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Quiz Night
Quiz Night at The Holly Hill
Wednesday night is Quiz Night at the Holly Hill inn. Why not get together with friends and enter the weekly quiz night and win cash prizes.
Our quiz nights run every Wednesday at 7.30pm. Teams compete against each other to win a nightly cash prize of £50 with the winning team going on to answer a £25 bonus cash prize question. If not won on the night this rolls over to the next week. Additionally there is a cash raffle prize with 50% of the proceeds going to a local charity.
Last Week's Bonus Question was not won which means this week's (13/01/16) bonus question is worth £50
Entry is only £5 per team with a maximum of 5 per team.
Strict rules apply to mobile phones and leaving the table during rounds.
Nibbles provided.
Come along and have a laugh with friends every Wednesday.


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Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children has been gathering admirers ever since it was published in 1981, with its demonstration of its own assertion that "to understand just one life, you have to swallow the world".
One of the latest to fall under its spell is NickVirk , who pointed to the quote in his review as embodying: "[A] philosophy [that] encapsulates the complexity of human life … Rushdie, like his protagonist Saleem, has swallowed the world whole and thus he is able to give the readers of Midnight's Children a breathtaking experience in this novel of magical realism."
NickVirk found the allegory powerful and the prose hypnotic, concluding:
Each page, full of mesmerising metaphors, is evocative, feeding the soul with its thoughts on life, death and everything in between … Midnight's Children has firmly cemented its place on the top shelf of my bookshelf – a humble honour reserved for those novels which have had an irrevocable impact on me.
Meanwhile, RedBirdFlies explores Kate Atkinson's novel Life After Life, which deals with themes of mortality and asks which aspects of our lives we would alter if we had the chance. Its central character, Ursula, repeatedly dies and is reborn. RedBirdFlies writes:
This is not a typical tale of transformation of a protagonist. While we recognise Ursula's character in the many lives she lives, the story shows just how different our lives could become ... It is clear that Kate Atkinson refuses to be bound by genre, labels or form, preferring freedom in her approach, she resists categorisation which makes her an exciting and unpredictable writer
comicrelief agrees that the book has many levels, arguing that "its philosophical message is never pompous, but subtle."
And finally, Dylanwolf offers a brisk perspective on Cees Nooteboom's Lost Paradise – "a slender but haunting novel that swoops from Sao Paulo to Australia to the Alps".
"Complex, intellectual, modernist," it is another novel with a strong metaphorical life. The title, writes Dylanwolf: "is a reversal of Milton, and what is being attempted is perhaps a contemporary meditation on ourselves and our relation to the world, an exploration of the 'riddle of what other people represent'."
And that's all for this week. As ever, if you are interested in posting your very own review, just find the book of your choice and click on the button marked "Post your review". And if we've mentioned your review here, get in touch at firstname.lastname@example.com, and we'll send you something from our cupboard that you might just enjoy.

subset: commoncrawl


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Love Ride Gives The Forgotten A Valentines Day To RememberApril 22nd, 2017 by Andrzej
Four years ago, three friends decided to do something practical for love on Valentines Day by launching the Love Ride to support the homeless of Venice Beach. So on February 14th 2013 they gathered some more friends and rode bicycles together along Venice Boardwalk giving out care packages of toiletries and clothes to the homeless.
The three friends, Anael Bonsorte, Liz Devin and Bertie Sepulveda started Savage Hearts as an umbrella organization under which they run Love Ride. Savage Hearts is also home to Wench Toast, Clean Carriage Soap Co and the amazing Butt Patrol which raises awareness of the serious environmental impact each cigarette butt makes - they give out informational pocket ashtrays to try combat the fact that 30% of all trash are cigarette butts and one butt pollutes 10 liters of water). Information on all of these extremely cool initiatives can be found on their website.
Among the Love Ride's partners is Conscious Period, which offers deals in which consumers can buy tampons for homeless women. The Love Ride Care packages feature survival gear such as water, snacks, blankets, sunscreen, lip balm, toothpaste, soap, hand sanitizer, underwear, socks and feminine hygiene products. "I have seen what a difference we can make in another person's life by simply being kind and listening," Love Ride founder Liz Devin says. "Love Ride gives us a chance to take the time to acknowledge the brothers and sisters that are in different places in life than we may be, but we are all still connected."
Volunteers dress in pink and pin red hearts to their clothing. "My dream come true will be when people are celebrating Valentine's Day with Love Rides all over the world," Devin says. "We are all about sharing love, smiles, kindness and hugs."
Love Ride has become an annual event in Venice Beach and this year it also expanded to San Francisco and Miami. If you are interested in hosting it next year in your city or getting involved with one of the existing Love Rides, get in touch with Liz Devin via firstname.lastname@example.com and let her know you want to get involved. And please spread the word by sharing this via the social media buttons after the last picture.
And as I shot the Love Ride in 2016 but didn't post the pictures, I thought I'd post them up here as well...


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MasterCard Secure Code is an extra security step prompting you for a secret code when making online deposits. This step enables your bank to verify every deposit made and prevents unauthorised use of your card.
It is a two-step process which gives you peace of mind when making online transactions.
If your bank is participating in the 3DS (3D Secure) security service, then you will be prompted to enrol when making your deposit. If you've not already enrolled simply follow the on screen instructions provided by your bank.


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Pension Funds
Canadian plans prepare to increase risk assets
More infrastructure, real estate investment to come with new rules
Canadian pension plan executives are starting 2018 expecting to invest more in alternative investments, specifically infrastructure and real estate, as the easing of funding rules in Ontario gives plans more opportunity to take on risk, sources said.
"This funding rule change is a game-changer," said Manuel Monteiro, partner and head of the financial strategy group at Mercer (Canada), Toronto. "It could change plan design, change investment strategies and should impact funding strategies."
The Ontario Legislature last year approved the law that will eliminate the requirement that defined benefit plans base their funding on the basis of both solvency, or immediate termination basis, and going concern, or ongoing operations. Instead, plans that are more than 85% funded will be allowed to calculate annual funding on a going-concern basis alone.
The Ontario Finance Ministry is expected to implement the new rules sometime this year, once a comment period on regulations closes at the end of January.
Ontario's move comes after Quebec in 2016 dropped the solvency funding requirement for all DB plans based in that province. Other provinces maintain both funding requirements, although some have smoothed contributions over longer time horizons. But Mr. Monteiro said he expects all other Canadian provinces to follow suit eventually. (Most pension plans in Canada are governed by provincial rules.)
More popular
The change will make higher-yielding investments like alternatives more popular among Canadian institutional investors as more money will be freed up for riskier investments with the potential for higher return, sources said.
"Any alternatives, infrastructure particularly," said Ian Struthers, partner and practice lead, Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting, Toronto. "We expect growth in those asset classes to continue, particularly among the large pension plans. It's easy for plans the size of Canada Pension Plan to do; they have long time horizons and huge asset inflows. But for small to midsize plans, they can take on more exposure to alternatives through diversified investments with external managers. But there's a lot of money looking for infrastructure and for real estate. There will be more interest in less vanilla kind of investments to add value, like brownfield projects."
Martin Leclair, portfolio manager at Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management, Toronto, said the move to those strategies already is happening. "What we're seeing from the solvency rule changes is a lot of rerisking. That's already happening. It's more about yield than about risk. So fundamentally, yes, there will be a lot of rerisking."
For example, Mr. Leclair said he's seen interest among pension fund investors in strategies that incorporate infrastructure, real estate and private debt, as ways to provide "big yields with a small allocation" despite the three- to five-year lockup. He also said sponsors have shown interest in unconstrained equity, core-plus fixed income and highly concentrated global equity strategies, as well as more long/short and market-neutral investments.
"2018 will not be the year of one strategy, it will be the year of being creative," Mr. Leclair said. "Traditional bond and equity strategies will not get you there. You have to find alpha. These strategies are out there … I think you'll see departures from traditional benchmark-oriented strategies, away from being a 'closet indexer.'" PH&N Investment Management has C$90 billion in institutional assets under management, according to its website.
Beyond the largest plans
Canadian money managers are responding by going beyond the country's largest plans like the C$328.2 billion ($257.6 billion) Canada Pension Plan, Ottawa, and the C$286.5 billion Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, Montreal, which manages Quebec's provincial public pension assets.
"More managers are working to develop ways to invest in alternatives for small- and midsize plans through partnerships and co-investments," said Scott McEvoy, Toronto-based partner at the law firm of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, whose clients include institutional money managers. "One of the things that will come from this is how to provide governance around these co-investments. I think that's an exciting prospect."
Mercer's Mr. Monteiro said that the funding rule changes in Ontario and Quebec provide "a disincentive" to be in liability-driven investment strategies, which has been a growth industry for Canadian insurers and money managers in recent years. "More plan sponsors will decide to hang on to their plans, and that means they'll have incentive to increase investment in things like infrastructure and real estate. I also think they'll increase their equity investments as well to take on more risk. You may see some rerisking among plans, but I think it will be less derisking."
Borden Ladner's Mr. McEvoy also said the Canada Infrastructure Bank, created to invest in a revamp of the country's infrastructure, could provide opportunity for institutions of all sizes to invest in 2018.
"They've now got a governing board in place; that should make it available to institutional investors, and not only the large ones," said Mr. McEvoy. "That's part of the bank's mandate, to seek investments from a variety of institutions."
Aon Hewitt's Mr. Struthers said 2018 should also see the continuation of consolidation of provincial pension asset management under entities such as the Investment Management Corp. of Ontario, which began in 2017 with the goal of managing the assets of smaller public plans in the province.
Consolidating already
Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec already consolidate money management under individual provincial entities like the C$95.7 billion Alberta Investment Management Corp., the C$135.5 billion British Columbia Investment Management Corp., and Quebec's Caisse.
"Then there's CAAT (the C$9.4 billion Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan, Toronto), which is actively seeking to merge with other plans," said Mr. Struthers. "I think you'll see management consolidation continue, and multiemployer plans become more acquisitive in 2018." On Jan. 4, CAAT announced it was merging with the C$32 million Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa Pension Plan.
Also looming large over Canadian plan executives is the impending start of the enhancement of both the Canada Pension Plan and the C$62.2 billion Quebec Pension Plan, Quebec City. Scheduled to begin in January 2019, employer and employee contributions to both plans will gradually increase by up to 1 percentage point each by 2025 — to a combined 10.9% for the CPP and 11.9% for the QPP — and benefits will be raised to one-third of pensionable earnings from 25%.
"The legislation for this was in late 2016, and given how far off the start was from then, a lot of employers have left the legwork on how to do this until this year," said Jonathan Marin, senior associate, pensions and benefits, at the law firm of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Toronto. "It kind of was pushed down the road, but this begins next year, so employers will need to get up to speed on it this year."
Mr. Marin said Canadian employers "first will need to evaluate their plan design in relation to what CPP enhancement will provide their workers. They'll also need to consider whether their plan design needs to be changed to take CPP enhancement costs into account. They'll also need to update member education on CPP and employer plan integration and update their payroll and administrative processes. This will take a lot of work and, even though the 2019 date begins the phase-in, many of these will need to be done before it starts."


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Happy Valentine's Day! It's been a long time since I've posted. We moved to a new house in the fall, and we are currently expecting our third child. For these reasons, plus with Honey Pot in first grade full-time and Little M&M going to preschool 3-days per week, we have let our activities slow down. Sure, we have done occasional crafts and learning together; however, I really feel it's time to resume weekly and intentional projects.
It is my goal to establish a fun routine in these next three months, so that when Sweet E arrives, the big kids and I can continue enjoying this focused time together. Here is where the Creative Table comes into play. A creative table is a space where I could leave out specific items as an invitation to create, to explore, or to play. I will offer guidance but the kids will have free reign to use the items in whichever way their imaginations lead them (excluding certain STEM projects, which often require parent involvement). The idea for this comes from Tinker Lab, and it seems like the perfect way for us to get back into our groove!
The dining room table will be our creative table, and a few days per week I will leave out an invitation to spark their imaginations and engage them. Here is what we did our first week, with a Valentine's Day theme:
MONDAY INVITATION - DRAWING or WRITING PROMPT
We are starting simple! I printed off a couple of Valentine's Day bookmarks onto cardstock from here, and provided the kids with my gel pens to color them in with. As they completed their bookmarks, I punched a hole into the tops, and tied some yarn through them. Both Honey Pot and Little M&M are super excited to begin their newest chapter books tonight (The Nevergirls 3 and The Magic Tree House 5 respectively), so this was a perfect activity to accompany their anticipation!
WEDNESDAY INVITATION - ART or CRAFT
Today's invitation: yarn hearts, two ways. I made an example of each in the morning for them. For the first, I cut strands of various colors of yarn, and glued them in a heart shape onto cardboard. For the other, I simply wrapped a cardboard heart with yarn. When the kids came home from school, they were excited to happen upon this setup!
First they made a heart with glue.
Then they covered it with a piece of yarn.
And finally, they filled the middle with glue, and pressed pieces of yarn into it. They loved choosing their own colors and cutting the pieces out.
Next they chose a ball of yarn to wrap their hearts with. Both chose this purple/white/blue multicolored one, so they had to take turns!
Here are the finished creations. They even each glued their wrapped heart onto their glue heart, and were very proud of their creations. It was a sweet craft!
FRIDAY INVITATION - SENSORY or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Today I made up a double batch of homemade playdoh. This has been a favorite activity for the kids, but it has been a while since we've done it! Today on our creative table, I set out a light and dark pink ball of playdoh along with assorted pink and red loose parts, cutters and tools. Then I let the kids play with them however they wished.
First Little M&M started cutting up some straws. He loves using scissors, and has gotten quite good at it. Then he formed his ball of playdoh into a cup and made himself a nice drink!
Then he did something really interesting! He grabbed the lid from the tupperware meant for storing the playdoh, and used it as a cookie sheet! Then he made and decorated some "cookies" and put them in an "oven" to bake. What an imagination!
Honey Pot grabbed the silicone cupcake liner and started decorating a cupcake! She used scissors not just on the straws, but also to shave off very fine fluffs from the sides of the chenille stems! Then she sliced the cupcake up for all of us to taste.
The little pink and red hearts (which I found at the Dollar Tree) were squished into all different shapes of playdoh.
I arranged Friday as our sensory day so that the kids could return to it multiple times throughout the weekend if they wanted. So here they are again, still in their pajamas, for more imaginative fun. As usual, Honey Pot created clever stories with the playdoh she was manipulating!
And Little M&M made a volcano! He's been so interested in the story of Pompeii recently.
The play continued for a while, until both pinks were mixed up together into one.
WEEKEND - Additional Holiday Activities
The weekend is a great time for us to do a real hands-on activity. So today we extended our Valentine's Day theme, by completing the classic growing crystal experiment. It had been a long time since we'd done it! First we shaped chenille stems into hearts, and attached them to a ruler with string.
Then we brought water to a boil, and added 2.5 cups of Borax to it in a glass bowl.
We stirred it up carefully.
And placed our ruler atop the bowl to sit overnight.
We checked on it before going to bed that night, and were happy to see some crystals beginning to form around the bowl! (My Borax is several years old, only being used for growing crystals or making slime, so I wasn't sure it would still work!)
The next morning I pulled each of the hearts out of the bowl, and briefly laid them on a paper towel to dry. Once they were dry, I hung them up. They were just beautiful!
If you enjoyed this, take a look at our previous Valentine's Day themes!


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Today I am going to do things a little differently, so I am starting the party early. I think it is time to have a SUMMER CLOCHE PARTY.!!! We havn't had a party to show off our cloches and how we decorate them since the spring, so we need to fluff them up and show them off.
Instead of TTT, let's have our Summer Cloche Party on 7/24. That gives everyone time to dust them off if you aren't using them right now and put something together to join the party. I can't wait to see them.
If you missed any of the posts from the Spring Party you can click here to see them all. I am always amazed at how creative you all are and remember, this doesn't have to be a glass domed cloche. Apothecary Jars, Mason Jars, Terrariums, Bird Cages, Hurricanes, Chicken Wire Cloches, Cheese/Cake Domes and any and everything that you can dream up to decorate under is fair game. That's what makes it so interesting. You guys are all so clever.
Here are a couple that I showed you this spring. This is my favorite one on the kitchen counter. Love the cows and the old farmer. Just fits my style.
This is my very first cloche, a present from my son, so it is so precious and special to me. I always have it on the counter filled with something. Love, love, love it. No big deal, just a silver sugar bowl with a faux plant, but everything looks special under a cloche.
I just showed you my cake dome that I have on the table. So fun filled with fruit and cheese.
Now I know you guys will delight us all with your fabulous ingenuity and creativity, so plan on joining the party and get those cloches all fluffed and let's party. Remember - -
Grab my button and spread the word. Can't wait to see you all at the party.


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What makes children's folklore have real sticking power is a fine blend of whimsy and an unexpected darkness. "Jack and the Beanstalk," for example, features beans that grow a humongous beanstalk into the sky where a hidden floating castle awaits (whimsy) only to find that a giant lives there, one who wants to grind human bones into his bread (darkness). Or "Hansel and Gretel" where a brother and sister stumble across a house made of sweets (whimsy), but unfortunately for them a witch who wants to cook and eat them lives there (darkness). It's the darkness that makes the story stick, far more than one about boys and girls made of sacks.
That is where Puppeteer, a 2D platformer from Sony Japan, excels. It is masterfully crammed full of whimsy: you play as a boy named Kutaro who must fight back against the Moon Bear King; the entire game is framed as a theatrical play where sets quickly and almost violently shift as you reach the end of the scene; and nearly every character is acted with such extreme melodrama that it's hard not to just smile at the voices. It is also, however, tinged with darkness: the Moon Bear King is taking the souls of children and trapping them into puppets; Kutaro is one such child until he gets his head bitten off; and many of the 12 generals you fight are rather…unsavory.
As you can tell, there is a lot of stuff going on in the game. None of it is very deep, but there is enough variety to always keep you smiling like a kid listening to his favorite story. Kutaro's head, for instance, isn't much of a problem. It reveals that he is the only one who can stop the Moon Bear King (who isn't a Moon Bear made into a King, but rather a Bear calling himself a King after stealing the Moon Goddess' Moonstone and mystically inclined pair of scissors called Calibrus) and wield the snippers. So he just gathers up three replacement heads at a time and sets off to fix the order of the universe.
The three heads add a lot in the way of whimsy. Each one is different and pops off whenever you get hit or damaged, forcing you to either catch it as it rolls away (kind of dark, don't you think?) or put on a new one, though if you run out of heads, you lose a life and start over at a checkpoint. Each head has a special action, but they really only matter in very particular locations where you can unlock bonus levels or items. On the rare occasion, they will come into play during boss battles where they will change how you approach your combat strategy, something I would have liked to have seen more of throughout the entire game.
The scissors, though, carry quite the load in terms of mechanics and milieu. Everything in the game's stage production is presented as a prop-heavy play, so a giant pair of scissors is actually quite the powerful tool. With it, Kutaro can defeat enemies (which he can follow up on by walking over and freeing the trapped soul contained within) and chop through any paper-like material. As clouds and leaves and flags go by, you can jump up and start cutting by hitting the square button in rhythm. This will help you propel yourself along in the air where you can remain aloft as long as there are things to cut and you are cutting them.
This adds a very nice wrinkle to the otherwise overly simplistic proceedings. While the base level of jumping between things is sufficiently engaging, the scissors make it so you now have a considerable manipulation over the timing of faraway platforms and moving obstacles. And then you introduce the zip-line (snip-line?) sequences and the mesh-cutting and so on, well it's easy to see where the do-it-all attitude comes in.
Pikarina is another facet that adds another layer to the 2D platformer foundation. You control her, a spritely fairy, with the right stick and activate her against the background with R2. She can reveal treasure and pop out extra heads and general do things for Kutaro when he can't. She sometimes requires an annoying precision in her placement to get these things to happen, but I was usually mashing and moving the button and stick too much to notice or care. What is unequivocally bothersome, though, is the character herself.
The rest of the world is rife with overacting and sincerity. You won't find a single person who doesn't carry on with the vaudevillian bravado consistent with this otherworldly stage and the genuine belief in every word they say…except for Pikarina. As your sidekick and guide, you hear her talk a lot, but she delivers every line as more of a valley girl and with the acerbic cynicism that usually comes attached. She undermines a lot of the gleeful nonsense that spouts out of the game and it's kind of a buzzkill. (She's also the only character who pronounces it as koo-tar-oh instead of koot-uh-roh.)
But that doesn't matter because there's such so much of that joyous, carefree randomness in Puppeteer that you don't really mind. The commitment to the theatrical presentation is absurd and lovely and altogether unbelievable, especially when it looks so good doing it. If you had shown me Puppeteer and told me it was a PlayStation 4 launch title, I would have believed you. There is an overwhelming amount of variety and charm to the artistic design that it's hard to wrap your mind around it all.
The way the sets haphazardly swap as you finish scenes really makes you feel like the stagehands backstage are actually moving the pieces and props around, and when the audience oohs and ahhs with big, overacted monologues or battle sequences, you feel like you're watching this fantastically fantastical performance as much as you are informing it. And as you linger about in the game or in the menus, the audience and the narrator will let you know. You can see the proscenium, you can see the light rigging, and you can see all of painterly details on the props and sets; it's impossible to not fall in love with this overwrought and whimsical production.
The music, the art design, and the sheer variety in the things you'll do (and see and hear) are all simply exemplary. As much as I enjoyed actually playing the game—moving the sticks and pushing buttons—seeing the delightfully silly story unfold in such a wholly genuine presentation is the true joy of Puppeteer. The whimsy and the underlying darkness are irrepressibly impressive and lovable when taken hand in hand, and Puppeteer is something truly to be taken whole cloth.
Just don't let those scissors near it.
+ Absolute commitment to the theater conceit
+ Gorgeous world and unbelievable art direction and design
+ Voice (over)acting is phenomenal
+ The sheer variety makes the simplistic base platformer engaging again
– Pikarina doesn't fit with the rest of the puppet world
Final Score: 9 out of 10
Game Review: Puppeteer
Release: September 10, 2013
Genre: 2D platformer
Developer: SCE Japan Studio
Available Platforms: PlayStation 3
Players: singleplayer offline, multiplayer online
Website: http://us.playstation.com/games/puppeteer-ps3.html


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Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Party out
Grateful thanks to the splendid Mick Hartley who has posted this so that I could pinch it:
Tuesday is hereby proclaimed to be Sunday, Wanda Jackson day.
The Palace at Gödöllő looks like this:
It has powerful connections with both Hungarian independence and the establishment of the Dual Monarchy, through Count Andrássy and then the wife of Franz Joseph, Elizabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Hungary, reputedly the most beautiful woman of her time, later assassinated, at the age of sixty-one, in 1898. She was reputedly good and kind and learned Hungarian well before she needed to, and as a result the Hungarians love her.
Yes, but... It's the usual yes, but.. in one way complex, in another way very simple. Take the simple one first.
The sheer extent, opulence, extravagance of the palace is nauseating, especially when you have just seen photographs of the 30s Depression at the Crisis exhibition I talked about two posts ago. It is hard to hold the images together. Half of me says: Burn the thing down! Écrasez l'infâme!. The other half say: Hold it. Wouldn't it be better to leave it as it as, but include a mass of notices saying: Here died the footman, Albert X, or: Here slaved the laundress, Maria Y. Record the existence of all those unrecorded in the grand annals, not depicted in the oil paintings. Let them be present and let that be the rebuke. Not so much of those who are noted and celebrated here, but to the world that produced them. Who cleaned the privy? Who died falling off the scaffolding?
The more complex Yes, but... refers to the other argument, which is to do with the beautiful things of the world. The beautiful things of the world, it says, require wealth and leisure to commission, produce and display. That much admired altarpiece for the private chapel, that ravishing tapestry above the bed, the great classical orders in the portico, the frescoes, the furniture, and that whole range of artefacts from delicate frippery to towering masterpiece. Would we have had them or - let's raise the stakes - the Sistine Chapel ceiling if there were no Sistine Chapel, no Rome money? It is hard to deconstruct Michelangelo's Last Judgment purely as the ideological product of a ruling elite. One might be missing something. What of the great cathedrals? And so on down the Kenneth Clark Civilisation line so fiercely opposed by John Berger.
I don't know the answer to that one, except that that was then. Let's try do things another way now, not just for show, not for the sake of Popular Art. Not Cool Britannia Art. Not Big Business Art (nor Big Ideology Art). It shouldn't be impossible. It should be in the nerves somewhere. And truth to tell, much of the art in the palace at Gödöllő is hideous trash.
2 comments:
- James said...
I rewatch "Civilisation" when I'm feeling low and cynical and need cheering up: it's that faint smile showing Clark's British teeth, there as though you're meant to understand that he doesn't mean a word of it or that he's about to start laughing. Except for the bits where he bangs on about Germans, of course.
Done properly, I think your commemoration of a great house's working population IS the way to go: admire the beauty (basically) and make sure its attribution is rightfully distributed. But it has to be done in the right way. K and I followed a pair of teachers around the V&A recently. They were rehearsing themselves out loud for a forthcoming school visit. As we went around the British Galleries, they put everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) down to British "arrogance" and "exploitation" - and nothing and nobody else. Each exhibit had either been stolen or was an expression of national hubris. Even Morris's handwoven cloth! Even the statue of Bashaw, the Newfoundland dog! And so on in the same dispiriting fashion. The poor kids. I hope they had the sense to ignore all of this and just enjoy themselves.
Kelvingrove Museum up here has more or less pulled it off, mind you..
- 26 August 2009 at 09:23
- George S said...
Well, yes, post-colonial guilt with belt AND braces. A pretty repulsive phenomenon. Little do the teachers realise that they are inadvertently training the next generation of fierce patriots.
These people are idiots. You could go around any European or American gallery and say the same. And I imagine you could go around the colonised countries and find they weren't all noble savages (or nowadays we would have to say savants) either but had ransacked each other's territories to grab this or that. Europe happened to be better at it. And they had the complex religious equipment to do it. They were saving souls as well as making money. It wasn't so much hypocrisy as a kind of alternating belief system.
It is not so much guilt, which is I think most of the time a fairly useless emotion, as consciousness that is worth fighting for. The vast wealth of the palace and the endless poverty of the unemployed or very cheaply employed makes an unmissable contrast. I understand the Kenneth Clark line - it is in favour of a world of enlightened eloi. That's better than a world of unenlightened anything.
But I would like it to be clear that these palaces do not spring up entirely from the fairy touch of enlightened and well-intentioned grandees; that palaces,in effect, are not the best that can be done.
- 26 August 2009 at 09:40


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I love swim suits.
LOVE them.
I normally get them from Victoria's Secret. *Secretly* hoping they will make me look like their models.
I get their emails. I drool every time I see something from them flash across their screen. (I also have to admit that I struggle with getting 'appropriate' suits for my age as well as what I am comfortable wearing around actual real people…what I wear in my backyard when I lay out with my immediate family is an entirely different set of requirements…)
This morning I saw this.
Well, GUESS WHAT?!?
This year I ordered 4 suits from them. The suit featured above is one of them.
Ya. BUT! Mine didn't come with the jewels… or the awkward pose (seriously awkward, TRY IT, I dare ya!). Or the perfect little body to go with it. Or the long flowing blonde locks… Or the clearance price… Or the…..
False Advertising.
And then we went to the beach over the 4th of July weekend. As usual, I was frolicking around in the sand. Hubs grabbed the camera! I am not daring enough to post pics that show toooooo much…..but this pic turned out pretty awesome IMHO. ;o)
*contemplating really posting the following picture*
Well there.
Take that you perfect little Victoria's Secret models.


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CPAN Ratings: WWW-Indeed reviews http://cpanratings.perl.org/dist/WWW-Indeed CPAN Ratings: WWW-Indeed reviews en-us 2000-08-23T07:00+00:00 email@example.com email@example.com Perl 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 1 daily Adam Taylor http://cpanratings.perl.org/dist/WWW-Indeed#8522
Rating: 4 stars

Simple, easy to install and use, and with decent documentation. The only drawback is the inconsistent value for unknown/undefined values.

Sometimes unknown values are undef/empty string, whereas sometimes, an unknown value is returned as an empty hash. This makes it slightly more fiddly than necessary to use. It would be easier if they were all undef.

Might be nice to document what is returned, though, admittedly, a quick Dumper is not too much trouble.
 Adam Taylor 2011-05-02T13:02:48


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Does your vacuum cleaner still run but leaves dust and dirt on the floor? Then you may be able to fix it yourself. The problem should be either the drive belt, or some obstruction. If the brush slips or won't turn when the motor is on, the belt is worn or broken and must be replaced. Now put your hand over the vacuum hose end and turn on the cleaner- is the suction feeble? Most likely some part inside your vacuum cleaner is blocked.
- Unplug your vacuum cleaner and flip it over so you can see the agitator brush. Using a screwdriver, unscrew the brush cover plate. You should now be able to remove the brush by lifting its ends from the retaining slots. The drive belt should be threaded around the brush at one end and around the drive shaft at the other end, unless it is broken. Just slip the belt off of each end to remove it. Take the belt, along with vacuum cleaner make and model name, to a hardware store or vacuum cleaner shop and ask for a replacement belt.
- Before you install your brand new drive belt, have a look at the brush and make sure there are not any hairs, threads or strings wrapped around it, since they can stop the brush from doing its job. Cut them away with a knife or scissors carefully if there are any.
- Replace the belt with the new one by slipping one end on the brush and the other end on the motor drive shaft like you remember it was before. Install the agitator brush. You might need to stretch the new belt out a little so the roller ends fit into the slots again Do not forget to replace the cover plate you removed at the start.
- Have look at the machines hose, the extension tubes, and cleaning ends to see if you can find the blockage. Debris and dust usually build-up at the connections from one to the other part. And also where the hose connects to the main body. Clean the parts and remove any foreign objects or obstructions. Get a long pole like a broomstick and push a paper towel through the hose. Put the parts back together and try running the vacuum again, putting your hand over the hose end.
- Always empty the vacuum cleaner when the canister or bag gets to be about three-quarters full, or dirt and debris can impede suction.


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PDF Report (1.2Mb)
View other formats
Mental health services in Australia 2006-07 is the eleventh in the series of AIHW's comprehensive annual reports on the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services, and the availability of mental health resources. Details from a wide range of data sources for the 2006-07 period, and where available 2007-08, are presented, as are changes over time. Expenditure on state and territory mental health services increased by an annual average of 5.6% (adjusted for inflation) between 2002-03 and 2006-07, to $3,040 million. In 2007-08 there were 20 million mental health-related prescriptions subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (and for veterans), accounting for just over one in ten of all prescription claims, costing over $700 million.
We'd love to know any feedback that you have about the AIHW website, its contents or reports.
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So, it's been a while.
Let's just say I have been on survival mode for the past month or so. Stephen has been gone for 6 weeks. I only have 28 more days until I can see him!!!!! Excited much? I can't wait to see my incredible husband again.
You know what, this month has been tough. Really, super, horribly tough. And I have learned so much about myself. I have learned how to push through sleepless nights and have productive days. I have learned that love knows no boundaries and can stretch over miles and miles. And, I have learned that I can, in fact, be consistent.
You see, I have this awesome workout partner. She comes over EVERY night and we do P90X! Together, we are conquering the world and rediscovering that super hot chick with the six-pack. Last week, we didn't miss a day. Not one day. As a result, we got to go and see the new Three Musketeers (which was pretty awesome. I enjoyed it thoroughly). So.. yay! Yay for working out and feeling good about myself!
You know something? When you are getting ready to get married, everyone is always telling you how hard marriage is, but how wroth it everything is in the end. I can't tell you how many people would say, "Oh, marriage is a lot of work. But if you pull through it is all worth it."
I have something to say to those people: You. Lied!
Ok, maybe not "lied".... but, seriously, marriage is easy when it's how most people do it. You know, the whole, living in the same place according to both your rules. Try making a marriage work when one of you is being ruled by the army, miles and miles and miles away, with only letters for communication and a phone call that (depending how it goes) can make or break your whole week!!!!
Yeah. That my friends is hard. But, it is also worth it. Sometimes I wonder what in the name of puce colored butterflies we were thinking when Stephen joined the army. I mean, seriously, WHY?!?!?!?!?! But then, I think about my incredible husband. I think about his talents and abilities. I think about how, when it comes down to it, he was really made for this. I swear, he was born to be a soldier. And I couldn't be more proud of my brave, strong husband.
For every day I have had a hard time, he has had a letter of encouragement. For every time I have cried in my car at school, he has sent me 10 "I love yous". For every night of sitting in my car not wanting to face the empty house, he has given me courage because I know that he believes in me. For every sleepless night, he has given me a reason to face the day as proudly as I could. I am married to an amazing man. He is every inch the hero all those Army commercials try to portray. He is my reason for smiling, laughing, crying and loving. He has been stronger than I ever could be. I am so grateful for him!!!
Alright, in other news... Like I said, P90X is going GREAT, due to the incredible, the beautiful, the amazing Peggie! And, because I really, really, really want to be running more... I totally just signed up for the Santa Run in Provo for December 3, 2011. Everyone has to run that race dressed like Santa Claus. How awesome is that?!
So, I have 28 days to get ready to see my incredible husband. One month to get ready for my 5K. I'm happy about this. It'll keep me busy. Not to mention, my very first Anniversary is this Sunday. My birthday is in 20 days and then Thanksgiving. November is shaping up to be a pretty awesome month.
Thanks for all the love and support every one! I couldn't do it without you.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I Can't Think of A Cool Title... Bother...
2 comments:
YAY for 28 days to go!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy you've made it this far and I know you can endure this to the end! It definitely is hard being away from your husband and being alone for so long but I'm so proud of you for getting through this tough time and keeping yourself busy!ReplyDelete
YAY for keeping up the workout and doing a 5K in december! That is so incredibly awesome!
Yay! So excited for the run! What time do you guys do p90x? Don't you love the cardio x one? Plyo kicks my butt!ReplyDelete
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Cut Your Own Hair
Using your fingers, gently hold a small section of dry hair - only about 10 to 12 hairs at a time - straight down against your forehead. (Don't pull too tight - you'll stretch the hair and end up cutting a lot more)
Trim and cut below your fingers to keep from cutting it shorter than you'd like.
When you are done trimming each section, comb it back into the rest of your bangs to check length (and that they are even) before moving on.
When you reach the end, return to the center and trim in the opposite direction until you are done.
Wedding Ideas


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There was another terrorist attack today. A suicide bomber tried to enter the same Sharon mall in Netanya that another suicide bomber attacked a few months ago. This time, a woman recognized that there was something not right with a man near the entrance, and that he was holding a bag in a strange way. She screamed for police, they grabbed him and pressed him against an outer wall of the mall and unfortunately he was able to detonate the bomb.
We should hear better news.


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Monday Movie Reviews: Cinderella, Run All Night, Merchants of Doubt
With Erik Childress at South by Southwest (though delivering a report later this week), Collin Souter and Nick Digilio discuss this weekend's new movies including the live action Cinderella, Run All Night and Merchants of Doubt.
To download this or any of Nick's podcast visit our I-Tunes page. Like us on Facebook (/nickdshow) and follow us on Twitter (@nickdshow.)


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Approaching this match, knowing that two wins in our next two league fixtures would send us to Rome needing only a draw to clinch our third straight scudetto, there was reason to be both excited and nervous. Especially after our rivals earned a valuable 0-1 away victory in Florence, reducing the gap between us back to five points.
Tevez and Vidal were named on the bench, both players still nursing slight injuries with Bonucci and Lichstiner suspended.
To the surprise of nobody, Conte lined up with our trademark 3-5-2, offering Giovinco a chance to continue his recent spurt of fine form in attack alongside Llorente. Behind him, Pirlo took up the position of fulcrum, flanked by Pogba on his right and Marchisio on the opposite side of the trident. Out wide in the wing-back areas, Asamoah matched up with Isla (who came in for the suspecneded Lichsteiner). It was Ogbonna who took up the Bonucci role, which at times can seem closer to libero than pure stopper.
We emerged from the traps at a decent pace. Immediately pushing forward and applying pressure to the Bologna blockade. Our opponent's plan to defend in large numbers, keep 9 men behind the ball at all times and show zero interest in scoring was evident from the first whistle. Even when they were given the chance to counter, we invariably had 2-3 defenders to clean up at the back masterfully.
Pogba was looking lively. Pirlo in fine fettle. Asamoah strangely subdued, although he was faced with a wall of opponents whenever attempting to make in-roads into the final third. On the opposite flank, Isla was seeing much more of the ball, largely due to the dominating physical presence and wonderful technique of the nearby Frenchman.
Most of the first half was taken up with the same slow, deliberate build-up passing game we so often adopt against smaller teams whose prime objective is to hold firm defensively and cut off our supply routes on the wings and through the middle. Llorente found a few useful positions, as did Giovinco, but the two of them are yet to find any harmony as a pair, with both operating on different wavelengths at crucial moments when a chance could have been created and finished.
No changes were made by Conte in the interval. Clearly his thinking was that we would win the war of attrition, continue our laboured, obvious passing game, wear them down, hope for a moment of magic, or a mistake for us to capitalize upon.
It took until the 64th minute for us to finally break the dead-lock. And what a beautiful goal it was, arriving from the explosive feet of Pogba. Picking the ball up in the inner right channel from Isla, the youngster brought the ball down and smashed an unstoppable drive past the keeper from just outside the box. Just reward for an overall performance which stood out for its power, precision and skill. A true rifle-shot of a strike.
The goal caused a momentary wave of added confidence in our ranks and confusion in the Bologna rearguard yet soon enough the status quo reappeared and we reverted to the calm pressure routine whilst keeping things tidy at the back.
Padoin made a late appearance and did absolutely nothing and it was pleasing to see Vidal make a brief cameo in the dying moments. What was somewhat discouraging was the manner in which we spent the final minutes growing increasingly concerned and inviting Bologna onto us. For the first time in the whole match our opponents seemed to believe they could get something from the game and we were on the back-foot until the ref blew the final whistle. Immense relief washed through the ranks and stadium as a whole, with passionate embraces all round between manager and players symbolizing how much this victory meant to the club.
Stand out performers were few and far between since we were hardly tested defensively. And had a mountain to climb offensively due to the stifling, smothering tactics employed by Ballardini in the enemy dug-out.
Pogba was the most potent player on the field. More capable than any other of not only retaining possession when faced with an opponent, but also carving out space. Only fellow beasts can match him physically and his skill-set on the ball is slowly but surely maturing. Less fancy tricks, more successful dribbles. His shooting has never been in question, especially from long range.
At this rate, the 21 year old will soon be regarded as not only a world class talent in the making, but as one of the best midfielders in the world, such is his progress this season. There seems no major weakness to his game. Perhaps the most important transfer of the close season will be a non-transfer, keeping Paul at the club for at least another season, hopefully more.
Barzagli was average on his return to first team action, lacking match-sharpness as to be expected, but our fortunes are greatly improved by his calm presence in the first XI. The quicker he regains form the better our chances of success. Ogbonna was strong in the tackle, decisive and error-free, attempting to replicate Bonucci's distribution responsibilities in a muted fashion.
I was interested to see Isla. He produced an assist for Pogba, worked very hard on the touchline and was noticeably more involved in the game than his counter-part on the left. The Chilean could have scored himself, after cutting in beautifully and launching the ball goalwards with his left boot. Has he done enough to warrant completing his purchase over the Summer??? For me, not in the slightest. Best to renew the co-ownership or attempt to recoup the 9m initial outlay for the 50% stake. Asmoah looks good value for the 18m we paid. To spend as much on former Udinese pal Isla would be criminal.
Up top, Llorente was useful for flick-ons and lay-offs, but rarely came close to a clear cut opening. His strike partner, Giovinco, won plenty of free-kicks, caused a steady nuisance and created a couple of good chances for other players. However, neither player impressed.
A mention should be made of Marchisio, who – as always – stuck to his task diligently, put his health on the line on a few occasions when blocking or intercepting the ball, found himself kicked, scythed, pole-axed and shoved all over the place. He is truly a great servant to the club.
Bologna were very robust in their approach to the game. Our strike force of the spaniard and imp was too weak to break through the brutal attention of Sorensen in particular, but also Antonsson, who pummelled the flimsy front men repeatedly throughout the match. This is one of the main problems with Giovinco; his complete lack of physicality. As for Llorente…I expect better of him, but it will take time to adjust fully to the sharp differences in defending between la liga and Serie A.
It was a very encouraging performance by 22 year old Freddy Sorensen. A player I have admired since he first broke into our line-up in late 2010, merely months after joining our primavera in the Summer. His natural strength and intelligent reading of the game marked him out back then as a player of serious potential and I am glad to see him more than hold his own around far more seasoned professionals. If we are in the market for a centre-back, Conte and Beppe would be wise to consider the Dane. His contract runs until 2016 and I hope we renew the co-ownership deal in the Summer. Whilst his value continues to rise, prudence suggests we maintain the present situation.
The victory was welcome and deserved but our inability to break down a resilient opponent once again highlighted what I see as a lack of malleability or reactivity in Conte's tactical thinking. He rarely seems to have any Plan B, nor appears particularly well prepared to take advantage of an opponent's weaknesses. Conte's method is to stick with the 3-5-2, pass the ball as much as possible, left, then right, then left, then right, slow paced build-up. Its all so predictable. And without the muscle, hustle and class of Tevez in the final third, and swash-buckling Vidal forcing mistakes and driving forward at every opportunity we are fairly easily contained.
Conte needs to work on systems which draw such stubborn opposition out of their fortress. Laying siege works most of the time, but as we saw with Copenhagen, our lack of Plan B or C can truly be our downfall. We win by attrition in such circumstances or via a moment of magic as we saw from Pogba last night.
Instead of Padoin, why not bring on Vucinic?? Instead of Vidal, why not send Quagliarella into the fray?? Protecting a 1-0 lead at home to Bologna is understandable at this delicate stage of the campaign, though a step removed from a team confident of their superiority. Substitutions are another area in which as time wears on, I find Conte lacking.
When was the last time we saw him turn a game with a master stroke from the bench?? When was the last time he outfoxed a wily opposing manager through exploiting a weakness in a team we faced??
Its not only the playing staff which needs to improve, collectively, if we are to strive onwards and make moves to return to greatness on the European stage. It is also the management.


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Radiation Blackbody
Maximum Entropy and the Nearly Black Object
Nerve Alter
Radiation Blackbody
Falling to Death Through Time and Space
Ultraviolet Catastrophy
This band is incredible.
In every way.
It's just bass and drum instrumental music.
There isn't anything you'd add and nothing you'd take away.
The playing is phenomenal.
Complicated and fascinating.
They are incredibly prolific.
The artwork and design is always amazing, with a Man is the Bastard type of consistency and discipline.
They are the best guys ever.
My copies came with an hand-written letter and tons of drawings.
I love them.
Listen and you will too.


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No, not the awards. I've had those for a bit. I'm talking about the fabulous artwork, from John Harris. Does it look at least slightly familiar? It should. Here, this is where you might have seen it before:
That's right, it's artwork for an upcoming episode of The Human Division. I've really enjoyed all the artwork Harris has created for the epsiodes, and this one especially, so I inquired whether I might be able to purchase it. Happily, the answer was yes, and now I have it and it is mine. One of the perks of being an author is sometimes you get to own the artwork that graces your work. I'm truly pleased to have this in my home, and soon on my wall.


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Let's say that you commute from a relatively rural area, and work in a dense urban environment where there's little parking to be found. Driving is the best way to get to your office, but taking a shuttle from a distant off-site garage or fighting for street parking is such a hassle. What do you do? If you're a certain information technology worker for the state of New York, you forge a note from your doctor granting you a handicapped parking space, then assume that you'll never be caught. Now, instead of a luxurious parking space right near his office, he's in jail, and could face up to four years in prison. [More]
Just Because Someone Tries To Sell You A Building Doesn't Mean They Own It
Meet Mr. Vargas. He would like to sell you his stake in some commercial property, a triangular lot just north of Central Park, at Lenox and St. Nicholas Avenues, in NYC. You would like to buy this property, because it's apparently awesome. Unfortunately, after you give Mr. Vargas the money — you find out that the property is owned by an entirely different person.
Brooklyn Ice Cream Shop Owner Stole $25,000 From Customers
Police arrested Daniel Kaufman yesterday and charged him with identity theft and forgery for running customers' credit cards through twice and pocketing the extra money—as much as $25,000 since February, and "cops say that Kaufman also attempted to steal $70,000 more," reports the local Brooklyn Paper. Kaufman managed the Blue Pig ice cream shop as well as three other restaurants, and he took credit card slips from one business and ran them through at another.


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|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|Jukka Zitting <ju...@apache.org>
|[ANNOUNCE] Apache Jackrabbit 2.1.3 released
|Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:41:00 GMT
The Apache Jackrabbit community is pleased to announce the release of Apache Jackrabbit 2.1.3. The release is available for download at: http://jackrabbit.apache.org/downloads.html See the full release notes below for details about this release. Release Notes -- Apache Jackrabbit -- Version 2.1.3 Introduction ------------ This is Apache Jackrabbit 2.1, a fully compliant and production-ready implementation of the Content Repository for Java Technology API, version 2.0 (JCR 2.0, http://jcp.org/en/jsr/summary?id=283). Apache Jackrabbit 2.1.3 is a bug fix release that fixes issues reported against previous releases. This release is fully compatible with the earlier 2.1.x releases. Changes in this release ----------------------- Improvements [JCR-2812] Allow whitespaces in base64 encoded binary fields of XML ... Bug fixes [JCR-2523] StaleItemStateException during distributed transaction [JCR-2753] Deadlock in DefaultISMLocking [JCR-2813] "overwriting cached entry" warnings [JCR-2820] FineGrainedISMLocking problems For more detailed information about all the changes in this and other Jackrabbit releases, please see the Jackrabbit issue tracker at https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/JCR Release Contents ---------------- This release consists of a single source archive packaged as a zip file. The archive can be unpacked with the jar tool from your JDK installation. See the README.txt file for instructions on how to build this release. The source archive is accompanied by SHA1 and MD5 checksums and a PGP signature that you can use to verify the authenticity of your download. The public key used for the PGP signature can be found at https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/jackrabbit/dist/KEYS. About Apache Jackrabbit ----------------------- Apache Jackrabbit is a fully conforming implementation of the Content Repository for Java Technology API (JCR). A content repository is a hierarchical content store with support for structured and unstructured content, full text search, versioning, transactions, observation, and more. For more information, visit http://jackrabbit.apache.org/ About The Apache Software Foundation ------------------------------------ Established in 1999, The Apache Software Foundation provides organizational, legal, and financial support for more than 100 freely-available, collaboratively-developed Open Source projects. The pragmatic Apache License enables individual and commercial users to easily deploy Apache software; the Foundation's intellectual property framework limits the legal exposure of its 2,500+ contributors. For more information, visit http://www.apache.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: email@example.com For additional commands, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
|View raw message


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XSL messy? Like learning three languages isn't messy. At least XML + XSL adheres to one set of syntax instructions. XML + DOM + CSS forces you to learn three languages instead of one and a half... Barry -----Original Message----- From: Daniel Glazman [mailto:email@example.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 1999 9:08 AM To: Håkon Wium Lie Cc: firstname.lastname@example.com Subject: Re: xml.com Håkon Wium Lie wrote: > > xml.com has published a set of articles [1] by Michael Leventhal that > compares DOM+CSS to XSL: > > When compared to the DOM+CSS, XSL does not solve any Web-related > problems that the current W3C Recommendations do not adequately > handle. What is the Big Deal indeed? > > The technical debates on xml.com should be of interest to readers of > this list. > > [1] http://www.xml.com/xml/pub/1999/05/xsl/xslconsidered_1.html The big deal is the word "adequately" (no humour in this comment). CSS is ugly because it is not XMLized, DOM is not declarative. On the other hand, XSL is declarative, powerful, XMLishized, completely messy (XSL, XQL, XSLT, XTL, numerous drafts) and especially complex and hard to read/understand. To summarize, and in my humble opinion only, something totally *not* adequate ;-) </Daniel>Received on Wednesday, 26 May 1999 03:35:57 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Monday, 2 May 2016 14:26:50 UTC


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Since its inception, Securus Technologies is one of the notable names in the prison communications industry. The company offers a wide range of video and voice calling services so that inmates can maintain communication with their friends and family on the outside. The company has been continuously developing the kind of technology that they use and believes in staying ahead of the competition at all times. In 2009, the company underwent a massive shift when it entered into a merger with T-Netix, which was the second biggest prison communications provider in America. After the merger took place, Securus Technologies reached the forefront of the industry and is now operational in hundreds of prisons across the country. The company helps thousands of inmates keep in touch with the outside world while maintaining the rules and regulations of the facilities that they are in.
Besides offering communication services, the company also specializes in providing inmate monitoring applications to prisons. In the past, prisoners are known to have used the communication services to coordinate criminal activity. To prevent the misuse of the services that the company provides, they decided to incorporate technology that would record all the conversations that go through the lines. These communications are monitored by staff that Securus Technologies hires, and if any of the calls mention illegal activity, the person who made the call is immediately reprimanded. Because of this technology, prisons have been able to catch criminals before the action was carried out. The technology that is implemented is now slowly becoming a necessity to prisons, and more and more facilities are incorporating these into their calling systems.
These monitoring systems have also been able to help judiciaries to bring justice to people. The company has had to provide conversations on several occasions to make a case and to highlight the evidence towards criminal activity. Through the work that they are doing, Securus Technologies has become an integral part of maintaining public safety.
With the monitoring systems in place, inmates tried their best to find ways in which they could communicate with people without being monitored. This led to an increase in the number of cell phones inside these facilities, which were then being used for illegal activities. To take care of the problem at hand, Securus Technologies decided to adopt something that no one has ever done before. They decided to set up network jammers throughout the prisons that would block anyone on the inside from using a service that isn't the one provided by Securus Technologies. This proved to be a more efficient way of taking care of the contraband that was emerging inside prisons, and inmates were now not able to use cellphones, even if they had it on them.


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These puff pastry pinwheels are super simple and quick to make and stuffed full of cheese and bacon. Do not attempt to eat if you are on any kind of diet! These make for some tasty party food and can be stored for a couple of days in an airtight container. Check out the video below to see how quick and easy they are to make!
I decided to go with two types of cheese for these puff pasty pinwheels, a strong cheddar to get some flavour through each bit and some mozzarella so you get that ooey gooey stringy cheese. The saltiness of the bacon obviously works amazingly well…and remember..everything is better with bacon!
I really can't emphasise enough how easy these bad boys are to make, you really don't need any specialist skills in the kitchen. These puff pastry pinwheels are also super quick to put together – in less than 30minutes you can be serving these awesome bites of yum to your guests.
These puff pastry pinwheels are a great recipe to experiment with as well. Mix it up with some blue cheese or maybe some pepperoni in place of the bacon. There are so any awesome combinations you can try!
If you are looking for some ore party food inspiration, check out my Meatball Cupcakes
The savoury puff pastry pinwheels are super quick and easy to make for a tasty party food snack
- 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon fried and crumbled
- 500 g puff pastry block
- Some plain flour for dusting
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 100 g strong cheddar grated
- 150 g mozzarella diced
- 1 beaten egg
First off, fry the bacon until super crispy, put on some kitchen paper and leave to one side.
- Pre heat the oven to 180º.
Dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry into a large rectangle that is the thickness of a £1 coin. Trim the edges so that they are straight.
Evenly spread the tomato puree over the pastry, leaving a 1cm gap at the edges. Crumble the bacon over the top of the puree and then the cheeses.
Roll the pastry and filling and then brush a little beaten egg on to the edge of the pastry so that the edges stick together.
Slice the roll in 2 cm intervals then place each pin wheel on to a baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg.
Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Serve warm straight from the oven, or let cool and store in an air tight container.
Calories are an estimate based on one of twelve servings


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Helichrysum Essential Oil Africa 100% Pure & Natural
Botanical name Helichrysum splendidum
Family Asteraceae
Source Leaves and flowers
Origin South Africa
Processing Method Steam Distillation
Color/Consistency A thin, clear, pale yellow to yellow liquid.
Aromatic Summary / Note / Strength of Aroma A middle note with a medium aroma, they have been described as having a scent between burnt sugar and a floral mint.
Blends With Clove Bud, Rose, Clary Sage, Lavender, Chamomile and any of the oils from the citrus oil family.
Product Abstract
Helichrysum is a natural medicinal plant that's used to make a beneficial essential oil that boasts many different full-body benefits due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. While the reference to "long life" made by these names may have come about because the flowers dry without losing their color and beauty, it could just as well refer to the amazing properties of the oil, which has a wide range of applications.
Hilliard (1983) divided this large and heterogeneous genus in 30 morphological groups. But this genus is controversial and is considered by many as an artificial genus. The taxonomy of the large polymorphic and probably polyphyletic Helichrysum genus is complex and not yet satisfactorily resolved.
Harvesting/Extraction Information
Helichrysum is one of the most fragrant plants which contribute to giving the Corsican "maquis" its characteristic perfume. The flowering head buds, called "The flowery summit" which are treated the day after picking, are traditionally hand cut thus leaving the Maquis unspoilt by modern machinery. Harvesting takes place from June to July when flowering commences. Over a ton of flower heads are needed to make about 0,85 kg of essential oil! This is why it is quite expensive.
The Helichrysum Italicum essential oil is obtained by distilling, usually by steam in a copper free steam process. The Mediterranean Helichrysum is much richer in Terpenes has more Neryle acetate and Diones.
Common Usage
- Kidney Stone Reliever
- Natural Multiple Sclerosis Preventer
- Pain Reliever
- Natural Hemorroid Soother
- Antiviral That Increases Immunity
- Natural Cancer Protector
- Liver Stimulator and Detoxifier
- Natural Digestive and Diuretic
- Anti-Inflammatory That Helps Boost Heart Health
- Natural Candida Cure
- Acne Treatment
- Sunburn Relief and Skin Cancer Protector
- Skin Antibiotic and Antifungal
No toxic or irritating effects have been observed or reported from the use of this oil, but being an anticoagulant, those who have undergone surgery or have chances of internal hemorrhaging should avoid using it.
Key constituents
a-Terpinene 14.9%
b-Pinene 10.2%
1,8-Cineole 8.6%
Bicyclogermacrene 7.9%
d-Cadinene 7.4%
Cubebol 7.3%
a-Phellandrene 5.5%
p-Cymene 3.0%
Germacrene D-4-ol 2.5%
Sabinene 2.4%
a-Cadinol 1.6%
Camphor 1.2%
Safety summary
Hazards None known.
Contraindications None known
Organ-specific effects No information found.
Systemic effects
Acute toxicity No information found.
Carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic potential No information was! found for peta oil, but it contains no known carcinogens. a- Cadinol is active against the human colon cancer cell line HT- 29.
The oil is produced on a small scale in South Africa.


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Included in this category are all types of sensors, pilot devices, logic elements, programmable controllers, monitoring equipment, and instrumentation.
Modern commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities have sophisticated management systems that control the environment and/or specific processes within the facility. Critical to the functioning of these systems are sensors, pilot devices, logic elements, and monitoring equipment. These items provide the information necessary for management systems to control the environment and/or process efficiently.
Limit switches provided e position information to control-circuit logic. Most limit switches are enclosed and rated as general purpose or heavy duty. The enclosures are oiltight, watertight, dripproof, and explosionproof.
Lever-arm-type limit switches are either spring-return or maintained-contact types. The spring-return lever arm returns to a specified position once it is released. In maintained-contact types, the level arm is tripped to, and remains in, a set position when released. Lever arms come in fixed or adjustable lengths.
When contacting the object is not desirable or feasible, photoelectric switches can detect its presence by using a light source. Two types are available: one in which the sender and receiver of the light are separate units, and one in which they are combined. Light sources can be miniature incandescent, LED, infrared, or laser.
Proximity switches have basically the same use as the photoelectric types. These switches consist of a sensing oscillator, a solid-state amplifier, and a switching device, all contained in a single package. They are available in cylindrical, rectangular, vane, or ring types, inductive (for metal detection) or capacitive (for glass, plastic, or wood detection).
The device used to measure speed is the centrifugal switch. Its electrical contacts are operated by spring-loaded weights whose positions depend upon the centrifugal force exerted. Tachometers are especially applicable when speed readout, closed-loop feedback, alarms, and overspeed underspeed monitoring are needed.
Level, pressure, temperature, flow, and other types of switches are critical to decision making by programmable logic controllers (PLCs), computers, and any other logic devices that can be used. Many are used in motor control circuits and others, like thermostats, are widely applied.
Pilot devices
Pushbutton-type pilot devices include flush types, mushroom-head, rocker-arm, joystick, and other variations. Locking devices, shrouds, maintained interlocks, etc., are available. Lines include standard- and miniature-sized round, square, and segmented-style actuators.
Selector switches come in a variety of operators, including wing lever, key, or coin-slot types, and are generally of the maintained or spring-return types. Rotary switches are more specialized versions and can be individuallymounted in their own enclosure or can be panelmounted. Escutcheonplate markings, type of handle, and contact-operating sequence must be specified.
Logic elements
Relays multiply the number of contacts available to operate within a control circuit. Electromechanical relays are typically rated at either 300V or 600V Solid-state relays with approximately the same characteristics, ratings, and size are also available.
Time-delay relays (both electromechanical and solid-state) are available with the time delay on energization (ON delay) or deenergization (OFF delay). This same function can be accomplished by timers and pulse counters.
Monitoring equipment PLCs
Panel mounted ammeters, voltmeters, wattmeters, and similar devices play roles in monitoring status. They can be relatively simple analog equipment, or solidstate units with digital readouts. Contact-making types can be selected when it is necessary to detect that a low or high limit is exceeded.
PLCs are rapidly replacing relay logic in control systems. All sensors and interface devices become inputs and outputs to the PLC. Based on the status of inputs, the PLC determines the appropriate output response.


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six nations
Greig Laidlaw counting on inside knowledge against star duo Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton
Greig Laidlaw, Scotland's guiding light, aims to make his own insight into the opposition count tomorrow. He was with the British and Lions party all through their trip to New Zealand, and had a close-up and personal view of how Ireland's dangermen Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton operate. Now he can put that knowledge to good use in Dublin.
"Both are very good players, very good kickers," Laidlaw said. "Conor Murray: it [kicking] is a big part of his game. His box kicks are more often than not on the money; he gives his chasers time to compete or regather the ball. They are similar to England in that sense, Ireland will run a couple of times and if it shuts up, they will look…


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If a car door is open, he gets in. If hand is visible, he makes it pet him. If a moth is in the neighborhood, he chases it.
Heidi has taken to calling him Adventure Cat and even wrote a story about his adventures. Here is the latest.
One evening, Shawn was walking through the living room on his way to take a shower. He looked out the bay window just in time to see Adventure Cat chase a squirrel up to tree.
He just kept going higher as the squirrel ran away from him. Eventually the squirrel leaped into the next tree over. Pete weighted the odds of making that same leap.
Think. Think. Think...
Should I jump to the next tree? Should I sit here a look pretty for the camera? Decisions, decisions.
He is thinking, "Maybe you could put the camera down and come help me..."
Go up? Go down? Wait for help?
As Shawn arrives to help, and Pete is starting to get a bit higher, and Heidi is starting to freak out a little bit, Pete comes to his senses. He doesn't want this man grabbing him and dragging him down the ladder.
So, he runs as fast as he can straight down the tree trunk and off to safety.
And a quick roll on the steps before he is off to his next adventure.