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Chrome, glass, and thick butcher block tables captivate as you enter the modern space located on the legendary Miracle Mile of Coral Gables in the heart of Miami. It's always a happy moment for me when I arrive at a new place during a lull. It gives me the freedom to take pictures and talk to the staff at my own pace without becoming a nuisance to other patrons. My BFFD (Best Friend for a Day) is Tristan, the bartender who introduced me to the Dopocena, a luxurious cocktail of two vodkas, Frangelico, Bailey's, Borghetti (coffee liqueur), and a shot of espresso. What's not to love?
Today I'm in the delightful company of my well-traveled, epicurean friend, Claudia and her daughter Sofia. Between the three of us, all selections on the prix fixe menu will be sampled. No dish left behind. We begin with baked eggplant, grilled calamari, and Polpettine, or small meatballs. The eggplant is hearty and unctuous, swathed in melted parmigiano and bocconcini, or mozzarellas the size of an egg. The calamari were a wee bit underseasoned, but the Polpettine's mix of veal, pork, and beef produced a unique flavor that was light and sweet.Our entrees were a tagliatelle bolognese, a chicken parmigiano with Tuscan kale and fingerling potatoes, and Trota alla Griglia, a grilled trout in lemon caper sauce, baby squash, and fava bean ragu. The pasta was predictable, but the chicken was tender and breaded and sauced to perfection. The trout came in the most promising presentation. Everything around it was savory and satisfying. The fish itself, however, was bland. Trout doesn't have a 'fishy' taste, so it's important to enhance its subtle flavor with proper seasoning. This version disappointed.
Ricotta cheesecake is quickly becoming my favorite variety of this familiar dessert. Today's lemon-infused slice came in the company of fresh berries and caramel drizzle.The risk is great when you are faced with something that makes love to your mouth with every bite. Enough said.
The other dessert choice was a vanilla bean panacotta with Prosecco fizz and berries. I find this sweet indulgence tricky. Subtle flavor and texture somewhere between flan and pudding must be accomplished for it to be a success. This one was skillfully executed. Hats off, indeed.
Overall, my first Miami Spice adventure of 2016 had many more positives than negatives. A great start to the most delicious time of the year!
BB Free ©2016


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Recent Posts
Mar 23, 2010
...stealin' time for ~ a cupcake!!
13 comments:
Hello Rosemary... Oooh, I want to order that one! I looked in your Etsy shop but it is not there... would you email me please at firstname.lastname@example.com and let me know if it is available! Merci! xoxo Julie MarieReplyDelete
hi rosemary. thanks for stopping in! my new blog picture was actually taken at the beach i blogged about in my last post. this sweet spring crown was in a window display at one of my favorite seaside shops. i just HAD to use it as my spring banner. LOVE the fabric bracelet!ReplyDelete
WOW!!!! This is just beautiful, anyone would love to have this around their wrist. Gorgeous.ReplyDelete
They are so pretty! Would be great for weddings, proms, teas or adorable with jeans. I wear everything with jeans;)Oh, and thank you for the tips on my lil' site problem.ReplyDelete
Blog: Capers of the vintage vixens
Hi Rosemary,ReplyDelete
I love your cupcakes! Yummy, yummy and even as old as I am, I would wear one! I think it's wonderful that you are creating something so pretty to be worn at the wrist. It's wonderful being a girl.
Very pretty cuffs, I like the romantic touch, I bet they are a hit!ReplyDelete
I am having a Easter Candy Cup Giveaway.
Stop on by for a chance to win!
Join the Fun
Hugs, Diane
- AnonymousMarch 24, 2010 at 11:29 AM
Romantic and sweet, like wedding cupcakes! I just joined as a 'Follower' - so happy to meet you, Rosemary!ReplyDelete
Hello Rosemary, I came over to tell you that I will try your recipe for a good nights sleep. It sounds Heavenly.ReplyDelete
But then I have become smitten with your beautiful place here. I have spent the past little while reading here and I am enchanted by your art and your heart.
- AnonymousMarch 24, 2010 at 12:42 PM
Dear Rosemary,ReplyDelete
Oh this is so pretty. I have a thing for vintage millinery roses (who doesn't?). This would be so pretty with anything? I hope to see this in your shop?!
~ Blessings ~
There is only one word that I can say at the moment and that is awesome. The roses are so pretty. I could see that use for a corsage to go to the prom and kept forever as a keepsake. Take care.ReplyDelete
You have such a pretty blog! Wish you a lovely day, Federica.ReplyDelete
Oh I love them all!!!!ReplyDelete
Love less callories ;))
But my dear Rosemary I want to hug you!!!
Yesterday the mail man came, just on a day when I needed some happiness.
And there were your lovely gift cards, made with so much love and such fine ribbon......
It made me smile on that cloudy day.........
A real angel on earth.......
I am so proud on this cards. I will soon make a lovely post from this treasures......
So a big hug and just what I needed on that day.....
Love and nice weekend
- AnonymousMarch 26, 2010 at 1:55 PM
Hi Rosemary,ReplyDelete
These are so lovely! What a treasure to have!
You are so very talented!
Have a great weekend.
Blog Archive
- ► 2013 (20)
- ► 2012 (21)
- ► 2011 (88)
- ...spring in our step!
- ...at first glimpse
- ...stealin' time for ~ a cupcake!!
- ...it's a cinderella kinda day!
- ...wonderland of chocolates, a giveaway winner, an...
- ...fabulous friday stuff!
- ...Fetes de Paques Lapin Giveback
- ...a little cottage guest room and the story of th...
- Mr. Bunn and whimsy ruffles in the sunlight!
- ...first blog award and Mr. Bunn's Spring Giveback...
- ...robin egg blue, with a touch of lace
- ...these boots were NOT made for walking!!!!
- ...in the land of odds
- ...deliciousness Sunday!!
- ...what we found down the rabbit hole!
- ...a date in Wonderland!
- ...seeking bliss
- ...a whimsy kind of tea party!
- ...ode to springtime
- ▼ March (19)

subset: commoncrawl


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The men of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange (Earl of Derby from 25 September 1593), led by Edward Alleyn from 1591, containing remnants of Leicester's Men and possibly Shakespeare. In 1592 ...
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A leading Egyptian printing and publishing house, founded in Cairo in 1890 by the poet Najīb Mitrī. Setting new standards for Arabic typography—with elegant typefaces, spacious page layouts (see mise-en-page) ...
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The Instructional Services Unit of Rice Library provides in-class instruction as well as digital tools to help students conduct research by utilizing the variety of resources available through the library.
How do I request a library instruction session?
To request library instruction simply complete the Electronic Request Form. You may submit one form for multiple sections of the same course. You will receive a confirmation of the instruction session(s) within 2-3 days of submission.
Please Note:
What will students learn during an instruction session?
Where does instruction take place?
When can I come for instruction?
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What if I am Distance Education or simply can't schedule a session?
Who do I contact for more information?
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Agribusiness Cargill is planning a bacteria-based system to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous released into a river by its Fort Morgan, Colo., beef processing facility.
The company expects to begin work in mid-2011 on a system to reduce these emissions and to improve the capture of biogas.
The system will use bacteria to break down nitrogen and release nitrogen gas, thus preventing emissions into the South Platte River.
Work on the project is expected to complete by the third quarter of 2012, at an estimated cost of over $6 million.
Cargill says it has already reduced nitrogen discharges at the plant by 65 percent in the past four years, and the new initiative should help the plant reach 80 or 90 percent.
The company says the facility is compliant with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment's requirements for discharge into the South Platte River.
"While we are proud of the strides we have made in areas such as methane gas capture and use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reduce our energy requirements by using methane gas to provide 30 percent of the facility's total fuel needs, we are always looking for ways to improve our environmental footprint," said Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, assistant vice president and general manager at the facility.
Most of Cargill's meat plants use methane from wastewater lagoons to help fuel operations. Biogas now displaces at least 20 percent of natural gas demand at Cargill's North American beef processing plants, while reducing GHG emissions by more than 1.3 million metric tons over the past four years.
By the end of fiscal year 2010, Cargill obtained 11 percent of its energy from renewables, exceeding its 10 percent goal.
The company's 2010 corporate responsibility report showed that the company fell short on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals, but made improvements in both areas.


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Firms fined £30,000 after worker fell from unguarded scaffolding
Two firms have been fined more than £30,000 after a labourer suffered multiple injuries in a fall from unguarded scaffolding.
56-year-old Stephen Keegan from Frome in Somerset was a temporary employee of Julian Chard Carpentry Ltd.
The company was sub-contracted by C J Deighton & Co Ltd to build timber frames for properties in Trowbridge, Wiltshire last March.
A court heard that Mr Keegan fell two metres from an unguarded section of scaffolding.He suffered a fractured knee and wrist, broken collarbone, perforated ear drum.
Both were found guilty of breaching construction regulations. Julian Chard Carpentry was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,121 in costs. C J Deighton & Co was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £3,122 in costs.
CJ Deighton has gone in liquidation and Julian Chard Carpentry has now ceased trading.


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The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities
Ching-In Chen (Editor), Jai Dulani (Editor), and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (Editor); Andrea Smith (preface)
Based on the popular zine that had reviewers and fans alike demanding more, The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities finally breaks the dangerous silence surrounding the "open secret" of intimate violence—by and toward caretakers, in romantic partnerships, and in friendships—within social justice movements. This watershed collection compiles stories and strategies from survivors and their allies, documenting a decade of community accountability work and delving into the nitty-gritty of creating safety from abuse without relying on the prison industrial complex.
Fearless, tough-minded, and ultimately loving, The Revolution Starts at Home offers life-saving alternatives for ensuring survivor safety while building a road toward a revolution where no one is left behind.
Featuring work by Morgan Bassichis, Meiver De la Cruz, Carol Gomez, Miss Major, Mariko Passion, Jessica Yee, Juliet November, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Gina de Vries, Shannon Perez-Darby, Peggy Munson, Ana-Maurine Lara, Vanessa Huang, Bran Fenner, N., Timothy Colm, The Chrysalis Collective, Rachel Herzing, Isaac Ontiveros, Gaurav Jashnani, RJ Maccani, Alan Greig, Orchid Pusey, gita mehrotra and Connie Burk.
Revolution at Home is touring North America!
For more information: http://revolutionathome.tumblr.com/
To book an event and press inquiries, please email firstname.lastname@example.com


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London firefighters' $100K club balloons
London firefighters making $100,000 or more have more than doubled since 2011, just-released figures show.
The jump — to 239 firefighters, from 110 two years ago — is found in a city hall summary of the 356 direct city employees cracking the 2013 "sunshine list," due out March 31, of those making six-figure incomes or more.
Also included are 107 managers, eight unionized workers, a Tourism London employee and one from the London Convention Centre. Last year, nearly 85,000 public servants in Ontario made the list, with many frontline workers, including teachers, now found on the list.
John Hassan, head of the London Professional Fire Fighters Association, says overtime paid to his members because the department is short-staffed contributed to the sharp increase in six-figure-salaried firefighters.
Firefighters are in the process of negotiating a new contract with the city.


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How to ensure your bond is returned to you in full
Renting a home can be a great option for all sorts of situations. Maybe you're particularly mobile and rarely stay in one place for long, are a student and have need of group accommodation for yourself and some friends, or simply aren't able or willing to consider home ownership.
There are a lot of upsides, but there's a necessary evil that comes along with all houses for rent – paying the bond. CoreLogic RP Data statistics from April 2015 show that rental supply in Australia is on the rise, but the market is still competitive, and maintaining a good tenant reputation is still important. To ensure you keep your landlord happy and get your bond back when it's time to end your tenancy, there are a couple of simple tips you can follow.
Remember, as a tenant the bond is your money to lose.
Keep up with cleaning
There's nothing worse than realising you have an upcoming landlord inspection when you haven't kept on top of cleaning in your house. We've all found ourselves in a mad flurry of dusting, vacuuming and mopping, but there is an easier way! Just be sure to clean regularly, and stick to a schedule.
No-one really likes to live in a messy house. Massey University's September 2015 NZ Residential Market report suggests that, due to shortages in the market, people are tending to stay in their rental accommodation for longer periods. Keeping up with your cleaning responsibilities is an easy way to ensure a more pleasant home life, and a happier landlord come inspection time.
Stick to the agreement
Everything that is required of you as a tenant is laid out in your tenancy agreement, alongside the obligations of your landlord. Being fully aware of everything in that document is another simple way to understand precisely what's expected of you, so when your final inspection rolls around make sure you've been through the agreement carefully, and are satisfied that everything on your side checks out.
Remember, as a tenant the bond is your money to lose, but having the full amount returned to you need not be a source of stress.If there is a disagreement over something in the agreement, don't be afraid to dispute if you are confident you're in the right. The legislation may slightly differ depending on where you live – there is a standard agreement in NZ, but each Australian state has its own nuances – so make sure you're across any specifics in your area. Your real estate agent will be able to fill in any pockets of detail that you're unsure of.


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Posted: Oct 22 2008, 09:27 PM
Group: Guild Leaders
Posts: 5,785
Member No.: 9
Joined: 28-November 06
� Whilst we accept members of all nationalities, English is the preferred language in guild chat, raid chat, voice chat, and on the guild website.
� Participation in forum discussions is voluntary unless specifically requested, but as the forum is the only place where guild issues will be discussed formally, members who do not participate on the forums will not have any influence in the guild. Information of general guild interest will only be provided on the website/forum and it is every member's own responsibility to keep themselves updated.
� The forum has a simple mail system that can be used for private messaging among all members of the guild. This mail system is the preferred means of contacting guild leaders and officers about issues that don't concern the whole guild (such issues should always be posted on the forums).
� If you are going to be away from the game for a period of time, please post on the forum to let us know. Toons who do not log on for a period of 2-3 months or longer may be removed from the guild. If you have let us know on the forum that you will be away then once you get back you can whisper an officer for an invite back to the guild. If you have not then you will need to reapply.
� We expect all members of the guild to treat all other players with respect and to represent the guild in a positive way when they are out and about on their travels. 'Griefing' is not tolerated.
� Give a little, get a little. If you help the guild, the guild will help you. This can be done in various forms. Craft things, help fellow guildies etc.
� We expect everyone in the guild to uphold the user agreement in force by Blizzard at all times.
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2016 Year in Review
Wow 2016 was crazy and amazing all at the same time. I had to change studio locations, which God had such an amazing plan because my new studio is amazing! I was able to photograph many church events, charitable events, businesses, weddings and lot and lots of beautiful families! Every year I am so thankful to each and every one of you for your continued support and faith in my to capture such precious memories. Over the past few months my family has experienced a lot of loss and with this has reminded me just how important pictures are. We look at them over and over again to hold onto the memories. To always know that person is with us whether they are here or not. One of my goals this year is to make sure I print pictures! If you do not print them they might be lost forever that is a scary thought to me. But back to happy again I am so happy with how 2016 ended and I am even more excited for how 2017 is looking. I will be announcing a lot of changes for 2017 and a lot of fun ideas. Please stick with me as we go through the 2017 journey!
Happy New Year!
PS. Below is one of my favorite images from all of my sessions this year. I hope and pray I did not miss one. I was extremely blessed by so many clients this year.


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You can display a trendline in unstacked area, bar, column, line, stock, XY (scatter), and bubble charts that don't have a 3D effect. A trendline creates a forecast of future trends based on existing data. For example, you can use a trendline to predict future revenues based on existing revenue data in a chart. This is also referred to as regression analysis.
You can use trendlines to make basic forecasts, but a solid understanding of regression analysis and statistics is necessary to make the best use of this feature.


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(You save $136.56)
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Marilla Rectangular Wood Wall or Bathroom Mirror - Contemporary frame with taupe linen mat with burnished beading and silver highlights. Mirror has a wide 1.25" bevel.
Finish / Color: Wood / Taupe with Burnished Silver Accents
Style: Contemporary, Traditional Mirror
Shape: Rectangular Wall Mirror
Overall Dimensions: 33" Width x 45" Height x 1" Depth
Mirror Dimensions: 24" Width x 36" Height
Weight: 29 lbs.
Brand: Uttermost Mirrors (View All Uttermost)
Type: Large Wall or Vanity Mirror
Delivery Information: Receive in approximately 4-8 business days. Ships via Freight to Curb from Virginia or California.
Free Shipping to Lower 48 States: Satisfaction Guaranteed. Although rare, we replace any items damaged in shipping. Uttermost warranty applies. Returns accepted with 7 days of receiving. See Shipping & Returns Policy at bottom of page for more details.
Free Visualization Service: (click here) Send us a photo of the area where you plan to add mirror - and we will insert any of our wall mirrors onto your photo. This is an excellent way to get idea of what a mirror will look in your home - before you purchase.
About Uttermost: Quality mirrors, lamps, and other home accessories by top designers at an affordable price for almost 40 years.
Product: Uttermost, Marilla Rectangular Wood Wall Mirror


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After seven cancelled fights, two inactive years and one outrageous home-town decision, Kali Meehan has finally been granted another shot at becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.
The Sun-Herald can reveal that Meehan's long-awaited fight with Ruslan Chagaev will go ahead after the Uzbek boxer's management team, Universum, sent him a contract on Friday night. The fight is likely to be staged in Germany.
Should Meehan prevail, the 39-year-old will take on the winner of the David Haye-John Ruiz bout for the WBA heavyweight title.
The WBA has called for purse bids to take place on a series of fights - including Meehan's - in Panama today but the latest development ensures that he will have an opportunity to join fellow Australian Danny Green as a world champion.
''Words can't explain what that would mean,'' Meehan said. ''It's like the best thing you could imagine in life finally comes true, a fairytale ending.
''I've had seven fights fall through. Seven. You get frustrated but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself, 'How easy is it become a millionaire? How easy is it to become the best?' It's not meant to be easy.
''This is what I'm best at in this world, boxing. It's time to get the rewards. Finally they are going to come, but I've got to beat these guys first.
''They're not going to stop me. Bugger them.''
First, Meehan must defeat Chagaev, the man dubbed the ''White Tyson''. Despite the Russian's imposing record - 25 wins (17 by knockout), one draw and just one loss - the former garbage collector dismissed him as ''nothing too special''.
''You have to give the guy credit, he's hardly lost any amateur fights as well,'' Meehan said.
''But when I watch and study him, he's very basic. His best punch is his left hand and he doesn't hide that fact, he tries to throw it as often as he can.
''I won't underestimate him. I've started training really hard.''
Meehan has had to wait a long time for another shot at the title. Over the years he has worked a series of jobs - including as a garbo - to make ends meet.
In 2004 he lost a controversial points decision to WBO champion Lamon Brewster, whose father later admitted his boy should ''give the belt to that Aussie next door''.
There have been few opportunities since, save for a knockout loss to former champ Hasim Rahman a month later.
''I fought for the title in the Brewster fight but that was all so new to me,'' he said.
''I hadn't fought for two years, I sparred with Ruiz and his coach rang Don King and said, 'Sign this guy.'
''I had one fight on an undercard and two months later I'm fighting Brewster. It was really my first fight in two years.
''Now I know how it works and what goes on. I was in the wilderness when I had an injury and fought Rahman and stunk out the joint. But I've persevered.''
It has been a big weekend for Meehan. His sons Louis, 16, and Willis, 14, made their boxing debuts at the Muswellbrook PCYC last night.
''When they were younger I didn't want them to box,'' Meehan said.
''But I couldn't tell them that they can't be part of this.
''Watching their dad fight for the title is such a massive experience for them. It would be unfair to turn around and say, 'You can't carry on this feeling for yourself.'''
LOS ANGELES: Australian boxing champion Vic Darchinyan says he will ''sandblast'' rising Mexican star Rodrigo ''Gato'' Guerrero into early retirement with another devastating knockout performance.
Darchinyan will defend his WBC and WBA super flyweight belts against Guerrero at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, California, on March 6. In another big fight for Australian boxing fans, undefeated Sydney 22-year-old Lenny Zappavigna will take on Venezuela's Fernando Angulo on the undercard for the IBO lightweight title.
Darchinyan and Zappavigna have been in devastating form. The hard-hitting Darchinyan destroyed Mexico's Tomas Rojas in December with a second-round knockout and Zappavigna has won all 22 of his fights, with 15 knockouts.
''I'm going to sandblast Guerrero into an early retirement,'' Darchinyan predicted.
Guerrero, just 22, has won his last 11 bouts, and said he was not intimidated.


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The lovely Lucy at Sew Essential asked if I would like to sew up some of their beautiful stretch velvet and obviously the answer was yes, please! I have a bit of a thing for velvet and since I started to wear exclusively handmade dresses it was a fabric that was missing from my wardrobe. I had been eyeing up the beautiful skater dresses over on New Look and thinking, I could make that! Sew Essential have also put together a handy blog post full of tips on sewing with velvet. I didn't have any issues with this dress, I avoided the iron completely and used hem tape and finger pressing instead. I also didn't find it particularly slippy it pretty much sewed up like a good weight jersey fabric.
I originally planned to sew this fabric into a Wren dress with a skater skirt rather than the gathered skirt it comes with but after all the issues with the Rue pattern that led to it being recalled and then seeing a pre-photoshopped sample version of the Wren dress complete with a wonky waist seam and wrinkles galore I totally lost any confidence in Colette's drafting and my ability to correct any issues this may have presented and opted for my tried and true, the Lady Skater dress. I decided to raise the front neckline and lower the back so it had more of a party feel and then made a couple of little bows to add a bit of interest. The only thing I would do next time is size up for the sleeves, everywhere else fits nicely but the sleeves feel a bit tighter than they would in jersey or sweatshirting.
Dress: Made by me using Stretch Velvet from Sew Essential*
Pattern: Lady Skater Dress by Kitschy Coo
Shoes: Clarks


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(Influential Inputs cc T/A Icando)
ICANDO is an environmental management and training company that specialises in environmental impact assessments, waste facility permitting, environmental compliance monitoring, auditing and facilitating environmental policy, strategy and capacity development processes. It is also a Sector Education and Training Authority/South African Qualifications Authority accredited training provider for unit standards in Environmental Practice at various levels. It has undertaken national and international projects on Integrated Waste Management aspects, particularly strategies and action plans, reviews, pilot projects and capacity development in countries that include Botswana, Swaziland, Tanzania, Yemen and Philippines. Experience at national, provincial and local levels of government includes managing the capacity development aspects of the South Africa National Waste Management Strategy Implementation project at national and local level where demonstration projects, policy, and standard procedural guidelines were developed.
Main role in the project
ICANDO will collaborate in the selection and evaluation of best practices from non OECD countries on account of their experience in East and South Africa and Asia. They will be responsible of the elaboration of the "Guide for implementation of suitable ISWM systems" under WP3. They will provide support in the elaboration of policy guidelines and recommendations which will be developed in WP4. In this sense, ICANDO will provide its practical experience as training and consulting company in solid waste management ensuring that the policy options coming from WP4 are adapted to authorities at different levels (local, regional and national) and cover key aspects of solid waste management in a way that useful and feasible solutions are provided.
They will have an important role in the socio-economic evaluation of the changes proposed within the project under WP5. On account of their experience, ICANDO will assess the measures proposed in terms of their appropriation by the target countries. Furthermore they will write, jointly with ELRI, an article and give a specific seminar during the Final Conference regarding policy guidelines and recommendations.
Ms. June LOMBARD
+27 (0)31 7633760
+27 (0)31 7633664
Web address
P O Box 115.
South Africa
The IWWA Final meeting will take place on 14th-15th of May, 2012 in Accra, Ghana. More details will be available soon.
Support by
Subscribe to receive RSS feeds when new content is added to IWWA Website


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Cleanse Off Mitt
Say goodbye to face wipes and introduce the innovative Cleanse Off Mitt into your skincare routine. The reusable mitt is designed to remove all traces of makeup with just the mitt and water. It can be used with or without cleanser for quick and effective cleansing routine. The Cleanse Off Mitt is an ideal replacement for those who use wipes and harsh cleansing products.


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Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir together the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Stir together the melted butter and vanilla extract in another small bowl.
Toss the sweet potatoes with the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Put 1 layer of the sweet potatoes on the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Drizzle with a third of the butter mixture then sprinkle with a third of the brown sugar mixture. Repeat to make 2 more layers. (If there are not enough sweet potatoes to make a complete third layer, that is okay.)
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 4 hours.
Meanwhile, spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and bake until very golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool and finely chop.
When the sweet potatoes are tender, gently stir in the orange juice. Transfer the potatoes to a shallow serving dish and allow to sit for 10 minutes (the sauce will thicken as it sits). Toss the potatoes in the sauce to coat, sprinkle with the chopped pecans and serve.
Copyright 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
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Sep 19,2014
How Brooklyn Decker Supports Her Aunt, a Special Olympics Athlete
Posted by clau with No Comments
How Brooklyn Decker Supports Her Aunt, a Special Olympics Athlete
Brooklyn Decker has been involved with Special Olympics since she was a kid.Having an aunt with intellectual disabilities, the actress and model, 27, is thankful for the kindness and support the organization has always provided.
"They hosted events every weekend, and she always looked forward to participating and was so proud to bring home a medal," Decker tells PEOPLE. "I saw how important the organization was to her life."
"I remember in elementary school, we had a program that involved many athletes with intellectual disabilities, and their goal was to get students involved with those students," she recalls. "They wanted to introduce this idea of inclusion, which is what Special Olympics does so well, especially with unified sports. It was so impactful to me."
Decker has continued her childhood involvement throughout the years and after serving as a national ambassador and was recently named a global ambassador for Special Olympics.
And she's not the only one in her family lending their support.
"I'm no athlete, but I do know one [husband and tennis pro Andy Roddick]," she says, "and he's done a fantastic job helping with the cause as well."
For more of our interview with Decker, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday


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It was just yesterday that we were discussing the battery life woes that iOS 5 users have been encountering as of late, but today it looks like iPhone 4S owners have a new issue to deal with. Reports have begun flying in from users that are unable to use Siri at all, suggesting that the servers that Apple's assistant connects to are down. The problem appears to be limited to the U.S., as our friends at Today's iPhone are reporting that users in other countries are chatting away without a problem.
Siri has run into a few minor hiccups here and there since its launch, most notably right after the iPhone 4S was released and everyone and their mom was trying it, but this is the biggest outage we've seen for the voice controlled assistant yet. Apple has yet to comment on the issue, but we'll be sure to update you when we hear more. How are things going for all of you iPhone 4S owners out there?
UPDATE: Everything seems to be returning to normal. Has Siri begun responding to your random queries once again or are you still having issues?
Via Today's iPhone, MacRumors


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(Listen to the archived recording of the Models of Activist Theatre Webinar, and read the context of the Webinar below. The following text was sent to the Webinar participants.)
Models of Activist Theatre Webinar
Thursday, February 26th, 2015
for Actors, Teaching Artists, Education/Outreach Directors & Community Organizations
The purpose of this Webinar is to learn about some of the pathways theatre organizations are journeying to build community partnerships through their education and outreach endeavors to address a shared need in their community for activism. We will examine the efforts of a sampling of theatre organizations that use arts education as a framework to create the conditions necessary for the expression of communities of people where, for some, theatre has never happened before. Listeners on the call will also gain a sense of how teaching artists and actors take on the daunting task of implementing and creating a theatre education experience as a response to issues occurring within communities.
Key Areas of Exploration:
- As Theatricians: What makes us respond? How do we identify needs? What steps do we take to serve communities as artists?
- As Community Partners: What are the things being learned? What are the ways theatre illuminates your mission? Who feels the impact of the new levels of self-expression that are achieved through theatre education?
Moderated by
Tommy Demenkoff
Director of Outreach, Stella Adler Studio of Acting
A graduate of Ithaca College, Tommy debuted in the Original NYC productions of both Godspell and Grease and in LA with the Original Cast of Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit at The Mark Taper Forum. Other highlights in NYC include Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream for Hudson Warehouse and Revenge and Hero for The Drilling Company. TV: General Hospital; Law & Order; 100 Centre Street, Ed. Films: Sgt. Peppers…, Anger Management, and Surf Nazis Must Die. Regional Directing: A Few Good Men, Breaking the Code, and Equus; NYC: The Seagull for Hudson Warehouse and Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. His documentary The Children of Izieu, about the murder of 44 children during WW II and the hunt for their killer, Klaus Barbie, featuring veteran Nazi Hunter, Beate Klarsfield, won three international film festival awards. He has taught at Cornell University and contributed to their national outreach efforts, served as a Master Teaching Artist with Florida Studio Theatre, trained 3D animators for Pixar and Disney at the Ringling School of Arts and Design, taught communications at State University of New York at New Paltz and co-directed theatre arts projects at both Fishkill and Eastern Correctional Facilities. As Director of Education at City Lights he designed and delivered playwriting projects in over 100 NYC classrooms per year. As the Director of Outreach for the historic Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Tommy leads a team of Actor Warriors: World Class Instructors and Adler Ambassadors (Alumni & Student Volunteers) in providing FREE Actor Training for over 1500 students per week at the studio, in public & alternative schools, community centers, drug and alcohol recovery programs and correctional facilities in New York City, Los Angeles and Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Louise Chalfant, Director of Education, Guthrie Theater
LOUISE CHALFANT is the director of education for the Guthrie Theater where she oversees programs such as student matinees and in-school residencies, weeklong summer camps for youth ages 7-17, multi-week classes for adults in the Guthrie Learning Center, corporate training programs, as well as a successful partnership with the Minnesota State High School Thespian Conference and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Over the course of 23 years at the Guthrie, Chalfant has held such positions as Associate Director of Education and Community Programs, Literary Assistant, Assistant to the Director of Education and Special Projects Manager. From 1999 to 2007 she was Artistic Administrator for Guthrie Director Joe Dowling where she managed his office and played an important administrative role in the Guthrie's transition from its location on Vineland Place to its new location on the Mississippi River. In addition to the Guthrie, Chalfant has worked for Project SUCCESS, a Twin Cities-based educational non-profit, co-founded with the Guthrie, that uses theater performance to assist students with life transitions and goal-setting, and has worked in stage management for The Denver Center Theater Company. She received her B.A. in Theater from Arizona State University.
Elaine Hall, Founder/Creative Director, The Miracle Project
Elaine Hall "Coach E! referenced by The New York Times as "the child whisperer," was a top Hollywood acting coach whose life changed dramatically after her son was diagnosed with severe autism. When traditional behavioral therapies didn't work, she rallied creative people to join her son's world and he slowly emerged out of his isolation.
Elaine developed these methods to train others and created The Miracle Project, a groundbreaking theatre and film program, profiled in the Emmy winning HBO documentary, AUTISM: The Musical and is now being requested internationally. Elaine has appeared on CNN, CBS, NPR, Oprah Winfrey Network, and featured in The LA Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Her students, once too anxious to walk into a room of peers, have performed with Jack Black, Crosby Stills and Nash and recently on the TV show Parenthood.
The United Nations selected Elaine Hall's memoir, Now I See the Moon, for World Autism Awareness Day. Elaine also consults with faith-based organizations about Inclusion. She has received honors from Autism Speaks, Autism Society of L.A., The Mayor of Los Angeles, Holly Robinson Peete, among others. She presents her Seven Keys to Unlock Autism training in universities and theater programs nationwide including at Brown and NYU. Nominated as one of Los Angeles' 50 most inspiring women, Elaine lives in Santa Monica with the two loves of her life, her son, Neal and husband Jeff Frymer, a Marriage and Family therapist.
Diane Luby Lane, Founder, Executive Director, Get Lit
DIANE LUBY LANE is Founder/Executive Director of Get Lit-Words Ignite, Southern California's leading nonprofit presenter of literary performance, education and teen poetry programs; and the Get Lit Players, an award-winning classic teen poetry troupe, who perform for over 20,000 teens each year and have been invited to perform at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and The Hollywood Bowl. Lane's LIT KIT, a standards based, in-school curriculum, has been adopted by over 45 Los Angeles Country high schools, In 2012, Lane was honored as a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Volunteer Service Award and Get Lit has been chosen for recognition as a 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Finalist, distinguishing Get Lit as one of the top arts and humanities based programs in the country. Lane has recently been awarded a Fellowship through the Southern California Leadership Network and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of the Annenberg Foundation's Alchemy & Alchemy + Leadership Programs. Finally, she is a TEDX speaker and a member of Mayor Garcetti's select Poet Laureate Committee. For more information, please visit www.getlit.org.
Mark Lutwak, Director of Education, Cincinnati Playhouse
Mark Lutwak oversees the Playhouse's educational programming, which reaches over 50,000 young people and families annually in Greater Cincinnati. Major responsibilities as Director of Education include commissioning, developing, producing and directing for the Playhouse outreach season touring program, which features professionally produced, age-appropriate work for different schools and community venues. He also creates school and community residencies; and coordinates the acting intern program. From 1999 to 2005, he was Artistic Director at Honolulu Theatre for Youth. During his tenure, he commissioned and developed 25 new plays and built partnerships with a range of artistic, community and educational institutions. Mark has been a freelance director since 1976, directing across the U.S. with a focus on new plays for adults, families and children. He also has produced and directed award-winning educational media, and produced a wide variety of projects for non-profits arts, community and educational organizations. He is married to playwright Y York. They live with their dogs in Clifton for now.
Amy Singer, Senior Vice President & Director, Public/Private Partnerships & Business Development, Phoenix House
Ms. Singer joined the Phoenix House Foundation in 1994 as Director of Criminal Justice Planning, was promoted to Vice President, Director of Program Planning and Research in 1995 and Senior Vice President and Director of Program Planning and Operations in February 2000. Ms. Singer has served as a senior advisor to all Phoenix House programs across the country – involving herself in all aspects of programming including early program design, training, implementation and evaluation issues.
Ms. Singer previously worked as Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Planning and Programs for the NYC Department of Correction; Senior Associate for the Education Development Center where she focused on criminal justice consultancies; private consultant to the Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation; Assistant Secretary for Criminal Justice, Boston, MA; and Chief of the Victim Witness Service Bureau in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Singer also chaired the National Advisory Committee for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's $21M Reclaiming Futures initiative.
Ms. Singer has received national recognition for her work on behalf of individuals in conflict with the law. During her time at Phoenix House, she has championed a range of unique programs that complement treatment by building self-esteem, promoting engagement, and providing clients with an additional therapeutic outlet to work through their experiences – including horticulture, music, and theatre arts projects.
Ms. Singer has a B.A. from American University. She also has an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where she was selected as the Arthur D. Little Fellow for her commitment to public service.
Sabra Williams, Director of Outreach & The Prison Project, The Actors' Gang
Sabra Williams is an actress and founder of the Actors' Gang Prison Project. She joined the The Actors' Gang (Tim Robbins, artistic director) in 2004. Inspired in part by her experiences working in prisons in her native Great Britain, Sabra created the Actors' Gang Prison Project in 2004 and serves as its director. Each year the Actors' Gang Prison Project conducts at least five eight week workshops in California prisons and is the only Comprehensive Arts Provider recognized by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Currently in the midst of a statewide expansion, the Prison Project has demonstrated an ability to reduce in-prison violence and recidivism rates.


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As part of our thriving Modern Languages programme, we offer a variety of exchanges to boys studying French, German and Spanish. There are two French exchanges to Paris, a German exchange to Hamburg and a Spanish exchange to Extremadura. The take-up has been excellent for these trips and boys report learning so much as a result; both linguistically but also in terms of their own characters as they adapt to life in a foreign culture.
In addition we are now offering an exchange to Lower 6th Formers (year 12) with Camberwell Grammar School in Australia. The cycle starts with boys from Camberwell Grammar coming to us at the start of the Spring term. MTS boys then fly to Australia at the end of the Summer term. The boys stay with their exchange partners for up to four weeks attending school and experiencing a different way of life. For our boys, it is a good way to end a busy Lower 6th year and to have a much needed break before the rigours of the Upper 6th year kick in. For further details, please contact Mr Pat Capel
Trips at Merchant Taylors' are hugely popular with a great variety of destinations (including Cuba, Nepal, West Indies, Argentina, Brazil, China, Madagascar in recent years). The exchanges complement these and give boys the chance to gain a deeper appreciation of other cultures.


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Escaping from a madman should have been the end of her nightmare. Instead it was only the beginning….
Lizzy Gardner was just 17 when she was kidnapped by the psychopath known as Spiderman, a serial killer terrorizing her California hometown. Imprisoned and tormented for months, Lizzy narrowly escaped with her life and Spiderman vanished without a trace. But if she thought he would forget her, she was dead wrong.
Fourteen years later, Lizzy is a successful private investigator and self-defense instructor. Wracked with guilt over being the only victim to survive, she's devoted her life to helping others protect themselves from the horrors she endured. But a single phone call brings the terror of the past crashing back. Spiderman has returned and this time, he has no intention of letting Lizzy go. So begins a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, a terrifying, heart-pounding hunt for vengeance that only one will survive.


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What is your favourite way to wear the aztec print trend?
Monday, 4 February 2013
WhatLauraWore: Aztec Print for the Pub Quiz
What is your favourite way to wear the aztec print trend?
8 comments
- Anonymous4 February 2013 at 21:59
Dear Laura,ReplyDelete
I just wanted to say, that you absolutely inspire me and always look gorgious in all your beautiful outfits! I'm also on my way to change my life in order to drop weight and with every bit that goes, it's making me happier. I love fashion more now, than back a year ago, as I couldn't always wear what I would have loved to. So now, I'm enjoying every new piece in my closet and the British fashion is one I like the most :) I love Simply Be and that is how I ended up on your blog! And I love it :) I can't wait to read what you want to share with us :)
All the Best for you :)
Manu from Germany xxxReplies
Hello ManuDelete
It is so lovely to hear from you and thank you so much for your kind comment. I'm so pleased that you're happy and enjoying fashion more and more. I experienced exactly the same when I first started losing weight and the feeling just gets better and better.
I'm also happy to hear that you love Simply Be. I've actually designed a dress for them that will be available online in the summer, perhaps you'll love that too and want to wear it.
Good luck with your weight loss but make sure you're completely happy every step of the way and make the most of yourself, regardless of your size.
Stay beautiful
Laura xxx
- Anonymous7 February 2013 at 13:38
Laura, thank you for your kind words and encouragement :)Delete
I´m so excited hearing about your designed dress. As I´m totally into dresses, I can´t wait to see it online. I hope, that it´s also available in Germany?
It'll be available on the Simply Be website to wherever they usually ship to honey. Hope you love it! xxxDelete
Love that top Laura, looking great :)ReplyDelete
Thanks sweetie xxxDelete
Fabulous top :)ReplyDelete


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Outfit: relaxed professional
Geplaatst door Annebeth 7 comments
Labels: comfortable shoes , heels , outfits , professional dressing , s.oliver , tamaris
Outfits: Wolford Fatal dress and trench coat
Labels: date night , duster coat , outfits , partydress , trenchcoat , wolford , wolford fatal dress
Feminism: real bikini bodies
Let's do a flashback, shall we? Let this adorable picture do the talking: my baby sis and me, goofing around in a swimsuit (me) and pajamas + a swimsuit + our older brother's psychedelic swim trunks + socks (my sis). Yeah, my sister has always been the more creative dresser between the two of us. My haircut was better, tho. I came across this picture while sorting through old stuff, and this shot stood out to me because it shows how close we were. Some things never change.
Flash forward some 18 years later, and we're still adorable, we're still super close, and my sis still dresses like a CRAZYPERSON. But, like, a sexy crazy person. Check us out being fab as fuck in our swimwear, rocking our real girl, no photoshop, no exercise, no diet bodies like it's nobody's business (because your body really is nobody's business).
Labels: banana moon , body diversity , feminism , real bikini bodies , sis , sister
Outfit: professional in s. Oliver and Noa Noa
Labels: blazer , business casual , dorothy perkins , mules , noa noa , outfits , professional dressing , s.oliver
Beauty: Urban Decay Naked 2 palette review and 4 looks
A few weeks ago, my sister gave me the very best birthday gift ever: this Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay. I had been lusting over the Naked palettes since forever, but for some reason I never took the plunge to spend the 45-50€ it took to actually call the luxury palette my own. My birthday was the perfect occasion to add it to my collection. I have used it literally every morning since I got it, proving the incredible quality and versatility of the Naked palette. Of course, the internet is already filled with amazing reviews of the Naked palettes, but I figured you might be interested in my perspective regardless. Read on for a review of the palette, and four different looks I created!
The Naked palettes at the moment come in three varieties: the warm-neutral toned Naked 1 (or original), the neutral/cool toned Naked 2 palette, and the rosey, softer Naked 3 palette. I was going back and forth a bit between 3 and 2 when my sister asked me which one I wanted, but in the end I picked the 2 because it had a few darker shades, and more variety than the 3. I'm pretty fair skinned, but my high contrast colouring (dark hair and eyes, fair skin) looks better with medium shade make up, as light coloured make up tends to wash me out or make me look like a Barbie doll. I have no regrets about picking the Naked 2 palette, I have found that it contains a nice variety of shades to create warm, cool and neutral looks. Check out the shades!
Geplaatst door Annebeth 9 comments
Labels: beauty , cat eye , eyeshadow , make up , naked 2 , naked palette , smokey eye , tutorial , urban decay
Outfit: Silk cheongsam top, skater skirt and graffiti
Labels: motor boots , outfits , silk , skater skirt , T2 , vintage
Outfit: Poppies in Puerto Rico
Geplaatst door Annebeth 8 comments
Labels: avance , condado hilton , floral , lobogato , outfits , puerto rico , san juan , travel , Zara
Outfit: Wrap dress, Rockport pumps
Can someone explain to me why it is so hard to find a wrap dress these days? When and why has this classic, flattering silhouette fallen from grace? If this dress came in a number of different prints and colours, I'd be stocking up because nothing makes me feel more feminine and pretty than this dress. Such a good investment.
Geplaatst door Annebeth No comments
Labels: king louie , office-wear , outfits , professional dressing , review , rockport , work wear , wrap dress
Outfit: Sundress, Panama hat and Tevas
You know what I love? Taking a break from it all on a sunny day to spend some time with my mom and my sis at the waterside. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the past few days, and I couldn't be happier. Belgium so often has grey, chilly spring/summer days, so when we do get relatively long stretches of sun and warmth, I feel like the luckiest little duckling in the pond. Especially when I can pull out a pretty cotton sundress like the one I'm wearing here.
BTW, that point when you and your possible sister(s) reach the age where you can make crude jokes about sex and relationships with your mom: that's basically the best part of adulthood.
Beauty: Rose Gold manicure with Model's Own Chrome Rose
Is there a colour more worth obsessing over than rose gold? Why do we even obsess over colours? WHAT IS COLOURS? Deep shit, man. But anyway, I absolutely love rose gold in beauty products such as eyeshadow, and recently it has become my favourite nail polish shade. A bit of modern, sleek oomph, but still very understated and classy. I ended up buying the Rose shade from Model's Own Chrome collection after seeing it make the rounds on a number of beauty blogs, and despite this not being a raving review, I have fallen head over heels with the shade. Let's go into detail.
Labels: beauty , model's own , nailpolish , review , rose gold
Sponsored post: designing phonecases with B2C Telecom
Hey guys! This post is sponsored, but I think it will be interesting to tell you about B2C Telecom nonetheless.
Raise hands if you and your smartphone are inseparable. Yeah, I'm willing to go out on a limb and bet that most of you are - I know I am. I'm as close as one can be to all those dystopian animes where people are living in a limbo state where the boundaries between online and offline start to blur (Serial Experiments Lain, anyone?). It only seems logical that someone who is so into styling and accessorizing herself would also enjoy extending that preening process to her smartphone. Sadly, Samsung phones aren't as well furnished with accessorizing options as, for example, iPhones. Which is why I was happy to hear about B2C telecom, which does offer accessories for all kinds of smartphone models apart from the ubiquitous iPhone. I'm rocking a Samsung S4 since my S3 finally caved after a dunk in the toilet, and the B2C Telecom website offers the opportunity to design affordable cases for my smartphone, in the shape of a flipcover or a regular case. You can upload your own images, clip art, text or just play around with colours. It's really fun, and a super easy way to customize as well as protect your phone.
Here are some covers I designed. I always love a good nature print!
Geplaatst door Annebeth No comments
Labels: advertorial , smartphone , webshop , wishlist
Outfit: vintage maxy dress, linen blazer
What do you get when you mix my newfound love for anything flowy and maxi with my desire to look at least kind of elegant and professional? This little hybrid gem of a look!
Labels: blazer , fibiandclo , mcgregor , outfits , polette , professional dressing , vintage
Puerto Rico: Ocean Park
Let me tell you a bit more about our San Juan travels.
After a couple of days at the Condado Plaza Hilton (and after my conference ending), we grabbed our stuff and moved over to Ocean Park, where I booked a room in a more authentic residential neighborhood than the Miami Beach type of place Condado feels like. Just a ten minute drive from where we started, suddenly we were in the middle of some homey, colorful streets. Our little blue fenced house was literally one minute walking distance from the beautiful Ocean Park beach, which was never crowded and had the best sunlit late afternoons and coconut ice cream. Our Airbnb host, Daniel, was awesome: friendly, ready to help us with a list of suggestions, warm and super cute to boot. Let me give you an impression of the place.
This was my outfit approx 99% of the time: a bikini, and a crochet beach cover up I bought two years ago at Vero Moda.
Geplaatst door Annebeth 7 comments
Labels: beach , holiday , ocean park , puerto rico , san juan , summer , travel , vacation , vero moda
Outfit: professional in the tropics
The professional high point of our Puerto Rico travels was my presentation at the ICA2015 conference, obviously. As much as moments like these get my adrenaline pumping, I love that feeling of "this is go-time" when I have to prove myself by giving my best performance. When presenting your research, the best way to keep the nerves at bay is telling yourself that you are the expert in this matter, and that your job is to explain your work to people who want to hear about it. Keeps things casual yet focused. Another thing that always gets me in the right mindset, is to look the part. What can I say, I'm a material girl in a material world. I put quite some thought in the outfit, make up and hair I would be rocking at my international presentation, and this is the end result of that thought process. I loved the look, by the way, and I wouldn't change a thing! This dress was SUCH a good buy. I rarely find a body hugging dress that flatters me like this one does and I wish I could buy it in five different colours and prints.
Labels: geox , HM , make up , mango , outfits , professional , professional dressing , puerto rico , san juan , travel , work wear
Puerto Rico: pools, palm trees and posing
Yo! It's my birthday today (28!), and I'm feeling less than festive because of TIRED (jetlag) and SICK (crappy Belgian weather), so I'm going to try to cheer myself up my posting some Puerto Rico shots of the pool/beach area around the Condado Plaza Hilton, and yours truly chilling in said locale. Whenever I had some time off from the conference, you can bet your ass I was sitting by the pool taking in the sights (along with some piña colada). Just what I'd need right now. Let's keep things sunny and simple!
bathing suit: & Other Stories - sunglasses: ASOS
Geplaatst door Annebeth 11 comments
Labels: and other stories , ASOS , avance , beach , bikini , condado hilton , holiday , marlies dekkers , polette , pool , puerto rico , real bikini bodies , san juan , summer , travel , vacation
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For a long time, our government, law and order has been discriminating the women in many different ways. For a long time, there was no perfect law that will give complete security and protection to pregnant women's job. The employer had the every right to fire the pregnant women from the job if he didn't want pregnant women to work for him. Even the women could not comeback at work after delivery if she wants to because there is no guarantee of her job. But now the things have changed, the law has changed. Today, there are several federal as well as the state laws to protect the job of the pregnant lady.
What do you mean by maternity leave or pregnancy leave?
Maternity leave is also called family leave or parental leave. At this time, mother takes off from a job for the birth of the child. This is the time when you can take temporary leave from your job. Different countries have different norms for maternity leave of pregnancy leave.
What are the laws for maternity leave?
We know that the law has been made to secure the job of pregnant ladies but still there are people who are much interested in discriminating between men and women. They are still practicing acts against the law. Your job will be in danger if you do not know the law made for maternity leave.
There are two relevant laws to protect the job of pregnant women. They are as follows:
1) The Pregnancy Discrimination Act
This law was passed in the year 1978, and it protects the right of pregnant ladies. According to this law,
- a) You cannot be fired by your employer because you are fired.
- b) You cannot be forced to take a pregnancy leave.
- c) You should also be given the same benefits such as disability, health and sickness leave benefits which are given to the other employees.
- d) You should be given alternate assignments, leave without pay; disability leave and modified tasks.
- e) You should not be forced to leave the work until you are unable to do it.
- f) You should be given security of your job when you are at maternity leave.
- g) You must be eligible for the benefits, and the pay increases even at the leave.
This law was made to protect your position from the employers who treat their employees differently.
2) The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
This law was passed in the year 1993. This law is applicable to those companies who have more than 50 employees in the area of 75-mile radius. If you are an employee of the company for more than one year and you have worked at least 25 hours per week then, you can take leave of 12 weeks. This leave is unpaid, and it protects your job. You can take the leave at the same time, or you can break the leave into two parts: before and after baby's birth.
Both the laws are meant to protect your job during pregnancy and to give you a fair chance to show what you are. But now the law requires that the pregnant ladies get paid pregnancy leave so that they can efficiently manage their household expenses and their medical bills. Due to the unpaid leaves they have to come back early at position that affect their health. The law should be changed now to get them paid pregnancy leave.
This is a great news for women who accidentally got pregnant while working. If they are not paid for the days of their absences due to conception, they will most likely hate their situation and feel that the babies they're carrying are not as good as a blessing to them. So, a female worker should use doctor notes for pregnant women when they feel it's necessary to do so. Creat a fake note to get out of work with the help of fakedoctorsnoteforwork.com.


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Synthetic peptide conjugated to KLH derived from within residues 300 - 400 of Human Reptin/TIP49B/RUVB2.
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|Use a concentration of 1 µg/ml.
|Use at an assay dependent concentration.
Image courtesy of Human Protein Atlas . ab36569 staining Reptin/TIP49B/RUVB2 in human gall bladder, showing a predominantly nuclear staining pattern in glandular cells. Paraffin embedded human gall bladder tissue was incubated with ab36569 (1/400 dilution) for 30 mins at room temperature. Antigen retrieval was performed by heat induction in citrate buffer pH 6.
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Let's get it started: Will.I.Am launches his own car firm
Lotus could soon be vindicated after yet another rapper has announced he's about to get ill by pimping dope new whips. True dat.
Will.I.Am, front person of the Black Eyed Peas and Cheryl Cole's mate, has announced he's starting a car company, called IAMAUTO. We don't understand the name.
The cars will be built using Chrysler parts and have a Beats by Dr. Dre stereo system - that's the same audio brand Hewlett Packard is using to pimp its laptops at the moment, sure to endow IAMAUTO rides with window shattering levels of bass.
Will.I.Am, known as 'William' to his mum, announced the new venture during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which is apt because, you know, Jay Leno likes cars.
Rumour has it the first IAMAUTO proper will be based on the Chrysler 300C - the most affordable way of looking like a tanning salon owner there ever was.
More likely, though, is that it's based on unsold Chrysler PT Cruisers, of which there are many, furnished with gullwing doors, a dock for a Nokia 6210 and a GameBoy Advance charger soldered directly onto the battery.
Because Will.I.Am is a pop star, and being green is the new being rebellious, the car will be electric, powered by refurbished disco ball rotators drawing power from old iPod batteries.
And the seats will be vinyl, not because of any LP connotation, but because Fergie might want a lift, and her bladder control isn't the best.
In fairness to William, his intentions are noble: "to bring jobs to the ghetto that I come from." It's the same goal that begot Lotus in Norfolk.
As you can tell, we don't know a lot about what IAMAUTO will do, although two of Wil.I.Am's cars have surfaced, both built by West Coast Customs (WCC) - they of MTV's Pimp My Ride fame.
The first is an horrific white DeLorean conversion, which is presumably a joke and which we don't want to dignify with any more discussion.
But the second actually looks pretty good. Based on a '58 Corvette, it features an integrated iPad in the dash and is described by a WCC pimpmeister as "the best car we've ever done". This is not what the production car will be, but it's proof positive of Will.I.Am's carmaking credentials - that he's more than capable of paying someone to build a car. Tight.
Check out the IAMAUTO 'Vette below:


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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'GBAtemp & Scene News' started by lagman, Aug 5, 2008.
What do you do in this game?
Oh lol, this is based on some real-life competition.
My money's on the Japanese guy.
i know it's sad to say, i've been looking forward to trying this game. may be fun. now if i can get my wad installer to work, haven't tried since 3.3U update.
Hmmm, another instance where the scene conveniently happens to buy the game and dump it a day and a half after someone else has spread it on the internet... Real helpful guys, thanks.
Hmm, take food, remove taste and smell. And you get this.
Its tasteless, its horrible and it wont sustain you.
I, I can hear the cries of Cooking Mama already.
Its ok Cooking Mama, its ok.
It'll go away soon enough.
We still love your virtual food.
We always will Cooking Mama.
This is one of the worst WiiWare games out there! Dreadful piece of crap.
Hehe, watched Tonight show with Jay Leno last week, and he pulled some joke about "this new Wii game, where you pretend to eat" some joke about "how fat are we getting in this country"
Wondered what he was talking about, but.. now i see
it's not the worst game i've played... but it's not something i'm going to go back to play every day. maybe once in a while when friends are over we'll have an eat off.
Not that anybody really cares in the end, but.....
Funny how this group (WWR) only "released" these new wiiware games a day after they were finally dumped by individuals who were tired for waiting for scene releases. The file crcs match, so nice job taking credit for things they didn't do. Lame.


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Definition of European ash
1. Noun. Tall ash of Europe to the Caucasus having leaves shiny dark-green above and pale downy beneath.
Generic synonyms: Ash, Ash Tree
European Ash Pictures
Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: European Ash Images
Lexicographical Neighbors of European Ash
Literary usage of European ash
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Trees of America: Native and Foreign, Pictorially and Botanically by Daniel Jay Browne (1846)
"Yellow-edged-leafleted european ash, with the leaflets edged with yellow. 10. FE EROSA. ... Dwarf european ash, which seldom exceeds a yard in height. ..."
2. The North American Sylva, Or, A Description of the Forest Trees, of the by François André Michaux, Augustus Lucas Hillhouse (1819)
"There are several varities of the european ash, the most remarkable of which is the drooping Ash : its branches decline towards the earth , and the effect ..."
3. Arboretum Et Fruticetum Britannicum: Or, The Trees and Shrubs of Britain by John Claudius Loudon (1838)
"The American sorts of ash, it is observed by Descemet, writing at Odessa, have the great advantage of prospering in soils where the european ash will ..."
4. The Propagation of Plants: Giving the Principles which Govern the by Andrew Samuel Fuller (1887)
"Seedlings of the common european ash (F. excelsior), are the best for stocks for ... Long experience in the use of the european ash as a stock for the many ..."
5. A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to by Andrew Jackson Downing (1852)
"The common european ash (F. excelsior) strongly resembles the White ash. ... The Weeping Ash.] of the european ash, with pendulous or weeping branches ..."


text:
91. Welcome. Would you introduce yourselves?
(Colonel Taylor) I am Colonel Mike Taylor. I am the
newly elected (earlier this year) Chairman of the Council of the
Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations, which of course is the
new name for TAVRAs. I took over from General Sir Edward Jones
on 1 July, having previously been the Chairman of the North West
Regional Association. On my right is Colonel Patrick Robinson
who chairs the West Midlands Association, and on my left is Commodore
Ian Pemberton who chairs the Wessex Association which covers effectively
the whole of the south west of the country. Could I, Chairman,
beg your indulgence on two things? Could I first of all pass these
leaflets to members of the Committee because they are an updating
of everything that happens in the RFCAs and they could be useful.
Secondly, perhaps I could just make a couple of preliminary points,
and I will not be long; I know we are short of time.
92. Please do.
(Colonel Taylor) I think it is important to establish
that the world is considerably different from our perspective
from where it was when we last appeared before your Committee
and I would like to make a couple of brief points about that.
The first one I have already made in a sense, that I took over
from General Sir Edward Jones and that in itself was an interesting
change in the way we do our business in the senseand I
hope this does not sound immodestthat I am the first non-three
or four star general in living memory to take on this role.
93. Here, here.
(Colonel Taylor) You need not say that, sir, but thank
you. It is primarily about the re-focusing of the way we do our
business I think is the point. But more than that. The most important
point I want to make about the change is that we collectively
are now very much more integrated with the chain of command. One
of the things that flowed from the changes that occurred last
year was that I am now a member of the Land Command Board and
my colleagues are members of their respective divisional boards,
which means that on anything that is being dealt with and discussed
about reserve matters, with the TA in particular of course in
this context, we are very much a part of that process. That brings
me to my next point which is that the relationships currently
I would say between the Associations and the Chain of Command
are as good as they have ever been and we are working much more
closely than perhaps was the case shall we say two or three years
ago. I would like to record that because I think it is a very
important preliminary point for your questioning of us. If I may
make one last point generally, and I am sure it cropped up in
the earlier discussion, the one thing that is confronting all
of us, whether it be the chain of command or the Associations,
is that the budgets are incredibly tight. Wherever we look, whatever
we do, money is not available. It is very tight budgeting, very
tight financial affairs. There is virtually nothing in the system
which allows us a lot of latitude to do things that we would perhaps
previously have done or would like to do. That is not anybody's
fault. It is just the way of the world. Where we are in our current
position as an integrated organisation with the chain of command
is that budgetary issues are debated in a very open fashion and
as a result of the memorandum of understanding which was signed
last year there is a considerable degree of transparency with
our funding arrangements and I think we are all very positive
about all of that, although there are some spin-offs from that:
refurbishment, decoration, maintenance of buildings is not happening
as it should do, and there are issues floating around about training
days for TA soldiers. Those are issues I wanted to put on the
table at the front end.
94. When the old TAVRAs appeared before us when
the future of the TA was really gravely at risk, you did express
very forcibly, as did your colleagues, many reservations that
we have reflected on and frankly shared. We really do hope that
with the new name the newly designated organisation will fight
its corner as vociferously as its predecessor did because you
know, as we know, how difficult it is to survive in a Ministry
of Defence whose lack of enthusiasm (I will not go as far as to
say antipathy) for what was the former TAVRA is well known. We
really do hope that when the time comes, if it has not come already,
you will be as diligent in pursuing the interests of the Territorial
Army as you always have been.
(Colonel Taylor) If I may comment, Chairman, and pick
up on what you said, and I think my colleagues would want to comment
too, because of our integration: my involvement with the Land
Command Board, their involvement in the Divisional Boards, it
is much less a confrontation issue now because it is actually
being in at the start of those debates and discussions and that
is a much more potent position to be in than we were previously.
(Commodore Pemberton) We are the same size fish as
we were before but we are in smaller pools and we are sitting
alongside the BLBs[2],
the brigades and others and we have to work harder.
95. A lot of piranhas around, I must say.
(Commodore Pemberton) We have good eyesight.
96. Phase 2 of the TA restructuring has now
been completed. In your judgement, has the TA become "more
relevant, more useable and better integrated with the rest of
the UK's forces"?
(Colonel Taylor) I will kick off and then ask my two
colleagues to comment. I think the answer to that has to be in
general terms yes, butand the "but" of course
is a range of factors, not least that the footprint of the TA
across the country is very much more scattered than it was previously,
so to that extent the integration is bound to be damaged. The
evidence, as you have already heard from our colleagues who were
before you before, tells you that there is a fairly effective
mobilisation process available to work with and therefore to that
extent our TA units around the country are playing their part.
I will ask my two colleagues from their regional perspective to
(Commodore Pemberton) To the extent, Chairman, that
there are many members of the TA serving with the Army specifically
in the Balkans, I think is an illustration that they are relevant
and they are being used. It is early days still to see how we
can maintain the training levels, as was indicated I think in
the earlier part of the previous speakers. The nature of the training
that TA soldiers now get is changed, it is brought down to a smaller
unit level, and that is relevant to the work that they are going
to do. How this goes onit is early days. The jury is still
(Colonel Robinson) I would say that we are not there
yet, Chairman, in that quite a lot of work is still to be done,
particularly on rehousing. We have some units that have been re-rolled
and in theory rehoused but the housing is not going to be financed
for another three years in some cases. In your and my area, Chairman,
we have a field squadron that cannot get through its gates because
the budget is not there for it yet and will not be for quite a
long time. This does not help. Restructuring should really have
happened straightaway so that we could go into it with a bang,
but of course it was not financed properly.
(Colonel Taylor) I think we need to remind you, Chairman,
that when SDR was announced there were phrases being bandied around
about the TA being fully resourced for its new role and its new
activities. We have to say from our experience that in certain
areas that has not proven to be the case and there are shortfalls
around which are going to make it quite difficult to produce the
final things that we are looking for.
97. Perhaps you could drop us a note telling
us where you believe the shortfalls are, and anything else you
think would be relevant. To what extent were your views and concerns
taken into account during the process of restructuring the TA?
(Colonel Taylor) Our view is that we could not have
been more fully involved than we were. Right from day one we found
ourselves able to play a significant part. You may yourself recall
that we even were proactive in that sense in that we ran our own
RUSI seminar to put some points on the table before the policies
were really being finalised. Throughout the process, both nationally
from the Council perspective and regionally from the Associations'
perspective, there was a proper consultative process in place.
I do not think any of us would have anything to say other than
that it was highly involving, it was totally a consultative process
we played a part in, we were involved in all the detailed planning
assumptions and all the planning processes.
(Colonel Robinson) I would go along with that. I do
not think we got our point over as well as we might have at times
and I think that some of the restructuring is going to have to
be revisited because I still do not think it is right.
98. Could you give some examples of that because
it would be very helpful to the Committee?
(Colonel Robinson) I think the way the infantry was
re-hashed was actually not very clever and that is going to hit
us further down the line. We have not yet got the right structure
in the infantry battalion. I was listening earlier to the comments
of the previous speakers. We have put together what are called
battalions but, if we remember, they were actually training organisations.
You then asked our previous speakers if they could be mobilised.
They were never invented to be mobilised, nor were they invented
to be any more than training operations. The fact that they are
finding it extremely difficult to train and to man as infantry
battalions is a major problem. That is going to have to be revisited
and re-sorted because there is no proper career structure for
the officers or the senior NCOs and the result is that they say,
"What is the point?".
99. What really irritated me was that in my
own area they closed down the TA centre which had been recruiting
in the town for a couple of centuries, and then all we had in
the merger was keeping the band and the dog (who died) and some
of the headquarters, so you had all these guys from my area who
did not want to go to Wolverhampton or Tamworth, and I just wondered
whether you had any statistics on how many of the guys and women
who were reorganised just threw the towel in and disappeared from
the Territorial Army.
(Colonel Taylor) Those figures are available obviously
because we have information about what happened to units. I think
I need to make a point. The question we were asked was were we
fully consulted. The answer was yes. Were the things we wanted
to see delivered? The answer obviously is, "Not necessarily
so", because our views were sometimes opposed to the outcomes
that occurred. Patrick has already made the point about the infantry
and that has probably been the most stark case, with the infantry
now very scattered, and clearly we have presented some very powerful
arguments, and so did other people, and we were not always able
to win those arguments. We were consulted and I want that point
to be really clearly understood. It was not lack of consultation.
It was simply that in the circumstances those things that we were
aspiring to and wanted we did not always succeed in achieving.


text:
Since 1868, the YWCA has been providing early childhood programs for millions of children across the United States. The YWCA believes that high-quality childcare and early education programs not only assist children and parents, but assist our country as a whole.
Childcare and early education programs are critical to promoting child development and school readiness, and are vital for helping parents obtain and retain employment, and preparing our next generations for lifelong learning and success.
Today, the primary sources of care and education for young children are childcare, Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs.
Childcare is a necessity for many working families. However, for many parents, finding affordable, accessible and quality childcare and early education programs is difficult. Early childhood education programs are vital for community viability and productivity.
YWCA Position
The YWCA supports quality, affordable and accessible early childhood education that assists adults in moving toward economic independence and provides children with culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate activities that enable them to succeed in school and in life.


text:
Join Justin Putney for an in-depth discussion in this video Full screen, part of Creating a Responsive Presentation in HTML5.
Let's take a look at another common presentation feature which is going to…full screen. It'd be really nice if our presenter can…have the presentation take over the whole screen and not have to see bits of the…browser window. So I'm going to switch over the browser…here and just show you where I'm getting the code for this.…This is John Dyer's site and you can download it form here.…Also got the snippet saved in the snippet text file here.…So if I switch over to the exercise files in Chapter 4 > 04_04 there is a snippet…text file then I open this up to rather large bit of code.…
So we're going to start at the top where the note says Javascript and I'd select…starting underneath that. And just copy this whole block here all…the way down until before it says CSS. I'm going to copy that, go under my Start…folder, come to js, and open the pres.js file.…I'm going to paste this code in at the bottom, it doesn't need to go into the…ready function, in fact it shouldn't, so just save it at the bottom and then we…
Discover how to structure the HTML and slide content; design the navigation to react to clicks, keyboard input, and swipe gestures; and use CSS to customize the slide display for different screens and animated transitions. Justin also includes a series of challenge-and-solution pairs to test your skills.
Then, when you're ready, watch the HTML5 Projects: Creating an Advanced Responsive Presentation follow-up course to enhance your web presentation slides with audio, video, and an automatic playback feature.
- Structuring an HTML5 slideshow
- Creating the default slide appearance
- Using jQuery to display the current page
- Adding swipe gestures for mobile
- Creating a pause screen
- Translating your ideas into CSS
- Using media queries to adjust the layout


text:
What's Your Selfie Technique?
Oh, don't pretend like you don't have one!
Gwen Stefani. What can I say? I've loved her since the '90s. "Sunday Morning" is one of my go-to karaoke songs, even though I'm pretty much one of the worst singers on this earth. "Just A Girl" is still incredibly relevant 20 years after it came out. She's my bestie in my head, and I'm not the least bit ashamed of it. There's something about her that seems real, accessible, and approachable.
So when I went to see her concert last Saturday night, I decided to take my fangirldom to the next level with hair and makeup inspired by her current look.
To start, I needed the hair. I only wanted it to be a temporary thing, so I went with Manic Panic in Raven. (Now that I've done it, though, I kind of want to rock the look all the time).
I started by straightening my hair as straight as I could possibly get it, and then giving myself a deep side part. Once I had the desired amount of hair I wanted to use separated from the back, I tied the back up in a Gwen-like top knot.
On the front I used a brush to paint on the black tips, because I wanted a super straight line.
On my hair, it took two sessions (30 minutes each) of the Manic Panic to get it as dark as I wanted it, and I found myself wondering if it would be cool to do in other colors. (Little did I know that night Gwen would choose to go cobalt blue with her tips, only proving my point on how awesome it could be to switch up the shades.) I would recommend using gloves if you have them, because black Manic Panic is a real pain in the ass to get off your hands, which I didn't realize because I usually use pink shades.
For makeup, there was no choice but to do her iconic red lip and a cat eye.
I started with a mixture of Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm with a little Erborian BB Creme on my skin, applied with a wet Beautyblender. For a little contour, because Gwen's cheek game is way strong, I used Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Blush in Video just under my cheekbones.
I sculpted my brows with Smashbox Brow Tech Gloss Stick in Taupe, and I used a light dusting of Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Fireball on my lids.
Now comes the real fun part! I used Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner to create the cat eye, and Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (the ONLY mascara I care about anymore) on my lashes. I have lash extensions at the moment, which you're not supposed to wear mascara on, but I felt like the occasion warranted it.
Then lastly, but most importantly, I used By Terry Terrybly Velvet Rouge in My Red. This lip color is a splurge that is well worth it. It's long-lasting (it got me through a plate of nachos and two margaritas before the concert) but doesn't feel drying in the slightest. The red is just the most perfect red I've ever worn.
Honestly, why am I not doing this look EVERY DAY? It's so chic and not at all hard to do.
And I'm finding myself not wanting to wash the Manic Panic out of my hair. I get why she rocks this look all the time. I feel like a total badass.
So bad, in fact, that I may or may not have thrown on a bold lip yesterday when I went to walk my dog, Stanley. Who I may or may not have dressed up in a matching hoodie.
Is this a look you'd rock every day? Or is this a Halloween look in your opinion?


text:
As a grizzled old man, I'm fortunate enough to remember the early days of video gaming, and looking across the gamult of its history, you can see easily a pattern that represents the growth of a man. From the early infantile days of Pong to the modern age, which in some ways seems like an early 30-year-old, clinging on to the last strands of youth. As with most things, if you look hard enough you can see the metaphor.
Lying firmly in the awkward adolescent phase is DreamWeb. The game tries so hard to be edgy it lacerates itself. As if to prove just how goddamn adult it is, the original game came packaged with a 'Diary of a Madman' book providing some backstory to the game, written in an authentic crazy-man scrawl font. You can tell it gets crazier towards the end as the font gets bigger AND THE AUTHOR STARTS WRITING IN CAPITALS, A PRACTICE LEFT SOLELY TO THE MENTALLY UNBALANCED. The game features violence, gore, swearing and even a sex scene.
Yes, a sex scene. In a 1994 video game. It is precisely as titilating as you would imagine.
DreamWeb tries so, so hard to be cool that, in doing so, it forgets it has to be a video game as well. In my pre-blog research I've seen DreamWeb described as 'one of the greatest cyberpunk games ever made'. It isn't. It barely manages to be one of the greatest games called 'DreamWeb.'
The gameplay consists of scanning your mouse over the fairly samey-looking overhead dystopia, using the games magnifier to find pixel-wide interactive areas. There are puzzles to solve and people to talk to, of course. You play the part of Ryan Cantrememberhissecondname, who is either a mentally unhinged psychopath or the one chosen by the mystical eponymous DreamWeb to save the world. Which, of course, he just happens to do be brutally murdering several people. Apparently they going to commit some heinous event at some point, or something. It's hard to care, to be honest. There's some interest to be had at the start in plotting the initial assassinations, but you're stuck on a very linear path and there's no scope for improvisation. This is an adventure game, ultimately, and you do what it tells you to. By the time you reach the latter stages of the game, everything seems so rushed that you half suspect the developers got a bit bored with it all too.
The problem with dystopian near-future worlds is that they can be very difficult to get right without appearing trite or unbelievable. DreamWeb doesn't, to be fair to it, fall into this trap, but the unfortunately the world it presents just has no soul. Even with the decently-written 'Diary of a Madman' backstory taken into account (which obviously you shouldn't, because it's not in the game), it's not fleshed out enough for you to care about the detail. But then, there isn't an air of intrigue or mystery about it either. The characters are mostly anonymous or, particularly in the case of the protagonist, hard to care about. There was never a sequel, and I can't imagine than many would to revisit this world.
Today, DreamWeb is pretty much forgotten. If it is remembered at all, it's because of the sex scene – a first for a 'mainstream' game at the time. I seem to recall that, when it was released, that was pretty much the main selling point too. Nowadays it seems remarkably tame; nothing more than a shuffle of fleshy-coloured pixels.
If you're after a retro steampunk adventure, seek out the likes of Beneath a Steel Sky or Westwood's brilliant 1997 Blade Runner game instead. Leave DreamWeb where it belongs: in the broom closet of forgotten games.


text:
Cardiff freedom honour for Welsh military medics
Army medics granted the freedom of Cardiff have marched in the city to celebrate the honour.
Reserve soldiers from 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital paraded after a Royal Gun Salute at City Hall in celebration of the Queen's birthday on Monday.
Members recently returned from their second tour of Afghanistan, where they provided treatment for soldiers at Camp Bastion.
The unit is only the ninth organisation given the freedom honour since 1886.
The award, which is a purely honorary title, was accepted by Col Tina Donnelly who is the Welsh Medics commanding officer. She is also more widely known as director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales.
She said the title was warmly welcomed.
21 Apr 2014


text:
It was a perfect spring day, not a cloud in the sky, as we set off along a quiet lane on the outskirts of Glasbury, a couple of miles outside Hay-on-Wye.
We were going foraging with the hedgerow enthusiast and local author, Adele Nozedar. Nothing too strenuous, as she was keen to point out: "We'll just walk, and look at some things along the way."
"Will there be primroses?" asked the seven-year-old, who shares her middle name with the yellow flower, the epitome of spring. Perhaps, she was told. She and her brother raced ahead of us up the hill.
Nozedar's new book, The Hedgerow Handbook, is a guide to the culinary and medicinal uses of the common wild plants to be found at every roadside, complete with recipes, and we were road-testing her event for this year's Hay Festival. As well as a straight talk about her book, Nozedar will be taking groups of children and their parents on similar excursions in the lanes around the festival site.
The hedges looked unremarkable to me, populated with copious quantities of what I would think of, if I found them in my garden, as weeds. But this was precisely Nozedar's point.
"Look," she said, pointing out a patch of nettles. The children bustle in with their gloves, putting handfuls in our basket. "Nettle soup is good," Nozedar said. "But you can also eat them raw, if you pound them a bit."
I wasn't convinced. Surely the nettles would sting the tongue. But our hardy photographer tried a bite, and it turned out that if you roll them tight, they're fine – if a bit woody. As well as recipes for beer and syrup using well-cooked nettle leaves, Nozedar's book comes up with some more delicate concoctions. Filo parcels filled with nettle-flavoured feta cheese, for example. Nettles are rich in protein and vitamin C, and also help to improve the circulation.
And if you can find food growing in the wild, Nozedar tells me, it is not only cheap and nutritious, it means fewer trips to the supermarket.
Her interest in foraging began in earnest 15 years ago, shortly after she had moved to Hay. She and her then partner, refugees from the music industry in London, had fallen in love with a remote cottage, which they bought on a whim and turned into a recording studio, which went on to host bands such as Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers. And Nozedar, who was doing the catering, decided it would be fun to test her dining guests a little. "I fed nettles to Pete Doherty," she says, proudly. "And he ate them."
She later did some work locally as a photographer, and so she had an excuse to meander along a host of country lanes. Her book, she says, is the culmination of these years of exploring and, as the list of recipe acknowledgements at the back makes clear, includes both her own ideas as well as recipes from other cooks.
There are some nice bits of historical detail, including useful tricks to help you guess the age of a hedge – take a 30-yard length and count the number of woody species, to give you the age in centuries. Nozedar is campaigning to protect our hedgerows, which are fast disappearing. "Once they are gone, it's unlikely they will come back," she says. "The best way to preserve them is to start with the children."
On our walk, we find dandelions. "You can dig the roots up and make something a bit like coffee, or you can eat their leaves in salads," she says, pointing out the derivation of the name, from the French, dent de lion (lion's tooth), on account of the shape of the leaves.
There are violets: "Aren't they gorgeous? You can crystallise them, you know." And prunella, and celandine (a delicate cousin of the buttercup) and cleaver. "You should get a dog," she tells the children. "Round about June the bobbles stick to them." You can then collect them, and roast them to make a drink a bit like coffee. Or you can try making cleaver curry.
The four-year-old has been busy gathering handfuls of grass. "You know you could live on grass?" Nozedar tells him. "It has lots of vitamins and minerals." And she shows us how to peel away the outer layers near the root, exposing the soft, tender part. His sister is chewing, meanwhile, on hawthorn leaves. "These used to be called bread and cheese plants because they were so filling."
Nozedar races off with them down the lane, and when I catch up, the seven-year-old is smiling. Hidden slightly from view, at the bottom of a grassy mound, is a large patch of primroses.
* The Hedgerow Handbook is published next month by Square Peg
At Hay Fever
Adele Nozedar will be appearing at the Hay Festival on June 6 at 6.45pm with the book's illustrator, Lizzie Harper, who will be doing live illustrations. Adele will also be taking family groups on foraging trips. To book tickets, go to hayfestival.org


text:
Registration deadline to vote in primary is today
Texans who are eligible to vote, but not yet registered are almost out of time to register to vote in the July 31, 2012 Primary Runoff Elections. Voter registration applications must be postmarked no later than today, Monday, July 2, 2012. Information on how to register to vote in Texas can be found at www.votetexas.gov, or by calling the voter registrar in a voter's county of residence.Voters who cast ballots in one of the major party primary elections on May 29, 2012 will vote in the runoff election for the same party in which they cast their primary ballot. Voters who did not cast a ballot in primary elections are free to choose either party's runoff ballot, but may only vote in one party's runoff election.Early voting for the July 31, 2012 Primary Runoff Elections will begin Monday, July 23, 2012 and end Friday, July 27, 2012.