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This week we had another growth scan and clinic appointment. It was lovely to see the babies again, it's reassuring to know they're OK in there, even though I do feel them move lots anyway. They are getting so big that it's really hard to make anything out on screen, unless you're a trained sonographer and know what you're looking for. She pointed out a few things to me and I nodded with a kind of "if you say so" smile.
The main thing is they are growing nicely. Both are still around average size, one slightly longer than the other, meaning their estimated weights are slightly more different from each other than last time with a 10% difference. They are estimated to be around 4-4.5 lbs each, though as I wrote before, scanning at this gestation can be quite inaccurate so these stats have to be taken with a relatively large pinch of salt. There's a good amount of amniotic fluid around them in each sac, and the placentas look healthy and well positioned at the back of the womb. Their cord blood flow rate is healthy, and they are both very active at scans – all the sonographers that I've seen have remarked on this! We produce very active kids it seems. I think it's for this reason that they have moved position between every scan, never staying in the same place.
Unfortunately their positions are slightly less favourable than at the last scan (where twin 1 was transverse with head nearer the cervix than bottom, and twin 2 was head down). This time twin 1 was properly breech (bottom sitting on the neck of the womb by the cervix!) and twin 2 was transverse, with their heads together near my ribs. Whilst it's lovely that they have their heads together, I'd rather that their heads were near the cervix. The sonographer said there was still time to turn, and since they've turned lots already, I have some reassurance that this is possible. I was slightly dreading then talking to the doctor in clinic about where we would go from here in terms of birth plans. However, it turned out to be a very positive conversation.
I saw a consultant who I haven't seen before. She seemed very laid back from the start. The usual blood pressure conversation was short, she checked that my machine read high, which it did, and joked with me about there always being one who had white coat hypertension. Then we moved on to how I'd like the babies to be born. I said that I was hoping for a vaginal birth, because I'd had very fast and easy births with my singletons, but that I understood their current positions weren't very favourable for a vaginal birth.
To my surprise, she then said that if I go into spontaneous labour and I dilate as quickly as, or more quickly than, previous labours, they would be happy to support me in a breech vaginal birth. After I nearly fell off my chair in shock, I replied with something like "oh really! Er… um…. thank you!" When I had previously talked to a registrar about this at our first twin clinic appointment, he said that twin 1 would have to be head down if I wanted a vaginal birth. She said that if it's fast then better to let it happen naturally than try to intervene surgically, and that they as obstetricians have the expertise to assist with a breech delivery. She then went on to say that if I was dilating more slowly than before, and there was therefore time to consider other options, that they would rather offer me a c-section at a lower dilation with sac and fluid still in tact than wait for me to go slowly to full dilation and then potentially need a c-section once my waters had broken, which was less favourable from their point of view. Although she added that I still wouldn't need to accept the offer if I'd gone into labour spontaneously and wanted to carry on for a vaginal birth.
I think it was around this point of the discussion that she made a statement that made my ears really prick up because it was very much in line with the two central tenets of the Positive Birth Book (that I have CHOICES and RIGHTS in childbirth). She said "you do have choices in this you know, it's not just me telling you what you can and can't do." Again I nearly fell off my chair in amazement!
Then she went on to talk about what would happen if I don't go into labour spontaneously. Firstly, she said that they were happy for me to go to 38 weeks as long as all is well at my next scan. They wouldn't offer induction at that point if twin 1 was still breech. That would mean either a planned c-section before labour starts naturally, or "wait it out" with daily monitoring to check for foetal well-being, and they would talk to me about the risks either way with both of those options if it got to that. Again I was pleased that she seemed to be quite relaxed about the prospect of waiting it out rather than just going straight for a c-section, if all is well. They would offer induction if twin 1 was head down by then, just not if he/she was breech. I'm fairly confident that my body will go into spontaneous labour by 38 weeks, because the boys were born on or just after the 40 week "due date" for singletons. Mums who go longer with twins tend to also go to 41/42 weeks with singletons – we're all different.
And that was that! A much easier conversation than I was expecting, and a much more positive and mum-centred approach to twin birth than I was expecting from a consultant obstetrician. I feel bad for tarring them all with the same brush in my head now! She said they'd like to see me again in 3 weeks, when I'll be nearly 36 weeks pregnant, to check the babies' positions. Initially she said 4 weeks because all was well and the babies are growing beautifully, but then decided a week earlier would be good to give us a bit more time to discuss all options if they are still in awkward positions, which I agree with.
In the mean time, if I have any signs of labour, I have to go straight in to triage to be assessed. They would rather I came in on false alarms and they sent me home again than risk a home/car birth, which I can understand if twin 1 is breech. A twin breech home birth would be one step too far in her opinion, and I have to say that would scare me too I think! This is totally different from when I had the boys – the birth centre didn't want us getting there too early and nearly sent us away again with Andrew, but thankfully they didn't as he was born about an hour and a half later, and we only just made it there at all for Joel.
I came out of the appointment feeling much more positive than just after the scan which had made me fear the worst for lack of birth options. I'm praying that at least twin 1 will turn, and there is a team of friends at church who are praying the same. But if this is how it's meant to be, I'm feeling confident in my ability to breech birth if all goes as quickly as before, and I have a sense of peace surrounding the fact that it's not in my hands – what happens, happens. The position of twin 2 is less important at this stage because they often turn once twin 1 is out anyway.
So going into this week I'm trying to continue getting the balance right between rest and activity. I hope that swimming, yoga and spending time on all fours using my birth ball for support will give the babies as much room to turn as possible, though I know it's getting less likely that they will. I'm still feeling nauseous and have to lie down for a rest in the afternoon and evening otherwise I think I'll be sick. But I'm really holding onto the fact that it's really not long to go now. If anyone used to watch the comedy quiz show Shooting Stars, I have this line from it in my head: "We don't know how much time we've got, but when the time's up you'll hear this noise….. argh!" We're living life on the edge right now!


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Roland LEC 540
As the world's first UV inkjet printer/cutters, Roland's DPI award-winning VersaUV LEC series quickly revolutionized the packaging prototype and short-run label industries. For the first time, professionals could print CMYK plus White and Clear inks for varnishing and embossing effects on virtually any substrate and then crease, contour cut or perf-cut their designs, all on one device through one seamless workflow. Now, our 54" model takes your creativity to an even larger scale. VersaUV uses safe, low-heat LED lamps to print on materials ranging from metallic and synthetic papers and foils to BOPP, PE and PET film, even leather and fabrics. VersaUV creates remarkably rich effects including matte and high-gloss finishes in your choice of textures and patterns. Roland ECO-UV inks produce graphics that are easy to handle and can be stretched across curved surfaces and sharp edges without cracking. With VersaUV, your prototypes and comps are so realistic, they are virtually indistinguishable from finished products.

subset: commoncrawl


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Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical
sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of
NewYork Harbor, in Manhattan, New York
is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of NY Harbor, in Manhattan, NY City. The statue, FORMED by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated on October twenty eight, 1886, was a present to the USA from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July FOUR , 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad.
Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty Design and construction
The origin of the Statue of Liberty project is sometimes followed to a comment made by French law professor and politician Édouard René de Laboulaye in mid-1865. In after-dinner conversation at his house near Versailles, Laboulaye, an ardent supporter of the Union in the American Civil War, is supposed to have said: "If a monument should rise in the USA, as a memorial to their independence, I should think it only natural if it were built by united effort—a common job of both our nations." The National Park Service, in a 2000 report, however, deemed this a legend traced to an 1885 fundraising pamphlet, and that the statue was most likely conceived in 1870.
The History of The Statue of Liberty


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Next: Reading and writing random number generator state, Previous: Random number environment variables, Up: Random Number Generation [Index]
The above methods do not expose the random number 'state' which changes from call to call. It is often useful to be able to save and restore the state. To permit these practices, a few somewhat more advanced functions are supplied. These include:
This function copies the random number generator src into the pre-existing generator dest, making dest into an exact copy of src. The two generators must be of the same type.
This function returns a pointer to a newly created generator which is an exact copy of the generator r.


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Match details below
Please keep sharing and retweeting these pics. And, if you can, let clubs that are not on Facebook or Twitter and those that have folded know about them. Please share these photos on the internet as best you can as a lot of work has gone into them. When sharing individual photos on social media, please credit @CorkBilly on Facebook . Be sure too to download and keep copies for your own club.
Kinsale 0 Carrick Utd 2
Waterford's Carrick United were deserving and convincing winners as they advanced into the last eight of the FAI Junior Cup beating Kinsale 2-0 last Sunday at Fort Hill.
They were well organised and strong in all departments and were very dangerous on the break where players like Anthony Power, Thomas Fitzgerald and Daryl Cavanagh showed tremendous skill and guile when in possession going forward. Kinsale failed to get out of the blocks and apart from twenty minutes or so in the first half, it was the visitors that ruled the roost.
Kinsale were finding it very difficult get into the game but Jeremy O'Donovan drove a good effort from 35 yards out narrowly beyond the upright and then player manager Peter Jones saw a good effort flash over the bar. Jones also went close with a free kick and Kinsale's Steve O'Donovan headed narrowly wide after Brian Barry sliced a clearance.
Kinsale's good spell ended in the 37th minute. Then Carrick winger Power crossed low and Tony Reid's 18 yarder beat home keeper Dave O'Callaghan. The keeper made a great 41st minute save to keep out a Keith Walsh drive.
O'Callaghan would be busy in the second half, starting early with a full stretch tip over to an Alan Ryan free kick from the right and then lucky that a Fitzgerald rocket shaved the outside of his post. Later his defence came to the rescue when Cavanagh beat the keeper to a long ball and lobbed it past him.
But there was nothing he could do about Carrick's second goal in the 76th minute. He did save Fitzgerald's initial shot but Daryl Cavanagh pounced and made no mistake. Dave O'Callaghan though was the man of the match and Carrick would have won more convincingly but for the brilliance of the Kinsale goalkeeper.
|Dave Barry (K), Pat Murphy (ref), Brian Barry (Carrick)


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The Magus indexer
Identifying performance blocking issues in a sea of change
Up to now, getting to grips with organisational cultures and the hidden reasons why organisations do not work as effectively as they should, has been difficult, costly and time-consuming. Most methods are susceptible to data problems due to through human error, because the brain interprets instead of recording valid data.
Magus Indexer is a powerful discovery tool that overcomes all these problems and does not stop there. Indexer identifies the causes of organisational under-performance, in real time. Its databases can be queried to locate performance blocking issues, wherever they exist in the organisation. And it does this by function, level, or level within function. The Magus Indexer is objective and rigorous - targeting current problems and their causes, not getting bogged down in history.
Indexer uses a thoroughly researched model of organisational resilience as its base methodology. Resilient organisations have organisational cultures that enable them to continually adapt to a changing environment - dynamically and organically. Indexer graphical reports illustrate both the current degree of resilience; and where changes are needed to increase it.
Indexer identifies where organisational permissions are enabling or inhibiting performance. A comprehensive diagnostic tool enables facilitated workshops to cover all the possible causes of negative permissions and to identify the actions needed to convert them.
Unlike organisational mapping tools that rely on subjective inputs, Indexer uses source data that avoids the need for judgements by respondents. Indexer uses questions about observable practices and processes. Respondents' answers are linked to diagnostic outputs through Magus Toolbox inference engine technology.
These robust engines encapsulate current knowledge about best practice and organisational behaviour. In Indexer, the engine converts uncontaminated input data through thousands of many-to-many relationships to produce just 15 diagnostic outputs on key dimensions of organisational resilience.
Data collection is web-based, which means that Indexer can handle unlimited sample sizes, from multiple locations – in fact, any location that has access to the web. The process is low on time consumption, convenient for respondents, inexpensive, and very fast.
The speed and ease of use of Indexer means that pre-intervention, interim and post intervention assessments can be used to monitor and maintain progress towards achieving high levels of organisational resilience.


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Personal Style: It's all about the shoes
I'm not even going to lie on this one. Sure, the outfit is cute, but it's really all about the shoes.
Oh, you would like a close up? So glad that you asked!
If I could describe these shoes in one word (other than TALL!), it would be fierce. My girl Jessica Simpson came through again with another pair of fierce shoes!
I bought these shoes last year, with no idea where/how/if I would really wear them. I just knew that I had store credit to Macy's, and I these were way too gorgeous to pass up. So they sat in my closet unworn until last week, when the weather neared the 80's and I wanted to look fab when I picked my brother up from the airport.
Did you know that it's pretty difficult to drive in gigantor heels? Yeah, I really don't recommend it.
I was debating on whether I would look insane wearing this outfit just to go out to lunch, but you know what? You should be able to wear what ever the heck you want, and if you feel comfortable and are working the hell out of it, then more power to you, sister! Wear those damn 5 inch heels to a coffee shop for lunch!
And I am happy to say that I didn't face plant or trip once, thank you very much. I thought I would look like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time, but I was more of an old wise deer with pretty fantastic shoes.
Oh, and the cross-body bag (and spectacular excited face) makes an appearance again.
Shoes: Jessica Simpson - SIMILAR STRIPES, CHUNKY WOOD HEEL Skirt: MNG by Mango via JC Penney - Similar and adorable in BLACK and CORAL Chambray shirt: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's Tank top: JC Penney - SIMILAR Bag: Fossil Sunglasses: JC Penney - SIMILAR Necklace: Fossil Bracelet: Groopdealz - SIMILAR


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My apologies for not writing, it's not easy looking stylish in this very cold winter we are having but you can. Here are some ideas:
• wear some colourful hats, scarves, and gloves to bring colour to your face (mine is a horrid grey colour at the moment)
• wear layers like thin polo-necks under dresses, tops, knitwear (Uniqlo have a great heat tech range in a multitude of colour
• jackets that have stretch for comfort can be worn as an extra layer and hide a slightly bigger middle
• wear two pairs of tights
• wear a bright lipstick
• thick socks under boots will keep your feet worn and can look nice peeking over the top
• warm fur or fake furs can be stylish and add warmth
Well I hope that helps a little bit. Please don't hide under those big baggy fleeces and if you do, get some fitted colourful ones from Uniqlo or American Apparel! Then looking good will make this hard time of year feel a whole lot better.
Well talking about feeling better. I love the sales for being able to purchase items I would never normally be able to buy. But one can make big mistakes, buying something one will never even wear once. Yes I have done it too. Also, because a lot of businesses will not even let you exchange your impulse purchase (very bad in my mind and I'm not going back there again).
Sales items to invest in:
1) A coat: an expensive item like a coat that will keep you warm and stylish looking. Well it hardly matters what you look like underneath if on the outside you look great.
2) Boots: a pair of well-made boots that will last season after season. Remember you will be wearing them for many months in the year in England. Worn over or under jeans/trousers with dresses, skirts. If you have tricky calves look at DUO boots or Russell and Bromley make boots with an elastic band down the centre back. Leather always lasts longer than suede, but suede boots are more flattering on a bigger calf.
3) Dresses: I am a great believer in a dress not only for the evening (isn't it boring seeing everyone wearing jeans all the time). They will lengthen the body (slimming) and can be worn in so many different ways. For example: with a cardigan or jacket, a thin layered long-sleeved T-shirt. Different accessories like a long necklace or scarves, boots with skinny jeans or killer-heels in the evening. Belted!? Short or long whatever suits your body shape. Plus jersey dresses can be so comfortable, warm and easy to wash.
4) Cashmere jumpers/cardigans: this is because cashmere is so expensive and don't you hate the feeling of wool when the air is dry and your skin is too. Please don't wear twinset and pearl look, so ageing and very unflattering.
Now where are the sales still good without the horrid Boxing Day chaos. I recommend:
Matches (further reductions coming any minute), Harrods, smaller private owned boutiques like Anna's, Austique, Feathers etc. Russell and Bromley will be putting more styles into the sales and reducing them further.
I am a great believer in, if something suits you, buy it! Fashion will always change and there will be things that just don't suit you. For example this A/W season how many of you can wear the longer length tops with ultra-skinny leggings or jeans. The Bodycon dress (a very tight dress and super short)???? Well it is really about finding your style and fashion can be varied in one way or another to suit the individuals shape and lifestyle.
More coming soon, so stay tuned.


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Brad Jones got a 2-year deal with the #Eagles worth $2.85 M with $500 K guaranteed.
The Philadelphia Eagles signed linebacker Brad Jones to a two-year contract on Monday, the organization announced:
Accordign to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:
The release of Jones clears $3.75 million from the Packers' salary cap in 2015.
Coming off an injury and a poor performance in week one, Brad Jones might not be starting this Sunday in the home opener against the Jets.
It will be a surprise if the veteran right tackle is able to go on Sunday. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, however, looks good to go.
Eddie Lacy has not yet been cleared to practice while Bryan Bulaga has apparently been given the opportunity to play through his torn MCL.
Rookie wide receiver Davante Adams returned to practice on Wednesday.
In our best-case scenario, A.J. Hawk is named to the Pro Bowl. But in our worst-case scenario, Brad Jones loses his hold on a starting job.
Linebacker Brad Jones is one of a group of several Packers on a goodwill mission at an overseas military base in Japan.
The Packers have nominated Brad Jones for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
The pair of Packers players will appear at Bay Park Square mall in Green Bay on Monday evening at 6:00 p.m.
Moves the Packers should make include putting Derek Sherrod at right tackle and increasing the roles of Casey Hayward and Brad Jones.
Nick Perry and Brad Jones are officially questionable for Sunday's game. Will they play? Find out in our roster prediction.
The Packers received some welcome news with a couple injured players returning to practice on Wednesday.
None of the aforementioned players have practiced yet this week, but none of them have been ruled out of Sunday's Browns game either.
The Packers' starting inside linebacker won't play on Sunday due to a hamstring injury.
Clay Matthews, Brad Jones and Andy Mulumba were all missing from Wednesday's practice session.
Mike McCarthy will have an update on injuries during his press conference at 1:10 p.m. CT to be streamed live on Packers.com.
Casey Hayward, Morgan Burnett and Brad Jones all suffered hamstring injuries on Friday night against the Seahawks.
Jordy Nelson, Brad Jones and Andrew Quarless were among the players who dropped out of Friday night's practice in Green Bay.
With Bishop and Jones not practicing, Jamari Lattimore working next to AJ Hawk. A lot of bodies on that ILB depth chart — Wes Hodkiewicz (@weshod)...
From the Green Bay Press-Gazette......
Brad Jones' new contract will pay him an average of $3.75 million per season. That and more in today's Daily Links...
Did Brad Jones get a deal in the range of that paid to linebacker A.J. Hawk? That and more in today's Daily Links...
The Packers agreed to a deal with in-house free agent Brad Jones, according to Tom Silverstein.
Free-agent linebacker Brad Jones is visiting the Tennessee Titans, which could signal his eventual exit out of Green Bay.
Packers LB Brad Jones is spending Friday with the Tennessee Titans, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press Gazette.
According to his agent, eight teams have expressed interest in the Packers free-agent linebacker. That and more in today's Daily Links...
In the best-case scenario, Clay Matthews reverts to the player who got 13.5 sacks in 2010. But in the worst-case scenario, Nick Perry plays no better than Erik Walden did a year ago.


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Doing well. Thanks for the rep!
The Lonely Island is genius with great comedy in music... Tenacious D as well! Thanks for the points my friend.
yeah, I'm doing pretty well. Staff and expectations increased to the level that I just don't have time for the PF, unfortunately. Thanks for asking and I hope you are doing well.
Thanks for the points! Trolls are not loaded with respect nor common sense lol
Thanks for the rep
Thank you for the points. I hope you're getting through.
Thanks for the rep!
Thanks for the points http://cockytalk.com/showthread.php?...35#post5001635
Thanks buddy.
Thanks for reppin' me, yo! Always down for the RHCP...


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Call your Rep on Muslim Ban 2.0
Trump Executive Order - Muslim Travel Ban (2.0)
Temporary ban on travel of nationals from six Muslim-majority countries (Somalia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Sudan) to the U.S. and halting of all refugee resettlement.
Sample Script:
Dear Representative/Senator______________________,
Please work in every way possible to resist the Muslim Ban 2.0 or any future, similar bills that restrict incoming travelers from any Muslim majority countries and the resettlement of refugees. It is unconstitutional, targeting a group of people based on their religion.


text: There will be a Pilgrimage to Aylesford Priory to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Sunday 13th July. Holy Mass at 12.30 pm. The coach from the bus stop opposite Our Lady of Lourdes Church leaves at 9.15 am prompt. Fare £12. To book a seat on the coach please phone Bernadette on 01702 421891 or 0796 3300518. Please bring a packed lunch. Everyone welcome.


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In an important step for domestic human rights yesterday the Department of State created a new website in connection with its participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review process. This process involves a review of the human rights records of each of the 192 UN Member States once every four years. The United States own human rights record will be reviewed in December of next year based on a report that the government will submit, as well as input from various civil society organizations.
To check out the website created, click here. An important feature of the new website will be a standard "inbox" in which ideas, comments and analysis from civil society on issues relating to human rights can be sent. They are also committed to an outreach process to engage with organizations, including not-profits, citizens groups and grassroots organizations.
The Department of State hopes that "this website will facilitate communication between civil society and the United States government before, during, and after the preparation of the U.S. report to the UN Human Rights Council."
The creation of this website shows signs of a real dedication around the issues of human rights both here at home in the United States and abroad. It also is promising that they are engaging the communities that are involved in this issue and inviting them to be a part of the process. Let's hope that it remains as transparent a process as possible, and that it is only the first of many steps in creating a framework of a domestic human rights agenda.


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Thanks for being awesome, internet!
March 7, 1919
Ernie, dear boy,
I am writing this late at night after a long think by myself, & I am afraid it is going to hurt you, but, I'm sure it won't harm you permanently.
For quite awhile before you left, I was trying to convince myself it was a real love-affair, because, we always seemed to disagree, & then arguments always wore me out so that I finally gave in to keep you from doing something desperate.
Now, after a couple of months away from you, I know that I am still very fond of you, but, it is more as a mother than as a sweetheart. It's alright to say I'm a Kid, but, I'm not, & I'm getting less & less so every day.
So, Kid (still Kid to me, & always will be) can you forgive me some day for unwittingly deceiving you? You know I'm not really bad, & don't mean to do wrong, & now I realize it was my fault in the beginning that you cared for me, & regret it from the bottom of my heart. But, I am now & always will be too old, & that's the truth, & I can't get away from the fact that you're just a boy - a kid.
I somehow feel that some day I'll have reason to be proud of you, but, dear boy, I can't wait for that day, & it was wrong to hurry a career.
I tried hard to make you understand a bit of what I was thinking on that trip from Padua to Milan, but, you acted like a spoiled child, & I couldn't keep on hurting you. Now, I only have the courage because I'm far away.
Then - & believe me when I say this is sudden for me, too - I expect to be married soon. And I hope & pray that after you thought things out, you'll be able to forgive me & start a wonderful career & show what a man you really are.
Ever admiringly & fondly,
Your friend,
Aggie (.)
- A letter from Agnes Von Kurowsky to Ernest Hemingway informing him of her engagement to another man


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Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, made a stunning announcement Monday: Stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV.The rest of us will applaud the progress to date and hope that the research continues to show promising results.
The results, published Monday in the online journal PLoS ONE, demonstrate that human stem cells can be engineered into the equivalent of a genetic vaccine.
Herd Mentality In Politics And Religion Are At The Root Of Most Of America's Problems Today
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Stem Cells Used In Promising HIV Treatment
Very few issues cause the far right wingers' blood pressure to rise more than gays and abortion. So the news that researchers have made strides in fighting HIV using stem cells and human fetal tissue must have many of them reaching for their blood pressure meds.
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Breaking Ranks features the tactile, minimalist experiments in decollage of Berlin-based artist Sam Grigorian, who has developed a unique method of treating and layering paper. Grigorian delights in paper which is rich in history – torn, stained, yellowed, cracked – fragments of handmade paper, parchment or off-cuts which reveal the marks and traces of their origins and their use.
Through the intimate processes of ripping, scratching, staining and layering, Grigorian seeks to get at the hidden realities of the paper, exposing the structures beneath the surface. Through a repertoire of simple, geometrical forms and monochromatic colours, Grigorian creates intense visual narratives that are both abstract and uncanny.


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Friday, May 30, 2014
Preschoolers Create and Sell for a Good Cause
Wrapping up their year-long study of animals and insects, this week one of our preschool classes, the Afternoon Explorers, held a boutique to sell beautiful handmade items. The children decided to donate the money they would raise to ARKive, an international organization that helps protect endangered animals.
All items for sale were made by the children. They learned to make something for someone else, as well as the Mitzvah (good deed) of donating money to a worthwhile cause. We are happy to report that they raised $317.69 and were sold out faster than expected.
What a special ending to a terrific year for the Afternoon Explorers!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
A Classroom Becomes a Beehive
One of our 1st/2nd grade classes turned their classroom into a "beehive" and invited other classes to visit so they could share all they had learned about bees. They acted the parts, too!
Before granting entry into the classroom "beehive," two worker bees sprayed visitors with "beehive scent" (a.k.a. water) so that they wouldn't be attacked as strangers by the bees in the hive.
Teacher Mrs. Rapp was the beekeeper and showed off combs that had been used in a real hive for visitors to see how small those wax hexagons actually are.
Inside, worker bees explain all that they do, namely work for 10-12 hours every day! And they are all female, mind you.
True to form, the drones sat around and had a good time, even sipped "nectar" from those big yellow bottles! The visiting 3rd graders were a bit astounded that the drones' only job was to mate with the queen, and that the worker bees do all the work.
Check out the glittery wings on that drone, though!
The queen bee explains her role in the beehive, and the great danger to her if another queen were to appear.
Lo and behold, another queen does appear!
The queen fights for her position. She wins and...
...the reign of the golden eyelashes is secured for the time being.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Building Pyramids
As a fun project in their study of Ancient Egypt, two of our 5th/6th grade History classes built models of the pyramids—to scale! For a few weeks, class time was devoted to building pyramids. It was an interesting exercise not only in geometry and construction, but also in resourcing and problem solving. Students worked in groups, and each group was given only sugar cubes and glue.
Some used cardboard to help them, some employed Styrofoam board. One group used only sugar cubes and found out rather quickly that they would run out of supplies mighty fast if they built a solid pyramid of sugar. If they required extra materials, they had to write a proposal and present it to the teacher as to why their project deserved more resources. The proposal required a lot of math, as the group had to calculate how many sugar cubes they had used and how many more they would need.
One group actually petitioned our Preschool Director for some sand from the sandbox to accurately render the surrounding environment of the Giza plateau. As you can see from above photo, they did get it!
To wrap up their project, their pyramids were displayed in Loeb Hall, our multi-purpose room, and each group gave a short presentation on their pyramid.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Recipe for Mofletta
|Shani and a student flatten out the dough.
For a little celebration of Mimuna, a post-Passover holiday brought to Israel by North African Jews, our B'not Sherut Tamar and Shani (young Israeli women who do one year of their national service by working in a Jewish day school abroad) baked the traditional pancake bread Mofletta with students. The students verdict: Very tasty!
Recipe for Mofletta
7 ½ cups flour
1 tbsp. sea salt
4 tbsp. sugar
3 ½ cups water (may need slightly more or less)
1-2 tbsp. grape seed oil for kneading
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. The dough should be easy to work with, but not overly gluey or goopy. Once mixed, let the dough rest on the counter for a half hour. Remove a large pinch of dough and roll it in to a ball, about 3" - 4" in diameter. Repeat until all dough is used. Throughout this process, keep your hands well oiled.
Add ½ tbsp. oil (or cooking spray) to a large frying pan over medium heat. On a well-oiled surface, spread a ball of dough into a thin "cake" so that it will fit close to the edges of your pan. Gently place the thin cake of dough into the frying pan; when the bottom is golden after a few minutes (or less), flip it on the other side and immediately place another layer of dough on the one in the pan. You may have to add a small amount of oil to the pan after every few flips. Repeat this process until you have several layers of "Moflettot." Once you've reached 5-8 layers, remove from the pan and repeat the same process. Traditionally served with butter or honey. B'tayavon and enjoy!
|Tamar and Shani serve up Mofletta.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Making Art that Sells
Usually, Art class is about creative self expression, learning new techniques or studying the great masters. But a few weeks ago, at Akiba, it was about creating art that would raise money for the school. Students in grades 1-4 embarked on class projects that were featured at our Annual Benefit and Silent Auction.
The kids had a lot of fun working together and we're happy to report that all items did sell!
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International aid agencies in Nepal are paying the government hundreds of thousands of US dollars in fees and having to hand out stipends to bureaucrats, to get their projects approved and monitored. They accuse the government of hampering their work, citing year-long delays before aid projects are approved.
The country's public officials can earn US$2,500 per year just for attending meetings to approve aid projects in a country where the prime minister's salary is US$750 per month, aid groups said.
Nepal is still struggling to recover from a 2015 earthquake which killed almost 9,000 people. Tens of thousands of earthquake victims are still living in temporary shelters, while less than 1 percent have received more than the first tranche of compensation from the government of US$475.
Fees to secure project approval and cover monitoring and evaluation range from US$6,000 to US$15,000 per project — which can be a sizeable slice of the project's budget.
"Governments all over the world charge service fees, but it's very clear and everyone is charged the same amount. Here it's a bit more opaque," said the director of a non-governmental organization (NGO), speaking on condition of anonymity. "When you have an environment that is opaque, it's a lot easier for people who want to abuse that system to do so."
The director of another group said some agencies are pressured to host meetings attended by officials in upmarket hotels, with dinner and drinks included.
"I feel so strongly that our resources have to get to people in need and to see this money leaking out the edges is so unethical," the director said.
Aid workers who spoke to the Guardian said they are repeatedly asked for bribes and also face demands for "donations" from political parties and pressure to partner with Nepalese charities favored by bureaucrats and politicians.
"We were told we had to pay bribes and exactly how to pay those bribes," one said. "Not only do I have to pay each of them a stipend, but I also have to pay their drivers. One of them couldn't attend the meeting so he asked me to bring him the meeting minutes to sign, along with the stipend. If they turn around and refuse to come, you're non-compliant, so what do you do?"
Aid organizations in Nepal must convene multiple meetings with central and district level bureaucrats and up to 11 government ministries.
According to a government directive, these meetings should take place out of office hours, which allows government employees to demand payments to attend.
Dilli Prasad Bhatta, the head of the Nepalese Social Welfare Council, the government body that oversees the work of local and international NGOs, said aid groups are not required to pay.
"It's not necessary … [but] if someone offers you something, you can't reject it," he said.
NGOs said the approvals system has existed for decades, but has become more difficult to negotiate following the earthquake, when 100 new agencies came to work in the country, bringing an influx of money and people.
One NGO consultant said the practice is unsurprising.
"They see the conditions in which we [foreigners] live, and they think, 'Where's my share,'" the consultant said.
Prabin Manandhar, chairman of the Association of International NGOs (INGOS), which represents 145 INGOs in Nepal, said the project approvals process is designed to exercise control over civic society organizations and create opportunities for political patronage.


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The argument that the Nobel Prize for Literature is frequently awarded to obscure writers resurfaced in 1981, when the recipient of the prize was sociologist-philosopher Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-born, now living in London and Zurich and writing in German.
What many contemporary readers do not realize is that Canetti's rich and various oeuvre has earned him a high international reputation. His classic sociological study on ''the psychology of crowds,'' ''Crowds and Power'' (1960), and his eerie novel ''Auto-Da-Fe'' (1936), about a sheltered intellectual thrown headlong into ''real life,'' are probably his best-known works. Lesser known, but perhaps equally interesting, are his pungent account of a visit to north Africa, ''The Voices of Marrakesh'' (1967), and his incisive study of Kafka's letters to his financee, Felice Bauer, ''Kafka's Other Trial'' (1969). Few modern writers, in fact, have shown themselves so versatile.
Canetti was born in 1905, into a Sephardic Jewish family remarkable for its broad cultural interests and accomplishments. The story of his early years, comprising mainly a multilingual education in several European countries and in England, is told in his previous volume of autobiography, ''The Tongue Set Free'' (1980).
The present book, which concerns itself primarily with Canetti's continuing education in life, also describes his family's sojourns through Europe in the decade 1921-31. We first observe young Elias, his younger brothers, and his widowed mother (notable for her ''superhuman effort for the intellectual development of her sons'') in Frankfurt during a period of runaway inflation presaging economic collapse. Some vivid character sketches of their neighbors in a boardinghouse there (''The Pension Charlotte'') are neatly interwoven with expressions of the young intellectuals' agony of guilt over their prosperity in a world where millions were facing imminent hard times.
In Vienna, throughout the mid-'20s, Canetti edged away from his studies in medicine and chemistry and absorbed several powerful influences - chief among them the beautiful soulmate, Veza, who later became his first wife, and the fiery intellectual and polemicist Karl Kraus, presiding genius of the celebrated magazine The Torch, author of ambitious plays, and much more.
We later see Canetti luxuriating in ''the turbulent and incredibly active life of Berlin,'' meeting such luminaries as Bertolt Brecht, the caricaturist George Grosz, and the brilliant Russian writer Isaac Babel. Back in Vienna, at the turn of the 1930s, his experiences broadened: There are detailed accounts of his friendship with the quadriplegic intellectual Thomas Marek, and his accidental intimacy with a gang of burglars. Then the book breaks off very abruptly, arbitrarily. This is a good sign: There is, clearly, very much more to come.
The unique strength of this autobiography-in-progress is Canetti's ability at showing us how different experiences and acquaintances have shaped his career and his thought. His analytical cast of mind diverted him from being an orthodox religious believer, and stimulated a skeptical approach toward everything he later encountered. His respect for a classmate's artistic family gave him ''an intact, unquestioned notion of art and the lives of those who devote themselves to it.''
Specifically, he shows us how a single vivid experience crystallized the thinking that would produce ''Crowds and Power'' and ''Auto-Da-Fe'': in 1927 in Vienna, a crowd of protesting workers was shot by policemen, who were subsequently acquitted; a later protest culminated in the burning of the Palace of Justice. From that upswell of emotion - and its progress into a conflagration - Canetti built a structure of ideas and images from which both his great sociological study and his great novel would eventually derive.
Everything thus recalled is analyzed in depth, at several successive levels of meaning and implication. You'd expect this method to make Canetti's work slow and ponderous. It does not. This formidably complex and intelligent writer probes his own experiences so thoroughly that their essential singularity and mystery become vividly present for us. He is a wonderful writer.


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Tobey (Aaron Paul) is a mechanic with a passion for street racing cars. When a race goes wrong, Tobey is left to take the blame. Two years later, Tobey returns to the world of street racing to take the title – and a whole lot of money – the man who set him up.
There are films in this world that are not meant to change the way we look at movies, each other or the world. These movies are just meant to be pretty and entertaining. Need for Speed is one of these films.
The cast is made up of Aaron Paul as Tobey, the blue collar guy with something to prove, Dominic Cooper as Dino Bewster, the rich racer with too much money on his hands and Imogen Poots as Julia, the love interest. The film also stars Dakota Johnson, Michael Keaton, Rami Malek and Scott Mescudi. There is not much to say about the performances, except that each character has a plot point to fulfil, and each actor manages to stay within the lines of their poorly drawn characters. Delineation is not really the name of the game here, and at almost every point, we are waiting for Aaron Paul to shout something along the lines of 'Car me, bitch!', which would not have been that out of place.
The story is a classic local boy with a heart of gold seeking revenge against a smarmy git who made trouble. Writer George Gatins did not seem to be overly troubled with developing animosities or giving any of the characters a back story; instead we are thrown into this world at the deep end and, since it is so familiar, we get it almost straight away.
Director Scott Waugh seemed to be most concerned with the car races and chases, and even though these are moderately entertaining, we have seen these done better in almost any car chase movie you care to mention. There are some interesting POV shots though, and some lovely cinematography of the landscape, but this too has been done before.
Need for Speed is an over the top film set in a world where the only way to settle differences is to race it out in expensive cars. That said, this is not a film that is designed to be anything other than pretty cars and pretty people, so in that respect it succeeds. It's just a shame that this film, populated by good actors, has not got a cleverer story or a fresher take on the car chase movie.
Rating: 2/5


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OSP: house searches in Iceland today, related to Landsbanki
Today, the Office of the Special Prosecutor conducted house searches at several premises in Iceland, related to an investigation into Landsbanki. Seven people, among them the bank's ex-CEO Sigurjon Arnason, are being questioned but it's unclear if anyone will be held in custody.
According to Icelandic media today, the searches are related to four topics:
1. Alleged market manipulation related to shares in Landsbanki.
2. Loans to four companies Hunslow S.A., Bruce Assets Limited, Pro-Invest Partners Corp and Sigurdur Bollason ehf. to buy shares in Landsbanki.
3. Landsbanki Luxembourg's sale of loans to Landsbanki only a few days before the bank collapsed in Oct. 2008.
4. The buying of shares by eight offshore companies that supposedly were set up to hold shares related to employees' options.
Sigurdur Bollason is an Icelandic businessman, often connected to Baugur companies and a friend and associate of Magnus Armann, another Baugur associate. According to my sources Bollason, who imported UK high street fashion to Iceland over a decade ago, met Kevin Stanford, through business with Karen Millen, then Stanford's wife. That's how Stanford became connected to Icelandic banks and businesses, first with Baugur, where he was often a co-investor, and later with Kaupthing where he was involved in the financial high-wire acts that Kaupthing engaged in.
Hunslow S.A. was registered in Panama in Feb. 2008. In November 2009 two Novator companies (Novator is the investment fund of Bjorgolfur Thor Bjorgolfsson who was a major shareholder in Landsbanki and Straumur investment bank together with his father) were registered in Panama with the same law firm as Hunslow. The same five directors are on the board of the two Novator companies and Hunslow but there are probably hundreds of companies registered at this one law firm. I have no information on Bruce and Pro-Invest.
The loans moved from Landsbanki Luxembourg to Landsbanki Iceland on Oct. 3 2008 amounted to €784m. By far the largest loan had been assigned to Bjorgolfsson, €225m. (The complete list of the loans is here, from the SIC report, 'Tafla 20') but the four companies mentioned above are also on the list.
I find it interesting that the OSP is investigating the offshore companies that Landsbanki set up to own shares in itself. The first of these companies was set up in Guernsey in 2000, before the privatisation of Landsbanki in 2002 but later seven more were set up in the BVI and in Panama. To begin with, the bank financed these companies but later one was financed by Kaupthing and six by Straumur, from 2006 when Bjorgolfsson and his father were major owners in Straumur. Bjorgolfsson was Straumur's chairman.
In total, these companies owned 13,2% of the shares in Landsbanki. Normally, similar structures holding shares for staff option usually don't own more than 1-2%. The SIC report maps these companies but the weird thing is that although they were apparently set up to hold shares for options they don't seem to have been used for that purpose. The ownership in each company was held below 5%.
With the bank owning 13,2% via these companies (above the 10% legal limit of own shares) and father and son owning around 45,8% of the bank the majority was assured. Another interesting aspect of these companies is that Straumur lent them against no collaterals. This isn't the only example of the very close relationship between the two banks where father and son were the major shareholders. Neither of the two are being questioned today.
*Last October I reported on these offshore companies for Ruv. Bjorgolfsson was very upset, according to his spokeswoman, about my reporting and did eventually file a complaint to the Icelandic Press Complaints Commission. The PCC has dismissed the complaint. Here is a story about his spokeswoman when she wasn't happy about Iceland Weather Report reporting on Bjorgolfsson.
Follow me on Twitter for running updates.
2 Responses to 'OSP: house searches in Iceland today, related to Landsbanki'
[…] went. Around 2000 he met Kevin Stanford, through his fashion enterprise. As I have written on earlier, it was, allegedly, Bollason who introduced Stanford to Icelandic businessmen like Baugur's owner […]
[…] reported on Icelog earlier, the cases under investigation relate to the […]


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Pass the Awesome!
An experiment about life and the way it moves me
socializing in the modern world
I do things by myself. Always have, so I am kinda used to it. I go where I go independent of others. It makes scheduling pretty frickin' easy. But being alone in the city can be rather lonely. There are strangers all around, but there are all preoccupied with their daily lives (much like myself). How does one go about finding people worthy of socializing with? Walk a pie over to the neighbors? Yah, that ain't happening....
Those who know me know that I don't often reach out to people. I just keep to myself. I can tell you right now this particular practice doesn't work all that well. It is odd then to write my thoughts on the internet for the world to see? Maybe not as much as you would think....
I am not an expert in making friends, and I have a hard time truly connecting to most people. I have gotten social invitations from some of my coworkers periodically for the past few months, but they are always invitations to hang out in a bar. It is nice to know they actually want to see me outside of work, but I am not one for the bar scene. I don't like loud music or loud noises, and I would rather be able to hear the person next to me if I am going to have a conversation with them. Secondly, I often find it hard to find familiar ground with people, not only in general, but in bars especially (where everyone is driven by base instincts). No offence to them really. What they choose to do is not inherently wrong (unlike littering), and I am not about to say my way is better. The bar scene just isn't my thing.
In an effort to get out there and socialize I searched the interwebs for things to do with peoples in my city. After a few different searches a website called Meetup appeared. A rather great idea, it allows people to plan events and get together in a way that pretty much ensuring that they will have at least one interest in common. It is also a way to meet complete strangers that might make halfway decent friends down the line.
I am fully capable and comfortable with simply showing up to scheduled events . Thus far Meetup has far surpassed my expectations. I will continue to use it in the future.
4/30/2015 23:13:25
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July 2015


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Hey there stampers!
I know I have not posted to this blog in quite some time, since October 2011 to be exact, and I sincerely apologize to all my followers for my absence. So much has been going on with me that I just did not have time to manage the blog as well as keep up with the constant changes that were occurring in my life. But the waters of life have calmed and I am back in full swing, ready to post more beautiful projects for your viewing enjoyment. I have missed all of you dearly along with the wonderful comments you leave at the end of each post.
With getting back into the swing of stamping, I decided to pull out my Just Believe stamp set and create a clean and simple card today. Also I decided to try a color combination that I would have never guessed would be so elegant. Today's card uses Sahara Sand and Bravo Burgundy cardstock and ink, and boy do these two colors look stunning together. Next time your stamping try this color combination is is even more beautiful in real life
See you again tomorrow for another clean and simple card design.
Until next time, Happy Stamping!


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At Safe Elec UK we don't just concentrate on the domestic market, we have a division of electricians whose training and expertise is specifically designed around providing electrical services to the commercial sector.
Offices, schools, bars, workshops, warehouses and apartment blocks are all areas we are experienced in and understand that the job isn't just about carrying the electrical work but about complying with Health & Safety and site specific rules and regulations.
Made to Measure Service
Everyone's requirements differ and with this in mind we offer a made to measure service for our clients. It might be that you require a 24 / 7 reactive call out service or just need our electrical services as a one off; it might be an office refurbishment, extra power and lighting points needed or simply relamping faulty lighting. Whatever your requirements we are able to provide a fast and efficient service to meet your needs.
Safe Elec UK also work with small to medium size builders and construction companies and can offer great prices and service guaranteed in order to enable each project to run as smoothly as possible.
One thing that sets us apart from everybody else is YOU CAN RELY ON US TO BE THERE!


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Solid State Logic (SSL) XRack Dynamics Module
Designed to be the perfect level control tool kit for recording, the Dynamics Module is densely packed with control features yet simple to use. The combination of separate Compressor and Gate/Expander section is powerful, graceful and ideal for gentle and unobtrusive level control.
• Fully balanced XLR input and output
• Switched -10dB/+4dB operating level
• Dedicated compression meter display
• Over-easy RMS compressor, switchable to peak sensing hard knee
• Variable Ratio, Threshold and Release
• External key operation
• Independently switched Gate/Expander section
• Link facility for multiple module linking


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What I love most about the weekends is that we don't usually have a schedule. We have things that need to get done, sure, but nothing is really set in stone. I wish more of life was like that, but I do understand why it isn't.
Today, I woke up at 9:30am. I like to get the "Weekends" post up by 10am., but the first question was "what's for breakfast", and of course since it is Saturday, I couldn't do the basic cereal, fruit and drink breakfast. Both kids wanted waffles and the
kid I adopted man I married almost 15 years ago wanted eggs.
If you've been reading our blog for a while, you know that I love cooking for my family, but sometimes, I also enjoy a little break from the norm. I'd love to wake up one day and have breakfast taken care of by someone else, without having to leave the house.
Today, was not one of those days. Today, the girls got their waffles and the hubby got his eggs. I got a late start on my blog post and you guys get the late post of a tired Momma. I'm hoping that you got a good breakfast this morning!


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A member of the secret service, MI6, before he became Conservative MP for Woking in 1964, he briefly held two ministerial offices, as under-secretary for aerospace between 1972-74, and minister of state at the Foreign Office from 1982-83. Particularly hostile to Labour's CND left, he once tagged MP Brian Sedgemore as "a boil on the bottom of the Labour party - painful to live with, better not mentioned and best kept out of sight".
As a kinsman of the Earl of Onslow, representing a constituency containing the earl's seat, Onslow was one of the last Tory squires. Three Onslows had served as speakers of the Commons, the first from 1566. His replacement as chairman of the 1922 Committee by Fox, a self-made backstreet Thatcherite, seemed to mark the end of an era.
Born in Bexhill, Onslow was named after the earl, one of whose titles was Baron Cranley, because his ornithologist father wanted to maintain the family link. After Harrow and Sandhurst, he joined up in 1944, becoming a lieutenant in the Queen's Own Hussars. On leaving active service, he joined the Territorials - thus keeping up his marksmanship - and graduated in history from Oriel College, Oxford.
In 1951, he joined M16 and its cover-organisation, the Foreign Office, being posted to Burma in 1953 as third secretary. In 1955, he became consul in Maymyo, north Burma, near the communist Chinese border. Local communist insurgents once attempted to kidnap and ransom him, but by plying him with whisky, Onslow persuaded them to return to the jungle without him. He, in his turn, returned to London to marry Lady Jane Hay, daughter of the 14th Earl of Kinnoull, and to serve in the FO department that controls MI6.
Like other MI6 Tories, Onslow wanted to make his mark in politics. After resigning from the civil service in 1960, he was elected to Dartford rural district council the same year, and to Kent county council in 1961. Two years later, he was selected as Harold Watkinson's successor for Woking. When elected, the Conservatives described him as director of an unnamed Indian-based news agency.
From his maiden speech in December 1964, Onslow proclaimed himself a classic rightwinger. He specialised in aviation, rising to chairman of the Tory MPs' aviation committee, a position he used to defend the British Aircraft Corporation, which had a plant in his constituency. He blamed Harold Wilson's cancellation of the BAC TSR2 warplane on Labour's CND supporters and wore a black and yellow tie, the black mourning the TSR2's demise and the yellow standing for the government's lack of courage in the decision.
Onslow supported hanging, attacked anti-Franco elements among Labour MPs, demanded reductions in third-world aid and tax cuts so the middle classes could send their children to fee-paying schools. He opposed televising the Commons. However, he showed a serious, nonpartisan interest in civil aviation when leading for the Tories in this field in 1968. After his party was returned to power, he held ministerial office under Michael Heseltine from 1972-74.
In the subsequent years of opposition, he introduced a bill to give the vote to servicemen and their wives, and again urged cuts in overseas aid. He became obsessed with the activities of Czechoslovak intelligence agents, seeking to link them with the "disappearing" Labour postmaster-general John Stonehouse.
Mrs Thatcher made him minister of state at the Foreign Office in 1982, replacing Richard Luce, who resigned with Lord Carrington over their failure to prevent the Argentine invasion of the Falklands. A year later, Onslow showed similar loyalty to his boss, Francis Pym, when Thatcher sacked him.
He found a new career in replacing Edward du Cann as chairman of the 1922 Committee in 1984. Here, he used tact in conveying the views of Tory backbenchers - including their 1988 decision that Leon Brittan should resign over his role in the Westland affair. But he did not hesitate to interrupt Thatcher's rants when she went over the top.
His abilities were put to the test in 1990, when Heseltine challenged her for the Tory leadership. As the custodian of backbench votes and views, it fell to Onslow to tell Thatcher, when she failed to win conclusively in the first round, that many MPs wanted a wider choice of candidates; the result was that she stood down and John Major emerged as prime minister. The Thatcherites fury led to Onslow's replacement in 1992 by Fox - though his consolation was a knighthood, and a peerage in 1997, when he stood down from Woking.
He is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.
Cranley Gordon Douglas Onslow, Lord Onslow of Woking, politician, born June 8 1926; died March 13 2001


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Azaleas are very hardy plants, and can be used in pot displays, mass plantings under deciduous trees or in garden beds. Azaleas like to be planted in a morning sun aspect, in an acidic soil with lots of mulch to keep the soil cool in Summer and warm in Winter. Azaleas are usually slow growing. They come in colours ranging from red, white and lots of variations of pink.Sun Hardy varieties are available on request.
Planting & Growing
10 fast growing plants for privacy
These 10 fast growing plants from Bunnings Warehouse will make you help decide which quick growing tree to plant around your fence line for privacy.
Planting & Growing
How to control weeds organically
There are plenty of organic ways to keep weeds at bay without the need for nasty chemicals. Here are some top tips from Eco Organic Garden.
Planting & Growing
How to plant a hedge
There are many different varieties of hedging plants to give your garden some extra dimension or added privacy. We'll show you how to plant a hedge that is perfect for your garden.
Planting & Growing
How to plant and care for succulents
Succulents come in a huge range of colours, shapes and sizes, will grow just about anywhere and don't need much looking after, making them a plant that's perfect for even the most novice gardener. If you're new to succulents, here are some tips from...
Planting & Growing
How to re-pot a plant
Learn how to keep your plants healthy by repotting them.
Planting & Growing
How to trim hedges
Hedges are an excellent way to add shape to your garden. Here are a couple of tips to effectively trim and maintain a hedge.
How to revive your lawn
Bunnings National Greenlife Buyer Rachel has some great ideas to help give grass a boost, and get your lawn back to its lush, green glory.
Planning & Projects
How to make a terrarium
Learn how to make a terrarium with this handy guide.


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Jet Set
by Jason Oliver Nixon
Sky Writing
by Sarah Elbert
In this issue:
The Fantastic Mr. Bloom
Also: Kenya's Timeless Allure
Photo by Oakleigh Waitts
Besame Mucho
Fabulously curated boutique in Bahama Village area.
View Details
Déjà Vu
Tiny boutique offers feminine, bohemian style.
Dog 30
Carries dog leashes, collars, rope dog toys and more.
Grocery store with full meat counter, deli and bakery.
Isle Style Salon Spa Boutique
Head to Isle Style for fabulous tunics, tops & sundresses.
Key West Hammocks
Keeping locals hammocking happily for more than 10 years.
Kino Sandals
For less than $15, pick up a pair of handmade sandals.
Local Color
Showcases fabulous jewelry, linen outfits, hats and more.
Old Town Bakery
Delicious bakery that makes everything on the premises.
Salt Water Angler
Deck you and your kids from head to toe in fishing gear.
"I've a notion to move the capital to Key West and just stay." —President Harry S. Truman
FEATURED // Captain's Corner Dive Center
FEATURED // The Porch
FEATURED // Latitudes
FEATURED // Isle Style Salon Spa Boutique
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Semester 1 2011: ARTS1630 Introductory Japanese A
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A residential electrician works continuously throughout the year regardless of the season. This is in contrast to what most homeowners believe about them working only during summer and winter when their services are needed most often. There are various reasons why you would want to call an emergency electrician. Find out from the list that follows what common reasons homeowners have for calling in a 24-hour electrician.
During summer, the temperature rises and you are most likely relying on your air conditioner to keep you cool. For many homeowners, their air conditioners are working 24 hours throughout the duration of summer. As a result, they might experience various problems with their air conditioner.
The most common scenarios would be air conditioners failing to function normally and circuit breakers tripping. Should this happen to you, the first thing you need to do is to switch off your cooling unit and the thermostat. Once this is done, you will have to go to your breaker and turn it off before turning it back on and restarting it. If the problem still persists, you will need to call in an emergency residential electrician.
Another effective strategy to ensure your circuit breaker will not trip as you use your air conditioner for longer hours is to use a separate breaker for your air conditioner. Keep in mind that air conditioner and refrigerator use up a lot of electricity. Plugging into the socket and using the an electrical outlet that runs in the same breaker as your air conditioner and refrigerator will definitely cause the breaker to trip. Thus it is extremely importantly to use a separate circuit breaker for your air conditioner.
Spring and Fall
Spring and fall are the best times of the year to have a residential electrician conduct an overall inspection, checkup and tune up of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit. The reason for this, according to many industry professionals is because you are less likely to use your HVAC units during these seasons.
Also, these seasons come before the time you will use your units for practically 24 hours a day. Ensuring they are in perfect condition will help you prevent any problems during summer and winter when you will have to rely on your heating and cooling units for you and your family's daily comfort.
Aside from all this, another reason why you might need the services of your local electrician is to have your ground fault circuit interrupter replaced. These are the best times during the year for this routine maintenance because, as mentioned above, you are not using your heating and cooling units more frequently.
You need to have your GFCI's replaced – or installed if you do not have them yet – to ensure you and your family are protected from accidental shocks. These usually happen when using wet outlets and plugs. Often, these happen in the kitchen, bathroom, and garage where outlets are near water sources.
The most common reason why many homeowners call a residential electrician during winter is due to tripping circuit breakers. During winter, many homeowners put up Christmas lights and other electrically powered Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, not all homeowners or not every member of the household are knowledgeable about outlets and plugs connected to your circuit breakers.
Thus, the person assigned to put up the holiday decorations may unknowingly plug into outlets that are connected to circuits which are nearly maxed out. As a result, the circuit breaker will trip to prevent further wiring damage from the overloaded breaker.
To prevent this from happening, be sure you know your electrical system plan and know which breakers are available to use for your electrical holiday decorations. You will have to label the breakers inform every member of the household which ones they could use for plugging additional electrical appliances.
In addition to these services, there may be other reasons why you might need to call your local electrician. Regardless of the reason, be sure you work only with trained, licensed, and insured residential electrician. This will ensure that you will receive high quality services and that you and your family will remain to be protected. Keep in mind that a home's electrical system is a dangerous system that requires professional handling and management. Any minor flaw may result in electrical fires; thereby, putting you and your family at risk.
Looking for a trained residential electrician to work with? Call MB Electrician Pros now.
MB Electrician Pros
5335 N. Kings Hwy #211
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Providing you with high quality residential electrician services throughout all the seasons.


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March 28, 1979: Meltdown of Three Mile Island
1979 – At 4 PM EST, the nuclear reactors in Middletown, PA (Dauphin County) experienced a partial meltdown. The incident was officially rated a 5-of-7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale: Accident with wider consequences. A stuck open pilot relief valve was to blame for the incident in the primary system. The valve allowed for nuclear reactor coolant to escape into the atmosphere. During the event, the EPA was dispached where they took daily samples of the air to make sure the levels were not harmful to the community. The evacuation of Middletown was ordered 28 hours later – mostly women...
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But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables — socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on — the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.
// Interesting. Alcohol does contain some antioxidants, but mostly it appears that social interaction in the importance difference maker here. (I also wonder when some liberal politician is going to try to pass a law requiring people to enjoy at least one drink with friends once a week).
// Probably a good idea.
// Tolerance in action.
// There is so much wrong here.
// Decent article.
// Too bad these trends are never linked to government actions that make life more expensive, make it harder to employ people, make it harder to find affordable housing and make it impossible to go into business at a young age, among so many other problems created by our quasi-socialist economy.
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The Reno South Junior Pee Wee football team has had an amazing season. The boys went undefeated at 12 and 0 and only allowed less than 30 points all season. They won the Northern Nevada Snow Bowl 31-6 and went to the Northwest Regional Competition and beat a California team 19-0. The boys have been invited to the Best Of The West Competition facing teams from Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Nevada. They go in as a top seeded team. This is their "Super Bowl". This win would place them as the Top Division 3 Jr. Pee Wee Team in the Western Part of the U.S. This is something the boys have worked very hard for this season.
Your contribution would pay for transportation, lodging and food for the boys to get to Southern California to play in the Best Of The West Tournament.
This is the "Super Bowl" for division 3 Jr. Pee Wee Football.
There has not been many teams from Reno to make it this far and it would be a shame that they could not go represent our community because of money.
We have a community of 600,000 people and with any donation, the money will add up and we will send our boys to California to win.
The Boys were featured on Channel 2 and Channel 8 News in Reno.


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Ughhh, Halloween candy – SWEET heaven and pure evil all in the same package.
Jenga Fett and Captain Jack Sparrow…
Trick or TREAT!!!! I just LOVE these days, so special =)
Munchkin kept stealing candy. Finally was able to snatch, and EAT, a sucker. He was obsessed after that and now his eyes get so big if he sees someone, anywhere, eating suckers.


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We're only a couple of weeks away from the big present-giving day, but fortunately there's still a good amount of time to get those last few gifts for the people on your list.
Once the toys for the kids are out of the way, and your spouse or mate has been taken care of, there may be a college kid in your life that needs some things to take back to school with them, so we compiled a few unique items that fall outside the usual college gifts like a mini-fridge or hotplate that they probably already have anyway.
And the best thing: All of these gifts are under $50.
First, for all of those late nights and early mornings, because we all know there are tons of those in college, there's the Minibru Coffee Mug by the company ThinkGeek. At only $24.99 on the company's website, the Minibru allows you to brew a single cup of coffee inside the actual cup, instead of using a machine. And here's how it works:
You just plop in your ground coffee to the marked line at the bottom of the mug, pour hot water to the upper marked line at the top of the mug--wait a couple of minutes--then you lower a cylinder into the cup and you have a hot mug of Joe pretty much instantaneously. (Yes, it is basically a one-cup French press).
The mug itself holds 12 ounces of coffee and is made of see-through glass while the heat cylinder is made of a plastic material.
The Minibru is safe to run through the dishwasher and perfect for the coffee drinking student that needs to rush out first thing to class, but has limited time. Although the mug is dishwater safe, the cylinder has to be hand washed, but everything is very easy to clean, says the company.
The Minibru is a great addition to any college dorm room, and will serve the student who likes to stay caffeinated while on the go.
Another useful appliance for the dorm room is the WonderWash, made by the company The Laundry Alternative, and it's a mini washing machine that's small enough to fit on a countertop or bathtub and allows you to do 5-pounds of laundry per wash per cycle.
Amazon sells the washer for only $42.95 and it's extremely simple to use.
All one has to do is open the lid on the washer, put in the dirty clothes, add about a quarter cap of detergent and turn the hand lever for about five minute, which activates the machine. Soon after, your clothes come out looking clean and spiffy.
What's also cool about the WonderWash is its huge time-saving ability, as one can quickly clean something they wish to wear, without trekking down to the campus Laundromat that's often crowded and requires change or money to be deducted from a student card.
The table-top washer also works much faster than having to wait a full 45- minutes to wash something and it suits those interested in water conservation, as it only uses a very small amount.
Also, instead of having to put only one or two garments into a regular sized washing machine and using unnecessary amounts of water, you can just throw them into the Wonder Washer and not waste water at all.
Air-drying is the way to go for this miniature washer, but if you'd rather dry clothes quickly you can also pick up the Mini Countertop Spin Dryer also made by The Laundry Alternative.
The MyBlend Blender, made by Oster, is only $30.00 and is part blender, part sports bottle for when students want to make a health drink or smoothie and bring it to the gym or to class.
The tiny blender is quick and easy to use, since liquids are able to be blended with just a touch of a button and it comes in cool see through colors like purple neon green and hot pink that will certainly add a little pizazz to any dorm room.
The miniature mixer is 250 watts, which is powerful enough to crush ice, and you can purchase it on the company's website and take advantage of the free shipping offer. And since MyBlend is so small and lightweight it won't take up large amounts of space on a dorm room desk or countertop and its quiet enough so roommates won't be disturbed while it's being used.
It really seems that Oster designed the blender especially for dorm rooms or small living quarters where noise and small spaces are sometimes a challenge to deal with, especially when living with other people.
Table Tennis
And for those times when a student may not want to leave their dorm room but still wants to have some fun and entertainment, there's the Anywhere Table Tennis Ping Pong Deluxe Set, which is only $10.00 and comes with two paddles, three Ping-Pong balls and a miniature net that can stretch out to five feet if need be.
The net can also attach to any table or surface by its two grips and is light-weight and extremely portable if students want to have an intense game of Ping-Pong in or outside of their dorm room. The set also comes with a carrying bag to make transporting easy.
So the next time the campus game room is filled to capacity and you don't feel like waiting in line to play a game of Ping-Pong, the Anywhere Table Tennis set is a fun gift to give college students this year or any year,
In fact, all of these gifts are fun, and more than likely the person receiving these gifts will never see them coming.
Keep an eye on your inbox, the lastest consumer news is on it's way!


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By Callum Townend, Trainee Solicitor
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to tie the knot in May 2018 and considering the couple's vast wealth, they may consider entering into a pre-nuptial agreement ("a prenup") to protect their respective interests.
Given that the couple intend to reside in England, if they were still habitually resident there at the point of any separation in the future, the divorce would be governed by the law of England and Wales. The default position would be that the value all of their assets, including those acquired before marriage, would potentially be taken into account. Their matrimonial assets would be split in a way in which the courts deemed to be fair. Any inheritance and wealth acquired before the marriage could potentially be considered and so Prince Harry's reported £30million and Meghan's reported £4million should ideally be protected. A prenup may, therefore, be useful to provide certainty regarding the split of assets on divorce.
Historically, prenups were not seen to be legally binding in England and Wales. The Supreme Court's decision in the case of Radmacher v Granatino shifted the attitude of the courts towards giving significant weight to these types of agreement and there are moves to try and make them binding on courts. At present though, there will be one factor for the judge to weigh up but not necessarily the determining factor especially if there are children, financial dependence, loss of career as a result of family and if the marriage has been a long one. Also, in determining the fairness of the agreement, the courts in England will consider whether the parties had the opportunity to take independent legal advice and if there was full disclosure of all the parties' assets prior to them signing the agreement. Agreements can also be set aside if there is any evidence that the agreement was entered into under duress, fraud or misrepresentation. At present, they cannot completely oust the jurisdiction of the family courts in England.
The courts in England and Wales, therefore, have a high degree of discretion relative to prenups and even if Prince Harry and Meghan were to enter into one, it is not guaranteed that the court would uphold the terms of the agreement.
Position in Scotland
If Prince Harry and Meghan were ever to decide to move north of the border, and then separate, then the position relative to divorce law and to prenups would differ markedly from that of England and Wales. In Scotland, it is widely accepted that prenups will be upheld provided that they were fair and reasonable at the time they were entered into. Importantly in Scotland, assets acquired before the marriage as well as gifts and inheritances do not form part of matrimonial property to be divided between the couple on divorce. The assets built up already by Prince Harry and Meghan would, therefore, not be taken into account. However, there is one proviso to that which would render a prenuptial agreement invaluable in Scotland. If either of the parties converted their existing assets by selling them and acquiring new assets in their place during the marriage, then these newly acquired assets would form part of their matrimonial property. It is highly likely that a couple broadly of the ages of Prince Harry and Meghan will buy and sell their property, reinvest their money and generally change their assets around quite a bit.
A prenuptial agreement could, therefore, be a valuable insurance policy for Prince Harry and Meghan considering the substantial wealth they have already accumulated.
Prenups can be perceived as being a difficult topic for discussion, however, they can provide predictability and protection in circumstances where a relationship has broken down. Contrary to the myth that prenups are only used by wealthy individuals, such as Prince Harry and Meghan, they are in fact regularly used by individuals of more modest means, particularly those couples who choose to marry later in life or for a second time and who have already accumulated property and assets beforehand.
If you are looking for advice on prenuptial agreements, please get in touch with the Family Law team at Turcan Connell.


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Jaimes Leggett: CEO of M&C Saatchi Australia/
My NativeAdVice:
Jaimes joined M&C Saatchi Australia in early 2013 from a highly lauded role as Managing Director Ogilvy & Mather UK. He has wasted no time reconfiguring M&C Saatchi to bring innovation into the core of the business. Little more than a year into his tenure the agency has won a string of new clients and produced ground-breaking work.A New Zealander, Jaimes was born in Botswana, schooled in South Africa and, after 11 years in the UK, is married to an Englishwoman, but couldn't be happier living in Sydney.
He is a zealot for contagious ideas and big brand platforms.
With all the changes going on in the industry, he believes there has never been a more exciting time to do what we do.
How did you get into the advertising industry?
I love art but I can't paint.
I love music but I'm tone deaf.
I always wanted to create stuff but I didn't know how.
Advertising provides a platform to be part of the creative process I love and still enable me to add value in applying strategy and logic.
Which campaigns that you have executed are you most proud of and why?
It's an impossible question to answer because you can't compare campaigns like for like. Every campaign has a unique goal, outcome and set of circumstances.
The most recent I've worked on, M&C Saatchi's Clever Buoy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv5b4jwABiw and http://mcsaatchi.com.au/blog/2014/05/we-come-together-with-optus-google-to-create-breakthrough-shark-detection-technology) for our telco client Optus is work that I am fiercely proud of. We took a very non-traditional response to a traditional client brief. Tasked with articulating the power of the Optus mobile network we decided to solve a real-world problem and created proven, world-first, breakthrough shark detection technology. It's pretty good.
Other work I've been lucky enough to be close to includes Dove 'Real Beauty', Stella Artois 'Reassuringly Expensive' and Coca Cola 'Open Happiness'.
How does your firm stay successful in this digital era?
By investing in people and processes that go far beyond advertising to solve our clients' business problems.
And partnering with the best in the business. We're fortunate to have Google as both a client and partner, not to mention our collaboration with Hyper Island, Facebook and Adobe.
Despite the enormous changes in our industry, one thing remains critical - big ideas and big brand platforms from which to execute them.
What is your opinion on publicly traded advertising companies versus privately owned?
In the old days there may have been a correlation between:
public companies | the scale and ability to do big work, versus
private companies | agile and adaptable to change.
In that context public companies were like super tankers
However, in today's brave new world I see big companies as less super tanker more flotilla of speed boats: dynamic, maneuverable and adaptable to change.
Define creativity.
It's probably whatever you want it to be. For us at M&C Saatchi I would argue it's the conception and execution of ideas that solve business problems.
What are the biggest industry trends and how do you capitalize on them?
Historically, advertising has been the lens we've used to crack our clients' business problems.
Now, of course, we use a far broader canvas. This is less a trend, more a seismic shift.
We are now as likely to be engaged in new product and utility development, product design, blue-sky innovation, consulting and content creation as we are making ads.
To capitalize on this new reality agencies must have a broad set of capabilities and a structure that enables them to work collectively in a seamless, agile way.
An issue arising out of this seismic shift is how to remunerate agencies likes ours that have a far broader remit than they did even a few short years ago.
Remuneration models remain largely stuck on pay structures that have been around since the 1960s, based on supplying time and materials.
There is an urgent need to find a new way to value an agency's contribution because the value of a creative idea can far exceed the time and materials used to create it. Big, contagious ideas can produce major business outcomes for clients. But today's remuneration models marginalize ideas, and are often too inflexible to value the myriad ways an agency can benefit a client's bottom line.
In truth, even some clients shake their heads at this.
As a result, many agencies are working with clients to rethink contracts for the benefit of both parties. In an age when every action is measurable, performance-based pay is well established.
Some are looking into joint ventures, reflecting new levels of collaboration. If agency contracts provide an even greater incentive for business-building ideas, it's only natural for more of them to emerge.
At the heart of it all is intellectual property. I think there will be a renewed focus on IP and how remuneration models value it.
Who is your greatest influence in becoming a successful CEO?
Broadly speaking there are two types of people in the world; those that bring life and energy and those that suck it all away.
I prefer to spend time with the former.
And in each of these interactions I bring curiosity and enthusiasm and try to learn as much as I can from the brilliant people around me.
What is your life motto?
Roll the way you roll.
What literature is currently on your desk or Internet browser?
A pile of magazines with Monocle, Harvard Business Review and Fast Company on top, while Twitter is open on my more figurative desktop.
What's next for your firm?
We will continue to change the game and evolve our business to best meet our clients' expanding needs and reflect our broadening remit. We are already transitioning from suppliers to partners and IP owners.


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Hi, I'm a transplanted northerner–(born and raised in New York to French immigrants–Oui je parle Francais) living in Florida for 23+ years. In the 70's I worked as a realtor in the Bronx – City Island to be exact. Then I started a family and didn't keep up my license. I aspired to a career in architecture, so I went to New York Institute of Technology for three years, moved to Florida and finished my degree at the University of Florida in Gainesville. After 10 years of working in my dream career I sustained an injury to my shoulder. This injury never healed because I was constantly on the computer doing cad design. I finally decided to make a career change – something where I could use my training as an architect. Needless to say, I was worried – where will the money come from? How will I be able to afford my career change? But, I put my faith in God and went for it. It's the best move I ever made, other than my husband, children and dogs.
About Me
4 responses »
Your blog is an inspiration to be a champion of our life's goals. I feel privileged to honor you the King of Kings Bloggers Award. CongratulationsReply
Thank you so very much Aliker, I am honored and humbled to receive this award from you.Reply
Thanks Jocelyne for reading my post. Once I was started my career on the field of real estate as an advertising copy writer. I am sorry to hear the injury of your shoulder for constant designing on the computer. I should be careful of myself too, to use less computer! The cover of my book titled "The Alchemist A Mystery in Three Acts" is photographed in Beypore beach, Kerala.You are always welcome to read my posts, books and to visit and explore India. Happy and prosperous new year for you and your family. Love and hugs.Reply
Hello Vikram, I'm glad you told me the location of the pier. Our pastor comes from Kerala and I will show him the picture. I'm sure he is familiar with the area. He always goes home at least once a year.Reply
Thanks for stopping by my blog too and have a Prosperous and Happy New Year.
Mme. Jocelyne


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I once believed I was the epitome of a dark introvert until I met Elliot Alderson, the reclusive, anti-humanity hacker from USA Network's Mr. Robot.
I once had the market cornered on "dark introversion."
I was positive of it. I reveled in the notoriety.
Dark introversion was me, but furthermore, I was Dark Introversion. I embodied Dark Introversion, and then fucking Elliot Alderson cock-blocked me from realizing my ultimate anti-social potential.
I was the Dark Introvert.
Fuck you, Elliot.
Elliot is everything required of a dark introvert.
I have become quite the scholar of introversion.
For most of my life, I refuted my introversion and sought to live the extroverted life by chemically-enabled boldness; brash effusive sociability that was never truly me. I lived a phony life; a "trans-extrovert." I never learned to be honest or genuine. As I absorbed and accepted my Introversion role over time, I examined what it entailed, and not only did I come to accept it, I came to note the many barely visible idiosyncrasies and malign tendrils that introversion denotes.
Along this early path of discovery I assumed that there were two types of introversion: the light and the dark. I assumed I was the dark, but worse, I assumed I had always been the dark. I believed my "dark transformation" was a revelation. I thought the binary assemblage of introversion denoted the Light and Dark, but I've come realize this is not so.
It is not quite the fixed nomenclature that defines introversion as we know it.
For instance.
I am the "dark introvert."
The dark introvert is egotistical, vain, arrogant, misanthropic, delicately sociopathic, but above all, insulated. I belong to several introvert forums and groups, and after reading the contributions of various members, I have discovered introverts come in all flavors and designs, and that the antagonist school of introversion is something I would call the "Light."
These Light Introverts can likewise be vain and arrogant, maybe even misanthropic. However, the Light Introvert is not fully encased in his own existence.
The Light Introvert seeks a trace of approval from the external world. The Light Introvert entertains a diminishing sense of optimism and beholds flowery petals of hope. A Light Introvert continues to battle against the elemental introversion that restrains such a soul. Whereas the Dark Introvert embraces the night and gloom while rejecting all acceptance.
For the longest time I was convinced it was an either/or dynamic and I sought no more clarification because I was ignorant and lazy.
Perhaps it was Elliot Alderson who convinced me otherwise. Those are mighty weighty credentials for a measly television show. Maybe I've given "Mr. Robot" too much credit for its own good, but the change in my perspective has dawned in the last few months.
In the realm of introversion, it is not either/or. Rather, it is an evolutionary continuum. Light eventually blends to dark, given enough time.
Problem is, there is rarely enough time for most mortal humans to process their own evolution. I am not a mere mortal so I surpassed the base mark. I have extraordinary powers of observation (as Pink Floyd once told us).
Introversion is a fluid unveiling, a growth of our psyche which we eventually experience assuming we introverts live forever. But we don't. So many of us are stillborn at the earliest stage of introversion, and thus, the witnesses, our family and friends, also only glimpse the partial development of the introvert. Rarely is the fruition of the introvert so pronounced and visible, from beginning to end, in such a publicly visible manner as with Elliot Alderson.
And me.
The Dark Introvert is the "highest" (or most extreme) order of introversion. In Karmic or Miltonian levels, absolute Dark Introversion might equate to the "inner layers" of introversion, the dark fiery revulsion of personal debility and depravity.
Introversion is an evolution. Very few of us attain Darkness in our life; most wallow languidly in the early circles of Light Introversion.
As I noted in an earlier post, I believe Barack Obama is a Dark Introvert, and for this, I commiserate with him, but also, I fear for our country.
I would not want a Dark Introvert spelling out my destiny.
It's bad enough that I spell out my own.