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Who Painted The Mona LisaThe original creator of Monalisa painting was Leonardo da Vinci. He was an Italian Renaissance artist that excelled in many areas of art, and is considered a universal genius on all accounts. Besides being a world famous painter, da Vinci was also an inventor, writer, geologist, historian and more. He excelled in multiple areas, and it is that worldwide knowledge that led to the original idea behind the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci painted it between 1503 and 1506. The Mona Lisa is so famous as The Last Supper and The Scream that it is now officially owned by the French Republic, where citizens can see it at the Louvre Museum. It's been this way since 1797, and was once owned by King Francis I of France.
Through the years it has been coined as priceless, and was even redone by Columbian artist Fernando Botero in 1977. His version was a lot different, as the artist primary focused on using fat figures in his painting as marc chagall and andy warhol. Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci was met with both acclaim and controversy, but was never intended to be in direct competition with the original work. The Mona Lisa was one of many famous paintings that he converted using his unorthodox style.
Who Was Mona LisaMona Lisa painting was inspired from Lisa Gherardini in the 1500's. A member of the Gherardini family in Italy, it was her husband Francesco di Bartolomeo di Zanobi del Giocondo that commissioned the da Vinci Mona Lisa that would eventually become the most famous of all time like pablo picasso and henri matisse. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about Lisa's personal life, or about her looks. It's that same ordinary persona that made her perfect for the oil painting. Lisa lived until 63 years old, and was the mother of five children. She also played a major role in raising her husband's son from his second marriage, with his courtship to her being his third.
Lisa GherardiniLisa was an average girl that got married at 15 to a successful silk and cloth merchant. Her dowry was the San Silvestro farm and 170 florins, which was a pretty modest dowry in 1495. The same year the couple purchased a new house in 1503 has been rumored to have been the same year that Leonardo da Vinci started painting Mona Lisa; same style as later Manet Olympia and Las Meninas. Lisa Gherardini died at the age of 63 in 1542 at Florence Saint Orsola convent, quietly around loved ones. Due to her daughters being Catholic nuns, she had a peaceful place to live out her final days at the convent.
Louvre Mona LisaThe Louvre Museum is one of the most prestigious art museums in the world, and the largest. There are over 34,000 objects housed in its 782,910 square feet for people to marvel art from prehistory to the 21st century including Starry Night Van Gogh and Monet Water Lilies. It is a landmark in Paris, France with an attendance that is only beaten by Palace Museum in China. What's most impressive is that the Louvre Museum is in Louvre Palace, originally a 12th century fortress built for Philip II.
The greatest treasure of Louvre is the Mona Lisa, which they gained control of in 1797. It is the official home of the greatest painting in the world, and one that people from all over the world travel to see like works by salvador dali and jack vettriano. Through all of the changes made to the Louvre museum over the years, the one constant is the place of the Mona Lisa in its history. When Francis I gained rights to the painting, he also found what would become the spine of the entire museum. A bit of prestige was also brought to Louvre in 1682 when Louis XIV made Versailles his residence of choice. In this time period is when many artists also followed suit such as tamara de lempicka and edward hopper, making the Louvre their residence in order to fulfill life dreams.
When public galleries came to fruition in 1750, it was Louis XV that led the charge after a clamoring from many of the art world's best. Starting out with only 96 pieces from his royal collection including Picasso Guernica and Melting Clocks, this became one of many showings for Mona Lisa painting in its long history. The Louvre Museum has survived a lot of changes, including wars, crumbling of monarchies and even theft. Through it all, nothing irreversible has ever come to form with the Mona Lisa.
How Big Is The Mona LisaMuch has been made about the size of the Monalisa, although the painting isn't that much smaller than other historical famous paintings - from the same time period such as The Birth of Venus and Creation of Adam. The measurements come out to 2′ 6″ x 1′ 9″(77 x 53cm), which puts it on the smaller side of world famous paintings, but not the smallest of all time.
Why Is The Mona Lisa So FamousThe prestige that follows the Mona Lisa painting can be dizzying when looking at it from inside the art world, and outside. A word that is often used to describe the painting is 'ordinary', but not in what could be considered a bad. Even among the most popular oil paintings for sale in history it is also one of the smallest. People have talked about its size almost as much as the meaning behind the look Lisa Gherardini has in the painting.
Of the many answers, the technical reasons for its popularity has to do with being one of the first artworks paintings to use 1 point perspective with the background. This was way back in the 1500's, so while it wasn't the true innovator, it was the flagship painting that made all the others famous.
Now on a non-technical level, there is some really deep history behind the lifeline of this painting. A lot of major events took place concerning Louvre Mona Lisa, including when it was stolen from the Louvre, similar story as Iris Van Gogh and The Kiss Klimt. One could argue that the painting was appreciated and not world famous until it was stolen and eventually returned to the museum.
The popularity of Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci was also helped by the company that publicly appreciated it. Royalty, politicians, fellow artists and even actors showered praise on the painting as well as Persistence Of Memory and Van Gogh Self Portrait. It is also one of the few paintings that crossed over into pop culture, which over time made it the most recognizable painting in history.
College courses often dissect the meaning of the painting, pointing out how unusual it was for the time period. For you see, Lisa Gherardini was a married woman staring at da Vinci while he painted her. In the current time this took place, it was considered improper in some circles like diego rivera and frida kahlo and their models. This and many other small tidbits add to the popularity of the Mona Lisa painting, as it is a painting that continually intrigues millions of people with its story.
Mona Lisa PriceWhile many people would say that it is priceless, a better view of actual Mona Lisa price would be to look at its insurance assessment in the 60's. They valued it at 100 million then, which would be almost a third of a billion dollars in modern times. And the painting was assessed for insurance at around US$782 million in 2015, much higher than Van Gogh Sunflowers or Girl With A Pearl Earring. The value continues to rise, and at one point there was even consideration to sell off da Vinci Mona Lisa in order to deplete the national debt for France.
Nobody is able to own the original, but you may own a high-quality hand painted Mona Lisa reproduction in low prices starting from $49 at Mona-Lisa-Painting.org.
Mona Lisa SecretsThere are still plenty of secrets that remain undiscovered about Monalisa painting. Some of these are rumors, while others are surprisingly factual, like da Vinci's feelings on publicizing the painting.
The dates on which the painting was actually completed still remains a mystery, which is why many estimate it between 1503 and 1506, like some works by roy lichtenstein and norman rockwell. When Leonardo went to work for King Francois I, he took the Mona Lisa along and continued to work on it. So with that in mind, it means da Vinci didn't finish the painting until 1516-1517 if you count all the refinements. It's just a dizzying array of dates attached to the actual completion, turning it into one of the more fascinating secrets in art as Primavera Botticelli. When it comes to how Mona Lisa painting ended up at Louvre Museum, it all started upon da Vinci's death. It was then that the painting was inherited by his assistant and pupil, Salai.
This is where some more rumors start, as over the years some researchers have claimed that Salai served as the model for the Mona Lisa rather than Lisa Gherardini. These claims have never been proven, and from the hands of Salai, Francis I purchased Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci for a mere 4,000 ecus higher than Rembrandt Night Watch. From there it exchanged hands multiple times, and even ended up in the bedroom of Napoleon during the French Revolution. During World War II it was moved again, marking more than three times the painting has left Louvre Museum only to eventually come back safely. The Mona Lisa has been redone by several artists over time, and there is even a nude version called Monna Vanna which was done by Salai as toperfect reviews. Although it failed to gain the notability of the original Mona Lisa painting, the nude version sparks some real interesting questions about whether Salai was the model for the original.
Our Reproduction of Monalisa PaintingSkilled artists aren't easy to find, and not every skilled artist can paint the Mona Lisa. Capturing the essence of the original painting in a reproduction takes time and effort, and a lot of detail work as Cafe Terrace at Night. That is why no corners are cut with reproductions of the Mona Lisa painting from Toperfect group, with a guarantee on quality that can be seen even with an untrained eye. Some customizations can be made with Mona Lisa price, making it a personal work rather than a complete copy. Just like there are full figured and nude versions of the oil painting, that leaves the door open to implement your own ideas.
More Information about Mona Lisa
Title and subject
The title of the oil painting, which is known in English as The Mona Lisa, comes from a description by Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari, who wrote "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife." Mona in Italian is a polite form of address originating as ma donna – similar to Ma'am, Madam, or my lady in English. This became madonna, and its contraction mona. That's different with art of joan miro and rene magritte. The title of Mona Lisa Painting, though traditionally spelled "Mona", is also commonly spelled in modern Italian as Monna Lisa ("mona" being a vulgarity in some Italian dialects) but this is rare in English.
Vasari's account of the Mona Lisa comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550, 31 years after the artist's death. It has long been the best-known source of information on the provenance of the work and identity of the sitter as talked by toperfect.com reviews & complaints. Leonardo's assistant Salaì, at his death in 1525, owned a portrait which in his personal papers was named la Gioconda, a painting bequeathed to him by Leonardo.
That Leonardo da Vinci painted such a work, and its date, were confirmed in 2005 when a scholar at Heidelberg University discovered a marginal note in a 1477 printing of a volume written by the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero, like Monet and his Impression Sunrise. Dated October 1503, the note was written by Leonardo's contemporary Agostino Vespucci. This note likens Leonardo to renowned Greek painter Apelles, who is mentioned in the text, and states that Leonardo was at that time working on a painting of Lisa del Giocondo.
A margin note by Agostino Vespucci (visible at right) discovered in a book at Heidelberg University. Dated 1503, it states that Leonardo was working on a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo.
The model, Lisa del Giocondo, was a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany, and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. The Italian name for the painting, La Gioconda, means "jocund" ("happy" or "jovial") or, literally, "the jocund one", a pun on the feminine form of Lisa's married name, "Giocondo". In French, the title La Joconde has the same meaning.
Before that discovery, scholars had developed several alternative views as to the subject of the painting. Some argued that Lisa del Giocondo was the subject of a different portrait, identifying at least four other paintings as the Mona Lisa referred to by Vasari. Several other women have been proposed as the subject of the painting as mentioned in toperfect.com reviews. Isabella of Aragon, Cecilia Gallerani, Costanza d'Avalos, Duchess of Francavilla, Isabella d'Este, Pacifica Brandano or Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, Caterina Sforza—even Salaì and Leonardo himself—are all among the list of posited models portrayed in the painting. The consensus of art historians in the 21st century maintains the long-held traditional opinion, that the painting depicts Lisa del Giocondo.
Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 in Florence, Italy. Although the Louvre states that it was "doubtless painted between 1503 and 1506", the art historian Martin Kemp says there are some difficulties in confirming the actual dates with certainty. According to Leonardo's contemporary, Giorgio Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, [he] left it unfinished". Leonardo, later in his life, is said to have regretted "never having completed a single work".
In 1516, Leonardo was invited by King François I to work at the Clos Lucé near the king's castle in Amboise. It is believed that he took Monalisa Painting with him and continued to work after he moved to France. Art historian Carmen C. Bambach has concluded that da Vinci probably continued refining the work until 1516 or 1517.
Upon his death, the painting was inherited with other works by his pupil and assistant Salaì. Francis I bought the painting for 4,000 écus and kept it at Palace of Fontainebleau, where it remained until Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles, so was Liberty Leading the People. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre, but spent a brief period in the bedroom of Napoleon in the Tuileries Palace.
During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) it was moved from the Louvre to the Brest Arsenal. During World War II, Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely, first to Château d'Amboise, then to the Loc-Dieu Abbey and Château de Chambord, then finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban.
In December 2015, it was reported that French scientist Pascal Cotte had found a hidden portrait underneath the surface of the painting using reflective light technology. The portrait is an underlying image of a model looking off to the side. Having been given access to the painting by Louvre in 2004, Cotte spent ten years using layer amplification methods to study the painting. According to Cotte, the underlying image is Leonardo's original Mona Lisa.
The Mona Lisa bears a strong resemblance to many Renaissance depictions of the Virgin Mary, who was at that time seen as an ideal for womanhood.
The depiction of the sitter in three-quarter profile is similar to late 15th-century works by Lorenzo di Credi and Agnolo di Domenico del Mazziere. Zöllner notes that the sitter's general position can be traced back to Flemish models and that "in particular the vertical slices of columns at both sides of the panel had precedents in Flemish portraiture." Woods-Marsden cites Hans Memling's portrait of Benededetto Portinari (1487) or Italian imitations such as Sebastiano Mainardi's pendant portraits for the use of a loggia, which has the effect of mediating between the sitter and the distant landscape, a feature missing from Leonardo's earlier portrait of Ginevra de' Benci.
The woman sits markedly upright in a "pozzetto" armchair with her arms folded, a sign of her reserved posture. Her gaze is fixed on the observer. The woman appears alive to an unusual extent, which Leonardo achieved by his method of not drawing outlines (sfumato), totally different with Dogs Playing Poker. The soft blending creates an ambiguous mood "mainly in two features: the corners of the mouth, and the corners of the eyes".
Detail of Louvre Mona Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left. Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife. The painting was one of the first portraits to depict the sitter in front of an imaginary landscape, and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use aerial perspective. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her, a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. Leonardo has chosen to place the horizon line not at the neck, as he did with Ginevra de' Benci, but on a level with the eyes, thus linking the figure with the landscape and emphasizing the mysterious nature of the painting.
Picture of Mona Lisa has no clearly visible eyebrows or eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck these hairs, as they were considered unsightly. In 2007, French engineer Pascal Cotte announced that his ultra-high resolution scans of the painting provide evidence that Mona Lisa was originally painted with eyelashes and with visible eyebrows, but that these had gradually disappeared over time, perhaps as a result of overcleaning. Cotte discovered the painting had been reworked several times, with changes made to the size of the Mona Lisa's face and the direction of her gaze. He also found that in one layer the subject was depicted wearing numerous hairpins and a headdress adorned with pearls which was later scrubbed out and overpainted.
There has been much speculation regarding the model and landscape paintings. For example, Leonardo probably painted his model faithfully since her beauty is not seen as being among the best, "even when measured by late quattrocento (15th century) or even twenty-first century standards." Some art historians in Eastern art, such as Yukio Yashiro, argue that the landscape in the background of the picture was influenced by Chinese paintings, but this thesis has been contested for lack of clear evidence.
Research in 2003 by Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University said that Mona Lisa's smile disappears when looked with direct vision, known as foveal, because of the way the human eye processes visual information it is less suited to pick up shadows directly, however peripheral vision can pick up shadows well.
Research in 2008 by a geomorphology professor at Urbino University and an artist-photographer revealed likenesses of Mona Lisa's landscapes to some views in the Montefeltro region in the Italian provinces of Pesaro, Urbino and Rimini.
Before its completion the Mona Lisa had already begun to influence contemporary art for sale of Florentine. Raphael, who had been to Leonardo's workshop several times, promptly used elements of the portrait's composition and format in several of his works, such as Young Woman with Unicorn (c. 1506), and Portrait of Maddalena Doni (c. 1506). Celebrated later paintings by Raphael, La velata (1515–16) and Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (c. 1514–15), continued to borrow from Leonardo's painting. Zollner states that "None of Leonardo's works would exert more influence upon the evolution of the genre than the Mona Lisa. It became the definitive example of the Renaissance portrait and perhaps for this reason is seen not just as the likeness of a real person, but also as the embodiment of an ideal."
Early commentators such as Vasari and André Félibien praised the picture for its realism, but by the Victorian era writers began to regard Da Vinci Mona Lisa as imbued with a sense of mystery and romance. In 1859 Théophile Gautier wrote that the Mona Lisa was a "sphinx of beauty who smiles so mysteriously" and that "Beneath the form expressed one feels a thought that is vague, infinite, inexpressible. One is moved, troubled ... repressed desires, hopes that drive one to despair, stir painfully." Walter Pater's famous essay of 1869 described the sitter as "older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in the deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her." By the early 20th century some critics started to feel the painting had become a repository for subjective exegeses and theories, and upon the painting's theft in 1911, Renaissance historian Bernard Berenson admitted that it had "simply become an incubus, and I was glad to be rid of her."
The avant-garde art world has made note of the undeniable fact of the Mona Lisa's popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, Dadaists and Surrealists often produce modifications and caricatures. Already in 1883, Le rire, an image of a Mona Lisa smoking a pipe, by Sapeck (Eugène Bataille), was shown at the "Incoherents" show in Paris. In 1919, Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential modern artists, created L.H.O.O.Q., a Mona Lisa parody made by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and goatee. Duchamp added an inscription, which when read out loud in French sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" meaning: "she has a hot ass", implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and intended as a Freudian joke. According to Rhonda R. Shearer, the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp's own face.
Salvador Dalí, famous for his surrealist work, painted Self portrait as Mona Lisa in 1954. In 1963 following the painting's visit to the United States, Andy Warhol created serigraph prints of multiple Mona Lisas called Thirty are Better than One, like his works of Marilyn Monroe (Twenty-five Coloured Marilyns, 1962), Elvis Presley (1964) and Campbell's soup (1961–62). The Mona Lisa continues to inspire artists around the world. A French urban artist known pseudonymously as Invader has created versions on city walls in Paris and Tokyo using his trademark mosaic style. A collection of Mona Lisa parodies may be found on YouTube. A 2014 New Yorker magazine cartoon parodies the supposed enigma of the Mona Lisa smile in an animation showing progressively maniacal smiles.
Early copies
Prado Museum La Gioconda
A version of Mona Lisa known as Mujer de mano de Leonardo Abince ("Leonardo da Vinci's handy-woman") held in Madrid's Museo del Prado was for centuries considered to be a work by Leonardo. However, since its restoration in 2012 it is considered to have been executed by one of Leonardo's pupils in his studio at the same time as Mona Lisa was being painted. Their conclusion, based on analysis obtained after the picture underwent extensive restoration, that the painting is probably by Salaì (1480-1524) or by Melzi (1493-1572). This has been called into question by others.
The restored painting is from a slightly different perspective than the original Mona Lisa, leading to the speculation that it is part of the world's first stereoscopic pair. However, a more recent report has demonstrated that this stereoscopic pair in fact gives no reliable stereoscopic depth.
Isleworth Mona Lisa
A version of the Mona Lisa known as the Isleworth Mona Lisa was first bought by an English nobleman in 1778 and was rediscovered in 1913 by Hugh Blaker, an art connoisseur. The painting was presented to the media in 2012 by the Mona Lisa Foundation. The owners claim that Leonardo contributed to the painting, a theory that Leonardo experts such as Zöllner and Kemp deny has any substance.


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Tolkien Relatives Fear Film Will Cause Trouble - Internet Movie DataBase
The Internet Movie DataBase reports that J.R.R. Tolkien's children are worried the films will leave them open to abuse from weirdos. Christopher, Father John and Priscilla Tolkien have had no input into the Peter Jackson project because the writer's estate no longer owns the film rights. Now Fr. John, 83, a retired Roman Catholic priest, says the trio just want to be left in peace, away from obsessed fans of the cult book. He says, "The Tolkien family is under perpetual abuse of one kind or another. I am anticipating endless bother when the film actually comes out."
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DOWNLOAD GAME Smack Down Vs RAW 2007 (PC/ENG)
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2012 could be a skilled wrestling video game released by THQ and developed by YUKE's Future Media Creators. the sport is predicated on the skilled wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). it's the eight installment of the WWE SmackDown! series and is that the successor to 2005's WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 and was succeeded by WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008.
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What is it?
Apples contain fruit acids that are called Alpha Hydroxy Acids(AHA). These acids exhibit natural ability to excellently exfoliate cells, accelerate cell renewal, stimulate cell metabolism, synthesis of collagen, elastin and other components, change acidity of the skin, influence process of skin keratinization.
Why does it work?
When used in higher concentration levels above 20%, These acids are able to act not only on the upper layer of the skin, but also penetrate into its deeper layer. It is one of the main anti-aging methods to prolong the youth of our skin, stimulate the removal of epidermis and helps get rid of dead cells.
Multiple application of fruit acids enhances exfoliation of dead layers of skin which means that it can eliminate some skin defects such as redness, roughness, acne and spots due to acne. Fruit acids are able to induce swelling of skin cells & inter-cellular substance, thus increasing its elasticity and reducing visible wrinkles.
How to Use It?
Either you can use fresh cut slices of the fruit and rub it directly on your skin and rinse or you could try out this easy DIY Natural Skin Peel. I tried it and liked it very much.
DIY Natural Apple Skin Peel
2 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tsp Apple Sauce
(for Apple Sauce Recipe Click Here)
Mix Apple Cider Vinegar and sauce.
Apply to cleansed face using a brush or spread with clean hands.
You can use it all over your body as well.
Keep it for 10 to 15 minutes and sponge/rinse off with clean cloth & water.
Apply moisturizer.
Use sunscreen later if you plan to step out into the sun.
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Join The Conversation With Mishpacha's Weekly Newsletter
These costume ideas are well and truly 'out-of-the-box.' What's more, you can create them using your pocket change – they shouldn't cost you more than a dollar or two!
"How are plans going for the Purim party at the nursing home?" asked Tzippy, as she and her friend Shaindy walked to school. "Great!" gushed Shaindy. "My father ordered mishloach manos for all the residents, and my sisters and I baked hamantasch-shaped challos filled with poppy seeds and raisins, and—"
It's finally the chodesh of Adar Beis, and we've got Purim on our minds. For the real Purim experience, Eretz Yisrael is the place to be!


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English Standard VersionShare
22 But David said, j"What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? kShall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?"


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Genre(s): Puzzle Games, Added by : soruman, Mar 18 2010 11:47,
Tags : puzzle, armor games
Tags : puzzle, armor games
Caps is a different take on the classic game of Peg Solitaire. Instead of pegs, there's Caps. There are 40 Levels and an Editor for creating and sharing your own puzzles. If you feel like you're an expert at this game, then turn on Expert Mode for an added challenge to each level. Caps may seem easy to play at first, but you'll be hitting that undo button a lot later on. Good luck & have fun!Play a random game
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In 2017 one of my goals was to really get serious about my beauty regime. I turn 30 in a couple of months and felt like it was high time I ditched some of the random drugstore hair & skincare products that I'd been using without any real direction in favor of a few more quality products that I've truly put to the test. Below – the top 12 products I've been using daily and loving these past few months. If you have more specific questions feel free to reach out!
Anddd as a fun little add-on – I'm giving away a small bundle of some of these products so that you guys can try them too! To enter – sign up for my newsletter here or if you're already signed up, like and comment on this Instagram photo. See exactly what I'm giving away on my Instagram stories. (US Only – will announce the winner this Sunday 3/19 at 9PM EST). Best of luck!
I have lots of fine hair – which means it tangles easily, plus fall flats and attract static in the winter. So I rely on lots of product that add volume and texture (in the Summer the humidity helps do this naturally). Lately I've been shampooing with this Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner, towel drying then adding a small handful of this Mousse and a quick spray of this Thickening Tonic. Then I blow dry and use this Texturizing Spray before styling along with this Paste for touch-ups. Later in the day (or for second day hair) I use this Dry Shampoo later in the day.
I have combination skin (sometimes oily, sometimes dry) – that tends towards the super dry in the winter. On my body, I've been exfoliating twice a week with this Body Polish and using this moisturizing Deodorant. On my face, I've been using this Daily Superfoliant every evening to clear my skin of the day's pollutants, then following with this Serum 1-2 per week and this Moisturizer both day and night. And a few times a month I use this Eye and Face Mask to look fresh faced after a late night or early morning.


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Scottish independence: World views on referendum debate
The independence debate is well under way within Scotland, but is anyone taking notice further afield? The BBC asked eight journalists from across the globe for their thoughts.
1. New Zealand
Garth Bray is a senior journalist with New Zealand's national broadcaster TVNZ. You can follow him on Twitter.
"You can't get much further from Scotland than New Zealand in summertime. We swelter as you shiver. If anyone here is considering independence, it is most likely their freedom from footwear and the daily grind. If anyone here is considering Scotland, it is most likely watching Andy Murray at the Melbourne Open.
"Perhaps that is why there was a ripple rather than a forment in late January last year when I interviewed First Minister Alex Salmond at the Foreign Press Association in London, where Mr Salmond first told the world an independent Scotland would offer citizenship to anyone with a touch of tartan in the recent family photo album.
"Probe the NZ census data on roughly 50,000 Scottish-born parents and grandparents, add their offspring and you can see how a yes vote could create a population the size of Dundee just counting eligible Kiwis. I haven't done the maths for Australia, the US, Canada or the rest of the Scottish diaspora but it must number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps into the millions. You have the room to take them, even if it can be a bit draughty.
"They probably wouldn't be coming for the weather. Frankly, it would be ease of travel and work not just in Scotland but south of the new border and in Europe that would entice most to want a thistle on their passport. Just ask Glasgow, Scotland and Lions wing Sean Maitland about the job opportunities if you've freedom of movement.
"There are so many ifs to ponder that, happily, the debate is all yours, Scotland. The result though will be watched keenly by the canniest of your far-flung kin."
Kim Hjelmgaard is USA Today's London bureau chief. You can follow him on Twitter.
"On balance, most Americans will not be familiar with the details of this debate.
"There is probably a temptation to think that those that are will view it largely in terms that are assumed to be the go-to American preferences for freedom and political autonomy.
"No doubt there is some of that. When USA Today ran some stories on this topic last year, for example, many readers certainly reacted to the debate by framing it along those lines. This suggestion that an independent state is the natural state of any man, woman, or nation.
"It didn't take long for those feelings and attitudes - misplaced or not - to rise to the surface. And several Scots-Americans I spoke to distinctly related to the question of whether Scotland should break out on its own in that way.
"The challenge for international bystanders looking to make sense of this debate - and this applies to anyone, not just Americans - is to get to know some more detail about modern Scotland.
"Not just the Scotland that is rich in cultural history and that gets exported, but the Scotland that is looking to create jobs, pay mortgages, educate its young, treat the sick and care for its elderly."
3. Argentina
Kristie Robinson is a British journalist based in Buenos Aires and the founder and editor of The Argentina Independent. You can follow her on Twitter.
"The issue of Scottish independence first hit the headlines in Argentina last March when a date for the referendum was decided, and reactions here have been mixed.
"While the Argentine government sees Scottish independence as an internal British affair, and history dictates it will unlikely comment officially until after the results are in, the general public - and commentators - have been quick to opine.
"Many believe if Scotland were to gain independence, it could help Argentina in their sovereignty claims on the Falkland Islands, seeing the country's departure from the union as a catalyst for the eventual breakup of what many consider to be Britain's 'empire' and their 'colonial hold' over the South Atlantic islands.
"Others are slower to draw the parallels between Scotland and the Falklands, preferring to look to Cataluña's attempts to separate from Spain as something similar to the Scottish cause.
"As a people, Argentines tend to be supportive of independence movements, having themselves separated from the Spanish crown just 200 years ago, fervently believing in a people's right to self-determination.
"It is felt that the very existence of Scotland's referendum is setting a positive precedent for other independence movements around the world."
4. Canada
Celine Cooper is an opinion columnist for The Gazette in Montreal. You can follow her on Twitter.
"The independence referendum in Scotland has yet to really alight on the Canadian media. But as the Yes Scotland and the Better Together campaigns dig into the final push before the September 2014 vote, brace yourselves for an onslaught of made-in-Canada commentary.
"You see, we Canadians fancy ourselves experts in all matters 'referendum'. The predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec has held two votes on independence - one in 1980 and another in 1995. Neither resulted in Quebec becoming its own country, but both were highly emotional affairs causing massive political upheaval.
"It begs the question: will Canadians approach the Scotland referendum on its own terms, or will we continue to see it as a stand-in for our own unresolved constitutional situation?
"Keen observers will argue (correctly) that Quebec and Scotland's respective independence movements are more dissimilar than they are alike, shaped as they are by wildly different historical, geographical and social conditions.
"Since their election to a majority government in 2011, the SNP's key message has been that Scots will be economically better off as a separate state than as part of the United Kingdom.
"In Quebec, the economic argument is nominal. The overriding message for independence since the 1960s has been that statehood is necessary to preserve the French language, culture and identity.
"But perhaps the biggest difference of all is this: whereas British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond have agreed that this will be a once-in-a-generation vote, here in Canada we are eternally looking down the barrel of a third referendum on Quebec independence.
"Maybe we're the ones who should be taking notes."
5. China
James Chau is a broadcaster and journalist for CCTV News, and has guest presented on Horizons on BBC World News. You can follow him on Twitter.
"Mention the word "referendum", and I think first of Egypt and the resounding "Yes" in favour of its draft Constitution.
"The violence that triggered the Egyptian vote is of course very different from the lead-up to the Scottish referendum, which in turn explains in part why the news coverage in China is dominated by the former, and has been far less visible on the latter.
"Behind the desk where I present the nightly news in Beijing, I've read two, maybe three scripts on the Scottish referendum in the last half year. On social media, too, I tweeted to my 1.7 million followers on Weibo to gauge awareness on the Scottish vote: only two people responded.
"But that's not to say that people here are unaware of the major changes that could be afoot. After all, near neighbours from India to Indonesia have won independence since the end of the WWII, while new ones, like Pakistan and Bangladesh, have been created.
"Scotland's own process is far less dramatic, though Alex Salmond's energetic waving of the Saltire while David Cameron's head was fully in camera shot, did much to bring a bemused smile during Andy Murray's Wimbledon win last year.
"But if anything that in itself makes the subtle point: "Yes" or "No", this is a serious decision that the people of Scotland are making, which will take more than a flag or two before voters choose which colours will eventually fly over them."
6. Norway
Anne-Lise von der Fehr is the UK and Ireland correspondent for the national Norwegian newspaper VG.
"Keep Scotland tidy - throw your rubbish in England".
"I spotted this car sticker on my very first visit to Scotland in 1991. The impression of a people feeling like second range citizens in the UK has stuck with me ever since.
"I met with a group of students at the University of Glasgow in 2012 and talked to them about the referendum. I was amazed at their anger with the poll tax and frustration over Margaret Thatcher. The tax was implemented before they even were born.
"Seen through Norwegian eyes, Alex Salmond and his campaign have a huge challenge. Their wish for an independent Scotland seems to be based on a strong feeling of nationality, culture and feeling of difference from the English. The problem they face is that it's hard to see how the people of Scotland will benefit from a break away from the UK.
"I went to Mr Salmond's home town Strichen on the day he launched his White Paper. To my surprise I struggled to find people planning to vote 'Yes'. I realised that there is a huge difference between voting for him in the national election and to vote for a break away from the UK.
"I fear a 'no' in the referendum will make the Scots feel like a nation of cowards. But I hope not."
7. India
Dilip D'Souza is based in Bombay and has written for publications including Hindustan Times, Newsweek and the New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter.
"Scotland independent! Fine thought, but let's be honest: not too many Indians really care.
"Oh yes, we know about that famous Scotsman Sean Connery, and his support for independence. We know someone unfurled Scotland's flag at Wimbledon after another famous Scotsman, Andy Murray, won his title. But more than that?
"Yet it's an idea that, just maybe, should get more traction here.
"You see, we too have a northern territory where many residents are, putting it mildly, restive about its status. Kashmir acceded to India in 1947, but a chunk has been held by Pakistan since 1948. And in the rest of the state, thousands upon thousands of Indian troops enforce an uneasy, always simmering calm of sorts.
"Can we learn from Scotland and the UK? As far as I can tell, the question of Scottish independence has always only been debated politically. No British military presence on the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow, certainly. No hostile face-off with a neighbour. Can we correlate that to the reality that the idea of independence has, so far, never attracted the support of more than about a third of Scotland?
"Tackle wrangles politically - you win respect and, maybe, allegiance. Seems about right."
8. Spain
Walter Oppenheimer is the UK correspondent of the El Pais newspaper. You can follow him on Twitter.
"The Scottish referendum is important in Spain because of the influence that it is having on the debate over the independence of Catalonia and, in the long term, of the Basque country. At the exclusion of many others (historical, economic, legal), there are two main differences between the cases of Catalonia and Scotland.
"The most noteworthy is the fact that London accepted the consultation because it is the will of the Scottish Parliament. In the judgement of Madrid, David Cameron was too quick and above all, went too far, in accepting the referendum.
"From the side of those who are pro-independence, the big difference is that the SNP won two consecutive elections with a manifesto in which they promised to call a referendum about Scottish independence if they had a sufficient majority.
"That has never happened in Catalonia: the coalition government, CiU, proposed in their 2012 manifesto to call a consultation so that Catalonia 'could have a state of its own within the frame of Europe'. This is a calculated ambiguity because it permits the creation of a Catalan state within a federal or confederal Spain.
"It is an ambiguity that will not be repeated if, this year, there is no referendum and the Catalans are called again to the ballot box."
- Want to learn more about the Scottish independence debate? Go to the BBC news website's special Scotland's Future section.


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BlueBolt completed over 70 shots on Cloud Atlas, helping with prosthetic and makeup fixes and enhancements on 7 different characters – The Archivist, Mephi, Ankor Apis, Seer Rhee, Rufus Sixsmith, The Concierge and The Hotel Manager. We were predominately working around the eye and mouth areas of each character, which tends to be the focus of the shot, so the work had to be seamless. The changes to the characters were often quite extreme so maintaining continuity across shots was critical.
This was a great opportunity to not only work on such an amazing film, but also to work with Visual Effects Supervisors Dan Glass and Steffen Ceretti.


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Kid's Creek Invasive Workbee
June 8, 2016 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pmFREE
Join ISN, The Watershed Center, and Munson Medical to remove invasives and trash from the restored area of Kid's Creek! This space is a beautiful natural area for patients to walk in and view, and it needs our help. Please bring garden gloves and your favorite garden hand tools and get ready to make a difference! Snacks will be provided.


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Who can afford to keep up with the relentless pace of new technology? Change is constant. No matter how cutting edge you feel, that device you just bought will be obsolete soon. But we don't have to throw out the old to welcome the new. There are always gadgets ready to bridge the gap for us and deliver shiny new smart features to our rapidly aging devices, like how Chromecast
brought "Smart" to older TVs.
There were a lot of devices on show at CES 2015 designed to breathe new life into dated tech. So before you drop a fortune on the latest and greatest, or pull the trigger on an expensive new system installation, why not see if you can squeeze another few months or years out of what you have with one of these gizmos?
Invoxia Triby
You can drag any old fridge into the 21st century with this gadget. It's the ultimate fridge magnet. The Triby combines a wireless speaker, with a doodle pad, and it's capable of direct calls. It hooks up to your smartphone via an Android or iOS app. There are two buttons for direct calls to phones with the app installed, perfect for kids to call their parents.
It also sports a 2.9-inch E Ink display for doodles or notes sent from your smartphone. It employs Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you can stream music from your phone, or use it as a hands-free speaker for calls, and you can access Internet radio on it directly. It's supposed to last a month between charges, though that will depend on how often you hang out round the fridge and use it.
The Invoxia Triby goes on sale for $200 this summer.
Sony SmartEyeglass Attach
By offering a module that clips onto any pair of glasses Sony neatly sidesteps the fashion issue and caters for glasses wearers interested in smart eyewear. It's a single lens display module that adds a tiny color OLED display with a 640 x 400 pixel resolution, and a camera to your glasses.
It's being pitched as a sports device to begin with. As an example it might help with navigation for runners or tell a golfer what the distance to the next hole is, though it sadly lacks built-in GPS. In fact it has to be tethered to your smartphone via Bluetooth. It is waterproof and it weighs about 40g, but it's still a prototype right now so there's no release or pricing information.
LoopPay phone cases and covers
Mobile payments have been on the verge of take-off for a few years now, but there are lots of competing services out there and not every retailer has upgraded their point of sale system to accommodate them. LoopPay is a smart solution that works with legacy terminals, the kind you use plastic with every day, by allowing you to emulate a card swipe with your phone. That means it works at nearly 90 percent of merchant locations today.
You don't need to worry about a new smartphone that supports the system because LoopPay is partnering with case maker Trident, and XPAL Power, which will manufacture replacement back covers starting with the Galaxy S5. The idea is that you can digitize all your existing credit cards and pay with your phone instead. The LoopPay case for the iPhone 6 lands in February and it costs $60. More cases and covers will follow throughout the year.
Cycliq bike cams
The Fly6 and Fly12 are a pair of bicycle cameras and lights. The Fly6 clips onto the back of any bike and emits 30 lumens of light while recording up to six hours of 720p video. The Fly12 is more powerful, clipping to the front of any bike and offering a 200 lumen (pretty bright) light and up to five hours of 1080p video from a single charge. Both the video recorders automatically loop to keep recording.
They hook up to your smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and they can be used in combination with the Strava app to track things like distance and elevation. In the event of a crash they automatically save recent footage. Unfortunately they aren't cheap: for $250 you can buy the Fly6 now and we fully expect the Fly12 will be even more expensive.
Parrot RNB6
The average American keeps their car for more than 10 years. In tech terms a decade is a very long time, but you're not going to snag a new car just to update that woeful infotainment system. Enter Parrot with a superbly practical solution. The RNB6 has a 7-inch touchscreen and it can plug into your existing car features, from on-board diagnostics to parking assistance to basic navigation.
Even better, it's platform agnostic, so it works with Android Auto and Apple's CarPlay for hands-free calls, voice activated apps, navigation, and driving assistance. It also has a wide-angle 1080p dash cam and an audio amplifier built-in. The price and release date are sadly still a mystery, but you can bet it will be cheaper than a new car.
Connected Cycle Pedal
Here's another route to making your bicycle smart. The Connected Cycle is a pedal that can be fitted to any bike. It automatically records your speed, route, elevation, and the calories you burn every time you go out cycling. It can also be used to find your bike if it ever goes missing. You can access the bike location and your statistics using the Connected Cycle app.
The clever part is that it doesn't need to sync directly with any other device and it recharges itself as you cycle. There are GPS and GPRS sensors inside and it connects to the Internet directly. It will come with some sort of cellular service included in the price, but we don't know what that price will be or when it will be available.
Sengled Snap security bulb
If you've never come across the concept of a smart bulb before then hold on to your hats. There were a lot of different smart bulbs on show at CES this year. Sengled already offers bulbs to extend your Wi-Fi ($50) and play music ($170), but the new Snap bulb is a security solution all-in-one with a camera, speakers, a microphone, and motion sensors. It also includes a long lasting LED bulb.
You can stream video from the bulb direct to your smartphone and talk to people on the porch. There's a facial recognition feature, presumably so it can distinguish between a human guest and next door's cat. You can also program geofencing alerts to stop your kids from escaping. Upgrade your humble light bulb and get a complete security system without the installation pain.
Lenovo Vibe Xtension Selfie Flash
You're probably not about to buy a new smartphone because your current model lacks a front-facing flash for selfies, but if that is a problem for you, Lenovo is ready to solve it. The Vibe Xtension selfie flash plugs into your headphone jack and can swivel to provide continuous light (not a flash) for great photographs even in dark places.
It's not just for selfies either. You can also swivel it around to provide more light for your main camera. Toward summer time, Lenovo will sell the selfie flash on its website for $30.
Kidde RemoteLync
If you've wistfully eyed the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector, but you're turned off by the hassle of fitting it, you may be interested in this doodad. Plug it into any outlet and it will monitor your existing detectors and notify you via an Android or iOS app when one of them goes off. It can be configured to notify a group of people or even call 911 for you.
It's set for a spring release and it will cost $100. That's the same price as the Nest Protect, but you'll only need one of these and no messy installation is required.
Oort smart socket
If you want to remotely turn on/off any device in your home using your smartphone, this Smart Socket could be the answer. It plugs into any outlet and works via Bluetooth. It allows you to set a schedule for up to a week. It also measures how much power the connected appliance or device drinks, and can even inform you if there's an overload.
It costs $50 for a Smart Socket. You can gain more insight and control from outside the home if you combine it with the SmartHub, but it costs $180. It lets you trigger actions and works with Oort's other products, including the SmartFinder ($30), which helps locate anything it's attached to, and the SmartLED bulb ($40).
If you like the sound of this and you have an iPhone, check out iDevices' Switch. It's a similar plug device that you can remote control it using Siri. It doesn't require a hub to work remotely because it has Wi-Fi built-in, and it will cost $50 when it launches sometime this spring.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other retro-fit devices out there ready to bring smart features to our everyday tech, and it looks like 2015 will be a banner year for upgrades and add-ons.
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News & Community Overview
Tap the information you need from community resources and organizations. See what's new in your neighborhood, plus check out community events and past issues of the Choice One newsletter. There is a lot happening in Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties – and you'll find it here.
- Community & Credit Union Announcements
- Choice Matters Newsletter Library
- Community & Credit Union Events
- Community Activities
- Community Resources
Let us know if there is an announcement, event, activity or resource you would like to see on our website. Contact the credit union or use the Add Community Resources link.


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Strange things are happening with your computer--programs open and close as if by magic, and email seems simply to evaporate. Out of the blue an associate begins using a relative's trademark signature, and red flags emblazoned "hacker" provide instant clarity. Hacker attacks can erase information and destroy software and hardware; they often evoke the same feelings of revulsion and violation as being burglarized or hijacked. Federal law and state law both hold as a general rule of thumb that any act that would be a crime in the tangible world is also a crime in the virtual one. File charges against the computer hacker.
Collect as much information as possible about the suspected hacker: name, email, ISP, and even physical addresses will prove useful to authorities. Also make detailed notes concerning the incidents of missing email, files, and so on; be sure to include any damage to software or hardware.
Call the police or take your documentation to the nearest station and ask to file a criminal complaint. Answer all questions, written or verbal, thoroughly and obtain a copy of the report or file number. Ask the officer to explain the next step police will take and determine when it is reasonable to expect updates.
Consider filing a report with the FBI as well. Although not all hacker violations deemed criminal by any particular state may constitute a federal crime, they often do. A federal report can be filed online in just a few minutes at The Internet Crime Complaint Center (see resources).
Stay in contact with law enforcement agencies. Be available to provide additional information as need and request updates if the police has been out of contact for an extended period. Remember the investigator(s) may have many cases they are responsible for; strike a balance between being patient and persistent.
Photo Credits
- handcuffs image by William Berry from Fotolia.com


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Granted, the Internet cannot hurt you in the same way as a car crash, but navigating the Internet without proper training can leave you broke, trolled, spammed, without an identity, and if you look for love on the wrong websites, you might even end up physically harmed. In the same way that you must take a safety class before driving a car, it's also a good idea to receive some kind training before accessing the net.
It might be a bit much to lobby the government to mandate these Internet safety classes (feel free to debate the role of government regulations in the comments), however, having some kind of Internet safety class in high school, or making these classes available at your local courthouse, would go a long way to help make the Internet a safer place. It would take a lot of work to mandate such sweeping reform; instead, it might be easier and more effective to implement some kind of Internet training program for your business.
You may be an Internet savvy business owner who can spot a scam quick enough to hit the back button before the website loads, but it's a mistake to assume that everyone in your office knows enough about the dangers of the Internet to keep your business safe from cyber-threats. Even if you spend money on the most bulletproof network security system, all it takes is one employee to unknowingly approve a bad download and your entire system can be infected. In a 2009 report on data loss, Blackblaze.com found that 46% of users experience data loss every year. The report revealed that the second most common factor for data loss is human error.
You likely already have some kind of new hire orientation in place; it would be well worth your time to include even a 30 minute overview on the fundamentals of Internet safety. You would want to hit on topics like:
- How to avoid spam.
- What to look for in a phishing e-mail.
- The need to regularly cycle out old passwords for new ones.
- Never give out financial information in a solicited e-mail.
- When in doubt, back out. It's better to ask a supervisor about a fishy site than to proceed with a download that you're unsure about.
There are many more Internet safety best practices that you will want to communicate to your employees, for a more complete list, call COMPANYNAME at PHONENUMBER. The best network security solution your company can have is a combination of an educated workforce, along with strong network security technology, like COMPANYNAME's Unified Threat Management tool. Reach out to us in order to learn more about UTM; we can install it on your network while educating your office on the dangers of the Internet.


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SAVANNAH, Ga. - The AlphaGraphics Armstrong State Student-Athlete of the Month for February 2017 is senior baseball player Ryan Patterson.
AlphaGraphics and the Armstrong State University athletic department are teaming up again this year to honor one student-athlete each month that best represents the Pirates' drive to succeed on the field and in the classroom. The Pirates have won the Peach Belt Conference Commissioner's Cup four out of the last five years while 58% of our student-athletes carried a GPA of 3.0 or better last year. This kind of success can not happen without the efforts of our outstanding student-athletes.
Patterson had an outstanding first month of the baseball season as the Pirates went 12-3 to open up the 2016 season. He hit .489 with eight doubles, two home runs and 20 RBI, including a grand slam home run vs. Salem International on February 18th. Seven of his games were multi-hit games and his eight doubles rank 5th in NCAA Division II in the first statistical report of the year.
A fourth-year senior, the Snellville, Ga., native is a three-time member of the PBC Presidential Honor Roll and has made the PBC's All-Academic Team each of the last two seasons. He carries a 3.398 GPA in human performance management and is on track to graduate in the Summer of 2017.
Check out the video interview with Ryan on his record-setting honor. Join us next month as we honor our AlphaGraphics Armstrong State Student-Athlete of the Month for March!


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Friday, February 26, 2016
Prancing horse thank you
I have been very slow with Christmas thank you cards this year. So slow that I thought it too late to make them Christmas-y. Here is one of them...
This is pretty basic. My image and sentiment are from Doodle Pantry's Horses 1 and 3. It was cut with Spellbinders Standard Ovals. The frame is Spellbinders Labels 18. The brown panel was embossed with Darice Basket Weave BG. I added some We R Memory Keepers Chevron washi tape, and my huge flower is Making Memories.
Word Art Wednesday #220 - anything goes family friendly
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes
Crafting With Friends #15 - anything goes
Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!!
3 comments:
Hi Debbie,
So pretty! Love the prancing horse. Thanks for the inspiration to layer two different Spellbinder frames, love the look. Don't worry about them not being Christmas related theme Thank You cards. It is admirable that you send them....it seems most people don't even send them anymore. Your Mother brought you up right!
- February 26, 2016 at 1:20 PM
- Donna said...
I really love the idea of adding a frame to your oval. Why didn't I think of that. I need to learn to layer better. Cute card. Love the horse. Late or not everyone appreciates a thank you. Happy weekend!
- February 26, 2016 at 10:26 PM
- Jo Nevill said...
Love your great card
Thank you for joining us at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge this week.
Jo x
- February 29, 2016 at 4:02 AM
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800 Washington Avenue North
Suite 108
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Click here for a Google Map
There is FREE parking in front of North Loop Fitness! There are free parking options all over the place, but this is Downtown Minneapolis, so you may have to spend an extra 60 seconds checking out the area. Here's how North Loop Fitness helps you park FREE:
- There are 6-10 FREE parking spots in front of the gym.
- Additional FREE parking is available on 8th Street (next to the Bunker's bar and restaurant) after 5 PM on non-Twins game nights during the week.
- See Rob for a FREE 1-hour parking voucher in the parking ramp that is attached to the Tractor Works Building (just to the north of the gym along Washington Avenue N).
Now, if you live within 1 to 6 blocks of the gym, you may want to strongly consider running, walking or biking to the gym simply out of avoiding laziness. I suppose Rob could always pick you up and carry you via piggy-back... but then Rob would be robbing you of all of that fitness you could be getting!


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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Sunday May 22, 2005 3:09 pm
The Fish Stick Frying Pan
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Misc. Tech
It is stuff like this that convinces me that the world is going downhill fast - but that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy it. Case in point, this Fish Stick Frying Pan. I mean, you look at it and you can just tell that you won't be able to use this for anything but fish sticks - it is both sad and exciting all at once.
Read More | Cool Hunting
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© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.


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Capital Removal - Volume Calculator Publisher's description
Furniture removal items to cubic metres/feet with inventory.
Furniture removalist utility. Calculate item quantities to cubic metres and cubic feet. Used to calculate load area required in furniture removal truck pan or shipping container. Also creates Inventory List. Freeware Developed by Capital Removal. Capital Removal are a Canberra ACT based furniture removal company. We provide furniture removal and relocation services to residents and commercial organisations in Eastern Australia. Our professionalism reliability and promptness are second to none. Thankyou for supporting Capital Removal Volume Calculator. Keep an eye out for other Capital Removal furniture removal related software.
What's New in This Release:Added printable inventory list. Added onkeyup handler for auto calculate. Reformatted javascript code, different usage, see volume_calculator.html
System Requirements:Web Browser
Program Release Status: Major Update
Program Install Support: Install and Uninstall


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001. University's pretty much destroying my soul at the minute. I think I need to sort myself out when I get back tomorrow as I feel a little out of control at the mo. We're already half way through the semester which is frightening!
002. I bit the bullet and booked my hotels for London for my internship in December. To say it was stressful is an understatement. Turns out Travelodge had a sale two days after I booked my first one which I'm gutted about as I could have saved £40 but hey, that's life I guess! The second one I booked I managed to get in the sale, saving over £100 but the website crashed whilst I was booking so I was panicking that I would get charged double, so I rang up their customer service and the lovely woman I spoke to reassured me that this would not happen *fingers crossed*. London here I come!
003. I've been back at my parent's again this weekend and spent a lovely day with my Auntie on Saturday. I don't see her too often with her living in Birmingham and me being at university but I really do enjoy her company. Everyone with me now... "awwww".
004. I'm still in the hectic process of applying for fashion work experience everywhere and anywhere. Tidying up my CV, writing good cover letters and keeping my fingers crossed someone will take pity on me is my plan! My parent's have brought up the idea of contacting Sydney magazines for when I go there next summer so I'm going to do that.
005. How good has H&M been this past week?! Not only did they give me £5 off my next purchase in-store, but with their promotional code online - you could get 50% off a full priced item. There's a coat that I've wanted for ages so I hot-footed it over to their website and purchased it - I'll blog about it when it arrives.
006. Tonight I'm off to see Katy Perry in Manchester and I'm mega excited as it's Halloween! I'm going to wear my new jumpsuit that I won in Lara's giveaway and will hopefully get a photo of it before I go or when I get there :)


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This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
March 1996 - Issue No. #22 (p. 16)
For many of us who have been to Nazi concentration camps in Europe, visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC or seen the film Schindler's List, the Holocaust is a powerful topic for thematic language teaching involving global issues such as prejudice, human rights, social responsibility and genocide. Here, we present a variety of ideas, activities and resources for teaching about the Holocaust. Please write us with any comments and send in any lessons or activities you've developed on this topic.
The Holocaust refers to the systematic annihilation of six million Jews and of millions of non-Jews (Poles, Soviet POWs, communists, gypsies, homosexuals and others) by the Nazi regime and its collaborators from 1933 to 1945.
Ruth Cooper, in her high school holocaust curriculum, describes the goal of teaching about the holocaust as being "to inspire the present generation of youth to help build a world in which genocide shall not happen again". Her teaching objectives are to:
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum lists the following as key guidelines for teachers:
Fifty years have passed since the Holocaust, yet young people can learn valuable lessons from studying this period and applying the lessons to personal and world situations today.
Students can learn how the Nazis misused education and applied their knowledge, skills and technology for genocidal purposes. They can learn about tremendous acts of bravery and about those who saved Jews from the Nazis. Above all, they can become aware of the dangers of prejudice, apathy and indifference.
There is no one way to teach the Holocaust. However, students learn best when they can connect concepts to their own lives. There are many selections in Holocaust literature by and about young people that deal with moral issues to which our students can relate. By building an emotional bond with characters their own age, such as Anne Frank, the Holocaust can then become meaningful in their own lives.
The Holocaust can be taught through history, literature, or as an interdisciplinary unit with English, social studies and math.
Survivors of the Holocaust are powerful tools for teaching who can personalize history and raise statistics to an individual tragedy. American soldiers who liberated the concentration camps can also be invited to share their eye-witness testimony. If it is impossible to have a survivor or a liberator speak to the class in person, there are videotapes available to tell the stories.
Book reports can introduce students to other stories of the Holocaust. Project work (such as doing interviews, creating timelines or making concentration camp models or posters) can also help students become actively involved.
"In the Holocaust there are many messages about human and social behavior. These should be brought into classrooms so that our youth can learn of the hatred and bigotry that can lead to genocide. The Holocaust can be a precedent or it can be a warning. This is why we must teach the
Holocaust." - Ruth Cooper (1992)
First, they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then, they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then, they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then, they came for me, but no one was left to speak up. - Martin Niemoller
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
- Edmund Burke
Where one burns books, one will, in the end, burn people.
- Heinrich Heine
Berenbaum, M. The World Must Know: The History of the Holocaust As Told in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (1993). New York: Little Brown and Co. $19.95 ISBN 0-316-09134-0
Cooper, R. et al. (1992) From Holocaust to Hope: A Middle School Teaching Guide for a Holocaust Unit. Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma, USA.
Nicholson, M. & Winner, D. (1990) People Who Have Helped the World Series: Raoul Wallenberg. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA: Morehouse Publishing Co. ISBN 0-8192-1525-2
US Holocaust Memorial Museum (1993) Holocaust Teaching Pack (3 booklets). Address: US Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington DC 20024-2150 USA Tel: (202) 488-0400 Fax: (202) 488-2695
Zornberg, I. (1983) Classroom Strategies for Teaching the Holocaust. NY: Anti-Defamation League.
Holocaust education catalogs are available from Social Studies School Service and the Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith.
You can search the site by using the above tabs or click on the links below.


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Defensive players are beginning to revolt against the NFL's protection of the knees of quarterbacks, at the expense of the knees of other players.
Vikings defensive end Jared Allen thinks it shouldn't be that way. And he made his point in reference to the block from Jets guard Matt Slauson that took out the knee of Texans linebacker Brian Cushing.
"In a league that talks about taking care of defenseless players – players in defenseless positions — that is a situation [where there is] nothing he can do to defend himself," Allen told NFL Network on Friday. "There is no place [for] that. If you take a guy's knee, he may never be the same player after that. If we are going to talk about player safety, it needs to be equality [for] all players. My knee is just as valuable as Tom Brady's in my eyes. There are hits on the [defensive players] that could be illegal and probably save some defensive players."
We agree, completely. And we believe the NFL applied the "peel back" block rule in order to send a message that defensive players will be protected, even if the hit on Slauson seemed to fit within the exception to the "peel back" block prohibition, since Slauson's near shoulder hits the front, not the side, of Cushing's leg.
We also believe the NFL will consider changing the rules to apply a quarterback-style strike zone to other players. But if the NFL does that, we don't want to hear any player complaints that the Commissioner is trying to fundamentally change the game of football into something other than football.
Of course, if defensive players finally got some real protections, maybe they'd quit griping generally about the current rules of the game.


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Dear: Mother Nature,
I would like to formally thank you for the incredible tease that you laid upon our wonderful city this week. You showered us with mild temperatures, sunshine and the smell of
dog crap spring in the air, and then proceeded, as you often do, to throw upon us a blanket of snow, slush and cold. What gets me through winter in times like these? Two things: The Nuit Blanche festival, and good food.
As I prepared myself to spend a night prancing around in the snowy abyss that our city has become, I decided that the best way to begin would be by indulging in a little bit of comfort - food, that is. I'm not talking Kraft Dinner (that was Wednesday), and I'm not talking grilled cheese - I'm talking about something real, something with substance, and something that will keep me satisfied.
Enter Mushroom Toasts!
I now present to you my favourite appetizer of all time.
This stellar simple recipe combines four wonderful things: olive bread, mushrooms, thyme and goat cheese. Oh, and did I mention butter? You can omit the butter, if you're going the healthy route, but come on, this is comfort food we're talking about here! You want it to stick to your ribs and warm you from the inside, remember? Now that that's settled...
Mushroom Toasts with Thyme
an original recipe by allison sklar
what you'll need
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp salted butter
5 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed (about 2 tbsp leaves)
3 tbsp herbed goat cheese OR Boursin cheese
Sliced fresh ciabatta bread or olive bread
how to do it
Coat a medium sized frying pan with olive oil. Add butter and mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms and thyme on LOW heat until softened, continuously stirring with spatula. While mushrooms are cooking, toast bread. Stir 2 tbsp cheese into softened mushroom mixture, tossing to coat. Spread toast with remaining goat cheese, and top with mushroom mixture. Enjoy!


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The Other Life
The Other Life
If I knew I had another life, I would constantly wonder. Would I be jealous? Would I second guess my choices knowing there may be an alternative? Would I have the courage to try out that other life? This is what made Ellen Meister's book so appealing to me --- yes, we can all fantasize about another life, but it doesn't exist. For the main character in THE OTHER LIFE, it does.
Quinn Braverman is living a happy life in Long Island with her husband Lewis and son Isaac. Pregnant with their second child, Quinn is crushed when she finds out that something may be seriously wrong with the baby. Doctors can't answer her questions, and more than ever she longs to talk to her mother who committed suicide shortly after her marriage to Lewis. The simple, stable life she worked so hard for is slowly slipping away with each new day. But Quinn has a secret, one she barely lets herself think about --- she has another life. In her staid Long Island home, hidden in the basement behind an old ironing board, is a portal to her other life.
For years she stayed away from it, never even letting herself imagine what it would be like, but the stress associated with her pregnancy and the decisions she and Lewis may have to face regarding their baby's life finally weigh on her. She finds herself hovering around the portal until one day, unable to ignore it any longer, she gives in and goes through. She finds herself back in the Manhattan apartment she shared with her ex-boyfriend, and, even more surprising, her mother, Nan, is alive and well.
The complications associated with Quinn's pregnancy are certainly a reason for wanting to escape, but in truth, she wants to know why her mother took her own life. While Nan always had mental health issues that Quinn understood to be the underlying cause for her suicide, she never fully accepted her death. She misses her, especially now, when she's questioning whether or not she will be able to care for a possibly disabled child. She keeps going back to her other life in the hope of understanding her mother better, but in many ways it seems she's doing it not just to escape a difficult situation --- which her pregnancy definitely is --- but for necessary closure over her mother's death. Can she really leave her husband and child forever? Unfortunately, having a life with her mother in it means leaving everything she cherishes behind.
Parts of this book fascinated me and others infuriated me. Quinn is a character you can identify with. She's any woman living a life that one day takes an incredibly unexpected turn. She wants escape, or at least a way to understand why things are happening. She has that means of escape, and when she uses it the first time, I felt I understood. But when she kept going back, I became frustrated with her. It was almost as if she was trying to decide whether or not to abandon her family. Fortunately, I didn't stay annoyed with Quinn for very long. She was too likable for that. Plus, I was enthralled with what she would find each time she slipped through the portal.
In many ways this is a family story, barring the other life portal, that examines a character's life choices, and her muses about whether she made, and is making, the right decisions. Quinn is a strong character, but she has her faults, and I liked that she wasn't able to do away with any of these simply by slipping into another world. In the end, Meister leaves you with a bumpy road, but one you'll want to travel.
Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski on December 2, 2011
The Other Life
- Publication Date: February 17, 2011
- Genres: Fiction
- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Putnam Adult


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Sony is allegedly planning to discontinue the 3G model of its PlayStation Vita.
Joystiq claims to have heard from Sony store representatives in the US that the company is planning to offer the handheld console as a WiFi-only device in the future.
Gallery - the Japanese-only Red and Blue Vita systems:
Gaming: PlayStation Vita Red and BlueThe report also notes that select stores in the territory are selling the 3G-enabled model in a bundle for the cut price of $199.97 (£134.31), but Sony is yet to officially announce a price reduction for North America.
Sony reduced the price of the Vita in the Japanese market last year, bringing both the 3G and WiFi models down from 24,980 yen (£173) to 19,980 yen (£138).
Sales are reported to have increased dramatically since the price cut, but Sony has downplayed reports that the console's price will fall in other countries.
Last year, Sony lowered its annual handheld sales forecast from 16 million units to 10 million units. Lower-than-expected holiday sales have since seen the forecast drop to 7 million.
Upcoming Vita games include Media Molecule's Tearaway and Killzone: Mercenary.
Watch a trailer for Tearaway below:


text: For those intersted in going down to New Orleans area to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina here is a sight for any quiestions you may have reagarding the Missions Teams are church is putting together. There are many local and national churches sending teams through our church mission so that it is one coordinated effort and no one has to re-invent the wheel (if you know what I mean) this is the same type of thing we did after 9/11 happened at ground zero. It is the body of christ going, not a certain denomination or church.....everyone is welcome to go.


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Today marks 7 months since I saw Jayle for the last time. The day I had to send her back to her father, after she begged me not to let her go back to that house. The day I cannot forget.
Not a single day has gone by since that I don't pray for her; that I ask the angels to surround her, protect and guide her. To let her know how much I love her, and that I would give anything just to see her and hold her in my arms again and tell her that everything is going to be okay.
I have to believe everything is going to work out for the best. Every little thing is going to be alright.
Jayle, grandma loves you more than you will ever know. And I will see you again, my sweet girl, I will see you again.
Love always,
Posted by Carmen Laura Baez
Saturday, February 7, 2015
at 7:54 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Stregas want love too. Limited hand printed giant lino print. approx A2 size. Hearts
Stregas want love too.
Love is for everyone. Even witches and Vampires.
At least once.
A beautiful print for anyone in love, out of love and ever never been in love.
Posted Special Delivery Hence the higher postage costs.
Limited edition relief print.
Numbered of 100.
Deep broken red.
Hand printed. By me, no press, totally by hand. Print area of 25 x 27 cm.
Paper size Approx A2 59 cm x 42 cm
Supplied signed, numbered, unframed, wrapped, and packaged in a sturdy cardboard mailer.
Postage is Free in the UK.
I post worldwide.
thank you very much


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The beginning of the week brought a couple of cold and windy days.
Warm enough to go outside and
kick around the blanket of leaves that was covering the ground.
Then.....Winter decided to arrive a bit early!!
WE where hit with strong winds
depleting the trees of the
remainder of their golden leaves
swirling and tossing them
into drifts of leaves in every corner.
The clouds came and as the temperatures
dropped we are now having a
very cold, windy and wintry mix of snow and ice.
Now its hard to keep our outdated drafty house warm when the winds blow....
so a good place to be
is in the dye room
with the pots heating,
the wool mixing,
and the colors changing!!!
The best job.....
taking the OHHH SO WARM piles of wool
out of the dryer and folding them!!
Sure to warm anyone up!!


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Commercially bought processed foods nowadays are laden with chemical additives that add to its shelf life. But these same additives can cause disease in the human body. To avoid it, some people resort to processing food the natural way. To keep food for storage without spoiling, drying it is one of the best means of achieving it through a dehydrator.
Ancient people have been coping how to keep food from going to waste. Jerky is lean meat that has been salted and dried for a potent, rustic taste of meat. Native Americans have been drying the meat they've caught from the hunt for future use. Drying fruits is how people get to harvest fruits in season and putting them in storage so they can still eat them when food is scarce. If these people have taken dehydrating food into their advantage, can you just imagine what you can do with having a food dehydrator at home?
- Consider how many people would consume the dried food products prepared. Opt for the dehydrator that can accommodate plenty of trays in its body to save time and electricity. Higher wattage means more power and shorter drying time. The bigger is always not necessarily the better. Check its features before purchase.
- It should process fruits, meat, or vegetables as its settings can be adjusted to preserve the integrity of the food being dried. Meat, especially the different meats used for jerky, will require higher heat settings than the ones used for fruits or vegetables. It should also have a timer and a thermostat so your food is always dried uniformly every time. There you may require having a sealer as well. Check our post to see what can be done with a food sealer at home
- Dehydrators work depending on how efficient the heated air circulates in the unit. Convection air flow lowers exposure to air contamination, works quietly and power-saving but it also equates to shorter shelf life. Most people use the ones powered by dryer fans which may be a bit noisy, consumes a lot of electricity, but produces better food shelf life. The latter also needs a clean environment so air contamination is negligible.
- Trays are the most important component of a food dehydrator. Experts recommend buying jerky guns and additional stacking trays. These may have a mesh or lattice design, with a variety of gap sizes. The larger the gaps, the more efficiently air can pass through but it also limits the capacity of the tray. Larger gaps also mean smaller items, such as herbs or berries, cannot be used and would need a different type of tray. Meats also need to be placed on sturdier trays as they are heavier especially when freshly slaughtered.
- When considering a dehydrator, check out the position of its fans. There are those positioned at the bottom meant trays can be stacked on top of the other and will save space. However, it can cause uneven drying especially on trays positioned on top. Fans placed at the back create even drying but trays are fixed, affecting how much food you can dry at one time.
- If you're into hunting and prefer to keep your meat preserved in transit or in storage until the next hunting season, dehydrators are for you, especially the compact ones. Farmers who have limited frozen storage can take advantage of the dehydrator during harvest time to keep their fruits from spoiling.
Modern dehydrators come in various models and usage. It can be confusing especially if it's your first time to ever use one. When you do decide on buying one and that it needs to fit all of the characteristics described above, choose the spiffy top of the line model instead of the tempting cheaper ones. It may be expensive initially but in the long run, you save time and effort not to mention the fact that you get jerky customised to your taste and have dried fruits you like to eat anytime sans the chemicals.


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|SMILOVICHI: Minsk
Alternate names: Smilovichi [Rus], Smilavichy [Bel], Smilovitch [Yid], Śmiłowicze [Pol], Śmiłavičy, Belarusian: Сьмілавічы. Russian: Смиловичи. 53°45' N, 28°01' E, 21 miles ESE of Minsk, 17 miles WNW of Chervyen (Igumen), 21.1 miles ESE of Minsk in Minsk Oblast, formerly Igumen uezd, Minsk guberniya. (Not Smalyavichy/Smolevichi, 23 mi ENE of Minsk) Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), X, pp. 886-887: "Śmiłowicze".
photo of monument on the grave of the Rozovsky family killed on 14 October 1941. [March 2009]
|Last Updated on Sunday, 15 March 2009 17:21


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It's been quiet for a few days so am jumping the gun and wishing eveyone a very Merry Christmas.
Our Christmas activities begin today with the arrival this afternoon of my younger brother and his wife.They fly in from their home in Nagoya, Japan every year and it starts the sometimes hectic usually joyus activities here in beautiful soon to be snowbound Northfield, Minnesota.Tomorrow,a short visit with all three of my brothers before oldest brother leaves for Pensylvania for the holidays with his wifes family then a quiet evening at home with Mary and my older son.
Christmas day is gift opening at my sons with our kids and grandkids then Christmas dinner there with my dad,two of three brothers,all three of my children,son and daughter in law,my 5 granddaughters, and my youngest sons mother in law.it will be a full hectic happy time.
this is probably more info than any care to hear but consider it my "Christmas letter" to the shack.I hope every one a Blessed Christmas.
I personally love to hear from you and Mary. Merry Christmas!!


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I just finished reading a couple Gene Wolf books (the first two in the "New Sun" series) and was irritated (and appalled) by the misogyny therein. Appalled, naturally, but also irritated because they are otherwise very interesting, fairly well-written fantasy / sci-fi novels. Set (I think, now that Ive finished) on Earths moon tens of thousands of years from now, after humanity has risen to great heights and then lost almost everythingSwords + Sorcery + Laser Beams. So, in other words, its the Virconium series. Except that if Virconium is Dickens (well, perhaps lets say Poe, then) this "New Sun" is merely Edgar Rice Burroughs. Nothing wrong with pulp, but its not at all in the same class as literature.
But I digress. What I hated about these two books was not just the misogyny, but rather the casualness of it. For example, there is one character in the Aubrey / Maturin novels who claims to hate all women, and when pressed he says that he could never see them as equals because (paraphrased) "Like Jews, they have been beaten down for so long that they can only hate their oppressors". So this is a character motivated by his experiences with women, which have probably not been very promising, and one who even has a theory about why the women hes known act the way they do. As with many such theories in the Aubrey / Maturin novels, it is certainly far too enlightened for 1814, but I cant say I really mind.
Then theres Shakespeare who, while always maintaining an undercurrent of sexism, reserves his most memorable hate speech for characters that one is not meant to sympathize with. At least, not entirely. When Hamlet goes off on his tirade at Ophelia, for example, it really says much more about Hamlet than about Shakespeare*. Its a big scene, full of passion and hatred, and (probably) madness.
These Gene Wolf novels, however, arent "about" misogyny or sexism at all, that stuff is incidental. Gene Wolf, who probably professes to love women (as in "some of my best friends are ") fills his novels with a passive kind of hate. This wasnt so bad in the first book because one of its manifestations was that no woman could possibly be important to the story, and so almost all of the characters were male. In the second book, however, female characters become more common, but still exist to be desired, to be screwed, to be capricious and petty, &c. &c. They are punished for being weak (the idea that they might be strong doesnt even occur), for not being beautiful, for being beautiful, and for wanting to be beautiful. I wont go into too many details because I think its sick.
What is interesting, however, is that without analysis, Im sure this book seems quite tame. For example, one women is magically transformed into a "beauty", but her new body is only suited for sexeven walking is difficult for her. Compared to American Psychos flayings and mutilations (and long paragraphs that I skimmed and then repressed) equating "beauty" with over-done sexual fantasy in that way doesnt seem so bad, really. And yet, American Psycho was written by someone who was clearly very angry. The violence and misogyny are absolutely central to that text, and evoke extreme feelings of revulsion in the reader. Wolfs book, on the other hand, presents it all as just another part of the story, or not even a part of the story, but a part of the landscape. A female character getting beaten with a cane, or the male character casually hitting his lover (but "only with the flat of his hand") are no more important to the plot of the book than a description of a strangely curved tree, or the fact that another character wears a wide-brimmed hat.
Anyway, its sad and casual and deeply sickening, and a great pity because apart from that, its a fine couple of novels. Not, as I say, Virconium, but also much more accessible than they are.
While were on the subject of misogyny, I thought Id run my new political campaign by you. I passed a newspaper this morning that said, in perfectly neutral language, "States set stage for bans on abortion", which made me mad. Theres a chance that the anti-abortion movement is largely racist (having too many children that cannot be supported is a good way to keep minorities in their place) but it also seems to be part of a movement to restore "chattel" status to women.
Do people really believe that its all about "the culture of life"? Surely not, thats too ridiculous. What would they do if there was a more far-reaching campaign, though? If anti-abortion is one of the first steps, how would they react to one of the later steps? How would people react to a nation-wide "Take Back the Vote" campaign?
For millennia, everyone has agreed on the meaning of democracy. Since its very birth in Athens no one has questioned that "voting" is, by definition, "male citizens electing leaders". And yet, a short time ago (compared to the long, long history of this noble institution) a group of un-American radicals and activist judges tricked the public, and overturned thousands of years of tradition with their liberal interpretations of the law. But its not too late to reverse this travesty!
Now is the time to repeal womens sufferage! Just look where its gotten us--since women have been allowed to run the country there have been two world wars, a Nazi holocaust, and the Enron debacle. American leaders who have been elected by women (in part) have lied, cheated, and illegally invaded foreign countries. Sweden, another woman-run "democracy" has practically become Communist! Here in America, freedom of religion is a key value, and yet the Bible, the Talmud and the Koran all have clear positions about womens role in government which these radicals refuse to acknowledge. Its time to stop the madness, and Take Back the Vote!
*And Ophelias character throughout probably says more about the Elizabethans than about Shakespeare, as well. As usual, I find it surprisingly difficult to tell how that author himself feels about women, or Jews and Moors, for that matter.


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Art in the form of a party is the art of the experience itself.
SSNS sessions \ˈse-shən\ is its curatorial exploration.
Thursday September 26, 2013 Natology and the Standard Hotel, Downtown LA present the inaugural event for SSNS 001 | COSMIC SESSION. Designed to celebrate the art of experience, SSNS is art in the form of a party where the inner club-kid collides with new technology invoking a focused progression through visual and sonic stimulation.
SSNS 001 | COSMIC SESSION is a multi-sensory soiree against the audio backdrop of essential disco and new disco carefully matched with award wining visual artists. Alongside internationally exhibited Francesco LoCastro, Lindsay Scoggins, and Carolyn Geys, Dan Terndrup (Cosmic Kids) will DJ a curated set with visual direction by Scoggins. Hosted by local drag celebrity and art/events curator Phyllis Navidad, pop-up creative invitationalists Citizens of Culture, and arts/events marketing company Creative Hustle, SSNS will bring together a new art scene developing in the heart of Los Angeles. SSNS will kick off the night with complimentary cocktails & hors d'oeuvres from 9:30pm-10:30pm, featuring a signature cocktail by flavor alchemist Suppin'good, bringing the audio-visual experience to your tastebuds. Integrating an element of fashion, SSNS artists will be styled in the work of DTLA designers Babylon Cartel & Dechel McKillian. Artisan cocktails provided by Tito's Handmade Vodka & interactive light installation by Philips Hue. RSVP required for entry / text "SSNS" to 213.293.1377 or visit SSNSLA.com
photographs by Mariella Orellana


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Good morning, I hope everyone is well and enjoying the new week. We have a new challenge for you at Bearly Mine Designs and this week it's an easy one for you - Digi Days.
I've used Donna's latest Steampunk papers - Steampunk Fantasy 2.
I have used the gorgeous Saturated Canary image 'Sweater Socks' Fairy' and coloured her with ProMarkers along with some Stickles on her wings. Everything has been layered onto Kraft card stock and the edges distressed and inked. I coloured some seam binding for my bow and punched some flowers from the Steampunk papers and leaves from the Kraft card stock, the punched flowers have been topped with some blue flowers from my stash.
$15 Gift Certificate
Quixotic Paperie
£10 Gift Voucher
our very own Bearly Mine Designs
£10 Gift Voucher
Saturated Canary Challenge 50 - Winged Things
Addicted to Stamps Challenge 62 - Shabby/Vintage
Digi Sketch Challenge - Vintage
Card Mania Challenge 28 - Ribbon
QKR Stampede Challenge 53 - Anything Goes
Patties Creations Challenge 74 - Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations Monthly Challenge - Wings and Things and a Touch of Vintage
Creative Creations Challenge 17 - Bingo (Flowers, Image, Distressing and Ribbon, Distressing, Kraft)
Thank you for visiting today, please pop in again soon.


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Chatting Up
When you ask Gloria Rudd about what she's looking forward to in October, there is no doubt when she says, "The CHAT Series, of course!" That's because Rudd, who serves as vice president of the CHAT Series, worked to line up the first speakers for the three live events, which will each focus on Women's Empowerment.
Those speakers are Amy Poehler on Oct. 13, Liz Murray on Oct. 20 and Geena Davis on Nov. 9.
"This will be a very unique program," Rudd said. "It provides a way to give back to the community as we are reserving seats for women from various local agencies to come and participate." Rudd is working with the brand experiences agency Bishop McCann, which provided the initiative to hold the CHAT Series in Kansas City.
"Amy is a huge star, but many people don't know that she is a great advocate for women's and children's empowerment and equality around the world," Rudd said. "Liz was homeless, her parents were drug addicts and yet she's started a company to help people transform their lives. And Geena is a tireless advocate for women and girls" and is the founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media, to increase the number of roles for women and to reduce gender stereotyping.
Tickets for the three CHAT Series programs, all scheduled at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, are available at chatseries.com.


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Lemieux Plans to Skip Islanders Game
Mario Lemieux plans to skip Thursday night's game against the New York Islanders, the second of back-to-back games for the Pittsburgh Penguins and one of four in six days.
Lemieux played Monday in his fifth game since returning from a hip injury, and doesn't want to jeopardize his health by playing on consecutive nights. He was out nearly two months before returning Jan. 12.
"I would probably shy away from that right now," Lemieux said.
The Penguins also play at home Wednesday against Tampa Bay, and Saturday afternoon against Atlanta.
Before the season began, Lemieux said he would skip some back-to-back games to rest his oft-troublesome back.
He had frequent bouts with back pain before retiring in 1997, but has been relatively pain-free since resuming his career in December 2000.


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