text:
Whether you need to provide long-term development planning or just-in-time training, your learning strategy should give employees the skills and support they need excel at their jobs. You can create a learning culture with continuous learning programs supplemented with the right learning content for your organization. Discover ways to develop your learning strategy and measure its effectiveness in training your employees. Support your learning strategy with technology programs and platforms that give your employees access to the learning training they need, when they need it, in a format that's right for them.
Recommended Learning Resources
A Holistic Approach to Meet Today's Learning Needs
With this Signature Series, conducted in partnership between Oxygen and HCI, we explore the new ways of working for HR, learning, and sales enablement professionals that are required to accelerate outputs, improve quality, and close the gap ...Read more
Leadership DNA: New Criteria for Identifying and Coaching Leaders to Their Full Potential
Are your leadership development programs working? Join us at the 2019 Learning & Leadership Development Conference in Boston on September 10-12, 2019 to learn how companies achieve success by developing managers that will drive engagement, collaboration, and innovation.Learn More
Learn More about Learning with our Top Resources
AR as a New Tool for Learning
It shouldn't be a surprise that augmented reality has been adopted as a tool for teaching, both in corporate and classroom environments. Certain lessons are greatly enriched by the ability to combine digital information with real-world visuals. But many learning leaders will want to walk before they run into augmented reality.
How to Level Up Your Learning and Development: Applying a Growth Mindset
Learn the business benefits of applying a "growth mindset" to your programs, discover what your L&D program needs to make it more effective, gain tips for implementing a growth mindset in your L&D efforts, and hear real-world success stories studied by the NeuroLeadership Institute.
High Performers Do These Two Things Differently
Discover the top four traits of high-performing personal brands and pitfalls to avoid, identify your top two unique personality advantages, understand the circumstances in which you're most likely to over-deliver and outperform (and the areas in which you will not), and recognize the signs you are (or are not) perceived as a high performer.
The One Thing Every Organization Can Learn from First Responders
Learn how people who develop resilient mindsets in any profession confront challenges with healthy and productive attitudes.
Always Learning Always Developing: Help Your Employees Grow Every Day
Learn how to create a continuous development culture, engage employees with effective learning, and optimize development through learning partnerships.
Social Intelligence Can't Be Automated
We keep doing things the same way. We keep treating customers the same way, but why? Once you learn to recognize those biases, you can learn to mitigate them by making really simple changes in your behavior.
Social intelligence is our differentiator from artificial intelligence. It's how we better ourselves as leaders, as team members, and most importantly -- as humans.
Catalyzing Radical Innovation – Buck the Conventional Wisdom of Leadership
Consistent radical innovation is the only way to survive in a fast changing VUCA world. Quantum leaders not only consistently deliver on radical innovation, they are good bosses to work for. Learn how to foster radical innovation at your organization in this session.
Building Leadership Competencies through Succession Planning and Mentoring
Explore how to prioritize when you feel like you want to do it all, ways to implement competencies, and ways to sustain the Leadership Development practices you and your teams want to bring to life.
Leadership DNA: New Criteria for Identifying and Coaching Leaders to Their Full Potential
The talent that makes for a successful individual contributor is not the same talent that makes a great manager. Join us at the 2019 Learning & Leadership Development Conference in Boston on September 10-12, 2019 and get strategies you can use right now to identify and develop the managers that will drive engagement, collaboration, and innovation for the success of your business.
Location & Venue
Encore Boston Harbor
One Broadway
Everett, MA 02149
Take advantage of the room block rate of $329. Don't wait, the offer expires August 7, 2019.


text:
... but then again maybe it's not .Maybe it's just a pretty little bottlefull of cheap goo that attractswannabe footballers wivesand racks up obscene profitsfor the anonymous manufacturerseven at half the price .
Maybe it's a high-tec must-havelatest model training shoe .But then again maybe it's not .Maybe it's just consumer lust .Made by kids in southern Asia ,who should be at school ,not slaving for a crust .
Maybe it's the capitalist dream .But then again maybe it's not .Maybe it's tested on animals ,but the consumer doesn't care .They just want the product ,and they don't give a toss .
Maybe it doesn't matter too much .But then again maybe it does .Because advertising power says so ,and it's so sleek , and pretty , and fit .Because your so stereotypical .Because you're worth it ?
writebuzz®... the word is out!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"Animal Man" #10 by Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh puts forward a lot of questions and mysteries, but after this issue the most prevalent question for me is how long can the lead character being a tourist in his own book remain interesting? Fortunately Lemire and Pugh are incredibly talented creators, so they're making this work, but to be honest, the idea of every little thing being explained to Buddy is wearing thin, especially without the delightful Maxine (aka Little Wing) commentary now absent.
Lemire's "Animal Man" continues to be one of the stronger books from DC and it's had the benefit of a phenomenal opening artist in Travel Foreman. Pugh has picked up the art chores on this book effortlessly, but Lemire and this book are falling into a rather bad pattern of Animal Man having very little agency in his own title. It certainly fits Lemire's supposed plan on a larger scale and I'm willing to give him a little rope, but several issues deep of Buddy just feeling like the inconsequential guest star in his own title and it's getting tiresome. I suppose for newer readers (like me) it's a good way to explore the world of Animal Man so everyone can get up to speed, but ten issues in, I need to feel like Buddy is a hero and right now he feels like dead weight. Hopefully that will turn into a wonderful reveal as we continue, but I find myself itching for that moment.
Pugh's art is, on the whole, gorgeous. He manages to capture both the extreme insanity of "The Red" with the creativity (and gruesomeness) required, but has no problems with the every day scenes either. This is a great looking book. Pugh's "creatures" are sublimely disgusting and gorgeous, but he never forgets his attention to detail when it comes to his more ordinary characters. For example, out of all the cool stuff Pugh draws in this book, my favorite panel is Maxine's expression when she orders Zatanna to let go of her mommy "or I'll turn you into a toad." It's good fun stuff.
The panel layouts are not always to my taste, but they're not so disruptive that they interrupt the flow. One design element that did stop me right in my tracks in a negative way is Pugh's depiction of Madame Xanadu. She looks like she just came from major breast implant surgery with typically comic book water balloons strapped to her chest - and they must be implants because no natural breasts in the world sit the way Xanadu's do. She's clearly not wearing a bra given her ridiculous outfit and looks absolutely out of place and bizarre. Xanadu does not strike me as a character that would ever consider breast implants (She's going to live forever -- what if big breasts go out of vogue?!) and as a result, while it's not a choice that ends the world, it did instantly yank me out of the story, and leave me scratching my head.
Interestingly enough, like Buddy's tourist behavior in the book as depicted by Lemire, "The Red" is also wearing thin. I suppose weirdness around every corner can become tiresome too because my eyes honestly wanted to rest while reading this issue. The coloring didn't help. As a fan of monochromatic palettes, I appreciate that Lovern Kindzierski is not holding back and I think that's the right decision, but there's something almost thin and flat in the colors of "The Red." I can't tell if it's something with the inking not being strong enough or the colors not having enough depth (even if it's all red depth) but something is keeping this book from being as beautiful as I want it to be.
"Animal Man" has been a strong book from go, one of the best of the New 52 and a book that developed one of the greatest new characters of the DCU in the form of young Maxine. It will serve the book well if Lemire can finally move Buddy into a little more active and intelligent role in his own title, rather than being the guy that has to be told everything all the time.


text:
Leading a team can be a tough. Support is often in short supply and there is generally a weight of expectation and pressures a plenty. A new support group for senior leads has been launched to help tackle this growing problem.
By Darren Caveney
I shared a post two weeks ago – SOS: Save our Heads of Comms - and have been quite stunned at the response. But also worried.
The post is approaching 2k views now I have been contacted by dozens of comms leads about the issues affecting them right now. The post seemed to capture what many people across the sectors are going through right now. It's also sparked others to write posts sharing their experiences and we'll be posting these in the coming weeks.
The support group is something I'd toyed with for a while but the response to this post convinced me that a safe place for communications leads was not just needed it was a necessity.
Over 100 senior comms leads have joined already creating a powerful and influential network. This group can do great things through some simple collaboration. What's not to like?
Here's the lowdown on the support group…
Is this group solely for heads of comms?
No, the job title isn't important. Whether you're a director, assistant director, head, manager or any other comms lead job title variation that your organisation has bestowed on you this support group is for you. If you lead on comms, pr, marketing or digital this group is for you.
Why a group?
From personal experience of being a director and head of comms I know the pressures of the role. It can be an isolated place at times and so it's very important to be able to connect with like-minded people and talk about the big issues.
I also know that whilst social media is brilliant it isn't the place that a senior comms professional is likely to open up and share with others. So that is where Slack comes in.
What is being discussed?
Everything from creating comms structures and models fit for 2017 and plans and campaigns, through income generation ideas and internal comms challenges.
For example, this morning's conversations have included some sharing feedback on the opportunities offered by Facebook at Work (Workplace)
But the group is there for you to share, ask and collaborate on whatever is troubling or taxing you right now. It's your group (I'm just in a fortunate position where I am able to facilitate and promote it)
Why Slack?
Because it is ever so easy to use. The mobile app is great too. It allows everyone on the group the ability to set up their own discussion channels, chat with all members, or message individuals. If you haven't used it before I think you might like it. It's a good chance to take a look at Slack for your own uses too.
Is this an exclusive group?
I was asked this last week by a couple of people. No. Absolutely not. Exclusive doesn't fit with my values or how I work. It is purely a safe place for senior folks to connect and collaborate and because it felt like a gap.
What next?
So far the group is virtual but face to face meetings have been raised as an idea. I will be asking what the group wants with a view to setting up regional and/or national events. These will be free to attend so if a suitable partner would like to support with coffee and cake give me a shout.
So over to you. Come and join in with the conversations.
This is a group whose time has come. In fact it's long overdue.
If you're an in-house senior comms marketing pr or digital lead this is a safe place for you to usefully hang for 5mins each day. If you're a HR or customer services lead it may be helpful for you too.
If you would like to join our band of rather cool folks just drop me an email at email@example.com or DM me on Twitter at @darrencaveney
You won't regret it.
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and owner of creative communicators ltd
image via UW Digital Collections


text:
private charterFood and Drinks, Entertainment, Dinners and Lunches
Harbour Cruises is excited to help you plan the perfect event whether an intimate anniversary celebration, a wedding ceremony, a team building event or a birthday bash . Choose from one of our fabulous vessels and our professionally catered menu options. Create your own unforgettable experience.
HomePrivate CharterMV Harbour Princess
MV Harbour Princess
Perfect for Corporate or Formal Events of 100 or more guests
Luxurious and contemporary, board the Harbour Princess for an exceptional blend of business and pleasure. You'll find panoramic views inescapable in nearly every section of the ship, inside and out. The MV Harbour Princess is designed for enjoyment during both of Vancouver's seasons: sunny and rainy!
- Comfortable dinner seating for up to 190 passengers
- Large, fully stocked bar on second interior deck
- Large dance area on second deck
- Two spacious interior decks and one large exterior deck
- Click here for additional exterior and interior images of the MV Harbour Princess


text:
Moving Forward into New Earth – Ascension Update 3/28/18
As we move into the 5th dimension and choose to create lives that are meaningful, integral, and joyful, Gaia will simultaneously recreate herself from her original divine template. She knows that by healing herself, she is healing everyone and everything that exists as part of her. So too, can we apply this to our focused spheres of experience (this life and body we have chosen to inhabit on Earth). We can heal ourselves, knowing that in so doing, we heal others, just as Gaia does. We can't heal others until we heal ourselves. But we are not in this alone, and we have a lot of assistance. As we heal, it sparks something within the people we encounter on a daily basis, activating their own self-healing. This, of course, occurs on the subconscious level first.
Depending on your soul mission, it is highly likely that your higher self wants to heal, is looking forward to it, and wholeheartedly accepts whenever it is offered. There is healing happening at every level right now, from the collective down to the individual. Usually, once that healing becomes noticeable to the ego, the ego begins to create resistance, to various degrees. This is what we are seeing happening throughout the collective. Massive resistance caused by ego as it attempts to manage and control what seems to be occurring without its permission, indeed beyond what it can even perceive.
The more ego-driven one is in life, the more difficult their awakening will be. Hopefully, with all of this higher energy here now, it will be an easier transition, but there are no guarantees. One thing that is certain is that people will not be able to bring their baggage with them through these portals into higher strata of consciousness. People are being forced to drop their fears, attachments, beliefs, habits, and unhealthy or stagnant circumstances in rapid, shocking ways. It's turning some people inside out, because they refuse to let go and surrender to their soul's plan. Ever heard the saying, "let go, or be dragged?" It's as true now as it ever was.
Mind/Body/Soul System as a Supercomputer (with 4D printing abilities)
If you are a frequent reader of ascension blogs, you have no doubt encountered rhetoric and information about negative aliens / evil entities / demons / service-to-self entities / "Team Dark," among other labels and titles. There is a lot of talk in the light worker community about this so-called battle between light and dark happening – a sense that we are fighting for or against something. There is also a lot of stuff about "the controllers," said to be off-world alien parasites that have minions in the astral and physical realms, pulling strings at all levels. Personally, I am at a point where I am not so sure that they ever actually existed, at least not to the degree in which many give them credit, which is that they control everything and somehow are able to delay ascension. Is this yet another way to lay blame on something outside of ourselves so that we can avoid taking responsibility for our choices? If they really do exist outside of us as actual beings that have consciousness and an evil agenda, they are only empowered by our focus on and our fear of them – of this I am certain. I am of the mind that these things can only exist as a "program" of sorts, like a computer virus, and does not actually have any individual agenda other than to do what it was designed to do, which is confuse, mimic and distort soul energy. These programs exist because we created them. We needed to create them to help us learn our lessons, and do the mission we came here to do.
Human minds are so much more powerful than the average person realizes. We are very good at creating blocks for ourselves with our fears. We can create "demons" that follow us, thwart us, and pester us, and many times seem to take on a life of their own. Perhaps we create these "entities" because of our subconscious fear of destroying ourselves. Many people carry memories in their DNA of the Atlantis cataclysm, and have subconsciously played out those fears in their many lifetimes since then. It's the proverbial "waiting for the other shoe to drop" disease. But we can transcend this, if we open up our awareness, and realize nothing can hurt us unless we allow it.
Can we liken the mind/body/soul system to a very powerful supercomputer with 4D printing abilities? We, of course, were not exactly provided the manual to our very powerful supercomputer when we arrived here, at least not obviously. The manual, of course, is found within the soul. Higher awareness allows you to see things from a different, broader angle.
With our powerful supercomputers we possess the ability to create, and we always create first in the 4D astral space – this is what I refer to when I use the metaphor 4D printing abilities. The first things that are created are thoughts. A collection of thoughts grouped together creates a thought form – a template of something that may eventually manifest in the physical. Now, these thought forms are not really anything substantial until they are charged with emotions. Fear, of course, is a very strong emotion and so provides a lot of energy to thought forms. Those charged thought forms can strengthen or weaken depending on the amount of focus you place on them. The more you focus on them, the more likely they will manifest in your physical reality. We, as co-creators, also frequently latch onto other peoples' creations and add to them with our energy. This is why picking up the vibration of fear seems like catching a disease, because it is energetically being passed around in the collective, and only grows stronger the more it's circulated.
Why do we have war? Why do people fight each other? All people involved are people, underneath we are all the same. But when we allow our thoughts to become charged with fear, we send that out to be embodied in another. The "other" becomes more – or less – than human. The other becomes something evil that we must destroy before it destroys us. This is what happens when we allow ourselves to become the victim and give all of our power away to something outside of us. Neither side is right or wrong, not truly. It is the fear that drives those involved to act, and in the case of war, act against each other.
Perhaps our thoughts and emotions – especially those that feed into fear – are actually what created these 4D "dark entities" that menace us and get into our spaces, lowering our vibration. As in, WE created them with our unconscious, habitual overthinking, and nearly universal penchant for living in the past and future, replete with what-ifs and could-have-beens. These "demons" or "negative entities" constantly stand in our way and keep us from what we want, and "they" persist because we are either completely blind to them, OR we constantly place the blame or see the cause for these menaces as outside of ourselves. Once you begin to take personal responsibility for your own thoughts and emotions, and their eventual creations, you cease to believe that something "out there" is keeping you down, holding you back, or actively targeting you. It is so easy to lay blame on the cabal/the controllers/the powers that be/Archons/Dracons/Evil Aliens/insert other evil villain group here. Unfortunately for us, we give our power away when we refuse to face the fact that all of the challenges we are facing both individually and collectively are our own creations. We either create it on a personal basis or we feed, or send energy, into the collective to eventually draw from – a vicious cycle that's hard to break.
In my perspective, demons, evil entities, and dark energy are no more than strongly charged thought forms released by humans sometime in the fabric of space. So why are they so real to those who believe they are coming from outside of themselves? The only conclusion I have is that those people who believe there are bigger fish pulling strings are simply unaware that this is all an illusion – a simulation – it's not real. This place is a learning ground. We come here to either learn to be a victim, OR we learn how to be a self-sovereign, free, wholesome being who remembers their true self. When you choose the latter, you choose not to engage in the matrix of fear and misinformation. You choose to accept all of your parts, light and dark. You realize you are a creator and your life is literally yours to craft and make the way you like. We were NOT put here. We CHOSE to be here.
We're just stalling, and setting ourselves up for disappointment, when we stop to wonder when all of the bad people and evil doers are magically zapped from the face of the Earth and are sent to their own evil planet where they can do evil things to their evil hearts' delight. Then, we can all get on with what we really want to do. However, this waiting game we are playing with ourselves is not helping us. We're postponing our own lives because we are waiting with bated breath for this or that to happen. This is not how this going to work. Desiring for all of what you perceive to be bad to be suddenly removed from the Earth is a big ask. A BIG ask, and you don't understand what you are asking for. Bad people are not bad, they are out of balance. And what is this ascension process if it's not a rebalancing of the inner and outer scales? It's coming, for ALL of us, even though that may be hard to see right now.
We are not condemning, removing, or banishing our own shadows. No, that's not even possible, because your shadows are part of you. They are the parts of you that have been ignored, neglected, tamped down, and shut up, and they are acting out now because they need your attention and your love. Condemning all shadow is condemning yourself, because there is not anything out there that is not also within you. There are no others. We all have shadows and we all have light. All part of who we are. How long are we going to run from who we are – all of who we are? Once those shadows are acknowledged and you have provided space for them, they will work with you, not against you. Take your power back by opening to ALL of who you are, shadow and light. Allow your shadows to express themselves in healthy ways, through awareness and acceptance. Allow them to inform your experiences. They've already shaped you, and helped you get to where you are now. Bless them for the lessons and the resilience you have earned because of them.
Our personal ascension is coming but it is up to us how it all plays out. This can be a joyful, blissy experience, or it can be a rocky road full of misery. All that is left is our individual choice. And that's the main thing about this place we all exist in – we all have a choice and we've always had a choice. For so long, our dreams have been self-deferred because we have trapped ourselves again and again with our fears. Fear is what holds you back and once you can take responsibility and accountability for your piece of the "dark pie," you can choose to transform it all into crystal light. Transmute it, neutralize it, reintegrate it and use that energy towards positive development in your life. You've been afraid long enough, don't you think, and what has fear gotten you, exactly?
Sort out what's real and what's not real – for you. Never mind what other people are thinking or doing or saying. The only thing that is real is Love. All else is just a distortion of Love. Ascension is the process of seeing through those distortions and making peace with their influences in your life. Let it all go. It taught you much and readied you for what was to come, and now it's time to move courageously forward, into your vision of New Earth.
Hope this update was helpful!
Love, T
(All photography by T. Mattiello)


text:
Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda Governor General
The national flag of Anguilla consists of a Blue Ensign with the British flag in the canton, charged with the coat of arms of Anguilla in the fly. The coat of arms consists of three dolphins, which were featured on the earlier Anguillan flag, and which stand for friendship, wisdom and strength. The flag is Anguilla's third flag other than as part of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla. The island's first flag was a red blue flag featuring the name of the island in yellow and two mermaids. Variants to this flag were also widely used, with some substituting red for purple and some not bearing the name of Anguilla. This flag was widely disliked, and was replaced during Anguilla's brief period of independence by the Dolphin Flag, which is still widely seen around the island. This flag was a banner of the arms found on the current flag, and was white with a broad blue band across the base of the flag, above which were three stylised golden dolphins. It was adopted in 1990.
The governor's official flag comprises the Union Jack and the Anguilla coat of arms surrounded by a laurel wreath. It is flown at Government House when the Governor is in residence and on any motor car or boat in which he is making an official visit. The coat of arms uses the same dolphin design that appears on the flag and is edged with gold. The official seal is the shield with a double circle around it containing the words Anguilla: Strength and Endurance.
Antigua and Barbuda
"Prior to associated statehood, Antigua apparently had no coat of arms, although a seal for public business had existed since the early 19th century. The design of that seal, represented in colours on a shield. The shield had been incorporated with similar "armorialized seals on a shield of blue and white wavy stripes in a coat of arms granted to the Colony of the Leeward Islands on 10 April 1909 (*). After the Colony of the Leeward Islands was dissolved on 1 July 1956 flag badges were developed for its former components, which became separate Colonies. The flag badge of Antigua, represented on a white disk on the fly of the British Blue Ensign for use on government vessels, was the shield which had appeared in the arms of the Leeward Islands. It represented blue water in the foreground and a light blue sky with white clouds at the top. Between, in natural pastel shades, were a beach, bushes, and hills surmounted by a grey building. The most prominent feature -- on the sinister side of the shield -- was an agave plant. This badge, replaced at the time of associated statehood, had been introduced sometime in 1957." (*) The crest of that coat of arms was a pineapple closely resembling the one in the Antigua crest. The background of the Leeward Islands shield may have inspired the similar blue and white wavy stripes found in the flag of The West Indies, an abortive federation (1957-1962) of which Antigua was a part. That flag and the flag badge of the Leeward Islands are described in an article on the new flag of Dominica in THE FLAG BULLETIN, Volume XVII, No. 6 pp. 166-169. Martin Grieve
Officially there was no Red Ensign, but many were in use unofficially by the 1930s, and in 1962 the Port Director of Nassau estimated that there were probably over 1,000 defaced Red Ensigns being flown by yachts at the time, and that more than 5,000 yachts had the ensign, and would have flown it at some time in the past. The Colonial Office wrote to the Bahamian government: "We realise that the unauthorised wearing of the defaced Red Ensign in both the Bahamas and Bermuda has become so widespread that there seems no possibility of bringing about its discontinuance without the creation of much ill-feeling, and do not therefore intend taking action against those concerned. On the other hand, the Board of Admiralty has again ruled that the present misuse of the defaced Red Ensign cannot be regularised." [Bahamian Symbols by Whitney Smith in Flag Bulletin March-June 1976]
David Prothero
Lighthouse Service
Royal Nassau Sailing Club
Governor's Flag
1885 - 1958
1958 - 1966
Barbados Governor
British Virgin Islands
Without the wreath
Cayman Islands
Glorious 9 foot by 4 foot Hessian flag with sewn badge
Produced by Flying Colours
Produced by Easy Flags
Governor's flag
12 x 6 inches from the collection of Tumbling Waters Flag Museum in Montgomery Alabama which went defunct in the early 1980s.
Governor's Flag
Cotton Bunting with original natural rope/twine and wood peg. Marked on the edge of the bunting "18 Bahamas" The flag itself is oiled open weave cotton or wool. Same construction as many flags of the era. The edges of the flag are bound. The Union Jack is printed directly on the material and the printed circle of the Bahamas Crest is sewn onto the flag. 18" long 8.25" wide.
Lighthouse Service
Royal Nassau Sailing Club
Governor's Flag
1885 - 1958
"The badge of Barbados displays the well-known design which appears on the stamps of that colony. A female figure, crowned and attired in robes of crimson and ermine, holding a trident is standing in a shell which is being drawn along the surface of the sea by two sea-horses. On the Union flag the garland surrounds the badge; on the Blue Ensign the garland is omitted."
H. Gresham Carr, "Flags of the world (1956) page 91
I..O. Evans in "The observers book of flags (1966) is more open: "The badge of Barbados represents Britannia, crowned and holding her trident, standing in a sea-shell and drawn by two sea-horses."
Martin Grieve
image by Martin GrieveIn a Barbadian coin (penny) dating of 1792, is engraved what could be the correct version of the first Barbados coat of arms. Here is a reconstruction, colours are assumed. According to the coin, what we called "Neptune" is actually George III, king of the United Kingdom from 1738 to 1820. The horses are not dolphin-tailed, while George III is driving a sea-chariot. In the coin, the name of the island is spelled: Barbadoes. I am not sure if such a name was used in the defaced blue ensign. It is very clear, George III is wearing crown, and one order (I don't know what could it be). This is probably also that the badge was adopted not in the 1800s but late 1700s. Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán
Barbados Governor
British Virgin Islands
The eleven lamps which surround the figure of St. Ursula each represent 1,000 of the 11,000 Virgins who, according to the legend, were martyred along with St. Ursula. The figure of St. Ursula and the lamps are surrounded by a garland of two green branches.
The present flag was adopted in 1956 and the devices incorporated in the badge were those which had previously been used in the Public Seal. The badge is set against the background of the Union Jack, which is the flag of the United Kingdom. Gvido Petersons, 7 May 2003
The present flag was adopted in 1956 and the devices incorporated in the badge were those which had previously been used in the Public Seal. The badge is set against the background of the Union Jack, which is the flag of the United Kingdom. Gvido Petersons, 7 May 2003
British Virgin Islands Governor General's flag
A proper BVI Governor's flag in case someone is interested. Fully sewn with an embroidered wreath and in the correct specified ratio. Quality item! Ian Hamilton
Without the wreath
Cayman Islands
Produced by Flying Colours
Produced by Easy Flags
Personal collection 70 by 40 inches
Image provided by Mr. Clay Moss
Produced by Northern Flags
Badge: HMS Magnificent in the fortress of Cabrits in Saint Ruperts Bay, Porstmouth. Later. c. 1958 the same badge but in form of shield was used on blue ensign. It was suppressed on 9 November 1965 when the arms, granted 21 July 1961 were added to the flag. Seems that the flag was used always without white circle, but seems that the first idea was with white circle.
Governor's flag
12 x 6 inches from the collection of Tumbling Waters Flag Museum in Montgomery Alabama which went defunct in the early 1980s.
Martin Grieve
In the centre of the badge you can see a sugar cane mill moved by oxen. This mill is apparently made of metal, due to the blue colour of it. In Puerto Rico they were made of wood. This very kind of sugar cane mill, known in Spanish America as trapiche, was called «Blood Sugar Cane Mill» or «Trapiche de Sangre», because many slaves lost their hands when they were trampled and squashed by the moving rolls of this particular mill. The slave had to pass by hand through the moving rolls the bundle of sugar cane they were carrying, and sometimes there hands got caught in too.
Blas Delgado
Red EnsignThe latin inscription beneath the ship — «clarior e tenebris» translates as «light out of darkness», and the ship, it has been suggested is to represent that of Columbus. It appeared on the Blue Ensign from 1903 to 1974. It may possibly have been used on the Union Jack after the Windward Islands administration was dissolved in 1960, or after the Associated States were established in 1967, until independence in 1974.
Governor's Flag
The World Statesmen web-site has a list of Administrators up to 1967, and thereafter, Governors from 1967 to 1974. I have no idea if this flag ever actually existed. Martin GrieveHere's one example I've found:
3rd February 1661 - Grant of Arms. Blazon in ABC of Heraldry by G.C.Rothery, 1915; "Argent, a cross gules, thereon five pineapples or. Crest, a crocodile on a log, proper. Supporters, dexter, a West Indian native woman proper, crined or, girt about the waist with feathers alternately gules and argent, holding a basket of fruit, the head wreathed with a band azure rising therefrom a feather gold; sinister, a West Indian native man proper, girt about the waist with the feathers, holding in his hand a bow or, the head wreathed with a band azure, rising therefrom a circlet of feathers alternately gules and argent."
Nothing about the helm and mantling, which is of a type usually associated with royal arms, and no reference to a motto.1875 - Arms used as flag badge on Blue Ensign and Union Jack. Oval shield surmounted by crocodile crest. No supporters, or helm or motto. On a white disc surrounded by a green garland on Union Jack for Governor when embarked on a vessel within the area of his government. On Blue Ensign for vessels in the service of the government, possibly on a white disc.
1906 - Flag badge changed. Arms on a conventional shield, supporters, crest, motto (Indus Uterque Serviet Uni) on white scroll. No helm or mantling.
red ensign
8th April 1957 - New grant of Arms by Royal Warrant due to the doubtful blazon of the original Arms. Royal helm and mantling allowed. Full armorial achievement. Used on Blue Ensign, on a white disc, and on Union Jack, within a garland.
13th July 1962 - Out of Many, One People, replaced Latin motto. Colour of scroll possibly changed at same time from white to yellow. Less than a month before independence so would not have featured on a flag.
6th August 1962. Both flags discontinued. David Prothero
96" by 54" (8 feet by 4.5 feet)
From the Bruce Berry collection
65 inches (1650mm) long by 36 inches (920mm) and made from hessian type cotton.
From the Bruce Berry collection
65 inches (1650mm) long by 36 inches (920mm) and made from hessian type cotton.
Jamaica did not have an official defaced Red Ensign. That is not to say that there were no unofficial Red Ensigns, but there can be no precise date for them. Furthermore, the badge is similar to those that appeared on the Blue Ensign and the governor's Union Flag between 1957 and 1962, but has had the helm and mantling removed and the colours simplified. One particular error is the absence of the outline of the shield between the supporters.Jamaica's first badge, 1875, was an oval shield bearing St George's cross with five gold pineapples, one in the centre of the cross and one in the middle of each arm. A very small helm above the shield was surmounted by a (probably green) crocodile on a red and white torse.In 1906 this was replaced by a badge similar to the badge in the image except that; it had a shield (conventional shape), the scroll was in two separate curves with less elaborate flourishes, the crocodile was green with a stubby tail, the supporters had blue clothing around their hips. From 1957 until independence in 1962 the badge was the present coat of arms. This differed from the previous badge in that, a helm and mantle were inserted between the top of the shield and the torse of the crocodile crest, the colour of the clothing of the supporters was changed from blue, to green and brown, the crocodile became a little more elegant with a longer curving tail. At some point the motto on the scroll was changed from "indus uterque serviet uni" to "out of many, one people", but I do not know whether this happened in 1957 and appeared on the badge and arms, or in 1962 and has appeared only on the actual arms.
Governor of Jamaica
I took this image from Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia (from the 1936 Berlin Olympics)
Leeward Islands
I took this image from Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia (from the 1936 Berlin Olympics)
The Jamaica Yacht Club was formed in 1884 by a group of enthusiastic sailors. On the 29th of November 1889, the Club was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria following a visit by Prince Edward, then the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII. Until 1962, when Jamaica became an independent nation within the Commonwealth, the Commodores were all Governors of Jamaica, whether or not they were yachtsmen. In 1963 the Commodore was chosen for the first time from the membership of the Club.
The badge was adopted in 1906, whereas the flag only much later, officially in 1960. One version has the badge directly on the Blue Ensign occupying an imaginary circle, the diameter being 4/9 the hoist width. A variant may or may not have been extant, and this version shows the badge on a white circle. Both the versions with white disc and without have been reported, but it is not clear which is correct. Martin Grieve6 foot by 3 foot, woven polyester and sewn National flag for Montserrat, insignia stitched into a Blue Ensign. In as new condition - made by the leading flag manufacturer, JW Plant and co (Leeds)
Flag displayed in my classroom
|Sewn flag produced by Flying Colours
The colonial flag of Leeward Islands was used between 1871 and 1956 in the Caribbean. The badge was designed by Sir Benjamin Pine, the first Governor. His flag was the Union Jack with the badge on a disc surrounded by a garland of laurel. The flag was used until the dissolution of the Leeward Islands colony in 1956. Nevertheless, the scales are all wrong - the "mutant" pineapple is several times larger than the further pineapples, rather more than perspective should allow, and the nearer ship is smaller than the further one!
The differences of the Royal Arms depicted on the Leewards badge are:
- The shield is elliptical rather than circular
- The lettering is in black as opposed to gold
- The English lion faces the shield, instead of staring out at the observer.
- The English lions on the first and fourth quadrants of the shield are gradually lengthened to accommodate the elliptical shape. Martin Grieve
Governor's Flag
The flag was introduced in 1874, three years after the Leeward Islands Federal Colony had been established in 1871. It was a re-organisation of the previously loosely associated islands of Antigua, Montserrat, St Christopher, Nevis, Virgin Islands and Dominica.
Usually the flag badge of a colony was derived from the pictorial element of its Public Seal. No seal existed when the Governor, Sir Benjamin Pine, was asked to submit a badge for the Leeward Islands, and he took the opportunity to contrive this bizarre badge, with a large pineapple for himself, three smaller pineapples for his family, and a completely out of scale ship. One has to ask why the Admiralty bothered to insist that all flag badges should be submitted for their approval, if they were prepared to approve this?
In a reversal of the usual procedure, the seal of the colony was copied from the badge, but fortunately revised. The foreground, three small pineapples, and royal arms were removed, and the two ships replaced by a steamer and a sailing ship of equal size, one on either side of an enlarged central pineapple.
In 1940 Dominica was transferred to the Windward Islands, and the whole federation dissolved in 1956. The post of governor of the Leeward Islands was not abolished until 1960, so I suppose his flag lasted until then.
Elements of the arms granted to the Leeward Islands on 10 April 1909 became the flag badges of the individual island groups when the Federation was dissolved in 1956. Antigua, top left; Dominica, top right; Montserrat and Virgin Islands at the bottom. The two shields in the centre were combined with another scene to produce a tierced in pairle reversed shield for St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. David Prothero
Windward and Leeward Islands
|Sewn flag produced by Flying Colours
The Federal Colony of the Windward Islands became the Territory of the Windward Islands in June 1956, and was dissolved in 1960. The Windward Island badge was designed in 1884/85. It had by then been realised that the pictorial scene from the seal of a colony did not make a satisfactory badge on flags, and various combinations of crowns, crests and initials had been tried in different colonies over the previous five years. I imagine that originally each quarter of the shield was to have had an emblem representing one of the four islands. This intention would have been spoilt when Barbados was detached in 1885, leaving only three islands. There was in any case no obvious emblem for any of the islands, and the problem of what to put in the fourth quarter probably led to the decision to have a shield quartered with just four plain colours. The lettering on the garter does not follow the usual convention, in which the inner edge of the garter is used as the line on which words are written. Instead the first and last words are reversed, so that "Windward" rests on the outer edge, "Governor-in-Chief" on the inner edge, and "Islands" on the outer edge.
David Prothero
From the Clay Moss collection
|Martin Grieve
In May 1938 Sir Gerald Woods Wollaston, Garter Principal King of Arms, wrote to the Colonial Office that the Windward Islands badge was armorial but had not been granted by the College of Arms; it should be changed, or the colony should apply for a grant of arms. The letter was passed to the Governor who asked for the badge to be granted as arms. The Colonial Office applied for a grant of arms, but failed to ask what the arms would look like, and were embarrassed by the result. The Arms granted on 16 August 1939 were blazoned:
"Quarterly Gules, Or, Vert and Sable with the motto 'I pede fausto'; to be borne for said Windward Islands upon Seals, Banners or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms."
In other words the badge, as arms, was reduced to just a quartered shield of four plain colours and a motto. No additional embellishments, and the garter and crown removed.
Garter wrote that the crown used as a crest was a personal prerogative of the King and unsuitable for any other person or body. He classed colonial governments as corporate bodies on a par with banks. The garter emblem should be used only as relating to the Order of the Garter and with no inscription upon it, other than the motto of the Order. Eventually Garter agreed that badges were outside his province, and unofficially approved the idea of a crown being included in badge of Windward Islands. In January 1940 the Governor suggested that the garter should be replaced by a plain white ring bearing the same inscription, and that the ground within the ring should be white and not blue, but as far as I know this was not done, and the badge remained as before. David Prothero
St. Kitts-Nevis
St. Lucia
1875 - 1937 Flag
Thanks to Chrystian Kretowicz and James Dignan for helping me identify this flag (and to the latter for giving me visual confirmation through postage stamps of this aera).
St. Lucia
1875 - 1937 Flag
An earlier blue ensign had a white disc divided horizontally into two segments. The upper segment [about three quarters of the circle] had a view of St.Lucia from the west. The shore line is roughly on the diameter of the circle. [Geo17] describes it "for a badge a landscape in which appear the Pitons, twin mountains of the island, and the ever-bubbling volcano Soufriere, with a land-locked harbor in the foreground." Above Castries flies the Union flag of Great Britain on the fort. The motto is in the lower segment, black on white:
Statio Haud Malefida
It means, 'Hardly a faithless guard for ships.' The same motto went with the Arms used on the other Blue Ensign.
Badge above from an 1881 book. That below intended as an improvement in a later book. David Prothero
This badge was not introduced in 1938 but, with more subdued colours, in 1875. It was reluctantly approved by the Administrator, who wrote, "[It] is the device on the seal as colony does not possess any arms or badge. No doubt the simplest and best device would have been merely the name of the colony, but we must abide by the Order in Council." (CO 323/321).
St Lucia, being one of the Windward Islands had no separate Governor and it has often been assumed that the badge of the island was used only on the Blue Ensign. This was not correct for St Lucia, and probably not for the other Windward Islands. "25 Mar 1919. St Lucia Despatch. The colony's badge is used only on the defaced Union Flag of the Administrator. The Blue Ensign is used only by the Harbour Master who defaced it with the letters 'H M' in white on the fly."
The badge was replaced in 1937. The amendment to the Admiralty Flag Book shows the new badge drawn on a white circle with the notes; "On Union Flag as shown with garland for Administrator." "On Blue Ensign with no white circle."
1939 - 1967 Flag
The seal was replaced in 1937 as was usual at the beginning of a new reign. It was hoped that an emblem could be designed that would be not only the distinctive local element of the seal, but also a general purpose badge and a flag badge, and that it would be ready in time for the Coronation. However there were delays caused by the inability of the Colonial Office and the Royal Mint Advisory Committee to agree on the design.
One consequence was that the flag badge was approved by George VI on 26 Oct 1937, but the arms were not granted until 16 Aug 1939. "Sable, two sugar canes one in pale surmounted by another in fess between in the first and fourth quarters a rose and in the second and third quarters a fleur de lis all Or." Notice, "sugar canes", not "bamboo", as written in Smith's "Flags and Arms" 1980.
The design was by Edward Kruger-Gray, based on a draft submitted by the Administrator. Gray's first design had an English lion, passant guardant in the 1st and 4th quarters. This was rejected as being unbalanced, and his second design the lions were replaced by leopard heads. This in turn was rejected, because the leopard had no significance in St Lucia. The rose was considered to be more familiar, and to have the advantage, for locally produced badges, of being easier to draw. The black background is surprising. It represented the period when Castries on St Lucia was an important coal-bunkering port. According to the Administrator, "it was the largest in the Western Atlantic, and possibly, excluding Europe, in the whole world."
The St Lucia "black shield" badge should not have been set on a white disc on the Blue Ensign at any time. David Prothero
The first badge of St Vincent was submitted to the Admiralty in 1877 and illustrated in Arms & Badges of the Several Colonies of Great Britain. In 1906, during the preparation of a new Admiralty Flag Book it was noted that «Badge differs from seal in absence of motto Pax et Justica, absence of clasped hands on altar, absence of plate in hand of figure bending over flame, drapery different. Make badge more like seal.» The revised badge appeared in the 1907 Drawings of the Flags in Use at the Present Time by Various Nations David Prothero
These are approximately 20", 2 Ply, cotton bunting, blue ensign badges Trinidad & Tobago of the type used from 1889 to 1958. This badge was made by the now defunct Paramount Flag Company of San Francisco, CA. The flag company was the premier manufacture of flags on the west coast in the mid to late 20th century. They made dyed cotton emblems like this example from the 1920s until their demise in 1989. These badges were screen dyed into white cotton for insertion into a British Blue ensign. This fragment contains all or part of three badges, and illustrated how flags were made. These badges are incomplete in that the colonial motto was never added. This likely happened in 1958 when the design of the flag was changed.
Colonial Red Ensign
Fully stitched Union Jack & emblem with the sailing ships appears to be hand drawn but may be an old print sewn in, has 'MISCERIQUE PROBAT POPULOUS ET FOEDERA JUNCI' written across the bottom.
This image is based on photo of a red ensign taken by Dov Gutterman at a flag display in ICV 19 (York, July 2001). The original flag is from Clay Moss collection. According to the display catalogue: "The badge is an example of a seal rather than coat of arms. The motto reads: "She is content to make treaties and unite peoples." This version may have been unofficial or its origin is not clear. Blas Delgado Ortiz and Dov Gutterman
Trinidad and Tobago Governor's flag
12 x 6 inches
Turks and Caicos Islands
This is a 3'x 6', 2 ply nyla-wool bunting, blue ensign of Turks and Caicos Islands of the type introduced in 1968 and used through the 1980s. The Union Flag is completely sewn; the badge is dye printed and set into the field. This flag was acquired in the UK, wholesale and unfinished by the now defunct Paramount Flag Company of San Francisco, CA, who added the heading, fly and makers mark. The flag company was the premier manufacturer and supplier of flags on the west coast in the mid to late 20th century. They were a full facility manufacturer and finisher of embroidered, dyed, sewn, and printed flags of all types from the 1920s until their demise in 1989. This example is nyla-wool, a blend of 75% nylon spun with 25% wool, the finest and most durable colour-fast outdoor flag fabric until the advent of polyester in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Office created 1877, abolished 1976, interrupted 1942-1945. Until 1952 was combined with office of Governor of Fiji. Original jurisdiction extended over all Pacific islands not within the limits of the colonies of Fiji, Queensland, New South Wales or New Zealand and not within the jurisdiction of any other colonial power. Included New Hebrides (Vanuatu), Pitcairn, Cook Islands and Niue until 1901, Nauru until 1921, Union Islands (Tokelau) until 1926, Phoenix Islands (part of Kiribati) until 1939, Tonga until 1952, Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Kiribati and Tuvalu) until 1971, and British Solomon Islands until 1974.Cook Islands (1893 to 1901) Now self-governing state in free association with New Zealand.
Badge: "W.P.H.C." below royal crown (1880-1905 Victorian Crown, 1905-1953 Tudor Crown, 1953-1976 St. Edward's Crown). The circle was white, the lettering was black and the crown was in full colour. Only on Union Flag with garland (green leaves, red berries and pale blue ribbon), not used on Blue Ensign.
The Kingdom of Rarotonga, named after the island of Rarotonga, was an independent kingdom established in the present-day Cook Islands in 1858. In 1888 it became a protectorate of the United Kingdom by its own request, and in 1893 the name was changed to the Cook Islands Federation.
"Between 1888 and 1901 Raratonga had four versions of a red/white/red horizontal triband with a Union Flag in the canton (one version having the Union defaced with a badge)". A Gale and Polden flag chart of about 1900 shows the version with a palm tree in a circular badge defacing the Union and labels it, "Federal Flag of Cook Island Group (Samoa)".David Prothero
Flag being sold on eBay through FLAGSANDPINS4U showing offensively-shoddy Union flag and poorly-positioned stars.
Personal collection- Approximately 5x3. Former athletic stadium flag. Panel constructed flag - printed union jack and printed Cook Island stars are sewn onto polycotton field
Queen's Representative's Flag
Her Majesty's Customs
|Flag adopted 1924
The sequence of Fiji badges was:
* 1883: Admiralty approved, "as the badge for the colony and the device for its flag", a white disc with the word FIJI beneath the crest of the Royal Arms (crown surmounted by lion). This, at the time, was similar to the badge of British Columbia which was the crest of the Royal Arms between the letters B C.
* 1908: Arms granted on 4th July on a white disc
* 1924: A letter dated 8th May informed the Colonial Office that instructions to remove the white circle had been issued by the governor. (ADM 116/1847B). Admiralty Flag Book 1930, plate 35; under Fiji, notes that there is no white circle.
* 1970: Current flags.
A date in Dorling Kindersley 1997 is wrong. Fiji became part of the British Empire in 1874 not 1784. David Prothero * 1877: Circular badge of foliage and crossed war-clubs with a superimposed shield bearing a mermaid looking at herself in a hand mirror.
* 1882: The Colonial Office wrote to the Admiralty that M. des Volux had complained about the device for the badge of the colony and suggested a simpler one. Apparently it was thought that it had been based on the Public Seal, but was actually the Seal of the Supreme Court of Fiji.
My 18 foot by 9 foot flag
The flag flying upside down for over two hours atop the military regime's Headquarters during the previous coup on August 30, 2006.
|6 feet x 3 feet
The current flag was adopted October 10, 1970. The state arms have been slightly modified but the flag has remained the same as during the colonial period. It is a defaced sky-blue "Blue Ensign" and has remained unchanged since Fiji was declared a republic in 1987. The shield is derived from the country's official coat of arms, which was originally granted by Royal Warrant in 1908. It is a white shield with a red cross and a red chief (upper third of a shield). The images depicted on the shield represent agricultural activities on the islands, and the historical associations with Great Britain. At the top of the shield, a British lion holds a cocoa pod between its paws. The upper left is sugar cane, upper right is a coconut palm, the lower left a dove of peace, and the lower right a bunch of bananas.
2yd (1800mm x 900mm) printed Fiji national flag from Bluegrassflags.co.nz; the exact same type that a former student of mine took down from the Fijian embassy in Beijing to give me several years ago.
Civil Ensign
Rare pre-1970 ensign measuring 70" by 30"
Government Ensign
Civil Air EnsignColour of the Naval Unit
image by Hemendra BholaGilbert and Ellice Islands (1916 to 1971) Now independent as Kiribati and Tuvalu.
These are almost certainly the ceremonial colours of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces: the red one on the left is the Colour of the 3rd Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment; the white one with red St. George's Cross on the right is the Colour of the Naval Unit. Miles Li
Flag Change Proposal (2005)
The Fiji Times website reported that the Great Council of Chiefs is discussing the possibility of changing the flag of Fiji, to replace the shield of the coat of arms on the flag's field, with the full coat of arms.Devereaux Cannon
Prince Charles inspects the Guard of Honour at the Fijian Independence Day celebrations in Fiji, 10 October 1970.
Vintage cotton bunting flag dated 1964 and made by Porter Bros. in Liverpool. Has a fair amount of bug holes. Most are at the bottom edge below the Shield and also at the middle of the right edge of flag. There are also some in other places but they are scattered around. All pieces of British Ensign are sewn In. Shield is printed but sewn into the blue background.
From "The Flag Bulletin" XVIII:4 (July-August 1979) page 119 -
The old shield (without the motto) had been incorporated in the centre of the fly half of a British Blue Ensign as the state ensign of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Introduced following the grant of the arms in 1937, it was given official recognition on 28 August 1969 as a civil flag for the colony. The shield was placed directly on the field, rather than on the white disk used in certain colonial ensigns. Although the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony dated from 1915 (having been a protectorate since 1892), it had no distinctive flag prior to the grant of arms. The local British Resident and the Western Pacific High Commissioner flew defaced Union Jacks for use, respectively, in the Gilbert Islands and the same territory plus the Phoenix Islands.
British Resident's flag
Flag used on the Gilbert Islands (not Ellice Islands) from 1895 to 1916.
In 1895 a Blue Ensign defaced with a royal crown flanked by the initials B R on a white disc became the flag of the Resident Commissioners in the Cook Islands, Gilbert Islands and British Solomon Islands. Cook Islands were annexed to New Zealand in 1901, Solomon Islands had their own badge in 1910, but Gilbert Islands, which were combined with Ellice Islands in (probably) 1916, when the Protectorate became a Colony, still, in 1930, had the unspecific BR badge. David Prothero
This is the actual Union Flag measuring 12 foot x 6 foot with the Kiribati flag inset that was officially flown on Kiribati Independence Day 12 July 1979 in Tarawa. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands did not have a governor until 1972, but the "governor's flag" was probably used by the Resident Commissioners. Earlier in the 1930s the Presidential Administrator of St Christopher and Nevis had not been allowed a Union Jack flag, but a Colonial Office minute of 28 April 1938 noted that a Union Flag for an Administrator was probably a precedent set by the Resident Commissioners of Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
Like many former and current British dependencies, the Tuvaluan flag is a blue ensign based on the Union Flag, which is shown in the upper left canton of the flag; however, the field is a unique shade of light blue not seen on other blue ensigns. The previous flag (with the Gilberts) was also based on the Union Flag but with the coat of arms created by Sir Arthur Grimble in 1932, the resident commissioner of the British colony. The stars represent the nine islands which comprise Tuvalu; the arrangement is geographically correct when the flag is rotated ninety degrees clockwise.
New Hebrides (1906 to 1971) Now independent as Vanuatu.
The flag-badge for the British side of the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) administration during the Anglo-French condominium was a white disc bearing a royal crown with the words "NEW" (above) and "HEBRIDES" (below) curved around it in black block capitals. The British Solomon Islands had a similar badge, so it looks like the imagination of Whitehall's badge designers had run out by the time they got round to the Pacific. I presume that the French side of the New Hebrides government did not use such a badge.
Roy Stilling
British Resident Commissioner 1906-1980
Santiago Dotor and António Martins Image kindly provided by Mr. Clay Moss
Savage Island (Niue) currently self-governing state in free association with New Zealand.
The flag of Niue was adopted in 1975. It consists of the Union Flag in the canton with a star in the middle of the Union Flag and four stars forming a diamond around it. It is unique for a flag based on a British ensign design to have not only a yellow background, but also a defaced Union Flag in the canton.
The yellow is said to represent the "warmth and friendship between Niue and New Zealand". Some say this exposes the possibility that the designers of the flag did not know the symbolism of the Union Flag in the canton, and simply moved the stars on New Zealand's flag onto the St George's cross. This is similar to what was done in the so-called British Empire (or Solidarity) flag.
The yellow is said to represent the "warmth and friendship between Niue and New Zealand". Some say this exposes the possibility that the designers of the flag did not know the symbolism of the Union Flag in the canton, and simply moved the stars on New Zealand's flag onto the St George's cross. This is similar to what was done in the so-called British Empire (or Solidarity) flag.
Pitcairn Islands
A Blue Ensign, with the Union Flag in the canton and the coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands in the fly. The arms feature the anchor and bible from HMS Bounty with a slip of miro (a local plant) and a wheelbarrow. The design represents the ancestral history of the islanders, most of whom are descended from the sailors who mutinied on the Bounty in 1789.
Governor's Flag
Blue Ensign and Red Ensigns
The former German islands of Samoa were seized and occupied by New Zealand forces on 29 August 1914...and the mandate was approved by the League of Nations in December 1920. From this time until 1997 the islands were known as Western Samoa.
On 4 May 1921 the Government of the Dominion of New Zealand wrote to the Admiralty, requesting warrants for defaced Red and Blue Ensigns for Western Samoa, adding that, "Ensigns with three palm trees encircled, and emblazoned on the fly had been used, by officials, and by the public, since the British Military Occupation." The defaced Blue Ensign was used on land, and the defaced Red Ensign at sea. The badge may perhaps have been inspired by the single palm tree badge used on the Federal Flag of the Cook Islands, from 1892, until they were annexed by New Zealand in 1901.
It was not clear whether a Mandated Territory was entitled to defaced ensigns, or whether the Administrator of Samoa was entitled to a defaced Union Jack, as if he were a British Governor. It was pointed out that if a defacement for Western Samoa was not authorised, on the grounds that the Samoans were not legally entitled to one, they would use the New Zealand flag, which was a defaced Red Ensign anyway. On 30 March 1922 the Admiralty informed the Colonial Office that they were prepared to issue a warrant for a defaced Red Ensign if the Secretary of State for the Colonies considered it more appropriate than an undefaced Red Ensign. This was approved 30 July 1922 though the warrant for the Samoan Red Ensign was, for some reason, not issued until 16 January 1925. This may have been to do with the wording of the warrant. In Protectorates the usual wording was, "vessels owned by natives of the .... Protectorate." The Warrant was eventually issued as, " ... three palm trees proper .... for vessels belonging to the inhabitants of the Islands of Western Samoa."
Governor's standardimages by Martin Grieve
Solomon Islands
British Solomon Islands badge: 'BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS' around crown. The circle was white, the lettering was black and the crown was in full colour. Used c.1908-1947. Blue Ensign for government vessels. Not on Union Flag. David ProtheroThis ensign is typical of those British red ensigns that had no official warrant but were produced and used nevertheless. According to Mr. Clay Moss who provided the photograph, this remarkable flag "is typical of those British red ensigns that had no official warrant but were produced and used nevertheless."
1947-1956 and 1956-1966
From H. Gresham Carr's Flags of the World (1956) page 93:
It consists of a red shield charged with a turtle standing erect in natural colours; the chief or upper portion of the shield is paly-pily argent and sable, i.e. it has white isosceles triangles, eight in number, on a black background. It is placed on a white circle on the Blue Ensign with the name of the protectorate in black lettering beneath the shield.


text:
Welcome feel free to read answers to your important or curious questions here! Have a question youd like answered that is not found here........... email me at seductive(dot)email@example.com and ask away. Please no sexually explicit questions or your email will be deleted.
Seductive Storm
"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you."
How long have you been an escort?
I became an escort in 2001 after a divorce and after being tired of not having anytime for my kids due to a rigorous work schedule in the medical field. Escorting allowed me to make my own schedule and to truly have more time for my children and my life.
All about me
Hello. I am Storm aka Char.
I am originally from Maryland. I have resided in Georgia 9 years now. I am friendly, intelligent and very straight forward. As a child at age 8 I was tested at 2nd year college reading level. I have a great love of music and beginning around aged 9 played clarinet, violin and piano. I also sang in symphonic choir throughout school. I as a child was also well known for my oratory skills and gave several long, lengthy speeches in front of adults for both school and church programs.
As an adult I have been certified and trained in Nursing assistant work (returning to it in a month, I was also the first Black full time Realtor in Salisbury, Maryland, and I am quite the artist I went to school and University of Maryland for 2 years for Fashion Design / Fashion Merchandising and Minored in Business. I was quite the acclaimed child artist winning several awards in shows and taking gifted and talented Art programs. I can still paint or draw a mean piece of artwork.
I am an excellent choice for the gentleman who want intelligence, strength of character and beauty in his choice of courtesan. Being a Maryland girl there are some things about me I'd like you to know:
My favorite foods are, italian, mexican and soul food. (I am an excellent cook) and REAL true fresh seafood.
My favorite wines. Red.
My favorite Music Most Rock.. no hard Metal tho, No country please,
I love hip hop( but not so much the newer down south hip hop)
I like hip hop that thinks.. if that makes sense to you.
I love 80s music
I love opera
I love the Bee Gees
PRINCE is the man!
Hans Zimmer
Are you STD and Drug Free?
Yes I am and will ALWAYS BE!
Do you allow kissing
I do not mind light kissing. I am not fond of DFK not even in my personal life. Kissing is fine... tongue down my throat.. no please. lol
Do You Allow Breast Play?
I am an overly stimulated,hyper sensitive person around the nipple area.
I have children and NEVER breast fed because I truly cannot stand the sensation.
I DO however allow and enjoy having my whole breast area firmly cupped or grabbed. So it is not that you cannot touch my breasts at all. I simple do not enjoy direct nipple stimulation.
I hope this gives some clarity. Want to touch or fondle my breasts fine. But I am not fond of over stimulation or suckling.
What are your likes?
I love an intelligent man.
I love beautiful eyes and hair..on men to( but not heavy body hair)
A man who knows to respect a woman even a sex worker.
I love little thoughtful gestures like a bottle of wine, a nice vodka, purses,very nice shoes.
I love a man who understands the importance of letting an escort take the lead of the session.
What are your dislikes?
A pushy man.
A man with an attitude .. the ones who think we must see them, we must deal with whatever they wish simply because we are escorts.
The grabbers the ones who become overly grabby and somewhat forceful during an appointment.
Men who cannot respect boundaries.. in my opinion a boundary crosser has the potential to become a stalker or a rapist.
A disrespectful man who insults an escort by calling her degrading names simply because shes a sex worker.
why do you blacklist men?
What have been my best experiences?
I once had an overnite session off of Eros . He was a wonderful man. Picked me up and took me to his place.
We had a wonderful dinner and he then surprised me by having a full library of Andrea Boccelli .. my favorite opera singer.
It was a wonderful night Ive never forgotten it.
Another one was when I first began escorting and I had a domination appointment along with my then girlfriend and partner.
He was awesome I remember he wrote a long script of what he needed which made it very easy. He then came in with a duffle bag of all kinds of dildos to use on him. Every size, make, model and material, ball gag etc and a wooden plank board and rope
to tie his legs apart with. It was intense, I was in Control and I loved it.
But the best experience was meeting as a client, what went on to become my best friend and love of my life. Yes we break up . more than one time but in the end we come back to one another. He hates the industry I'm in now because its been so long and He knows I have so much to offer the world. (Although I think as a sexworker I offer happiness and therapy if you will to many )But hes also my biggest, Non jealous, non controlling supporter. Hes learned he has to let me be me.
Whats been my worst experience?
In North Carolina , when I lived in Raleigh I had what I thought was a nice gentleman pick me up. We went to his place . We had dinner and We had too much wine ( WHICH IS WHY I DON'T DRINK WITH CLIENTS ANYMORE)
It was a longer date and he seemed ok at first. But now looking back on it in retrospect the evil way he talked about his mother and his ex wife calling them cunts and bitches I should have known he hated women.
We finally got to the intimate part of the encounter. There was NO GREEK and yet when I got in the doggie position he forced greek on me. I was saying no and he continued. While doing it he told me "I didn't sign you up for this job you did, your'e a slut, shut up and be a big girl" he finally got frustrated at me yelling and fighting and stopped. He had picked me up .. so now I get to ride with my assaulter back to my house.
I cried my ass off on the way home.. Not from hurt but from anger. I wanted to end him and hide his car.. Seriously I would have ended this assholes life without hesitation if I hadn't of remembered I had to make it back home to my kids.
He let me out and said I think your'e a really nice girl . I don't know why you're so upset with me. I remember slamming the door and just going in my house. I didn't report it because I didn't want to accept mentally it had happened. I still wish all these years later that I had his info. BECAUSE ID REPORT THIS SOB NOW IN A HEARTBEAT.
I do not want to come off as mean, violent, but as a woman.. there is NEVER an acceptable time for a man to force himself on me. If that occurs I will handle it as I see fit. My advice do not try it!
What I like about being an escort?
Id have to say the ability to govern my life. To make my own money , on my own schedule, To not have to answer to anyone in regard to scheduling or days needed off to be mother. I have loved that independence. However the industry is changing alot now and not for the good. I am also getting older So I am retiring this summer. I will miss being my own boss however.
Ive also loved the moments when a man had lost his wife, or child, Had a bad day at work and he and I are able to talk about it, bond over experiences and I am able to make someone feel like they've made a lifelong friend even if we don't meet again. I like to enrich their lives not just be meat on a platter to them.
What I hate about being an Escort?
Id have to say its the stereotypical thinking caused by TV, Movies, Books, Media about what we as sexworkers are.
Men, Id like you to know if you think about it from a business standpoint ( by the way it is a business)..
We are the CEO, Marketing Firm, Trip advisor, Secretary, Face of the Product, Creative Designer, Accountant... of our own destiny.
Many of us like myself are also mothers, wives, we also run a family.
Please get the back alley.. scene from Cops .. out of your heads. We are actual business owners. We put time into making sure you have a safe informed experience , that's safe, and fun with us.
I hate the idea that I somehow need "saving" I do not. I am a responsible adult and I chose my path.
lately I must say I also hate that men don't want to pay our rates, I hate cheap hagglers again .. Again websites, photo shoots, beauty upkeep, incalls, technical devices we use all cost money. So don't cheat us.
What Id like to change?
I'd like to see other escorts become more helpful to each other.
I'd like to see us not assume that another girl is out to harm us .
I'd like us to not think mistrust every other provider they come into contact with.
Id like us to also NOT assume every man is bad. NOT ALL MEN ARE BAD.
And we need to stop protecting the anonymity of these guys who are treating us like crap and talking to us like crap.
Discretion is a right that is earned by showing respect and courtesy to whomever your'e dealing with. You cannot verbally or physically abuse me and expect me to not 'out" you. If I stole your money or verbally abused a client he would sure as hell out me.. its no different. Even as a provider I have rights and feelings also.
Overall Id like kinder, more courteous gents and Id like providers that are willing to work together for greater good of the whole sexworker community.
If we as providers cannot ban together and work together.. then how can we really expect to improve things?
The mark Ive left
Well I hope I have shown women in this industry that its ok to be strong.
It is ok to be a fighter and to have a voice.
Its ok to take a chance and leave the "male run side of the industry"
I hope Ive shown other providers the importance of helping other girls in this industry.
To know its ok to help someone without attacking them, without second guessing them.
Remember even if someone dupes you or takes advantage of you. God or whatever faith you may practice sees all knows all.
And that higher deity will handle the wrong they did to you in the end and BLESS YOU TWICE for what you did. I can truly attest to that. Its happened to me. I get my blessings back.
Be kind .. MEN AND WOMEN.. be kind.
I also hope that even though I am strong and opinionated that I have shown men how to smile and get past their darkest moments as well.
I really want to be a sexworker who was more than just a sexworker.
When I retire I will still run my blogs and my sites just because you never know. In addition I am building and working on an a website and advice site if you will. Think of it as Dear Abby for providers which I will run in my retirement to continue to be a voice of light to the other ladies who want my help. Also to add humor and sarcasm to your days in the future.
I will also continue web design and help for all others.
My retirement
**Update.... retirement is still the goal but a few set backs mean retirement is likely to fall more around early SPRING 2018 but it may still happen sooner ... I promise to keep you updated**
My retirement will happen this summer Between July 2016 and August 2017.
Sexual things I enjoy
I like to be in control. I am very dominant.
I love being eaten. I am a bisexual woman so yes yes yes.. more please.
I like it a little rough but within the boundaries I control. Slow sex bores me.
I fluctuate.
Lately I have gone natural. Men seem to be into it. I am unshaved as of the last year. I do not grow full bush there or underarms tho.,
I am naturally a little less hairy than most even in my natural state.
My makeup is always on and I bathe prior to each appointment. No baby wipe clean up here.
My favorite Moments in sessions
My favorite part of my sessions is the talking and getting to know you.
I enjoy the mental connection first. I truly cannot get into the sexual part without without talking and connecting first.
If youre seeking a bend me over and quickly get to it girl. Im not it.
I love the massage portion of all appointments because its how I calm my clients and get them to relax and lose their fears and inhibitions.
We usually talk during the massage then move on to other fun things.
I love the feeling at the end of a session when I know I made someones otherwise mundane life or bad day turn around for the better.
Even if me and a client end up not being a good sexual match. I have never had one client leave without commenting on how nice I am and how at ease I made them feel. And I am proud even of that.
Well That's who I am !
washington dc companions, chicago companion, los angeles companion, san jose companion, seattle companion, NY companion, Philadelphia companion, bbw dating site, bbw models, dubai escorts, international escort, UK escort, Australia escort, Canada Escort, Traveling companion, dinner date companion, professional love specialist,love consultant, atlanta companions, atlanta bbw, high class bbw, vip companions, vip bbw companions, international luxury girls, mature bbw companion, minnesota companion


text:
:: Nuclear weapons - A joint facility to be built at the existing Valduc research centre in France to ''model performance of our nuclear warheads and materials to ensure long-term viability, security and safety''. It will be supported by a Joint Technology Development centre at Aldermaston in the UK.
:: Combined Joint Expeditionary Force - The tri-service CJEF - capable of involvement in anything up to ''high intensity'' operations - will not be a standing force but will be available ''at notice for bilateral, Nato, European Union, United Nations or other'' operations. Combined land and air exercises will begin in 2011 with ''progress towards full capability in subsequent years''.
:: Aircraft Carriers - The UK will fit ''cat and trap'' to its future aircraft carrier so that both countries fighter jets can fly from each other's naval vessels. By the early 2020s that should allow the creation of a ''UK-French integrated carrier strike group''.
:: A400M - Final negotiations are under way for integrated support for both countries' fleets of military transport aircraft, and co-operation will be sought on training.
:: Drones - Joint working on the next generation of unmanned spy planes to come into service in 2015-2020. Longer-term assessment of options for the next generation of combat drones - not due to be operational until 2030.
:: Defence industry and research - Aim to cut 30% of the cost of complex weapons systems through 10-year strategic plan including a single European prime contractor. This will act as a test for co-operation in other industrial sectors. A combined 100 million euro (£87.5 million) minimum annual research and technology budget looking at critical future areas such as electronic warfare.
:: Other initiatives include a cyber security framework, joint working on specifications to tackle marine mines and the possibility of France using ''spare capacity'' in the UK future air-to-air refuelling fleet ''provided it is financially acceptable to both nations''.
The document said that Britain and France have ''reached a level of mutual confidence unprecedented in our history'' and ''do not see situations arising in which the vital interests of either nation could be threatened without the vital interests of the other also being threatened''. So the two countries will ''enable our forces to operate together, to maximise our capabilities and to obtain greater value for money from our investment in defence''.


text:
Brick specialist Wienerberger is celebrating after its e4 Brick House won Most Innovative New Product at the Housing Innovation Awards 2016.
The Housing Innovation Awards, now in its fifth year, celebrates the pioneering spirit of the housing sector and highlights examples of inventive and original schemes and services.
The Wienerberger e4 Brick House was developed to address the need for affordable, sustainable housing in the UK. Designed in conjunction with global engineering and design consultancy, ARUP, the model focuses on the four pillars of Wienerberger's global e4 concept – energy, economy, environment and emotion. It utilises a fabric first approach, using a clay building envelope to deliver a house with reduced energy needs, meaning lower running costs for the occupier.
Annette Forster, Director of Marketing commented: "We are really pleased that the Wienerberger e4 brick house won the award for Most Innovative New Product at the Housing Innovation Awards. Our e4 brick house is about building better homes and using new and more efficient ways to achieve this. This award win is great recognition that we are on the right path and a fantastic reward for everyone who has been involved in the development of the project over the past three years."


text:
Ayurveda literally translates as "life knowledge" or the the "science of life." Ayurveda is a system of holistic medicine that treats the individual, rather than symptoms. It originated over 5000 years ago and holds sacred that we each have unique constitutions. It honors the wisdom of the body and aims to awaken the body's own natural healing energy to help restore vitality and prevent disease. Ayurveda and yoga are sister sciences and are considered to be "two sides of the same coin."
Learn more about working with me here!
Benefits include
Strengthen your immune system and become more resistant to illness
Reverse the negative effects of stress, thereby slowing the aging process
Enhance your self-reliance, strength, energy, vitality and mental clarity
Bring about deep relaxation, restful sleep and a sense of well-being
Balanced digestion and weight management
Reduction of aches, pains and symptoms of illness
Releasing mental patterns, emotions or addictions
Ayurveda consultations may include
Diet modifications
Lifestyle and activity adjustments
Herbal supplements
Yoga, pranayama (Breath Techniques), and meditation
Cleansing processes
And much more!


text:
WiFi is pretty neat, but it can't cover every square inch of your house. My Berlin apartment, for example, apparently has lead lined walls or something because whatever is going on, my Time Capsule might as well be a thousand miles away as far as my bedroom is concerned.
That's an extreme example, but if you have a big house or even a large apartment, you could conceivably have the same problem. If your WiFi signal can't reach a far off or mysteriously shielded room, you have two options: you can either wire your house up for ethernet, which is an expensive pain in the neck to do, or you can try powerline networking, which squirts an Internet signal between connected electrical sockets in your home.
The LinkE is Brite-View's latest powerline networking solution, containing a 200MBps single port bridge and a four port switch. You just plug the Brite-View units in, connect the home unit to your Internet connection, connect your computer or laptop to the receiving unit and you're good to go: the two Brite-Views will happily trade data amongst themselves through your home wiring.
Even better: the system is specifically designed to allow you to stream audio and video content around your home. The LinkE system will transmit data up to 65 weet, and can be ordered now for just $89.99 from the Brite-View website. If you've got a dead spot in your WiFi network coverage you're desperate to get covered, this is a solution you should check out.
Read more at Brite-View


text:
Many think of veterans for selling little paper poppies but on Nov. 12, students at Resica Elementary School were properly introduced to veterans and the importance of their roles to our country and ourselves over the ages.
Many think of veterans for selling little paper poppies but on Nov. 12, students at Resica Elementary School were properly introduced to veterans and the importance of their roles to our country and ourselves over the ages.
Instructor Sue Eden conceived of a veteran celebration at Resica Elementary School in honor of her father, a helicopter pilot for the Marines in the Korean War. She had the full support of Principal Gail Kulick, but credits music teacher Yvonne Rispoli for helping arrange the assembly with patriotic music. Rispoli also thought of a way that students and staff could honor veterans they know by creating a "Veteran's Wall" in the school. Red paper bricks were sent home and students were to ask their families to help them fill the names and branches of service of veterans that they knew. Within a month, more than 400 veterans were remembered, covering all branches of the military and spanning back to the Revolutionary War.
Children were also encouraged to invite veterans they knew to come to Resica to be honored. A total of 14 vets volunteered their time to come and be interviewed by fourth and fifth graders and accept honors from the school at a formal assembly. A lunch was provided, compliments of Kulick and Eden, as students were thrilled to see and hear the tales of these men and women, some of them familiar in their everyday work on the East Stroudsburg Area School District staff.
Library Assistant Arlene Biddulph captivated the audience with her tale of enlisting in the Air Force. Although she told how her father thought that his "girlie-girl" daughter would never do it, she proved him wrong and showed the nettle that a woman can do anything a man ab do. Biddulph fulfilled four years as a hydraulic mechanic, married a veteran, and has a son who is still serving after 10 years.
Additional district employees who impressed children with their experiences were Robinson Rodriguez (Marine Corps) and James Vincent (Air Force and Army). Retired instructor Wesley Rusk received high marks from students and from former teaching partner Ellis.
Others honored were: Al Fariole, of the Air Force; Randy Evans, Bob Rosenberger and Dariel Saldana, all from the Army, Eric Giannolla and Marvin Hammond from the Marine Corps and Bill Blanken, Robert Smith, and George Taylor of the Navy. One veteran close to this writer's own heart who attended was big brother Michael Horn of the Army.
He spoke to students of the importance of education. Even in the military, enlistees need to pass a written test to be accepted. Reading and math skills are paramount to recruits. Everything in the military has a book or manual about it, including weapons. Math is an absolute necessity, not only to fire a weapon (distance, angle, speed), but for synchronizing time for assignments or ordering and preparing food for soldiers.
He revisited an incident of how listening skills and following directions helped save a man's life. When he was stationed in Panama, a soldier in his unit missed the briefing on poisonous plants and animals and almost caught a poison dart frog with his bare hands! Luckily he was tackled to the ground before contact, and was given a "brief" briefing.
Students flocked around the vets, asking for autographs, thrilled to be so near an actual American hero. But as Al Fariole explained to the audience, the things that really make a veteran feel valued are the words, "Thank you" and "Welcome home." After serving a tour of duty in the Vietnam War, he did not always receive those greetings during that turbulent era.


text:
Depth - : 5 CMs And Diameter -: 11CMs
Material : Kansa (Bronze)
Item -: Odisha Kansa-Bronze Utensils Small Bowl Katori from Balakati.
About the Product – : Kansa is a form of Bronze made from copper and tin.Balakati and Kantilo in Odisha, are very famous in the world for the quality of Kansa Utensils that they produce using indigenous tools ,equipment. and traditional methods.100% handmade by craftsmen using age old and traditional techniques.
Material -: Kansa (Bronze)
SKU Number -: NSaiBrass1004.
Product Dimension -: Depth : 05Cms And Diameter : 11 Cms
Color -: Bronze
Type -: Bowl
Weight -: 370 Grams.
Ideal for -: Home,Office and Hotel,And Restaurant.
Design Type -: Traditional Curry Bowl.
Usage -:
Induction Stove Friendly -: No
Microwave Cookware :- No
Other Instructions -: Same as suggetsed for Bronze Utensils.
Notes for Customers : These products are 100% handmade.Hence there could be + 2-5% variation in Dimensions And Weight.However there is no impact on the great benefits of such products. And also no change in original raw material used to create such wonderful products
Wash Care Guide-: How to clean Kansa(Branze) Utensils.


text:
Park Inn by Radisson Cardiff North Hotel
Circle Way East
Tel: +44 (0)29 2058 9988
With the city centre just 15 minutes away from our Cardiff North hotel, you can enjoy the benefits of a quiet neighbourhood while still being close to the city's attractions. Enjoy free amenities such as Wi-Fi, on-site parking and a fitness centre.
Our on-site restaurant RBG Bar & Grill serves delicious healthy and hearty meals. You can also enjoy lighter meals at our bar, or order meals straight to your room from our room service menu. Start your day off right with our tasty Welsh breakfast buffet.
Planning an event in Cardiff? Our hotel has 10 well-equipped meeting rooms suitable for conferences or private social functions for up to 250 guests.


text:
You can feel it and I can feel it when I massage you; that little – or big – knot that's painful to touch but needs to be worked on to relax. When coming for a massage, most people know they are tight and most people are yet surprised to see how many knots they have; they are very often a lot more than they were expecting!
So we know they are painful and we want to get rid of them – or at least we don't want them to hurt that bad. But then, what is that thing exactly?
A muscle knot is actually a myofascial trigger point. When you want to use a muscle to do a movement, your brain sends a message to the muscle for it to act in a certain way, to contract and relax. When the muscle stays contracted without receiving any messages, it is going to create a knot in a specific area of the muscle. That happens for many reasons: injury, sedentary life style, overuse or stress. The muscle is just going to stay 'stuck'. The knot is just a little part of the muscle in itself and specialists have found out that they are some patterns in where the knots form.
Because the muscle remains flexed and refuse to relax, it creates pain.
TrPs can be "active" or inactive." Have you ever felt very achy when you're sick with a cold or flu? Much of this ache can be contributed to inactive (latent) knots that are being woken up or activated by the cold. If they are active they are usually shooting (referring) pain all over the place. If they are in your shoulders, neck, head, or jaw you can get a tension headache. If you have one in your rotator cuff it can make your forearm hurt. There are even knots that can develop in your neck muscles that can make your ear ring, your eye water, or even give you a toothache! If the referral pain touches another knot it can activate it, or if it is chronic enough you can develop MORE knots within the referral pattern of the original knot.
The good news is these referral patterns are not at all random. They follow very specific routes through the body which are so consistent we have developed "Trigger Point Charts." The darker areas are the most common referral patterns, the lighter areas a little less common.
What can you do to remove your knots?
Thinking that exercising, like running, after a day at work is going to help is wrong and can actually make the whole thing worst. Your muscles have behaved abnormally all day by sitting at a desk and all of a sudden they should work 100%. Bad bad bad for your body! That's when stretching – I mean real long and good stretches – start being so crucial if you want to help your body prepare for that run. Stretch and start walking for example, before going for the full run. During the day, take frequent breaks while at work to walk around and get some fresh water. It's going to keep your muscles hydrated and working a bit. If you start experiencing pain during your exercise, it is the sign that you must stop, your muscle is too weak to perform the movement, so never 'push through' the pain or you are really going to injure yourself.
- Come and see me for an hour deep tissue massage and some myofascial release
- Take regular bath with Epsom Salt. Epsom Salt contains magnesium, which is quickly absorbed through the skin and goes directly in the blood system and hence your muscles. Your muscles relax quickly and effectively that way.
- Give yourself a massage. The tennis ball and roller foam should always be your best friends! A couple of minutes a day is going to make a huge difference! Think about it like brushing your teeth: it's just an obligation to stay healthy
- Stretch every day but be careful: if you pull hard to touch your toes and hunch over your are going to injure your lower back; always bend your knees if you want to stretch your back. If you want to stretch your legs, do so while lying on your back, it's going to prevent you from getting injured.
- Relax!!! Find your way to relax, take deep breaths, enjoy the beautiful skies and spend some good quality time in good company;-)


text:
How to Find Us
We are located in Leeds city centre on Woodhouse Square, near the Clarendon Wing of Leeds General Infirmary and Leeds City College [Park Lane Campus]. There is a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists approaching Woodhouse Square from Gt. George Street.
Arriving By Car
We have no parking available for learners or room bookings during the daytime however after 5.30pm and at weekends, users of Swarthmore can park in the "Joseph's Well" car park for free. The nearest daytime parking is on Claremont Avenue, or in the council car park on Burley Road five minutes' walk away. See the following page for more information about parking near Swarthmore.
Arriving By Bus or Train
We are served by the Leeds CityBus / First Service 5 (£1 flat rate), which departs from Leeds Rail and Bus Stations approximately every ten minutes Monday – Saturday. Get off at the Clarendon Rd/Maternity Hospital Stop No. 9 which is opposite Swarthmore. More details and a timetable can be found here.