually is, from high tech scales and gadgets, to low tech measuring tape.
The Health Risks Aren't the Same for Everyone Based on the BMI Scale
What we mean by this is that just because you are overweight on the BMI scale, doesn't necessarily mean you are at risk for developing more diseases than those that fall in the healthy ranges. This is not to say that if you are obese you aren't at risk for these diseases, as this just applies to those who fall slightly in the overweight range.
If you happen to be one of these people who falls in this range and are uncertain about how healthy your overall health is, again you want to look at where that fat is distributed.
If you have a little extra body fat but still are maintaining a good waistline, you shouldn't be concerned. On the other hand if you are generally of average build but have a big belly, you are going to want to make some changes to reduce your body fat to improve your health.


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View the latest edition of our Finest Real Estate Costa del Sol Magazine with a superb selection of high quality properties on the Costa del Sol.


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Canberra airport is ready to go international with overseas flights set to start from next week.
Federal Transport Minister Darren Chester on Friday unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of a new terminal equipped with state-of-the-art passport control facilities, duty-free shopping and a passenger lounge.
The first international passengers will arrive at the new terminal from Wellington in New Zealand and Singapore next Wednesday.


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It felt great to go back to Eau Claire for a weekend and hang out with my girlfriend and my roommate (both are at UWEC for winterim classes). It had been a long time since I'd seen Stefan, who spent the prior semester studying abroad in Spain, and I hadn't talked to my girlfriend since the end of finals week. We went and saw The Spirit, and in the evening ordered Toppers and watched Resident Evil: Degeneration on the big TV in our dorm.
I must say, Degeneration is much better than I expected it to be. It's got the same insanely high-quality animation Final Fantasy: Spirits Within had, as well as Advent Children, but is about 100x better than either of those. While Advent Children was a steaming piece of poo that gorgeous animation couldn't save (due to horrible writing, and anything involving Sephiroth in that movie is a load of BS), Degeneration has a PLOT. It's a novel concept for a movie based on a video game, I know, but I was glad to see it. My only issue with the movie is that plot relies a little too heavily on closing the threads and making sense of everything at the end, instead of spreading revelations throughout. Besides intense action with Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, the DVD packs some hilarious voice bloopers and a long and satisfyingly detailed making-of featurette on the movie. It ain't a fluff "making of," they really show a lot of what went on to make it. I'd highly recommend renting it at least, if not buying it. Great movie.
Stefan and I spent some time playing Warriors Orochi 2, since he's been eager to play that game like a junkie looking for their next fix (I kid you not). On Sunday, we spent a lot of time playing Dynasty Warriors 6 when we weren't watching football, and I came out about 100 points ahead for our efforts. He's made me promise not to play DW6 before I move back in, so we can keep working on it. Since I still have a ton of other games on my "to-improve" list, it should be an easy enough promise to keep.
To change the subject for a minute, I must say I kinda feel a little bad for my girlfriend's Xmas haul. She really wanted Dead Space and Left 4 Dead for Christmas (you know you have the right girl if those are the top two items on her list). Instead, she got Jumper: Griffin's Story and Final Fantasy XI. Yup, the Worst Game Ever and a shotty MMO port, which requires subscription fees... I'm not sure she'll even play it. At least they gave her 3 months of Xbox Live, so I should be able to shoot zombies with her online soon (she went and got L4D with her own cash). I'm sure her parents tried, and $60 a game is expensive, but perhaps asking store employees what is good would have turned out better suggestions than Jumper... I don't mean to sound materialistic here and suggest that it should be expected that people get awesome games for Christmas... but Jumper is just wrong... I was able to score Devil May Cry 4 and Beautiful Katamari for under $30 total, and I know she loves them both, so she does have a few games she likes.
Returning to my achievement progress, after returning home from that relaxing weekend, I spent some time with Argonauts. I was hoping to finish the game, so I could start the review first thing tomorrow, but the game locked up on me after a good stretch without saving (not sure if that's the game's fault or my Xbox) and that killed my desire to play it anymore today. I should finish it and get cranking on the review tomorrow. With Condemned, I was able to make it to the end, picking up several achievements for completing all objectives, and I rushed through the first 5 missions of the game in FPS mode. With guns and unlimited ammo, the game is really, really easy. Since I took the time to read the reports earned for collecting all the metal pieces in the first Condemned, I knew what was going on going into the second, and didn't find the story confusing at all, unlike what several reviews claim. It's a great game, and you can probably get it for under $20 now, so it's worth checking out.
STATS TIME (it's been 5 days since the last update):
Lead over x Ducky Dan x in race to 100k: 5,146 (largest ever... want to make it big enough that he would NEED 360GSL.com's first league to catch me =P)
Completion percentage: 59.31%
Distance to goal: 18,732 points
Points needed for 1% badge on 360voice: 5,470 more points...


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Links and responses to the first week
My buddy Wes D., from Kansas, puts in his 50 cents worth (2 cents would just never do!) in three posts over here at spiritual response.
Erin at Biscotti Brain is traveling, but taking her book with her. She, Sue at InnerDorothy and Poor Mad Peter over at Another Country are our Canadian contingent.
I want to mention Peter's posts here because he offers some cogent critiques of Foster's work here, here and here. Peter's stuff has great value, because it's easy for those of us who don't know any better (or don't have as much experience as he does) to see Foster's work as without flaw. What he writes doesn't dissuade me from reading - primarily because I'm more of a babbler than a writer, so Foster's style doesn't bother me as much. But I'm grateful for what he's written, and the analysis he's shared. The annoying thing is that Peter's going to be taking an extended leave from us, because some yo-you wants to pay him to do writing, and he thinks that should take precedent over our little study. You'll be missed brother - and come back when you can!
Virtual neighbor and frequent Ragamuffin commenter TK, from New England, has these words here
Then we have Faraja Mugamu, who (I'm guessing) is a friend of Messy Christian's. You can find her post on the introduction here and here
And lastly (but NOT leastly!), my friend Cherri, from Kansas, who is working on the the whole blogging thing, sent this comment to me to post for y'all...
I am reading CoD for a couple of reasons: 1. An old college friend of mine recently told me she had read this book 20 years ago and it changed her life. (after living half a country apart since college we recently discovered we are working in similar areas of ministry with only about ten miles seperating us.)
2. I was blessed to hear Richard Foster in person recently and I can really grab on to his preaching.
3. My dear friend Steve has provided and is encouraging this on-line study.
In my first read-through into chapter 1 I hightlighted and tagged material that popped out at me (there is a lot of pink highlighting). But curious, as I go back through now to note what I wanted to write about other things began popping out at me. But one of the first things that grabbed me was in the intro and then carried over into the 1st chapter. Our life takes affirmation from others. And what I received from this is that I should not look for who can affirm me but pray as to whom I can affirm. And that affirmation to me will come but I shouldn't fret about it. If I will but listen to God I will receive.
Foster write vastly of 'community'. In the intro he writes of 'teaching in community'. Being in "each other's homes-laughing together, weeping together, learning together, praying together. Some of the best teaching times grew out of the dynamic of those home settings . . ." And thorugh this life of community we can be the answer to a 'hollow world'.
So thank you to all who have been reading, and commenting.
So...has anyone tried actually sitting down and practicing meditation, yet?...


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Over the years, gaming has turned into one of the most sought-after forms of entertainment in the world. There are a wide variety of ways in which games can be played, either on PCs or gaming consoles. PC gaming is the most preferred of the lot all thanks to its superior gaming quality. For a seamless gaming experience, one needs to use the nest gaming chair which offers comfort during long and grueling hours of continuous gameplay.
When it comes to gaming chairs, there are a wide variety of options available in the market which makes it very confusing for the buyer to choose the very best of them all. In this article, we shall be introducing you to the best tips which will help you choose the best gaming chair for your gaming requirements.
They are as follows:
Make sure you don't invest too much of time on a single gaming chair
There are a wide variety of gaming chair options available in the market. However, it is important to prefer one which is well within the budget and also offers comfort at the very highest of levels. This is only possible if you work out your options available in the armlet and not just spend all of your time behind one single gaming chair.
Identify which type of gaming chair is best suited for your style of play
In the market, there are a wide number of gaming chairs available which are further divided into the following categories:
- Rocker Gaming Chair
- Pedestal Gaming Chair
- PC Gaming Chair
- Racer Gaming Chair
- Bean Bag Chairs for Gaming
Always inspect the build material before buying
If it is the gaming chair's longevity you're looking for, then it's important to inspect the build material of the gaming chair before you buy your gaming chair. Make sure the padding, as well as the cover material, is made of comfortable materials which will not irritate you when you play games for long hours.
Make sure your gaming chair is comfortable
The ergonomics connected to a gaming chairs design is what sets the best from the rest. The level of comfort a gaming chair offers is something which must be checked first and foremost. When you sit on a gaming chair for long hours, you can develop stress-related problems such as body and back pain which can be prevented by using the best ergonomic gaming chair which offers comfort at the very highest of levels.
Make sure your gaming chair is cool
When you're playing games with your friends, it's always natural to show off all your gaming accessories. It is always great to have a great gaming chair which is not only comfortable but also cool at the same time.
Make sure your gaming chair doesn't hog too much of your room space
There are gaming chairs of different sizes. If you space problems, there are certain types of gaming chairs which can be folded and tucked away when not in use. Before buying a good gaming chair, make sure that you know the exact dimensions of the space where your gaming chair will be kept so that you can choose one within the measured dimension limits.
A good gaming chair is always value for money
A good gaming chair is certainly not a cheap investment and hence, it's important that you ensure it's worth the buy. Make sure you are completely satisfied in terms of quality, comfort, looks, etc. to ensure that your investment is worth making.
System Compatibility
One of the most important things to be kept in mind before buying a gaming chair is to check for its compatibility. There are a wide variety of options available in the market which are compatible with a wide variety of gaming platforms such as PS4, Xbox One etc.
These were some of the most important things to be kept in mind before buying a gaming chair for your gaming requirements. A good gaming chair is all about offering the highest levels of comfort and also alleviating your gameplay experience to a whole new level.


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Suzanne grew up in rural Maine and small-town Pennsylvania and now stalks the wilds of the Boston suburbs. She has worked as a museum docent, special education aide, nanny, customer service rep, paralegal, and librarian, and is now a photo archivist. This is her first publication anywhere and the first time she has won a contest.
By Suzanne Ketchum Adams
When Casey's alarm goes off, she cannot recall at once where she is. The dim suburban music of birds in backyard feeders remind her that she is far from her childhood home. She lies in a narrow single bed. As she rolls onto her side, an upholstered arm of the pull-out loveseat comes into focus, a geometric print in bold primary colors. Escher prints in plain black frames cover one yellow wall, thumbtacked drawings and watercolors cover the adjacent one. Now Casey remembers. Artwork by Andrea, the dead wife and mother. Fortune has landed Casey here, strange as that is, with this good but grieving family. This room, Casey supposes, was Andrea's office or studio—though neither Paul nor the boys have volunteered this information.
Casey's home and employment are now one. She pulls on jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, fastens her brass locket around her neck. Without the locket she does not feel dressed.
In the kitchen, sixteen-year old Jake scrapes the last corn flakes from a bowl.
"You're up early," Casey says, scooping coffee into a filter. "Tim up?"
"He's in the shower," Paul says as he comes through the door. He's not dressed or shaved yet; Casey remembers he's flying to Chicago later this morning on business, his second out of town trip since she began here six weeks ago.
"So." Paul sets down a cereal bowl. "You two have a driving lesson today?"
Jake shrugs. "I got soccer practice."
"Maybe after that," says Casey, looking at Jake encouragingly. Paul had expressed so much frustration over Jake's driving that Casey has offered to teach him, and Paul has gratefully agreed. Casey wonders why Jake shows so much reluctance about the lessons in front of his father. When Paul is absent, Jake seems eager to go.
Paul says his good-byes to the boys as they leave for school. After he is showered and dressed, he comes back into the kitchen while Casey cleans up.
"I just want to say again how much I appreciate all that you're doing here," Paul says. "It's a hard time, of course, but…" his voice cracks, and he drums his fingers on the counter. "Well, the boys like you, and…" he swallows. "The driving… I mean… Jake." A pause. "Thank you."
Casey gives him a sad smile. "I'm glad I can help." She isn't sure that Tim likes her at all.
She watches through the kitchen window as Paul rides away in a cab. Then she hangs up the dishtowel and walks down the carpeted hallway to Paul's bedroom.
She wonders, as she takes in the rumpled, unmade bed, if Andrea used to make it each morning. Paul has told Casey expressly that she is not to clean his room or the boys'; that they need help only with cooking, laundry, shopping, and driving.
With the valid excuse of dropping off Paul's clean laundry, Casey has visited this room before. She picks up the silver-framed photograph on Andrea's dresser. This picture of the young, happy family caught Casey's eye on her first day here six weeks ago. Paul, with a full head of hair, holds little Jake, a chubby-cheeked toddler. Andrea, looking athletic and confident in her green V-neck sweater, cradles the pastel blue bundle that is baby Tim. Andrea's wedding band shows on her hand curved around the baby; she wears no diamond.
Pancreatic cancer had taken Andrea just three months ago. Casey knows how tragic this is for Paul and the boys. But they'd had this. This moment of perfection, of togetherness. Casey wants to live her way into this photograph, this Kodak moment that she's never had. Had there ever been a little pink blanket that she'd been wrapped in? Casey likes to think there was. Maybe her mother took it with her as a keepsake. But why would she take a blanket when she could have taken me?
Next to the photograph is a jewelry box of embossed leather. Casey glances toward the hallway, then opens the latch on the box.
A plain gold band—the same one, Casey is sure, that Andrea wears in the photograph. Casey pictures Andrea in the throes of illness, losing so much weight that the ring begins to slip from her finger. Andrea must have asked Paul to put it back there in her jewelry box when she'd known she would never wear it again. Casey picks up the wedding band and squints to read the engraving inside. Paul & Andrea, June 3, 1978. Seventeen years ago. She puts it on her own finger, turning her hand in the light to admire it, wincing at her bitten nails. It is a snug fit. I'm not taking it, she tells herself. I am just borrowing it until Paul gets home tomorrow night. She takes it back to her room, pulls it off, and places it in her own jewelry box.
Later that afternoon, Casey rolls out pizza dough while a garlicky tomato sauce simmers on the back of the stove. Jake arrives home from soccer practice, flushed and smiling. An out-of-town band concert means Tim won't be home until late.
Casey looks up and returns his smile. "Your Dad isn't too crazy about pizza, so I thought we'd have it while he's away. I don't know if the band stops for dinner, but we ought to save some for Tim."
"Don't know if I can hold back," Jake jokes. "I could eat that whole thing myself."
Casey spoons sauce over the dough and gestures towards the assortment of vegetables, cheese, and pepperoni. "Come put on the toppings you like," she tells Jake. She is suddenly aware they are alone in the house, and something flutters deep in her stomach.
Jake takes a step toward the vegetables, and closer to her. He smells vibrant and strong. Casey takes a step back and stares out the window.
He picks up an olive and brings it up to her lips. Casey grows still, but a giggle erupts from her throat. The sunlight comes in low through the window, illuminating motes of dust. Roscoe, the aging golden retriever, laps water from his bowl.
"Jake, what are you doing?"
He slips one hand under her dark hair and rests it on the back of her neck, brings his face close to hers. "Casey. I like you. We…" His eyes are huge and pleading, like Roscoe's.
"Jake." Casey steps back, shaking her head. "We can't do this."
"But you want to, don't you?" He swallows hard, but does not take his eyes from her. "I can tell."
She closes her eyes and shakes her head slowly from side to side. "Pick out some toppings, Jake, and we'll put this thing in the oven." She tries to look stern.
"It's Dad, isn't it?" Jake lifts his chin. "You…got a thing for him."
Casey lets out her breath slowly, studying the pattern on the kitchen floor.
"Jake. This is all wrong. You're…underage. I'm 28 years old, and. I'm not here to…I'm here to help…take care of you and Tim." Casey's voice quavers, but she crosses her arms and looks Jake straight in the eye.
Jake stares at her a long time, then turns and leaves the kitchen. The door to his room slams shut.
Casey shoves the pizza aside, grabs Roscoe's collar, and takes him for a walk around the block. She doesn't think she's done a thing to encourage Jake. She's just tried to be friendly, just like with Tim. But none of it's turned out right. And Jake isn't Tim.
The phone rings as Casey steps back into hallway and removes Roscoe's collar. It will be Paul, checking in. What if he asks to talk to Jake? She doesn't want them talking to each other right now.
It's not Paul.
"Casey!" a low voice grates in her ear, "I'll be damned."
"Dad." Casey groans between clenched teeth. "How'd you get my number?"
He lets out a long, mean laugh. "Think you can hide? Leaving here the way you done? You little ingrate."
"You've been drinking. I don't have to listen to this."
"Oh, it's always me, ain't it, Miss High and Mighty? Lemme tell you something… you gone and got yourself educated, but yous just like your mother at heart. Snotty little whore." His rattling, mucous-filled cough starts up, and from the sound, he is not bothering to turn his head away from the phone. "Look at yous! Up and gone, just like her."
Casey slams down the phone, and leads Roscoe to her room. She lies on the bed and cries, Roscoe whimpering beside her. Blindly, Casey strokes his silky coat.
A soft knock on the door. Jake pushes it open, stands there gawky and red-eyed.
"Casey?" he approaches the bed. She looks up. His eyes are as sad as hers.
Sobs shake her whole body. No words come. Jake lowers himself to the bed and pulls her close. Casey does not resist him now. She cradles his head to her breast, letting her tears fall on his hair. He turns his face up to hers and kisses away each tears as it falls. His lips follow the tear-tracks down her chin and throat.
Roscoe slinks away. Casey lets Jake hold her, lets him undress her, lets him touch her everywhere. There is nothing now but sadness, comfort, bad feelings, good ones.
After the swirl of sobbing, the moaning, the release, they drift off to sleep in the tiny bed. Hours later Casey awakes. Jake's arm is draped across her; his face, asleep, looks astonishingly young. Casey is hungry; she remembers now that the pizza never made it to the oven, or to their stomachs.
"Jake," she whispers.
"Please go back to your own room."
"Why? There's no one else here…"
"Tim might be home, or will be soon. Please just go."
He hesitates.
"I'm going to put the pizza in the oven. You can come have some later, but go to your room first. Don't let Tim see you coming from here."
Jake looks, suddenly, like a little boy in trouble. But after a moment, his face breaks into a grin. He gives Casey a playful pat on the ass, and quietly leaves the room.
Casey has just taken the pizza from the oven when Tim comes in the back door. His face registers surprise when he sees the pizza; it is after ten o'clock. But he accepts a piece, then another.
"Late night," Casey ventures. "How was the concert?" She pushes away the memory of early evening. She will get things back on track.
"Good," Tim says. He's already on his feet, stuffing the last bite of crust in his mouth, and rinsing the plate. "Good-night," he says, over his shoulder, as he picks up his oboe case and heads down the hall.
He is a boy of few words. Only once has she heard him speak in more than monosyllables. That was when Casey asked about his tropical fish, which he keeps in a tank in his room. He named them all after famous oboists. They were all silver and black Zebrafish, and when she had asked why he didn't get more variety, he'd shrugged. Zebrafish made him think of oboes and flutes, and anyway, he said, different kinds of fish couldn't always live together in the same tank. Any new fish might upset the balance of the whole thing.
"This can't happen again." Casey raises her chin and holds up a hand to Jake, who has come up to put his arms around her while she makes the morning coffee.
Jake's mouth goes slack. He turns and stalks out of the kitchen. Casey doesn't see him again that morning. She hears him talking to Tim as they both leave the house; she can only hope Jake doesn't tell him what happened while he was away.
After the boys leave, Casey showers and returns to her room to dress. She reaches for her locket, only to find it missing. Casey searches under the covers, in the space between mattress and love seat, all in vain. With both shame and longing she recalls Jake undressing her, and a vague memory of her locket sliding down over one breast.
After frantically checking under the bed and in every dresser drawer, Casey heads to Jake's room. It must be there, and she needs it. She'd purchased it herself in high school. It wasn't expensive, but it held a photograph of her mother as a young woman. Only this photograph had survived her mother's abandonment of her home and family. Casey guards it jealously and shows it to no one, fearing that the little bit of her mother she still has would disappear if someone else sees her picture.
Casey looks into each of Jake's dresser drawers, through the chaos of his desk. She searches the pockets of his jeans and turns up nothing. Nothing under the pillow of his unmade bed. Could he have it with him at school? Is he showing it—her precious locket, her beloved mother—to callous teenage boys as some kind of trophy of his conquest? She feels sick suddenly. Why would Jake want her locket so much? And what will he do with it now that's she refused him?
Casey can't think anymore. She gets in the car and drives, not knowing where she is going. She'd once seen a bumper sticker: When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. She pulls into the parking lot of a nearby department store.
Back at the house, Casey clips the tags from the green V-neck sweater and pastel blue receiving blanket. It had been easy enough to slip the sweater into her extra shopping bag when the saleswoman wasn't looking. Then Casey had moved on to the children's department, where she'd slipped the little blanket into her oversized handbag. A uniformed security guard had given her a curt nod as she left the store, but did not ask to check her bags.
Now Casey lays out these items on her neatly made bed. Green sweater, blue blanket. Just like the picture on Andrea's dresser. Casey slips the green sweater over her head, wraps a small pillow in the pastel blanket, and cradles it in her right arm. She stands before the mirror, studying the results. She wants to rush into Paul's room to have another peek at the picture, but Tim—or Jake—could arrive home any minute.
She opens her jewelry box and slips Andrea's wedding band on her finger, but the missing locket nags at her again. She will have to confront Jake when he gets home. It will be hard to talk to him without Tim noticing, and without making Jake any angrier.
The blue blanket, as it brushes against her chin, feels stiff and starchy, much too rough for an infant's delicate skin. Casey puts the ring and sweater away, and heads to the basement to wash the blanket. They won't look there, will they? She doubts it. She's been hired to do the laundry. But who knows? Jake might start doing his own laundry, just for spite. Regret surges through her. Last night Jake comforted her when she needed comfort. She can't tell what he might do now.
On her way up from the basement, Casey almost runs into Tim, home from school and heading straight for his room. "Hello, Tim!" she calls after him, and he mutters something, but does not look back.
Blanket. Jake. Locket. Supper to make. Tim. Casey can't think what to do next. Jake not home. Six o'clock already. The phone rings, loud and urgent.
Jake. Paul. Her father. She doesn't want to talk to any of them. But if it is Paul calling, she doesn't want him to think anything is amiss. She picks up the receiver.
"My flight gets in at 9:36." Paul's voice reassures her with his schedule, his precision, his predictability. "So I should be home around 10:15. Everything okay? Boys around?"
Casey nods absently. He is a good man. She loves him.
"Casey? You still there?"
She gives herself a little shake. "Oh. Yes. Tim's home. Shall I get him? Jake's…not back from practice yet—he's getting a ride."
Paul chuckles, and she can picture him shaking his head, his eyelids at half-mast. "Don't bother Tim, unless he's right there… I'm sure he wouldn't have much to say. If he's still up, I'll see him when I get home. How're the driving lessons going with Jake?"
Casey leans back against the counter, exhaling as if from a cigarette, wishing, in fact, that she had one. "Oh, a few setbacks," she manages to say, "but I'm sure he'll bounce back. I think he needs a little break from it right now."
"You know best," Paul says, and remorse shoots through Casey like an electric shock. He trusts her so.
Casey hangs up and runs to the basement. She lifts the twisted, wet little blanket from the washing machine and places it with several fabric softening sheets in the dryer. Paul has been good to her, and she's tried so hard to be good to him, to be of use to this family in their grieving time. But now—she sighs as she turns on the dryer—this business with Jake. She regrets every minute of it. No. That is not true. Not really. She had been hurting, and Jake had been impossible to resist. He was like a cross between a grown man and one of the stray puppies she'd secretly fed from the woodshed back home. Huge brown eyes and that way he looks at her, like she's the answer to everything.
Supper. Back in the kitchen, Casey throws open the refrigerator door to see what's there. Ground beef and potatoes. Meatloaf. Comfort food. Yes. Toenails click on the vinyl floor, and Casey looks down to see Roscoe panting, his nose near the deli drawer. She reaches out a hand and absent-mindedly pets him. She'd been thrilled when accepting this position to find they had a dog. Her childhood fantasy of a happy family. But he's not my dog, Casey thinks now, as she closes the refrigerator door and rolls potatoes onto the counter. He's not my dog. She turns on the oven. It's not my house. They aren't my boys. A hard lump forms in Casey's throat. He isn't my husband. The refrain in her head won't quit. It's not my kitchen. She tears the plastic off the ground beef, dumps it into a bowl, and cracks two eggs violently against the rim. Not mine. Not mine.
Casey thinks of the wedding band and the green sweater, and something twists in her stomach. She thinks of the little pastel blanket, being tossed in the warm heat of the dryer below her, and a fierce sense of possession fills her. My blanket. Mine. Something like calm comes over her.
Casey slides the pan of meatloaf into the oven along with the potatoes, and runs down the steps to the basement laundry. She glances behind her before opening the dryer. The blanket's still damp. Casey folds a few of Paul's polo shirts at the laundry table, puts them in a basket, and takes it to Paul's bedroom. She has to see the picture again. She pushes the door open with her hip, both hands occupied with the basket, and puts it down in front of the photograph. Her eyes fill with tears. Even with the green sweater, she looks nothing like Andrea. She will never be Andrea. And Jake is no little boy.
And then she senses someone standing in the doorway, and looks up to see Tim's shocked face.
"Sorry," he says, "I thought Dad was home. I…"
Casey can see his wheels turning, wondering what she's doing in his father's bedroom. She's glad she's brought the laundry basket.
"Oh, Tim, I was just putting away your father's laundry," she says, patting the basket and placing a small pile of Paul's folded shirts on top of his dresser. "He called, you know—he'll be home around 10:15. He sounded like he was hoping you'd still be up." Casey ventures a smile in his direction. Tim doesn't say a word, just stands there, almost nodding, Casey thinks, but not quite. Casey tilts her chin towards the photograph on Andrea's dresser. "I was just looking at this picture," she says. "It's so… so sweet." Casey swallows, trying to call forth the right words. "You must miss her," she almost whispers.
Tim's eyes are fixed on the carpet, and Casey can see him swallow, too. He turns and leaves the room without a word. Casey knows better than to stop him. She promises herself that the next time Paul and the boys are all out of the house, she will return Andrea's ring to its rightful place. She crosses her fingers that in the meantime, Tim will not arouse Paul's suspicion by mentioning her presence in his room.
She bends down to pick up the empty laundry basket. When she looks up, Jake is standing there, jaw tight, staring at her aggressively as he holds out the receiving blanket with one hand. With the other, he pushes the door closed behind him.
"What's this?" he demands, whipping the blanket around the way boys brandish towels in a locker room. "Are you—are you… pregnant?"
Casey gasps. "No! It's for a friend of mine," she lies, "a friend who just had a baby boy."
Jake looks doubtful—Casey had said she was new to the area. "A friend… around here?"
"No, back home. Look, Jake," she recovers her balance, pulls herself up straighter, "I'm sorry you're hurt. It never should have happened, any of it."
Jake says nothing, breath comes out hard through his nostrils.
"But, Jake. I need my locket back. Please."
A flicker of a smile plays across his lips. "Who is she?"
The picture of her mother. That he had seen it felt like more of a violation than anything that had happened between them.
"Your mother?" he prods her.
"Yes," she whispers, her eyes on the carpet.
"Did she die too? Is that why you came here?" He is angry, and suddenly suspicious.
"No. Yes." Her chin shakes in confusion. "I…"
"And what are you doing in here?" He watches her, and she knows there is no right answer. "You took my mother's ring." His chin wags in bewilderment. "Who do you think you are?"
Casey's eyes grow wide. He's found out; it can only grow worse now. She closes her eyes. All she wants now is her locket; she knows she will not have a home here much longer.
"Jake." Her voice is desperate, tired. "I've made a mistake. A lot of mistakes. Please. I'm putting the ring back. I've… that's been my plan all along." Casey, for the first time, feels very old. "But please. I want my locket back. I need it. You must know… to have something… it's all I've got." She closes her eyes. Maybe when she opens them he will be holding out the locket.
"You can't just—" a ragged sob escapes from Jake's throat, "come here like this and then—oh, man. Casey, what are you?"
She charges past him in the doorway, runs down the hall. Slams and locks the door. In the narrow bed she slaps a pillow over her head, yanks up a quilt. No one must hear her cry. None of that. Bound to fall apart. Everything. Her head throbs. She turns on her side, facing the wall of Escher prints. Stairs lead nowhere, faceless knights march in formation and end up back where they started. While she stares unblinking at one staircase, it suddenly shifts direction. Casey turns and faces the door.
She awakens to voices shouting and the shrill, recurrent beep of the smoke alarm. Amidst the shouting, a door opens and shuts. Paul's alarmed voice reaches her, as he asks the boys what the hell is going on, and where on earth has Casey gone?
She rolls out of bed, checks her face in the mirror (no red eyes) and slips into her clogs. Pull yourself together. She runs to the kitchen. An acrid smell, a fog of smoke. Charred meatloaf and scorched spuds.
"I am so sorry," she says, skidding past Paul, who is disabling the smoke alarm. "I fell asleep… I thought I'd set my alarm…" flustered, she grabs two potholders, turns the oven off, and hurries the pan of meatloaf out to the deck. Jake follows, carrying four blackened potatoes in a kitchen towel.
"You trying to burn the house down now?" He shakes his head in disgust. "There's no end to your little tricks."
Casey turns away, her eyes smarting. Paul will think it's because of the smoke.
She finds him in the kitchen with Tim. They open more windows, turn on the exhaust fan.
"Oh, Paul," she croaks, "Some welcome home! Guess I won't lie down again while anything is cooking. Even something as forgiving as meatloaf and potatoes.
Paul gives her an odd look. "Well." He clears his throat. "That's why we have smoke alarms. So," he says, glancing around the kitchen and finally opening the refrigerator door, "I take it you haven't eaten?"
She wishes this were his attempt at humor, but a glance at his face tells her that it's not.
"No. The boys and I haven't had supper. Did you… did you eat?"
He shrugs. "I'll have some… cereal." Tim is already pouring himself a bowl. Jake was nowhere to be seen. Not, she hoped, fetching that blanket from her room. Or the ring, either.
Casey can think of nothing but escaping from the kitchen. But she busies herself washing the pots and bowls she'd left in the sink earlier, then unloads the dishwasher.
"Is there anything I can get you, Paul, before I turn in?" she asks. "It's been a long day—for all of us, I think."
He finishes a mouthful. "No, we're fine," he says, inclining his head to include Tim. "But I would like to speak with you in the morning, before I leave for work. There are several things we need to discuss."
Casey can only nod, murmur her good-night, and walk down the hall. Not until morning will she be confronted. No doubt Tim has told Paul of her lingering in his room, and who knew what Jake has revealed. And being absent and asleep while supper filled the house with smoke really doesn't help Casey's case.
But she has to get that locket back before she is fired. She will have no leverage then. Jake has disappeared, but the door to his room is closed tight. She thinks he is in there, but he might have left the house in the midst of the commotion. Casey ponders what to do, her desperation mounting. She returns to her room and writes a note.
Dear Jake,
I am sorry about all our misunderstandings. I know we are both hurt. But I must have my locket back. I will do anything you "want." It can be a win-win. Please come see me after you read this.
Casey puts the note in a small pink envelope, seals it, and waits until she's heard Paul and Tim go to bed. Then she tiptoes down the hall and slips the note under Jake's door, and knocks as softly as she can. She listens, ear to the door, and hears the padding of feet, the rustle of paper. She sidles away from his room and stands flush against the wall near her own door.
Jake opens his door, looks right, then left. His eyes widen and his nostrils flare as he sees Casey. His long stride carries him down the hall in seconds.
"You whore!" he rasps. "I'm not what you think I am." He gulps back tears.
Casey is struck speechless.
"Here, take it." Jake stuffs the locket into her right hand. "I wouldn't deprive you of your mother." His eyes narrow. "Or try to take her place, either."
Casey's mouth drops open and her free hand reaches up to cover it. Slowly she backs into her room. "I am so sorry," she says, lowering her eyes just before she closes the door, shutting him out.
In her room Casey pulls out her cheap faux-leather suitcase. She packs the little blanket first, followed by the green sweater, but suddenly they mean nothing to her. Tokens of something that she had not been quite a part of. But leaving them behind will only raise more questions.
Andrea's ring she leaves on the dresser. Let Paul think what he will. Casey had thought she would write a note to Paul, but she can't. Not when she thinks of her note to Jake and the reaction it brought.
Casey gets her winter coat from the closet and puts it on. There is a little chill in the air. She picks up her locket, opens it, and kisses her mother's picture. The woman looking back at her is younger than Casey is now. Wounded and wild.
"We were both made for leaving, I guess," Casey whispers. Hoisting the little bag that holds all she owns, she walks through the door.
Copyright 2014 by Suzanne Ketchum Adams


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Rachel Allen's latest culinary adventure, along Ireland's wild west coast, wasn't all plain sailing. But, the chef reveals how the trip reminded her how much she loves the Emerald Isle
"When the weather wasn't great, it was wild and dramatic and windy. We had a couple of boat trips that did more than clear out the cobwebs," says Allen, who spent a month journeying along the rugged western terrain from Ballymaloe in County Cork to the rugged headlands of Donegal.
She visited numerous foodie locations along the route - and each stop-off forms a chapter in her new book, Coast, which is packed full of recipes inspired by her 'culinary odyssey'.
There was Sneem village in Kerry, where she met black pudding-producing butchers; Galway City, to stock up on farmhouse cheese, and Rathmullan House in County Donegal, where Allen sampled some locally-brewed Kinnegar beer.
"The characters you meet along the way and their passion is just wonderful," says the author and TV presenter, who teaches at the acclaimed Ballymaloe Cookery School.
"I also learnt how to free-dive for crabs and went snorkelling, looking at different seaweeds. I was constantly learning."
Allen believes Ireland's gastronomic output in recent years has helped reverse the opinion that it houses a "nation of potato and cabbage eaters".
"Our produce is just the best in the world - when you think of our amazing seafood, our dairy, our meat, because of all our wonderful green grass and our grass-fed animals - it's just fantastic," she enthuses.
"I think it's wonderful now that so many more chefs have confidence in our produce. We're importing less all the time. It's wonderful seeing people going for local produce and really showcasing it wonderfully by doing simple things to it."
Allen took what she learned on her road trip back to share with her pupils at Ballymaloe. The Dubliner was 18 when she enrolled in a course at the famous school and met now-husband Isaac (son of renowned chef Darina Allen).
"I love the teaching, and thankfully my mother-in-law Darina is wonderful at letting me go off and do this. I come back full of enthusiasm," she says.
The mum-of-three, whose children range in age from six to 15, admits that despite the long days and distances involved, her journey up the Atlantic coast was "probably easier" than her usual day-to-day work.
"Normally when I finish work, I have to come home and look after the children. [On the trip] we were staying in little hotels, guest houses or bed and breakfasts, so all I had to do was eat an evening meal and collapse into bed," she adds with a laugh.
Have Allen's kids picked up any of her kitchen prowess?
"Josh [the eldest] is good at catching fish. He'll bring the fish back, he knows how to cook it himself but I'm awful, I'm one of these mothers, like the typical Irish mum who'll say, 'Ah no, I'll do it'," she confesses.
"I need to get them to do more, because they're good actually."
Want to try one of Allen's tasty recipes at home? Here's one from Coast...


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How to Remain HAPPY?
It's so simple to smile; but it's too difficult to be happy. Many of us may think the last time when we were happy, and that brings joy and happiness in their lives. As, happiness is a process; it is not a place. We might have read several books on how to remain happy but unless you are happy from inside, no book can provide you happiness from outside. Researchers feel that happiness is a key ingredient to a healthy life. We often try to find out ways to remain happy. I ask you a question whether you do not try to extend your happiness situations to remain happy and in an event we tend to avoid un-pleasurable situations.
Today, we live in a society where information is provided to us instantly with latest technologies wherever we might be located. We might even find answers on Google on "how to remain happy" or "how to make ourselves smile" and so on..but all this information cant bring happiness in our lives until we transform ourselves, and adapt to the environment. First of all, I would ask you a question as to what is the aim in your life. To remain happy, it's very important to understand the goal or an aim in your life. And, it's equally important to identify your goal in this fast paced environment. I would like to recall the incident that happened in the famous epic, "Mahabharata" where 'Arjun' had just one aim when he was to hit the fish. I make him my idol and realize the simple fact that, Aimless person cannot remain happy from within. Ask yourself a simple question that have you accomplished the task you had set yourself today or have you set yourself any short- or long-term targets to achieve your goal.
Several researches have proved that only 30% of the people remain happy and 40% remain unhappy while the remaining 30% are in the dilemma whether to remain happy or not. This dilemma has a lot to do with what we used to study in school or colleges, and that is "Study". Our honorable teachers have taught us many subjects like Science, Maths, etc..but they haven't taught us the simple philosophy of life that how to remain happy irrespective of situations that we face in our life. I know that this might sound awkward to you because how can one remain happy when some very near to you dies or you are at a funeral ceremony. People might think you a mad person to remain happy on a situation like this. But, in such situations also, you can remain happy. YES! Its not always important to smile when you are happy. Sometimes, being calm and remaining to oneself or accepting the present moment also pertains to happiness.
Now, you must be wondering to yourselves, "Why I am telling you all this? I am happy and much happier person in this earth. Moreover, if you think so, then think again and look inside yourselves as to whether you are saying truth to yourselves. As, life flows like a river with a many waves and tides occurring in it, and changing your life dramatically. Have you ever though, why do we want happiness because it feels good. Therefore, to feel good, it is equally important to adapt to the changing environment, as the world is not CONSTANT.
I would like you to try this simple exercise to think of three different things that you did today that should make you feel happy. THINK about it, and then you will feel an energy from within that will bring happiness in your life. Then, you will be the true happy person on this earth. Try to make others happy, or help those who are in need to get happiness in your lives. Try to gain composure when at pain – whether the 'pain' is physical or emotional.
Refer this:
"Don't focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that's great for your readers." Brian Clark This blog presents some of my thoughts related to anything. Do spare some time to read some of my posts and leave a comment. Feel free to email me at firstname.lastname@example.com
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Posted by Anuj Kapoor at 9:20 AM
1 comment:
- Saurabh Kudesia said...
It is very simple to be happy, but very difficult to be simple. Most of the time we are so much obsessed by our goals and priorities that we fail to realise that the source of our happiness is not outside, but within us. The key is to contionously look inward and realise ourself to make the best of this momentarily existence.
Keep writing.
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House Sitting
Drop-In Visits
Dog Walking
Traveling Preferences
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Riley would be a great dog sitter because she cares about other dogs the way she would her own. I have seen Riley work with other people's dogs inside and outside of a professional environment, and she is always respectful and responsible with the owner's wishes. She would always have the dog's best interests in mind, so she would be a great choice for your next dog sitter.
About Riley
Have 4 dogs of my own! 4 years exp.
2 year veterinary technician degree and 3 years experience working in a vet clinic. Worked at a doggy daycare over 1 year. Very flexible schedule to meet you and your dogs needs! I treat every dog like they are my own, you're trusting me with your baby and i take that very seriously. If you have an older dog, I am experienced with giving medicine if need be and great with puppies too! I'll make ...


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Acting unions drop The Hobbit boycott
An angry Jackson threatened to re-locate the movie from his native New Zealand if local actors didn't end their boycott of the film over a contract dispute with studio bosses.
And, after a month-long stand-off, it appears the tense situation is cooling.
Officials at America's Screen Actors Guild broke the latest news in the ongoing union battle, stating, "Our sister union New Zealand Actors Equity issued a statement recommending all international performers' unions rescind their member advisories on the feature film production The Hobbit.
"In light of this recommendation, Screen Actors Guild will be alerting its members that they are now free to accept engagements, under Screen Actors Guild contract terms and conditions, on The Hobbit."
Jackson and his fellow producers recently announced that the delayed film will start shooting in February (11).


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PHP7 Depricated features
With the addition of every language there usually is a division with most people on whether some features should be kept for legacy code or removed due to bad habits. I personally think the developers of today love legacy code too much and rewrites are essential to keep products at their best. The language architects have decided to take out some old features for security or possibly because there's a better solution out there. So I encourage this type of activity in PHP and I like to see forced good practices especially on the server side where the developers control the environment.
Firstly the style constructors on classes are not supported anymore AKA constructor functions that have the same name as their classes. So take for example this constructor function…
class MyBuilder { public $name; public $job; function MyBuilder( $name, $job ){ $this->name = $name; $this->job = $job; } }
This is no longer encouraged in PHP and is bad practice anyway, your constructor functions should be clearly identifiable in the class by naming it with the special __construct name…
class MyBuilder { public $name; public $job; function __construct( $name, $job ){ $this->name = $name; $this->job = $job; } }
Secondly static calls to non-static methods in a class are no longer supported, for example…
class MyBuilder { public function hello( ) { echo 'hello world'; } } MyBuilder::hello( );
… This isn't allowed as the hello method has not been declared static.
Thirdly there has been an update to the password_hash function and has been deprecated to prevent developers from generating their own (usually insecure) salts. Remember the random functions lecture that now comes in PHP7? Well this is just proof developers are coming up with insecure salts to obfuscate data being sent to the database. So the password_hash function no longer accepts humanly generated salts but rather automatically applies a salt for you.
Finally capture_session_meta SSL context option has been deprecated. SSL metadata is now available through the stream_get_meta_data function. This is a minor change but hasn't been taken out of the language, it's just shuffled around a little.