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When we go back to stuff I wrote in the past, moving forward, I think we'll call it "From the Vault." That's the sort of thing we'll do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on those Tuesdays and Thursdays we actually do something.
This is a fragment — an incomplete chapter one of a book never written, dating back to the early 90's. As with pretty much every science fiction writer who was once twenty, this was the beginning of my dystopia novel. Back in the days when I figured I was going to graduate school as a matter of course, I had seriously considered Utopia and Dystopia as a concentration and field of study. I was considering that alongside 19th and 20th Century American Poetry, of course. It never entered my head to go for a Ph.D. in the Modern Superhero Story, which is a pity since that's what I'd clearly be able to nail.
To that end, I started writing my dystopia. I called it America the Beautiful, because I was very, very earnest about it. This was going to be a call to arms — a warning for the ages that would rank with Brave New World and 1984.
You know. Just like all the other dystopias out there.
Well, I never got out of the first chapter. But rereading the first chapter I'm a little amazed — as unsubtle as the title was, the opening, the establishment of tone and character… it's better than I expected when I went back to reread this. I'm actually moderately interested in what Thomas's story would turn out to be.
Not that we'll ever find out. At least, if I ever pick this up, it'll be significantly different than whatever I intended fifteen years ago.
There is one thing I like in this, as well. To me, a good dystopia — I mean, a really good and scary one — had to be compelling. You had to get the sense that the people living in that society were perfectly content to live in that society. I didn't believe 1984 would ever happen for the sheer fact that if the entire world was uncomfortable and unhappy, someone would do something about it in a power bid. Brave New World was far more likely, because as scary as that would was, you could believe the people living in it enjoyed themselves. And when people were happy, they weren't rebelling against the social order.
Anyhow. Here it is. I hope you like it.
*** *** *** ***
America the Beautiful
Chapter One
Thomas had been dreaming when the thunder woke him up. It had been a dream of sunshine and blue skys, in a field that was well mown, so that the smell of hay and grass hung in the air. It was a good smell. A healthy smell.
There were nervous voices all around Thomas. Chattering though it was hours after curfew. It was pitch black except for when the lightning flashed through the windows. There were twenty five windows in the room.
Thomas's bunk was by a window. He had a window six months, then was placed across the aisle by the lockers. It was fair that way. Fair for everyone in the study cell. It was Thomas's turn right now to be on the left side in the upper bunk by the window. Then he would be on the left side on the lower bunk by the lockers. Then on the right side on the lower bunk by the lockers, then by the window, and then back to where he was, but on the lower bunk. And then it would start over with him being on the left side in the upper bunk by the lockers, and the whole thing would start over.
There were eight bunks in a study cell. Eight students. And there were twenty-five study cells in a ward, which meant two hundred students per ward. The Hamilton institue had ten Beta wards, so there were two thousand students at the Beta level. Half male, half female.
The chattering was getting louder now, so the Voice-of-WorldNet spoke up. "Beta-stus of Ward Six," it said in its cool, pleasant female voice. Half the time WorldNet was female, half the time it was male. "It is past the curfew hour. Talking keeps your fellow Beta-stus awake, and that is unfair to them. Please refrain from talking."
The noise lessened slightly, but not much. There would be two more messages before the Hall Proctor would be summoned. Until then, there wouldn't even be a record beyond `mild disturbance,' and that was no big deal.
Thomas thought about his dream. It smelled like the playground back when he was a pupil at the Hall Primary Instruction Center. It had been thick with hay and warm air, out in the country, and students got to run in the fields during recess times. That had been some years ago. Thomas was sixteen now. Two years away from Tertiary Apprentiship. He had been at the Hamilton institute since he was thirteen.
There was another rumble of thunder. Thomas rolled over and faced the window. There was an old tree just outside the window. Old and a little twisted, but with a smattering of leaves still on it. It wasn't dead. All the outside and inside lights were off, so he could only see the tree when the lightning flashed, giving him glimpses of bark, twig, leaf.
"Beta-stus of Ward Six," the male voice said. "It is past curfew. By talking, you are acting in a divisionary manner. Please refrain."
Thomas wondered what time it was. The active ID on his wrist had a chronometer, but at this hour of the evening he'd have to illuminate the dial to check the time, and that would make a record on WorldNet that he was awake and active. That might bring the Hall Proctor sooner, or it might mean a visit to a Medical Proctor to see if he were all right, since his usual routine was off.
Another flash of lightning. The tree branches looked ominous.
Thomas was in Bunk Sixty-Six Upper in Ward Six. Six and six and six were eighteen. One and eight were nine. Three threes made nine. Two threes made six. Three sixes made eighteen. Two three-threes made eighteen, and so did three two-threes. Thomas was sixteen, which together made seven, which had no divisors. It was a prime number. So was two and so was three, but not six, or nine, or sixteen or eighteen. Four fours made sixteen, and so did two eights. There were eight students in a study cell. There were forty students in a class, which was five eights. Five was a prime number. Thomas's Study Cell was number Eighteen in Ward Six. Six and eighteen made twenty-four, or four sixes. It was also three eights. Factored, it was two by two by two by three. Three twos and a three. A two bracketed by threes.
The field had been warm, and there were children playing in it, and Thomas had been playing with them. He was sure of that, though he couldn't remember the game. It might have been a counting game, because Thomas liked those. He liked them almost as much as he liked drawing.
Study cell eighteen was part of Class Four, Study Cells Sixteen through Twenty. They were Betas and all of them liked to draw. They were all good at it, too. Class Four was devoted to the draftsmen and the artists, who would one day be architechts and civil engineers, graphic designers and city planners. And of course illustrators and artists. Not too many artists — you didn't need too many artists. But one or two, maybe. You needed more illustrators, of course. People to illustrate manuals and draw figures and diagrams. Cartoonists and animators to make amusements for the Gamma children and Delta adults. But artists — so called fine artists — weren't needed in great numbers. Just a few. They worked for the Alphas and Betas.
The hay had been freshly mown, so it must have been late summer in his dream. That made sense. Everything made sense if you thought about it.
The tree glowed with the lightning. It was old and its branches were bare.
The funny thing about sleep was you never knew when it was going to happen. Thomas knew he had still been awake when the final warning sounded — the warning that got everyone to quiet down. He had been awake that long, staring out the window at the occasional flashes of light that let him see the tree. And he was sure he was awake longer than that, though he couldn't check his active ID to know. He just lay there, staring and thinking about his dream and thinking about the numbers, and then the gentle tones of First Alarm was waking him up and it was six twenty-five in the morning.
It was thursday, so breakfast was oatmeal with skim milk, toast, a banana, three strawberries, a cup of tea or coffee — student's preference — and juice. It was apple juice today. The oatmeal had brown sugar and maple syrup cooked in with it, so that it was like having a bowl of sweets for breakfast.
Each Ward filed into the messhall one after the other. Each Ward had five minutes to file through the line and collect their trays. They would sit at their wardroom tables, two tables per Ward with one hundred students each, and wait for the tone to sound. They then had twenty minutes to eat before the cleanup tone sounded and the Ward collected their trays and set them in the disposal. Ward One started collecting their trays at seven on the dot and began bussing them at twenty-five after, which was when Ward Six was collecting their trays. In that way, everyone had exactly the same amount of time to eat, which was only fair.
The chime to start eating, which was the same chime for Ward Seven to begin collecting their trays and for Ward Two to buss theirs. Breakfast was kept fast paced to discourage conversation. Later on, lunch and dinner would be leisurely, allowing Thomas and his classmates to discuss what they had learned in the day, what they had thought about this and that, and so forth. But at breakfast-time, you had to eat quickly and compose your thoughts for the day. Thomas's thoughts were usually about what he was eating — that and counting chimes. They all had their active IDs on, of course — they didn't come off — but with the passing of the years you just got used to listening for the chimes. Every five minutes, another would sound — Word Seven would start eating, while Ward Eight collected their trays and Ward Three would buss theirs. Then Eight would eat, Nine would collect, and Four would buss. Then Nine, Ten and Four. The next chime would be for Ward Ten to start eating and Ward Five to buss their trays, and then the chime would sound for Ward Six to buss their trays. It was for Ward Six alone, which Thomas liked though he knew he shouldn't.
As soon as the tone sounded, Thomas dove into his oatmeal, the silver flash of the spoon's bowl getting cut off as it cut into the brown oats, and then shoveled up the thick, warm paste into his mouth, and then back down, flashing of silver again. Up and down, up and down. It took twenty-three good sized spoonfuls to empty the bowl of all its oatmeal. Thomas had counted once.
Thomas usually ate his oatmeal first, on Thursdays. Then he would eat his toast, and then have his fruit with his tea, saving his juice for last. Today the strawberries were frozen — a little flake of ice in their center. It was wonderfully cold against his tongue, compared with the hot, red tea.
And then the juice. Cold against his teeth, washing out his mouth. He always finished with his juice, because he liked the feel of the cool liquid and he liked the tartness of the fruit, whether it was apple, orange or grapefruit. At the Hall School, the apple juice had been much sweeter, like syrup. This apple juice was tarter, and Thomas liked it very much.


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Hello ~ I'm Estelle Cosmos and I welcome you to Crystal Cosmos, where crystal as a creative material knows no boundaries in the world of custom fashion design. Please take the time to visit our Exclusive & Custom Design Boutiques and enjoy viewing our products as much as I have enjoyed creating them for you.
Thank you for visiting our web site and for being a valued customer!
We only use SWAROVSKI® crystals in our creations, making it a brilliant choice for your enjoyment! SWAROVSKI® is the world's leading manufacturer of cut crystal. Austrian Crystals is also a term used for lead crystal which has been precision-cut to resemble a jewel. Today, crystals are used extensively in fashion to make jewelry, apparel and accessories. SWAROVSKI® crystals are foiled ~ a process or mirror coating jewelry to obtain their brilliance.
The crystals produced by SWAROVSKI® have a higher lead content and more precise cutting to produce a stone that reflects light at precise angles to produce the greatest reflection. Light lends crystal it's sparkle and changes your world of creation!
The perfect cut of the SWAROVSKI XILION® crystals makes them shine as mysteriously as the stars and sets the standards in terms of brilliance, lending our designs added value and a magical starlight aura. With 14 alternating facets of different sizes that produce perfect refraction and intense light distribution throughout the crystal, the difference in brilliance is clearly visible to the naked eye. Only SWAROVSKI® crystals have this patented cut.
DESIGN BOUTIQUE & CUSTOM DESIGN BOUTIQUE Products:
Crystal Cosmos takes pride in providing our valued customers with the very best quality and durability of the products we create. In our product line, we carry only the finest quality fabrics in a variety of custom fashion T-Shirt styles and colors to choose from. Our product descriptions on crystalcosmos.com are as accurate as possible. The hand-setting of crystals in your design will result in variations and are considered to be part of the product offering.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Hermitage State Museum masterplan by AMO
AMO, the think-tank arm of Office for Metropolitan Architecture, has announced a collaboration with the Hermitage State Museum (above) in St Petersburg, Russia, to develop a new museum typology for the 21st Century.
The masterplanning project will explore ways of making the vast, historic museum relevant to contemporary audiences while avoiding the now-standard approach of using iconic architecture to flag up the institution's renewal.
A spokesperson for AMO told us:
"The project centers on the question of the Hermitage's current institutional status and the dilemma of its perpetual modernization in the wake of a globalised and technologically-infused age, utilizing the Hermitage as a prototype for 'the museum of the 21st Century'.
"By devising a curatorial masterplan, AMO aims to revitalize the museum without surrendering the conventional need to preserve its artifacts as well as the integrity of its unequivocal past. As a critical part of AMO's masterplan, another objective is also to address the Hermitage's ever-evolving relationship with the city of St. Petersburg."
A full statement from AMO follows:
The Museum of the 21st Century: Curatorial Master Plan for the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Do all museums have to adhere to the same technical conditions? Do all museums have to be extended and updated? Or can a certain amount of inaction, a certain resistance to change, actually be instrumental in maintaining a degree of the authenticity so frequently erased during the process of modernisation?
The State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg and the think tank AMO, part of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), would like to pursue a collaborative project on the future of the 21st-Century museum. The joint effort will be to define the Hermitage as a new prototype for the museum in the 21st-Century.
The enormity of the Hermitage collection, combined with the extensive number of rooms, has created a scale, complexity and an organisation that approach urbanism. In urban design, a master plan gives an overall direction to the development and renovation of cities. For this reason, the Hermitage and AMO will develop, as part of this cultural project, a Curatorial Master Plan, which will focus on the intersection between the needs to modernise and to preserve the museum's approach to art and historic preservation.
Rather than a confident imposition of the new, the task at hand is to find those changes that will allow the Hermitage in a discreet way, without being too manifest, to function better. The central issue at stake in this project is how to modernise the State Hermitage Museum while accepting one of Russia's great legacies on its own terms. The Hermitage will be examined as a whole: its functioning as a museum, its future position and its integral participation in the City of St. Petersburg.
The results of this project will be shared with an international audience through a kick off meeting, an international conference, an exhibition both in St Petersburg and The Netherlands, and an international publication.
Past systems have – each in a particular way – safeguarded the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg from 'drastic modernisations'. So far, its original aim, to show art, has been maintained. The museum still constitutes a unique condition with a more direct and more authentic approach to art than in more upgraded encyclopaedic museums.
Of all the great museums, the Hermitage sustains the largest collection, the largest number of exhibitions, and the most space with the least number of visitors. In comparison to other great museums, the Hermitage's commercial activities are reduced to a minimum. This provides an opportunity to establish the Hermitage's global position by distinguishing it from other world-class museums. Bearing in mind commitment to its original intentions, the Hermitage must adapt to changing times as it prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2014. With its reputation untainted, the museum can now focus on its strengths - its virtually priceless and limitless collection, its scale, and its non-commercial character. With this unique history, it can be the first major museum in the 21st-Century to proclaim a renewed focus on art.
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) is a leading international partnership practicing contemporary architecture, urbanism and cultural analysis. The office is lead by six partners: Rem Koolhaas, Ole Scheeren, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Floris Alkemade and Managing Partner Victor van der Chijs. To accommodate a wide range and diversity of projects throughout the world, OMA maintains offices in Europe (OMA Rotterdam), North America (OMA New York) and Asia (OMA Beijing).
The counterpart to OMA's architectural practice is AMO, a research studio and think tank that operates in areas beyond the boundaries of architecture and urbanism - including sociology, technology, media and politics.
Update 20/06/07: our friends at UnBeige have pointed out that AMO were working with the Hermitage a few years back (indeed, the collaboration features in Koolhaas' 2004 book Content). But the "new" news is that the collaboration has been restarted and the "curatorial masterplan" will begin this September.
AMO have given us the following additional information:
Between 2000 and 2001, OMA/AMO was commissioned to act as a consultant for The Guggenheim Hermitage and Guggenheim Las Vegas project. The program called for a flexible exhibition space and museum store, housing masterworks from the Guggenheim and Hermitage Museums in The Venetian Hotel-Casino-Resort in Las Vegas.
The initial Hermitage project
After a meeting with the director of the State Hermitage of St. Petersburg, Mikhail Piotrovsky, OMA/AMO was invited to generate an architectural concept for the General Staff Building, then a new acquisition for the museum. The General Staff Building comprised of 806 rooms all with different morphologies and in various states of restoration. This project involved a curatorial component which enabled the various collections of the Hermitage to be viewed in an unconventional way - by imbedding the artworks within the existing typology of the General Staff Building and allowing the audience to circulate freely within the rooms, carving out their own respective routes. In addition to the curatorial program, there was also an architectural component in which the lobby of the General Staff Building was created. OMA/AMO's research from this project eventually resulted in an exhibition in Moscow as well as AMO's 'Expansion and Neglect' Pavilion at the 2005 Venice Biennale.
'The Museum of the 21st Century: A Curatorial Masterplan for the State Hermitage Museum'
After the initial Hermitage project was completed in 2005, Piotrovsky once again approached AMO and proposed a new collaboration based on the strategies which were formulated for the previous project – but on a much larger scale. This time AMO would be responsible for introducing new exhibition concepts and new strategic thinking for the whole Hermitage complex including the General Staff Building. In this particular project dubbed 'The Museum of the 21st Century: A Curatorial Masterplan for the State Hermitage Museum', AMO is currently devising a Curatorial Masterplan which aims to revitalize the Hermitage's relationship with St. Petersburg as well as to uncover the fine line between modernization and preservation of the museum – without any kind of architectural intervention.
Update 22/06/07: certain sensitive passages in the text supplied by AMO has been removed at their request.


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Natural Skincare For Men
Natural skin care for men is as necessary as it is for women. It's no secret that women are the primary customers of skincare across the globe, but we still can't quite figure out why. The truth is, men are just as prone to acne, sensitivities and skin conditions as women, plus with frequent shaving, they leave themselves susceptible to ingrown hairs and the associated irritations. With this in mind, natural skincare for men is just as important as it is for women.
Perhaps the men in our lives don't know where to start when it comes to skincare. With Father's Day swiftly approaching, take this opportunity to give them a nudge in the right direction. The Botani range is just as suitable for men as it is for its loyal following of skin savvy women and, with nary a pink label in sight, they won't feel as though they're stealing from your female-specific skin stash.
Creating a natural skincare routine from scratch can be confusing no matter who you are, so to make life easier we've compiled a list of the very best Botani products for the men in your life.
Why Men Need To Care For Their Skin
Skin is skin, male or female, acne, sensitivity, excess oil or dry and flaky skin can strike. Our skin is quite literally our largest organ, so treat it as such!
One of the skin concerns that many men deal with regularly is ingrown hairs. Shaving can cause hair follicles to become trapped just beneath the surface of the skin, leading to irritation, redness and a sore, acne-reminiscent bump. Even if ingrown hairs aren't an issue for the men in your life, shaving exfoliates the top layer of the skin. This can strip the skin of its protective layer of oils, leaving the skin susceptible to bacteria and external stressors.
With all that in mind, here are the very best Botani products for men.
Our Natural Skincare For Men Products
If you're building a natural skincare regimen from square one, the Botani Skin Rescue Kit is the perfect place to start. Skin Rescue Kit
Three Step System
A three-step system comprised of the Purify Facial Cleanser, Boost Balancing Moisturiser and Rescue Acne Cream, these natural, toxin-free products will work to kill acne-causing bacteria, soothe the irritations caused by ingrown hairs and restore balance to tired, overworked skin. The Rescue Acne Cream, in particular, boasts a 99.99% bacteria kill factor in just 30 minutes, while all three steps work to support the natural function of dry skin that may have been stripped of its protective layer.
Eco Clear Body Bar
Eco Clear Body Bar – Can't quite pry that old-fashioned bar of soap from your man's hands? Breaking a habit can be hard to do, so make the transition pain free by swapping out that skin stripping, supermarket branded soap for our Botani Eco-Clear Body Bar. This soap is naturally antiseptic and antibacterial, making it great for fighting fungal infections like tinea and perfect for treating acne on the body while it removes body odour and maintains the skin's natural pH balance (something very few mainstream bars of soap can do!)
PhytoBody Wash
PhytoBody Wash – If the men in your life have converted to body wash, opt for the Botani PhytoBody Wash. Much like the Eco-Clear Body Bar, this body wash is also packed with natural antibacterial properties thanks to a combination of Lemon Myrtle and Orange Peel Oil, plus it can be used as both a shampoo and a shaving gel for the multitasker in your life.
Phytoseptic Anti-Fungal Skin Cream
Phytoseptic Anti-Fungal Skin Cream – This natural multi-purpose antiseptic cream is a first aid kit essential, particularly if the men in your life are prone to cuts and wounds! Be it for your father, son, brother or significant other; the Botani Phytoseptic Anti-Fungal Skin Cream is the perfect natural salve for everything from Tinea, ringworm, cuts, wounds and abrasions through to nappy rash, boils, eczema and dermatitis. If you're shopping for a tradesperson or even a man who plays a bit of footy on the weekend, tell them to keep this on hand- just in case!
Effective Multi-Tasker
If there's a thing that can be said about the way men approach skin care, it's that they love a good multitasker. Enter our Purify Facial Cleanser. Not only does this natural cleanser remove dirt and grime after a hard day, but it also doubles up as an effective, natural shaving foam to soothe and nourish the skin while preventing future irritations.


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We are registered with the Jersey Charities Commission. Beresford Street Kitchen Registered Charity Number 227 (Charities Commission Certificate 227). The Aspire Charitable Trust Registered Charity Number 226 (Charities Commission Certificate 226).
We are also registered as a Non-Profit Organisation under the Non-Profit Organisations (Jersey) Law 2008.
The letters from the Comptroller of Income Tax confirming our charitable status are available by clicking here (Non-Profit Organisation Registrations, Tax Clearance, COIT Letter)
The Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (originally incorporated under the name TACT Jersey Limited) is available by clicking here (Memorandum and Articles of Association, Special Resolution, Certification of Incorporation)
The 2022 Financial Statements are available here.
The names of the Board of Trustees of The Aspire Charitable Trust are Julian Clyde-Smith, Eleanor Christie, Paul Watson, Valerie Cartwright, Paul Burton, Paul Routier, Ross Willcox, Jonathan Le Maistre.
The names of the Board of Directors of Beresford Street Kitchen are Julian Clyde-Smith (Chair), Valerie Cartwright (Vice Chair), Eleanor Christie, Paul Watson, Paul Burton, Paul Routier, Ross Willcox, Jonathan Le Maistre.


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Did you know that the sun is hot? Indeed it is! But what about those cold winter days when the temps drop to below 30? Is the sun still hot? Yes! So if there was a way to capture the heat from the sun and not have to use fossil fuels or electricity from the grid (coal mostly in this area), wouldn't it be a fantastic idea to do that? Well, I've found some designs online that do just that. We're currently working on building a version of one of them to install on the basement of the house. Hopefully within the next few weeks we'll be able to post here some preliminary results!
For those of you who follow me (David) on Facebook, you might also know that I'm working on a compost based water heater. You see, as a small horse facility, our horses produce manure. That manure has to get cleaned out of their stalls from the small amount of time that they spend in there. However, what many people see as waste, we see as opportunity. Did you know that in just a 500 pound mound of compost – manure, leaves, grass clippings, table scraps, etc. – there are over 4,000,000 BTUs of energy?
So how do we get that energy into a usable form? Well, with the right carbon to nitrogen mixture (different materials are high in carbon while others are high in nitrogen) and some water, compost piles can heat up to 170 degrees in the middle. The average home water heater is set somewhere between 115 and 140 degrees and the average hot shower is 107 degrees.
So what if we took this heat and extracted it somehow? Well, that's exactly what we're working on doing. After quite a bit of research, I'm working on building a prototype of the system to heat up around 110 gallons of water to act as a heat exchanger. At first we'll primarily be providing hot water for the wash racks for the barn. Since it appears that we'll have plenty of excess heat available to us, we might run a couple of hoses in a loop to the house and back with a radiator to let that heat migrate into the house for when the sun isn't heating up our solar heater.
So stay tuned. I'll get some pictures up here in the next week or so as our eco friendly projects progress.


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Start your day with five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere.
Later today on HarpinOnRugby…
our Ulster v Leinster writeup
is titled "Needs and Wants"
"Gatland was still coaching (Wales), wasn't he? He was still sitting next to Howley in the coaches' box anyway." - David Nucifora
Cian Tracey - Irish Independent
After all negativity surrounding Irish rugby this season, the IRFU's fire power may yet prove to be a game changer
Alan Drumm - Pundit Arena
Ulster could make the top four with a bonus-point defeat or even if taking nothing from the Liberty Stadium, provided Munster ensured the same fate for the Scarlets at Thomond Park.
Gerry Thornley - Irish Times
'You have to be your best on your worst day.'
Megan Williams - SportsJOE.ie
"It's a sad day but they'll bounce back if they stick together because they've got so many of the building blocks in place." - Conor O'Shea
Robert Kitson - The Guardian
Note - views expressed in "Front Five" links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby


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Looking for ways to improve the appearance of your home? And more importantly on a budget? Our years of patio, window, gutter and awning cleaning have made us experts in knowing how to make the outside of a home look great! Here are some simple tips you can implement today.
1. Outdoor Lighting
Brighten up those dark nights with some stylish outdoor light fittings. They are a great way to make your home more welcoming even during the Vancouver's gloomiest of days. As summer is just around the corner, why not try some fairy lights too. But beware, the extra light may highlight some areas that'll need your attention. But don't worry, if you notice you're in need of some a pressure washing or an awning cleaning appointment, we're here!
2. Awning Cleaning
Since we've mentioned awning cleaning – it is a great way to spruce up your curb appeal. Perhaps you've noticed our vans around Downtown Vancouver? If so, we've probably been attending awning cleaning appointments at some of your best loved retails stores and restaurants. Businesses know the impact, freshly cleaned glass and fabric awnings have on creating a positive image. So if they're doing it, why not do the same at your home?
3. Window Plants
Whether you live in an apartment or house, some plant filled window boxes can turn your home into one good enough to star in a fancy home design brochure. The best thing about it? You can tend to the plants through the window from the warmth of your own home. As passers by will be begin to admire your pretty window plants, make sure they don't get distracted by dirty windows. Staying on top of your window cleaning will be a must!
4. Welcome Mat
If you're wanting to make your home more welcoming, there's no better place to start than with a welcome mat. Whether you opt for a traditional one, or a personalized one, you and your guests will feel suitably welcomed every time you reach the front door.
5. Window Shutters
If you're ready for a slightly larger change, try installing some window shutters. Not only do they look great but, for those times in between window cleaning appointments, close the shutters and nobody will see the dirty windows!
Once you've finished giving your home a mini-makeover, contact us to add the finishing touches. Whether you're interested in multiple exterior cleaning services or just window, gutter or awning cleaning, you can request a quote or appointment using our online form today.


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The Archer
Completed Novemeber 2016
This is one of my current builds that is in the final stages of completion. It has been a long build, maybe four years in total - not that I spent four years solid on this fella. He was shelved after some attempts at using wooden cams to control his movements failed. I do not have a great amount of time or a well-stocked workshop, so solutions came slowly.
I finally opted to replace the traditional cams used for this sort of Karakuri with an Arduino controlled array of servos, carefully hidden in the display case.
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Bones & Treats
At Raw K9, we believe in using every part of the animals that we humanely harvest in order to support sustainable food practices and optimal nutrition in every dog. By featuring such parts as the organ, kidney, liver, sweetbread, green trip, and more, your dog gets essential nutrients that commercial dog food simply cannot offer. Featuring 100% pasture-raised beef that is always GMO-, hormone-, and antibiotic free, our whole meats and organs can provide your fur babies with the nutrients they need to fully thrive. Our beef, rabbit, duck, quail, turkey, and other meats are always human-grade and USDA-approved to ensure that your dog's meals are both nutritious and delicious. Your dog deserves the best. Show them how much they mean to you with whole meats and organs from Raw K9.


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OEM Ford Bronco II Parts and Accessories
Select The Year Of Your Vehicle Below
BlueSpringsFordParts.com is the best place to find authentic, OEM parts for your Ford Bronco II. You can be assured that all of our parts are authentic factory parts - we do not sell cheap aftermarket imitations.
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Accurate 5744 – 1 lb: Product Information
Accurate Powders is an American company that definitely lives up to its name. The complete line of smokeless powders for handguns, rifles, and shotguns is engineered and lab-tested to maximize precision and performance. Accurate uses the best ballistic technicians and the highest quality components together to assure that every gun is better served with Accurate Powders. Accurate 5744 is an extremely fast burning, double-base, extruded powder. This unique powder can be used in a wide range of rifle calibers and magnum handguns. Accurate 5744 is characterized by excellent ignition and consistency over a very wide performance range. Low bulky density and superior ignition characteristics make 5744 an excellent choice for reduced loads in many rifle calibers and in large capacity black powder cartridges such as the 45-70 through 45-120 and 50-90 through 50-120.
Warnings from the Manufacturer:
•Do not exceed the loads displayed in the reloaders guide.
•Never mix any two powders regardless of type, brand, or source.
•Never substitute any smokeless powder for Black Powder or any Black Powder substitute.
Additional information
|18.48 oz
|2.875 × 4.125 × 5.75 in
1 lb, 4 lb, 8 lb
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Last Thursday (I know I'm late on this post) after work, KK, Lynn, and I got together at one of our LQS to take the Fiesta! class. It meets every other Thursday night for 3 sessions. In this class we made block 3 which combines paper piecing and curves, which I've done before.
This was my first block. If you remember my previous post where I showed the fabrics I'm using, I picked brown, teal, and rust batiks.
I love that we're all using batiks. I've been trying to use them more regularly in my quilting. I've tended to stick to printed cottons, but I really want to branch out. I love batiks and I don't know why I don't use them more.
I hope to have all 8 blocks of this particular block done by our next class on the 18th. My first priority is to get the binding attached to my cousin's quilt for their bridal shower on the 21st. Must finish!!!!!


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North Wales Self Catering cottage, Gwern Tyno, Colwyn Bay, sleeps 4
Areas: North Wales
Booking through:
01244 352 197
Sleeps a maximum of: 4
Pricing From: £308.00
This detached bungalow is set in the Nant-y-Glyn Valley just outside Colwyn Bay on the North Wales coast and can sleep four people in two bedrooms.
Gwern Tyno is a detached bungalow, close to the owners' farm house in the Nant-y-Glyn Valley just a short drive from Colwyn Bay on the North Wales coast. With one double and one twin bedroom as well as a family bathroom, this cottage can sleep four people. The cottage also contains a fitted kitchen and a sitting room with a dining area and patio doors.
To the outside of the cottage is the use of a large garden and plenty of off road parking. Just a couple of miles from the beach, yet just a short distance from the Welsh mountains, Gwern Tyno is a lovely holiday cottage no matter what you plan to do on your holiday.
Great Stay
?We've just returned from a great week away, staying at Gwern Tyno. When we first arrived we received a great welcome, and the owners were always very friendly and available if we needed anything. The cottage itself had everything we needed, had been fairly recently decorated, and was child friendly. The location itself was a great base for exploring north Wales. There is a single track road to the property, but this didn't cause us any issues at all. I would highly recommend the property, and we'll definitely be back.
Paul F
Fantastic place
Great if you want peace and quiet, the owners are freindly and their dog.ideal for snowdonia and local beaches. The cottage is very clean and tidy with very nice views.would highly reccomend.
Lovely accommodation in a beautiful location
The accommodation was clean comfortable and well equipped. Cottage is next to owners' property but felt private with living room patio doors and seating area outside overlooking open countryside. Perfect location with beautiful walks through nearby woods and easy base to reach local beaches, stores and for exploring surrounding area and Anglesey. We had no issue with the lane, there were lots of places to give way but we didn't need to use them. Would love to stay again.
Lovely cottage, beautiful views, friendly & helpful owner.
My daughter & myself spent a really pleasant week here recently. My daughter has special needs & is very fussy but she loved it here! Very clean cottage, extremely comfortable, all mod cons. Amazing views. Very helpful - but not intrusive - owner. I was initially worried about the road leading up to the property but didn't find it a problem. Close to many of North Wales' attractions.
Keith W
The cottage is in a really quiet location yet within easy distance of all the attractions this part of North Wales has to offer. The views from the cottage were lovely and it was very pleasant to sit and eat breakfast outdoors whilst looking at the view.
Mr Barrett
Parking Space
Linen provided
Washing Machine
High Chair
Single Beds
Double Beds
Twin Beds
Electric panel heaters and supplementary heaters
Electric cooker, microwave, fridge/freezer, automatic washer, TV, DVD
Electricity inc in rent
Bed linen inc in rent
Highchair available
Ample private parking
Use of large garden
Sorry, no pets and no smoking
Shop less than 2 miles, pub 15 mins walk, pub with restaurant 3 miles, beach less than 2 miles
towels & linen inc in rent
Get an Ordnance Survey map covering the Colwyn Bay area.
Nearest AttractionsHeritage Rated from 1- 5 (low-exceptional) on historic interest
Bodysgallen Hall - 3.3 miles (Garden)
Hendre Waelod Burial Chamber - 3.7 miles (Prehistoric Site)
Conwy Castle - 4 miles (Castle)
Aberconwy Abbey - 4 miles (Abbey)
Conwy Suspension Bridge - 4 miles (Historic Building)
Teapot World (Teapot Museum) - 4 miles (Museum)
Aberconwy House - 4 miles (Historic House)
Plas Mawr - 4.1 miles (Historic House)
Conwy, St Mary's and All Saints Church - 4.1 miles (Historic Church)
Conwy Town Walls - 4.1 miles (Historic Building)
Nearest Alternative Cottages
Old Colwyn, Gwynedd
Sleeps: 12
Stay from: £850.00 - 6922.00
Colwyn Bay, Clwyd
Sleeps: 20
Stay from: £1966.00 - 9702.00
Colwyn Bay, Clwyd
Sleeps: 6
Stay from: £416.00 - 2868.00
Details of facilities are believed correct at time of publication, but may be subject to change by the cottage proprietor. Up-to-the-minute facility listings will be always presented during the booking process for your approval.
UK Self Catering
England - Scotland - Wales
Popular Locations
Devon - Cornwall - Lake District - Highlands - North Wales - South West Wales


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For the second consecutive season, the Houston Texans qualified for the postseason. For the second consecutive season, the Texans defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round. And for the second consecutive season, the Texans' playoff run ended in the Divisional Round.
So, the Texans don't need much help, but they need some.
CBS Sports' NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang believes that help needs to come on the offensive side of the football. The Texans have their quarterback in Matt Schaub and are set at the running back position with Arian Foster. Their offensive line finished in the top ten in sacks allowed. The main offensive weakness, then, must lie at the wide receiver position.
Rob Rang thinks so. In his latest mock draft, he projects the Texans, with pick No. 27, to select wide receiver Tavon Austin out of West Virginia University.
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia: Andre Johnson re-emerged in 2012 as one of the NFL's elite wideouts but depth remains quite thin, especially with the torn Achilles suffered by Devier Posey in the playoff loss to New England. Austin's natural playmaking ability as a slot receiver would make him a natural fit -- and potential immediate impact weapon for a team looking to win now..
With the ever-increasing focus on the passing game in the NFL, the slot receiver position has never been more important. And a threat at the slot position could put Houston's offense over the top.
SB Nation's Dan Kadar does not agree and poses a valid case for Houston to improve their defense in the upcoming Draft with linebacker Kevin Minter out of LSU.
After losing Brian Cushing for the season, the Texans revealed a lack of depth at the inside linebacker spot. While Cushing will be back to full strength next season, Houston could use another option alongside him. Kevin Minter is the type of thumping linebacker who will become productive in this defense.


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If you missed part 1, see it here!
Where we left off…
Even though I had this new outlook in life and newly found confidence in myself, I was still stuck in my current job situation. I still haven't figured out my new path yet. I still very much felt lost in terms of work and what to do about it. Do I job search? Go back to school? I had no clue. Then something happened out of my control: I was laid off. Or, as they put it: " I am being displaced." Thanks.
Yes, most people would probably freak out at being laid off. Which I was, at first. Really, I felt hurt (and maybe embarrassed) that I was one of the chosen ones. But it was the best thing they could have done. I would have never left on my own. I still didn't have the courage to or a point of direction that would have allowed me to leave on my own. I needed that kick in the pants. I needed a push. Yes, it helped that I got a severance and unemployment. But those funds really don't last long when you have bills (plus thanks to taxes, they take like half that money away right off the bat, so you really don't get as much as you think you do on paper).
I got let go in November, so I decided that the following spring I would go back to school full time and finish my Masters in chemistry. For a few years at this point, I was going to school part time, which was taking forever since I was only taking 1-2 classes at time. I took this opportunity to at least finish this degree and be done with it. I only had four classes left, so I just took them all at once.
It was nice being in school full time again. Felt weird because I felt like the oldest one there (I was only like 29, but everyone else was right out of college, so I felt old). I also came from working full time for like 7 years, so I really felt like I was in a different mental place than everyone else. Even though it was a graduate program, majority of the students were in their early twenties and haven't really entered the work force yet (just out of undergrad). I remember thinking, "you have no idea what you are getting yourself into, " haha. (Mind you, I was just burned by the industry, so of course I was bitter).
However, during this time, I really enjoyed being home. Like a lot. I loved getting up and just starting my day when I wanted, and the only worry was going to class. I really wanted to take this opportunity and just catch up on life. Since I had this newly found time freedom, I told myself I have no excuse for getting myself healthy again. I realized that years of job stress contributed to me gaining weight and not putting consistent healthy habits first. I started to workout, everyday (no excuses!). I discovered Zuzkalight and HIIT workouts. I found out that I loved to workout at home and loved the intensity of the shorter workout model. I still workout to her everyday (well, not so much now during pregnancy, but still a few times a week. She is amazing.).
I created my own schedule and routine of getting up, having coffee, relaxing a bit, working out, and then continuing on with my day. I realized that working out first thing was the best for me, and it really set me up for the day. I had more energy and confidence throughout the day on the days I exercised first thing. I realized the importance of having a good morning routine to creating less stress for the rest of the day (now "morning routines" are all the rage, but back then you never heard about them, so this really was new found knowledge for me).
All these practices I started then, but I still do to this day because I realized that starting the day right, is very important to me. Getting up, having a cup of coffee, and just relaxing for the first hour of the day really does set the tone and mood (plus does anyone else notice that your first cup of coffee (or tea) is the best thing ever?). So, when I eventually did go back to work full time, I never gave this routine up. I rather go to work late, but in the right frame of mind, then start my day with stress and not having "my time." My productivity is actually better when my mornings are about me, so I always kept these little morning rituals going.
After the semester ended and it was was now summer I realized, "OMG, my first summer off in like 10 years"! It was amazing! I was able to visit my parents during the week and go to the beach. I was able to actually have a summer where it felt like summer. Forgot what that was like. Yes, I was starting to become a little more broke as time went on but I never really actively job hunted. I hated the idea of going to back to the pharmaceutical industry or corporate life, because I was so miserable before. Yes, finances were starting to stress me out, but I still wasn't ready yet and honestly, I didn't really know what to do. (I might have applied to some things online, just to say I did something, but my heart was never in it). I spent this time, still reading and listening to personal development books to keep my mindset in check. I knew that I had to in order to get through this. If I had dwelled on being unemployed or freaked out over my situation, I knew it would not help me. I sort of had this mentality, that everything will work out. I just didn't know how yet. (Yes, I know I was very lucky to go this long without a job and be able to do this. Disclaimer: I was still a consultant with Arbonne at this time too, so it wasn't completely like I was doing nothing. Doing that really helped with the sanity too).
To this day, I am very grateful to my husband for just letting me have this time without pressuring me to get a job. I told him,"everything will work out, it just sucks now". He really was good to me during this time and allowed me to just figure things out on my own. Yes, our savings was taking a huge hit and we had to cut back on a lot of things. However, reflecting back on this period now, I realized that I really needed time to "reset." It was like I had left a horrible relationship. I had to rediscover what I really wanted again and to put "me" first.
Right when money was about to become a real issue, something happened. I received an email from the chemistry department chair from my school about becoming an adjunct professor to teach lab. What?! Talk about timing. She knew I had industry experience, and was unemployed so asked me if I was interested. Mind you, I had no teaching experience and if you had asked me to teach like 5 years ago, I would have definitely said no (and thought you were crazy for even asking). But, I accepted. I felt very flattered that she would even consider me, so I jumped on it.
I was given a freshman chemistry lab course. It was the scariest thing I have done in a long time. I literally had no idea what I was doing. I just followed one of the other lab professors and thankfully, they have a really good lab coordinator who helped me a lot that year. But every single time I had to talk in front of the class, I turned beet red and basically fumbled my way through. This was entirely new territory to me. Since, I was home during the day, I was able to take the time to learn the material before each class so I didn't look completely stupid to them. I really wanted to be good at this. I would practice in front the mirror a lot and just walk through what I was going to say before each class, so I would feel more comfortable. It was a whole new experience for me.
It didn't take me long to discover something: I loved teaching. The students were so much fun and I loved showing them lab stuff. It did take me a looooog time to feel at least somewhat confident to talk at the chalkboard, but if I was showing them how to set up experiments or lab stuff, it felt very natural to me. I still loved being in a lab, even if it was just a freshman college lab. I spent 7-8 years in a industry lab setting. I knew some stuff (haha). I taught in a way that felt the most authentic for me. This whole teaching thing was actually kinda cool.
I taught two semesters of just lab. Loved every second of it. Plus, I liked the flexibility of it. Yes, class times were set, but the rest of the time was mine. Since I was only an adjunct, I only had to be there during my class time. I could prep and grade at home on my schedule. Before my third semester at working at the school, I was offered a class upgrade: lecture course. I had a meeting with the department chair and she offered me a chance to teach a lecture in the fall. I had two choices: forensic science (which, yes would have been an interesting class), and nutrition. Well, more specifically, Chemistry and Nutrition. In my head, I was shocked. A nutrition class!! Something about this opportunity felt very good. I mean, they were offering me a class to teach two of my favorite subjects: chemistry and healthy living. Talk about the universe talking. Of course, I jumped on it. I spent the last 10 years teaching myself how to be healthier and obsessing over all the nutrition info I was learning and reading. I really felt this was something, I was meant to do. It may sound so silly, but it felt like the universe really was telling me something at this moment. It truly felt like I was given a huge gift or a big slap in the face, "This is your path! Seize it!"
However, teaching a lecture is completely different than teaching lab. In lab, you are given everything. I didn't have to write up anything and the whole syllabus was given to me to how to run the class. But for lecture, I had to come up with everything. The lectures, the exams, and all the materials. I was given a book at the beginning and some old lectures/exams from when it was taught years ago which was a starting point. It gave me a baseline to work on. I basically just lectured straight from that book that first year. It gave me structure and a foundation.
That very first day, I was scared to death. Probably more freaked out than when I first starting teaching lab. This was my class. These students were completely dependent on me. Scary thought. I still feel bad for those first semester students. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was talking about. Also, I felt like I looked like a student, so it was a real test to my confidence. I somehow survived (and so did the students). But after that first semester, I realized that that was the most fun I have had in a long time "working."


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Throne of Glass (Prebound)
In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.
Sarah J. Maas is a New York native who currently lives in the California desert. "Throne of Glass" is her first novel.www.sarahjmaas.com


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James Bond has driven several different chase cars and getaway vehicles over the years, including a Lincoln Continental, Range Rover Classic and a 1930 Bentley 4 1/2 liter. But Bond's longest partnership undoubtedly is with Aston Martin, dating back to 1964 with the introduction of the DB5 in "Goldfinger." Almost 50 years later, the DB5 made an appearance as 007's vehicle again in "Skyfall." This year's movie features an Aston Martin.
The British manufacturer made 10 examples, labeled the DB10, and next year one of the luxury vehicles will be auctioned off. But don't start planning your adventures as a secret agent just yet. The owner of the DB10 will not be able to drive the sports car around town because it is not certified to be on the road.
As for the villain's car, the Jaguar C-X75, it too was made solely for the movie franchise. Only seven were built, and Jag says that, unfortunately, they are not for sale. The C-X75 was first introduced at the 2010 Paris Motor Show but never went into production. Keep an eye out for seven Range Rover Sport SVRs and 10 Land Rover Defenders that were also customized for the film.


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Update 15 November 2016: my posts on Cynthia Mulligan have had a lot of traffic after comic and host Mike Bullard was charged with criminal harassment of the reporter. Mike left his Newstalk 1010 gig on October 5th after he was charged. He is reported to have said that he didn't stalk or harass Cynthia whom he dad dated in the past.
http://torontogp.blogspot.ca/2011/10/television-news-reporters-and-anchors.html, http://torontogp.blogspot.ca/2009/12/cynthia-mulligan-reporting-for-citytv.html and http://torontogp.blogspot.ca/2012/08/cynthia-mulligan-at-aloha-toronto.html.


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Fall in love with Philadelphia, the first World Heritage City in the U.S and second largest city on the East Coast. Visit Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Liberty Bell, two of 67 National Historical Landmarks in a walkable, charming, colonial neighbourhood with cobblestone streets.
Renowned for its arts and culture, Philadelphia is a city for art lovers. Don't miss The Barnes Foundation, the world's largest private collection of post-impressionist art, more than 200 galleries within the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the first and oldest art museum and art school in the United States, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Enjoy the urban outdoors in Philadelphia's lively and walkable Centre City District by joining a walking tour of many of the more than 4,000 murals in this city, known as the Mural Capital of the World.
While in Philadelphia, do not miss the famous Philly cheesesteak or explore the city's dynamic dining scene offering more than 1,000 restaurants and bars in Centre City to whet any appetite.
Take advantage of great shopping, as Philadelphia offers tax-free shopping on all clothes and shoes, making it more affordable than any other large city.
Philadelphia's rich history and modern energy make it the perfect destination for visitors from across the world. Easy to get to and affordable - with something for everyone.
Make Philadelphia a part of your next American adventure. #discoverPHL


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The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the desperation to win next month's election has resorted to vote buying in order to remain in power.
It has emerged that the Mahama campaign is busily distributing Kia Picanto 1.0 vehicle to students on the campuses of the various tertiary institutions in the country as part of President John Mahama's desperate bid to win over young voters in the various tertiary institutions across the country. The distribution machine is being coordinated under the "Movement For Mahama" group headed by Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, who is the younger brother of Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, the 2012 Campaign coordinator of President John Dramani Mahama, as well as the "Youth For Mahama" campaign group headed by Okay FM's Abeiku Santana.
The students who are beneficiaries of these vehicles have been told that the vehicles will become theirs on condition that they work to ensure victory for John Mahama in the coming elections. Lots of these vehicles have been cited on campuses such as the University of Ghana, Legon, the City Campus of the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Accra Polytechnic and Koforidua Polytechnic. At a time when GETFund contractors are complaining over unpaid arrears for work done whiles capitation grant to basic schools has not been paid for well over a year, when subsidies to senor high schools has not been paid, the NDC government has found money to buy vehicles to bait students for votes.
Meanwhile, former President, John Agyekum Kufuor has asked Ghanaians not to allow themselves to be influenced with money ahead of the December elections. He said the NDC are just spending money anyhow. Don't be influenced with money. Even if you give them 10 more years in addition to the 23 years they have spent in government, they will still fail the country. Ex-President Kufuor said the ruling NDC has failed to make the lives of Ghanaians better and has resorted to buying votes to avoid defeat.
Worshipping at the Kumasi Central Mosque with the NPP's vice presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, ex-President Kufuor said: NDC is claiming credit for schools they didn't build. Also road that they didn't build, they said they were constructed during their tenure and same applied to hospitals among others. He said: "We want someone to serve the nation. When the NPP was in power, banks were chasing you with loans.
The NDC is now managing the country's finance without accounting for a penny. They are giving chiefs four-wheel drives and giving motor bikes to young men in return for their votes.
Source: The Ghanaian Observer
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the desperation to win next month's election has resorted to vote buying in order to remain in power.


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Peoria IL Probate Attorney
- Bankruptcy law
- Family law
- Business matters
- Criminal law
If you are in need of an attorney for any legal matter related to the above areas, call us today for a free consultation. Attorney Ed Weer has been practicing law for over thirty years and is dedicated to helping the Peoria community. Contact our office to meet with a Peoria IL probate attorney to discuss your situation. Your first appointment with Ed Weer, a probate attorney in Peoria IL, can be at no charge to you. It is also confidential.
Probate Law
If the deceased does not have a will, and no one files for estate proceedings in probate court, what happens to their estate depends on the type of assets involved and if they had any debts or other financial obligations that need to be paid off. A skilled Peoria IL probate attorney such as Ed Weer can determine which legal options may be a good choice. He may also be able to assist with settling estate issues and conflicts between feuding family members.
If no one ends up filing for court proceedings, the entire property, or at least some of it, may be lost. The lender may have to foreclose on the home if there is a mortgage that still needs to be paid off. There may not be anyone working to settle the estate and resolve any outstanding issues. Valuable items such as vehicles or heirlooms may also be lost or damaged if no one is looking after the assets and no family member has taken any legal action regarding the estate. A Peoria IL probate attorney can help resolve any number of issues related to the probate process or settling the estate. For instance, attorney Ed Weer can help determine if a vehicle is considered abandoned property, and if so, what must be done to remove it from the property.
The probate process in Illinois is a legal proceeding that settles all legal issues related to a decedent's estate. Probate can be initiated by an executor who is nominated by the decedent in a will, and appointed by the court. Their responsibilities can include:
- Gather and document the decedent's assets.
- Pay the decedent's debts and final expenses.
- Distribute the decedent's property to those who are named in the will or who are otherwise entitled to receive the property by law.
If the decedent did not have a will at the time of his or her death, then a person can be appointed as the administrator by filing a petition with the court and the court's approval. An administrator can perform much the same functions as an executor: gather assets, pay debts and final expenses, and distribute property to those who are entitled to receive it by law. Because the decedent did not leave a will, the law of intestacy states who and how the administrator is to distribute property belonging to the decedent at the time of his or her death.
"Peoria residents need will lawyers who understand the complex probate law."
Probate proceedings can range from very simple administration to very complex. The reasons for how or why a Probate proceeding may be more complex are many and varied. Examples may include an unhappy heir, or child, who believes that he or she did not receive a fair share of a parent's or other relative's estate. Other issues may involve those who take unfair advantage of an elderly person before his or her death, and exerts undue influence over the elderly person so that he or she writes his or her will in a manner that does not truly reflect their true intentions. Still other reasons may involve poor planning on the part of the decedent before his or her death.
The attorneys at Smith & Weer, P.C. can provide you with a Peoria IL probate attorney, and have more than 35 years of handling Probate estates. Some of these Probates are of the more complex nature as mentioned above. The objective of Smith & Weer, P.C. is to expedite the handling of estate matters, to settle the estate, and to distribute the estate's property to the proper beneficiaries in a timely and cost-effective way.
Contact a Peoria IL Probate Lawyer Today
Contact a Peoria IL probate attorney at Smith & Weer today. We understand the hardships, financial strain, and stress a legal matter can cause and we make every effort to help you receive the outcome you desire. Probate cases can put a strain on families and even cause division amongst closest members. We can try to make this process as smooth and easy as possible for you. Attorney Ed Weer is thoroughly familiar with probate law and understands what can be done to conclude the process as expeditiously as possible.
Smith & Weer, P.C. can provide you with a Peoria IL probate attorney who can represent your best interests. The sooner you contact our office, the sooner we can get started on your case if you decide to move forward with resolving the probate issues with which you are concerned.
We look forward to hearing from you and to helping you in any way we can. A Peoria IL probate attorney from our legal firm can address your questions and concerns; call Smith & Weer today at (309) 347-4300 for a free, no-obligation consultation regarding your probate matter.
Very professional, walked us through our case, did everything they said they would do. Got us a very satisfying outcome in our favor. I reccomend if you have a case and need someone to stand for you, call Smith and Were.
Professional, knowledgeable, accessible, and friendly! I've worked with Ed quite a bit, and he's genuinely interested in doing whatever he can do to help people. I would highly recommend him.
The attorneys are very skilled at what they do.
Attorney Ed Weer


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This article is an update to the story: Australia Votes on Saturday.
Though most experts believed Prime Minister Scott Morrison would lose Australia's election, they were proved wrong once the votes were counted. Mr. Morrison and his Coalition government have beaten Bill Shorten's Labor party.
Experts are still trying to figure out how they got the prediction so wrong. Most of the predictions were based on calling people to ask how they were going to vote.
Mr. Morrison was pleased, if not surprised. "I have always believed in miracles," he said.


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Hike to Sicamous Lookout
Once the house boaters wrap up the season after September's Labour Day long weekend, there's a slower pace in Sicamous, with fewer faces around town and on local trails. It's a good time to tackle the one-kilometre hike (after a 11-km bumpy drive on a forestry road) to Sicamous Lookout, which has the best view in the north Okanagan. From the iconic wooden platform—used as a take-off point for hang gliders—you'll see both Mara and Shuswap lakes shimmering to the southwest, with the town of Sicamous below.
Fall is also an ideal time to mountain bike the Larch Hills Traverse, a 38-km cross-country single-track trail between Sicamous and Salmon Arm that rolls past rock gardens and lake viewpoints, and through forests of larch trees that turn bright gold in October before dropping their needles. Base yourself at the Anchor Riverfront Motel, right on the Eagle River. The property has clean, comfortable rooms plus RV spots along the river's edge.


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"Preko "Elegy" do neba"... kaže portal Glas.ba;)Read More
We released our third official single "Elegy"! Hear it out! It came from within;)Read More
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On the evening show of Croatian Radio HRT1 Split our second single "Love Is Gonna Come" was added to "URBIS" singles chart!Read More
On radio show "Blues For You" (12.11.2019.) we were introduced with our first single Not My Circus (Not My Monkeys) and inteviewed on the next show!Read More
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Our second official single "Love Is Gonna Come" came first on Muzika.hr music portal singles chart this September!Read More


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With the amount of #streetstyle post online, it can be difficult to find the best style tips and influences for you. But no worries, we are here to help. Let check our list of best instagram accounts you should be following to add an extra edge to your everyday look.
Brandon Dominquez (@brandond90)
Brandon Dominquez (@brandond90) is an fashion KOL online with 209K followers. He has builded a good collection of everyday street style for every guy can pull off. The most worn items are ribbed jeans, oversized hoodie and denim, finish his outfit with highlights of rings and other accessories.
Mr. Fallback (@lukasabbat)
Mr. Fallback (@lukasabbat) has become one of the icon on instagram with 2.7m followers including international celebrity followers like DJ Kim Lee from LA, Tai wan TV host Kangyong Cai, Queer and musician Rigel Gemini from NY etc. With his french and american culture background, he was able to develop an unique taste of fashion, in easy switching from formal to casual occasion.
Daniel Ocean (@mr.danielocean)
Toronto based menswear and lifestyle blogger, Daniel Ocean shares with us a range of his simple, clean yet stylish street looks which is easy to learn and follow. Because he is a co-founder of an media management company as well so the layout and tone of colour are also very please to look at.
Men With Street Style (@menwithstreetstyle)
Part of the "MenWith" group, collecting a range of headless shots of the biggest men's street/ urban fashion influencers, so you can brower all the best style out there in one platform.
Pable Pavez (@pablopavez)
Pable Pavez (@pablopavez) is a Sweden-based skateboarder who passion for streetwear and art. Due to his hobby as a skateboarder that affect his choices of outfit which made him unique and stand out from the majority. His favourite items are bomber jacket and sterling silver accessories.
- https://www.instagram.com/wowa_valentino/
- https://www.hotdrops.com/uk/blog/best-male-street-style-instagram-accounts
- https://www.instagram.com/dandrobe/
- https://www.instagram.com/streetsfashions/?hl=en
- https://www.esquire.com/uk/style/news/g5712/instagrams-most-stylish-men/


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Product Overview
Schluter Kerdi Waterproofing Membrane - Give us a CALL we can explore the best freight options for you!
Schluter®-KERDI is a pliable sheet-applied waterproofing membrane and vapor-retarder designed for the direct application of tile. KERDI is ideal for use in tiled showers, bathtub surrounds, residential steam showers, and other tile applications in wet areas.
- Sheet-applied polyethylene waterproofing membrane and vapor retarder
- Eliminates water damage which can lead to mold and mildew
- Features a modified polyethylene (PEVA) core with non-woven polyproplyene on both sides
- Features an anchoring fleece on both sides to anchor the membrane in thin-set mortar
- Ideal for waterproofing in conjunction with tiled surfaces on walls and floors
- KERDI is 8-mil-thick and guarantees uniform thickness
Schluter®-KERDI is a pliable, sheet-applied, bonded waterproof membrane and vapor retarder with limited crack-bridging capabilities. KERDI features a modified polyethylene (PEVA) core with non-woven polyproplyene on both sides to anchor the membrane in the thin-set mortar. KERDI was developed as a waterproofing membrane to be used in conjunction with ceramic and stone tile coverings. Tiles can be installed directly on KERDI using the thin-bed method. Other trowel-applied covering materials, such as plaster, can also be used.
KERDI has been evaluated according to the "Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical Emissions from Indoor Sources Using Environmental Chambers, Version 1.1" for California Specification 01350 and found to comply with the VOC requirements. California Specification 01350 is referenced by various green building standards and rating systems.


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NY Times Best Seller Author Sharyn McCrumb (Blog Post)
Title: NY Times Best Seller Author Sharyn McCrumb
Author: Angela Wright
Abstract: Sharyn McCrumb, author of "St. Dale," spoke to the community, faculty, and students on October 11 about auto racing in Virginia, particularly at the Martinsville Speedway, and about Dale Earnhardt..Sharyn, a Virginia native, writes primarily about Virginia history in her fiction.
Date: 10/10/2016
Primary URL: http://http://sharynmccrumb.com/
Primary URL Description: This website is the link to the author Sharyn McCrumb and her books.
Secondary URL: http://https://youtu.be/_jApfHyivHA
Secondary URL Description: This link is for the youtube video of Sharyn McCrumb's speech on 10/10/16 when she spoke to NEH participants, students, and the community,.
Blog Title: St. Dale by Sharyn McCrumb
Website: Sharyn McCrumb
Jack Tales and Rex Stephenson (Blog Post)
Title: Jack Tales and Rex Stephenson
Author: Richard Chase
Author: Rex Stephenson
Abstract: Rex Stephenson is professor emeritus at Ferrum College in Ferrum, VA. He studied Jack Tales storytelling and started a traveling theatre group who told Jack Tales to students across Virginia. When Rex Stephenson spoke to our faculty and students, he told 3 tales about Jack and used audience members to participate in the storytelling.
Date: 11/4/16
Primary URL: http://http://www.appalachianhistory.net/2016/04/jack-tales-not-just-beanstalks.html
Primary URL Description: This website is from an article by Dave Tabler about storytelling. Tabler states that Jack Tales are meant to be told, not read. Telling stories is an Appalachian tradition, which is quickly fading.
Secondary URL: http://https://www.ibiblio.org/bawdy/folklore/tales.html
Secondary URL Description: This site lists some of the Jack Tales.
Blog Title: Jack Tales. Not just beanstalks.
Website: The Jack Tales. Not just beanstalks.
Rex Stephenson Jack Tales talk (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Rex Stephenson Jack Tales talk
Writer: Richard Chase
Writer: Rex Stephenson
Producer: Randy Ferguson
Abstract: This is the video of Rex Stephenson's talk on Jack Tales to the Patrick Henry Community College Humanities faculty and students.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://https://youtu.be/n4EM__I_JA4
Primary URL Description: Rex Stephenson, Professor Emeritus at Ferrum College, told Jack Tale stories with help from the audience and talked about the importance of storytelling in communities.
Format: Video
Format: Digital File
Format: Web
Sharyn McCrumb "St. Dale" book talk (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Sharyn McCrumb "St. Dale" book talk
Writer: Sharyn McCrumb
Producer: Randy Ferguson
Abstract: Sharyn McCrumb spoke about racing in Virginia, particularly Martinsville Speedway, and the Dale Earnhardt effect.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://https://youtu.be/_jApfHyivHA
Primary URL Description: This is a private link to the author talk by Sharyn McCrumb on racing and her book St. Dale.
Access Model: private youtube channel by speaker's request
Format: Video
Format: Digital File
Format: Web
Beth Macy and her book Factory Man (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Beth Macy and her book Factory Man
Writer: Beth Macy
Producer: Randy Ferguson
Abstract: This is a youtube video of the author Beth Macy speaking at Patrick Henry Community College on September 20, 2016 about her book Factory Man. Factory Man is about John Bassett, son of the found of Bassett Furniture, who refused to send his products to China for production. Instead, JBIII as his is known, continued producing Bassett Furniture in Galax, VA, and successfully sued China over a product design.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://https://youtu.be/mnyscjMRsVI
Primary URL Description: Beth Macy speaking to the PHCC faculty, students, and community about her book "Factory Man." Many of the people who lost their jobs and were featured in the book came to see Ms. Macy.
Access Model: This is a private video open to humanities faculty and the speaker.
Format: Video
Format: Digital File
Format: Web
Henry Wiencek, NY Times best selling author of "The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White" (Blog Post)
Title: Henry Wiencek, NY Times best selling author of "The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White"
Author: Marvin Hairston
Abstract: Henry Wiencek, NY Times best selling author of "The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White" spoke to faculty, students, and the community about the Hairstons who owned slaves in VA and NC. The slaves took their owner's name, and now the Hairston family reunion, held every Labor Day weekend in Baltimore, is an event for the descendants of the original slaves. This event is the largest recorded family reunion in the United States. They now offer the John W. Hairston Memorial Scholarship each year.
Date: 2/22/17
Primary URL: http://http://hairstonclan.site44.com/index.html
Primary URL Description: This site explores the history, reunions, and scholarship for the black Hairstons.
Secondary URL: http://http://www.hairston.org/
Secondary URL Description: This site explores the history of the slave owner Peter Hairston and gives information on his family, the timeline, property owned, and cemeteries.
Website: Hairston Clan
National Collegiate for Honors Council (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: National Collegiate for Honors Council
Abstract: Dean Terry Young and Project Director Angela Wright attended the NCHC conference in Seattle in October 2016 to learn more about setting up an Honors program at Patrick Henry Community College.
Date Range: October 2016
Location: Seattle, Washington
Primary URL: http://http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/nchc.site-ym.com/resource/collection/074ead02-e1b5-4968-8a29-542a4a54f744/Official-Program-2016a.pdf?hhSearchTerms=%222016+and+conference%22
Primary URL Description: The link is for the program for the 2016 conference in Seattle.
Martin Clark, author (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Martin Clark, author
Writer: Holly Kozelsky, Martinsville Bulletin Staff Writer
Director: Randy Ferguson
Producer: Randy Ferguson
Abstract: Judge Martin Clark, NY Times best selling author, spoke about his latest novel "The Jezebel Remedy" to a group of faculty, students, staff, and community members. Clark spoke about writing about local places in Martinsville, Henry and Patrick Counties, and Franklin County. He also discussed using real people as well as their names and told how he arrives at a storyline/plot. Clark also discussed the importance of storytelling as an art, and how it communicates the uniqueness of community.
Date: 03/30/17
Primary URL: https://youtu.be/skRrxrboMuo
Primary URL Description: Judge Martin Clark, author, speaking to Patrick Henry Community College faculty and guests about writing.
Secondary URL: http://http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/news/regret-and-penance-stuart-author-talks-about-latest-book/article_21615ccf-9f3e-5f7e-a7c0-7fa98a98b4b8.html
Secondary URL Description: Martinsville Bulletin print story about Clark's talk at Patrick Henry Community College.
Format: Digital File
Booker T. Washing National Monument (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Booker T. Washing National Monument
Abstract: Faculty visited the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Franklin Co, VA, with tour guide and historian Timothy Simms.
Author: Angela Wright
Date: 04/06/2017
Location: Booker T. Washington National Monument, Franklin County
Primary URL: http://https://www.nps.gov/bowa/index.htm
Permalink: https://apps.neh.gov/publicquery/products.aspx?gn=AE-247973-16


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A Plague Tale: Innocence is a hard sell, but now that it's got a free demo on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, you can see for yourself why it's racked up so many reviews calling it heartbreaking and compelling, if a bit uneven. You can find the demo on Steam, Xbox Live, or the PlayStation Store, and if you like what you see, you'll be able to get the full game at its lowest price ever this weekend.
A Plague Tale is a stealth-puzzle game about two siblings, Amicia and Hugo, who're on the run in a plague-stricken feudal France. The actual gameplay consists mostly of hiding from and guards and rats - or, failing that, distracting or disabling them. It's a game driven by its characters, and its mechanics don't really ramp up until the second half, so it may still be difficult to get a sense of things from its limited demo, which only includes the first of a whopping 17 chapters. But as we said in our A Plague Tale: Innocence review, it's worth getting invested.
"Hugo's mannerisms are childish in all the right ways: he asks simple questions about dead bodies, skips along with frogs, gets distracted by fruit, just wants to see his mummy," our review reads. "It all makes you realise how strange the world of A Plague Tale: Innocence is, with unobtrusive regular exposition from soldiers that keeps you up to speed on the story, all set in a phenomenally beautiful (yet horrific) world. The eerie combination of all that lets A Plague Tale: Innocence retain its tense horror factor, with stealth sections leaving you carefully planning out whether it's better to kill enemies and risk detection, or simply let them be."
These are the best games of 2019 so far.


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Should You Change to Organic Hair Color?
The warnings about the cancer risk present in conventional hair coloring are prominent on any hair color packaging. These products contain well known carcinogenic substances like PPD, toluene and paraben. Hair coloring is known to contain ammonia, too – a substance that is powerful enough that it poses a health risk to hairdressers who simply work with the substance, rather than use it themselves.
Obviously, it makes a lot of sense to look for organic(*) hair color that avoids the use of these harmful chemicals.
The early organic color products were quite terrible. Some of them were caustic enough to burn people's scalps. They were worse than conventional chemical-based hair color. The newest kinds of hair color have come quite far, though. Not only do many of them leave carcinogenic chemicals behind, they don't even use ammonia – the substance that conventional hair coloring formulations use to make hair permeable to dyes.
If they don't use ammonia to make hair permeable, what do they use?
Usually, they use a product like alkaline oil that is able to soften hair. Looking through the ingredients list on any organic hair color product, though, you are likely to notice that there many that sounded decidedly non-organic – PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, PEG-2, PPD and so on. How can a product that calls itself organic get away with this?
Hair color technology hasn't advanced to a level that they can achieve reasonable results purely with organic ingredients. What they do, though, is to minimize synthetic chemical content. Organic dye formulations usually only contain conventional hair color chemicals to about 2% to 4% of their volume.
Does organic hair color actually work?
The first thing that you are likely to notice is that you aren't asked to protect the skin around your hairline with cream – natural hair color doesn't stain skin the way conventional chemical color products do.
Once you're done and have washed your hair, you are likely to notice that your hair feels much softer and appears shinier than it would after a conventional coloring.
The question that most people have in mind is – does it last as well as permanent hair coloring does conventionally? Surprisingly, it does easily last a month.
Happily, organic hair color isn't unduly expensive
There are many trusted organic brands in the hair color business today. Names like Tints of Nature, EcoColors and Nature Tint cost around $15 (£9 ) for a 4 ounce pack.
If you need to color your hair and tend to worry about the long-term affects you might have to face up to using harsh chemicals on your scalp, organic hair color is the way to go. It could work great for people who have sensitive and easily irritated skin, too.


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Check out For All My Life I'll Feel It: Lack of Empathy Kills User Adoption by Sameer Bendre. Here is an excerpt:
User adoption is the Holy Grail. Yet, it eludes you, and you don't know why. Your software or app is brilliant. Everyone on your team says so. Management is over the moon. Months later, it's basically an icon or tile sitting on a screen, ignored and idle. What happened?
Software delivery…
The full article is available here.


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UNIQ reveals comeback schedule for Korea and China
On April 13th, boy group UNIQ dropped an image announcing their upcoming comeback schedule.
After having made their initial comeback announcement, the group has provided more details on the release of their first mini-album.
The five-member group will be making a comeback with two different title tracks; while they will be returning with "EOEO" in Korea, they will be returning with "Listen to Me" in China.
Late April will be a busy season for the group as these comebacks are back to back to back with Korea on April 22nd, China on April 23rd, and the mini-album and music videos being released on April 24th.
The dramatic image shows a brewing storm in the back, increasing fans' anticipation for UNIQ's new tracks.
Take a peek here:
D-10! pic.twitter.com/54khrDpr8R
— Official_UNIQ (@UNIQ_5) April 12, 2015


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Partner Of —
By Rachael Carnes
SALLY (Born Sarah) — 14 years old.
ELIZABETH (Called "Betty") — Sarah's mother.
SUSANNA — Sarah's grandmother, a ghost.
(These three women should be played by African-American performers.)
SETTING: Underneath Monticello, in the mansion's south wing — In a cold, windowless room laid with plaster and brick.
TIME: 2018 and 1787
At rise, lights up half on a space, cordoned off with string tied to four posts, like an archaeological site, 13.8 feet wide and 14 feet long, the size of Sally Heming's windowless room at Monticello, where she bore six of Thomas Jefferson's children. The space features a twin bed, a small table with a ceramic pitcher and washing bowl and a clipping from a flowering dogwood, the state flower of Virginia. Somewhere within the space sits a fire poker.
SUSANNA stands in a pool of bright light, wearing a dress and head covering in the style of the Hausa people of Nigeria. It should appear as though she has been beaten down with dust.
As SUSANNA's opening monologue develops, SALLY puts on a white apron, washing her hands and face in the water, while her mother, ELIZABETH, wrings out and gives her daughter a make-shift washcloth, preening her daughter's clothes.
The three women stay within the confines of the demarcated space.
SUSANNA: (To the audience.) Human beings are not well-adapted to burns. That's why they hurt more than a cut — When you get a burn, at first, you might not notice it — Well, you notice it, but it doesn't bother you, not like a cut does. Cuts hurt right away — So much you can't believe it! But give it a minute to heal, and the blood finds its way together again, starts to knit up, to mend. You put that pressure on and you wait and hold still and maybe you peek to see if the bleeding's stopped — Just a quick peek, but it stops throbbing pretty soon. Burns aren't like that. Think about it — What in the state of nature prepared us for burns? Animals don't have fire — Only we do. They don't have pots and pans. I'm always pulling some pot out of the heat and I forget my mitt. Do you do that? Dogs and pigs and cows and sheep — They don't have to worry! You know why it hurts? You ever wonder why? I'll tell you. It's because as the pain soaks in, spreads, deepening down into your layers of skin — it's going into three-dimensions, not just the surface, it's destroying tissue. And your cells flood with fluid, trying to protect — The water from your body rushes in and the cells in your hand or your face or your back burst and the nerves scream and you lay awake wondering if your hand or your face or your back or whatever part of you is burned might ever feel right again. And you stare at this brick floor —
Lights up full. SUSANNA assumes a role in the preparations.
SALLY: I know each brick on the floor — I've counted every one!
ELIZABETH: And how many are there?
SALLY: Is that good?
ELIZABETH: It seems a good round number.
SALLY: But I long to go outside! Please?
ELIZABETH: From the hour of their birth, some men are marked out for subjection, others for rule.
SUSANNA: Something our master says —
SALLY: And the plaster — I know how many beams there are. I'll close my eyes. Ask me!
ELIZABETH: How many beams are there?
SALLY: Seven! See? Big beams! I hear them creak when people come.
ELIZABETH: Sally —
SALLY: Ma'am.
ELIZABETH: The day is fine.
SALLY: I don't have a window. Will you please ask Mr. Jefferson if I could —
ELIZABETH: Master says we must contrive a building in such a manner that the finest and most noble parts of it be exposed to public view, and the less agreeable removed from sight as much as possible.
SUSANNA: Is that the blueprint for a house — Or a country?
ELIZABETH: Take off your shirt — Wash your armpits.
SALLY: Yes, ma'am. (She does.)
SUSANNA: A mansion on a hill — A tunnel within it.
ELIZABETH: I know the tunnel. I don't want to go back there —
SUSANNA: Slaves — unseen —
ELIZABETH: Hurrying back and forth carrying platters of food, fresh tableware, ice, beer, wine —
SALLY: Can I try wine?
ELIZABETH: Where?
SALLY: In Paris!
SUSANNA: While above them 20, 30, or 40 guests listening to Jefferson's dinner-table —
SALLY: It all sounds so exciting!
ELIZABETH: You're too young for wine!
SALLY: But Paris!
ELIZABETH: Now — You'll be a good girl with Miss Mary. You'll help her?
SALLY: Yes, I will.
SUSANNA: At one end of the tunnel is the kitchen — at the other the icehouse.
SALLY: Master says we'll be near the Palais Royale —
SUSANNA: Hot and cold — The kitchen and icehouse —
SALLY: Perfume, musical instruments, toys, candy, gloves —
ELIZABETH: You will see only what he —
SALLY: Master says — They have hot air balloons!
SUSANNA: You get a burn and you're walking through that tunnel forever to find—
SALLY: Master says we'll see a street called "the place of the stars" because that's where all the roads reach out — Like this. And a place where men play chess all day!
ELIZABETH: You won't see anything. Now —
SUSANNA: The tunnel's a hive where enslaved cooks and their helpers produce one course after another — But you just want a piece of ice for that hand or face or back or whatever body —
SALLY: When he visits, Mr. Jefferson speaks of his revolving doors — And something called a "dumbwaiter" — He says that the food in his dining room appears as if by magic!
SUSANNA: When I was a girl, I played in the river. Until —
ELIZABETH: Mr. Jefferson —
SUSANNA: You'll bear his babies in this room.
ELIZABETH: You're so very light skinned —
SALLY: Mama?
SUSANNA: Plantation — A prison camp worked by hundreds of slaves.
SALLY: Can I visit Mulberry Row?
ELIZABETH: You don't belong there. You're refined — A lady!
SALLY: But I don't have a window. Ladies must have windows. Mary has a window!
SUSANNA: You're going to Paris!
ELIZABETH: I came here as a dowry of my missus — Her personal slave —
SALLY: I was a baby — I know the floorboards! — I've counted every one.
SUSANNA: (To ELIZABETH) You were a girl when I showed you how to —
SALLY: But Paris! I don't speak French.
ELIZABETH: Your master does — He's quite sophisticated.
SUSANNA: Tell her.
ELIZABETH: No —
SALLY: Tell me what?
SUSANNA: She's no innocent.
SALLY: I've been to Mulberry Row! I've seen them punishing the boys —
ELIZABETH: Silly girl —
SUSANNA: Tell her.
ELIZABETH: This is —
SALLY: What?
ELIZABETH: This is what you should do — When you go to Paris.
SALLY: Do what?
SUSANNA: The water — It comes from my home. I carried it here with me in my tears.
ELIZABETH: This bowl of water will —
SUSANNA: Tell her what it's for.
ELIZABETH: It's for you to clean yourself.
SALLY: I know that!
ELIZABETH: To make yourself whole again.
SUSANNA: Cool water — Cool compresses — Cover the burn with a clean cloth. A little honey —
ELIZABETH: He likes it when you put a little honey on your —
SALLY: What do you mean?
ELIZABETH: When he comes to you, you have to be willing. It's better that way.
SUSANNA: I know every floor, every wall, every ceiling.
SALLY: Willing?
SUSANNA: Count the bricks.
ELIZABETH: Think of pleasant things — The nice weather outside.
SALLY: But I don't have a window. The place of stars —
ELIZABETH: This flower — See — This little flower? Keep it by the bed, and look at it.
SALLY: When?
ELIZABETH: When he wants you —
SUSANNA: Mr. Jefferson is a good man, fine, upstanding! This is a good, decent family.
ELIZABETH: When you get to Paris wash your arms.
SUSANNA: Your armpits —
ELIZABETH: Wash your groin. The cracks and crevices.
SALLY: Stop! You're embarrassing me.
ELIZABETH: He likes it that way —
SUSANNA: Clean yourself.
ELIZABETH: Make yourself ready.
SALLY: Be pleasant.
SUSANNA: He's a great man. And they'll call you his —
ELIZABETH: "Partner of" — Partner of Jefferson.
SALLY: Partner?
ELIZABETH: He will want you — Just make it easy for him. It's better that way.
SUSANNA: And your babies might be free one day! Don't you want that?
SALLY: What does that mean?
ELIZABETH: It's the enterprise — The revolving door — He's a busy man. Big undertakings!
SUSANNA: The water will cool the burn —
ELIZABETH: I was eleven — My master said I was pretty.
SUSANNA: You're so pretty.
SALLY: No! I'll run away!
SUSANNA: My floor was dirt — The first time the men — Then the ship —
ELIZABETH: Mine was wood — In the house — He came in the night where I slept next to you.
SUSANNA: When he was done with me I went outside — The stars were so bright that night over the ocean —
SALLY: I'll fly!
ELIZABETH: Do what he wants — Or he'll sell you away. We'll never hear from you again —
SUSANNA: My father in chains. My brother. My uncle — Down below in the ship's cracks and crevices.
ELIZABETH: Look at you, Sally. Your very own room!
SUSANNA: I had to make it easy for him — But I was free. I could walk. I could sit. I could see —
SALLY: (Picking up the fire poker.) I'll burn myself — With the fire here — Make myself ugly.
SUSANNA: A room all to your own —
ELIZABETH: You'll be a mistress! Make it easy for him —
SALLY: He won't want me with scars —
SUSANNA: The place of stars — A real little lady! She's so pretty. I'm proud of how fair-skinned you are.
ELIZABETH: The babies you bear might be free one day. Don't you want that?
SUSANNA: The babies you bury —
SALLY: I won't have his babies! I'm going to Paris to be a companion to his daughter —
ELIZABETH: She's your blood.
SUSANNA: When a burn does not heal it leaves a scar.
ELIZABETH: When he comes to you — Make it easy. Laugh at his jokes. Let him kiss you. Try to like it.
SUSANNA: And then when he leaves — There's the water —
ELIZABETH: The water will cool the burn —
SUSANNA: Put a cool compress on your —
SALLY: I won't! I don't want to —
SUSANNA: So pretty.
ELIZABETH: In the morning — Smooth your sheets. Fold your blanket. Tidy up.
SUSANNA: You'll be called his mistress. Concubine — His lover.
ELIZABETH: The "partner of" the great Thomas Jefferson.
SUSANNA: When I was a girl, we played in the river.
ELIZABETH: I was a girl when you taught me to —
SALLY: There. All clean.
End of play.
Rachael Carnes discovered playwriting in 2016, and had her first professional production last year. Her play Fumblewinter was among those selected for the 2018 William Inge Festival New Play Lab Series. Her play Partner Of — was recently selected for presentation at the 2018 Midwest Dramatists Center Conference. Rachael's plays have been, or will be, produced in Chicago, the Bay Area, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids, IA; Ames; IA; Chattanooga, TN; Louisville, KY; Eugene, OR; West Orange, NJ; Raleigh, NC; St. Louis, MO; Leeds, UK; and Akron, OH. She has had multiple productions in NYC and London. With a collaborative spirit, Rachael brought together 20 playwrights from across the country, creating end editing PLAYWRIGHTS SAY NEVER AGAIN TO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, a full-length work that has had staged readings in theaters nationwide. Website: https://www.rachaelcarnes.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachael.carnes


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The project will create an extra 1,000 jobs in the UK, including some 280 in the North-East. The Etherea is seen by Nissan as competition for the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-Series.
Etherea will be manufactured only in Sunderland and production, when it gathers momentum, is expected to hit at least 60,000 a year. Additional contributions will come from Nissan's London design centre as well as the Nissan European Technical Centre (NETC) at Cranfield, Bedfordshire, which also handles design work as well as component and vehicle development.
Nissan's Infiniti 'luxury' brand is the equivalent of Toyota's Lexus.