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We are so common on the Internet, our forums, discussion pages, and YouTube channels are seemingly everywhere. I really shouldn't have to do this, but I feel like I do. I find myself being asked some rather nonsensical questions as of late, as well as a few pretentious holier-than-thou types claiming that they know this and that about what I actually think and feel (Fun fact: THEY DON'T KNOW SHIT.) And while most of my conversations with people are actually rather pleasant, the UNpleasant ones seem to be happening somewhat more frequently since I started school. Shit happens, I guess.
So here it is, YET ANOTHER list on the Internet.
- "Why are you atheists always so angry?" I may use a lot of colorful language in my posts, and yes I have some anger as a human being, but for the most part that doesn't have anything to do with my atheism and anti-theism. If you were trapped on the other side of the globe for a year surrounded by people who, for the most part, didn't give a flying lizard clit if you lived or died, especially when something happened that actually put your own life in danger and almost no one did anything to help, YOU'D be angry too. And while my experiences in Iraq were a big part of what brought me to shedding religious belief, I also have to give credit to Richard Dawkins and George Carlin for ultimately convincing me that it's okay to NOT have an imaginary friend.
- "Why are you so disrespectful against others' beliefs?" Ah, see, here's where people get confused about a fundemental element of life in the civilized world: People have every right to believe as they wish, so long as they aren't opressing or harming anyone else. I could give a shit less what people believe or if they believe anything at all, that doesn't absolve anyone's thoughts, beliefs and especially actions from criticism. HUMAN BEINGS (and some would argue animals as well) have rights, THEIR IDEAS do not. I am a very real flesh-and-blood person, I have rights under the laws of my country of residence and the Geneva Convention. If you punched me in the face for no good reason at all, I have every right to drag you to court and have you prosecuted over it. Let's say that I believed in a floating purple octopus that gave me friendly advice from time to time and that ONLY I can see it. If someone sent me a message on Facebook or Twitter saying that the very idea of my floating purple octopus was stupid, it might hurt my feelings but there's not a damn thing I can do about it. Why? Because criticism is not a crime, and that's what separates the developed world from countries like Saudi-Arabia, Ireland, Brazil and other countries where criticizing religious belief can land you into legal trouble.
- "People have the right to believe what they want, y' know!" That they do, just like I have every right to critique, question, or even mock the ever-living piss out of it IF I WANT TO.
- "You think you're so much better than ________...!" In the case of some recent events that I had a hand in unfolding, it shouldn't exactly be a hard pill to swallow in saying that yes, I AM A BETTER PERSON than a certain misogynistic, self-loathing, racist bigot who thinks of women as little more than breeding/pleasure automatons and openly called for the genocide of all Muslims; THEN had the audacity to not only ignore my VERY CLEAR WARNING to never contact me again (which is grounds for a stalking/harassment lawsuit, I might add...) but sent his cyber-homunculus to call ME the hateful one because I called them both out on their bigoted, self-righteous, holier-than-thou bullshit: Yes, I can honestly say that in that ONE EXTREME CASE, I am a much better person than to stoop to their level of shit-baggery. Any sane and rational person should have no difficulty whatsoever with evaluating such a situation and arriving to a similar conclusion. On the whole, though, my criticisms of religion as well as the behaviors of many religious people aren't because I want to "feel better about myself." I see a problem, I analyze it, and I call it as I see it. I also do my best to NOT resort to Ad Hominem if I can help it.
- "Debate me, EVOLUTIONIST! Or you're a coward!" Speaking of needing to feel better about one's self by way of insulting or degrading others, not every atheist out there is a scientist (even though an overwhelming majority of scientists in the United States openly admit that they don't believe in God.) It shouldn't have to TAKE a scientist to engage common fucking sense. Some people need EVERYTHING explained to them because they can't seem to figure it out on their own, and if asked an honest question I don't normally have any problem with providing an honest answer. Sometimes, that answer is going to be "I don't know." No human being on Earth knows absolutely every goddamn thing, and that's fine. If you want to debate with someone about science and evolution in particular, go find an actual scientist willing to mop the proverbial floor with your half-baked ideas. I'm just a college student.
- "You're angry at God!" No more than I am at the tooth fairy. And it's very "ungodly" to make presumptions against a person's character of whom you know nothing about, one might take such statements as an accusation without any evidence: There's no possible way that you can know what another person is thinking or feeling, so provide some evidence or just don't say dumb shit like this. That kind of behavior is called being a judgemental asshole, something that Jesus had very specific warnings about.
- "You know God exists, you just love your sin!" Again with the presumptuous accusations... Really, I think any statement such as this one isn't actually an argument at all, it's a baiting tactic designed to catch me off guard or provoke me: "I'm going to accuse you of being something you aren't, therefore God." Please, don't waste my time with this bullshit. If you have to accuse people like this to prove your sense of moral superiority, then your morals are shit.
- "You're taking the Bible/Koran/Rede/Dianetics out of context." If you want to claim that such texts are the unerring and perfect word of your chosen deity, you can't ever use this phrase in an argument: You're not going to sit there and tell me about gay sex being an abomination against God while wearing mixed-fabric clothing and stuffing your face with coconut shrimp. Even if you just like the light-hearted lovey-dovey messages of Jesus without all that icky Old Testament stuff, you can't ignore his condonement of slavery (Ephesians 6:5, 1 Timothy 6:1-2 and Luke 12:47-48.) I'm using the Bible for this example because it's the most common holy book in the United States, and as such the majority of my conversations along these lines are with American Christians. I have just as much disdain toward willfully ignorant proclamations coming out of the Koran, the Rede, the Upinishads or others as I do the Bible: Fun fact, I have read ALL of those.
- "It's ironic that atheists talk so much shit about religion when they don't believe in God..." Yes, in much the same way that doctors talk about things like cancer when they would like nothing more than to see it's eradication. Also, many atheists talk about religion in the same way that police officers talk about things like drugs, murder, y'know, crime in general... WHY? Because just like cancer and crime, religion DOES wreak it's own distinct form of havoc on civilized society, especially when it so strongly influences they way people vote and behave.
- "Stop persecuting me!" If you're an American Christian, you're an idiot for saying this. No one is breaking into your home in the middle of the night, raping your mother and sisters, murdering your entire family right in front of you, burning your house down and putting you into a camp. Y'know, like what fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, Jews, Catholics etc have been doing to eachother for centuries and even today. Saying this because you didn't get your way in an election or legal matter is just plain asinine and untrue. You have no grounds comparing a tantrum to an actual atrocity.
- "You can't draw Mohammed! He's sacred to Muslims!" Sacred to MUSLIMS, not to ME: I am not a Muslim, ergo I am not subject to their religious rules, so...
- "Why do you feel the need to criticize other peoples' beliefs?" Because when I get people telling me that I'm "lost," call me a "sinner," or going to an imaginary place just because I don't subscribe to their particular brand of socially constructed misery, I AM GOING to call them out on it whether or not they like the idea. How is it perfectly acceptable to threaten someone, mostly children but other adults as well, with hellfire and eternal torture unless they agree to and openly endorse a specific brand of bullshit, yet I'm somehow the asshole because I challenge their bullshit claims?
- "Oh well THAT'S just the extremists that do that, it's not ALL _______s." There's a term called enabling: Anybody who has friends or relatives with addiction issues is probably familiar with the concept, it basically means that while you WISH someone wouldn't do a thing, when they do the thing anyway you sheild them from the consequences of their actions because you THINK you're "saving" them. Dismissing extreme behavior as irrelevant is a form of enabling and it's irresponsible as fuck. If "only a few" McDonalds employees and restaurants had been systematically abusing children for the last several decades, meanwhile McDonalds as a corporation repeatedly tried to cover it up and shame the victims instead of actually correcting the problem, Micky-D's might be out of business in a matter of months.
- "If you left the church, then you were never a TRUE Christian/Muslim/Jew/etc..." Then by your own bullshit rules, for all anyone really knows, neither are you. Furthermore, there'd be no conceivable way for you to be able to accurately tell the difference anyway, so this is ultimately a bullshit statement.
- "So-and-so who did X Y or Z horrible thing wasn't a TRUE Christian/Muslim/Jew/Hindu, etc..." I shouldn't have to explain what essentialism is OR the 'No True Scotsman' fallacy at this point. Again, you don't get to dismiss someone's actions or identity because they don't happen to coincide with what you consider to be correct behavior.
- "So EVERYONE who believes in God is a moron according to you?" Not at all, I have many friends and relatives with whom I disagree about a great many things, to include the existence and/or relevance of God(s) or an afterlife. I rather like having friends that disagree with me on things like this, not only does it keep the conversation enjoyable and challenging, but it's kinda like a reality check for me: Every so often, I'm wrong about stuff.
- "Hitler was an atheist!" No, actually, he really wasn't. He was a murderer and a horrible person, but most certainly not solely because of his beliefs (though, from his own words, that didn't help things.)
- "Stalin was an atheist!" And he was still a shit-head. It's not your beliefs, or in atheism's case absence thereof, that make you a good or bad person: Your ACTIONS toward others determine what kind of person you are, not your IDEAS. However, it should be noted that ideas and beliefs DO directly influence one's behavior, hence why many atheists and anti-theists have such a big beef with religion in all of it's forms.
- "If you don't believe in God, then where does your morality come from?" It's very rare that I actually get asked this anymore, but it's worth noting because the few times I DO get this question the conversation seems to deteriorate very quickly afterward: If you need an imaginary friend to tell you that not only are rape/murder/theft WRONG, but give you half-baked reasons as to exactly WHY they are wrong, then I have to call YOUR moral reasoning into question because it demonstrates a lack of critical reasoning. If you were told by your parents growing up that it's okay to break into other people's houses, you do so, then the home-owner shoots you in the face (and MAYBE you die as a result) you were still in the wrong because your reliance on authority figures to guide your actions clearly failed: Just because someone appears to have a position of power DOESN'T mean they're right about everything. Just ask the last asshole that tried to break into my house! But to answer the initial question, mutual respect shouldn't exactly be a difficult concept to grasp. My parents brought me up never to do upon someone else what I wouldn't want done upon myself, as in "don't hit people unless they hit you first" to give an example. True, I'm not always "nice" to people 100% of the time 24/7, but that doesn't mean that I seek to actively do them harm.
- "If you don't believe in God, then what will happen to you when you die?" Cremation.
- "Aren't you scared of being sent to Hell?" Aren't YOU scared of being sent to Mordor? THAT is what you sound like when you ask that dumb shit.
- "Don't you want to go to Heaven?" Don't you want to go to Las Vegas? I can go to Las Vegas, I've been there before. Las Vegas is a real place, it's existence can be demonstrably and conclusively proven, whereas Heaven or Hell cannot.
- "But the Bible/Koran?Misc. holy text says that God(s) exist(s)!" I have in my immediate possession an autographed photo of Neil Armstrong, I had the honor & privilege of meeting the man and shaking his hand in 2010. Neil Armstrong has since passed away, the photograph coupled with his signature verify that HE, the real flesh-and-blood human being, actually existed at one point in time. This physical evidence can be examined, tested and peer-reviewed. A holy book written centuries ago, however, can no more verify the existence of the people that claimed to have written it nor confirm the existence/accuracy of it's subject matter. A holy text is no more proof of the existence of a deity or afterlife than a Batman comic would be proof that Batman/Bruce Wayne is a real flesh-and-blood human being like Neil Armstrong was.
- "But people still get good morals out of religion." Even IF that were true (see my previous explanation about where moral reasoning really comes from and why appeals to authority are bullshit) that doesn't necessarily mean that those "morals" are actually any good or have practical, real-word application in the long term. Not gambling because it's a waste of time and money isn't necessarily the same as not gambling because your imaginary friend doesn't like it: One reason is practical and sensible, the other doesn't make any sense.
- "Why can't you just believe in SOMETHING?" I can no more force myself to ignore my critical reasoning process than I can force my taste-buds NOT to recoil at the smell and taste of onions. In the end, I can only ever be myself.
- "Deep down, you really believe in God." Why? Because YOU want me to? That's rather arrogant, don't you think? Again, that's an empty assertion and a false accusation: There's no way that you can say anything like that with any measure of certainty, so don't fucking say it.
- "You worship the Devil!" I'd gladly worship Tom Hiddleston's throbbing cock, with my eager mouth, if I ever got the chance (as well as his informed consent.) Because unlike the very real Tom Hiddleston, the Devil is just as imaginary as your so-called God. When you really think about it, if either of THOSE TWO did exist, the Devil can't really do a damn thing without God's foreknowledge and consent: Which means that the so-called supreme embodiment of everything evil and sinful exists because God purposely allows it to, and not only that, knowingly gives him the go-ahead to do horrible things. Kinda says something about what kind of a passive-aggressive cunt God is, doesn't it?
- "I know you're just begging to be 'SAVED!'" That'd be about as true as saying deep down, you'd love a giant rubber cock in your ass. Maybe you do, maybe you don't: Unless you give me explicit and clear informed consent for me to go ahead and whip out that ol' strap-on, I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT ANOTHER PERSON TRULY WANTS OR THINKS, because NEITHER DO YOU! Fucking Christ on crystal meth, I hate accusatory assertions!
- "But I'm not a bad person for believing in God..." As previously mentioned, what you believe in of itself doesn't determine this. It's how you behave toward others that makes you a good or bad person. And using religious belief as an excuse to behave in a way MOST people consider wrong or illegal, doesn't de-facto make your action GOOD: It just makes you a weak-minded twat.
- "But... but... JESUS/MOHAMMED/L. RON HUBBARD!!!" Um... Cthulu, Zalgo, Slenderman, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, blah blah fucking blah. Excitedly proclaiming the name of your chosen holy figure to reaffirm your stance really doesn't mean anything at all, it just makes you look like an ignorant asshole.
- "You atheists are all just condescending know-it-alls!" Some of us certainly are, most of us don't try to deny or dismiss a couple of fucking losers that bear the banner of atheism out in the open for their own means and ends. For another example of atheists being jerks, go onto Tumblr and look up what an M.R.A is. The difference is that for the most part, I don't think anyone is trying to brush them aside with the ages-old excuse "Oh well they're not a TRUE atheist" in quite the same way that religious people do for those of their respective faith who misbehave.
There will probably be more at some point in the future, no guarantees at this point as I have been VERY BUSY with school (and my so-far straight-A record can attest to this.)
Essentially, no idea or belief is above criticism or reproach, especially when said ideas and beliefs are used as an excuse to justify acting like a total ass. Eventually, I think religious belief will become so wishy-washy and watered down, or so extreme and disgusting, that most reasonable minded people will disregard it entirely and just live their fucking lives.
The eventual iradication of religious influence might not necessarily solve all of the world's problems, but it'd probably knock a decently sized chunk out.


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From Barnabas Fund:
Published: Tuesday 06 March 2012
Country: Africa, Nigeria
Militant Islamist group Boko Haram has declared "war" on Christians in Nigeria, saying that they are planning coordinated attacks to "eradicate Christians from certain parts of the country".
A spokesman for the group, which has stepped up its violent campaign against Christians in the North since Christmas, said on Sunday (4 March):
We will create so much effort to end the Christian presence in our push to have a proper Islamic state that the Christians won't be able to stay.
The wreckage after a suicide bomber struck a church in Jos
Image source: Stefanos foundation
Boko Haram's actions over recent months indicate that this is no idle threat.
Following a series of attacks on churches and other targets in five states over Christmas that left more than 40 people dead, the group on New Year's Day issued a three-day deadline for Christians to leave the North. Unrelenting attacks have ensued, including the bombing of a number of churches as well as attacks on individual Christians.
Most recently, on 26 February, a suicide bomberdrove a car into the grounds of the Church of Christ headquarters in Jos. The vehicle exploded three metres from the church building; two women and an 18-month-old child were killed, and around 50 people were injured.
The violence is having the intended effect of driving Christians from the North. Nearly 95 per cent of the Christians have left Yobe State, where 20 churches have been torched and many lives have been lost.
Some are heading to the mainly Christian South, while others are crossing the border into Cameroon. The mass migration is precipitating a major humanitarian and spiritual crisis inNigeria; Northern Christians who have been forced to leave behind their homes and jobs are in great need, while, as the Christian presence diminishes, the Church is being wiped off the map in the North.
Boko Haram has killed around 1,000 people since 2009 in its bloody campaign to establish an Islamic state in Northern Nigeria. As well as attacking Christians, the group targets police, security forces and politicians, and also Muslim leaders who oppose its agenda. Over 300 people have been killed so far this year.
The government has been trying to curtail Boko Haram's activities, deploying military units across the country, and arresting and killing a number of members in recent weeks. But, issuing the latest threat, the group's spokesman said that the government "cannot be prepared for what is to come".
- Thank God that the Nigerian authorities are trying to thwart Boko Haram's agenda; pray that they will have the resources they need and use them effectively.
- Pray that the Lord will protect His people in Northern Nigeria and give church leaders wisdom as they seek to advise and care for their congregations.
- Pray for all those who have been forced to flee their homes, that they will receive the practical and spiritual support that they need at this traumatic time.

subset: commoncrawl


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I have decided to present a post about rejection letters which I had written earlier for those of you new to the blog. All the best, Lily
How many rejections have you received lately? I have received many but don't let that get you down. Read your rejection carefully. A rejection can sometimes be a disguise, the editors sometimes give you hints or suggestions if they like the work because they want you to resubmit. Some editors do this initially to 'feel you out' so to speak. They want to know they are receiving work from a hard working author that is willing to commit to a job. Editors need dedication from an author to get the work done. That's why many of them stick to authors they have known for years and ones they trust.
If an editor writes a personal note, that means they are encouraging you to improve on the manuscript. Editors are busy and usually do not write personal notes but if they see something that they think has potential, they will scribble something on the letter. Even though they have rejected your work, they are telling you that you have something here and don't give up until you have polished your work completely.
A form letter, though, is a rejection that is to the point, meaning that they do not want the work at all. In the form letter, if they do mention 'we wish you best of luck elsewhere'. I think they do mean this part. Try another publisher!


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I've used Family Tree DNA for all genetic testing I've had done or recommended. I also upload my data to GEDMatch to expand my search for genetic cousins. Now, it appears the two organizations are in a spat. It's become a he-said/she-said argument but neither has publicly stated what the problem is. All we know for certain is that Family Tree DNA says that data uploaded to GEDMatch compromises the privacy of Family Tree DNA customers. GEDMatch says that Family Tree DNA has threatened legal action. Family Tree DNA has said (sort of) that they didn't threaten legal action. GEDMatch says that Family Tree DNA demanded that uploads of FTDNA kits to GEDMatch be suspended. Family Tree DNA says that they were surprised that GEDMatch suspended the uploads unilaterally. However, in the same and other statements, Family Tree DNA says they requested that uploads be suspended. Based on the fact that Family Tree DNA has issued conflicting statements, I'm believing what GEDMatch is telling us.
Now, what is the source of the problem? No one knows for certain. Family Tree DNA member forums speculate it has something to do with FTDNA kit numbers being publicly available on GEDMatch. However, neither side has stated this is the case. In face, GEDMatch has stated that Family Tree DNA has demanded that they not state a reason for suspending the uploads. GEDMatch has also stated that their only option MAY be to completely remove all Family Tree DNA kit data.
To me, this sounds like a couple of kids, complaining to Mom and Dad (us, their customers and users), that the other started it. We need a grown-up involved in this argument. Bring the disagreement out into the open and let the experts discuss the matter. Let users decide for themselves who to believe and whether or not to upload their data to GEDMatch.
My view is that it is up to me whether or not to upload my Family Tree DNA data to GEDMatch. It's not up to Family Tree DNA. If I have a problem with privacy there, I won't upload it.
I had thought that Family Tree DNA was the adult in the genetic testing realm, given the problems we've heard from 23andMe and Ancestry DNA. Sadly, it seems this is not the case. For the time being, I am suspending my recommendation to have your genetic testing done with FTDNA. I am hopeful that I'll be able to recommend them again in the future.


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As this gigantic news story spreads like wildfire across the Internet - the major controlled media are doing what they always do when startling factual truths emerge that reveal the criminality of their neo-conservative/neo fascist partners who control America - nothing - a total news blackout.
But did you know that Building 7 contained enormous amounts of evidence on the Bush administration's involvement with Enron, illegal Wall Street CIA operations and the current Banking crisis? This was the headquarters for investigations which could have brought the Bush administration down, but conveniently, 9/11's cover-up of this major story saved them from true public scrutiny.
Analysts: New Era Of Chaos Has Taken Hold
Banking collapse has already happened; Crisis is worst ever; Financial system has effectively disintegrated; Mass social insurrection likely
A wave of economists, investors and other financial experts issued a series of dire warnings concerning the global financial crisis over the weekend, stating that a new era of chaos has taken hold all over the globe.
Some asserted that a total banking collapse has already occurred, while others said that the downturn is now the worst on record, far outstripping the great depression.
Hedge fund manager and billionaire philanthropist George Soros said the financial system has effectively disintegrated, with the turbulence more severe than during the Great Depression and with the decline comparable to the fall of the Soviet Union.
Former chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker said he could not remember any time, even in the Great Depression, when things went down so fast and quite so uniformly around the world.
Financial market analyst Martin D. Weiss has stated that the banking collapse has already occurred and a major Wall Street meltdown is now imminent.
Leading forecasters, The National Association for Business Economics, have warned that the recession is projected to worsen and unemployment could hit 9% this year, 10% percent next year and continue to rise into 2011. In 2008, the jobless rate averaged 5.8 percent, the highest since 2003.
Financial professors Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University have said that the crisis is "as bad as they come", warning that if the averages of previous crises hold, Americans can expect unemployment to reach 11 or 12 percent, housing prices nationally to drop 36 percent, stocks to lose more than half their value, and real output per capita to plunge 9.3 percent.
New York University economist Nouriel Roubini has predicted a lost decade of Japanese-style stagnation (a deadly combination of stagnation, recession and deflation) but on a worldwide basis.
"The global economy is now literally in free fall as the contraction of consumption, capital spending, residential investment, production, employment, exports and imports is accelerating rather than decelerating," Roubini wrote.
As for the BBC on 9/11, their top executive is scrambling to issue lie after lie to cover-up yet another in the now constant river of "anomalies" about the attacks of 9-11 - their first lie was that they seem to have "misplaced" the tapes of that day.
Not likely says CNN (another neo fascist media outlet). Their video archivist said that never in a million years would they NOT have a copy of the most important day in news in decades - They would have hundreds of them. With mounting emails and telephone calls pouring in, the BBC issued a second volley of lies. This time, lush in detail, none of it credible in the slightest - just more insulting lies, coverups and obfuscations.
Here's the story:
Apparently on the day of the attacks of 9-11, the BBC prematurely reported the collapse of WTC7 some twenty-three minutes BEFORE IT ACTUALLY COLLAPSED!
WTC Building 7, sometimes referred to as the Solomon Brothers Building, contained offices of the CIA, US Customs, FBI, Secret Service and the SEC. It was this 47 story building that became shrouded in controversy because although NO PLANE HIT IT, for some inexplicable reason, 8 hours later, it completely collapsed, neatly and into it's own footprint, just like the others - just like controlled demolitions. It's collapse has researchers viewing it as a sort of Rosetta stone in proving that the attacks of September 11th were an "Inside Job." Leading scientists and researchers from around the world are coming forward, providing analysis, real explanations and demanding answers to the very suspicious collapse of Building 7.
In the video you are about to see, the BBC has just reported that Building 7 has just collapsed. The funny thing is... building 7 doesn't collapse until a full TWENTY-THREE MINUTES LATER!
In the anchorman's reading of his teleprompter we already hear the scripted language emerge, the language that the conspirators have scripted to explain how their building 7, which would not be hit that day by any planes, would collapse.
Not only does the anchorman's teleprompter tell him that the building has collapsed, it tells him that the building collapsed because the fall of the other two buildings "weakened" it. Seemingly clairvoyantly peering into the future at what exactly would be revealed to be the administration's "later released" "official version," of the collapse.
This would be the story that would be replayed to anyone questioning the oddities of the building 7 collapse. This would be the word to use in the controlled media in the days, weeks and months that followed when and if the topic turned to building 7. That building 7 collapsed, not from being hit by a plane, but because it was "weakened" by the collapse of the other buildings. This was the prewritten "official story" that went out on all the TV networks and media outlets right after the collapse. But in the case of the little BBC "slip-up," this prewritten script went out... a little too early.
What you are about to see is the prewritten script being released ahead of time - the question is: by accident or was it released... on purpose? With resentment high up in British circles of the American led NeoCon crusaders who were directing all these titanic global "clashes of civilization" as they like to call them, this might be a message, "We'll play ball for now, but here's a wrench in your American machine. Just remember we can scuttle the plan anytime." Either way, this startling new revelation is just one more piece of a puzzle that points to only one conclusion - INSIDE JOB... ON A MASSIVE TRANSCONTINENTAL SCALE.
It reveals the dark mind control mechanisms that these illuminati scriptwriters use in their vain attempts to control the world.
And so we witness the anchorman dutifully reading the words coming across his teleprompter, complete with the exact, soon to be "official explanation," that the building didn't collapse because it was hit by a plane but that it was "weakened." As he says the words you must understand that there is no where else these words could have been written but in the offices of the CIA and the many Think Tanks and private intelligence networks who were behind these attacks. And we're supposed to believe that he knows the details of this 23 minutes before it happens. The question becomes how did those words get on that teleprompter, find the channels of press releases emerging from the dark corners of cyberspace that morning with all these fake information on them and you have found the conspirators. The words the anchorman reads are the exact ones written many months prior, during the planning stages of the attacks that would shake the world.
Here we catch a clear glimpse of the workings of those who are actually behind the attacks. Certainly BBC did not order the crimes, but the very highest levels they like all in the major controlled media, they are the ones driving the getaway car, for they are solely responsible of covering up the crimes in the aftermath and guaranteeing that at least those who still get their information from the TV will never get the truth about what's really happening.
What does BBC say about this strange glimpse of the conspirators messing up and giving them their script too early. There answer is "They lost the tapes of that day."
One can easily imagine that in order to control the flow of dialogue of the crime, in the direct aftermath of the crime, the timing of the many press releases (scripted lies) must be critical, and somewhere along the line mistakes are going to be made. Someone slipped up and sent out the script to the BBC twenty-three minutes before the conspirators actually blew up the building. OOoops
BBC REPORTED THE COLLAPSE 23 MINUTES BEFORE IT HAPPENED. They received their script a little too early, "plane" and simple, and another clue and chapter in the biggest INSIDE JOB in the history of criminal acts gets revealed to us in clear sight.
What is the major media saying about these startling FACTS which are sweeping the Internet like wildfire, nothing. Not a single mention of what is perhaps one of the most startling anomalies to date in the whole string of anomalies about that inside job.
World Trade Center Building 7 was home to the secret federal government, contained an enormous amount of evidence and was NOT hit by an aircraft. If you viewed this building's demise as an act of terrorism from a man living in a cave on the other side of the world, you may have suffered from very powerful Mind Control. Your brain may be infected with the Monarch Worm. The most important news story in U.S. history has been completely covered up by an imposed delusion that your media and government are "parental." This omission of truth was criminal negligence of the highest order. To build this broad mythic system of mass deception required the destruction of millions of children.
Controlled demolition freefall collapse (slow motion). For those who suffer the neurosis of mass media brainwashing, this building is invisible to the rational mind. It may take you some time to de-program yourself.
The "damage" done to Building 7 was done inside of the building, suspiciously. Not a single window was broken by the other towers' collapse. This was a super-fortified steel structure built as a bomb shelter for the secret government.
Investigate the facts about Building 7 on 9/11
The following eleven facts have been compiled from the research of reputable sources – those who have dared to question and have devoted innumerable hours into discovering what really happened on 9/11.
FACT 1: WTC Building 7 was one of the largest buildings in downtown Manhattan. It was 47 stories tall, about half the height of the Towers, and took up an entire city block. It was 300 feet from the closest Twin Tower (the North Tower, WTC 1), and was a steel-framed, concrete structure.4
FACT 2: WTC Building 7 – on its 23rd floor – housed an Emergency Command Center for the City of New York that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had built in the mid-1990's. On the morning of September 11th, Mayor Giuliani did not go "to his Command Center – with its clear view of the Twin Towers – but to a makeshift, street-level headquarters at 75 Barkley Street." WTC 7 also held the offices of numerous government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the CIA, the Secret Service, the IRS, and the Security and Exchange Commission.5 Late 2001 was the time of "the height of the investigation into Enron, so the majority of Enron's SEC filings were likely destroyed when World Trade Center 7 came down."6
FACT 3: WTC Building 7 was not hit by airplane or significant debris on September 11th. It had been evacuated after the planes hit the towers. By the afternoon of September 11th, there were a few small fires of unknown origin evident in the building, and these small fires could be seen in only a few of the hundreds and hundreds of windows in the building.7
FACT 4: On September 11, 2001, at 5:20PM, EDT, World Trade Center Building 7 suddenly and rapidly collapsed. Beginning with the penthouse, all 47 stories of it imploded into its own footprint in less than seven seconds. Three different videos of Building 7's vertical collapse – two from CBS video broadcasts, and one from an NBC news camera – can be seen online at http://wtc7.net/videos.html.
FACT 5: On September 16th, NASA flew an airplane over the World Trade Center site, recorded infrared radiation coming from the ground, and created a thermal map. The U.S. Geological Survey analyzed this data, and determined the actual temperature of the rubble. This map shows that five days after the collapse of Building 7, the surface temperature of a section of its rubble was 1,341º F.8 This high a temperature is indicative of the use of explosives.
"WTC 7's rubble pile continued to smolder for months."9
FACT 6: Fire Engineering magazine is the 125-year-old paper-of-record of the fire engineering community. Bill Manning, editor-in-chief, wrote an Editor's Opinion in the January, 2002 edition. His editorial, $elling Out the Investigation, pointed out that destruction of evidence – the hurried removal of rubble which should be examined by investigators – is illegal. He also issued a "call to action". To quote excerpts:
"For more than three months, structural steel from the World Trade Center has been and continues to be cut up and sold for scrap. Crucial evidence that could answer many questions … is on the slow boat to China …"
"I have combed through our national standard for fire investigation, NFPA 921, but nowhere in it does one find an exemption allowing the destruction of evidence for buildings over 10 stories tall."
"Fire Engineering has good reason to believe that the 'official investigation' blessed by FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] and run by the American Society of Civil Engineers is a half baked farce [emphasis mine] that may have already been commandeered by political forces whose primary interests, to put it mildly, lie far afield of full disclosure. Except for the marginal benefit obtained from a three-day, visual walk-through of evidence sites conducted by ASCE investigation committee members – described by one close source as a 'tourist trip' – no one's checking evidence for anything."
"The destruction and removal of evidence must stop immediately."
"Firefighters, this is your call to action. …contact your representatives in Congress and officials in Washington and help us correct this problem immediately." 10 11
FACT 7: In May of 2002, FEMA published their report #403 titled World Trade Center Building Performance Study. This report claims that the fires caused the building to collapse, but that the specifics of how this is supposed to have occurred "…remain unknown at this time."12
FACT 8: The collapse of WTC Building 7 shows five characteristics of a controlled demolition:
It "dropped directly into its own footprint in a smooth, vertical motion";
It "collapsed completely in less than seven seconds";
"Dust streamed out of the upper floors of Building 7 early in its collapse";
"WTC 7's roof inverted toward its middle as the collapse progressed"; and
"WTC 7's rubble was mostly confined to the block on which the building stood."13
FACT 9: "Larry Silverstein is a rather large player within the realms of 21st Century real estate, finance, and politics."14 He "…had taken out a long lease on the World Trade Center only six weeks before 9/11. In a PBS documentary entitled 'America Rebuilds', originally aired in September of 2002, Silverstein made the following statement about Building 7:
'I remember getting a call from the, er, fire department commander, telling me that they were not sure they were gonna be able to contain the fire, and I said, "We've had such terrible loss of life, maybe the smartest thing to do is pull it." And they made that decision to pull, and we watched the building collapse.'" 15 16
FACT 10: "It is inconceivable that anyone could be running around placing explosives in exactly the right places all within seven hours. In fact, implosions take a minimum of two weeks and up to two months to plan and place the charges. The fire department of New York does not even train their personnel to do controlled demolition. They are done by highly skilled experienced specialists who plan and test far ahead."17
FACT 11: "… [George W.] Bush's brother, Marvin Bush, and his cousin, Wirt Walker III, were principles in the company [Stratesec, formerly named Securacom] that was in charge of security for the World Trade Center, with Walker being the CEO from 1999 until January 2002."18
In summation: A major aspect of 9/11 has been excluded from the entire U.S. media after September 11th, and was also omitted from The 9/11 Commission Report. This was the sudden fall to earth, on September 11th, 2001, of World Trade Center Building 7. Not hit by airplane or significant debris, 300 feet from the closest Twin Tower, and with just a few small fires burning within it, at 5:20PM EDT this massive concrete and steel-framed 47-story skyscraper imploded into its own footprint in less than seven seconds. Its rapid implosion had all of the characteristics of a controlled demolition, and the World Trade Center leaseholder, Larry Silverstein, stated in so many words that the building had been collapsed by demolition. It takes weeks, if not months, to prepare the demolition of a building as large as WTC 7; this implosion could not have been engineered and implemented in seven chaotic hours on September 11th. Therefore, a question emerges:
Who had the means and expertise to engineer such a demolition and acquire needed materiel, and who had access to WTC Building 7 PRIOR TO September 11, 2001 in order to place the explosives?
An inquiry into the answer to this question might be a good place to begin a search for the real perpetrators of 9/11. Do we, the citizens of the United States, have the courage and honesty necessary to initiate an actual investigation, or will we continue living a Lie – and reap the consequences?
Russo states that Rockefeller told him, "Eleven months before 9/11 happened there was going to be an event and out of that event we were going to invade Afghanistan to run pipelines through the Caspian sea, we were going to invade Iraq to take over the oil fields and establish a base in the Middle East, and we'd go after Chavez in Venezuela."......and that there would be an "Endless war on terror where there's no real enemy and the whole thing is a giant hoax," so that "the government could take over the American people," according to Russo, who said that Rockefeller was cynically laughing and joking as he made the astounding prediction. Rockefeller Admitted Elite Goal Of Microchipped Population
"A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny."----Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."----James Madison
"A terrorist is someone who has a bomb but doesn't have an air force."----- William Blum
"Once the people are terrorized, you can force a police state on them."--Mae Brussell
"Once the people are terrorized, you can force a police state on them. The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran an article with the headline, "A Constant Watch on Radicals Urged." The article talks about a report made to a California Senate Subcommittee, based on the recommendations of a 63-page manual. Where did this manual come from? They don't even know who or what the S.L.A. is yet, but the manual is there, and the report is ready within five weeks of the Hearst kidnapping. They recommend increased security for homes and offices, a constant watch on "radicals" such as blacks, chicanos, and labor organizations, and a neighborhood spy on every block. This is Nazi Germany."--Mae Brussell INSIDE THE HEARST KIDNAPPING
On May 1, 1776 (a Communist holiday), after having been commissioned to devise a plan to control the wealth, natural resources and manpower of the entire world, Adam Weishaupt, a Jesuit who had defected from Christianity, announced on behalf of the Illuminati, the twenty-five goals for achieving this plan. The goals included the corruption of the youth through sex and drugs, and control of the press (See the U.S. Congressional Record February 9, 1917, page 2947, where Congressman Calloway announced that the J.P. Morgan interests bought 25 of America's leading newspapers, and inserted their own editors, in order to control the media). Another "telling" goal – one applicable to our recent terrorist attacks, is to create a preconceived "reign of terror, and then make ourselves appear as the saviors of the oppressed, and champions of the workers", to quote Adam Wieshaupt, who then added, "And we are interested in just the opposite". (85% of these goals have been completed) The Phoney War on Terrorism By Ted Gunderson
The End of America: Movie
9/11 Visibility Website
The Exceptional Patriot: Dr. David Ray Griffin
The Exceptional Patriot: Naomi Wolf
The Exceptional Patriot: Charlie Sheen
The Exceptional Patriot: Ed Asner
The Exceptional Patriot: Jesse Ventura
Primitive Evil Resurrected in Bedford, Pennsylvania
The Brainwashing of Children in America
Zeitgeist: Addendum---The true source of Terrorism and Slavery
Top Lists


text: |Last Saturday the whole family got together to walk for babies in the March of Dimes Walk. Brandi had formed a team called Team Huckababy since our last name is Huckaby. Oliver seemed to enjoy the day, him and his cousin Jonah enjoyed being pulled along the trail in a wagon. It was a great turn out over 375,000 dollars had been raised for the event.


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Implant Dentistry is located at 1115 S Hemlock St Ste 725, Iron Mountain, MI. This business specializes in Dentistry.
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It's Not A Statistical Dead Heat!
Ok, this is mostly a personal gripe of mine, and it's neither pro-Obama or pro-McCain. It's anti-person on teevee telling me that a race is a statistical dead heat because a poll is within the margin of error. That's not what the margin of error means!!!!!!!
(Seriously, it pisses me off)
And now some background on the margin of error.
Those who conduct a poll require a specific level of confidence. And they set the level of confidence, typically to 95% (or 90%). When the level of confidence is 95%, it means if you asked 1000 different people 1000 times (or whatever), 95% of these samples would fall within the margin of error, in this case 3 %.And just in case Salon isn't convincing for you, here's the National Council on Public Polls.
Certainly, if the gap between the two candidates is less than the sampling error margin, you should not say that one candidate is ahead of the other. You can say the race is "close," the race is "roughly even," or there is "little difference between the candidates." But it should not be called a "dead heat" unless the candidates are tied with the same percentages. And it certainly is not a "statistical tie" unless both candidates have the same exact percentages.So the bottom line is if the poll has a margin of error of say 4, you and someone has a lead of +1, then you can be pretty sure that they're actually somewhere between -3 and +5, but saying it's tied is about the same as saying it's -3 because really we just don't know.
So could everyone stop saying 'statistical tie' or 'dead heat' and lets just say that the election, as it stands now, is pretty damn close.


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|The kids climbed a huge rock on our trip to OH...Cecilia was not thrilled that I made her stay up there for a pic!
The weather is very fall-like today (70s, low humidity), and this is making me very happy. That, and that fact that this week marks the beginning of August. And, August is the month when the kids go back to school and my life has the potential to resemble something a bit more scheduled and less chaotic. Even the fact that the days are getting shorter makes me happy (summer days are just TOO long!). I realize that most people reading this think that I'm nuts :).
|Lucy Goose is 2! She is fiercely independent and an absolute JOY!
It is designed to be done by a group of women together (you watch a 30 min. video and then spend time discussing and writing in a journal). I had every intention of doing this program with other women. I mentioned it to my "core group" of Catholic mom friends (my BFFs if you will...lol!). They were excited about it! But, the possibility of us all actually getting together once a week in the summer was slim to none (vacations, kids activities, etc.). I felt sad because I knew that I would really and truly benefit from a program that promised "peace, joy, and balance in motherhood!!!!" I did not want to wait until fall...
So, my kind husband bought the program for me. And, I watched it by myself at my leisure (it was helpful to be able to stop and start the videos as my schedule allowed!). Although I am not as peaceful, joyful, and balanced as I'd like (ha!), I am definitely a better mother and woman than before. I will continue to strive for perfection (knowing that this is impossible until I....please God...reach heaven!).
|Gianna is an awesome big sis! And, at almost 8, she is incredibly helpful these days!
So, I am trying to embrace the "hiddenness" of my vocation. Right now, God calls me to be hidden in my kitchen. And, it is here that I'm fulfilling His plan for me. This will lead to my peace, joy, and balance!
But, it's a journey, right!?! One summer day at a time :).
|This smile (cheesy as this one is!) makes me so happy!!! I am anxious for school to start...but I will really miss Cecilia :)
|My sweet Cecilia is FIVE now!


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This is the first in a series of ideas for gluten-free stocking stuffers for 2012. If you have something you want me to consider, let me know.
You've certainly heard of "Love at First Bite"?
This caramel from Fat Toad Farm is indeed heaven on a spoon!
Salted caramel, you say? Do not turn up your nose. Goat's milk caramel? Ditto. This is fine stuff.
Here's some information from their press release:
Vermont's Fat Toad Farm recently introduced its fifth caramel flavor—Salted Bourbon—to its nationally distributed line of gluten-free goat's milk caramel sauces.
Inspired by a year of R&D, Fat Toad Farm sisters Hannah Reid and Calley Hastings have come up with ten sweet and savory recipe ideas to get creative with caramel this holiday season. One particularly delectable idea involves a hunk of creamy Brie, sliced almonds and an oven. Check out the link below for the full press release, information and pricing and recipes, plus Fat Toad Farms' list of 10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Goat's Milk Caramel.
http://www.fattoadfarm.com/ is their website. You can also find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fattoadfarm. They're @FatToadFarmVT on Twitter.
The caramel comes in two- and eight-ounce jars, as well as a variety of gift packaging—ideal for the goat's-milk-caramel novice and the obsessive alike.
And, they have FREE SHIPPING THIS WEEK. Guess what I'm doing when this post is finished. That's right....it's order time! I have always wanted to make sticky Toffee Pudding, and this would be the perfect caramel topper for it.
I know any lover of caramel would appreciate a jar of this in his or her stocking!
I know I would. Hint hint, Santa.....
Much love,


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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2000 review by (PB)
This Grand Cru Classe from Paulliac Bordeaux is from the super vintage of 2000 presenting with a deep opaque garnet,nice nose of ripe plum and rich blackberry with a deep nose of licorice/cedar.
Palate--This wine is still tight at 10 years old; tannic structure is maturing but needs more time. Cherry and black cherry fruit up front, with cedar and evergreen in the finish. I'd love to try this in another 10 years.
Now here is where I receive the scorn of the wine world but so be it. I appreciate the nicer Bordeaux and they cannot "really" be compared to many new world wines but that being said, the Tapestry I reviewed (below) which was less than a third of the price of this "great growth" wins my preference in taste. I cannot divorce a wine's price compared to its quality as part of the overall "rating" factor.
So there it is, raise a glass of two different style wines, two different price points and two different experiences--both wonderful.
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Wednesday, 3 May 2017
Look Before You Chuck
In unrelated news some of you may know that we've been helping Dan's Mum to clear out his Grandmother's house as she has moved. I have been offered almost all of the remaining craft items, most of which I haven't even looked at yet, but at the weekend I decided to look through the button jar as I was after something for my embroidery doodle. I found this tucked away under the buttons and beads.
It's a Royal Artillery patch.
That side of Dan's family never talk about the war so neither of us knew what roles people had so I asked Dan to ask his Mum if this badge may have belonged to his Granddad, and it did. As you can imagine it's a huge relief that I found it in the jar and didn't just donate it to the charity shop without having a look at everything first. It will be my pleasure to pass it back to my MIL the next time I see her.
18 comments:
A blessing indeed, I am sure it would have been a sad loss.ReplyDeleteReplies
I'm sure nobody knew it was still around, otherwise my MIL would have been searching for it. It is lucky I like crafting though or it may have ended up at the charity shop or in the bin.Delete
It's a good thing you looked, or it could of been lost forever, which would of been such a shame.ReplyDeleteReplies
You're so right.Delete
It goes without saying....ReplyDelete
I even go over the trash before discarding it. It started after I lost a very special knife which I believe fell into the garbage bin.Replies
Oh, what a shame to lose the knife, it is a reminder to be careful though isn't it.Delete
It's a Royal Artillery badge- with the motto "Everywhere that Right [or Sacred Duty] And Glory Lead.. What a fab find!!ReplyDelete
That is an interesting find, and a great family heirloom. Part of our clutter problem is that hubs mom saved everything, then felt a need to pass on to us. I'd like ot purge, but he's afraid some priceless thing may show up in the boxes.ReplyDeleteReplies
I know that feeling. At the moment our garage is packed, there's hardly enough room for the car. MILs house is crammed full, she has the belongings from two houses as well as her own, and she is going through everything before it is donated or taken to the tip. Progress will be even slower now I've found something that she missed so I think we may be a while before everything is dealt with.Delete
- Anonymous3 May 2017 at 20:52
What an interesting find - we came across similar in my MIL's house when we cleared it. I think that most people just didn't want any reminders of the war lying around the house and so tucked them away in cupboards and drawers.ReplyDeleteReplies
I think you're right. I know where my Grandparents were during the war, and I know my Grandma kept some items related to Normandy but I have never seen it, I assume my Aunt or parents have it now.Delete
What a cool find! And now I will be a bit more diligent instead of randomly tossing thingsReplyDeleteReplies
It was exciting to find it, especially as it is something about Dan's family he didn't know about. We do come across things like this at the charity shop, very occasionally we are able to contact the donor to ask if they would like the item back but that's very rare which is a shame.Delete
It's a good job you checked. I suspect this is how certain personal and/or valuable items are found at charity shops. XReplyDeleteReplies
It is, it happens quite a lot. We even had a couple of photo albums in at the start of the year with some beautiful old pictures inside, but we had no way to contact the donor, it was tough but we did sell them in the end as it seemed so wrong to throw them away. It's actually the worst part of being at the shop when it's clear someone has passed away and their treasured items are of no value to their loved ones.Delete
Could you stitch it onto a piece of cloth, with the translation given above, embroidered below and put it into a frame. Many older people do not talk about the war as it was so awful, their sacrafice was great. This would be a fitting way to remember their service. And will make a great gift. :) Fab that you found itReplyDeleteReplies
I've already passed it on to MIL, to be honest she's not the kind of person who would display something like that. I know the story behind our not knowing about the war now and it's not because of traumatic experiences, so that's a good thing.Delete


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The Parent Grantmade possible by new support from the Sustainable Arts Foundationis a four-week residency for an artist with dependent child/children under the age of 15. Artists may choose to work in any of our studio disciplines: intaglio, letterpress, papermaking, screenprinting, photography, or ceramics.
The residency in a nutshell:
Application due: October 15, midnight EST
Notification date: via email by December 15
Residency length: 4 weeks
Residency occurs: the year following application, January June or September December
Application must include:
A current resume
A childcare plan, detailing your use of the $1000 stipend
A description of the project, including the studio youd like to work in (no more than 200 words)
Up to ten images of recent work (digital specifications here)
An image script, which should include the title, medium, dimension, and date of each image.
Apply in: http://www.wsworkshop.org/residencies/parent-residency-grant/


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Hello, how are you doing people?!
Mailboxes full?
Searching for stamps?
Searching for pen pals?
I am searching stamps from Kosovo, Albania, Slovenia, Srpska Republika.. for they are my neighbour countries, and I've seen some Kosovian stamps (huge denominations like 2.00 Euros!).
Yeah Kosovo, like Montenegro, has Euro currency and nobody could explain how come? :)
We have good diplomatic core you could say :)
This special postcard came to me from Josip (Croatia) - excellent view on one of most
popular sightviews of Varazdin ;)
Thank you Josip!


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When you finally twig that you are missing a major piece of the plot, after the *facepalm*(*) you can make yourself another coffee and start some serious writing - the type that (as long as the characters are talking to you) involves actually putting words to paper ... or fingers to keyboard.
Darn it all! I wanted to procrastinate a little longer. F**K! That means I need to switch my conscious brain on. Pfft. Grr. *sigh*
*or *forehead slap* if, like me, that's what you prefer to call it (unlike every other b*gger out there - and yes, I'm not talking about insects: I'm using English rather than American, and being slightly rude.)
Thursday, 22 July 2010
The Jigsaw
Labels: My writing journey
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text: So I just bought a cool Tinieblas doll that came with an even cooler Tinieblas mask and I had way more fun wearing it than anyone has a right to. Tinieblas is a famous Lucha Libre Masked wrestler I used to watch on AAA wrestling. Does this have anything to do with Art? Nope, so what's the lesson? One does not live on Art alone! Now pardon me while I play with my Tinieblas mask some more!


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Monday, 7 April 2014
Even busier now!
I have finally got my computer back from being fixed (AGAIN!) and will be able to access my Florence photos and do the last couple of posts to wrap that all up.
In the meanwhile I have been gardening almost every waking hour and if you don't think you can garden for 8 hours a day and still not get on top of a garden, you are welcome to take the challenge up and visit mine!
Back later.
Posted by Bovey Belle at 09:21
3 comments:
Just look at that wonderful Tuscan view.......sigh.ReplyDelete
So pleased you have the computer up and running and I`m looking forward to more Florence photos!
I'd love to visit! Finding the time is a bit of an issue though.....xxReplyDelete
A non gardener here I'm afraid but good luck with yours!ReplyDelete
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|From August 2012
There are many hidden lanes and courtyards here.
Plenty of prettiness to keep my camera busy.
I also love Cornwall for it's boats. The sailing boat below in dry dock for some restoration.
And those in the harbour ready to put out to sea, as day boats I expect, leaving the safety of the harbour each day to catch fresh fish that is sold on inland. A hard life for the fishermen who do it and not much profit either.
This one is on its way home. I hope it was a successful trip.
Still as lovely as ever, with a surprise around every corner.
And how did I spend my birthday? Wave watching of course. Followed by a meal at the pub in the evening. What else could any glamorous fifty year old want or need?
And what about Teenage Boy? Was there carnage when I got home? Had the house been trashed by six foot boys? Were there smears of lipstick left on mugs?


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Jo Ann and the lovely Voice Bloggers are talking today about 'why' at Jo Ann's blog. Join us for the link up after you are done reading here if you like!
I almost always get in hot water by asking too many questions. More often than not when someone says, NO my response is why?
No one likes that, but sometimes it is good to ask ourselves why we answer things the way we do. Is it a well thought out no or a knee-jerk no or a 'I don't know what else to say' no? Maybe it is just NO - no way I'm going there!
When it comes to God I think sometimes I need to investigate the why a bit deeper. I love being able to rest on Him, and on my faith. That solid rock is what I cling to and what I reach for when I get into water that is too deep for me to walk upon.
But I think I need to seek His will in the why and put that into action in my life. It is well, and good to rest but we also need to be faith in action. We need to put the boots in the stirrups and saddle up. We need to move knees to chest people! We need to speak using our out loud voices and risk being heard.
We need to be the answer when the world asks WHY. We need to be the WHY NOT when they wonder about being selfless instead of selfish.
I used to ask God why. I used to wonder why things happened, or didn't happen. Then a time came when there was no 'why' but instead I asked 'what would You have me do?'
I started to grow deeper faith roots, stronger faith wings and a bigger heart outside of my own need to know. Sometimes we don't need to know. God doesn't want us knowing why when He wants us to be doing. We can spend a lot of time sitting and talking about why or why not, and be distracted from doing.
Distracted from praying. From reaching out. From being present for someone. I learned that when you ask 'why' you have opened the door to the question 'why not'. I have also learned that when I say, instead, What would you have me do? I am seeking guidance for action. And sometimes that action is to be still, and let God fight for me. Be at peace, let God work. Pray, surrender and stop mucking about!
Have you ever tried to fix something when someone is trying to help? When they don't know what you need, or haven't asked? You want to smack their hands and say, Sit still, I've got this. or I will let you know when I need your help. Neither response really endears you to them, after all they are usually really trying to help! But when I learned to say, You being here encourages me, thank you. and Thanks for offering to help, it makes it easier with you being here. Then I found myself understanding things a bit better in my walk with Jesus.
We cannot run ahead, shouting, LEAD ME LORD! and say we are following Christ. If we are shouting, crying or chanting WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY we can't hear an answer. We can't hear a thing. And the devil wins another round in the battle to distract us.
There are thousand (okay maybe a dozen) why questions I could ask God right now. Right this minute! And like a loving parent who knows more than I do, He would be right in saying because I have plans for you.
God has plans for you. And they won't change with the volume or frequency of our questions as to the why. Nor will they be any less, or more, than His will. What we do while we wait is where the blessings are found!
Why didn't the dream job happen? Why did the "I'm ready to go where you lead Lord" get answered with "stay"? Why did the I can do this ministry become "You aren't the right fit for us"? So many whys - why is this winter so danged cold?
The 'dream job' may be the one I'm doing right now.
The place to be is in the now, where He is blessing us. Where if we were looking elsewhere with longing hearts we could be missing something amazing.
The ministry wasn't right for me - or for them. And it is all about Him, and He knows best.
As to winter, I don't know. It's just cold.
So instead we work on the doing, the being. Praying. Loving. Being present. Asking what we can do. Doing what we can.


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Our contact information:
Email us: firstname.lastname@example.com
Find me on FB or Twitter! Find the links on the right!
Skype or Yahoo me: JamesStephanieKayley
We are excited to share that we have new contact information and new contact cards! Since LDSFS updated their website to the new ItsAboutLove.org, the profile information on our previous contact cards are no longer active. Also with our move, we were concerned about the amount of time our profile would not be available on the website while we are in the process of getting certified in another state. To help smooth the transition, we have ordered new cards and they are on their way! If you feel inspired to receive some of these cards to pass-along just let me know and I'll put some in the mail to you. Otherwise you will receive some against your will when I send out our change of address information. =)
Also, in case you are curious (or if you just LOVE the new, beautiful cards) I ordered them from a small company called Spaces For Faces. They are friendly, helpful and just plain AWESOME!
Click on the link to learn more about their products!
Click on the link to learn more about their products!


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Casting Cost
Card Type Creature
Sub Type Camel
Solitary Camel has lifelink as long as you control a Desert or there is a Desert card in your graveyard. (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
Power/Toughness 3/2
Rarity Common
Brand Magic: The Gathering
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text:
Cal Poly's University Police Department is investigating an attempted sexual battery and assault reported Tuesday night.
An unidentified suspect attacked a female student outside Cerro Vista Apartments in a commons area around 10 p.m. The man grabbed the woman and reached under her skirt, apparently attempting to pull down her underwear, University Police Department Chief George Hughes said.
The woman screamed and fought him off, kicking and pushing him away before he fled. The woman didn't sustain any injuries.
Hughes said police are searching for a man described as tall with short black hair, wearing blue jeans and a dark gray hoodie striped with thin blue, vertical lines.
There were no nearby surveillance cameras but police are reviewing other cameras in the area to see if the suspect appeared on any footage.
Anyone with information is asked to call the university's police department at 756-2281 or make an anonymous tip by calling 549-7867 (STOP) or sending a text to 274637 (CRIMES), stating SLOTIPS plus the message.


text:
There's very sharp wind this morning with interesting skies. The sun succeeds for a moment in breaking through and everything takes on the most wonderful colour and light, then it is gone almost as quickly, before returning again in seconds.
I was wandering round the village toward lunchtime, camera in hand, just snapping really, when a persistent car horn beeping shattered the peace and quiet.
Some details on a neighbour's building and two hanging details. The catkins are on my young hazels along the lane side but they aren't new, they've been hanging there in a tighter form since well before Christmas.
A waterfall which isn't normally there - towards the back of a holiday home in the village. It is just there because of the enormous quantity of rain we have had and the noise from it is amazing as it is such a small cataract.
I came back down into the lane and there was a dark red van whose driver wound down his window and, without even saying "bonjour", launched into a sales spiel about clothes he had in the back, jumpers, cardigans, jackets with pockets etc. etc. After a minute or two he stopped for breath and I managed to get a word in and said I wasn't interested. He remarked on the fact that I was English and said he'd carry on down the lane. There are only three more houses and there was no-one at home, two being holiday homes, and I said as much. Not very carefully, he quickly reversed past me and continued beeping as he left the village, though there would be no-one to hear him for at least a mile, apart from the hunters parked further up the lane, who wouldn't appreciate the disturbance at all.
Here's Grace mid wash. I love the light shining through her ears!
The only flowers out in my garden at the moment are Bergenia and Viburnum Tinus.
I think the Viburnum flowers have suffered from being constantly wet. I can't wait for other plants to start blooming here. On my walk round the village I only found one primrose out. I am surprised that there aren't more as it's been relatively mild during January.
Three things I like:
1. Seeing a heron fly up, legs dangling, from the spilling stream alongside the lane today.
2. Having a morning reading other people's blogs - very interesting.
3. Cooking and lunching on an unsmoked collar bacon joint brought back from England.


text:
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
: Topshop
Polo neck: c/o pop couture (old)
Skirt: Zara (old)
: Asos
: Topshop
This outfit pretty much combines all my A/W14 loves: camel coats, faux fur accessories, polo necks and my beloved over-the-knee boots. At £50 these Asos babies were a total steal- the other pairs I had been looking at from the likes of Topshop were well over £100. I love how versatile they are too; you can wear them with skirts and dresses or pair them with jeans, a tee and blazer for casual office chic like I did today in the Style office.
And how about this BAG?!!! It really is like carrying a teddy bear around with me everywhere- he is so cute and fluffy and delicious. Faux fur is huge this season, and investing in a cute scarf or clutch such as this one makes the trend easy and accessible.
Last and certainly not least, there's my Topshop oversized camel coat. 4 years ago I bought a camel coat in the Topshop sale when I worked in the Reading store, and a few months ago I threw it out- it was battered and I didn't see the camel trend coming back. But to my sheer delight and utter glee it did, so it was time for an upgrade. The camel coat is so on trend and yet classic and timeless; I really believe if you buy one now it will last you years to come regardless of what is showcased on the catwalk.
In more general news, this weekend I went to see The Phantom of the Opera with my Mumma and had a posh dinner at The Criterion. I then spent my Sunday browsing Spitalfields market and eating huge American sandwiches; it was all good. I also had my hair cut much shorter last week by the lovely Harriet at Ena Salon in Holborn. She made it look awesome and I'm really pleased with the length and shape even though having quite a bit chopped off put the fear of bejesus into me initially. Last but not least, my time at The Sunday Times Style is coming to an end which makes me really sad, but I'm definitely looking forward to working at The Times on the fashion desk in a few weeks :)
20 comments:
camel coat
faux fur
faux fur bag
faux fur clutch
knee high boots
over the knee boots
polo neck
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Roll neck
: Gap
: Topshop
: Topshop
Shoes: Topshop (old)
Last weekend my boyfriend and I spent some time in Brighton and he kindly took these shots for me. We rented an apartment on air bnb which was really cute, and partook in lots of seaside visiting, food eating and movie watching. I really really love Brighton and sometimes question whether London would be the right place for me to live when I am there...we shall see ;)
I love my cute bambi-esque skirt from Topshop, but it is VERY short, so I have paired it with a modest grey roll-neck and socks-and-sandels combo. Am I cool enough to pull off ruffled socks with a pair of mammoth platforms? Probably not. Am I going to try and pull it off anyway? Sure. On a 'slightly-easier-to-pull-off' note, I'm really into polo necks atm and am enjoying layering them under dresses and my pretty new oversized camel coat.
This month I am interning at The Sunday Times Style magazine so am living out of a suitcase in London. So far it has been challenging but fun, and I look forward to what the next couple of weeks bring!
12 comments:
animal print
gap merino sweater
socks and sandals
topshop bambi skirt
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The 'When did it get so cold?' Winter Wishlist
Is it just me or has it got exceptionally cold in, like, an exceptionally short amount of time? Just a week or two ago I was revelling in the fact that I could still get my legs out and not catch a chill...fast forward to now and my thought process has evolved into 'just how many layers can I fit under this lightweight trench before I have to invest in an actual seasonal coat?!' The winter chill has crept up so fast that I feel a little taken off guard and unprepared clothing wise. However, in all honesty, when you're job hunting and on intern-rates, money for shopping splurges can run a little dry. For this reason, I have promised myself not to go crazy this winter and to pick out some key pieces I aim to hunt down (however, true to form, the pieces I've pulled are not the thriftiest of choices so it's not exactly win-win).
On to the pieces:
1. An oversized long line camel coat like
this Topshop one
, as well as
this gorgeous Asos Cocoon version.
2. A new leather jacket (my current one was bought about 6 years ago and is well and truly battered beyond repair). I like
this Zara real leather jacket
, or
this cheaper faux Topshop option.
3. Lots of faux fur accessories- scarves to keep me warm and clutches just because...Black scarf
, cream scarf
(this bag sold out I think- lots of options on Asos or Topshop though!).
4. A pair of over-the-knee heeled booties, I love this Topshop pair in
5. Roll necks, roll necks, roll necks: wear alone, layer underneath things; the choices are endless. Roll necks are a great way to turn your summer dresses into early winter transitional pieces. I love
these Gap Merino wool jumpers
6. A colourful suited co-ord like these Asos beauties (green
and grey
What's on your wishlist for this season?
10 comments:
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
The Huge American Beauty Haul
Makeup Forever HD foundation (Sephora), Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso (any drugstore), Mac limited edition extra dimension blush in 'At Dusk', Tarte 'the sculptor' (Sephora).
Organix moroccan argan oil treatment (drugstores- can also buy in UK but I never seem to find it!), Pantene Rehab Creme (drugstores), Redken Anti-snap leave-in treatment (drugstores).
Wet n Wild 8 palette in 'Comfort zone' (drugstores), Mac limited edition in 'a passionate quest' (also picked up 'an amorous adventure which is beautiful, Physicians Formula Nude palette (drugstores), Wet n Wild 3 palette in 'walking on eggshells' (drugstores).
Maybelline lip elixir in 'Hibiscus Haven' (drugstores), EOS balm in raspberry (drugstores), Loreal infallible eyeshadow in 'Amber Rush' (drugstores), Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara (drugstores).
Formula X nail polish in 'Dramatic' (sephora), Marc Jacobs nail polish in 'Le Charm' (Sephora), Elizabeth and James Nirvana roll on perfume (Sephora).
Mini Cetaphil cleansers (also got lotions-how cute are they! from drugstores) & Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-touch sunscreen (drugstores).
Sephora brand 'The weekender' wash bag (Sephora).
So as many of you will know, this summer I trekked across Northern America and Canada. This (along with endless job applications and cover letter writing since) is the reason why I have been so absent on my blog as of late! I had the absolute time of my life out there, and plan to share some pictures and talk about my experiences in a post later this week.
So onto this post...
When I found out I was going to America for 5 weeks one of the first things I did was write a list of all the beauty bits I wanted to pick up from across the pond (sad, I know). There are so many amazing brands and cult products that the top dog beauty bloggers chat about which are only available stateside, so I was super excited to finally get to pick some of them up. Naturally, I went a little mad (let's not even talk about that shopping day in San Francisco...) but I thought you might be interested in checking out what I had bought and that I could maybe provide some inspiration for your own USA shopping lists! Everything I picked up came from the usual American places which we Brits find completely fascinating (which I'm sure Americans find pretty entertaining as to them they are standard pharmacies & shops)...your Sephora's, Duane Reade's...you know, the usual suspects.
I hope you enjoy having a peek at what I bought, don't scold me too much in the comments for the overspend!!!
11 comments:
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American beauty wishlist
American makeup
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text:
The Dutch word wortel means root or carrot; add the diminutive suffix -tje -- worteltje, and we would translate this into English as "baby carrots."
Wortel has an English cousin -- wort, in Middle English, which also means root or plant, as in St. John's wort or liverwort. If you are not familiar with these plant names, you will certainly recognize another English language cousin: try repeating the words "wort yard" rapidly ten times in a row, and you will probably end up saying "orchard," which means literally, "plant yard."*
Likewise, the Dutch word spruit is easily identified with its English language cousin "sprout" ; add the diminutive suffix -tje again and you have "little sprout," or what we call in English Brussels sprouts. As the name indicates, this leafy green vegetable may have originated in Belgium, from whence it spread of course to the Netherlands. It is related to cabbage and broccoli, and in fact, the little green spheres do look like baby cabbages. I have to confess that as I child I particularly detested Brussels sprouts, but now I do like the nutty flavor of fresh (and freshly steamed) sprouts. Fresh is definitely better than canned!
The two recipes require few ingredients and little fuss:
- 1 large bunch small carrots
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons) butter or margarine
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) salt
Scrape the carrots, wash them, and set them in a small amount of boiling water (The cookbook says an amount that will boil away in about 30 minutes, but I would say that 15- to 20 minutes is sufficient).
Toss the carrots a few times to brown them. Stir in the butter or margarine and simmer a few more minutes.
Add the finely chopped parsley and stir before serving.
Spruitjes (Brussels sprouts)
- 1 kilogram (2 pounds) Brussels sprouts
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
- 40 grams (3 tablespoons) butter
Wash the sprouts and set them in salted boiling water (or steam in a steamer).
Simmer (or steam) for about half an hour, and then drain and stir in the butter.
If I would change this recipe at all, I would use half the salt called for, and cook the sprouts for no longer than 20 minutes. Boiling them for too long will not only destroy the delicate nutty flavor, but also some of the vitamins (Vitamins A and C, and folic acid).
Eet smakelijk! Enjoy your meal.
Dutch vocabulary:
worteltjes (n.) = baby carrots
spruitjes (n.) = Brussels sprouts
boter (n.) = butter
peterselie (n.) = parsley
zout (n.) = salt
schrapen (v.) = to scrape
stoven (v.) = to simmer, stew
* * *
*The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition; Houghton-Mifflin, 2006.


text:
Friday, 7 October 2011
Listen, do you want to know a secret, do you promise not to tell..?
So, there's stuff I can't tell you, there's stuff I won't tell you and stuff I shouldn't tell you. Eventually, after all that, there's the stuff I do tell you.
You'd think I would be allowed to tell you everything. But there's the law, like contempt of court and libel. There's promises, there's off-the-record, there's 'it's only a rumour', then there's a basketcase-full of 'no, I swear it's true, no really, would I lie to you?'
Looking back over the past few months there's been so much stuff I can't impart. If I go back even further, there's material I may never be able to print. Like the major drug dealer who got put away for quite a bit, who admitted to me he pretty much did dish out all the torture he was accused of doing but never, ever, stuck a certain something up someone's Aris.
But back to recent-ish events, I can't really tell you about two 'organisations' in our fair city who decided to get a bit tasty with each other. And possibly why. And how far it nearly got.
I can't really tell you about who's buying which business, who they're linked to, what the person they're linked to is up to and how frequently they're linked to questionable people and questionable incidents.
And, despite all this hoo-haa currently in the media and legal circles and blog-world about worrisome links between the police and the media, my conversations with some members of Plod has to stay close to my chest. Sometimes it's just gossip, sometimes it's about silly cock-ups, sometimes it's a bit more, but revealing it would compromise my source. Sometimes it's a massive, monumental feck up which I try different avenues to publish my other means, but fail to do, due to lack of hard evidence. I'm looking at one currently, and it's a doozy.
Then there's who's about to be nicked, or charged, who's got a good brief, who's got a duff one, who's been found "not guilty" because their barrister was sharper than the CPS and got half the evidence struck out, which if the jury heard it they'd have absolutely, definitely have found them guilty, assuming the CPS hadn't cut a deal or the judge decided he'd accept the deal rather than go to the expense of a trial. I mean, a jury? What's the point, eh? It's not like the justice system is based around trusting 12 people to have the common sense to hear the evidence and decide whether the person in the dock is guilty or not guilty, is it?
No really, I was in a court room not long ago and that happened. You'll be seeing a person who's pleaded guilty be sentenced for something that even the investigating officer has admitted to me they didn't do. This person did something else, but by coughing to an alternative charge, they'll be dealt with, a jury won't be necessary and the troublesome expense of a trial will be saved for the public purse. The fact there's no evidence at all for what they're admitting is not the point… don't you worry your pretty little head about it sweetie.
I know. But as the Bard of Barking said: "This isn't a court of justice son, this is a court of law"…
So, why don't I tell you?
Sometimes, I'd like to. But there's reasons – perhaps I can't stand it up. Perhaps it'd mean a whopping great libel action which means money we can't afford. Or it'd mean a contempt of court, which means more money on legal fees, an embarrassing time in court and possibly an even more embarrassing time in prison. And I am no Andy Dufresne or Lennie Godber.
Sometimes, it's best you don't know.
Oh, you think?
Okay – sitting in the magistrates court for Vanessa George when they described what she did in graphic detail. Or in Crown Court to hear what child rapists Robert Rohleder and Darren Campbell did?
I can't imagine you do want to hear the details, because I know I didn't when I had to write it down in my notepad, because it comes back to your mind's eye when you forget to block it out.
Or that a recently convicted rapist targeted a woman who was a prostitute, because her business wasn't the reason she was targeted, she was targeted because she was a woman and she was there and she became a victim and what she does to get by from one day to the next is none of your damn business.
Yeah, yeah, so maybe you should be allowed to hear more, maybe you deserve to hear more. I agree, no really I do.
But it's just that, well… there's just some things I can't tell you, there's some things I won't tell you and there's some things I shouldn't tell you…
And let's be honest… there's a lot of stuff you lot don't tell me.
There's also a lot of stuff the criminals don't tell me.
And, hardly surprising this, there's the stuff the police don't tell me. Like when they get warned off from raising their concerns about the cuts to me, such as the 80 or so civilian investigators who are being tossed out the door next week, which will mean less investigators trying to solve the same number of crimes. Or they just don't tell me stuff because they think I'm an interfering git, which is more often as not the real reason. Well, I mean they think it… not that I am an interfering git. Well, not all the time anyway.
So, y'know, it all balances out in the end, no?
And you didn't hear that from me, right?
1 comment:
- Anonymous7 October 2011 at 14:28
Great article bro' ;)ReplyDelete
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text:
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text:
Visiting Canadians took the top place and three of the top 10 spots in the Buffalo Spring Sectional Tournament last weekend (May 13 to 15). A guy named Ranald Davidson, who played variously with two of our heavy hitters – Dan Gerstman and Brian Meyer – was top dog with 18.05 points. Second was one of our experts, Saleh Fetouh, with 17.43, followed by Bud Seidenberg, who seems to be having some really good games recently, and Chris Urbanek, tied with 16.30. Me? 80th place with 1.80 points.
Not much, but it must have primed the pump. Back in my usual haunts at the Airport Bridge Club, I scratched three days in a row – 52.22% on Monday with Usha Khurana for another .33 point, 58.10% on Tuesday with Mike Silverman when double points kicked in for 1.15 points and another miracle of stratification on Wednesday with Celine Murray, yielding .42 point for a 49.66% game. Lessee, that's .96 + 1.90 + 1.80 = 4.66. But then a long weekend out of town. No bridge. I'll have to work hard next week to bring the month home with double digits.


text:
Sometimes I get really frustrated because in my head I have this clear picture of what it is I want to communicate through words, but when I sit down to write it down, it doesn't exactly come out the way I want it to, or it doesn't sound as articulate as I would like it to.
But recently, I have been doing a lot of thinking (that will hopefully translate into the written word) about my experiences here in France and about my time abroad. I have realized in the short amount of time that I have been here that there is a life outside of our bubble. Well, obviously, everyone know that. But do they understand it? Because I didn't.
I will be the first to admit that I live in a bubble. I live in Dallas, TX, in the bubble that is SMU where approximately 11,000 students go about their daily work on the beautiful campus that we find in Highland Park.
I attended a Catholic Sacred Heart school in Houston (all girls, I might add) for six years, and if anything, my education taught me to look beyond myself and my world and to realize what else is out there. Well…that's easier said than done. Since being abroad, I have come not only to realize life outside the bubble, but to experience it, and to try to understand it. Sure, life is full of days when you get up and you don't feel like going to class, or you are really excited about that upcoming frat party this weekend, but I have recently learned that it is so much more than that.
I think this realization was brought on by the events of last week and this week in the area of international relations. After hearing almost nothing about September 11, I tried to think about what French people must have felt when they heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center. I put myself in their position. Did they feel that the problem was so far removed from them that it barely even made a dent in their day? Or did they feel that the problem was closer to home, and that if it hadn't been in the U.S,. that it could have been here? Could it have happened to them?
I'm a little ashamed to say that if I were back in Dallas right now, Kouchner's announcement on Monday about preparing for war with Iran would not have made me rethink the past six years and the problems facing the world today. I would have sat and read about it, even talked about the news in a few of my journalism classes, but I would not have been worried about what could happen a week from now. I would continue to live in my comfort zone where I am convinced that the world's problems are far bigger than me, and that things like war don.t come close to affecting me and the life that I live.
So all of a sudden the bubble is starting to get smaller and smaller. and I realized that just because a problem seems far away and isn't necessarily affecting us, doesn.t mean that it isn.t our problem to deal with.
So what do we do when the bubble finally breaks? Do we continue in another bubble and go on with our life as we have only ever known it, or do we take that step outside and experience change?
I'd like to know.


text:
Hawke's Bay
Our place in Hawke's Bay
Crossroads have vineyards in different parts of Hawke's Bay – four of them in the acclaimed Gimblett Gravels appellation. Hawke's Bay is essential to who we are at Crossroads and defines the wine we bring you.
Hawke's Bay wine region
Hawke's Bay on the east coast of the North Island is New Zealand's oldest wine region. The region has an uninterrupted winegrowing tradition stretching back to 1851. Hawke's Bay is the home to more vineyards than any New Zealand wine region except Marlborough.
The long sunshine hours in Hawke's Bay makes it the ideal place to grow later ripening grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. At Crossroads, we also grow the region's top white variety, Chardonnay, as well as Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. The terroir in Hawke's Bay typically creates fruit that can be crafted into wines of great finesse and elegance.
Hawke's Bay sub-regions
One of the exciting benefits of Hawke's Bay from a winemaking perspective is the varied topography and wide range of soil types, from fertile silty loams to free-draining shingle. This gives winemakers the opportunity to make a wide range of wine styles.
Among the many sub-regions, Gimblett Gravels is especially revered. This area of 800ha is defined by its soil. Gravelly soils laid down by the old Ngaruroro River were exposed after a huge flood in the 1860s and have proven to produce some of the world's finest full-bodied red wines.
Our vineyards
Four of our vineyards are in the renowned Gimblett Gravels appellation. Our Kereru Vineyard also lies on the banks of the Ngaruroro River, but some 15km further inland. Our home vineyard at Fernhill lies near the river as well, about 4km downstream from the Gimblett Gravels.
Visit Us
The Crossroads winery, cellar door and Home Block vineyard are at Fernhill, only a 20-minute drive from both Taradale and Hastings on State Highway 50. We'd love to see you if you're ever in our part of the world!
Find out more here.