text:
No two opposition procedures are the same.
Some require a lot of work, some relatively little. Some require additional searches for prior art, some don't. Some require interviews with experts and/or witnesses, some don't. Some require witnesses to be present during oral proceedings, some don't.
It will be clear that no fixed price for all opposition procedures can therefore be given. As a rough guidance, a low-to medium complexity opposition procedure should cost between 10000 € and 20000 €. There is not much difference in cost between seeking revocation and defending your patent.
Article 99 is open to discussing your requirements, both substantive as well as financial. If your requirements include a fixed price for a specific case, this can usually be agreed after a preliminary assessment by Article 99.


text:
Hanoi: Sightseeing with a Local Guide; water puppets performance; visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Presidential Palace, and Temple of Literature; take a "cyclo" ride through the Old Quarter
Halong Bay: Overnight cruise in a traditional Junk boat, discover caves & fishing villages, explore the lagoon.
Hue: See stunning scenery en-route to Hue; Take a dragon boat to visit pagodas; Visit the Imperial Citadel. Visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang.
Danang – Hoi An: See ancient sculpture in the Cham Museum, and tour Buddhist cave temples in the Marble Mountains. A walking tour through the UNESCO listed Old Quarter; Countryside bike ride, visit an old merchant house, the Hoi An Museum, and a Chinese assembly hall.
Ho Chi Minh City: City tour including entry to the War Remnants Museum
Mekong Delta: Take an excursion to Mekong Delta, with a boat trip on the Mekong River to visit Cat Be floating market.
Day 1: Arrival Hanoi Vietnam
Day 2: Hanoi Sightseeing full day (B, L)
Day 3: Excursion to Halong Bay and Stay overnight on Board. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Halong Bay Cruise – Depart for Hue Imperial City. (B, L)
Day 5: Full day sightseeing in Hue City - Old Imperial City. (B, L)
Day 6: Leave Hue to Danang/City Sightseeing. (B, L)
Day 7: Hoi An Excursion/Thu Bon River Boat Trip. (B, L)
Day 8: Leave Hoi An to Saigon/City Sightseeing. (B, L)
Day 9: Full day to Mekong Delta/River Boat Trip. (B, L)
Day 10: Conclude Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. (B)
Vietnam Legend Tour Package 10Days/9Nights
Day 1: Arrival Hanoi Vietnam
Today you'll land in Hanoi at anytime. Warmly welcome by Tour Guide & Car Driver at airport then transfer to Hanoi Downtown, a city of lakes, shaded boulevards, public parks, and the capital of Vietnam. Check into your hotel. Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi Sightseeing full day (B, L)
Hanoi, a city of lakes, shaded boulevards and public parks, is the capital of Vietnam. It is a very attractive city with French-style architecture. You have a full day of sightseeing ahead, including a visit to One Pillar Pagoda, which was built by Ly Thai Tong and the Temple of Literature, founded by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong. Stop in the heart of Hanoi at Hoan Kiem Lake, which contains an islet with a tiny Tortoise Pagoda. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Opera House and St. Joseph Cathedral. Conclude with a visit to Bao Tang Lich, once the museum of l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, which includes artifacts from Vietnam's turbulent history. Water Puppet Show, Cyclo visiting Old Quarter. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 3: Excursion to Halong Bay and Stay overnight on Board. (B, L, D)
Early this morning, we'll drive from Hanoi to one of the most magnificent scenic environments in the world, Halong Bay. Covering 577 square miles, this vast bay is filled with more than 3,000 limestone "peaks" or karsts that jut from the deep blue water as far as the eye can see. We'll spend a day and a half, including an overnight with dinner and breakfast onboard, exploring this overwhelming seascape from the decks of a traditional Vietnamese boat. Comfortable and intimate, your boat features hand-crafted wooden interiors including a dining room and pleasant air-conditioned cabins with private baths. Since we're overnight on the water, we'll be able to explore Ha Long Bay's most beautiful spots with time to swim and even visit some of the largest rock formations and caves. This promises to be one of your most memorable travel experiences in Asia. Stay overnight on Boat.
Day 4: Halong Bay Cruise – Depart for Hue Imperial City. (B, L)
Rising to the sound of lapping bay waters, we have time for an early morning dip followed by breakfast. Sitting on the upper deck, you can relax while taking in the breath-taking beauty of the rocky islands rising from the emerald water of the bay.
After breakfast, explore Sung Sot cave, swim and relax. Cruises back to the jetty while brunch is served while you are cruising through the bay, along the way seeing more of the fascinating formations. Cruise check-out. Rejoin car drive to airport directly. Arrive Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) at 3:00pm. Catching flight to Hue City. Arrive Hue City, transfer to hotel for check in. Overnight in Hue.
Day 5: Full day sightseeing in Hue City - Old Imperial City. (B, L)
Spend full day to visit Hue City, Vietnam's political capital from 1802 to 1945 under the 13 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. Traditionally, the city has been one of Vietnam's cultural, religious and educational centers. Visit the Imperial City, which is located in the Citadel. Modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial City was built in the early 19th century. Explore the Thai Hoa Palace, with its spacious hall and ornate roof of huge timbers supported by 80 carved and lacquered columns. See the Halls of the Mandarins, the Nine Dynastic Urns and the site where the Forbidden Purple City once stood. Overnight in Hue City.
Day 6: Leave Hue to Danang/City Sightseeing. (B, L)
Today, journey south past the Hai Van Pass and Land Co, over a spur of the Truong Son Mountain Range that juts into the South East Sea, with spectacular views along the way. Upon arrival in Danang, visit the Cham Museum, which features a fine collection of openair sandstone carvings. Stop at My Khe Beach, made famous in the American TV series of the same name. It stretches for many miles north and south of the Marble Mountains. The Marble Mountains surrounding the area are five stone hillocks - once islands made of marble - and each is said to represent one of the five elements of the universe. There are many natural caves in which Buddhist sanctuaries have been built over the centuries. Transfer to Hoi An Ancient Town. Check in hotel & overnight in Hoi An.
Day 7: Hoi An Excursion/Thu Bon River Boat Trip. (B, L)
Enjoy a full-day excursion to Hoi An, a major trading center, once known as "Faifo" to the earliest Western traders. It was also an important port for the Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and other merchant vessels from the Far East. Visit a temple with partially gilded statues in the center, a pagoda dedicated to sailors and fishermen and a chapel with origins in the 1700s that reflects the influences of Chinese and Japanese styles. Stop at the Sa Huynh Museum, located near the Japanese Covered Bridge, which contains exhibitions from the earliest period of Hoi An's history. Late this afternoon, take a boat trip on the Thu Bon River to Kim Bing Village on Cam Kim Island to see the wood workers and shipbuilding families. Return to your haven on world-famous "Cua Dai Beach," with the evening at your leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 8: Leave Hoi An to Saigon/City Sightseeing. (B, L)
Fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, the largest Vietnamese city. There are street markets, sidewalk cafes and sleek new bars. This teeming metropolis offers 300 years of timeless traditions and the beauty of an ancient culture. To the west of the city is the huge Chinese neighborhood called Colon, which means "Big Market." Notre Dame Cathedral, in the heart of Saigon's government quarter, is of neo- Romanesque architecture with two high square tower and iron spires. The Central Post Office is French-style and City Hall, known as "Hotel de Ville," is typical of the French architecture that would be seen in any village in France. Visit the War Remnants Museum, featuring collections of weapons and photographs from the two Indochina wars. Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 9: Full day to Mekong Delta/River Boat Trip. (B, L)
Today takes you to My Tho, the capital of Tien Giang Province. Situated on the Mekong River, 75 kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, the city is surrounded by orchards and rice fields, which produce grain for the entire country. Visit one or two of the islands that produce traditional handcrafts, coconut candy and bee farms. Visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda, the oldest one in the delta on your boat trip on the Mekong River. Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Check in hotel & stay overnight in Saigon.
Day 10: Conclude Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. (B)
You have the morning free to relax until your international flight departs. Tourguide & Driver come until hotel to pick you up then transfer to Airport for your International Flight. Finish your unforgettable Legend Class Vietnam Package Tour arranged Indochina Legend Travel! Good bye & see you in the next times!
Hotels/Resorts/Cruises Name
Room Type
Opera Wings
Halong Bay
Deluxe Cabin
Hoi An
One Bed Room Villa
Ho Chi Minh
Park Room
Tour Cost included:
8 nights hotel accommodation on a twin-share basic with daily breakfast
1 night stay overnight on Board in Halong Bay in twin-share cabin.
Internal flight tickets: Hanoi - Hue, Danang - Ho Chi Minh City (economy class) Vietnam Airlines including fuel charge & Airport taxes.
Meals as mentioned in the itineraries: Vietnamese food, Asian Food basic.
All landed transfers within the tour by air-conditioned vehicle, including pick-up and drop-off at airports on arrival and departure days
English Speaking Tour guide.
Boat trips in the Mekong Delta, Hue & Hoi An
All entrance and sightseeing fees
Water Puppet Show & Cyclo Tour in Hanoi Old Quarter.
Approval letter for landing visa to Vietnam: single entry, one month valid
All taxes & services charge.
Tour Cost Non Included:
International airfare and airport taxes in Vietnam
Beverages and other meals do not indicate in the program
Visa fees to Vietnam
Early check-in and late check-out at all hotels
Kayak, Massage onboard
Travel insurance
Personal expenses (laundry, telephone, shopping...)
Tipping/ Gratuities
Single supplement
Any additional expenses caused by reasons beyond our control such as natural calamities (typhoon, floods), flight delays, rescheduling or cancellations, any accidents, medical evacuations, riots, strikes etc.
- Your currency: (USD)
- Validity until 31st of December 2015 Price per person in US$ in party of
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- Superior
- Deluxe
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- Legend
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- 26-30
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- Luxury Holiday Vietnam 15Days/14Nights
- Vietnam Cambodia Classic Vacation 20Days/19Nights
- Quick see Vietnam Cambodia 9Days/8Nights
- Vietnam Emotion Package Tour 10Days/9Nights
- Grand Vietnam Package Tour 13Days/12Nights
- Hi-end Indochina Highlight Package Tour 20Days/19Nights
- Vietnam Highlight Tour with some biking 21Days/20Nights
- Vietnam Superior Tour Package 16Days/15Nights
- Vietnam Cambodia Laos Simple Tour 13Days/12Nights
- Cambodia Highlight Tour plus Ho Chi Minh City 5Days/4Nights
- Vietnam Cambodia Review Tour 12Days/11Nights
- Private First Class Indochina Holiday 20Days/19Nights
- Indochina Classic Tour 12Days/11Nights
- Vietnam History Tour 14Days/13Nights
- Vietnam Highlight Tour Package 7Days/6Nights
- Luxury Vietnam Highlight Vacation 10Days/9Nights
- The best Vietnam Family Vacation 16Days/15Nights
- The best Vietnam Cambodia Laos Tour 12 Days/11Nights
- The best Vietnam-Cambodia Tour 15Days/14Nights
- Luxury Vietnam Holiday plus Beach Resort 14Days/13Nights
- Highlight Vietnam Tour plus Phu Quoc Island 18Days/17Nights
- Luxury Indochina Highlight Tour 9Days/8Nights
- Vietnam Package Holiday 14Days/13Nights
- Hanoi-Paradise Cruises Vacation Package 4 Days 3 Nights
- Sapa Bac Ha Sunday Market 2Days/3Nights
- Mekong Delta Cruise speed Boat to Cambodia 3Days/2Nights
- Hanoi Halong Emotion Cruise 4Days/3Nights
- Packaged Paradise Luxury Cruises 5Days/4Nights

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to Easthampstead Park Community School
As a school community we have been sharing our ideas for how we want the school to develop successfully, the statements below provide an overview of the key values, beliefs and behaviours we want in our community in order to deliver our vision. They will provide a framework for school strategic development for the next three years. Thank you to all contributors to the process who gave time, ideas and shared their commitment to the schools success.
At Easthampstead Park Community School, our vision is to deliver a school judged as outstanding, that lives up to its values and beliefs. Our sense of community is built around the quality of relationships between staff, students and parents with the emphasis on respect and pride. All members of our community need to communicate clearly and work with each other. "It takes a whole village to raise a child."
Our Values, Beliefs and Behaviours
- • We value and respect all people for their knowledge, experience and capabilities.
- • We value our heritage and we believe families and our local community can play an inspiring and purposeful role in young people's learning.
- • We believe that all young people from every kind of background should be equally recognised as being creative and individual.
- • We believe that learning should engage all members of the community in order to support them in fulfilling their personal and academic potential.
- • We expect everyone to demonstrate through their actions and behaviours, respect for themselves and the community – people, property and the environment – and take pride in what they are capable of achieving.
- • We expect parents to be involved with the school, taking an active interest in the development of their own and others' children, and for staff to seek opportunities for parents to come into school.
About us
I am extremely proud of all the hard work that our staff and students put into the Sixth Form and I am delighted to share this with you.
There is a wide range of options available to students and ensuring they study at the correct establishment for these formative years is of vital importance. Here at EPCS6 we offer a Sixth Form experience which develops a community spirit whilst also fostering the skills needed to be an independent learner. We are a Sixth Form which has enjoyed excellent results in recent years and provide an environment where everyone is challenged to be the best they can be. We have a large common room, two dedicated Sixth Form study areas next to the common room equipped with computers, a Sixth Form only dedicated section of the library and a Sixth Form Study Area within the History department.
Whilst our teachers and results are very impressive, I believe that our greatest sales point are the students themselves. Looking at the enthusiastic young adults they are developing into is a privilege and I encourage you to speak to our current students about their experiences here. When not in lessons it is not unusual to find our students on the sports field, in rehearsals for pantomimes and musicals, entering their business ideas into competitions and arranging events. This year we have already enjoyed a Halloween Quiz with a Murder Mystery Evening and movie evening being planned for this term. Whatever interest a student may have; we find a way to help them develop this further.
Facilities available
● Continuing guidance about courses and strategies to meet your needs.
● Ongoing careers advice and support including visits to universities fairs, apprenticeship talks and visits from employers.
● High quality teaching with appropriate setting, marking and feedback of work.
● Guidance on how to use the library and its resources.
● Outside visits and work placements appropriate to certain courses.
● Multiple private study areas across the school.
● The opportunity to participate in community service and a wide range of enrichment activities.
● The Duke of Edinburgh Award- the world's leading youth achievement award.
● An opportunity to arrange charity events. The Sixth Form currently support the Hotcourses Foundation, a charity which works to raise money for Nyumbani projects in Kenya.
Additional support
● A comprehensive Personal Development programme which includes careers and higher education advice. These fortnightly sessions are based on the VESPA model which helps all students develop their Vision, Effort, Systems, Practice and Attitude.
● Regular reports and assessments of progress which take account of your abilities and objectives for the future.
● Fortnightly mentor meetings to review your progress and direct you towards extra support.
● Ongoing support with revision and study skills; specific talks on effective note taking and memory improvement alongside reinforcement of these skills from the Sixth Form team.
Learner success
Last year 90% of grades achieved in Applied General subjects were Distinction*. This is worth 140 UCAS points which is equivalent to A* in Academic L3 qualifications.
Our pass rate at grades A*-B was 48%
Our pass rate at grades A* – C was 70%
Our pass rate at grades A* – E was 99%
How to apply
If you want to apply for courses, you will need to contact Easthampstead Park Community School directly.


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Flan de Jamaica {Hibiscus Flan}
Rating: 4 // Prep Time: 1 hour // Cook Time: 30 minutes // Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
The hibiscus flowers need to steep in the milk overnight and then the finished flan needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours so plan ahead.
If the milk curdles slightly when you add the flowers don't worry, any lumps will get strained out with the dried flowers, but be warned, the more you stir the milk-flower mixture, the more it will curdle. So it's best to give a quick stir to combine, then leave to steep undisturbed.
The easiest way to get caramel-coated pots and pans clean is to fill them with water and bring to a boil, the caramel will instantly melt away. You can watch a pregnant me demonstrate it here.
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers (flor de jamaica)
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Heat milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Heat gently until milk just starts to bubble around the edges, do not boil. Pour into a heatproof bowl and stir in hibiscus flowers. Let cool then cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Heat oven to 325°F. Place a 9-inch ring mold or 8 (4-ounce) ramekins in a roasting pan. Bring a large kettle of water to a boil.
- Combine 1 cup of the sugar and the 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar then let cook, undisturbed, until amber in color, about 8 minutes. Immediately pour the hot caramel into the bottom of the ring mold, or divide it evenly between the ramekins, swirling to coat.
- Whisk eggs, yolks, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- Strain the hibiscus-milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat just until little bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
- Slowly add warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously until smooth. Strain mixture one last time then pour into mold or ramekins.
- Place roasting pan in the oven then add boiling water, making sure it reaches halfway up the sides of the mold or ramekins. Bake until set, about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove to a wire rack and let cool 30 minutes. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- To serve, run a sharp knife around the inside edge or the mold or ramekins, place a plate on top, invert and lift mold off. If flan is not releasing briefly dip the bottom of the mold or ramekins in hot water and try again.
'Like' Kate on Facebook: Hola Jalapeño // 'Follow' Kate on Twitter: @HolaJalapeno // 'Follow' Kate on Instagram: @HolaJalapeño // Read Kate's MIMP bio here.


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So any minute now Omar and I will be receiving our case of MUN. This is very exciting news for us, clearly, but it also comes with a dilemma. Once we crack open a zillion packs and try to organize everything, we have the tough decision of choosing what team to build first!
The Illuminati!
Not since Enemy of My Enemy has UDE tempted players into building such a powerful jank deck. Six characters, nearly a dozen team affiliations between them, and almost no shared traits or abilities worth mentioning. This could prove to be quite a challenge, but if we managed to build a New Gods deck then the Illuminati should be a cake walk. Mm… cake.
Anyway, when The Illuminati was first previewed our good pal 'The' Ben Seck was kind enough to come up with a comprehensive list of all Illuminati characters in VS.. This includes all of the characters' names, recruit costs, and versions. This should prove to be an invaluable resource for us, and any deck builder hoping to send The Hulk into outer space. Thanks Ben!
Our ultimate goal with this deck build an enormous hand, and use the new Infinity Gauntlet plot twist to ruin our opponents' lives (and possibly their credit scores.) The suggestion has been made that the easiest way to do this is to vomit out several low-cost Illuminati characters in a single turn, and sneak in the Gauntlet that way. For a variety of reasons I don't think this is possible, so we'll need to find another win condition down the line.
Sadly, our Silver Age Illuminati deck has a less than impressive low curve. We have Black Bolt, Enemy Within, who seems out of place in anything but a Skrulls deck, and the new Professor X, Mutant Benefactor. Professor X has a fatty defense and a great deck-milling ability, so we'll be running him.
On two there are severak options. At the head of the pack is Dr. Strange, Secret Avenger, who can rally for whatever he wants. It's unlikely that we'll get more than a single card off of his power, but Professor X could make it possible. In the business we call that 'Synergy.' I also like an older card, Black Bolt, Illuminati, from the Heralds of Galactus set. His power will help sort out our resource row, and give us a peek into the future. Both of these characters, which is a big plus: we're going to need a lot of concealed characters to make sure our Illuminati members stick around until the later rounds.
Three presents us with more choices, none of which are particularly good. Since we're running Black Bolt and Professor X on earlier drops, our only options are Doom-affiliated Iron Man, another Mr. Fantastic and two versions of Namor. The most recent Namor, Protector of the Soul Gem, allows us to return cards from our KO pile to the top of our deck. Later on this could prove to be valuable in case our opponent replaces some of our ongoing plot twists. We'll include copies of the older Marvel Defenders Namor as well, just to ensure that we don't miss anything on turn 3.
On turn 4 we have A LOT of interesting options. However, the only ones that stand out to me for this build are Mr. Fantastic, Critical Thinker, and the new Mr. Fantastic, Haunted Genius. Both of these characters have fatty defenses, which is great, and abilities that replenish our hand with cards. I think Haunted Genius is better, since even though it doesn't guarantee that we get a card there is potential to get two. Professor X will likely still be around on 4, so we could maximize this potential.
Turn 5 seems perfect for Iron Man, Profector of the Reality Gem. His exhaustion effect is too awesome for words, and we should be able to effectively lock down our opponents' boards through the use of it.
Turn 6 I like Dr. Strange, Ally of the Four. His power allows me to exhaust my entire board for Illuminati effects, and then re-ready them at the start of the combat phase. However, his ability is limited to Fantastic Four characters; I will need to find a way to team-up these characters if I want to maximize that power. Otherwise, the only characters to get any use of it will be Strange himself and Mr. Fantastic.
Turn 7 we really only have one option. Only three Illuminati members have a seven-drop (Professor X, Iron Man and Dr. Strange.) Of those cards, Iron Man is clearly the best, but that would force us to lose our five-drop to uniqueness. The second choice, Strange, is someone we just recruited the turn before, so that ain't happening. So, until we get a really awesome 7-drop, we'll deal with a lackluster Defenders/X-Men Professor X , Illuminati, on 7. Boo.
Preferably we want to ruin our opponent's hand, KO their resources, and dance on their grave by 8. However, whether or not this is a reality is still uncertain. Just in case, we'll include a copy of the 8-drop Black Bolt, Devastating Decree.
In closing, our list looks something like this:
- 1 Drops: Professor X, Mutant Benefactor
- 2 Drops: Dr. Strange, Secret Avenger – Black Bolt, Illuminati
- 3 Drops: Sub-Mariner, Protector of the Soul Gem — Sub-Mariner, King of Atlantis
- 4 Drop: Mr. Fantastic, Haunted Genius
- 5 Drop: Iron Man, Protector of the Reality Gem
- 6 Drop: Dr. Strange, All of the Four
- 7 Drop: Professor X, Illuminati
- 8 Drop: Black Bolt, Devastating Decree.
Next time I'll be cracking open our packs, and selecting a plot twist/location/equipment(!?) suite for our build. Also I hope to figure out whether or not teaming up our Illuminati members is worth all of the trouble! See you then!


text:
Oh the ways I could go on, I have realized my life needs change, organization, newer people in my life, to learn how to say no, to be much healthier with out putting myself into a crisis, to get away from all the narcissist people I seem to be magnetically attracted to.
So. I have a lot of times that I realize I need change. I also realize a lot of these things are going to be hard to obtain. I know one day at a time. One thing a day, bla bla bla bla……..
Just saying it doesn't make it happen and sometimes it seems very much out of reach.


text:
Never joined us for a Jax & 7th Sunday? Now's the perfect time! This Sunday's line-up includes coffee (duh!), brunch from Chef Chris and the Renegade Food Truck, fresh veggies from Three Sisters Farm, and kombucha at the neighbor's, The Kombucha Company. The forecast looks mild, so pack up the family and kick off your spring break with us, in our beautiful backyard. See ya there!
Farmstand starts at 10:00a, brunch starts at 11:00a. Coffee & kombucha available all day!


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Sacrament Of Confession: Questions & Answers Part 6
Q. What were these severe Penances of the First Ages of the Church called?
A. These severe penances of the first ages of the Church were called canonical penances, because their kind and duration were regulated by the Canons or laws of the Church.
Q. How can we know spiritual from corporal works of mercy?
A. We can know spiritual from corporal works of mercy, for whatever we do for the soul is a spiritual work, and whatever we do for the body is a corporal work.
Q. Which are the chief spiritual works of mercy?
A. The chief spiritual works of mercy are seven: To admonish the sinner, to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, to comfort the sorrowful, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive all injuries, and to pray for the living and the dead.
Q. When are we bound to admonish the sinner?
A. We are bound to admonish the sinner when the following conditions are fulfilled: (1) When his fault is a mortal sin; (2) When we have authority or influence over him, and (3) When there is reason to believe that our warning will not make him worse instead of better.
Q. Who are meant by the "ignorant" we are to instruct, and the "doubtful" we are to counsel?
A. By the ignorant we are to instruct and the doubtful we are to counsel, are meant those particularly who are ignorant of the truths of religion and those who are in doubt about matters of faith. We must aid such persons as far as we can to know and believe the truths necessary for salvation.
Q. Why are we advised to bear wrong patiently and to forgive all injuries?
A. We are advised to bear wrongs patiently and to forgive all injuries, because, being Christians, we should imitate the example of Our Divine Lord, who endured wrongs patiently and who not only pardoned but prayed for those who injured Him.
Q. If, then, it be a Christian virtue to forgive all injuries, why do Christians establish courts and prisons to punish wrongdoers?
A. Christians establish courts and prisons to punish wrongdoers, because the preservation of lawful authority, good order in society, the protection of others, and sometimes even the good of the guilty one himself, require that crimes be justly punished. As God Himself punishes crime and as lawful authority comes from Him, such authority has the right to punish, though individuals should forgive the injuries done to themselves personally.
See Also:
Sacrament Of Confession: Questions & Answers Part 5
Sacrament Of Confession: Questions & Answers Part 1


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Witten by Gwion Rhys Davies.
In the past few years we've seen some major changes in the world of O Gauge. With the introduction of ready to run stock, modellers and enthusiasts have easier access to models without building kits or breaking the bank for a commissioned build. Because of companies like Dapol, Ixion and Skytrex, O Gauge is now becoming a more feasible scale to model.
In this review we will be looking at Minerva's E-class Peckett 0-4-0 Saddle Tank with an RRP of £255. The loco reviewed has a 'GWR Green (unlettered)' livery but the model is also available in 'BR Black' and 'Industrial Green'
The Packaging
The loco's packaging differs little from Ixion's Packaging. A hard cardboard box with the loco suspended in soft foam will absorb any shock that the loco may experience during transportation. Removing and replacing the loco is a trivial task with little hassle, unlike other manufacturers who use the "Block of ice" packaging which I find awkward to unwrap when there isn't much space. In the packaging, along with the loco, you will find an etched brass fret (containing a selection of prototypically correct cabsides, and engine number plates) and a set of domes and a bell.
The only issue I had occurred after fitting a dome and bell as the loco would not then fit properly into the box due to the abundance of packaging. This is a rather minor issue, being quickly resolved by simply trimming some of the foam with a craft knife.
The Detail
Detail hasn't been forgotten with this model, rivet detail is well pronounced, and all external pipework looks great. Cab detail lacks some pipework but its rather difficult to see inside and so is not a real issue in my books. I did however notice some areas where a tiny bit of excess glue was visible, again in my case not much of a problem as I plan to weather it.
One interesting feature of the model is that it comes supplied with different domes, toolbox, cab numbers, etc to allow you to decorate the loco to your desired prototype. The only problem is the amount of work needed to model particular prototypes, in some cases drilling holes into the model is required to mount the bell and one of the domes. I did need to do some extra research as the info on paperwork was rather lacking and I was not sure which work's plate went with which engine number. You can find that information here .
The Peckett includes the majority of features you would expect of a loco of this standard. Although not an option from purchase, the loco can be easily fitted with a decoder and sound with no need to modify the body/chassis.
The list of features provided by Minerva is as follows:-
- Diecast chassis
- Fine scale wheels
- Four-wheel electrical pickup
- High-torque flywheel-equipped motor, driving the rear axle
- 40:1 precision gearbox for slow, smooth running
- DCC and sound ready, with provision for easy speaker installation
- Good cab detail
- Sprung buffers
- Hook drawgear, with three-link couplings
The Flywheel equipped motor and 40:1 precision gearbox allows for some extremely smooth running. Being an 0-4-0, the flywheel is essential for continuous running through points/dirty track whilst also providing smoother running. Also with the 40:1 precision gearbox, this loco can really crawl, brilliant for layouts where speed limits of 5-10mph were enforced. I can't get over how well this loco runs, it's one of the best mechanisms I have experienced in O.
Final Thoughts
As I said before the peckett is a great solution for modellers wanting to get into O Gauge at a low price point. It is superb in the way of mechanics but I was a little disappointed with the excess glue and bit of extra work needed to complete the model depending on the prototype. However it is nice that you have the ability to modify the model to fit the prototype you want. I will probably be decorating it to the prototype of no.968 with build plate 1105. This belonged to the Swansea Harbour Trust that will fit perfectly into our Swansea South Dock project at the club.
- Extras for prototype customisation
- 40:1 gearbox and flywheel for smooth slow running
- Hassle free packaging
- Good detail
- DCC Sound ready
- Sprung buffers/couplings
- Good value for money
- Visible excess glue in places
- Packaging needs modifying to fit dome and bell
- Drilling required to fit some parts
With this I give an overall score of 8/10.


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For many bikers, motorcycles aren't just a mode of transportation; they're a way of life. The risks are part of what comes with the territory.
One of many motor vehicle accidents in Missouri claims 2 lives
Fifty Missouri children on a bus were left badly shaken but with no serious injuries after a minivan crashed into it. Motor vehicle accidents can happen in an instant. This one occurred as the bus was making a right turn. A minivan, driven by a 34-year-old man with a 20-year-old passenger, crashed into the rear of the bus. The force was such that both vehicles were sent off the road.
Car accidents in Missouri can cause irreversible damage
Car accidents in Missouri can cause irreversible damage, especially when they involve teenagers. A recent accident claimed the life of a Missouri teen on an average weekend as she was riding with a friend. The quick and unexpected loss connected with fatal car accidents can leave resounding grief when a person is so young and dearly loved by many people.
Missouri car accidents result in 7 deaths over Labor Day weekend
The tragic death of a family member or a loved one is something that everyone hopes to never have to experience. The pain and suffering that results is immeasurable and almost no amount of time is enough to bring about closure. Motor vehicle accidents can often result in serious injuries and are sometimes even fatal. There were seven fatal car accidents that occurred in Missouri over the recent holiday weekend.
Missouri hit-and-run motor vehicle accidents leave questions
Imagine losing a loved one in a motor vehicle accident and not knowing why. Unfortunately, families are often left with just these types of feelings in hit-and-run motor vehicle accidents. In a recent accident in Missouri not one, but two families were left with unanswered questions as they struggle to come to terms with the tragic losses of their loved ones.
Car accidents like this are heart breaking dramas of human loss
It's not easy to describe the tragic reality that surrounds an accident involving dead teens. As in the case reported below, the teen victims of car accidents are often the most active, vibrant lights in their high schools and social groups. They may also be the scholars with worlds of practical contributions yet to make. In Missouri, one of those painful stories of lost youth, broken dreams and stricken parents must again be told.
Pedestrian accidents can leave Missourians seriously injured
Missouri police want to avoid Memorial Day car crashes
For many people, summer really kicks into high gear with Memorial Day weekend. Family outings, trips to nearby lakes and rivers with friends, and other recreational activities fill the long weekend for many in the St. Charles area.


text: Bonang Mohale is the CEO of Business Leadership South Africa. Until June 2017, he was the vice president upstream and chairman of Shell downstream South Africa. Until 2008, Mohale spent six years as the CEO of Drake & Scull FM SA. He served as CEO of Shared Services and Associated Companies of Sanlam, was a member of the exco and alternate director of the Sanlam main board. Mohale was also the vice president at South African Airways until 2001, and managing director of OTIS from 1996. He has received various awards, including The Momentum Friendship Blazer in 2015, in recognition of his nation building, and was conferred an honorary professorship in Marketing Management by the University of Pretoria, where he serves on the advisory council.


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The rise of the Stories format is forcing us to accept that the smartphone is creating brand new forms of media.
A collection of 2 posts
Storify's Story
Storify has been on my "must experiment with" list for the past couple of months. It just shot up towards the top, thanks to this video:…


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Back by popular demand!
An organised pleasure ride on bridleways in and around the beautiful Towneley Park in support of the BHS – an equestrian charity.
Things to know…
The entrance fee per rider is £15.
The rides are around 8 miles and 11 miles. [11.5mls will depend on water level at the ford]
Vounteer marshalls on both routes to help you!
Few road crossings and some riding on roads.
Small river crossings and bridges to cross.
Parking and registration from 9.30am.
First ride out 10am and last ride out at Noon.
Toilets in the Park, but not where we will be parking.
No water available where we will be parking.
Designated Car Park for the event by main entrance – will be sign posted for BHS – bring coins for parking. [£1.50]
£5 depoist for ride bib but refundable when bib handed back.
Refreshments available to purchase at the Hall.
No entries on the day – register before with Chris Peat.
Follow this Post Code BB11 3ER to Hargreaves Plumbers Merchants, the main entrance [Park Bridge Drive] is directly opposite. DO NOT use Towneley Hall post code.
To register contact Chris Peat on 07811279092 or firstname.lastname@example.com or leave a message on 01254 386459 or fill in the entry form and return.


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The World is "Ready to Hand"
I am very excited to announce that I am currently reading Peter Leithart's most recent book Traces of the Trinity to review for Torrey Gazette. If you are a regular reader here at St. Anne's Manor then you'll know that I am a big fan of Peter Leithart and you will not be surprised to see his name pop up again. You might have further guessed that this will not be my last post on Traces of the Trinity between now and when I write a review in a couple week.
Thus far Traces has been a very unique read. In short the book is about perichoresis or "mutual indwelling." The main premiss (as far as the first 20 pages are concerned) is that our world patterns the mutual indwelling of the Trinitarian God who made it in a myriad of ways we are usually not privy to.
Leithart points out one of the main reasons we miss the clear evidences of perichoresis in our daily habitation: Enlightenment thought; particularly Descartes.
Descartes treated humans as detached spectators of the outside world. But unless we are philosophers, we don't have the luxury to be spectators. We don't first look over the world as a set of objects and patterns to analyze and classify. We engage the world as a set of objects that already have particular meanings and uses for us. The philosopher Martin Heidegger put it this way: The world is not "present at hand," waiting to be analyzed and thought about. It's "ready to hand," full of items that have their own shapes, purposes, uses, histories. (pg. 14)
We tend to believe that we can neatly separate ourselves (subject) off from the things outside of ourselves (object). But this is impossible unless we've been breathing Enlightenment thought in from our earliest years (which most of us have and even then it's not possible). But if we take a second to examine the way that we actually inhabit the world we will find ourselves much more integrated with the "objects" around us than we previously realized.
As Heidegger pointed out, we are constantly being handed things that already have meanings and purposes apart from our interaction with them. Moreover, their meaning and purpose, many times, is intricately bound up with our vital engagement with them (air, water, food, etc.). We are more-fully immersed and integrated into this world than our Descartian thinking-habits would like to admit.
Food for thought.


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Risks and Red Lineages: Love, labor and Black Women's Creative Collectives
With Khadijah Queen, Natasha Marin, Anastacia Tolbert and Ashaki Jackson.
We are circle of artists and writers who are bound by love for our crafts and each other. We are single, married, with children, without children, same gender loving, heterosexual and all of the spaces in between. We operate within the academy, outside of it and sometimes dance on its iron gates. What always binds us is a commitment to creative production and a support of craft and community that affirms our existence as Black women. In addition to our work as individual artists and writers, we have worked in collaboration and support of other artists outside and within our circle. In this workshop/roundtable we will discuss what it means to be a circle of Black women artists and writers supporting each other in craft and life. We will discuss how it impacts our creative production, and how we align ourselves with feminist thought and action. Further, we will present our work and discuss the intellectual tethers that connect us in love and labor.
At the National Women's Studies Association Conference in San Juan Puerto Rico.


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Stool "O"
"O" is a stool made of micro-crystalline wax with dark blue pigments and a little percentage of Vase- line. The stool was made in a foundry where 25kg of wax were liquefied and poured into a cylindrical mould.
The blue monolith is curved with the radius of the tool
Stool "O"
"O" stool is molded and sculpted.


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Glycaemic Index
There are a number of popular diets based on the glycaemic index (GI), such as the Zone and Slow-Carb diet as well as using the GI of foods as a means to identify carbohydrate containing foods which may influence blood sugar levels. This fact file explores both the GI and glycaemic load (GL), why it can be useful and the limitations.
What is the GI?
The GI is a ranking of carbohydrate containing foods, by number, based on their effect on blood glucose (sugar) levels. Glucose or white bread is used as the standard reference of 100 and other foods are ranked against this according to how quickly or slowly the affect of specific foods have on blood sugars after eating them. Foods that are 'slow-releasing' have a lower ranking (low GI) and can raise blood sugar less than a 'quick releasing' food. However the GI of a food only tells you how quickly or slowly it raises blood glucose when the food is eaten on its own.
The three categories of GI values are listed below with some examples:
|Low 1-55
|Lentils, apples, porridge
|Medium 56-69
|Couscous, eggs, apricots
|High 70 and higher
|Sweetened fruit juice, waffles, most processed meats
Why is the GI useful?
The purpose of GI was developed as a guide for people with diabetes aiming to help control blood sugar levels. The GI is now additionally used to help with weight loss, as a heart friendly diet and to control appetite by increasing the feeling of fullness with eating low GI foods, but the evidence for helping with these are mixed, especially if the limitations of the GI are not considered.
Glycaemic Load
The glycaemic load (GL) helps to address one of the limitations of the GI which incorporates a typical portion of the food rather than using the standard test level weight of which the GI is based on. Using the GL can potentially be a more useful tool as it reflects the quantity of specific foods you are likely to eat. For example couscous is categorised as a medium GI food, whilst watermelon as a high GI food, however if typical portion sizes are considered, both of these foods are categorised as low GL foods.
The GL values are categorised as follows:
- Low GL: 1 to 10
- Medium GL: 11 to 19
- High GL: 20 or more
Limitations of GI
In reality, foods tend to be eaten in combination, especially at mealtimes. Although the concept of GI can still be applied, combining foods of different ranking will alter the overall GI value of the meal, this will also apply to GL. Cooking and changing the structure of foods, for example, solid to liquid will also change the GI value.
In addition, it is important to think about how balanced your meals are as the GI may provide a ranking, but does not necessarily encourage or help guide healthier choices as there is no nutritional information, such that not all foods that have a high GI are necessarily bad for you and those with a low GI are not all necessarily good for you, this is partly because fat within the food can lower the GI rating, so for example, crisps or ice-cream can have a medium to low rating because of the high fat content. There are also many healthy foods that are not in the database.
The GI can be used as a guide in combination with a balanced diet to help achieve healthy eating, however it is important to consider the limitations and other factors such as exercise, portion sizes and alcohol intake for a healthier lifestyle.
This fact file is intended for adults as a general guide only and not a substitute for professional advice or a diagnosis. If you are on certain medication or suffer from a medical condition, seek individual advice from your health care professional. Date produced January 2016.


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"The Oaks" Team
Dana got this email update from one of our family mission trip leaders in Mexico, Dave Barr. Dave mentions Tommy Oaks. I've heard Tommy speak and they are in for an unbelievable extra treat. He's one of the best story tellers/camp speakers I've heard.
Hey Dana,
Construction Day 2 is complete, and things are looking good. All the walls are up, and the roof structure is on. We have some plywood that is not really 4X8 so we have some challenges there.
Camp is great too. Tommy Oaks is the main speaker. He's excellent. He and his two sons are on our work team, so we've been able to interact with him a lot. Our team is known as the "Oaks."
At least two members of our team are going to be baptized on Thursday as well. One of them is Reagan, so we are very excited!
We'll be home soon with lots of stories.


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East Bulgarian
The East Bulgarian is a light riding and draft horse, usually chestnut, bay or black. They have originated since 1900 from Thoroughbred and English Halfbred crossed with Anglo-Arab, Arab and Bulgarian Native horses.
All modern-day light horse breeds have descended from the noble desert-bred Arabian horse, who traces its lineage back at least 3,500 years to the deserts of the Middle East and ancient Persia. Ancient civilizations and cultures all have stories that tell of the role their valued horses played in their daily lives. Perhaps most fascinating of these are the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt, which reveal the Egyptians with their desert horses as early as 1580 B.C. Even King Solomon," …had horses brought out of Egypt." And he had "…forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen." Indeed, the heritage of the Egyptian Arabian evokes images of classic beauty and heroic gallantry. It is easy to understand why they have been admired and sought after by Kings, Pharaohs, and mankind in general throughout the ages.
Between 1895 and the mid-1980s, some of the best Egyptian Arabians bred in the Land of the Nile were exported to the United States. Those individuals and their ancestors form the Egyptian Arabian bloodlines in North America today.
The Egyptian Arabian horse has been valued as an extremely productive source of the classic refinement for which the Arabian breed is well-known. These horses combine a Historic legacy and beauty with the ability and temperament to excel in areas from Halter to dressage, to endurance, to beloved family companion. Although numbering less than 3% of the hundreds of thousands of registered Arabians, Egyptian Arabians continue to command a disproportionately large number of ribbons, honors, and hearts. These horses are the finest pure bred animal of all horses to be found.
I hope in your lifetime you get to experience the shear beauty and majesty of the Egyptian.
Eriskay ponies are the last surviving remnants of the original native ponies of the Western Isles of Scotland. They have ancient Celtic and Norse connections and Eriskays have been proven by measurement to be of similar proportions to those found on ancient Pictish stones throughout the North and West of Scotland.
In some ways the ponies were subject to human in addition to natural selection. The ponies had evolved to survive on meager food supplies, with coats, ears and tails well adapted to coping with a harsh, wet and windy climate. Eriskays were then subject to the forces of living in a society where women and children did most of the work while the men were at sea. Poor temperaments could not be tolerated. Only those ponies happy to live in close proximity with their handlers, those willing to be trained and work hard, were retained. Unsuitable specimens were culled. Over the centuries, the Eriskay ponies evolved into the hardy, versatile, people friendly characters we recognise today. Very much a people horse.
On many of the islands increasing mobility and farming pressures led to larger ponies becoming fashionable. Norwegian Fijords, Arabs, Clydesdales and others were introduced to improve the native stocks and produce larger, stronger animals. On the remote island of Eriskay in the Western Isles, however, due to difficulties with access, other breeds were not introduced, leaving a stock of pure bred ponies which had declined to a around 20 animals, due to mechanisation, by the early 1970s.
It was at this time that a dedicated group of people comprising a local priest, doctor, vet, scientist and crofters, got together and decided to save the ponies whose numbers were dangerously low. Through their hard work and the establishment of breeding groups throughout the British Isles, numbers have risen steadily and now there are around 300 Eriskays in the world.
Obviously, the breed is still seriously threatened and are listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as critical, but with 12 pure bred stallions and a record 25 foals born last year, the future is looking a little brighter.
Estonian Native
The Estonian Native is one of the few breeds which has retained the features of the native northern horse and were not significantly influenced by crossing with other breeds. It played an important role in the formation of the Obva (now extinct) and Vyatka breeds. The breed has also been used with the Hackney in the formation of the Tori breed and with Ardennes in forming the Estonian Draft.
The Estonian first penetrated Russia via Novgorod as early as the 14th and 15th centuries due to its good working qualities and high adaptability. As agriculture developed and demand for working horses grew, simultaneously with pure breeding the native horses were crossed with larger breeds. Reliable information on the improvement stages of the Estonian dates back to the origins of the Tori stud in 1856. The stud was engaged in pure breeding of native horses and crossing them with light harness and saddle breeds. The best crossbred mares were subsequently used to develop the Tori. The first pure breeding stage yielded good results; the purebred stallion Vansikasa, distinguished by extraordinary strength and pulling endurance, was produced. He won many prizes in tests at Paris, Riga and Moscow exhibitions in the native horses group. His daughters were foundation mares of the Tori.
The modern Estonian is not large in size; the head is well proportioned, has a wide forehead and is sometimes somewhat coarse; the neck is on the short side or medium in length and fleshy; the withers are low and wide; the loin is well muscled; the croup is average in length and has a normal slope. The chest is very wide and deep; the legs are short, properly set and distinguished by firmness and cleanness. The hoofs are extremely solid. The animal is undemanding; it has extraordinary endurance and quite good action. It has a willing disposition.
Exmoor Pony
The first wild ponies came to Britain between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago, walking across a swampy plain that was later to become the English Channel. They became widespread throughout Britain and were very successful, living alongside Mammoths and preyed upon by saber-toothed tigers, wolves and bears. Their presence in Britain ebbed and flowed with the advances and retreats of many ice ages.
These equine colonisers provided an important resource for Stone Age hunters when they came to Britain; hunting reduced numbers significantly. Climate changes in the Mesolithic period brought a drastic change with trees covering lowland areas. The open grazing habitat of the ponies became available only on the mountains and hills of Britain, and the pony populations consequently became restricted to these.
When the English Channel formed (5,000 – 8,000 years ago) this equine population became isolated on the British Isles with no possible further contact with continental populations in the future other than through mans interference. The British Hill Pony continued to be an attractive prey for hunters, and some scientists theorize that they were hunted to extinction and re-introduced by Celts. Other scientists believe they remained in reduced numbers on the isolated uplands.
When man became a farmer and settled the lowland areas, dividing the land into fields and agricultural holdings, these populations of British Hill ponies became isolated from each other and their destinies followed different paths. This resulted in the nine recognized native breeds of pony in Britain today. In each area, human interference led to the mixing of different genetic ingredients to produce distinctive breeds. As an example, Roman mercenaries introduced Friesian horses to the north of England which blended with British Hill ponies to produce the Fell pony.
Until 1818, most of the open expanse of Exmoor was designated a "Royal Forest". This was not tree covered but "Forest" in this sense meant a hunting ground. A Warden worked for the Crown and managed Exmoor as an upland grazing expanse where farmers from its fringes could graze their stock (ponies, sheep and cattle) upon payment of fees. The Warden alone ran the stallions which it is recorded were of the original native type.
In 1818 the Royal Forest was sold to John Knight, an industrialist who believed he could tame Exmoor and make it a more productive agricultural system. He considered that whatever nature had created he could improve upon, including the ponies.
The outgoing Warden, Sir Thomas Acland, took thirty of the true Exmoor ponies which had run on the forest to his own estate; other local farmers who had worked with him bought up small numbers of ponies at the 1818 dispersal sale and began their own breeding herds. Knight and a few others experimented and produced ponies which could not thrive living out in Exmoors harsh winters. Acland and his colleagues became perhaps some of the first "conservationists", breeding the Exmoor ponies true to type.


text: I'm all about different. So, I was delighted to photograph the special couple's "rehearsal dinner" baseball game. The bride rented a school bus as transportation from the hotel to the ball field. Everyone's inner 3rd grader was ecstatic [see second photo]. This was such a fun beginning to a perfect wedding weekend. The littles got to run free instead of being bribed with smarties to sit on their hands through a long rehearsal and dinner. This bride is as original as they come, so if you are looking for wedding inspiration, she's your it girl. Aaron and Chantel's 1920s, A Night in Paris themed wedding is hitting the blog next! She knocked it out of the park. [Ok, done with the baseball puns]


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Sunday, 26 November 2017
Free Books
Who doesn't love free books? I know, I know...it is treason as a writer to say "free book downloads", an unforgivable crime for participating in such activity, because how will authors survive....(insert eye-roll here). If you are into writing for the money...good for you...but for the rest of us mere mortals who likes free stuff, I have a great link for free book downloads, courtesy of my very nerdy friend who loves DB Super and all things cool!
LIBGEN.IO ....thanks Owen.....
Friday, 24 November 2017
When Things Go Missing.....
Much to any writer's chagrin documents do not appear to be safe on cloud storage. I hailed the blessings of Dropbox in an earlier post, but seems the celebration was premature. Once more the pain of having lost all writings and musings, no matter how inept, stings sharp and bright in my inky heart.
It would seem my beloved Dropbox has a nasty bug, causing files to be deleted and/or corrupted. What is a word-smith to do in such adversarial conditions?
The first step would be to not solely rely on one form of cloud storage...(an obvious point which I should have foreseen ages ago.) The second step...accept the fact that all the work is lost, perhaps it was so terrible that the digital void did me a favour by deleting it sporadically.
So...if this happened to you...take a breath and start again. See it as an opportunity for a fresh start that is uninfluenced by previous scribblings and that ever-present temptation to simply "fix" that last draft (we all know it ends up in the "rewrites" folder never to be fixed).
Friday, 1 September 2017
The Rat
The Rat by Sacha Hope
I once knew a rat.
He was toothy, furry and fat, bitey and slimy and full of scat.
This rat, oh, this rat! Believing he was all that,
would race on the red mat.
The stench from his lying teeth curdling stewing beef.
Graceless, greedy paws always searching for the next victim to claw.
Gleefully the rat would race along his imagined red, red mat.
Pilfering what he can along the way, I dare not advise any to stay.
away, away...
For this greedy, pilfering rat will not stop until his insides go splat.
The Lonely by Sacha Hope
Sadness, loud and clear ring through silent eyes,
Yet again you dealt in lies,
Eyes sombre and true never knew,
The freedom you feel by toying with our ties.
Would you weep, miss me when I die?
Would you chase another, continuing to vie for power?
Here I remain, prisoner, in your wretched tower.
Here I would die alone and anonymous,
Fed on lies.
Thursday, 31 August 2017
To My Lover
To My Lover by Sacha Hope
Gentle lover, how I wish to feel your embrace,
Your hands, your kiss, your face.
Dear lover how I wish time did not part,
How often do I ponder the life we could start?
Fearful lover, you turn from grace,
You push and retreat to an unknown space.
Harsh lover, you pained me in many ways,
Foolishly I stay.
Dog-loyal and convinced love unconditional being all you need,
Oh wicked lover! Do you see me bleed?
Aging by Sacha Hope
Woe betide winter eyes staring lifelessly at the wall,
Years waning, skin failing, hair greying.
What devilry is this?
Was I not in the cusp of youth but a few summers back?
Crows leave their feet,
Skin burn and sag,
The youthful bounce in shiny mane replaced by crackling straw.
When did vision become foggy?
When did it become effort to play?
Why would youth not stay?
Woe betide those poor fools seeking,
Desperately clinging to fleeting spring days,
For we all must surrender to winter and if we are lucky,
Being graced with age, golden and sage.
Uncommon Origins Anthology
UnCommon Origins presents 22
depictions of moments on the
precipice, beginnings both beautiful
and tragic. Fantastical stories of
Creation, Feral Children, Gods and
Goddesses (both holy and horrific),
and possibilities you never dared
imagine come to life.
Including stories from some of the
most talented Speculative Fiction and
Magical Realism authors around,
UnCommon Origins will revisit the
oldest questions in the universe:
Where did we come from?
What comes next?
The Hanging Gardens of Brooklyn by
Rhoads Brazos
Aplanetary by Holly Heisey, Author
Glass Heart by Sacha Hope
Cultural Gleanings by Deanne Charlton
Fringling by J.D. Harpley - Astral
Poseidon's Tears by E.L. Johnson
The Curl of Emma Jean by Michele
Tracy Berger
The Price by Samuel Peralta
Growing Simon by Jo West
The Terrible Discovery of Professor
Charles Cooper by Jonathan Cromack
The Last Star by D.L. Orton
My Darlings by P.K. Tyler
The Tombstone Man and the Coming
of the Tigress by Nillu Nasser Stelter
In The Periphery by Erica Ruhe
Exhale by Laxmi Hariharan
Ifrit by Brent Meske
Swim With The Beavers by Robert
Allen Lupton
The Least Child by Daniel Arthur Smith
Consciousness by Zig Zag Claybourne
Her by Rebecca Poole
The Apple by Shebat Legion
Becoming Mage by Melanie Lamaga
Dear Little Rat
Dear Little Rat by Sacha Hope
Dear little rat, bitey and knowing
The furrow on yellow teeth glowing
Blood newly drawn as it drips coppery rich at dawn
Dear little rat the pain of pleasure you bring
Falling, tumbling, dead by broken swing
Dear little rat you know just how deep to bite
Make me leap in fright
High pitched wailing
Arms flailing
Silent screams begging for sweet release
Teeth gnawing, sinews snapping
My dear little rat yapping in pleasure
My treasure
My heart treasure
Ever under pressure from gleaming teeth
My dear little rat, sweet little brat
May you go splat
Sewer Rat
Sewer rat by Sacha Hope
Ever scurrying, searching, needing patches of sweet light
Rat, mottled and rotten, scurries from the latest fright
Demon gloom in the sewers below
Lurks a threat all to known
Yet rat i be and abandon ship
Climbing dank, slimey stone, almost reaching that desired light
Slipping, falling, squealing with all its might
Sewer rat, dazed with fright, scampers
Refusing to embrace the dark yet never obeying light
Sewer rat ever race in unknowing twilight


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C1 Partners needed a new infographic design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 16 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
The Center For Legal Studies
Legal Investigator Career Facts / Why become a legal investigator
See attached file. Feel free to make edits to copy or research additional information.
Open to copy suggestions/updates. The attached file contains a draft.


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Vaporesso introduces their new flagship platform, the Revenger X 220W, utilizing the latest OMNI Board 2.2 chipset along with a responsive touch interface with haptic pattern and a quick start-up speed. The Revenger X has a 5 to 220W output range, a 0.05 to 5.0 ohm atomizer resistance range, and several output modes, two of which include: Customized Curve of Wattage (CCW) and Customized Curve of Temperature (CCT), giving the device quite a bit of functional versatility.
The Revenger X is powered by two high amperage 18650 batteries (sold separately) which can be accessed via the magnetized battery door. A 0.96 inch OLED screen displays essential information to the user, such as: wattage/temperature, atomizer resistance, individual battery life display, and also has a Real Time Clock (RTC) display. The screen and touch interface blends into the panel, giving the device a unique and classy look. Along with the aluminum alloy chassis material, Vaporesso introduces an In-Mould Labeling (IML) Injection Coating, which is environmentally friendly and allows for greater quality graphics than traditional decorating methods.
The Revenger X can be charged via USB and has the capability of a 2.5A quick charge, alongside an equalizing charge system and USB input protection.
Revenger X Mod Includes
Features/Specifications of the Revenger X Mod
Yup works good !
Upon receiving this mod I have been pleasantly surprised. I haven't tested temperature control but the wattage and curve modes seem to be working wonderfully. The inclusion of the smart mode is something I didn't realize I even wanted until trying it out. This mod is extremely user friendly and provides a great menu that functions with ease for any new or experienced vapers. I would highly recommended this to anyone looking to replace their current setup or simply looking to make the switch from cigarettes!


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Christian quickly and quietly reached for Shawn as I entered the front door. "He thinks you're a babysitter. Don't take it personally." Shawn reassured me as he hugged Christian, their second born, and set him down. As Lauren completed the finishing touches on her hair's curls, and Nathan took one last trip to the bathroom, we made our way to the front door again for a walk.
I'd always wanted to photograph here, but thought a cemetary slightly morbid for a family session. Lauren & Shawn found the most beautiful spots of it though, without grave markers, and we made the most of our time together.
As a quick suggestion, on our way out the door, we grabbed Lauren's rocking chair from when she was a Little One and used it for her boys. First, Nathan:
The following photos were as silly as Nathan got with me during our session. With a slight sneeze thrown in for good measure:).
Though they've walked through this area multiple times, they've never actually fed the geese. This time, they did and we garnered a following and it gave the boys a break from getting their pictures taken.
While the boys played with sticks and rocks (I love how boys are easily entertained!!), we got some great images of Lauren & Shawn as a duet without their other quartet members.
While wrapping up and sensing the boys were finished, I grabbed some candids of Lauren in her gorgeous role of Mom.
Lauren & Shawn: As always, it is a pleasure! Thank you so much for trusting me and hanging out with me and my camera. You have a beautiful family and are raising your boys so well. There were several occassions together where I was so impressed with how they responded to discipline, guidance and your requests. What a job well done! Can't wait till our next session--I'm sure your boys will amaze me then even more. :)
PS You can view the rest of our session


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VOLUNTEERS are needed in a wide variety of roles to help in the restoration of a historic paddle driven steamship.
PS Medway Queen is berthed at Gillingham Pier in Kent and open to the public on Saturdays from Easter to December while the restoration project continues on selected weekdays.
The Medway Queen was launched in 1924 and entered service on Thames estuary routes in May of that year.
She was used as a minesweeper in World War Two and is famous for her seven trips – rescuing 7000 men – in the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.
The ship is in the care of a registered charity and all members of the project work on a voluntary basis.
The hull has been completely rebuilt with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the EU Regional Development Fund. It is now in a fitting out phase and operating as a
heritage tourist attraction.
Richard Halton, of the Medway Queen Preservation Society, said: "We need to build the footfall on public open days and get the interior of the ship to a fit state to be hired out as a venue to raise more funds for the restoration.
"A Heritage Lottery Fund 'Transformation Project'has enabled us to make great strides in respect of our organisation and now we need to build on that and increase our capability to support this famous historic ship."
Volunteers in technical, administrative and sales/marketing roles are needed.
Richard said: "We have teams for woodwork, electrical and mechanical fitting, more hands will enable us to progress more quickly with the fitting out phase of Medway Queen's restoration.
"We need to build up the Visitor Centre team to show people round the ship and operate souvenir and coffee shops. More help means more time open to the public and more revenue for the restoration.
"There are administration, fundraising and marketing tasks and help is needed there too. The existing teams are stretched to the limit and extra pairs of hands – or fingers on keyboards – would be welcomed with open arms."
He added: "If you think you can help restore this famous old ship please get in touch."
The Medway Queen Preservation Society is managed by a Board of Trustees and additional board members are also needed.
The ship and visitor centre will be open to the public on Saturdays until December and then close to visitors until shortly before Easter for the 2019 season.
To join this "happy band" of volunteers and trustees call in on a public day or get in touch by phone 01634 575717 or email email@example.com
More details of the society online at www.medwayqueen.co.uk


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Black History Month is an integral part of our nation's tradition in which we promote affirmative examples of important historical events, honorable leaders and steps towards collective change. Programs that celebrate Black history, culture & heritage are titled More Than a Month in an effort to emphasize that reflection, open dialogue, interdisciplinary education and shared advocacy needs to take place in our communities every month, all year round.
Beginning on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday weekend and throughout February, the Library champions Black history, culture & heritage with special music, dance, crafts and storytelling events at every branch in the City. More Than a Month features film screenings and literary events for adults, interactive events for teens, hands-on activities for kids and exhibits, music and craft classes for the whole family.
Visit the African American Center in the Main Library to learn about historical, political and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and beyond. In addition to housing a collection of reference materials spanning a broad range of subject areas, the Center organizes many free exhibits and programs.
All year long we invite you to join us every day, in every library location, to continue honoring and celebrating the diverse and special histories and heritages that make up our beloved City and our unique country.
2019 Program Highlights
- Black & Brown Comix Arts Festival (BCAF) – Jan. 20,
1–5 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium and
Jan. 21, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.,
City View at Metreon, 135 Fourth St.
- Lighting the Fuse to Civil Rights – February 9, 1pm-4pm, Treasure Island Museum
Panel experts discuss how the Port Chicago disaster and ensuing mutiny trial contributed to the birth of the Civil Rights movement as well as pivotal racial and equity issues still being discussed today.
- The Port Chicago Story January 26 - February 28, Treasure Island Museum
During the 75th Anniversary of the Port Chicago disaster and trial, view an exhibit which tells the story of the explosions, the trial and their impact. Presented by the National Park Service, in partnership with the Treasure Island Museum and the San Francisco Public Library.


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The purpose of the Gibbs lectures is officially defined as "to enable the public and the academic community to become aware of the contribution that mathematics is making to present-day thinking and to modern civilization." This puts me in a difficult position. I happen to be a physicist who started life as a mathematician. As a working physicist, I am acutely aware of the fact that the marriage between mathematics and physics, which was so enormously fruitful in past centuries, has recently ended in divorce. I shall examine in detail some examples of missed opportunities, occasions on which mathematicians and physicists lost chances of making discoveries by neglecting to talk to each other.
Though the general theory of relativity was completed in 1915, there remained unresolved problems. In particular, the principle of local energy conservation was a vexing issue. In the general theory, energy is not conserved locally as it is in classical field theories - Newtonian gravity, electromagnetism, hydrodynamics, etc.. Energy conservation in the general theory has been perplexing many people for decades. In the early days, Hilbert wrote about this problem as 'the failure of the energy theorem'. In a correspondence with Klein [3], he asserted that this 'failure' is a characteristic feature of the general theory, and that instead of 'proper energy theorems' one had 'improper energy theorems' in such a theory. Thisconjecture was clarified, quantified and proved correct by Emmy Noether.


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Please return the item/items to us in their original condition within 14 days of receipt.


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Letters: Why people voted for Trump
Re "Democrats need to move left" (Viewpoints, Oct. 15): Leonard Pitts Jr. needs to rethink his position. In typical liberal fashion, he is blaming Trump's win on, racism and sexism. It wasn't just white men that voted for Trump. Trump turned blue states red. That didn't turn because all of a sudden, voters became racist and sexist. It was because of President Barack Obama's left-wing policies. People are losing their jobs, and their doctors. They have to pay for free health care. Free health care is unaffordable for those of us who have to pay for it. Obama's left wing policies turned a bunch of union workers into Trump supporters. They voted for Trump for the same reason I did. We can't afford our government any more.
Joe Phelps, Citrus Heights


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Commentary: Gay marriage's inevitability isn't a foregone conclusion
No matter what happened in court this week, gay marriage will be the law in California one day.
At least that's what many gay marriage proponents were saying after Tuesday's state Supreme Court ruling.
"History shows us that prejudice and inequality diminish with time and struggle, and so it will be in the case with marriage freedom," State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said in a prepared statement.
Steinberg expresses nice sentiments, but that doesn't make him right.
Gay marriage is like no other civil rights struggle in this country, because it shakes up old political assumptions, divides friends and families.
And gay marriage opponents are not ready to lay down their arms.
They firmly reject the contention that their opposition is rooted in prejudice. And they disagree that a younger, more progressive voting base inevitably will step up to make same-sex marriage the law.
They vow to hold the line, and to defeat gay marriage supporters at the ballot box in 2010, 2012, or whenever the battle is joined again.
"I honestly think if (gay marriage supporters) push and we win again, that will be the end of the line," said Frank Schubert, the Sacramento-based consultant who was the lead strategist in a winning campaign to defeat same-sex marriage at the polls last November.
"There is no evidence to suggest that same-sex marriage is just a matter of time."
The prophecy of legalized same-sex marriage is rooted in exit poll numbers from last November which showed that 61 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds voted against Proposition 8 , the ballot measure that banned gay marriage.
You hear it on the street all the time – how the bigots will die off and be replaced by young progressives. But the traditional marriage movement is banking on young people switching sides.
"Young people mature as they grow older. Their views change when they marry and have their own children," Schubert said.
What traditional marriage supporters have in their favor is the fact that gay marriage has not been approved by voters in any state. It's the law in a handful of states – as it was briefly in California – by virtue of court orders or legislative action.
California's highest court on Tuesday declined to undo the will of the people at the ballot box. So now Schubert waits for the inevitable next ballot box challenge. He's readying big-money donors to maintain the support of Latinos and African Americans, who voted against gay marriage in a big way last November.
Put bluntly, Schubert's side won last time because they wanted it more. So the question to gay marriage advocates is: How badly do you want it?
If the answer is a campaign of political rhetoric about inevitability, gay marriage will never become law in California. The other side is too strong for that.


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The North Yorkshire Moors National Park sits between York and Newcastle in North East England, is bordered by the North Sea to the east and covers an area of some 550 square miles. Skirting around roughly two thirds of its border, the Cleveland Way is the second oldest national trail in the U.K. and highlights the very best that the region has to offer. From twelfth century monastic abbeys, over heather moorland, via rugged sea cliffs to secretive smuggling villages, the Cleveland Way packs an awful lot into a very small space.
The trail begins in the south west corner of the park at the market square in the lovely village of Helmsley. Initially heading directly away from the final destination may seem disheartening, but this is a trail to be savoured rather than rushed, and wandering through lanes, fields, woodland and gentle river valleys sets the tone for the first section of the walk. An early diversion to the Cistercian Rievaulx Abbey is a must for all, history fan or no, and you should soon take another diversion for the fantastic views and the White Horse hill painting at Roulston Scar.
The views west continue through the high moorland of the Hambleton Hills before the trail drops down into the pretty village of Osmotherley with its village green featuring a stone barter table. A series of small hills then leads into a long section of moorland over Urra Moor, the high point of the trail at 454m, and the distinctive hill at Roseberry Topping. Skirting the town of Guisborough, brings us to the halfway point of the trail as we reach the coast at the Victorian resort town of Saltburn.
The remaining portion of the trail is markedly different in character from the previous moorland sections. The trail now follows the coast over cliffs and dunes and through picture postcard fishing villages like Staithes where the smuggling used to bring in far more revenue than the fishing yet places like the derelict Port Mulgrave are testimony to the modern decline of the fishing and smuggling industries. After a good few more miles of marvellous cliff top walking, Whitby is the next large town.
It has charm and history aplenty; associations with Dracula and Captain Cook, an abbey on the hill opposite the town, a history of whaling and fantastic fish and chips. Whitby is definitely worth some exploration time. Then it's on, over mile after mile of wonderful sea cliffs through the most famous smuggling village of them all, Robin Hood's Bay, before we reach the two seaside resort towns of Scarborough and Filey. Scarborough and Filey are both creations of the Victorian era with grand sea-front hotel facades and bandstands being the defining characteristics of both towns. Scarborough is by far the bigger and grander of the two but they each have their charm, with Filey's claim to fame, for our purposes at least, being the end of the fantastically varied and interesting Cleveland Way.
Date posted: 24th April, 2017Home > Articles > Cleveland Way


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Have space at the end of your Balanced Body Trapeze Table for a CoreAlign? Buy the standard CoreAlign ladder above, then use this Bracket Kit to attach your ladder to the end of your Trapze Table. Remove ladder easily and quickly, as needed.
Another space-saving option, for those who have Balanced Body Wall Towers. Buy the standard CoreAline ladder above, then use this Bracket Kit to attach your ladder to the Wall Tower verticals. Switch out the Wall Tower mats for the CoreAlign, and you're ready to go. Remove ladder easily and quickly for sessions on the Wall Tower.
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Strongly recommended for interested teachers.


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The Bamix Story
A Swiss inventor, Mr. Roger Perrinjaquet invents an entirely new type of kitchen appliance. On 6 March 1950 he applies for a patent for an "appareil menager portatif" (hand-held kitchen appliance). The application describes the world's first stick (or wand) mixer. He calls the new appliance "bamix®", an abbreviation of the French "battre et mixer" (beat and mix).
Mr. Spingler and Mr. Gschwend found the company ESGE (the name reflects the first letters of their surnames as they are pronounced: S = ES and G = GE. In the beginning the seven collaborators produce bicycle stands, electrical saws and small electrical motors.
Mr. Perrinjaquet sells the patent rights to ESGE who produce the first wand mixers towards the end of this year.
On 24 April 1955 the new bamix® wand mixer is presented for the first time to the public at the Hanover International Fair. Soon afterwards the new appliance is named Zauberstab® (magic wand) for the German market. The company has already 74 collaborators and a turnover of 1.4 million German Marks.
Bodart BV specialises in selling kitchen appliances at consumer trade fairs (they are present at 60 of these fairs in the Netherlands). At a small fair in Valkenburg in the Netherlands, they carry out trial sales. Not only do they sell very well but they also come to realise that the most effective way to convince potential customers of the usefulness of this small but expensive appliance is through a "live demonstration"! In rapid succession, Mr. Walter Bodart is appointed bamix® distributor for The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg. Under the direction of his two sons (Peter and Johann), the company is still the exclusive distributor for bamix® in the Benelux countries today.
A Swiss company in Basel, Switzerland is asked to investigate the production under licence of bamix® for the Swiss market.
Collaborators of Bodart in Belgium load their utensils into their cars, drive to Sweden and demonstrate at the consumer trade fair in Stockholm. The 834 bamixes® sold in this fair exceed all previous sales in the country. Shortly afterwards a test is carried out at the "Flower Show" in Oslo, Norway where an incredible 1332 units are sold. Based on this success Mr. Bodart sets up agencies in all Scandinavian countries.
ESGE - Export in Glarus (Switzerland) is founded and becomes responsible for exports to member countries of EFTA (European Free Trade Association) - i.e. Great Britain, Finland, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland and Ireland. Administration is centralised and taken care of by the newly founded ESGE International in Zurich. In addition, ESGE France is founded and produces for the EEC (European Economic Community) countries Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and France.
In November 1960 ESGE AG, a further production company is founded and a factory building (former textile factory built in 1906) is bought in Mettlen, Switzerland (in the north-eastern, German-speaking part of Switzerland). In the course of the year, production of bamix® commences at a daily rate of 250 units.
Teams from the Netherlands and Belgium exhibit regularly at British shows and this country quickly becomes the most important market for bamix®. Demand for products is so high that for some time, deliveries are delayed as production struggles to meet this demand.
The shape of the bamix® M 60 (60 watt) is redesigned by Acton Bjorn (Denmark) and Duke Sigvard Bernadotte (Sweden). Great importance is paid to arrive at an anatomically appropriate form and the result of their work is the Model M 100. Even now, 50 years later, and despite of many technical improvements and detail alterations, the original form can still be clearly recognised.
The number of bamixes® produced now passes the million mark. Production under licence begins in Italy and Spain.
In Germany the output capacity is increased and in Japan the trading company NIPPON ESGE K.K. is founded.
From 1958 some other products (small vacuum cleaners, citrus presses, toasters, meat slicers, electrical plate warmers, hairdryers) had been added to the production and/or sales programme. Although sold under the ESGE brand, these products were never successful. In Germany, (a market representing 2/3 of the total turnover), sales of the bamix® almost grind to a halt. By contrast, the administrative machinery had developed to a considerable size.
Mr. Gschwend and Mr. Spingler sell their company to General Electric, the largest producer of electrical goods in the USA. The Americans try to get the company back on its feet and close down most of the factories - only Mettlen, Switzerland and Neuffen, Germany remain.
From a low level, bamix® sales slowly increase. At the Foire de Bruxelles 2,000 bamixes® are sold - the highest ever turnover achieved at a trade fair.
General Electric decides to sell the ESGE Group. At that time, Mr. Bodart is the most important customer for bamix® (approx. 2/3 of sales). He represents bamix® in the Benelux countries, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain and Ireland. Mr. Bodart buys the plant in Switzerland and all rights for bamix® and the Zauberstab®. Thus ESGE in Mettlen becomes the only production plant for bamix®. The first step Mr. Bodart takes is to reduce bureaucratic machinery.
The business philosophy Mr. Bodart pursues is very simple: quality above quantity - and - concentration on one product only - and - as little red tape as possible! These basics are still in use today.
bamix® sales are back to an annual turnover of more than 100,000 units.
Up to now bamix® was sold almost exclusively in Europe. The boom years following Second World War are already history and the first recession (triggered by the oil crisis) has become a reality. In 1974 a South African company starts selling the bamix® and realises respectable sales. The once important German market recovers very slowly and the Zauberstab® is present only in retail. For the first time in some years, sales in Germany surpass those of Switzerland - a country that is ten times smaller.
The "Cassette" model is added to the range of models. The Cassette allows the bamix® and all its attachments to be clearly arranged in one place.
In Germany the once so successful consumer fairs are attended only sporadically. This sales channel is now managed by a specialist company and Mr. Rathke succeeds in increasing sales in this channel very considerably in the years to come.
In August 1977 ESGE participates in the Melbourne Home Show. This first non-European exhibition is so successful (close to 1,000 units) that additional bamixes® have to be flown to Melbourne during the Show. Consequently our Australian distributor founds bamix Australia Ltd. and soon bamix® becomes one of the most well known brands in this country. At the same time as the Melbourne Home Show, another team demonstrates the bamix® successfully at a show in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The next show outside of Europe takes place in Singapore. Our new Singapore distributor has quite some doubts due to our relatively high price in this very competitive market. However, Singaporeans also fall in love with this versatile high-quality kitchen appliance.
In the same month, the same bamix® team travels to Los Angeles and demonstrates there successfully for four weeks, from morning till night.
This year with more than 3,000 units sold, the Amsterdam show exceeds the previous record of the Brussels show.
In this year bamix® is demonstrated at a large number of fairs, such as in Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Malaysia and Indonesia. Production at the plant rises steadily.
In the early 80s a Japanese lady purchases a bamix® from our (not very successful) distributor. She works with the bamix®, trying out many Japanese and even European recipes. Ms. Sakurako Ide falls in love with the appliance and shows it to her friends, who then also want to buy this fantastic machine. Soon Ms. Ide organises cooking parties with friends who in turn also start to have parties - and thus raise interest in the bamix®. Sales grow steadily and Ms. Ide becomes the exclusive distributor of bamix® for Japan as a result. The dedication and hard work of our Japanese friends have made bamix® a real success story - and this in a market with the most demanding consumers.
The existing factory becomes too small and a new extension is added to the existing shop, thus doubling the production space. In the same year, successful fairs are held in Kyushu, Japan and Nairobi, Kenya.
bamix® is sold at fairs in South Africa, Hong Kong and Brunei.
First contacts are made with a company in Sri Lanka, and in Santiago, Chile one of our teams demonstrates the bamix®.
Thanks to very great efforts of the promotion and sales teams in Australia, bamix® reaches its highest per capita turnover worldwide. Sales in Thailand grow steadily and sales in Sri Lanka reach rather unexpected heights. Daily production reaches 1,600 units.
bamix® celebrates its 30th birthday. No doubt, there are not many electrical household items which reach this age and which are still becoming more and more popular.
After many years of very hard work, Mr. Bodart (who owned the company for 15 years) wants to ease off. In a management buyout the 3 managers - Mr. Max Ruttimann (Technical), Valentin Gunsch (Finance), and Werner Stahl (Marketing) take over the ownership of the company. Mr. Bodart remains President for many years to come.
In the same year, the bamix® processor is launched. This attachment allows the grinding not only of dry but also of wet ingredients.
We all know that thousands of professional chefs use the bamix® in their kitchens. What we do not know is the fact that German TV broadcasts the programme "Cooking like God in Germany". We also do not know that most of the famous chefs who participate take along their own Zauberstab® and use it for their recipes. It is only when a customer makes us aware of this we understand why orders from Germany are suddenly increasing to a level that sees us run into capacity problems.
One employee from ESGE and a local student present and demonstrate the bamix® at the Swiss Fair in Seoul, Korea. We meet with exceptional interest and find a local distributor. Three years later - after some start-up problems - the demand becomes so significant that we have to ship most of the units by air.
George McBride specialises in demonstration selling at Canadian fairs. We reject his first order for bamix® on the grounds that bamix® does not comply with Canadian regulations (which - if met - would degrade our bamix® to a ordinary stirrer). George tells us that the regulations had just been altered and so we supply our first bamix® to Canada.
UNOLD, one of the German sub-distributors takes over the retail distribution division for the German market. Thanks to the outstanding efforts of Mr. and Ms. Unold (and later their children and children-in-law) the Zauberstab® regains its former prominent position in German retail.
Various professional chefs ask us to produce a bamix® "just 5 cm longer". After very long practical tests in hotel kitchens, we launch the "bamix® Gastro" - a model for professionals which becomes more successful than we had expected.
In the same year the Swiss bamix® distributor becomes part of the bamix® Group.
bamix® has been sold in Japan for many years and the really demanding consumers are very satisfied with our quality. Based on this, the largest Japanese direct selling company includes bamix® (as its first outside product) in its sales programme.
After some years of problems with various distributors, Kevin and Alison Gilbert take over the distribution in Great Britain. Five years later they realise a record sales turnover at the Ideal Home Exhibition in London.
Most people find it hard to believe that ESGE produces only one type of appliance - and this same product for 40 years.
Not long after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we are able to introduce the bamix® in the former Communist countries (i.e. Hungary, Russia, Poland, etc.).
The design of the bamix® was created in 1961. It may well be described as one of the most outstanding industrial designs in history (see also 2001). No basic change in design has been made in all these years but the product now undergoes a "soft" redesign by a Swiss designer. At the same time, the new twin-switch safety switch is introduced and the Cassette is also given a more modern shape.
A journalist from "De Telegraaf" newspaper enters one of our distributor's shops in the Netherlands. He actually wants to buy a new bamix® but takes along his defective bamix® which is more than 30 years old. He can hardly believe it but he leaves the shop with his old bamix® repaired. After some further research into the product and the company, he publishes a double-page article in the newspaper's Sunday edition. In the following days, the phones at our distributor ring off the hook. It's not just readers who want to order but also customers who are proudly calling to say that they too are using very old bamix® appliances.
The book "50 Klassiker - Design des 20. Jahrhunderts" (50 classic designs of the 20th century) is published. We are proud that the ESGE-Zauberstab® is prominently mentioned in this book together with products like Levi's jeans, the bikini, Chanel N0. 5, Concorde, Swatch, the Sony Walkman, Lego and others.
"SwissLine", the successor of the bamix® top model "Cassette" is launched. The entirely splashproof construction with the "softgrip" switch and the futuristic design of the "Swiss Line" stand meet with a very positive response from consumers.
For decades we were forced to say: "bamix® can do everything except slice and grate". Now, after three years of intensive development and extensive testing, the new "SliceSy®" does all this work perfectly. Moreover, the new attachment is easy to handle and easy to clean: the typical bamix advantages. This new attachment is certainly a milestone in the history of bamix®.
This year is another important year in the interesting history of bamix®. The three owners are getting older and they are keen to ensure the future of the product and the company. Their profile of a buyer and successor is straightforward: the buyer needs to ensure that the existing corporate policy (centring on the word "quality") continues. Mr. Erich Eigenmann intends to do exactly this and an agreement is quickly reached. As of 1 October Mr. Eigenmann begins his tenure as CEO and thus as the new Mr. Bamix.
The company begins its association with British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. A new model bearing his name will be manufactured and sold worldwide.
Market launch of bamix® in Russia and China. Introduction of the bamix® Gastro 350 in the HORECA sector worldwide.
After a project phase lasting several years, the Donermat (kebab cutter) is brought onto the market.
Market launch of the SliceSy® in Japan.
Move to the new warehouse in autumn.
Introduction of the new quality standards according to ISO norm 9001.
The company enters new markets in Iran, Indonesia and South Korea.
Further expansion of capacity with the addition of a third production line.