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I can finally say it: today, I met the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison!
That is big. Peter doesn't really venture to the South West – few Doctors actually do – and as I'm a big fan of his, I was very excited to hear he'd be at the Stars of Time event, Weston-super-Mare, in an unprecedented move, the second Stars to be held in the small seaside town in a single year. Normally, it's held in the spring on the outskirts of Weston, at a place owned by an MP I… let's say, disapprove of. This year, we had one in the spring, and one during the August Bank Holiday at the Tropicana, right on the seafront.
But what would it be like? A change of venue can make or break a convention, particularly when the new location is a highly controversial one.
The Tropicana. It might ring some bells. It's a huge place that used to house a magnificent swimming pool; back in 1937, it had the highest diving board and was the largest open air swimming pool in Europe. Then the Council left it to rot.
Despite repeated calls from Weston residents to do something with the Tropicana, it lay derelict for around 15 years (give or take the odd burst of inspiration, during which they'd open up the café at the front to get a bit of tourist trade in). Except it was made worse by the Council letting construction workers dump a load of rubble in there, even breaking an original fountain (and leading to its demolition). You might not have heard about all this because North Somerset Council likes to keep these things as quiet as possible. You certainly won't have heard about all these controversies when national news covered a very special exhibition there last summer.
Banksy's Dismaland. Yep, it was wonderful and disconcerting. And sad. Seeing what had become of the old place was so disheartening. You could see why the world-renowned graffiti artist decided it was the ideal site for his distorted Disney-esque exhibition.
For a year, it's largely gone under the radar again. We knew the Stars of Time was incoming, but would it really be suitable? Would they have done the place up a bit in the intervening year?
The answers are, respectively, yes and no. Yes, it turned out to be surprisingly suitable. And no, nothing's really been done to improve it. That means the Stars of Time is a great convention, let down by lots of little things.
The website warns that the Tropicana can only entertain 3,500 people, but there was no word about the funfair that occupies the main expanse, what would've been the swimming pool. I'm sure this had been welcomed by some families, but it still felt a little grim, the cracked and sloping floors, broken tiles, and weeds adding a dystopian tinge to the dodgems, waltzer, and bungee trampolines.
Similarly, nothing's been done to the indoor rooms which the convention occupied. For Dismaland, it was absolutely sweltering. Today, it was pretty much the same – albeit slightly better when someone came across the genius idea to open the doors to let in more air. Air conditioning would've been lovely. Industrial-sized fans too. Once you got used to it, it wasn't too bad, but you couldn't stand it for too long. I've no idea how the guests coped.
And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Guests. The Stars of Time boasted two Doctors, a companion, and plenty of other stars, including David Stone (Star Wars: A New Hope), Bern Collaço (Spectre), and Eileen Roberts (Star Wars: A New Hope). Tina Simmons is a fresh face at conventions, having appeared in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and in the Inferno club in 1966's The War Machines: it's always good to have a friendly new star to speak to, and she was very giving of her time. Clem So, who you'll know best as a Clockwork Droid in Deep Breath, though his credits also include Pond Life, Time-Heist, and The Husbands of River Song, was back after May's Stars of Time, so it was great talking to him again.
Colin Baker's a regular in Weston and admitted he really likes it here. Sarah Sutton, aka Nyssa, is also a frequent visitor, often recognising fans from previous events. Their section of the room was decidedly organised compared to the melee of further signings…
It was truly wonderful to see the never-ending queue of fans waiting to see Peter Davison. It's incredible but perfectly just that his Doctor gets so much love. The line for his autograph was huge from the get-go, effectively erecting a wall of people in front of further guests, including Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones), and yes, even Colin Baker and Sarah Sutton. Similarly, when Davison went to a professional photo session (pleasingly, £5 instead of the £12.50 advertised), the queue essentially ran the length of the whole room, with a few stragglers trying to shoulder in on the act.
The queuing system was largely a shambles. A free-for-all. It was a joke. You can rely on many fans to form some semblance of order; you can rely on others to be ignorant and arrogant and shove in. Nonetheless, it was more than worth braving that queue for a brief chat with Peter, a signing session, and a free photograph.
Elsewhere, there were more exhibitors than usual, stalls selling comics, movie posters, models, and all manner of merchandise. A few regular stalls were there, but a couple were missing too, which is a big shame. Those I spoke to agreed that the venue wasn't perfect, at least in condition (and heat!), but there was added interest during this tourist season – a perk of being right on the sea front at the twilight of summer.
You've got to take the rough with the smooth. Fortunately, there was more than enough to enjoy, to overshadow the Tropicana's state. Let's hope Colin, Sarah, and co. found it similarly conducive and come back soon.
Peter Davison told me he'd last been to Weston-super-Mare when he was really small, and recalls getting stuck in the mud. I really, really hope he doesn't leave it long for another return trip. Today has proven how highly-regarded he is, and that was utterly wonderful to see.
The Stars of Time continues on Bank Holiday Monday 29th August 2016 at the Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare, although Colin, Sarah, and Miltos were only attending Sunday's event.


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Police: 13-year-old charged in Hastings stabbingPosted: Updated:
Hastings police have charged a 13-year-old resident at a Hastings school with assault following an incident on Friday night.
Police say the violence began when the teen had a dispute with a staff member at the Greenburgh-Graham School, a residential and treatment center for at-risk youth.
When another resident tried to break it up, the 13-year-old allegedly stabbed her and the staff member.
Both injuries were non–life threatening.
The suspect is being held at the Woodfield Cottage Juvenile facility in Valhalla and will be arraigned in Family Court on Tuesday.

subset: commoncrawl


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Push Button Trouble
|Episode number
|Air Date
|June 20, 2014
|Written by
|Rémi Chapotot
|Directed by
|Rémi Chapotot
|Epic Sir Bucket
Push Button Trouble is the eleventh episode of Piggy Tales and the sequel to Push Button.
Toons.TV Description
Another day, another button! Why can't those pesky piggies just do as they're told? Being curious must be in their DNA!
A Minion Pig passes another box with a red button on top of it. Looking curious, he tries to push the button, but he can't reach it. So he runs towards the box and jumps over it, making him easier to push the button. After he pushes the button, the ground started to change its direction and the box flips, making the piggy fall. He's still curious with the button and pushes it again, making the same thing happen again, but with the floor more slant, and he rolls to the side of the ground. The piggy climbs the ground with Suction-cup wheels and pushes the button once again, making the floor even more slant. Trying to push the button again, he climbed the ground with a grappling hook and grips it to the box. But as he's almost reach the button, the box flips with the red button facing to the ground, then the ground keeps changing its direction every second piggy panics. After it stopped, the piggy calms down because the it stopped, but the box who's now at the top of him, falls and squishes him with the red button facing to the ground, make the ground looping around once again.
- This episode is the sequel of Push Button.
- The suction-cup wheels and the grappling hook are from Bad Piggies.
External links
Push Button Trouble on YouTube
|v • e Toons Episodes
|Angry Birds Toons Season 1
|Piggy Tales: Third Act
|· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
|Angry Birds Zero Gravity
| · ·


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Anvil Point Lighthouse is situated within the grounds of Durlston Country Park and approximately 2 miles up the hill from Swanage town centre. Anvil Point is at the eastern end of the Portland limestone and the Purbeck beds that stretch from Durlston Head in the east to St Aldhelm's Head in the West. The cliffs are popular with walkers and rock climbers.
The lighthouse which is built from locally quarried stone was completed in 1881 and opened by Neville Chamberlain's father Joseph, the then Minister of Transport.
The light is operational 24 hours a day and is positioned to give a waypoint for vessels on passage along the English Channel coast. To the west it gives a clear line from Portland Bill and to the east guides vessels away from the Christchurch Ledge and leads them into the Solent. The lighthouse originally used a paraffin vapour burner to illuminate the light. The station was modernised in 1960 and converted to run on mains electricity. In 1981 the lighthouse was modernised again with the old fog signal replaced with new automated equipment. The fog signal has since been discontinued and the lighthouse was fully automated on 31st May 1991. It is now controlled by Trinity House Operations and Planning Centre at Harwich.
Tilly Whim Caves
Attraction -
0.12 miles away
Durlston Country Park
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0.31 miles away
Durlston Castle
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Parks and Gardens
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1.07 miles away
Swanage Sea Rowing Club
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1.10 miles away
Heritage Centre
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Flooding in Swanage
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About Swanage
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Life Boat Station
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In preparation for the release of Sleepy Willow's Loosed Soul, book 3 of The Narcoleptic Vampire Series, I was able to interview Willow, the narcoleptic vampire. Watch this video to find out her view on the current state of her afterlife. Check out the ebook on Oct. 31st. *mwah*
7 Comments
Great idea to do a video interview! There were some good questions in there and I enjoyed seeing Willow on camera. Makes me look forward to the next book release even more. The only thing I was sad about is she didn't fall asleep in the video. I kept waiting for her to nod off during an uncomfortable question, but she managed to hang in there. Ah well, maybe next time 🙂
You know I have a soft spot for Willow. It was good to, not only see her, but to hear her also. I hope this video will be a precursor of things to come for Willow. I cannot wait! 🙂
Fun! And Jaies is hot! (I think I've said that before.)
I'll be in Dallas on a business trip on the 31st, so I'll have book 3 as hotel or flight reading.
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Kegtab is designed to be running continuously on a tablet installed on or near your beer tab. It supports the following major features:
- Live Status: While pouring, Kegtab shows the volume poured so far. When not pouring, Kegbot shows each tap's keg status, including total volume served and temperature.
- USB Kegboard Support: Plug a Kegboard directly into your tablet; Kegtab uses Android's USB Host APIs to directly communicate with the hardware.
- Drinker Authentication: Users can log in through an on-screen UI or use special access tokens such as RFIDs to start a pour.
- Drinker Registration: New drinkers can sign up for an account and upload a picture right from the main screen. Managers can disable this feature to limit new registrations.
- Flow Manager (Kegbot Core): Kegtab implements the full Kegbot "Core", responsible for all pour logic and flow processing.
- Beer Goggles (Camera Support): Kegtab will automatically snap a picture using the front-facing camera a few seconds after the pour starts. Don't worry, Kegtab shows a live preview, and you can cancel or delete the picture.
- Shout Box: During a pour, an editable text box lets drinkers leave a short message along with their pour.
- Manager PIN: Certain screens are protected with an optional manager PIN, preventing unauthorized access.
- Bling Tones: Kegtab will play manager-configured sound files at certain pour volume checkpoints.
- Twitter, Untappd, and more using Kegbot Server: Because the Kegtab app is backed by a Kegbot Server, all server-side post-pour features like automatic checkin are automatically supported.
Kegtab is compatible with a growing number of Android devices. The following are the minimum requirements:
- Android Version: 4.0+
- Required Features: USB OTG support.
- Recommended Features: Front-facing camera.
- Screen Size: hdpi or larger.
Not all Android devices are created equal. Please see the most up-to-date list of recommended Android devices on the Kegbot home page.
Next: Installation and Usage
Previous: Kegbot Android App Guide


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Convertible Bonds
What are Convertible Bonds?
A convertible bond is a security, typically ranging between 25 and 30 years in term, that gives its' owner the right to acquire the issuers common stock directly from the issuer rather than purchasing it in the open market. The terms under which this exchange can occur are detailed out in the bond indenture. The optionality component of this security, which allows for the bond holder to convert debt into equity, results in the bond holder receiving lower yields as compared to non-convertible securities.
Typically, convertible bonds will be classified as subordinated debt and therefore more risky than unsubordinated debt. Subordinated debt holders are lower on the totem pole as far as principal repayment during times of distress for the issuer. In the event of bankruptcy, "senior" bond holders will be paid their credit balance before subordinated debt holders.
Convertible Bond Structure
A convertible bond has a few key additional features in structure as compared to a typical bond:
Conversion Price - Price paid per share to acquire the common stock of the issuer
Conversion Ratio - This ratio determines the number of shares the bond holder will receive per bond they exchange.
The formula for the conversion ratio is: Par Value of Convertible Security divided by Conversion Price.
Parity - Conversion parity is the point at which a profit, nor loss, would be made at conversion. Basically, parity exists when the conversion ratio at issuance is equal to the convertible security price divided by the market value of the stock.
When the price of the stock increases above the conversion parity price, the convertible security would be subject to price changes relative to the movements of the stock. When this condition exists, stock price appreciation will be reflected in the price of the bond which will allow the bond holder to sell the convertible security for a profit rather than performing a conversion and then selling the stock for a gain.
Conversion Premium - The conversion premium measures the spread between the conversion price and the current market value in percent. For example, if a stock is currently trading at $50 per share and the bond conversion price is $60, the bond would be said to be trading with a 20% conversion premium.
Advantages and Disadvantages to Issuers
Convertible securities tend to be offered by issuers as a means to achieve lower fixed costs for borrowing. Issuers save an average of 2% on the yield that they give their convertible bond holders. For a start-up firm, this is especially helpful; rather than issuing common stock at a 15% to 20% discount to market value on IPO, firms can issue convertible securities which offer lower upfront yields to their borrowers and a conversion premium of 20% to 30% above market value at that time.
Secondly, through the issuance of convertible debt, issuers avoid dilution of their common shares and therefore, higher stock prices for their shareholders. The analysis would need to be done for the issuer to understand if the interest expense of the convertible debt issuance would be less than the cost of diluting the common stock. For start up companies with lower revenues, this is most likely the case.
Issuers may even add their own call protection feature into the bond allowing them to call the bond back in the case that the company starts to increase their earnings; therefore, increasing the stock and the price of the bond. The call feature would allow the issuer to force the bond holder to convert their bonds at a lower price.
For example, suppose the indenture stated that the convertible bond could be exchanged for 10 shares of common stock and also assume that the issuer built in a call provision that would allow them to call the bond away at a bond price of 110. When the bond was issued the stock was trading at $100/share. After a few years of rapid growth, the earnings per share increased dramatically and propelled the stock much higher to $120 per share which also moved the bond price to 120. In this scenario, the issuer would be able to make the bond holder sell the bond back at 110, or $1100 per bond. The value of the conversion is now $1200. Remember, the issuer uses convertibles rather than equity in order to avoid equity dilution which lowers stock price. In this case, the issuer has borrowed funds at a lowered rate, avoided equity dilution, and forced the bond holder to sell the bond at a discount to market. If equity needs to be raised, it can now be done at a higher price.
One key disadvantage to the issuer of a convertible exists if the stock price increases so rapidly that the conversion takes place in a relatively short amount of time. This indicates that the company did not do a good job of valuing themselves; however, it is a win win for both parties nonetheless. A second, and more negative scenario, exists when the common stock actually moves lower after issuance. In this case, the bond holder will not convert to equity as the issuer had hoped.
Advantages and Disadvantages to Convertible Investors
Convertible bonds are a safer investment than buying common stock but can provide the stock like returns. They are less volatile than stocks and their value can only fall to a price where the yield would be equal to that of a non-convertible bond of the same terms. They offer strong downside protection in a bear market, such as the one we experienced between 2000 and 2002 in the stock markets but also allow the investor to take part in the profits as a stock moves higher.
Convertibles can be disadvantageous in the sense that the bond holder will be receiving substantially lower yield to maturity in comparison to the non-convertible equivalent. This is only a concern when the issuer's equity does not achieve the upward price projections that would make taking the lower yield speculation worthwhile.
Additionally, the ability for speculation is greatly reduced when a call provision is attached to the convertible bond. This limits the upside and will force the bond holder to give up their bond at a discount to market.
Convertible bonds provide the investor with a vehicle which has lower risk and lower yields, yet allows the investor to take advantage of a higher stock price. Upfront research should be done however to understand if the security will work for you. Remember, a convertible sells at a premium to the value of the stock. The bond holder is making a tradeoff; lower yields upfront for anticipated gains in the stock price. If those gains are not achieved, the bond holder will have given up the yield spread between the convertible and non-convertible security.
Make sure you assess the quality of the company you are loaning money to. Does the company have the strength to withstand economic downturns or even recessions? What is the growth potential of the stock? There needs to be enough growth potential to compensate you for the lower yield you took on the convertible bond.


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P.S. I Love You News
Posted by:
Article Date:
April 6, 2007 |
Daily Record |
John Dingwall
Publication/Article Link:
DOUBLE Oscar winner Hilary Swank has revealed how her fabulous film career killed off her chances of a successful marriage.
She divorced Chad Lowe, who stars as creepy Reed Pollock in the latest series of 24, blaming his jealousy of her success for the split.
The actress, who picked up the coveted Academy awards for Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby, says she threw herself into her work to get over the break-up and the heartache it brought.
"I really feel like I am in a good place now. Luckily, I have a great support system around me for the tough times, but I also love my job and have been working non-stop," she admitted.
Her latest film role is a Christian missionary who has lost her faith in the supernatural thriller The Reaping, which she accepted just hours before collecting her second Oscar.
Her character specialises in debunking religious phenomena and goes to investigate a small town which seems to be suffering from the 10 Biblical plagues.
In fact, Hilary has just made four films back to back - The Reaping, The Black Dahlia, Freedom Writers and PS, I Love You.
It's a gruelling schedule but she feels all this hard work keeps her focused and grounded.
"I feel like I am in a place where I get to wake up and say: 'Hey, I get to go do what I love today and everything else is great'," she said.
"I was single for a while, but I'm in a relationship now.
"Actually, it's been all good and I'm doing great."
Blaming her life in Hollywood for the break-up, she added: "I think it takes a really, really secure and grounded man or woman to allow your partner to achieve success and be empowered.
"I just think it's rare to find that person who isn't threatened by it or doesn't feel less because of it.
"When they are threatened by it, that just kills a part of you.
"It kills you because this person, who is supposed to be in your life, sharing your life, who supposedly loves you more than anyone and is supposed to understand you more than anyone, is trying to hold you down when you already have enough of that in the world.
"You already have people saying: 'You can't do that. You're not going to be able to do that.'
"That just kills you. It kills a little piece of you, and that's a real and really sad thing.
"I think it's unfortunate when people who are scared don't allow someone else to be fully realised. It's tough. I think that a real challenge in life is finding the balance of living for yourself, but also making time for relationships, whatever they may be.
"I speak to my mom a few times a month and she understands, but that's sad.
"Someday, I don't want my mom to pass away or for me to pass away and for me to say: 'I didn't spend as much time with my mom as I wanted, my best friend or whoever in my life that's important to me.'
"It's really hard to find that balance, but it's also really hard not to give up your whole self to make someone else's life complete."
Hilary revealed many of her friends had stopped seeing her because they felt inadequate.
"I've had friends in my life who, as I get more successful, weren't a part of my life anymore because it made them feel inadequate," she said.
"It's hard to find those people who really say: 'I'm so proud of you. I want you to have all the success that happens in your life, and it doesn't make me feel like a lesser person because of it.'
"It's something that I don't understand. I feel like everyone has their calling in life, and I think that everyone should try and follow it and be as great as they can be and support one another.
"Not everyone can be that way. So, friendships fall apart. Siblings have rivalries. We have wars. I mean, it's just the human condition. I'm just really lucky that I have dear friends in my life who say: 'I hope that you get everything that you want. I'm really happy when you get success.' And, they really mean it. But, sadly, they are few and far between."
Filming on The Reaping was delayed when Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, wreaking havoc on Louisiana and leaving many of the film crew without homes.
"It was a horrible event," Hilary recalled. "The great thing about the way the studio handled it was that instead of closing down, moving and filming somewhere else, they said: 'Let's just let some time go by, go back and make sure that we keep people employed.'
"A lot of people in the cast and crew were from New Orleans. So, about 10 days later, we were back filming in the swamps."
She agreed to the part on the same weekend she collected her second Oscar, for her role as a female boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, based on the short stories of F.X. O'Toole and scripted by Crash screenwriter Paul Haggis.
Hilary put on 19lb of muscle for the role, having spent five months at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn where boxing greats such as Jake La Motta, Roberto Duran and Muhammad Ali trained.
And her latest part may seem a surprising choice for someone who has also played a man trapped in a woman's body, a prostitute and a nymphomaniac.
In Freedom Writers, she stars as a teacher faced with a classroom of gang members and difficult teens. It's based on the true story of Erin Gruwell, who taught at the notorious Woodrow Wilson High School in California.
If Swank's roles have been predominantly blue collar, she certainly experienced the real thing before finding fame on the big screen.
Her mother left Washington State for Los Angeles with just EUR75 in her purse so that Hilary could pursue her dream of an acting career.
They lived in their car before moving to an empty house owned by friends where they slept on inflatable mattresses and had to move out during the day so that potential buyers could view the property.
Her big break came, following a number of forgettable TV parts, when she was sacked from a regular spot on teen drama Beverly Hills 90210.
It opened the door for Hilary to take the lead role of Brandon Teena, a girl who lived her life as a boy, in the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry.
The low-budget role earned her first Oscar and she has never looked back in the intervening eight years.
Her other new film is the rom-com PS, I Love You with the leading man of 300, Scots actor Gerard Butler.
"Gerard's so great," she said. "He is so fantastic and funny. I'm so happy 300 has brought so much attention because he deserves it.
"He's such a great guy, a real professional, who loves his job and he shows up and gives 1000 per cent.
"We had a great, great time, and we're actually looking to do other movies together.
"That's how great it was working with him.'
And after all that, it's time, at last, for Hilary to take a well-earned break.
"I did four movies back to back so I'm ready to take some time off and take that rest.
"I need it."
'When they are threatened by your success, that kills a part of you'


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Build a cozy and welcoming sanctuary with this micro-hooked wool rug. Featuring a pattern reminiscent of leaded glass on a charcoal background, this area rug brings an aura of serenity and spirit to any space it inhabits.
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Due to its handcrafted nature, natural color variations may occur.
100% Wool with 100% Cotton backing.
Regular vacuuming and the occasional gentle shake should keep your rug in shipshape condition. For wool rugs, we recommend professional cleaning only.


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I was so happy when I found this post because I really think that losing weight is not just about counting calories but also about what you eat and when you eat it. I wasn't sure if I'm doing everything right and whether a snack in the afternoon is necessary or counterproductive. The eating intervals given in this post totally match my lifestyle and I try to stick to them as often as possible.
30 Days of Snacks
I really can't go without a snack in the afternoon but I always try to keep it as healthy and low in calories as possible. However eating a plain apple or banana every day just didn't satisfy me anymore so I was really happy to find these yummy and creative 150-calorie snacks.
20-Minute Stationary Bike Workout
A stationary bike is the only gym machine we have at home and if you ask me 20 minutes are a good practise time for any lazy or busy girl.
Benefits of Whole Grain
Carbs or no carbs, that is the question. Well not for me because I was always convinced that a good diet doesn't cut out anything healthy and whole grains are healthy! This post gives you 4 good reasons why to continue eating bread and pasta.
Should You Eat Before a Run?
Something I was always wondering is whether to eat before or after going to the gym and whether to work out as a first thing in the morning or have breakfast top priority. According to this post anything that works for you is just fine. Good news, right?
And now you have no more excuse for not starting that healthy diet this weekend! What are you guys currently doing for your health?


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Mr Kiasu's creator Johnny Lau talks to us about the return of his iconic creation, Mr Kiasu, the importance of kiasuism, and why he thinks the death of bookstores has been greatly exaggerated.
8 DAYS: You're back with a new Mr Kiasu comic, Mr Kiasu: Everything Also Like Real. Why did you decide to revive him after an 18-year hiatus?
JOHNNY LAU: In the last two decades, I've worked in Gallery Hotel as a creative director for six years and I've also done Chinese comics, among other things. So, if you'd asked me this time last year whether I was going to revive Mr Kiasu, I would be looking at you and saying: "No, it won't happen." I thought it was good that we exited the industry while [the character] was at its peak as people always remember you in your heyday. However, less than a year ago, I met Bunsho Kajiya, the managing director of [publishing house] Shogakukan Asia, who read my old comic book, liked it and asked me to consider making a comeback. At the same time, I bumped into Melvin Ang, the Executive Director of [film company] MM2 Asia, who told me he was interested in making a Mr Kiasu movie. I also met two founders from [toy and collectibles store] Action City, who claimed they were big fans of the comic, and showed me a prototype of the Mr Kiasu figurine that they wanted to make and sell. Everyone was really persistent even though I rejected them a few times. Eventually, it was the publishing [proposal] which changed my mind 'cos Kajiya-san told me that he could take my book to other parts of the region, not just Singapore. That made my heart jump a bit, and I agreed (laughs). After all, I started out in publishing almost two decades ago. So now, we have a comic book, a figurine, and a movie that's in the pipeline. It's funny how everything just came together at the same time.
How has Mr Kiasu the character changed over the years?
There's always this unspoken formula in comics where you don't alter the characters too much. When that happens, fans don't want to read it anymore. So when we were writing Mr Kiasu for the first 10 years, he was always courting his long-time girlfriend Ai Swee. So when people asked me if they would get married in the reboot, I said I don't know (laughs). The only big change in this book is that I made him slightly older, simply because it's been such a long while. This is implied in the story by him getting retrenched. In all the previous books, he's always working in the office and being kiasu (fear of losing). I would say that is the biggest change.
What do you think is the most kiasu trait of Singaporeans?
It has changed somewhat. In the beginning, it's always about being the best. There're always rankings for 'Best City', 'Best Airport' and what not. I would think that this mentality is still there, although we don't show it as much now (laughs).
Some people feel that kiasuism is an ugly Singaporean trait.
During my 10 years of creating the comic, people would queue up at autograph sessions just to tell me that I make Singaporeans look very bad in my books. Yes, being kiasu can be ugly, but you can also turn it around and make it into a force that you can use for good. We just happen to have this word that describes this behaviour and it has a negative connotation to it. However, behind that, it's about the drive of the nation. The glass is either always half-full or half-empty, it's really up to you how you want to see it.
How kiasu are you then?
No, not at all (laughs). I hate to queue. Sometimes I don't understand why people like queuing up. It's kind of ironic 'cos people queue to get my autograph during book signing sessions. I would tell my fans: "Just buy the book lah, don't have to get it signed." I've always been quite chill, even during my school days.
So, how much of you do we see in Mr Kiasu?
Many people think that I'm Mr Kiasu. Sometimes that's true as I'm the one writing it, but it's more about my observation of the surroundings, and the behaviour of people. I'm more like a medium as I look around, digest what's happening, and then put it in a way that's easy for people to read.
People are very into technology these days and they don't read books as much anymore. How are you going to appeal to them?
That's right. I read something quite interesting early this year. In New York City, there's a revival of independent bookshops and their buyers are all very young, about 16 to 21 years old. When asked why they were buying physical books instead of e-books, they said that e-books are read by their parents and that they are passé. (Laughs) They are now discovering that books are so cool. Given that New York always sets the trend first, it can happen everywhere one year later. That's good news for me.
You talk about wanting to groom the next generation of comic-book artists.
My intention for returning to the industry is that I want to create a platform for new and younger artists, and hopefully in three years' time, I can groom a new artist to work on Mr Kiasu instead of me. It's the same as Batman and Spiderman — the characters have become so iconic that there are so many different artists who've drawn them. That's what I want to do. I want to pass it on after two or three more books so that we can bring in new talent and refresh the industry.
Mr Kiasu is in all major bookstores now. The sitcom Mr Kiasu is on Toggle.


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Toddlers Activities With Rolling Paint
Toddlers enjoy working with paint, perhaps because it provides for messy, creative activities. The next time you and your toddler venture into a painting activity, incorporate paint rollers for some additional fun 1. Paint rollers are easy for toddlers to grip and manipulate. You can use commercial foam rollers with patterns or textured surfaces, or you can make your own paint-rolling surfaces with items you have around the house. For easy cleanup, complete your paint project outside or even inside on a vinyl shower-curtain liner.
Unusual Paint Rolling
Any round object will roll through paint and spread it. Textured surfaces create more diverse and interesting patterns than surfaces without patterns. Have your toddler roll a plastic, ridged bottle through paint she has dropped on paper to watch the interesting patterns created by the bottle ridges. Let her roll an old, round, woven basket through the paint to create a different texture. Let your toddler look at the interesting paint patterns created by a golf ball, tennis ball or other round objects.
Commercial Rollers
A large sheet of butcher paper can become a paint roll mural. Give your toddler a small roller and put one tin of paint out at a time to minimize the mess and chances of overturning the paint. Once the paint dries, hang it up as is, or draw pictures that take advantage of the rolled paint, such as tree limbs or grass spears in areas of green paint and add clouds to swaths of blue to create a sky. Put textured objects such as leaves, flat puzzle pieces or paper cut-outs under the paper and allow your toddler to roll the paint on to create shapes in the painted section. Don't remove the objects until the paint is dry.
Noodle Rollers
Pool noodles make inexpensive paint rollers for your toddler, and some come with ridges and interesting textures. Cut the noodle into the desired length and insert the proper diameter wooden dowel in the center hole or push a wooden skewer into the foam if it doesn't have a hole, and wrap the ends in duct tape to prevent your toddler from injuring himself or someone else. Roll the paint on paper or use soap paint and roll it across the sidewalk or driveway. Apply different textures by scraping away parts of the foam to create shapes or adhere craft foam shapes to the face of the noodle.
Rolling Paint Recipes
Create your own paints to save money and provide different textures for your child to work with. Washable, nontoxic paints are ideal for toddlers. Make faux oil paint by mixing 1 part liquid dish soap with 1 part powdered tempera paint. Create a stiff paint using 1 part nonmenthol shaving cream with 1 part white glue and a few drops of food coloring. Salt paint adds texture and pretty crystals when the paint dries. Mix 2 parts liquid starch with 2 parts water and 1 part liquid tempera paint. Mix 2 parts soap flakes with one part cold water and beat with a mixer until thick for soap paint. Add food coloring or powdered tempera paint to small amounts of the base to create different colors.
- The Everything Toddler's Activity Book; Joni Levine
- The Little Hands Art Book; Judy Press
- Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images


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When you begin choosing your mortgage, you should know that there are several different types available. There are also a few things that you should consider before choosing a particular mortgage. Your current and expected financial situations and the points you are willing to pay should be taken into account.
Rates on 30-year mortgages dropped sharply again this week, falling to the lowest level in seven months. On Thursday, September 18th, Freddie Mac's nationwide survey found that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages had declined to 5.78 percent from 5.93 percent the previous week.
Plan ahead for your home buildiing loan. Be ready to fill out lots of forms and supply tons of notarized and legally sealed background documentation. To be prepared for this onslaught, you should have these documents ready.


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The Education and Technologies MA will teach students the practical and investigation skills to design and style, use and evaluate technology-enhanced studying interventions. Students who are interested in pursuing a profession in the thrilling field of recording may perhaps appear to an on line sound technology system. Technology has improved in reading overall performance, teacher educational plans, on the internet understanding and development, and the classroom is no longer limited to a particular geographical locations. Schools and colleges are expanding and supplying a superior means for all students to get an education by supplying on the web programs.
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'Exit Plan' by Christina Taylor
Before you go, check the door is locked. This will stop the darkness in its tracks. The gloom erases everything; bruises, memories, life. As you leave, take nothing but your coat and bag; you need to travel light. The dark blue coat is best, it makes you smaller, insignificant. Walk straight up the street, don't look back. Don't slow down, even as your heart rattles in your chest and your legs threaten to crumble like chalk. Instead, hurry along the path, chasing the white ghost of breath that leads the way. Then as you cross the road, watch out for amber lights reflected back at you. When they catch your stare, look away. Focus on the ground twisting beneath you, the slow motion laughter of breaking glass. Do not think of the fading pulse of his heartbeat as you fall to earth. Just remember this: you are free.


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Big Brother knows everything – GSM
Do you have any idea how somebody can call you on your phone, if they don't know what the nearest GSM-antenna is?
I have never understood that people do not mind being spied upon. If for example the Nazis wouldn't have known who the Jews were, they couldn't have deported them to the concentration camps.
One of the main reasons Big Brother wants to know what's going on, is to verify that the brainwashing of the slaves is working (and how it needs to be adjusted).
You could look at it financially: as a rule of thumb old technology is cheaper than new.
If I want my (old) house telephone connected I pay at least 12.50 per month. I pay administrative costs of 35 euro to get connected, need to buy a telephone and pay for each conversation (0.13/0.26 euro per minute plus starting costs of 0.06 euro per call).
I can get a cell phone for 3.95 euro per month (the cheapest new one I could get) for 2 years, with 50 minutes and 50 SMS-messages a month included (I can even listen to and make photos). I pay additional for postage and administrative costs of 23.90 euro and had to buy a memory card to make pictures (including cardreader for 15 euro).
If I would call 30 minutes in 8 telephone conversations per month for two years. With my (old) house telephone (0.20 euro per minute): 491 euro. With my (new) cell phone: 134 euro (including new telephone, memory card, camera, music player and games).
George Orwell described that in 1984 everywhere telescreens were hanging both to spy on the population and to spy on them. Hasn't anybody figured out that this proves that they want you to walk around with your cell phone?
When I search for navigation apps for a mobile phone, they claim that these use the GPS, but in reality nothing else than the Global System for Monitoring (GSM) is needed to locate your mobile phone. I hardly can believe that you don't even realise that when you use your phone for navigation, they know your location.
In 2001 I talked with a computer programmer working for a telephone company, that told me that he was working on an application that could compute the location of a mobile phone, by analysing the data from the 3 GSM-antennas closest to the mobile phone. I didn't ask him how, but following is a method that could be used (maybe they've invented a more elegant way to do this).
The closest GSM-antenna (A) can simply send a signal to the phone, the phone replies "immediately". It is known how fast microwaves travel (the speed of light is 300,000 km/s in vacuum) and it's also known how fast the mobile phone replies. From this you can immediately calculate the distance r(A) from the phone to the closest antenna A. When you know the distance r(A), it's fairly easy to compute the longer distances - r(B) and r(C) - to the 2 antennas (B, C) that are reached at a later time by the reply signal the phone sends (simply add the additional time it takes to reach antennas B and C, multiplied by the speed, to r(A)).
When you know the distances r(A), r(B) and r(C) to the closest 3 GSM-antennas you can visualise this as 3 sphere with radius r(A), r(B), r(C) around antennas A, B, C, which makes a single point.
For an example I've calculated it with a Phone (position: x, y, z), I use the notation ^2 for square. I choose for the location of the 3 nearest antennas: A (0, 0, 0), B (500, 0, 50), C (0, 500, 50).
1. r(A)^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2
2. r(B)^2 = (500 - x)^2 + y^2 + (50 – z)^2
3. r(C)^2 = x^2 + (500 - y)^2 + (50 – z)^2
Now substitute ((50 - z) ^2 from) 3. in equation 2., to get:
r(B)^2 - r(C)^2 = (500 - x)^2 + y^2 - x^2 - (500 – y)^2
<-> 4. y = x + [r(B)^2 - r(C)^2]/1000
Now substitute (y^2 from) 1. in equation 2., to get:
r(B)^2 - r(A)^2 = (500 - x)^2 - x^2 - z^2 + (50 – z)^2
<-> 5: z = -10 * x + 2525 + [r(A)^2 - r(B)^2]/100
Now substitute the formulas for y and z (4. and 5.) into the above formula 1., to get:
r(A)^2 = x^2 + { x + [r(B)^2 - r(C)^2]/1000**^2 + {-10*x + 2525 + [r(A)^2 - r(B)^2]/100**^2
<-> 6: 0 = 102*x^2 + {[101*r(B)^2 - r(C)^2 – 100* r(A)^2]/500 - 50500** * x + 6375625 + [101* r(B)^4 + r(C)^4 + 100* r(A)^4 – 2* r(C)^2* r(B)^2 – 200* r(B)^2*r(A)^2] / 1000000 + 49.5*r(A)^2 – 50.5* r(B)^2
For an example I will choose a position for the mobile phone: (100, 75, 15).
I would first get the distances to A, B, C: r(A)^2 = 15850; r(B)^2 = 166850; r(C)^2 = 191850
By inserting this in formula 4.: 0 = A*x^2 + B*x + C
Using the ABC-formula
x1, x2 = {-B +/- SQRT[B^2 – 4 * A * C]** / 2 * A
I get: x1, x2 = 100, 99.5
There must be some way to determine that only 100 is correct, if I insert x = 100 into formulas 4. and 5. I get the right answers: y = 75 and z = 15 (x, y, x = 100, 75, 15).
So this is proof that GSM-antennas can be used the determine somebody's location.
When you're dealing with computers, there's no such thing as private or secret information. Computers decide based on authorisation if you can view information. The secret police simply needs a profile with sufficient authority to view information stored on computers (this is most easily achieved if everybody uses the same operating systems, like Microsoft and Linux).
In 1997 the FBI started using the Carnivore system, later renamed to DCS1000, to spy the internet, using data mining techniques. Ironically by the time Carnivore was officially stopped the FBI had for 2 years been using other custom built systems: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/...obsolete_x.htm
Seen from a computer technology point of view the most difficult part is not the getting access to the information, but that's analysing the data. When you hear for example that Edward Snowden was a hacker, this is not the difficult part in spying on the population.
Whenever you hear about physically bugging a phone: this is nonsense, they tap the central server for information from the phones.
There are even commercially available apps for the cell phone, so employers can spy on their slaves and little brothers can spy on their loved ones: http://ziskje197qs2k43u.gq/cell-phon...-mind-control/
In 2001 the Israeli companies AMDOCS and Comverse Infosys were suspected of spying on the American police. AMDOCS makes the bills for most of the American telephone companies. Comverse Infosys supplies the American government, with automatic tapping equipment. In 2001 it became clear that Comverse Infosys created a backdoor so they could tap in on the telephone information.
The investigation was simply stopped (while the spying has continued): http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/spyring2.html
IAO of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is MUCH more ADVANCED than Carnivore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inform...areness_Office
Because the IAO prevents terrorism and doesn't know who the (future) terrorists are, - to be on the safe side - they spy on everybody. There have been outcries in the USA, that this is a violation of constitutional rights. The government simply told us, they stopped financing the IAO (and continued the program by a different name) and only spy on other countries (of course Americans wouldn't mind if other countries are spied upon).
The IAO gathers all information in one giant database, including analysis of friends, family, hobbies and medical history, and uses data mining techniques to classify everybody by a danger level (1 for a good patriot and 10 for a dangerous terrorist that must be eliminated ASAP). There are nice features like: speech to text transcription, translating languages and predicting future events. IAO even helps the people in charge to make decisions and let these be carried out.
I even know how the face of Big Brother looks. It's the all seeing eye on top of the pyramid in the logo of IAO.
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In a nice Orwellian twist I get the following welcome message from the GCHQ site "As Director, I'd like to welcome you to GCHQ. I hope our website will help you to understand more about what we do to protect the UK": https://www.gchq.gov.uk/features/welcome-to-gchq
In the Netherlands a concept law about spying on the people was actually withdrawn and I haven't heard anything about it since. The uproar was not about the spying in general, but spying on civilians by smart appliances in their home.
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If an agency such as GCHQ has tech that can spy on us ( it does) then it will use that tech.
No biggie.
"Nothing to hide = Nothing to fear"
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GCHQ can see whatever we type online, follow every second of online activity we engage in, read all our emails, listen in on every phone call we make and track us via CCTV.
As and when GCHQ chooses to do so.
Cos they can, they have the tech to do it.
Basically though, if we aren't up to mischief of some sort.. they aint interested.
Nothing to hide = Nothing to fear
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You can have all the tech in the world, but what is it that processes all that information? Drones, compartmentalized button pushers, and AI with no emotional discernment. All of it, an externalization of the paranoid system, which will eventually collapse under the weight of so much information.
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Good OP for those who didn't know about such things.
Add to it, the fact that phones can still be used to spy on you even when they are 'turned off' - especially models with non-removable batteries (I'm looking at you Apple)!
I have tried this myself - check battery percentage, turn phone 'off' overnight. Turn it 'on' again the next morning - behold the battery percentage dropped by a good few points.
Simple way not to be tracked or bugged - don't carry a mobile phone.
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Project Indect
It appears that Big Brother in the European Union "respects" the privacy of its subjects about as good as in the USA. I like to share what I've found about "Project Indect".
Please note that all of these sites don't seem to understand how mobile phones are used to spy on us all.
The surveillance system, known as Project Indect of the European Union (EU), collects information by way of "continuous monitoring" of "web sites, discussion forums, usenet groups, file servers, p2p networks [and] individual computer systems". It will also use CCTV feeds and other surveillance methods to develop models of "suspicious behaviour" by analyzing the pitch of people's voices as well as "the way their bodies move".
The following text was found on the official website for Indect: "Our focus is on novel techniques for word sense induction, entity resolution, relationship mining, social network analysis [and] sentiment analysis".
Its main objective will be the "automatic detection of threats and abnormal behavior or violence": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...behaviour.html
And what would be considered strange behaviour? Reading a real book, keeping a handwritten agenda (instead of the agenda on your phone) or leaving your mobile phone when you leave your house. Reading this thread will certainly be suspicious.
Indect has started the SSIX platform that acquires language resources for Sentiment Analysis: http://blog.lionbridge.com/suomi/201...ncial-indices/
Project Indect is part of the Joint Situation Centre (SitCen) that was originally established to monitor and assess worldwide events and situations on a 24-hour basis with a focus on potential crisis regions, terrorism and WMD-proliferation. To make it all so very democratic nobody seems to know what SitCen is up to.
SitCen is in turn part of EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN) that has its roots in the European Security and Defence Policy of 1999.
Since 2007 INTCEN is part of the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC), which combines civilian intelligence (EU INTCEN) and military intelligence (EUMS Intelligence Directorate): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe...tuation_Centre
In 1999, the BBC made information from the Australian government public that "As you would expect there are a large amount of radio communications floating around in the atmosphere, and agencies such as DSD collect those communications in the interests of their national security".
The GSM network functions on microwaves that are floating around and if by chance internet traffic is sent wireless, they can record all that information (this cannot be a violation of privacy can it; when it's just floating in the air?).
This information is then shared with the US National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Mead in Maryland, and Britain's GCHQ: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/503224.stm
We have been told that security cameras are used to prevent and solve crimes. It has been admitted by the British Metropolitan Police that "For every 1,000 cameras in London, less than one crime is solved per year": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ce-admits.html
I found an interesting comparison between the 1984 that George Orwell described and how we are watched in the 21th century. The following are some descriptions about reality.
All information accessed through the internet is stored on countless hard drives in large information centres and distributed via broadband, satellite, and cellular connections. Anything done on the internet can never be permanently deleted.
Every time you "Accept to these terms and conditions", you are allowing that source to any of the information it specified.
The Facebook app uses the devices' camera and microphone at any time to gather pictures and sounds.
Police can hack into your phone's microphone to listen in on conversations: https://prezi.com/gdzaqhv6px_w/engli...e-present-day/
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Of all the big issues affecting or indirectly affecting people (whether important or meaningless), the issue of CCTV and internet surveillance being used to spy and monitor people just does not register in the minds of the general public, and nor is the subject ever voiced. You can have the public talk about Trump, Brexit, dodgy politicians, illegal wars, etc, but the surveillance state debate (and all the other interrelated crap that goes with it, like using the excuse of crime and terrorism to strip away more and more of everyone's privacy and freedom's) is non existent. How can anybody not notice the insane amount of CCTV cameras everywhere in the UK?, everywhere from the airport, to the high street, schools, etc. Is it fair that every aspect of your day, especially when with family and friends, is recorded and monitored?. And every private and personal conversations via email are also monitored?. It's outrageous.
I kinda get the impression that the reason people don't talk about these concerns I'd because they don't quite accept the true reality of the extent of the surveillance. People see one or two cameras dotted around the place, but don't realise it is far, far more widespread and intrusive than what they think.
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Smart TV, Car hacking, Smartphones, NSA
On March 7 2017, Wikileaks put 8761 documents on the internet about systematic CIA infiltration of computers around the world.
The following is interesting (to say the least) - Weeping Angel. It's designed to hack into Samsung F8000-Series "smart" televisions. Even when the telescreen is switched off, they can use the TV's microphone and webcam to spy on you: https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/cms/page_12353643.html
Besides the Weeping angel that can use a Samsung telescreen to spy on you, arguably the most interesting is that the CIA was discussing the possibility to hack cars.
I agree with Wikileaks that this is enough evidence to suspect that the CIA wants to take over the vehicle control systems. This leads to the conclusion that the CIA can carry out car crashes, without leaving evidence.
Wikileaks has redacted the files by removing identifying information of involved government officials and tens of thousands of CIA targets and attack machines throughout Latin America, Europe and the USA.
Please note that the CIA uses the HIVE suite to also hack Linux systems.
Here's the press release by Wikileaks on the latest dump - part of the series dubbed "Year zero": https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/
Any idea why the US federal government has required that all cars since 1996 install onboard computers?
There is even (older) evidence that it's relatively easy to hack car computers, which shows beyond a doubt that the CIA could take over car control systems.
In 2008, a 14-year-old altered a television remote control to take control of trams in the city of Lodz, Poland, derailing several trams.
In 2010, a 20-year-old man with a modicum of computer savvy hacked car computers in a Texas Auto Center causing some mayhem.
In 2015, security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek hacked into a Jeep Cherokee and managed to "turn the steering wheel, briefly disable the brakes and shut down the engine". Miller achieved this from more than a mile away by a MacBook, without any installed device needed.
Valasek and Miller also found readily accessible Internet links to thousands of other Jeeps, Dodges and Chryslers that used the wireless entertainment and navigation system Uconnect. By typing the right series of computer commands, they could easily hack into these vehicles from a distance.
Earlier in 2013 Miller and Valasek appeared on NBC's "Today" show to override the control of a car — yanking the steering wheel, disabling the brakes and shutting off the engine.
According to experts, because the security on automotive systems is "15 years, maybe 20 years behind" they're not difficult to hack.
In 2013, Samy Kamkar used a creation called SkyJack and less than $100 in extra gear to transform a basic drone into an attack vehicle capable of taking control of drones that flu nearby: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/bus...=.6425e31fd6f1
The same Washington Post that wrote the previous article has published a reaction on the recent Wikileaks "Year zero" dump.
In 2010 and 2011, researchers from the Universities of Washington and California showed that vehicles could be compromised when hackers gain access, either in person or remotely.
In 2016, researchers in Germany showed that they could unlock and start 24 different vehicles with wireless key fobs by taking control of the device remotely and amplifying its signal. This shows that cars can easily be stolen with this technology.
Yoni Heilbronn explained: "The equation is very simple. If it's a computer and it connects to the outside world, then it is hackable".
There is hard evidence that cars can be remotely controlled (hacked) and that the CIA has been exploring these possibilities. Isn't this enough evidence that the CIA would actually do this? According to the Washington Post we don't have to worry and car computers are mostly a good thing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.d29dd42942a8
I've also found some interesting articles originating from the German "Der Spiegel" about spy technology. Der Spiegel focuses on the National Security Agency (NSA) and CIA, but of course European and Chinese intelligence agencies do the same.
Here's a story about the recent Wikileaks dump: http://www.spiegel.de/international/...a-1137740.html
The NSA's broad data collection programs were originally authorized by President Bush Jr. on October 4, 2001. In March 2004 a Justice Department review declared the bulk Internet metadata program was illegal. President Bush signed an order re-authorising it anyway. By 2007, all aspects of the program were re-authorised by court orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). By definition, the FISC decides what it is legal for the NSA.
The NSA records metadata about almost all calls made in the USA, including telephone numbers and call duration. This was revealed through a leaked secret court order, which instructed Verizon to turn over all such information on a daily basis.
Phone company records reveal where you are at the time a call is made.
The NSA intercepts and stores billions of communication records per day. Including emails, social media posts, visited web sites, addresses typed into Google Maps and files sent.
The NSA records the audio contents of "some" phone calls. I haven't seen any real restriction on this.
Watching a specific person is called "targeting"; Targeted Individuals are even watched more closely.
Facebook revealed that in the last six months of 2012, they handed over the private data of between 18,000 and 19,000 users to law enforcement of all types - including local and federal police.
According to a leaked report the NSA intercepted content from 37,664 telephone numbers and email addresses from October 2001 to January 2007. Of these, 8% were domestic (2612 US phone numbers and 406 US email addresses).
The NSA has been prohibited from recording domestic communication since the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). But because the NSA can't be expected to distinguish between foreign and domestic communication, that's an empty restriction. Analysts need only "51% confidence" that someone is a non-US person before tapping (this means they can tap if they don't know).
There are no restrictions whatsoever on spying abroad. Likewise the British GCHQ can tap US citizens, and then share it with the NSA: https://www.propublica.org/article/n...collection-faq
In January 2014 the "The New York Times" reported that the NSA uses radio-wave technology to spy on "computers" not connected to the Internet.
Der Spiegel obtained documents on NSA's division Advanced Network Technology (ANT) from 2008 (since then great progress has been made). Here are some of the programs.
IRONCHEF is installed on Proliant servers by Hewlett-Packard.
ANGRYNEIGHBOR can track objects in rooms, listen in, and see what's displayed on monitors.
SURLYSPAWN logs keystrokes even when offline; using radio frequency.
TAWDRYYARD intercepts the traffic from a computer video card's VGA output to a monitor.
Candygram can mimic a GSM cell tower network to catch phone data.
NIGHTSTAND can attack Windows computers by an 802.11 wireless exploit.
IRATEMONK is implanted on target PCs, and can send data when a computer is turned on.
HOWLERMONKEY hides within computer hardware, like an Ethernet port to slurp bytes coming through the physical connection, and send the information to base via a radio link: https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2429502,00.asp
Following are some excerpts from an IG report of 2009 that confirm that the NSA has been spying on everything without restrictions: https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...nt/p10/a107511
Pages 9, 10.
The greatest amount of information can be collected by smartphones. I guess we could know, but rather pretend we don't that nice gadgets like the iPhone or BlackBerry are designed to find out everything there is to know about us.
A NSA presentation "Does your target have a smartphone?" shows how extensive the surveillance methods against users of Apple's iPhone are (in 2013). According to the document, some problems with the BlackBerry data were suddenly encountered in May and June 2009, but these problems were totally resolved by March 2010: http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-921161.html
On the following site is a visualisation of how the German politician Malte Spitz was followed by monitoring the data from his cell Phone: http://www.zeit.de/datenschutz/malte...data-retention
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I found the following interesting article from 2013 which really adds something to this thread: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/...ther-ways.html
The PRISM leaks show that the NSA has pre-encryption stage access to Microsoft's email products, which makes encryption useless, if you want to keep things secret from the government.
Cell towers track where your phone is at any moment; so the government can track your location.
Starting in 2014, all new cars will include "black boxes" that can track your location. A 2003 lawsuit showed that the FBI can turn on the built-in microphones in cars by General Motors' OnStar.
Of course "smart" home appliances are also used to spy on you in your house.
Google – or the NSA – can remotely turn on your phone's camera and recorder at any time.
In 2013 there was some controversy when it became known that Facebook can use the video and microphone at any time of an Android with the Facebook app installed.
Facebook confirmed that they can use the app to spy on the gullible people, but won't do that: http://www.businessinsider.com/faceb...true&r=US&IR=T
A 2006 court ruling revealed that the FBI has the ability to turn a cell phone into a listening device that transmits to an FBI listening post (a "roving bug"). The only way to stop the FBI from listening in on what's said around the phone is to remove the cell phone battery.
The legal procedure was not if the FBI is allowed to spy (without a warrant), but only about if they can use this data in a court case: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...u_hear_me.html
I guess that smashing a phone up with a hammer or - less drastically - drop your phone in a "Faraday cage" can also stop it being used to spy on you.
The best from this article are "smart" street lights to spy on us...
In Britain Middlesbrough in 2006, streetlights with speakers were introduced to give warnings to people.
In 2011, Illuminating Concepts began installing the system "Intellistreets" in Farmington Hills, Michigan. These "smart" streetlights got microphones to monitor conversations.
Intellistreets is also equipped with proximity sensors to record pedestrian and road traffic: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...cy-alerts.html
According to the following story from 2013 the Intellistreets that was installed in Las Vegas can also shoot video.
The advertisement that ended with the phrase "Intellistreets also enables a myriad of homeland security features" on Youtube became a little controversial: https://www.cnet.com/news/street-lig...pens-in-vegas/
Here's another story from 2014 about the use of "smart" LED streetlights with motion sensors.
The "smart" light network can spot an unattended bag at an airport and alert security, show drivers to empty parking spaces and alert shoppers of sales: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/technolo...vacy-concerns/
Last April 3 Donald Trump signed into law a controversial measure repealing online privacy protections established by the FCC under Obama. This will allow internet providers to sell information about their customers' browsing habits. Including information on emails.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer explained that the objectives for the bill are "to fight Washington red tape that stifles American innovation, job creation and economic growth".
We can expect that internet providers will become the target for hackers (for example the NSA, CIA and GCHQ): http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.3018231
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 2,299
Likes: 1,501 (900 Posts)
New Dutch law
Last 12 July, the Dutch Senate (Eerste kamer) passed the new "tapping law" which gives the intelligence agencies (AIVD and MIVD) the right to gather data practically without limitations.
The law was passed with broad support from Dutch parliament, and according to the NOS will go into effect on 1 January 2018.
This includes hacking into devices (for example computers or cell phones) of (large) groups that aren't suspected of any crime.
The AIVD can for example make telecom providers deliver them the chat traffic in a city of 400,000 inhabitants, under the guise of wanting the communication of 200 users.
The intelligence agencies are allowed to:
- intercept all internet communication;
- hack into devices, of people who aren't suspected of anything, but know somebody who is a suspect;
- read and/or destroy documents;
- use devices' microphones to listen in on conversations.
The AIVD and MIVD can set up companies, to spy on people.
Companies provide the intelligence agencies with real-time information.
The intelligence agencies are allowed to store the information for a maximum of 3 years: http://nltimes.nl/2017/07/12/dutch-s...ata-mining-law
The "tapping law" also gives the intelligence agencies the right to sell this information to "reliable" partners, like the British and American intelligence agencies.
The intelligence agencies can enter houses, to install (surveillance) equipment and confiscate things found.
The intelligence agencies can also spy on "old type" mail (the type in an envelope).
Here is the new accepted law "Wet op de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten" (in Dutch): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documen...igheidsdienten
In my opinion the most interesting is article 41.
According to article 41, the intelligence agencies can provide agents with new identities for their wonderful work.
These agents are allowed to participate in criminal activity…
Combine this with the fact that the AIVD and MIVD are allowed to set up front companies to support "national interests"…
The state media are spreading rumours that some civil rights organisations will start a court case over this clear disregard for our privacy. I really don't understand what this could be based on.
In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, judges cannot rule over violations of constitutional rights. The Dutch judges can only rule based on the law. This makes it impossible for any judge to decide that a law violates human rights…
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 2,299
Likes: 1,501 (900 Posts)
As my computer activity is firmly based on walking around with an USB-stick in my pocket with thousands of hours of research, I'm probably more interested in privacy-issues concerning a flash drive than the average person.
There is hardware or software that can copy all the files on my USB as soon as I connect it to a computer.
Devices like these can easily be found on the internet (the intelligence agencies have even more advanced technology); for example: http://steppschuh.net/software/usbcopier/
The following is a story by somebody in the UK, who found out that his new LG Smart telescreen was spying on him and his family, and then did his own investigation.
He noticed an option in the system settings called "Collection of watching info" which is ON by default. After he switched it off, it continued to send information unencrypted over the internet every time he changed the channel.
One of the ads, which was displayed on his TV, showed that it analyses users' favourite programs, online behaviour, search keywords and other information to offer relevant ads to target audiences.
LG Smart Ad advertises its products, with the claim it offers useful advertising performance reports, to identify advertising effectiveness.
He also noticed that filenames stored on his external USB hard drive were posted to LG's servers. They were shocked to see their children's names being transmitted after watching a video file from USB.
He sent a message to LG to complain about this invasion of his privacy, he got a response that he should take it up with the retailer:
I end this post with a story that details how MS Windows logs all sorts of information (this is regular Windows, not something specifically designed by the NSA or GCHQ).
Whether you launch an application, open a file, tweak a setting, visit a website, just about everything is recorded, and saved in a list.
When you delete a reference from a particular document, this won't necessarily be removed from the jump list. And even if it is, it can possibly be recovered.
Windows is very good at tracking hardware. It maintains details on every USB device which has ever connected to your PC, and when it did.
Windows also records every wireless network your system has connected to: http://www.techradar.com/news/comput...vities-1029906
The last article ends with the following well meant advice:
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 22,637
Likes: 2,987 (2,092 Posts)
Big brother doesn't know what I'm going to make next.
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 2,299
Likes: 1,501 (900 Posts)
According to some they already have technology to read your mind.
While there are ways to predict what somebody thinks or will "make next", I believe that my thoughts are still private.
Unfortunately they can see what information I look for on the internet, so have a good indication what posts I can make.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 22,637
Likes: 2,987 (2,092 Posts)
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 2,299
Likes: 1,501 (900 Posts)
Even when Big Brother has all the information about us stored on computers, there's still a problem.
They need some kind of application that can analyse the huge amount of information, for example to discover dangerous "thoughtcriminals". In short this functionality is called data-mining.
Being a forum member of Davidicke.com could be considered a risk, especially if you read my posts...
Palantir is one of the data-mining tools used by big government.
Palantir's relationship with intelligence agencies dates back to at least 2008, when representatives from the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and US intelligence agencies were impressed by the achievements of Palantir, at the annual VisWeek conference. Within 2 years at least 3 members of the "Five Eyes" spy alliance between the United States, GB, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada were using Palantir.
The CIA was an early investor in the Palantir start-up through In-Q-Tel. Computer scientists from Palantir collaborated with analysts from various intelligence agencies to develop its products.
Palantir refuses to name its government clientele, despite landing "at least $1.2 billion" in federal contracts since 2009. It's clear that the CIA, NSA and GCHQ have used Palantir.
Palantir sells 2 main products: Palantir Gotham (formerly Palantir Government) and Palantir Metropolis. Metropolis is used for quantitative analysis for Wall Street banks and hedge funds. Gotham is designed for the needs of intelligence agencies and law enforcement.
Palantir Gotham is used to make spying on all of us possible. You can see this as an internet search engine that actually finds what you're looking for and uses graphics to visualise what has been found. This is a very powerful tool when used by intelligence agencies that have access to "confidential" information, including password protected contents, emails, documents saved on iCloud, etc.
Palantir connects separate databases, pulling big buckets of information (call records, IP addresses, financial transactions, names, conversations, travel records, etc.) into one centralised heap and visualise them coherently: https://theintercept.com/2017/02/22/...e-whole-world/
I haven't found information about Palantir Metropolis (for analysis for banks). It is clear that by having access to the tricks of the best traders, the elite can become even better at using the financial markets to take everything we have.
Palantir is one of companies of Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel is relatively intelligent; he won first place in a California-wide mathematics competition while attending middle school.
Peter Thiel was one of the main contributors to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Thiel has also contributed to campaigns of other politicians (including Ron and Rand Paul).
Peter Thiel is a member of the infamous Bilderberg group, and he supports research in parabiosis (the modern name for vampirism).
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Neck Injuries
If you've suffered a neck injury, our lawyers understand you will have been through a difficult and painful time.
We can help get you back to your old self and look forward to your future, physically and financially.
Every claim is different and is based on your individual circumstances. Depending on your claim and the level of injuries you have sustained, compensation for neck injuries can be anything from £750 and £80,500.
Rest assured, TJL Solicitors are committed to getting you the maximum compensation for your injuries.*
Click here to find out more or contact one of our experts.


text:
Getting Started
Everybody has a unique starting point. The challenge lies in finding your own.
I am here to tell you that today is the day we find your starting point. Life happens, and there will always be excuses and obstacles out there, but we can get around them. We can go through them. And we can do it together.
Join me, and we will make today your starting point. We will discuss your goals, experience, lifestyle and so much more in order to find the perfect program for you.
"If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives."
- Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator


text: Congratulations to Professor Emily Derbyshire - a recipient of a 2017 NIH Director's New Innovator Award. As part of the NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, the award grants 1.5 million dollars over a five-year period to fund innovative, high-impact research from exceptionally creative early career investigators. The award will support Professor Derbyshire's ongoing efforts to understand the early stages of Plasmodium infection in humans, a key starting point in the development of new antimalarial therapies for overcoming parasite drug resistance. Congratulations to Emily and her research group on receipt of this prestigious award!


text:
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Portal 2 chalk fan art update
Posted by Stowe at Tuesday, June 28, 2011
6 comments:
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Today's BE A HERO event
Today I was lucky enough to be part of the BE A HERO fundrasing event for my friend's comic book shop... COMIC BOOK INK. I was one of nine artist donating time and artwork to patrons that donated whatever they can to help the Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians raise money to help out the shop. Halfway through the event a very generous patron donated over $200.00 for 9 Team Fortress 2 watercolor sketches. I was happy to make them. I am posting some, if not all of them here.
Posted by Stowe at Saturday, June 25, 2011
6 comments:
Labels: BE A HERO, charity, CLAW, Comic Book Ink, fan art, Team Fortress 2
Portal 2 chalk fan art
So it looks like my Frost Park chalk entry made it on to the front page of Reddit today.
Awesome. Anyone coming here from there... welcome. I am glad you are here. There is cake.
Posted by Stowe at Saturday, June 25, 2011
12 comments:
Labels: cake, fan art, Portal 2, Reddit, the cake is a lie
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
CLAW's June Open Swim entry
Posted by Stowe at Thursday, June 16, 2011
2 comments:
Labels: CLAW, Open Swim, star wars, Winnie the Pooh
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
June Meaties Poster
Friday, June 3, 2011
First 30 BOTFANS
Here is a poster I made to celebrate the first 30 comics of my new BOTFANS strip. If you haven't seen it yet I urge you to check it out.
Posted by Stowe at Friday, June 03, 2011
6 comments:
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NSCAW, No. 1: Who Are the Children in Foster Care?, Research Brief, Findings from the NSCAW Study
- Topics:
- Abuse, Neglect, Adoption & Foster Care
- Projects:
- National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), 1997-2014 and 2015-2022 | Learn more about this project
- Types:
- Reports
- Tags:
- NSCAW: Research Briefs
The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is a national longitudinal study of the well-being of more than 6,200 children who had contact with the child welfare system within a 15-month period starting in October 1999. These children—ages 14 and younger—were selected from two groups: 5,501 from among those entering the child protective system in that period, and 727 from among children who had been in out-of-home placement for about 12 months. Out-of-home placement includes conventional foster care, kinship foster care, group care, residential treatment, and other settings. Throughout this brief we refer generally to these out-of-home placements as foster care.
This research brief focuses on the 727 children who had been in foster care for 12 months at the time the study began. The data were drawn from interviews with the children, their current caregivers, and their caseworkers a few months after the study began in 1999. It is important to note that the findings from this study may not generalize to all children in foster care, since many children leave foster care after only a few months. Further, the sample includes only a small number of children in group care, so findings related to this particular group of children should be interpreted with caution. However, this study provides important information on those children who have remained in foster care for a year.


text:
Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Deployment Subsidies: Onshore wind power in Germany and China
This study reviews deployment subsidies for onshore wind in two countries, Germany and China.
Its primary goal is to better inform debates about cost-effectiveness by exploring the methods required to assess cost-effectiveness and by estimating the general magnitude and range of benefits in several key areas.
The study forms one of a series of three looking at the cost-effectiveness of renewable energy deployment subsidies, each one focusing on different technologies and countries. The increased deployment of low-carbon energy is one of the principal interventions required to avoid catastrophic climate change. At the same time, the success of deployment will depend upon government policy that is effective and that uses resources efficiently. This is central to maximizing the amount of renewables deployed given the resources that are available, and to ensuring that subsidies for renewables remain politically viable. These studies represent a first effort to develop an appropriate multi-criteria framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of renewable energy subsidies, taking into account all costs and the wide range of potential benefits.


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The etymology of the word "science" – to know – is befittingly simple. It is the quest for information about the universe around us. It's the search for objective truth.
That is why, when Deepak Chopra M.D. – a trained endocrinologist, writer, speaker, and prominent alternative medicine advocate – tells IFLScience that he dislikes the truth, it strikes us as a little odd.
"I prefer those who are looking for the truth, and I've run away from those that have found it." Questions, not answers, are this man's cup of tea.
We were a little surprised that Chopra got in touch with us at all, actually. He wanted to have a chat about his new book, You Are The Universe, in which he and theoretical physicist Menas Kafatos suggest, in a slight twist on the Copernican principle, that our very own species are the central masters of the universe – the architects of the material world around us.
Chopra has courted controversy for many reasons, and many have claimed that he uses highly dubious scientific language in order to sell New Age doctrines to his impressively large worldwide following. Intrigued to see how a conversation would develop between ourselves and Chopra's beliefs, we accepted his invite to talk about his new book and his life's work.
It was, to summarize, an adventure in semantics.
It's Not A Crocodile Universe
"I'll speak slowly because it's kind of a complex idea," Chopra said as he prepared to explain the grand concept behind his latest work. "The universe that we experience is a human construct. And the science is the measurement of that."
This is undoubtedly true – we perceive the universe through our neurological processes. So far, so good. Noting there is only one reality – which there is – Chopra repeatedly emphasized that the universe is a human one, "not a crocodile, bat, dolphin or insect-with-100-eyes universe."
Chopra and Kafatos promoting their new book this February in New York City. Donna Ward/Getty Images
This, however, is when things started to go a little off-piste. Bringing up the wave-particle duality, the scientific concept that every particle can be described as both a wave and a particle, Chopra explained that these were actually "waves of possibility in mathematical space, in mathematical imagination."
"So the answer to the question 'what is the universe made of' is: it's made of nothing."
I'm sure most scientists, particularly those that study matter, would disagree with that. Just as they'd disagree with the oft-stated idea in the book that the ever-elusive dark matter, a key enigma in physics, is akin to a mythical monster – we can't directly see it, so it's just as likely to be there as a minotaur.


text:
For ages, trees have been a favorite subject of landscape painters. Their material has long provided substance for sculptors and crafters. Now, some contemporary artists are rediscovering the artistic effects that can be achieved with the humble tree. And, showing clear appreciation, these artists aren't damaging the trees.
This Is Colossal tells us that Adam Tenebaum, a Los Angeles-based artist, was recently bequeathed a number of large chandeliers by a lighting-loving ancestor. Unfortunately, they were too large for his house, so he decided to create The Chandelier Tree, a one-of-a-kind installation in Silver Lake.
Here's a documentary about the piece:
In Potsdam, Germany, street artists Daniel Siering and Mario Shu transformed an average-joe tree along a road into a startling illusion.
They wrapped the tree in plastic sheeting and then spray-painted the background landscape on to it.
The result looks like something from a magician's act.
Lastly, artist Brittany Powell created these ephemeral moss sculptures on tree trunks found on a steep trail in California.
They are part of her series of "low-commitment projects," which provide her and her friend a chance to create creative "schemes without a huge outlay of time, energy, or money."
Powell said these experiments are the "materialization of mental sketches."


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Rocket - Code Generation
This crate implements the code generation portions of Rocket. This includes custom derives, custom attributes, and procedural macros. The documentation here is purely technical. The code generation facilities are documented thoroughly in the Rocket programming guide.
Custom Attributes
This crate implements the following custom attributes:
- route
- get
- put
- post
- delete
- head
- patch
- error
The grammar for all route attributes, including route, get, put, post, delete, head, and patch, is defined as:
Note that the route attribute takes a method as its first argument, while the remaining do not. That is, route looks like:
#[route(GET, path = "/hello")]
while the equivalent using get looks like:
The syntax for the error attribute is:
Custom Derives
This crate implements the following custom derives:
- FromForm
Procedural Macros
This crate implements the following procedural macros:
- routes
- errors
The syntax for both of these is defined as:
Debugging Codegen
When the
ROCKET_CODEGEN_DEBUG environment variable is set, this crate logs
the items it has generated to the console at compile-time. For example, you
might run the following to build a Rocket application with codegen logging
ROCKET_CODEGEN_DEBUG=1 cargo build


text:
Advances in Genetics, Volume 66
1st Edition
Secure CheckoutPersonal information is secured with SSL technology.
Free ShippingFree global shipping
No minimum order.
Table of Contents
- Splicing and Neurodegeneration (Francisco Baralle)
2. Resources and Strategies to Integrate the Study of Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Genetics into the Undergraduate Curriculum (Jinnie M. Garrett and Kathleen L. Triman)
3. Synthetic Gene Interactions (Joe Gray)
4. Genetics of various populations (Ohad Birk)
The field of genetics is rapidly evolving, and new medical breakthroughs are occurring as a result of advances in knowledge gained from genetics research. This serial continually publishes important reviews of the broadest interest to geneticists and their colleagues in affiliated disciplines.
Key Features
- Includes important reviews of the broadest interest to geneticists and their colleagues in affiliated disciplines, providing researchers an overview and synthesis of the latest findings in the area
- Presents up-to-date research from leaders in the field
Researchers in the life and biomedical sciences who are interested in genetic/genomic mechanisms: human geneticists, molecular biologists, cell and developmental biologists, botanists, and microbiologists
- No. of pages:
- 358
- Language:
- English
- Copyright:
- © Academic Press 2009
- Published:
- 9th October 2009
- Imprint:
- Academic Press
- Hardcover ISBN:
- 9780123748317
- eBook ISBN:
- 9780080888767
Praise for Advances in Genetics:
"Outstanding both in variety and in the quality of its contributions." --NATURE
"Can be highly recommended to geneticists, and biologists in general...will prove to be of high importance for the development of the science of genetics." --SCIENCE
Ratings and Reviews
About the Serial Editors
Theodore Friedmann Serial Editor
School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, USA
Affiliations and Expertise
School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, USA
Jay Dunlap Serial Editor
Affiliations and Expertise
The Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth, NH, USA
Stephen F. Goodwin Serial Editor
Dr. Stephen Goodwin works at the University of Oxford.
Affiliations and Expertise
University of Oxford, UK


text:
Sign up to receive LWV MI Action Alerts delivered directly to your email inbox.
The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. To learn about the League at the national level, to go: National Action Alerts. Be sure to click on the TAKE ACTION button to enroll in national news alerts via email.
Advocacy is a key part of our mission and LWV wants to make it easy for members to participate in this important endeavor. When you receive an emailed Action Alert from LWVMI or LWVUS, please take two minutes to click on the provided link to send a prepared message to your legislator. You might dismiss this link by thinking similar messages from multiple League members won't be considered; however, it's the exact opposite! Legislative offices look a the number of messages in support or opposition to a decision and not necessarily the content.
Stay informed of US legislative information (view bills and committee hearing schedules, read committee reports, house and senate communications, and search legislative action, etc.) via the Congress.gov


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Heartier is an online marketplace that until fairly recently were known as Market Porter.
Having made a great success of their fantastic meat delivery service, Stefan Porter and Nick Ford have now added more products hence the name change. Of course they continue their ethos of traceable, ethically produced British meats into other products; Cheese, Charcuterie and now......Chocolate!
Above image kindly provided by Heartier
Chocolate is delivered in letterbox sized packaging meaning so there's no need to be home in order to receive it; in fact the same goes for anything ordered from Heartier.
Heartier says;
Meat boxes will be with you within 24 hours of packing, but should there be a rare but unavoidable delay and your box cannot be delivered until the next day, due to the brilliantly designed packaging the contents will be safe and cool for at least 48 hours which ensures that your meat will be fresh as a daisy the next day too.
Back to the Chocolate!
Whether you are after the most exclusive chocolate from around the world, something a little more accessible, or the best of both, Market Porter has it covered. Quite literally they go to the ends of the earth to find your chocolate each month. You can buy by the bar, or pick one of our selection boxes as a one off or subscription.
There are many, many small scale producers, all sourcing top quality beans direct from the farmers themselves and turning them into the most amazing chocolate. If you're looking for the most premium single origin bars on the market or something a little different, you'll definitely find it over at Market Porter. You can read more about Chocolate from Market Porter by clicking on the link.
My 'Posh Chocolate Selection' box arrived very well packaged in a sturdy but slim letterbox sized cardboard box. Inside the selection box for the month of May was 4 Luxury Chocolate bars:
Rose Pale by Amelia Rope
Pistachio and Sea Salt White also by Amelia Rope
Fig and Orange 70% Dark by Ocelot
46% Milk Chocolate and Crushed Coffee by The Chocolate Society
Best before dates:
All four bars delivered to me had a good best before dates which with the earliest being almost 3 months away so no worries there.
Now, readers of this blog will know that I can't ever get too excited about chocolate, so that's where Paul (the husband) comes in; he is the chief taster of all things chocolate that arrive here at A Glug of Oil.
Paul - 'Did someone say CHOCOLATE'?.......I guess it's over to him for this bit!
Rose Pale
Now he wasn't too sure he would like this one since he thought the rose might make the chocolate taste a bit odd. But this isn't the case at all. The chocolate is so smooth it melts in your mouth and although it does does have a floral taste about it, it really isn't over powering.
Pistachio and Sea Salt White
Creamy tasting smooth white chocolate with just the right amount of pistachios and saltiness. Oh yes this is really good stuff.
Fig and Orange 70% Dark
Whoa!! Dark and rich tasting chocolate is in Paul's opinion the best. Dark chocolate and orange is always going to be a good match. But the added chewiness of the fig along with the fragrance of orange oil make this stand out from any other chocolate and orange bar he's ever tasted.
46% Milk Chocolate and Crushed Coffee
Again, lovely creamy tasting chocolate with the right amount of coffee flavour. All in all each and every bar has a big fat YES from Paul.
So, if you're a lover of chocolate or would just like to send a gift to someone you know then do check out Heartier. Don't forget Heatier isn't just about Chocolate; there's also has an absolutely fantastic range of Fresh Meat and Poultry products along with Cheese and Charcuterie.
Disclosure: I received the Posh Chocolate selection box to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to write anything positive.