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Estate Agents: How to remain compliant and achieve growth
Estate agency is a specialised profession and whatever the size of your practice, there are both challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Accounting for estate agencies can be complicated as estate agents deal with vast sums of money on a regular basis. The situation becomes even more complex if you handle the accounts of a housing association or manage an investment trust. Simply managing payroll is a challenge due to the commission structure of most sales employees' contracts. Add tight financial regulations into the mix and you can see that managing your accounts can be tricky, to say the least.
Mistakes could quickly cost you, or you clients, money, and the latter could have a drastic effect on your reputation. That's why it is important to have your accounts professionally managed by an accountant who is experienced in the nuances of the real estate sector and the regulations you must adhere to. In this blog post, we explain some of the accounting issues estate agents experience every day, and how effective accounting can provide solutions.
Real estate is a heavily regulated industry
The mistakes leading up to the economic crash in 2007 have resulted in a further tightening of regulations and there are now tougher rules when it comes to financial transactions, particularly in relation to managing and accounting for client funds, offsetting expenses and money laundering.
The Estate Agents Act 1979 regulates the work of an estate agent to make sure they act in the best interests of their clients and that both buyers and sellers are treated honestly and fairly. Under the act, failure to comply with regulations can result in a number of penalties, from formal warnings to being banned from trading.
To ensure you remain fully compliant with the plethora of regulations, it is important to seek the advice of a qualified accountant who specialises in the real estate sector. They will ensure your books are professionally maintained and are fully up to date and accessible should you be audited by a government official.
Handle client's money carefully
There are a number of regulations under the act that an Estate Agent must comply with but one of the most important elements are the rules around handling clients' money. You should have robust controls and systems in place to protect client monies. It's paramount to implement thorough processes to ensure you comply with the strict regulations. You must keep intricate records of all transactions relating to a client account and give detailed receipts for all the money you receive. It is actually an offence not to do so. If you are a RICS regulated firm, you have access to the their free 'Client's Money Protection Scheme' which is a valuable tool to help you stay compliant.
Ensure you have a transparent audit trail
The regulations require your accounts to be examined and reported on by a qualified auditor within six months of the end of your accounting period. You must also keep your accounts and all financial records for at least six years after the end of each accounting period, in case there is an inspection by an authorised officer, such as a representative from Trading Standards.
A good accountant can help you stay compliant with these regulations. By managing your accounts through cloud-based accounting software they will ensure your records are always safe and accessible which will make the process much less stressful. They will conduct a review of your firm's accounts to identify any areas of risk and give you training and guidance on the implications of accounting regulations and bye-laws. They may also create for you a full compliance plan to monitor and prevent potential breaches.
Managing payroll can be complicated
Commission structured remuneration is standard in the real estate sector. In some scenarios, sales people will be paid purely on the commission they earn from property sales or rental income. In others, the salesperson could be paid through a combination of fixed salary plus commission. This can make payroll complex as payments can fluctuate throughout the year.
Accounting software such as Xero, can make recording transactions easy. But as far as commission calculations are concerned, there need to be rigorous systems in place governing the calculation of the amounts due and when those sums become payable. The whole process must be underpinned by a well-organised office ensuring all the key records are saved in appropriate places so that they can be accessed by the right people, in a timely manner. This also ensures you have thorough records of all your payments, which is vital for your tax obligations as commission is subject to income tax.
Protect yourselves from money launderers
Money laundering is an area of increasing concern globally. Estate agents are included in the list of professionals deemed at high risk in the UK Money Laundering Regulations Act 2007. As such you are required to put in place systems to avoid money laundering and report suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency.
There are a number of scenarios that may indicate money laundering when dealing with a client. Perhaps the client is secretive or evasive about their background, where the money is coming from or the bigger picture of the transaction. Perhaps they have provided false information or are known to have been involved in financial crime in the past, or you have doubts about the legitimacy of the parties involved in the transaction. You should be extra vigilant to ensure your firm is protected from money launderers. You can find out more about the precautions you should take at the RICS website.
The importance of accurate accounting
Accurate accounting is vital for the success of your business. So is the software you choose to account with. It needs to be simple to use, yet capable of handling all your transactions. Many businesses are electing to be cloud based to ensure that their information can be accessed at any time and is completely safe. We choose Xero. It's simply the best cloud accountancy software for our clients.
With Xero, clients can record all their transactions in real time and therefore reduce the likelihood of out of date information. We can seamlessly access our clients' accounts and can provide access for anyone who requires the information, such as the client's team, a book keeper, or auditor. Information can be viewed anywhere, at any time, so there's no need to send files back and forth. We can review our clients operating results and generate excellent reports to help them understand how their business is performing. We can also provide proactive and timely advice on issues impacting the business to help our clients keep the business on track and comply with their tax obligations.
Avoid nasty tax surprises
Where there is property there will always be taxation. From Capital Gains Tax to Inheritance Tax and Stamp Duty Tax, dealing with taxation can be a minefield for those without experience. An accountant experienced in the sector will have extensive knowledge of tax legislation and will help you structure your business in the most tax-efficient way. They should support you with tax planning advice and provide comprehensive tax health checks to ensure you are not paying a penny more than you absolutely have to and you don't get any nasty surprises.
Businesses in the property sector are sometimes targeted by government tax inspectors. It is vital that your accounts are always in order as they will be examined in fine detail by inspectors looking for anomalies. Using quality accounting software such as Xero will help you through this process. Xero provides a full audit trail for any transaction so you are fully transparent with your financial records, making the auditor's job much easier.
Seek professional growth advice
When developing a strategy to grow your business it is important to seek the advice of an accountant. They can help you access corporate finance and give you specialist advice on merger and acquisition opportunities. They can help you conduct due diligence and support you with post-acquisition integration. If you are looking to sell your business, an accountant is also there to help you prepare your proposition and guide you through the process.
For more information about how Sanders support a range of Estate Agency clients, get in touch by calling 020 7317 0040 or emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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My name is Vasil Dimchev. I am a Project Manager at DevriX.
I have graduated with a Master's degree in Commercial Business at the University of Economics – Varna and since then my career was always related in this field. Before 4 years I started to experiment with my job positions because I wanted to develop my skills in various fields.
Before joining DevriX I mostly worked in high-tech start-up companies as a sales representative, Brand Manager, Business Development Specialist, Operations Manager, General Analysis, which give me an incredible start in my career and lit my passion for always seeking a new field of self-development
During this period I developed my communication skills, presentation skills, ability to see the high-end goal "the bigger picture", agile personal approach to problem-solving, I became a better team player and learned a lot of IT related stuff.
At DevriX I am managing projects or in other words, I am balancing between people and projects.
I have various interests and hobbies. I love sports, reading books, traveling with my girlfriend, fixing broken things, driving, hiking, swimming
Feel free to reach me at any time 🙂

subset: commoncrawl


text: ARLINGTON Max Scherzer Jersey , Texas (AP) — sked how different he felt playing shortstop and hitting cleanup for the Chicago Cubs.Two big swings on opening day indicate he's picking up where he left off last season."Uh, the same. I feel more confident at the plate, being smarter with a plan," Baez said. "About the lineup, you can really put me anywhere. We've got guys here who can hit leadoff, third, fourth, last. It doesn't matter."Baez homered twice, Jon Lester won for the first time in his last five opening day starts and the Cubs began the season with a 12-4 victory Thursday at Texas, spoiling the debut of new Rangers manager Chris Woodward in the 26th and final opener in their current ballpark.While batting everywhere in the lineup except ninth, Baez hit 34 homers and led the National League with 111 RBIs last season, when he finished second in MVP voting and was the starting second baseman in the All-Star Game."We all kind of saw him grow up before our eyes last year," Lester said. "He's done it, so I don't think the questions are there as far as can he. … Let Javy do Javy, and I think good things will happen."With Addison Russell completing his 40-game suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence policy, Baez opened this season as the starting shortstop. Barring no postponements, Russell could be eligible to return in early May.Kris Bryant added a two-run shot for the Cubs, opening their fifth season under manager Joe Maddon after four playoff appearances in a row that included the 2016 World Series title.Elvis Andrus and Nomar Mazara each hit a two-run homer for Texas, which matched its most lopsided loss in a season opener.The Cubs led 7-2 in the fifth after Baez greeted reliever Jesse Chavez with a three-run homer on the right-hander's first pitch. That was an inning after Baez hit a solo shot, when he reached out almost one-handed to pull an 82 mph 0-2 breaking pitch from Mike Minor (0-1) into the left-field seats."Last year at this time (Baez) was hitting really low in the batting order. There wasn't that same kind of vibe coming out of him like you're seeing right now http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey ," Maddon said. "Right now, he cannot be more confident."Lester (1-0) limited Texas to two runs over six innings to win his first opening day start since 2013 with the Red Sox. The lefty lost Boston's 2014 opener, and dropped his debut with the Cubs in 2015 before no-decisions the last two years.Minor, the only holdover from last season's Rangers rotation, made his first career opening day start. He permitted six runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings.Woodward, the 42-year-old former utility infielder who played 12 big league seasons, was the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers the past three seasons — and last two World Series.Minor and six Rangers relievers, including two making their big league debuts, combined to allow 13 hits and eight walks."We're going to have days like this. It's pretty obvious the reason why," Woodward said. "Weird things happen first game. … Maybe it's the nerves. It was pretty windy out there. A lot of guys were saying the ball was moving way more than normal."RANGERS DINGERSAndrus, the 30-year-old shortstop and the longest-tenured Rangers player starting his 11th season, homered in the third and had three of the four hits allowed by Lester. Mazara's drive with two outs in the ninth that went in the upper deck in right field was projected at 482 feet.SLICK PLAYAsdrubal Cabrera is the starting third baseman for the Rangers with Adrian Beltre now retired. The two-time All-Star shortstop, who signed a one-year deal before spring training, had a defensive gem in the second inning when he backhanded a chopper near the line, then spun and made a strong throw to get David Bote out at first.TRAINER'S ROOMCubs: RHP Yu Darvish, after throwing a bullpen, said the blister on his ring finger is healing and he will be ready for his first start of the season Saturday.Rangers: LHP Yohander Mendez (strained elbow ligament) was put on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 25. The 24-year-old rookie is expected to miss the first half of the season.UP NEXTCubs: Darvish, who started his major league career with Texas in 2012 after seven pro seasons in Japan, pitches against the Rangers for the first time since they traded him in 2017.Rangers: Lance Lynn's only previous appearance at the Rangers' home ballpark was as a rookie with St. Louis in the 2011 World Series. The right-hander on Saturday makes his first start for Texas since signing a $30 million http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , three-year deal as a free agent in December. Los Angeles Angels (38-37, fourth in the AL West) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (26-48, fourth in the AL East)Toronto; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Angels: Jose Suarez (2-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 13 strikeouts) Blue Jays: Clayton Richard (0-3, 7.53 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 12 strikeouts)Article continues below ...LINE: Angels favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 runsBOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles can secure a series sweep over Toronto with a win.The Blue Jays are 12-25 on their home turf. Toronto has a collective on-base percentage of .287, last in the American League. Eric Sogard leads the club with a mark of .354.The Angels are 19-19 on the road. Los Angeles's lineup has 110 home runs this season, Mike Trout leads them with 22 homers. The Angels won the last meeting 11-6. Noe Ramirez secured his third victory and Trout went 3-for-6 with two home runs and seven RBIs for Los Angeles. Aaron Sanchez took his ninth loss for Toronto.TOP PERFORMERS: Freddy Galvis leads the Blue Jays with 25 extra base hits and is batting .259. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 11-for-36 with a double, four home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for Toronto.Trout leads the Angels with 56 RBIs and is batting .303. Shohei Ohtani is 13-for-39 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Los Angeles.LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 3-7, .238 batting average, 6.62 ERA, outscored by 15 runsAngels: 7-3, .258 batting average, 4.91 ERA Trea Turner Jersey , outscored opponents by eight runsBlue Jays Injuries: Jacob Waguespack: 10-day IL (shoulder), Ryan Tepera: 60-day IL (elbow), Matt Shoemaker: 60-day IL (knee), Elvis Luciano: 60-day IL (elbow), Edwin Jackson: 10-day IL (back), Ken Giles: 10-day IL (elbow), Clay Buchholz: 60-day IL (shoulder), Ryan Borucki: 60-day IL (elbow), Dalton Pompey: 60-day IL (concussion), Teoscar Hernandez: day-to-day (wrist), Devon Travis: 60-day IL (knee), Justin Smoak: 10-day IL (hamstring).Angels Injuries: JC Ramirez: 60-day IL (elbow), Keynan Middleton: 60-day IL (elbow), Matt Harvey: 10-day IL (back), Trevor Cahill: 10-day IL (elbow), Andrelton Simmons: 10-day IL (ankle), Zack Cozart: 10-day IL (shoulder).


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You can't beat the warmth & charm of a timber home and this one is as neat as a pin, affordably priced and very well positioned in a quiet end of town only moments from shops and conveniences. It's immaculately maintained and recently painted, with the kitchen & bathroom tastefully updated as well as offering front & rear timber decks to enjoy the morning and afternoon shade whilst overlooking the gardens.
Other attributes include:
• 3 bedrooms (2 with built-ins) 2 bathrooms & 2 car accommodation
• Smart timber kitchen & stylish updated bathroom
• Downstairs storage room with built-in cupboards & 2nd toilet
• Front & rear timber decks overlooking the gardens – rear deck with laundry & shower amenities
• 3m x 6m zincalume shed with roller door access + 3m x 6m lockable lean-to
• 2nd 3m x 6m garden shed
• 2 bay carport
• Fully fenced 1049m2 allotment with private gardens & vegetable plots
It's a MUST TO INSPECT! And perfect for first homebuyers, those wishing to downsize and move closer to town or investors alike. For further information or to arrange a private inspection please call EXCLUSIVE AGENT Joe Torrisi.


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Feed RSS
users: 0419471
The Surface of the Saturnian moon Rhea shows the clearest signs of its "violent" ancient history and, in fact, each Impact Crater seen here records an impact which occurred in the moon's far distant past. On some Regions of Rhea, the Impact Craters are so densely packed that they lie, litterally, on top of each other, with the newer impacts which have often erased the signs left by the older ones. Long and steep Fractures of the Surface can also clearly bee seen near and on the Terminator Line. As a matter of fact, if you just think about it, even a simple walk (or maybe a drive that is carried out by using some sort of vehicle with wheels - maybe a more modern and safe version of the famous Lunar Rover) on such a devastated Land might result as extremely difficult; perhaps impossible. Of course for now. But in a Future, who knows...
Rhea is approx. 949 miles (such as about 1528,8 Km) across and this view is centered on Terrain located at 38° North Latitude and 290° West Longitude. The image was taken in Visible Light, with the NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on December 22, 2012. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 19.000 miles (such as a little more than 30.577 Km) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-Cassini Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 30°. Image scale is 600 feet (such as 182,88 meters) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 14654) has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXXT/IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - CASSINI Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon, Rhea), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Rhea, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.


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Simplesat allows you to create a satisfaction survey that you can embed directly in SolarWinds email notifications.
Create your survey
First, create a new survey.
Customize the survey settings, then choose the Generic Embed option in the Publish section.
Enter the SolarWinds' placeholders into the fields:
SolarWinds' email placeholders
- Team Member Email -
{{ Model.AssignedUsers | Select: '(item.EmailAddress)' }}
- Team Member ID
- Team Member First Name -
{{ Model.AssignedUsers | Select: '(item.FirstName) (item.LastName)' | Join: ', ' }}
- Team Member Last Name
- Customer Email -
- Customer ID
- Customer First Name -
- Customer Last Name -
- Company Name -
- Ticket ID -
- Ticket Subject -
Once you have the placeholders filled in, click Generate Embed Code. Make sure you're on the HTML option, then click Copy survey.
Add your survey to SolarWinds
Navigate to Settings and select Notifications > Notification Templates.
Select the template that you'd like to use and paste the HTML survey you copied. Click Save and you're done! 😉
Try it out!
Create a test ticket with yourself as the requester. Check your email and click any rating that you like. Once you do, new feedback should instantly show up in your Simplesat dashboard. 🎊


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The ability to speak within a prescribed amount of time is critical to effective public speaking. Too short, and you don't deliver the message. Too long, and the message is watered down and, dare I say, BORING. Sometimes a speaker gets so involved in talking that they forget about their audience! We've all, no doubt, experienced the pre-lunch speaker going on and on while our stomachs collectively growl with hunger. I don't know about you, but I am incapable of digesting a message when all I can think about is if I still have a mint in my purse!
In an effort to stamp out poor public speaking, The Communication Lab (CALL) has implemented TED Tuesdays. Each week we will highlight a speech from TED.com, a virtual space where you can see thousands of speeches by interesting people who, according to the TED website "are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less)." Some of the very best speeches on TED are even less than 5 minutes – like today's speech by Matt Cutts http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html
Do you have a favorite TED speech? Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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IBM organized a special lecture entitled "A Business and Its Ideas: Reinventing the Modern Corporation" recently to over 400 future Philippine leaders, majority coming from the students and faculty members of the Asia Pacific College (APC), University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila (ADM), De LaSalle University (DLSU), University of Santo Tomas (UST), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), and other top academic institutions in the country. The Centennial Lecture conducted by Timothy 'Tim' Shaughnessy, Senior Vice President, Services Delivery, IBM Global Technology Services is part of IBM's year-long celebration of its 100th year anniversary. The lecture was held on November 15 at the APC auditorium.
"APC has been fortunate to have had IBM as our founder, our mentor and guide, our staunch supporter, our partner in education. APC is dedicated to bridging academy and industry. The lessons learned from IBM's first 100 years are valuable and is what real learning is all about," said Ma. Teresita Medado, Corporate Communications Director, APC. "APC is honored to host the Manila leg of IBM's Centennial Lecture Series, as the company celebrates its remarkable 100th year milestone this 2011".
In his address, Tim Shaughnessy shared and highlighted three key lessons IBM learned during its past 100 years:
· How the organization must adapt as the world economy changes
· The role of technology for today's leaders
· How an organization retains its distinctive core through continual change
"To have long term growth and success, over decades and even a century, organizations must manage for the long term. IBM is looking ahead, and we're thinking about what our 100-year history tells us about the world today, and tomorrow," said Tim Shaughnessy. "Most importantly, we want to engage with future leaders like you (students) to share perspectives and deepen our collective understanding of what individuals and institutions need to do to succeed in today's globally integrating, technology-infused world," he added.
Over its century of existence, IBM has played a leading role in transforming business, science and society. These dimensions form the basis for the three themes driving IBM's Centennial: Reinventing the Modern Corporation, Pioneering the Science of Information and Making the World Work Better. Together they provide a basis for understanding how the rise of information technology has changed society and the world.
For more information on IBM Centennial, please visit: www.ibm100.com
Visit IBM's Centennial press room to obtain historical images, a snapshot of milestones and a fact sheet visit www.ibm.com/press/ibm100
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Global Site Search
Use the links in the blue boxes to narrow your search results.
Our friends at CityMinded.org are out with a timely reminder of a financing alternative that is seeing great success in Latin America. As author Anthony Flint points out, "the elephant in the room remains the question of financing. The fiscal...
Article - 07/23/2013
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Finance and procurement, Policy and leadership
Financing remains the single biggest stumbling block to widespread adoption of sustainable technologies. We salute Council Advisors Bill Browning (of Terrapin Bright Green) and Chris Pyke (of the U.S. Green Building Council) for this innovative idea...
Article - 07/09/2013
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Energy, Finance and procurement, Policy and leadership


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Azeline Coverlet
We ship orders within the U.S. via UPS. Shipping rates are generated during the checkout process. We do not ship internationally. We offer free shipping for orders over $250 (some exclusions apply). We also offer free shipping for any products in our French Presse Collection.
We do not ship to shipping centers. If you wish to ship your order to a location other than to a residential or business address, please contact us before placing the order at email@example.com to guarantee that the order will go through.
UPS ground shipping is not available for Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. Please note that UPS does not ship to PO Boxes.
All orders will be shipped within three business days of being placed. We do not offer weekend delivery.
We currently offer 3 shipping methods.
- Standard Ground: Delivery by UPS within 5 to 7 days after processing.
- 2-Day: Delivery by UPS within 48 business hours after processing, if placed before 1 PM EST Monday - Friday.
- Next Day Air: Delivery by UPS the next business day after processing, if placed before 1 PM EST Monday – Friday.
Refusal of Delivery:
- If you refuse delivery of any order placed on frenchpresse.com the package will be returned to our warehouse. Upon receipt of the item in original condition/original packaging, you will receive a refund for the merchandise and tax paid, but shipping charges are non-refundable.
We accept the return of any new and unused item(s) if you are not satisfied with your purchase. The goods have to be in their original condition with tags attached. Should this happen, please fill out the Return Form below. Please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com with your order number and the reason for return to begin the returns process within 14 days of the delivery.Please note the cost of your return label will be deducted from your overall refund (we do have discounted rates with UPS which allow for inexpensive returns).
French Presse Linens only accepts returns within 14 days from the date customer has received their shipment.
Please note that any items that are ON SALE, are FINAL SALE. We cannot accept them back.
Any return requests falling outside of the 14-day time frame outlined above will not be accepted.
Cotton voile, block-printed. Machine wash.
Features three layers of cotton voile. The middle block-printed layer is covered on either side with a semi-transparent solid white voile, for a soft look and a breathable feel.


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I saw these on one of Pixiwoo's videos, and because I do like a bargain and she said they were good I thought I'd try one and see. They are £4.87 in Superdrug - they're not on the website or in every store I got mine from the Trafford Centre and Manchester city centre. You get 12 colours, that come in a black compact with a mirror on one side and it comes with a sponge applicator (which I never use). This is the packaging that they come in
There are a lot of them now, Storm, Jewel, Original, Chaos, Acid, Safari and the new one Curious is out 5th August. I only managed to get Original, Jewel and Storm but I am picking up an Acid one this weekend and hopefully I'll be able to get Curious sometime this week.
This is the storm palette and colour swatches
This is the storm palette and colour swatches
This is the Original pallette and swatches
And this is the Jewels pallette and swatches
(excuse my dodgy arms!)
I love these pallette's, you can probably tell I use the Storm one the most as it is more suitable for daytime looks. And I especially love the 2nd colour from the left on the top row, infact since I took these pictures you can see the bottom of the pallette in that one now! I like the Original one for the purple thats in there and the olive and the gold they're really gorgeous colours and look amazing on. The Jewels pallette is the one I never use...I'm not too sure why I just find the colours a bit daunting for me but my sister bought it for me. The pigmentation is amazing for the price (less than £5), I can put them on at 8am and they are still there at 10pm with minimal creasing. I really love these pallettes and reccomend them to everyone, I just don't like that the only place I can get them from is the Trafford centre or the city centre as I have to nag my husband to take me there! Also the Limited edition pallette's sell out really quickly so you have to get in there before they sell out, I have managed to find Acid and Safari on ebay however. I am keen to try out other Sleek products as I've heard great things about them, so keep your eyes open because as soon as I can get some I will post more reviews.
Here are a few looks I've created with the pallettes...
Sorry this post is rather picture heavy.


text: Wireless & IoT Court blows away challenge to Wind Mobile Howard Solomon @HowardITWC Published: June 8th, 2011The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld the Harper government's decision to allow the parent of wireless startup Wind Mobile a licence to operate."It's a full win," company chairman Anthony Lacavera said Wednesday in an interview. "We're very pleased."However, the fight isn't over yet. Late Wednesday Public Mobile issued a press release saying it will seek leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Toronto-based carrier, which also operates in Montreal, said the fight is over a level playing field for foreign investment."There have been five different decision makers in this process with a flip-flopping of the decision each time," Public Mobile CEO Alek Krstajic said in an news release. "Industry Canada, the CRTC, the Governor in Council (the federal cabinet), the Federal Court and now the Federal Court of Appeal have reached conflicting verdicts. Today's decision shows us just how clouded this issue has become and demonstrates more than ever the national importance for consistent rules that should be applied equally to all Canadian wireless carriers. If you're going to change the rules, change them equally for everyone, not just for Wind."That announcement means there is still a cloud over Wind, although it isn't automatic that the Supreme Court will hear the case. On the one hand it deals with the power of the federal cabinet to overturn regulatory bodies, which could interest the high court. On the other, it may find the reasoning of the appeal court sound. Telus Corp. which also brought the matter before the courts, hasn't said if it will be part of the Public Mobile appeal.What Public Mobile's move does is temporarily keep investors and bankers edgy about Wind at a time when it is looking for tens of millions of dollars to buy spectrum in upcoming auctions. It also might delay the Harper government's plans to liberalize the ownership restrictions for telecom carriers. That plan had been expected last fall, but was delayed, the government said, to ensure it dovetailed with the rules being set for upcoming spectrum auctions. A court decision clearing Wind would have helped seal the government's options.The legal battle started earlier this year when a Federal Court judge said the cabinet was wrong in December, 2009 to overturn a ruling by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that Globalive Wireless Management Corp. wasn't controlled by Canadians. At the time Globalive's was almost entirely funded by Egyptian-based Orascom Telecom Holdings (now part of VimpelCom Corp.), which also owned the Wind brand.Justice Rogers Hughes said cabinet erred in making a policy decision that the Telecommunications Act — which sets limits on who can own a carrier licence — should be interpreted to encourage foreign investment. There is no such requirement in the act, the judge said. Cabinet also erred saying its decision only applied to Globalive Wireless, which many felt meant it alone got a break. The cabinet can't restrict its interpretations to one person or organizations, the judge said.But in its decision the appeal court said cabinet first concluded Globalive is Canadian-controlled because Orascom does not have the ability to determine Globalive's strategic decision-making activities or to manage day-to-day operations."The divergence between the CRTC and Governor in Council [the cabinet] comes in the factual inferences, or conclusions, the Governor in Council drew from the evidence," the appeal court said. "The Governor in Council simply had a different appreciation of things, and that appreciation was rational and defensible." After that, cabinet "clearly based its decision to vary at least in part on the policy concern that the CRTC's decision undermined competition in the wireless telecommunications market," the appeal court added. But Parliament gave the cabinet the power to vary a CRTC decision, so it was proper."Exercise of the variance power is meant to be informed by the telecommunications policy objectives set out in section 7" of the Telecommunications Act, the appeal court said. "In this case, the Governor in Council referred to a number of the enumerated objectives, including rendering reliable and affordable telecommunications services of high quality to both urban and rural Canadians, enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of Canadian telecommunications, at the national and international levels, as well as promoting the ownership and control of Canadian carriers by Canadians."Hughes said the cabinet erred by relying on an objective not included in the act, ensuring the telecom industry has access to foreign capital.But the appeal court said "the promotion of access to foreign capital, technology, and experience can further a number of the policy objectives" in section 7 of the act. Wireless & IoT Canadian government, Globalive, Wind Mobile


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Garlic is a plant that just happens to be in the onion group. It's grown and used mainly for the purpose of cooking and has many excellent health benefits. The health benefits of raw garlic are endless. Garlic has high nutritional value and very low in calories. I want to go into great detail about how it garlic helps your blood sugars.
Why is Garlic Stronger Than Just Its Smell?
Allicin is a compound in garlic that contains very potent medicinal properties. Garlic was never a favorite of mine because of the strong taste and bad breath (I'll come to that later). But it is such a medicinal powerhouse that it's something you should just not pass up.
The health benefits definitely outweigh any negatives about garlic. And I believe that garlic should always be used in cooking. I have it in soup sometimes and I am finding other ways to incorporate it into my diet everyday.
Garlic & Its Role Against Diabetes
Garlic helps regulate blood sugar levels and increases insulin release in people with diabetes. I revert back to allicin which helps increase the amount of insulin being released in the blood. It does this by actually blocking the liver's inactivation of insulin.
This makes more insulin available for your body. As a diabetic, this works for me. Anything that fights diabetes is going to be in my corner. How about you? Fighting diseases such as diabetes is better done by natural methods as far as I'm concerned.
Diabetes can control you until you make changes to control it naturally. Garlic is one of those natural methods. Diabetes is so much about what you eat and the lack of exercise. So when you get diagnosed as I did, you begin to take steps to not only control your blood sugar, but to reverse and end your diabetes. It wasn't an overnight thing being diagnosed and it it isn't a "turn off the switch deal" and it's over.
So you want to do everything you can to control and fight diabetes. Eating healthy should be at the top of your list. Exercising at least thirty minutes a day five days a week should become the norm. Controlling your blood sugar levels to make sure that you don't have hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Getting enough sleep and avoiding stress helps big time.
And eating foods like garlic are definitely going to benefit your diabetes and your overall health. If you want something that is also really important for reversing your diabetes, find it in the conclusion of this article. It's worth it.
Getting Right to the Benefits of Garlic
- Allicin. I wanted to mention this first since I brought it up already. It contains the identical sulphur compound that onions have. Both onions and garlic were studied and were found to treat hair loss. Bring it on as I'm still losing hair at my age! I'll take anything natural that will help.
- Can fight illnesses and help build up your immune system. This is important too because if your immune system is compromised then problems could start arising such as diseases like cancer and diabetes. Garlic also helps fight the common cold and flu by reducing the number of days that might suffer from them.
- Lowers LDL and total cholesterol levels and therefore will decrease your risk of heart disease. Garlic will not have an effect on your triglycerides or HDL levels though.
- Detoxification of heavy metals in your body. Because of the sulfur compounds, they work to rid your body of the heavy metals by performing a complete body cleanse. This can take place with higher amounts of garlic.
- Extending our lives to live longer. If garlic is aiding and boosting out immune system, then it can hopefully ward off disease and add more years on to our lives. It definitely has beneficial effects on diseases that are chronic which would make sense that it would help us live longer.
- Strokes and heart attacks are diseases of the cardiovascular system that can be significantly be reduced by garlic lowering your blood pressure. Dosages of garlic again should be on the higher side. So getting enough allicin would require approximately four cloves of garlic a day.
- Aging and cell damage can be protected by the antioxidants of garlic. This in turn may decrease your chances of getting dementia and Alzhemier's disease.
- There may be a benefit for improving bone health with garlic and also onions. They also benefit osteoarthritis.
- Inflammation. Garlic is huge in the anti-inflammatory department. Studies have shown up to four sulphuric compounds in garlic that fight inflammation. People who are battling auto immune diseases can benefit from garlic as well.
- Psoriasis is inflammation of the skin and you can get relief by rubbing garlic oil on the area that is affected.
- Get rid of cold sores by applying some crushed garlic on the particular area that is bothering you. You may want to mix it with a little water because garlic by itself on the skin may be too irritating. The swelling caused by inflammation can be reduced and give you relief. An an even quicker way to rid you of these uncomfortable annoying pesky things is to be taking garlic supplements. I HATE cold sores! Yuck! I use this method and it helps.
- This is another one on the top of my "I do not like" list. Mosquitoes. First of all, I don't know anyone who would actually enjoy mosquitoes. Either apply to your skin (I know this is overboard), but if you keep garlic somewhere in the vicinity, you won't have an issue with mosquitoes because they hate garlic!
- Food poisoning. Studies have shown that garlic may prevent food poisoning because of its anti-bacterial properties. It kills bacteria such as salmonella and e. coli. You certainly don't want any of this!
- Combat athlete's foot. Fungus that causes athlete's foot can be soothed by soaking your feet that itch in garlic water.
- Excellent for metabolism. Malnutrition can result in a neurological disease. Garlic helps your nervous system which controls your spinal cord, and all functions of your body, including diseases of the brain.
- Fights plaque. It can fight infections in your mouth, including candida, plaque in your mouth and yeast infection that cause bacteria.
- Acts as a replacement for antibiotics in their heavier form that may weaken the immune system.
- Garlic is rich in minerals such as zinc, calcium, iron, manganese, and vitamins B and C. With 100 grams in garlic, there are 2 grams of fiber, perfect for the aiding in digestion. Used in cooking, it's perfect for adding more benefits to a healthy meal.
- Garlic may also decrease the severe symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. Because it aids in difficulty of breathing and issues with your lungs, it makes garlic so awesome.
Watch the Video Below for More on Garlic & Diabetes
Use Precaution & Consider These Recommendations
Garlic, for the most part, is considered to be safe and doesn't normally come with any serious side effects. A word of extreme caution here: Do not consume garlic if you are taking any blood-thinning medication, or if you have a thyroid condition or a stomach ulcer.
There is always a possibility that garlic could possibly interact with some prescription medicines, including insulin, antiviral drugs, and anti-inflammatory medicines.
It may cause bloating, an upset stomach, and possibly bad breath in some people. Also be careful when handling fresh garlic cloves as you can feel a stinging on your skin. Discuss garlic with your physician before taking it to make sure if it is okay for you to take.
Something like garlic that is natural and beneficial for most folks, can also clash with certain things for others so it's better to be safe than sorry and let the doctor make the call.
Lemons & Garlic Pack a One-Two Punch
Garlic is awesome against diabetes and other health ailments but adding lemon in addition to the garlic is even better yet. So when studies were done and patients consumed between 100 and 125 mg of garlic a day, their insulin levels rose and their glucose levels dropped.
Now lemons are packed with the antioxidant vitamin C. Because vitamin C helps keep your arteries flexible and smooth like because of collagen that it produces. And lemons also contain limonene, which is a compound that also aids in lowering your cholesterol levels. The potassium in lemons helps control blood pressure levels as well.
Your blood sugar levels won't be affected because lemons have fewer carbs because of their low glycemic index level (a ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood sugar levels).
Other Possible Side Effects of Raw Garlic
Since having raw garlic in your mouth, you should be aware that you could have a burning feeling in your mouth and your stomach, nausea, bloating, gas pains, diarrhea, heartburn, and bad breath. Everything has potential side effects and the more raw garlic you have, the more your chances of experiencing these side effects.
It can increase your risk of bleeding as previously mentioned, so discuss with your physician especially if you are on blood thinners.
Getting Rid of Garlic Breath
- Drink lemon juice. This is a great anecdote for bad breath from garlic. It works great with crushed garlic because the acid in lemon juice neutralizes the bad odor produced the enzyme known as alliinase.
- Eat raw apples. You know when you cut an apple open and leave it out and it begins to turn brown? That's because it's caused by an enzyme in the apple that does this but at the same time it acts as a natural reaction to the sulphides in garlic that are causing the bad breath. Works great!
- Try green tea too. Green tea's antioxidants (called polyphenols) work the same way as the apple's enzymes. The best way to combat the bad breath is to have apples with a salad or by adding lemon juice!
Final Thoughts about Garlic
Is garlic good for diabetes? Absolutely! Garlic is very healthy for you and has awesome health benefits for you especially if you have diabetes. But it's very good for you and your body.
It may not be for everyone, but that's fine because not everything is. But if you want to incorporate garlic into your diet and your doctor agrees, it may have some very positive effects.


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Newsletter 332 | April 24th 2018
Journal Watch | Newsletters | CCR Meeting 2019 | CCR18 Book | Podcast | Hot Articles | Topic of the Week | Reviews | Top 100 Studies | Guidelines | Journals
#CCR19 Registration is Open
Welcome to the 332nd Critical Care Reviews Newsletter, bringing you the best critical care research and open access articles from across the medical literature over the past seven days.
Apologies for the late delivery of this week's newsletter, but I was delayed finalising registration for #CCR19. As usual, next year's meeting features the best critical care trials of this year, including:
- ICU-ROX - Oxygenation targets in mechanically ventilated patients
- TARGET - Standard vs augmented calorie delivery
- PARAMEDIC-2 - Adrenaline vs. placebo in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
- SUP-ICU - Proton pump inhibitor vs. placebo for stress ulcer prophylaxis
- POPPI - Nurse-led preventative psychological intervention for critically ill patients
- APROCCHSS - Steroids (hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone) in septic shock
- POLAR - Prophylactic hypothermia in patients with severe traumatic brain injuries
- PHARLAP - Open Lung Strategy in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
- SPICE 3 - Early goal-directed sedation vs. standard care in mechanically ventilated trials
Of course we also have the annual honorary John Hinds Trauma Lecture, plus an in-depth 90 minute panel discussion on the Future of Critical Care Trials and the hugely popular Informal Chat. As you would expect, there is a fantastic international faculty to deliver these talks. The meeting has also evolved to be be more child friendly, with a child care facility, breast feeding area and maternity / paternity leave registration rate. As the meeting has grown to two days, we will have a social event at the end of the first day, starting with a wine reception, followed by a tour through the Titanic Museum and finishing with music (with more food and drink) in the Titanic Hotel next door to Titanic. The second night there is a private rooftop party in the Merchant Hotel, although numbers for this are limited so don't be slow and miss out.
If you plan on attending #CCR19 then please consider taking the opportunity to stay for the weekend and seeing some of the local sights, both in Belfast and the surrounding area. You might be surprised to find out just what is on offer. There are two airports in Belfast, with links throughout the UK and Europe. Belfast City Airport is just a mile from Titanic, the venue for the meeting. Dublin airport, with links to North America, Europe, the Middle East and on to Australasia, is just a 90 minute drive away. Further details and registration are available on the meeting webpage.
- Full Text: Young. Intensive care unit randomised trial comparing two approaches to oxygen therapy (ICU-ROX): results of the pilot phase. Crit Care Resusc 2017;19(3):344-354
- Full Text: D'Journo. Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal decontamination with chlorhexidine gluconate in lung cancer surgery: a randomized clinical trial. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 18th
- Full Text: Daubin. Procalcitonin algorithm to guide initial antibiotic therapy in acute exacerbations of COPD admitted to the ICU: a randomized multicenter study. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 16th
- Full Text: Suarez-de-la-Rica. Is very short-course antibiotic therapy possible in postoperative intra-abdominal infections? Discussion on "Short-course antibiotic therapy for critically ill patients treated for postoperative intra-abdominal infection: the DURAPOP randomised clinical trial". Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 13th
- Full Text: Lumlertgul. Early versus standard initiation of renal replacement therapy in furosemide stress test non-responsive acute kidney injury patients (the FST trial). Critical Care 2018;22:101
- Abstract: Berthelsen. Forced fluid removal in intensive care patients with acute kidney injury: The randomised FFAKI feasibility trial. Acta Scandanavia Anaes 2018;epublished April 17th
- Abstract: Nasralla. A randomized trial of normothermic preservation in liver transplantation. Nature 2018;epublished April 18th
- Full Text: Guven. Preoperative right heart hemodynamics predict postoperative acute kidney injury after heart transplantation. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 18th
- Full Text: Sato. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta performed by emergency physicians for traumatic hemorrhagic shock: a case series from Japanese emergency rooms. Critical Care 2018;22:103
- Full Text: Lee. Histopathologic Findings in Lungs of Patients Treated With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Chest 2018;153(4):825-833
- Full Text: Walker. Conservative Management in Traumatic Pneumothoraces. Chest 2018;153(4):946-953
- Shehabi. The SPICE III study protocol and analysis plan: a randomised trial of early goaldirected sedation compared with standard care in mechanically ventilated patients. Crit Care Resusc 2017;19:318-32
- Karkouti. Protocol for a phase III, non-inferiority, randomised comparison of a new fibrinogen concentrate versus cryoprecipitate for treating acquired hypofibrinogenaemia in bleeding cardiac surgical patients: the FIBRES trial. BMJ Open 2018;20;8(4):e020741
- Shelton. Minimizing ICU Neurological Dysfunction with Dexmedetomidine-induced Sleep (MINDDS): protocol for a randomised, double-blind, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled trial. BMJ Open 2018;20;8(4):e020316
- Salins. Definition of terms used in limitation of treatment and providing palliative care at the end of life: The Indian council of medical research commission report. Indian J Crit Care Med 2018;22:249-62
- Mehta. Practice guidelines for nutrition in critically Ill patients: A relook for indian scenario. Indian J Crit Care Med 2018;22:263-73
- Sawaya. A Global Health Research Checklist for clinicians. International Journal of Emergency Medicine 2018;11:25
Review Articles
- Ganu. Delirium and agitation in traumatic brain injury patients: an update on pathological hypotheses and treatment options. Minerva Anestesiologica 2018;84(5):632-40
- Kisilevsky. Anaemia and red blood cell transfusion in intracranial neurosurgery: a comprehensive review. Br J Anaesth 2018;120(5):988–998
- Jephcott. A review of the safety and efficacy of inhaled methoxyflurane as an analgesic for outpatient procedures. Br J Anaesth 2018;120(5):1040–1048
- Lakhal. Noninvasive BP Monitoring in the Critically Ill. Time to Abandon the Arterial Catheter? Chest 2018;153(4):1023–1039
- Vrancken. Neonatal Hemodynamics: From Developmental Physiology to Comprehensive Monitoring. Front Pediatr 2018;6:87
- McGovern. Cardiac Output Monitoring in Preterm Infants. Front Pediatr 2018;6:84
- de Campos. Chest wall stabilization in trauma patients: why, when, and how? J Thorac Dis 2018;10(Suppl 8):S951-S962
- McRae. Principles and indications of extracorporeal life support in general thoracic surgery. J Thorac Dis 2018;10(Suppl 8):S931-S946
- Van Raemdonck. Machine perfusion of thoracic organs. J Thorac Dis 2018;10(Suppl 8):S910-S923
- Kneyber. Ventilator-induced lung injury: does it occur in children? Minerva Anestesiologica 2018;84(5):626-31
- Saghaleini. Pressure ulcer and nutrition. Indian J Crit Care Med 2018;22:283-9
- Vorakunthada. Refeeding syndrome: an overlooked condition? The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2018;6(23):4–9
- Dekker. Fluid Overload and Inflammation Axis. Blood Purif 2018;45:159–165
- Cooper. Bringing Home The Bacon: Update on The State of Kidney Xenotransplantation. Blood Purif 2018;45:254–259
- Boer. Anticoagulant and side-effects of protamine in cardiac surgery: a narrative review. Br J Anaesth 2018;120(5):914–927
- Vincent. Improving detection of patient deterioration in the general hospital ward environment. European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2018;35(5):325–333
- Courtwright. Clinical Databases for Chest Physicians. Chest 2018;153(4):1016-1022
- Yang. Research methods: clinical studies based on routine laboratory tests. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2018; 6(23):33–39
- Montinaro. Citation classics: ranking of the top 100 most cited articles in nephrology. Clinical Kidney Journal 2018; epublished April 19th
- Levy. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign Bundle: 2018 update. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 16th
- Annane. Are systematic reviews and meta-analyses still useful research? Yes. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 19th
- Chevret. Are systematic reviews and meta-analyses still useful research? No. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 16th
- Møller. Are systematic reviews and meta-analyses still useful research? We are not sure. Intensive Care Med 2018;epublished April 16th
- McArthur. Glycaemic control in diabetic ketoacidosis: too much of a good thing? Crit Care Resusc 2017;19(3):195-196
- Luethi. The case for more pilot studies. Crit Care Resusc 2017;19(3):285-286
- Myburgh. The evolution of intensive care medicine: a personal journey. Crit Care Resusc 2017;19(3):287-289
- Truog. Defining Death—Making Sense of the Case of Jahi McMath. JAMA 2018;epublished April 9th
- Mazer-Amirshahi. Saline Shortages — Many Causes, No Simple Solution. N Engl J Med 2018; 378:1472-1474
- Patiño. Facing the Shortage of IV Fluids — A Hospital-Based Oral Rehydration Strategy. N Engl J Med 2018; 378:1475-1477
- Levinson. Choosing Wisely Campaigns. A Work in Progress. JAMA 2018;epublished April 19th
- Schwenk. Physician Well-being and the Regenerative Power of Caring. JAMA 2018;319(15):1543-1544
- Thomas. Charter on Physician Well-being. JAMA 2018;319(15):1541-1542
- Brodie. Research in Extracorporeal Life Support. A Call to Action. Chest 2018;153(4):788-791
- Moores. Working With a Mentor. Effective Strategies During Fellowship and Early Career. Chest 2018;153(4):799-804
- Choudhary. Pre-intubation Checklist. Chest 2018;153(4):1075-1076
- Desai. Not So Fast With the Foley Catheter. Chest 2018;153(4):1078–1079
- Soldati. The Best Approach for Detecting B-Lines. Transparietal or Subcostal Ultrasound Views? Chest 2018;153(4):1080
- Schaeuble. Surgical cricothyrotomy: the tracheal-tube dilemma. Br J Anaesth 2018;120(5):1137-1138
Belfast, 18-19th January 2019
SMACC Sydney
Sydney, 26-29th March 2019
Women in ICM
London, February 6th
CCH Journal
Critical Care Horizons is a fresh new voice in the critical care literature, offering thought-provoking, cutting-edge commentary and opinion papers, plus state-of-the-art review articles. The journal is free to publish with and free to read, opening authorship opportunity to all. The energetic editorial board consists of a deliberate mix of clinicians active in social media and world renowned academics, all driven by a desire to improve the care we offer our patients, and operate without financial gain or incentive. If you have an idea for a paper, and can say it in an engaging manner, please get in touch. We also need peer reviewers.
COI - I am the editor-in-chief of this new journal, but work in a voluntary capacity, as do all the editors.
I hope you find these links useful.
Until next week
Supported by the Health Research Board


text:
EDAL case summaries
Country of Applicant: Rwanda
Keywords: Assessment of facts and circumstances, Individual assessment, Personal interview, Procedural guarantees, Subsidiary Protection
The right to be heard does not require, as a rule, that, where national legislation provides for two separate procedures for examining applications for refugee status and applications for subsidiary protection, the applicant for subsidiary protection is to have the right to an interview relating to his application and the right to call or cross-examine witnesses when that interview takes place. However, an interview must be arranged where specific circumstances render it necessary in order to examine an application with full knowledge of the facts.
Date: 09-02-2017
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#2018RoundUp: Worst Books
Sunday, 30 December 2018
at December 30, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , REVIEW
Friday, 28 December 2018
In 1883, the New York Times prints a lengthy rave of Alva Vanderbilt's Fifth Ave. costume ball--a coup for the former Alva Smith, who not long before was destitute, her family's good name useless on its own. Marrying into the newly rich but socially scorned Vanderbilt clan, a union contrived by Alva's bestfriend and now-Duchess of Manchester, saved the Smiths--and elevated the Vanderbilts. From outside, Alva seems to have it all and want more. She does have a knack for getting all she tries for: the costume ball--no mere amusement--wrests acceptance from doyenne Caroline Astor. Denied abox at the Academy of Music, Alva founds The Met. No obstacle puts her off for long. But how much of ambition arises from insecurity? From despair? From refusal to play insipid games by absurd rules? --There are, however, consequences to breaking those rules. One must tread carefully. And what of her maddening sister-in-law, Alice? Her husband William, who's hiding a terrible betrayal? The not-entirely-unwelcome attentions of his friend Oliver Belmont, who is everything William is not? What of her own best friend, whose troubles cast a wide net? Alva will build mansions, push boundaries, test friendships, and marry her daughter to England's most eligible duke or die trying. She means to do right by all, but good behavior will only get a woman so far. What is the price of going further? What might be the rewards? There's only one way to know for certain...
at December 28, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Wednesday, 26 December 2018
In 1955, eighteen-year-old Janet Jones keeps the love she shares with her best friend Marie a secret. It's not easy being gay in Washington, DC, in the age of McCarthyism, but when she discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens something in Janet. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a newfound ambition to write and publish her own story, she risks exposing herself—and Marie—to a danger all too real. Sixty-two years later, Abby Zimet can't stop thinking about her senior project and its subject—classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. Between the pages of her favorite book, the stresses of Abby's own life are lost to the fictional hopes, desires and tragedies of the characters she's reading about. She feels especially connected to one author, a woman who wrote under the pseudonym "Marian Love," and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity. In this novel told in dual narratives, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley weaves together the lives of two young women connected across generations through the power of words.
at December 26, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 24 December 2018
An eerie debut collection featuring missing parents, unrequited love, and other uncomfortable moments. A man hangs from the ceiling of an art gallery. A woman spells out messages to her sister using her own hair. Children deemed "bad" are stolen from their homes. In Hardly Children, Laura Adamczyk's rich and eccentric debut collection, familiar worlds--bars, hotel rooms, cities that could very well be our own--hum with uncanny dread. The characters in Hardly Children are keyed up, on the verge, full of desire. They're lost, they're in love with someone they shouldn't be, they're denying uncomfortable truths using sex or humor. They are children waking up to the threats of adulthood, and adults living with childlike abandon. With command, caution, and subtle terror, Adamczyk shapes a world where death and the possibility of loss always emerge. Yet the shape of this loss is never fully revealed. Instead, it looms in the periphery of these stories, like an uncomfortable scene viewed out of the corner of one's eye.
at December 24, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Saturday, 22 December 2018
Ta-DA! Here's what reading all year was all about - the creme de la creme, the diamonds in the rough, etc etc etc. If I am being honest, I read some pretty terrible books in 2018, but was it a bad reading year? No. Because I got to experience all of these and let me tell you, they're pretty bloody amazing.
at December 22, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , FAVOURITES , REVIEW
Thursday, 20 December 2018
Wynflæd was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who owned male slaves and badger-skin gowns; Egeria a Gaulish nun who toured the Holy Land as the Roman Empire was collapsing; Gudfrid an Icelandic explorer and the first woman to give birth to a European child on American soil; Mary Astell a philosopher who out-thought John Locke. In this exploration of some remarkable – but little-known – women living between between the last days of Rome and the Enlightenment, Max Adams overturns the idea that women of this period were either queens, nuns or invisible. In a sequence of chronological chapters, a centrepiece biographical sketch is complemented by thematically linked stories of other women of the time. A multi-faceted and beautifully illustrated study of women's intellect, influence and creativity, Unquiet Women brings to life the experiences of women whose voices are barely heard and whose stories are rarely told.
at December 20, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'. He doesn't actually expect that to come true. But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him. As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous...
at December 18, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Sunday, 16 December 2018
at December 16, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , TAG
Friday, 14 December 2018
A young editor at a Los Angeles art museum finds herself pulled into the disturbing and dangerous world of a famous artist who goes missing on the opening night of her exhibition. Kim Lord is an avant garde figure, feminist icon, and agent provocateur in the L.A. art scene. Her groundbreaking new exhibition Still Lives is comprised of self-portraits depicting herself as famous, murdered women—the Black Dahlia, Chandra Levy, Nicole Brown Simpson, among many others—and the works are as compelling as they are disturbing, implicating a culture that is too accustomed to violence against women. As the city's richest art patrons pour into the Rocque Museum's opening night, all of the staff, including editor Maggie Richter, hope the event will be enough to save the historic institution's flailing finances. Except Kim Lord never shows up to her own gala. Fear mounts as the hours and days drag on and Lord remains missing. Suspicion falls upon the up-and-coming gallerist Greg Shaw Ferguson, who happens to be Maggie's ex. A rogue's gallery of eccentric art world figures could also have motive for the act, and as Maggie gets drawn into her own investigation of Lord's disappearance, she'll come to suspect all of those closest to her. Set against a culture that too often fetishizes violence against women, Still Lives is a page-turning exodus into the art world's hall of mirrors, and one woman's journey into the belly of an industry flooded with money and secrets.
at December 14, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Whether we are trying to impress a date after an art-house film screening or discussing Oscar nominations with friends, we all need ways to watch and talk about movies. But with so much variety between an Alfred Hitchcock thriller and a Nora Ephron romantic comedy, how can everyday viewers determine what makes a good movie? In Talking Pictures, veteran film critic Ann Hornaday walks us through the production of a typical movie—from writing the script and casting to the final sound edit—and explains how to evaluate each piece of the process. How do we know if a film is well-written, above and beyond snappy dialogue? What constitutes a great screen performance? What goes into praiseworthy cinematography, editing, and sound design? And what does a director really do? Full of engaging anecdotes and interviews with actors and filmmakers, Talking Pictures will help us see movies in a whole new light—not just as fans, but as film critics in our own right.
at December 12, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 10 December 2018
One hot summer's afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home... When five-year-old Ava Sawyer goes missing from a birthday party at a local garden centre, the police are bewildered by the lack of leads. That is until two years later, when Ava's body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party... Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that ended very badly. Natalie soon discovers that Ava's mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she's sure Ava's father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she's not telling Natalie... Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn't come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?
at December 10, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Thursday, 6 December 2018
On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she's honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the centre of it.
at December 06, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
In Magic Hours, award-winning essayist Tom Bissell explores the highs and lows of the creative process. He takes us from the set of The Big Bang Theory to the first novel of Ernest Hemingway to the final work of David Foster Wallace; from the films of Werner Herzog to the film of Tommy Wiseau to the editorial meeting in which Paula Fox's work was relaunched into the world. Originally published in magazines such as The Believer, The New Yorker, and Harper's, these essays represent ten years of Bissell's best writing on every aspect of creation—be it Iraq War documentaries or video-game character voices—and will provoke as much thought as they do laughter. What are sitcoms for exactly? Can art be both bad and genius? Why do some books survive and others vanish?
at November 28, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 26 November 2018
Dani hasn't had an easy life. She's made some bad choices and now she's paying the ultimate price; prison. With her young daughter Bethany, growing up in foster care, Dani is determined to be free and reunited with her. There's only one problem; Dani can't stay out of trouble. Dani's new cellmate Martha is quiet and unassuming. There's something about her that doesn't add up. When Martha offers Dani one last chance at freedom, she doesn't hesitate. Everything she wants is on the outside, but Dani is stuck on the inside. Is it possible to break out when everyone is trying to keep you in...
at November 26, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Thursday, 22 November 2018
Everyone says the Elders family are nothing but cheats, thieves, and convicts—a fact nineteen-year old Jamie Elders has been trying desperately to escape. She may have the natural talent of a poker savant, but her dreams of going pro and getting the hell out of the tiny town of Parsons, New York are going nowhere fast. Especially once she lands in a huge pile of debt to her uncle Loyal. At Loyal's beck and call until her debt is repaid, Jamie can't easily walk away—not with her younger brother Toby left at his mercy. So when Loyal demands Jamie's help cleaning up a mess late one night, she has no choice but to agree. But disposing of a dead man and covering up his connection to the town's most powerful judge goes beyond family duty. When it comes out that the victim was a beloved athlete and Loyal pins the murder on Toby, only Jamie can save him. But with a dogged detective on her trail and her own future at stake, she'll have to decide: embrace her inner criminal, or defy it—and face the consequences.
at November 22, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, she is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley's face flashes on the screen as she reviews old tapes―the moment she hears him speak of his crimes―she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, she digs deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar. Crime, even the darkest and most unsayable acts, can happen to any one of us. As Alexandria pores over the facts of the murder, she finds herself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky's childhood. And by examining the details of Ricky's case, she is forced to face her own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets, and reckon with a past that colors her view of Ricky's crime. But another surprise awaits: She wasn't the only one who saw her life in Ricky's.
at November 20, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Sunday, 18 November 2018
at November 18, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW , TAG , TRY A CHAPTER
Friday, 16 November 2018
In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are "routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied" for speaking out. Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, Claire Schwartz, and Bob Shacochis. Covering a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation, this collection is often deeply personal and is always unflinchingly honest. Like Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, Not That Bad will resonate with every reader, saying "something in totality that we cannot say alone." Searing and heartbreakingly candid, this provocative collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that "not that bad" must no longer be good enough.
at November 16, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Wednesday, 14 November 2018
This is a portrait of Diego Velazquez, from his arrival at the court of King Philip IV of Spain, to his death 38 years and scores of paintings later. It is a portrait of a relationship that is not quite a friendship, between an artist and his subject. It is a portrait of a ruler, always on duty, and increasingly burdened by a life of public expectation and repeated private grief. And it is a portrait of a court collapsing under the weight of its own excess. Unfolding through series of masterly set-pieces and glancing sketches, this is a novel of brilliance, imagination and sheer style -- about what is shown and what is seen, about art and life.
at November 14, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 12 November 2018
Letting go of your daughter for the first time isn't easy. After years of IVF, Kirsten White is a devoted mum to Harriet and she can't believe the time has come to send her little girl off to school. But Harriet has now turned five, and she can't stay Kirsten's baby forever. It might be hard, but it's time to entrust her daughter's care to her new teacher. The classroom is the one place she should be safe. Miriam Robertson has been waiting for the perfect little girl to walk into her class. She's very picky but when Harriet walks in, Miriam knows: this is the child she's been waiting for. Harriet knows not to speak to strangers. But her lovely new teacher isn't a stranger at all. In fact, she's her new best friend. And you can always trust your friends can't you?
at November 12, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Saturday, 10 November 2018
Coming in more than a little late, but this tag is absolutely everywhere right now so I thought I would put my penny's worth in. I do not think there has ever been a point in the last five years or so, when I have sat back and not loudly and obnoxiously shared my opinion, so I see no reason to start now.
at November 10, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , TAG
Thursday, 8 November 2018
Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.
at November 08, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Tuesday, 6 November 2018
In Ayiti, a married couple seeking boat passage to America prepares to leave their homeland. A young woman procures a voodoo love potion to ensnare a childhood classmate. A mother takes a foreign soldier into her home as a boarder, and into her bed. And a woman conceives a daughter on the bank of a river while fleeing a horrific massacre, a daughter who later moves to America for a new life but is perpetually haunted by the mysterious scent of blood.
at November 06, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 29 October 2018
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy smalltown family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father - Pikeville's notorious defence attorney - devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night. Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself - the archetypal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again - and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatised - Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case which can't help triggering the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime which destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried for ever...
at October 29, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Teenage Silvie is living in a remote Northumberland camp as an exercise in experimental archaeology. Her father is an abusive man, obsessed with recreating the discomfort, brutality and harshness of Iron Age life. Behind and ahead of Silvie's narrative is the story of a bog girl, a sacrifice, a woman killed by those closest to her, and as the hot summer builds to a terrifying climax, Silvie and the Bog girl are in ever more terrifying proximity.
at October 25, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Tuesday, 23 October 2018
I have a story to tell you, Diane. It is my story and your story and the story of a century that remade the world. When we reach the end, you will be the ultimate arbiter of whether it was worth your time. You will also sit in judgment on me.In a cottage in Normandy, Lina Rose is writing to the daughter she abandoned as a baby. Now a successful if enigmatic author, she is determined to trace her family's history through the two world wars that shaped her life. But Lina can no longer bear to carry her secrets alone, and once the truth is out, can she ever be forgiven?
at October 23, 2018 Labels: BLOGTOUR , BOOK , REVIEW
Sunday, 21 October 2018
at October 21, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , READATHON
Friday, 19 October 2018
I am an adult now. Which means that, alongside the people with buttons for eyes and pet cats rising from the dead, other (far more real) things scare the shit out of me too. Like racism, and rape culture, and police brutality, and whatever is being said when I turn on the news. This Halloween, the first in which I won't be donning devil horns and partying up a storm, I thought I'd get a bit more serious and use my reading material to truly examine all of the horrors that make up our culture.
After-all, Donald Trump and Brexit and the realities of climate change, plague my nightmares more than anything that could reside in the shadows.
at October 19, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , READATHON , TBR
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Imagine a world very close to our own: where women are not safe in their bodies, where desperate measures are required to raise a daughter. This is the story of Grace, Lia and Sky, kept apart from the world for their own good and taught the terrible things that every woman must learn about love. And it is the story of the men who come to find them - three strangers washed up by the sea, their gazes hungry and insistent, trailing desire and destruction in their wake. The Water Cure is a fever dream, a blazing vision of suffering, sisterhood and transformation.
at October 17, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 15 October 2018
New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the incredible life of Simone de Beauvoir, the great French philosopher, in this true story of her life. With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!
at October 15, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Saturday, 13 October 2018
The creator of this book bingo said this week would be the most difficult and holy shit, she wasn't joking.
at October 13, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , BOOK BINGO , READATHON , READING CHALLENGE
Thursday, 11 October 2018
April 1943: four boys playing in Hagley Woods, Essex make a gruesome discovery. Inside an enormous elm tree, there is the body of a woman, her mouth stuffed with a length of cloth. As the case goes cold, mysterious graffiti starts going up across the Midlands: 'Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?' To Ross Spooner, a police officer working undercover for spiritualist magazine Two Worlds, the messages hold a sinister meaning. He's been on the track of a German spy ring who have left a trail of black magic and mayhem across England, and this latest murder bears all the hallmarks of an ancient ritual. At the same time, Spooner is investigating the case of Helen Duncan, a medium whose messages from the spirit world contain highly classified information. As the establishment joins ranks against Duncan, Spooner must face demons from his own past, uncover the spies hiding beneath the fabric of wartime society - and confront those who suspect that he, too, may not be all he seems...
at October 11, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Tuesday, 9 October 2018
Still at the beginning of her career, investigative journalist Emilee Weathers is desperate for the perfect story and doesn't care how she has to get it. When she's asked to assist in a convicted serial killer's appeal, it almost seems the perfect story has come banging at her door. But not long after arriving to the mountain town of Pigeon Forge, Emilee discovers the body of another, more recent victim. With the body showing signatures of the already-convicted murderer, Emilee sets out to discover if she's happened upon the work of a copycat, or if the real killer was ever even caught. The more she looks though, the murkier everything becomes. Police begin withholding information and the killer seems capable of going any length to protect his identity. On top of it all, when her investigations uncover the buried secrets of those closest to her, Emilee questions who it is she can and can't trust in those mountains, if anyone at all.
at October 09, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Friday, 5 October 2018
Week 2! Do you know what? I'm actually starting to get rather good at this. Expect me to be smug about it at least for another few weeks.
at October 05, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , BOOK BINGO , READATHON , READING CHALLENGE
Saturday, 29 September 2018
at September 29, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , HAUL
Thursday, 27 September 2018
How is it almost time for the Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon again? I suppose that time flies when you spend your entire year procrastinating. I wasn't that up on the game last year, but this time around, I'm already counting down the days and I am getting pretty serious about it. Because, thanks to the wonderful Gabby (GabsAboutBooks) over on Goodreads, I am putting my extremely annoying, frankly ridiculous competitive spirit to the test to complete three rounds of book bingo in preparation for the readathon at the end of the month.
So let's get all-Monica-Geller-level competitive up in here and get started.
at September 27, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , BOOK BINGO , READATHON , READING CHALLENGE
Tuesday, 25 September 2018
In August, I referred to myself as the Simon Cowell of the book-reviewing world and that seems more true than ever this month. It just seems as though the universe is employing some sort of shit book quota in my life, either for its own personal amusement, entertainment value, or just to torture me. Because, in a month that started and ended so damn well, the middle did its damned-well best to make me never want to pick up another book.
at September 25, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , REVIEW
Friday, 21 September 2018
Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn't you want to know about the other half? In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It's the perfect holiday – except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home. As the heatwave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn't good at keeping secrets… Twelve years later Robyn returns home, to a house that has stood empty for years and a town that hasn't moved on, forced to confront the mystery that haunted her that summer. And atone for the part she played in it.
at September 21, 2018 Labels: BLOGTOUR , BOOK , REVIEW
Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Simon Sebag Montefiore presents the lives of the giants who have made our world. The cast varies from conquerors, poets, kings, empresses and whores to psychopaths, prophets, composers and explorers. Informative, entertaining, inspiring and sometimes horrifying, this is a history of the world that contains the characters everyone should know and the stories no one should forget.
at September 19, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Monday, 17 September 2018
It's taken time for the plan to unfold, years spent waiting, watching, hating. . . . And after the first victim, the killing gets easier and easier.
The Crissmans, owners of Crissman & Wolfe department store, were once one of Portland's most powerful families. There's still enough fortune left to sow mistrust between Lucy, her bohemian sister Layla, their brother Lyle, and his grasping wife Kate. When a charity event at the Crissman Lodge ends in a fatal poisoning, Lucy becomes a prime suspect. But the truth is even more twisted, and Lucy can't be sure which of her family is being targeted... or who to fear.
Renowned defense attorney Dallas Denton has been hired to clear Lucy's name, unaware of the secret that ties them together or of the deep cracks in the Crissman legacy. Someone is ready to eliminate every obstacle to get what they most covet, and prove that envy runs deeper than blood...
at September 17, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Saturday, 15 September 2018
God, I love the Emmys.
The shows, the clothes... absolutely everything is perfection.
With the growing popularity of Netflix, other streaming services and the reigning Queen of entertainment, HBO, claiming dominance over people's viewing habits; over the last few years, television has been the place to be. Year upon year, the content, the ideas, the acting have been constantly pushing boundaries and reaching new heights. And, I am certain that I am one amongst millions who would testify to the fact that I have neglected the cinema for the glow of the silver screen.
I mean, at least 80% of television programming isn't dedicated to superheroes, am I right?
|Sarah Paulson and Connie Britton
at September 15, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BEST DRESSED , EMMYS , FASHION , RED CARPET
Thursday, 13 September 2018
Contemporary legend says the business of high school is boring and must forever be that way―that its sole purpose is to deposit tidbits of knowledge into young minds and standardize the way each attacks the world. School Tales begs to differ. As is made clear by its five spunky student narrators, high school, the home-base social institution for teenagers, exerts powerful agency over answers to fundamental questions―Who am I? What do I want to learn? Am I able to direct my life? Can I trust friends to be there for me? How do I find a sense of purpose in contributing to our world?―and is a time of struggle with life's questions amidst intense pressure to make decisions by graduation and launch into adulthood. Students in School Tales, living in a small town of the southern Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, encounter a number of personal and public issues including racism, anxiety, shame, a cross-country move, gender identity, immigration, family instability, depression, lack of self-direction, abuse, and law enforcement. The lessons they learn in school include the meanings of freedom, success, friendship, exploration, inquiry, confidence, false either/or choices, and dreaming. As these students take charge of their learning, the true goal of high school emerges―and the result is a truly heart-warming view of students building what they would call "a life worth living."
at September 13, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Tuesday, 11 September 2018
When troubled teen Connor moves to Exeter from the US to escape his past, he finds himself embroiled in a world of popular kids and easy girls. Everyone wants to be his friend, but they don't know about what he did…and they don't know about his father. As Connor's life in England begins to unravel, DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey are working up against the clock to catch a serial killer who dates his victims before he kills them. Determined to uncover the truth, Imogen is forced to act as bait – but will she take it too far and risk her own life?
at September 11, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Sunday, 9 September 2018
My name is Cass and I have a Netgalley addiction. Like, a really, really bad one.
I just can't help myself. I will have six-hundred books that I already need to read, both arcs and physical books I have bought myself and yet, I just can't stop clicking. That is especially true when it comes to mystery/thrillers - if the cover, or the synopsis, or even the typeface of the title intrigues me, I am probably going to press that big, green request button.
That means I have a huge backlog of mystery/thrillers arcs from Netgalley that I have not yet read and I thought, what better way of siphoning out the diamonds from the rough than by challenge myself to a Try a Chapter post. Whereby I can get a kickstart on some amazing new finds, and work out which of the ones sitting on my to-be-read list need to be deleted immediately.
Here's to hoping those are few and far between but, with my knowledge of the genre, I can't help but worry that they will appear in abundance over the next few posts in this series.
Prepare for the worse, hope for the best, right?
at September 09, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW , TAG , TRY A CHAPTER
Friday, 7 September 2018
A comprehensive and accessible illustrated guide to lingerie from intimates expert Cora Harrington, founder of The Lingerie Addict , the internet's top intimate apparel blog. While many love the idea of wearing special underthings, lingerie can be intimidating. How is it supposed to fit? How do you take care of it all? Is lingerie really for me? In this beautiful and empowering guide, lingerie expert Cora Harrington demystifies intimate apparel, making it accessible to all sizes, ages, and budgets. Covering everything from basic bras and panties to special occasion wear, shapewear, hosiery, corsets, and more, this no-nonsense handbook empowers you to confidently buy, wear, and care for the underpinnings of your dreams.
at September 07, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
Wednesday, 5 September 2018
Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn't tell anyone she blames herself for her mother's recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transfers to Edwards from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe. Grieving and guilt-ridden, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group—a secretive extremist cult—founded by a charismatic former student, John Leal. He has an enigmatic past that involves North Korea and Phoebe's Korean American family. Meanwhile, Will struggles to confront the fundamentalism he's tried to escape, and the obsession consuming the one he loves. When the group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she could have been responsible for this violent act. The Incendiaries is a fractured love story and a brilliant examination of the minds of extremist terrorists, and of what can happen to people who lose what they love most.
at September 05, 2018 Labels: BLOGTOUR , BOOK , REVIEW
Saturday, 1 September 2018
It's September. Which means it's the month in television finally goes back to its usual broadcasting schedule (hoorah for the return of EVERYTHING I have been desperately missing this summer - The Deuce, American Horror Story, The Good Doctor, Bob's Burgers, The Resident, the list goes on and on...) and it's when my cousins' kids go back to school and finally stop bugging me to let them play The Sims on my laptop. But just because it's a good month for my life in general (because clearly the most important thing in it is watching tv on my laptop in peace), does that necessarily mean that it's a good month in terms of book releases? Honestly, the jury is still out on that one.
at September 01, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOKS , NEW RELEASES
Thursday, 30 August 2018
Another month, another bunch of scathing reviews. At this point, I am like the Simon Cowell of book reviewing.
at August 30, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , REVIEW
Sunday, 26 August 2018
at August 26, 2018 Labels: 2018 , BOOK , HAUL
Friday, 24 August 2018
New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the amazing life of Jane Goodall, the world expert on chimpanzees, in this true story of her life. When Jane was little, her father gave her a toy chimpanzee called "Jubilee" which sparked her early love of animals. As an adult, Jane traveled to Tanzania to study chimpanzees in a new way – by living with them in their habitat. This is how Jane made many discoveries that people had missed. With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!
at August 24, 2018 Labels: BOOK , REVIEW
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Blueberry Scones
Prep: 30 Minutes
Cook: 20 Minutes
1 - 8 Servings
- 1/ 3 cup buttermilk
- 1/ 4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 8 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/ 2 cup sugar
- 1/ 2 teaspoons baking soda
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease pan; set aside. Beat egg with buttermilk and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, cutting with a pastry blender or rubbing with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Lightly stir in blueberries and sugar. Stir in buttermilk mixture with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5 times. Separate dough into eight equal pieces and press into each cavity of the pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until medium brown. Let cool 20 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool completely.
Read Recipe Reviews
Write Review
April 15, 2017
Experience: Advanced
Recommend To a Friend: Yes
Foolproof recipe, easy to create very good scones. Since I have 2 of the mini scone pans I make 32 scones and make gifts of 4 in a small cookie bag to friends. They remind me of the quality hoping for more scones.Write Review
April 16, 2017
Experience: Advanced
Recommend To a Friend: Yes
I've never made scones before, but in my 68 years I have done a lot of baking. I could not get a dough to form with 3 cups of flour and only 1/3 cup of buttermilk. I ended up doubling the milk, and the scones turned out very well - moist, but not too moist. I'll make this again. I'm thinking that the 1/3 cup is a typo.Write Review
April 8, 2018
Experience: Advanced
Recommend To a Friend: Yes
I had the same issue with the amount of liquid not being enough. For a double batch I ended up adding one and one-half cups of milk to the batter to get a good dough. I also think the one-third cup must be a type.Write Review
December 29, 2018
Experience: Novice
Recommend To a Friend: No
Had same issue as other reviewers with the dough being really dry and not dough really at all. Still very crumbly even after doubling the egg and buttermilk. The scones were good. Not great, but good. I'd try a diffferent recipe next time though.
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Product Specifications
- Powerful performance on demand – Max 18.8kW boiler output
- Heats up to 16 standard radiators
- High Efficiency up to 94% – almost 4 times more efficient than an open fire
- Self-cleaning burner means reduced waste in your ash pan
- 45kg internal hopper runs for up to 41 hours from a fill of pellets
- Fully adjustable in terms of time and temperature including sleep timer
- Programmable controller with up to 6 on/off times per day
- Flue outlet size 80mm
- Rear flue outlet only
- Approved to EN 14785 standard
- External air compatible
- Unpacked Dimensions
- Height 1215mm
- Width 663mm
- Depth 730mm
- Weight 219kg
- Flue Requirement Rear Only
- Fuel
- Pellet Yes
- Flue
- Rear Yes
- Position
- Free Standing Yes
- Function
- Central Heating Yes
Pellet fuels (or pellets) are biofuels made from compressed organic matter or biomass. The SOLIS K100 Pellet stove is suitable for use with wood pellets certified to EN 14961-2 grade A1 with a diameter of 6 mm and a length that can range from 10 to 30 mm.
As fuel, pellets are completely environmentally friendly, as they are made entirely of natural wood, without glue or other chemical compounds. Pellets have a high calorific value (4.7 to 5.3 kW/kg) which means they produce high heat output comparable to dry wood or coal. Pellets also have a low moisture contemt which helps consistent combustion efficiency, as during the burning of fuel, any water content must be evapourated before combustion can occur.
- Pellets must be stored in a dry place.
- Use only good quality pellets, without sawdust.
- The small quantities of sawdust normally present at the bottom of the bags should not be emptied into the tank, but should be held inside the bag while pouring the pellets carefully so that the sawdust remains inside.


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