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But He Never Lets Me Mow The Lawn Anymore!!Reviewing: Gravely Zero Turn Mower Residential 2350 50" Deck, 23 Horsepower | Rating:
We have about three acres of lawn. Due to my obsessive need to plant trees, bushes, flowers and stick the odd lawn ornament right smack dab in the middle of a bunch of grass - my husband and I had to figure something out very quickly or things were going to get baaaad. Using a weed trimmer around all of these places AND mowing with a traditional riding mower would take an entire day. Mowing took 7 hours and the trimming (what little got done) would take an additional 4. Not a good way to spend a Saturday.
Obviously, I wasn't going to change my ways and obviously he was going to continue to mow right over the flowers and knock poor Wally into the fish pond over and over again. (See pic 4, he has a LOT of super glue holding him together.)
Since a divorce cost more, we opted to purchase the ultimate manly man (sic) lawnmower - a riding zero turn mower that would enable him to mow quickly and make tight turns around all my "decorations" without killing them. He won't admit that he actually enjoys cutting the grass now, but forbids me to do it, so there's my answer. I see him when he's out there and I know he is having fun. He did let me use it once (supervised, of course) and it was a lot of fun to use. It can go 6 mph. That may not seem all that fast, but trust me - it is when you are flying through the grass! You can see in picture 2 above the expanse of lawn (albeit dead lawn at the time of the photo), and in picture 3 - you can see how well the mower cuts the lawn.
Model, pricing and financing. The mower we chose is a 2006 model. The 2007/8 models have additional horsepower and the 2450 model (basically the same mower with a little more HP) has been awarded a Consumer Digest Best Buy. I don't think you can get a new 2350 anymore, the 2450 replaced it, but I did a quick search and found a lot of them out there with little mileage on them for purchase - right around the price we paid.
By the way, Gravely offered free financing, so we paid for ours monthly with zero interest. They have a "Yard Card" that you can apply for that enables 0 interest and we took advantage of it.
Specs. The specs are as follows: Kohler Courage Engine, 23 horsepower, 50" cutting width, 3.25-Gallon Fuel, 6 mph forward / 3 mph reverse, Pivoting/Lockable Front Axle, 3-Spindle Deck, 2-year warranty, 2 cylinder air-cooled, electric start, Cutting heights 1" - 4", 3 hardened 17" steel blades, 540 lbs, operator presence safety system, and you can get the following attachments: non-powered 2 bucket bagger, mulch kit, sun shade and a spreader.
Key features. There are a few key features that I wanted to point out that make a big difference to me and to my husband.
1. The first one is the safety seat. If you are not in the seat, the engine cuts off. I really like that and it may be a feature on others, but on a mower this fast, that is a comforting thought that if you get bumped off, the mower would not turn and run over you! (yea, I'm paranoid like that and have seen too many movies).
2. The second is the handles that govern steering. It isn't a wheel like in most mowers and this can take a lot of getting used to. You lean the handles forward to move and if you move one slightly ahead of another, the mower will turn in that direction. I went in circles for a long long time. Of course, pulling back reverses your movement. I wouldn't practice near anything you don't mind cutting down!
3. The third is the ease of changing the height of the cut blade. You can do that with your feet with the mower in neutral. This is great when you are moving along the lawn and may reach a shady area that you want to cut a bit lower - you don't have to stop the mower and get off to set the blades.
4. The last one is gas efficiency. We can mow the lawn three times on a fill-up. Our previous Craftsman riding mower had the same tank size, but would only cut the lawn once! Major improvement.
Seeing is believing. I made a video of my husband cutting the lawn today so you can get a since of how it works, but can't get the video feature here on SR to work for me -- it's been trying to upload a 29 second one for over 2 hours, so I'm giving up. You can see it here:
Although the quality of the video is terrible. It's the best I can do with my digital camera. At least it gives you an idea of how it works.
In summary, no doubt it is an expensive mower (and it is on the lower end of the price bracket on these). But if you have a lawn of a few acres, this really simplifies your life. We went through a lot of riding mowers and basically wore them out on our lawn. I think it was money well spent as my husband can now cut the grass in about 2 hours (versus 7 before) and he can maneuver so close to the beds that weed trimming is almost unnecessary.
Garden gnome safety. So in total, he may spend 3 hours as opposed to 11 cutting the grass. And we get along much better now that my flowers and gnomes are safe!
If I can answer anymore questions - please let me know! Thanks for reading!
Update On May 18, 2008: Mark and I have decided t convert 2 of our 3 acres of lawn to meadow. Lucky for us, the mower will still operate in that environment as the meadow will need a good shearing from time to time. We have been reading that lawns are one of the major water hogs & with the water shortages that hit us in the south each summer, we fight to keep it alive and it usually it still dies. We've noticed during this time that a lot of wild flowers spring up like wild violets, Queen Anne's lace and Black Eye Susans, which are beautiful. So in the back 2 acres or so, we are going to plant red clover this fall to give it a boost & see what happens! Wish us luck! I'll update.


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For the past month I was working on a pair of socks using Spun Right Round's Snappy Socks in the Zombie colorway. The pattern is called Da can you hear me MKAL. It was my first mystery knit-a-long and I loved it. Even though these were only my second pair of socks I had knit, they are my favorite. They fit better then my first pair and it also helps that I love the yarn.
|My Socks.
I loved working with yarn, I never got bored with the project because I loved to watch the stripes show up. The yarn wasn't so splitty like a lot of commercial yarn and it was super squishy. I also have a good amount leftover from the skein to do a few squares for my mitered square blanket. I've also been spinning some fiber from her as well, 4 oz of 100% Merino in her The Club colorway.
|The Club in 100% Merino
I'm also spinning 3 oz of some lovely Egyptian Red bamboo.
|Egyptian Red Bamboo
So please go check out Renee Hahnel's shop Spun Right Round on Esty, she has tons of amazing yarns and fibers in wonderful colors. She also is really quick to ship out your order and will get back to you if you have a question. So go check out her shop. :)
Happy Knitting and Spinning!

subset: commoncrawl


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29 - 33 Hallamway
Old Mill Lane Business Park
Mansfield Woodhouse
Tel: 01623 672070Come and Visit our Showroom
The Alphason Ambri ABRD1100B is a large Black TV stand for LCD, LED and Plasma TV's upto 55 inches, with an integrated, enclosed cabinet.
The innovative design provides ample space for up to 4 pieces of AV equipment, but the top storage space is also suitable for universal soundbars upto 995mm width. The integrated storage cabinet has a wide central space, split with an adjustable glass shelf making it suitable for typical AV equipment and also has side compartments to provide extra storage for media and remote controls etc. The front fold down door has safety hinges to ensure the door opens smoothly and safely, and does not open and fall down with a crash. The front door has toughened, Clear safety glass and will allow your remote controls to work with the door closed. Full cable management is provided to ensure that all of your cables are kept out of sight.
This stand is also available in a smaller, 800mm wide version
|Date / Score
|Customer Comment
|Our Response
|21-May-2017 Service: Product:
Service rating : I ordered an item that was out of stock at the manufacturers. I was contacted by phone to make sure I knew of the situation and the revised delivery date. When there was a further short delay, I was informed by phone again. The item arrived the day after it arrived in stock....
Read More.
Service rating : I ordered an item that was out of stock at the manufacturers. I was contacted by phone to make sure I knew of the situation and the revised delivery date. When there was a further short delay, I was informed by phone again. The item arrived the day after it arrived in stock. Excellent service, couldn't ask for more.
Product : Bought the larger size of the stand I already had to accommodate larger TV and new sound bar. It is solid and heavy and took my son a while to construct . However if it wears in the same way as my older smaller version I will be more than happy.
|11-Jul-2012 Service: Product:
|all good
|Read more reviews on Feefo
Quick Order Processing
When you place an order before 2.30pm, Monday to Friday, we aim to process your order and dispatch it on that same day. Orders placed after 2.30pm are dispatched as soon as possible, usually no later than the next working day (Monday to Friday). Orders placed on Saturday and Sunday will be processed on Monday.
Free Delivery
Our Free Delivery service for this item will be within 1-3 working days from placing your order, we will notify you by email when your order is dispatched and provide an indication of the expected delivery date. If you want it quicker then select Next Working Day delivery (FREE for orders over £50) in our secure checkout and we can deliver this item to you on the date shown at the top of the page, next to the price.
Next Working Day Deliveries.
We have options for Next working Day and Timed Next Working Day deliveries in our Secure Checkout.
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If you want delivery on a specific week day, add the item to your basket and then click on "Proceed to Checkout". Select a free delivery option and enter the required date in the Special Instructions box in the checkout. If for any reason we are unable to deliver on the day you have requested, we will contact you immediately to discuss how we can arrange a convenient delivery.
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We are able to ship most items to EU countries provided they do not contain any glass. Delivery time is between 3-5 working days from order. We currently ship to the following countries:-
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Once in our secure checkout, select the required country and you will see the delivery cost for your order. Cost is calculated by weight. All orders shipped overseas, should any import tax or duty become payable, this is the responsibility of the importer, (not usually applicable within the EU)
Please call us on 01623 672070 first to discuss why you may wish to return an item and to receive a returns number. We will take all steps possible to solve your problem / offer you a replacement or exchange product, or a refund.
We have a no quibble returns policy within 30 days of purchase, and we will issue a full refund provided the item is in a re-saleable condition, (i.e unused, unassembled, unmarked and in original unmarked packaging). It is the responsibility of the customer to return the item and ensure the package has been reasonably protected in return transit. You must include a copy of your invoice with the return.
Now: £224.99


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Archive for May, 2011
Osage youth paint Pawhuska mural
Native American artists from across the country help Osage youth paint a mural on the side of the Osage language building
Article originally appeared on May 16, 2011 and credited to OSAGE NEWS STAFF
The Osage Language Department hosted NVision May 14, a non-profit group made up of artists from all over Indian Country. NVision came out to help Osage youth paint a mural on the side of the Osage language building in downtown Pawhuska.
More than 20 youth participated in painting the mural, designed by Osage artist Ryan Red Corn, the mural depicts an Osage straight dancer in the middle of the Osage orthography that spells Wah.Zha.Zhi I.E., "Osage language."
The mural has been planned for sometime and will help bring attention downtown to the Nation's language program, said Rebekah HorseChief, language instructor and recruiter. She and other language teachers, including Veronica Pipestem, Cameron Pratt and Bill Lynn, were in attendance to help.
"It's been a really great day and the kids are having such a great time," HorseChief said, who was covered in paint. "We're really thankful to these artists that are apart of NVision for taking the time out of their busy schedules to do something positive for our youth."
NVision is a nationwide Native youth arts and leadership project. The artists who volunteer their time with NVision hold workshops in Urban Theatre, T-Shirt Making, Graffiti and Community Murals, Creative Writing, Photography, Documentary Filmmaking and Web Based Design, according to the NVision Web site.
Founded in the summer of 2006, the mission of NVision is to empower Native youth and young adults through traditional and contemporary methods of art, media, culture and educational platforms. NVision trainers include Native men and women professionals and artists, ages 25-40, engaged in visual art, graphic and web design, film, photography, music and dance, according to the NVision Web site.
NVision holds workshops with the Nation every year.
You are currently browsing the Nvisionit blog archives for May, 2011.


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|JFF Rubber Stamps Stamptangle Seahorse and The Voice of the Sea stamp images. Club Scrap card stock.
Father's Day is right around the corner...Click here to join our monthly challenge for a chance to win a gift certificate to shop at Just for Fun Rubber Stamps! We'd love to see what you create!


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Brazil has now officially joined the Paris Agreement, becoming the world's third-largest country to join the agreement to date, according to an announcement from the Sierra Club.
The announcement follows the recent news that the U.S. and China formally joined the agreement, which can take effect when 55 countries representing 55% of global emissions formally join.
Brazil's signing on brings the total number of countries that have officially joined to 27 and makes it increasingly likely that the agreement will enter into force in 2016 – years ahead of schedule – the Sierra Club said.
"[This] announcement is an important step forward as the world's largest carbon emitters continue to formally join the historic Paris Agreement," said John Coequyt, the group's climate policy director. "The Sierra Club applauds the continued global commitment to meaningful climate action, which will help our planet avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. We look forward to other world leaders' swiftly joining the Paris Agreement so it can enter into force this year."


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Written by Chanel M. contributed by Kyle J. Norton, All right reserve
Sencha is a type of decoct Japanese green tea, most popular tea in Japan, made from the dried tea leaves without grinding the tea leaves. It volatile compounds could be used as markers for the overall quality evaluation of all green teas, according to the study of "Predication of Japanese green tea (Sen-cha) ranking by volatile profiling using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and multivariate analysis" by Jumtee K, Komura H, Bamba T, Fukusaki E.[1].
Green Sencha Health Benefits
13. Antimicrobial activities
a. In the investigation of Antimicrobial activities of green of the study of "Antimicrobial activities of tea catechins and theaflavins and tea extracts against Bacillus cereus" by Friedman M, Henika PR, Levin CE, Mandrell RE, Kozukue N.[13a], researchers found that flavonoids in green tea has exerted its ability in protective effects against Bacillus cereus.
b. In the evaluation of green tea extracts (GTEs) and their effects in Antimicrobial activities of the study of "Antimicrobial activities of tapioca starch/decolorized hsian-tsao leaf gum coatings containing green tea extracts in fruit-based salads, romaine hearts and pork slices" by Chiu PE, Lai LS., reserachers found that coatings containing GTEs could successfully reduce the aerobic counting and growth of yeasts/molds by 1 to 2 log cycles in fruit-based salads.
c. In the observation of green tea and rosemary leaf powders on the growth of microorganisms of the study of "Inhibitory effect of commercial green tea and rosemary leaf powders on the growth of foodborne pathogens in laboratory media and oriental-style rice cakes' by Lee SY, Gwon SY, Kim SJ, Moon BK.[13c], researchers indicated that 1 or 3% green tea or rosemary to rice cakes did not significantly reduce total aerobic counts; however, levels of B. cereus and S. aureus were significantly reduced in rice cakes stored for 3 days at room temperature (22 degrees C) and that suggested the use of natural plant materials such as green tea and rosemary could improve the microbial quality of foods in addition to their functional properties.
d. In the investigation of antibacterial and anticarcinogenic effects of tea catechins of the study of "Application of a functional mathematical index for antibacterial and anticarcinogenic effects of tea catechins" by Finotti E, Bersani E, Friedman M.[13d], researchers wrote that catechins of a large number of teas have exerted their dual beneficial effects: antimicrobial activities against a foodborne pathogen and inhibition of human cancer cell lines.
e. Etc
Recommend you to Visit Tavatea.com
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21664180
[13a] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16496576
[13b] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20138382
[13c] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19517743
[13d] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21194238


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Broccoli, salmon and manchego quiche
>> Sunday, April 11, 2010
Quiche is another staple in my household. Quiches are very versatile and straightforward to make. They're also appealing and eye-catching when on the table, perfect for a dinner party with guests, when you want to impress them (is there any chance when I don't want to impress them?). The original quiche Lorraine, from what all the rest of the quiches in the world are derived, originally uses béchamel sauce in the filling, besides the eggs and the cream... I prefer to keep calories a bit lower (only a bit...) and skip the béchamel. That also makes it quicker to cook.
I find the combination of greens and salmon gives a wonderful character to the quiches. And I don't really know what happens to the vegetables when cooked in the company of cream and eggs, but they mellow and yet taste delicious. In fact this is the only way I can get D. to eat broccoli. One of our friends used to tell me that her husband only ate greens when they came for dinner and I would serve quiche. On the other hand, I've been reading lately that broccoli is packed with antioxidants and it's a very healthy vegetable to eat, therefore... I can find no better way to antioxidize myself than putting broccoli into a moist quiche.
Broccoli, salmon and manchego quiche
Yields 2 generous servings


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Melodrama is perhaps the most delicate of any theatrical art form. In a heartbeat, things can quickly go off the rails, ending in a sniveling mess. But melodrama's opaque delicacy, handled by a master thespian, can reveal the fragility of the human spirit.
The Deep Blue Sea, starring Rachel Weisz as a woman cursed with an inability to distinguish love from lust, is a throwback to when melodrama reigned supreme in Hollywood's golden age. While 21st century audiences may struggle with the film's paper-thin conceit and measured pacing, Weisz's performance is reminiscent of the queens of melodrama from a bygone era--Ingrid Bergman, Luise Rainer, even Greta Garbo. Dial down the film's hues to black and white, and The Deep Blue Sea could be comfortably tucked in alongside Gaslight or Camille on Turner Classic Movies. But be forewarned--your enjoyment of this film will by tempered by your tolerance for melodrama. If you embrace the genre, you may well adore the movie; if not, you may find The Deep Blue Sea insufferable.
It has been more than a half-century since playwright Terence Rattigan dazzled critics with his stage production of The Deep Blue Sea in London's West End. By the 1950s, American audiences had become accustomed to dramas of sensual compulsion from Tennessee Williams, but these were rare waters for British audiences. A little-known 1955 film version of The Deep Blue Sea, starring another queen of melodrama--Vivien Leigh--received fine notices in the United Kingdom, but never found an American audience. On the centenary of Rattigan's birth, Terence Davies--one of Britain's finest filmmakers (though he has only produced five features)--decided to revisit Rattigan's tale surrounding post-war insecurities about sex and class.
Weisz, who appears in nearly every frame of The Deep Blue Sea, is Hester Collyer, a woman approaching middle age who dismisses her life of privilege as the wife of a high court judge (Simon Russell Beale) to embark on an affair with a dashing young pilot, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston in a wonderful performance). In the shadow of the affair's scandal, Hester leaves her life of luxury to move into a dingy, coldwater flat with Freddie. But Hester's life is now defined by sex while her new partner has little desire to support her in the fashion that she once enjoyed. Hester's passion becomes hyper-obsession that, in turn, dissolves into deep heartache and abandonment.
The script is bare, not by default but by design. The words are expertly chosen, leaving uncomfortably long pauses for Weisz to showcase her supreme acting skills while not once going off the boil. The costumes, cinematography and soundtrack are all lush, but the film is all about Weisz. The Oscar winner proves time and again that an actress of her caliber requires the finest of scripts and direction. In the Deep Blue Sea, she is awarded both.


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How To Say ItReviewing: Prentice Hall How To Say It | Rating:
I have to write a fairly large amount of business letters, both for my husband's office and volunteer work I'm involved in. When I impulsively purchased "How To Say It: Choice Words, Phrases, Sentences and Paragraphs for Every Situation, " I had no idea I would be using it almost as much as I turn to my old dog-eared and faded Reader's Digest Thorsarus. "How To Say It is" is divided into those categories we so often use, but frequently have no idea what to say. Complaints, fundraising, sales, references, apologies and collections are just some of the topics. Under each topic, there is an introduction, then words, phrases, paragraphs and sample letters follow. I recently had to write a difficult letter of sympathy to a former client who had lost his wife. Using this book, I feel I was able to craft a kind and appropriate note.
We all have times when we need to know exactly "how to say it." This book should be on your reference shelf.


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Anyway . . . all of that is great, but . . . GLOWY EYES!
Each of the possessed students of the Lost Pages event has GLOWY EYES, and I really want a pair for my wizard. :) We have them in Pirate101 as well . . . like on Cadmus here:
And because glowy eyes are super cool--they make my awesome things list. :)
Happy Dueling


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Square Enix's hugely popular puzzle game, Hitman Go, snuck into Google Play today. Players control a piece representing Agent 47, an iconic character from their PC and console franchise Hitman. Players work their way around a board, turn by turn, to eventually take out their mark. Enemy patrols move after you move, and combined with special tiles for hiding and bonus objectives, you'll find yourself in some very tricky situations.
Though the notion of a turn-based puzzle game isn't mind-blowing, setting the art style as a diorama with plastic figures adds a suspiciously charming and relaxed angle to what's traditionally been a game about killing people for money. Plus, anybody with a history with the Hitman games will immediately have a soft spot for the franchise on mobile.
It's especially great that Square Enix didn't try to just drag and drop the old games onto Android, which is a strategy that generally produces awkward results. In any case, download Hitman Go for $4.99. Its casual pace and killer style are bound to win you over.


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Rick Santelli Goes Off!… "The Fed Doesn't Have a Clue, Either Does the President, or Congress!" (Video)
CNBC's Rick Santelli was in rare form today.
The on-air editor blasted the Fed, President Obama, Timothy Geithner and Congress over the fiscal cliff fiasco.
Notice the crowd cheering him on in the background–
The Huffington Post reported:
During a discussion on the so-called fiscal cliff on Thursday, Santelli grew louder, eventually shouting into the camera and overpowering CNBC contributor and trader Jim Iuorio, who was attempting to hold back laughter.
"The Fed doesn't have a clue, neither does the president, neither does Congress … Neither does Tim Geithner, who gives a speech about the debt ceiling. I'd like to see if he could count to a million, much less 16.4 trillion!" Santelli shouted.
Clearly Santelli, like many Americans, is panicking as the fiscal cliff deadline nears.
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text: Russia's second biggest defence contractor is celebrating a deal selling a minority stake in the company to investors from the Gulf. The cash injection is welcome in a country isolated from many traditional investment channels by US and EU sanctions. But the controlling instincts of Russia's government risk deterring foreign investors at a time when they are badly needed. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands reports from Kazar. Europe Russia Business & Economy


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GiveBackAmerica.org needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 32 designs submitted by 17 freelance designers.
We are looking to update the logo on our website, http://www.GiveBackAmerica.org. The logo is on the top left of the homepage. We are an online shopping mall, where consumers select a charity to support, then generate commissions for this charity when they shop at major online retailers.
We would like our new logo to be simple, clean, and fresh. We would like to use the title "GiveBackAmerica.org" and the sub-title "America's Online Charity Mall". We would like to stick to the colors Black, Red, White, and Blue. Feel free to use any type of small graphics or images. The logo needs fit in the spot where the old logo is on our website, but also needs to be legible when resized smaller.
- Title "GiveBackAmerica.org
- Sub-Title "America's Online Charity Mall"
- Colors: Black, Red, White, and Blue
- Small graphics
- Colors other than the ones specified
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Paneer Makhanwala ~ Indian Cottage Cheese with roasted spices!
Do you all remember the first time you tasted something and know how much it changed your life after that? Atleast I remember one thing that changed mine for ever. It was my first taste of Paneer. Oh I know what you must think. I am so crazy of Paneer that atleast one dish gets featured on Paneer. Yes, I am very fond and so is my daughter. Anyway back to the story. It was almost more than a decade back, if I remember right. During our regular shopping, Dad got hold of a Ready to serve packet that was just launched. Dad really makes sure Amma gets a free time from cooking at regular intervals, since none of us could cook that time, it was always going out for lunch or dinner. That's when these ready to serve products were introduced. And he was always after Amma to get those packets, so that we can used when we need. Amma never used to agree to it as she was of the opinion that it may not be so very healthy and on top quite expensive. But Dad somehow got these packets of Paneer Makhanwala from a brand called Tasty Bites. Since we were four of us, he thought one would be suffice and got another dish.
Though the quantity was not enough, I can still remember that taste. It was absolutely delicious. Maybe because it was the first time we were tasting it or whatever. The taste still lingers. We searched for the same product many times, but that was stopped and though I see those products now in the market, I don't know if it still tastes so great. That was the beginning of Paneer and its dishes at home. All of us are Paneer lovers and have tried many varieties and had many variations. But I haven't really tried a recipe which went by the name Paneer Makhanwala. That name rings in fond memories of days bygone! I tried recreating, maybe with the wish that those happy childhood days will be back here. But just as you cant ever get back those lovely days, its impossible to meet the expectations, you have in mind. I know rather than lingering to recreate my childhood fancies, I should be creating memorable times for my kids. I hope, someday my daughter will remember this Paneer Makhanwala, that prepared specially for her, and feel she could never recreate the same! On its own, it was really tasty but I don't know if this is the authentic Paneer makhanwala, because I have seen many recipes in the same name with different ingredients!
Whatever, this is a pure indulgence!
Ingredients Needed:
Paneer - 250 gms
Bay leaf - 1 big
Ginger Garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Green Chilies - 1
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste
Milk - 200 ml
Cream - 200 (opt)
Butter - 2 -3 tbsp
Kasuri Methi - 1/4 tsp
Ground to Masala:
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 2"
Cardamom - 1
Pepper Corns - 5
Green Chili - 1
Cashew nuts/ Almonds - 10 nos
Onions - 2 medium
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Method to prepare:
Cut the Paneer into 2" cubes. Roast them to golden in Ghee or butter. Keep aside.
Then in the same pan, roast each ingredients in the same order mentioned under masalas to be ground. Once the tomatoes are well roasted, remove and allow to cool. Then grind to a smooth paste, using water.
Heat another pan with Oil, add the bay leaf, slit chilis. Then ginger garlic paste.Once its fried, add chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powders.
Simmer for 2 mins, then add the ground paste. Simmer and cook till its starts bring oil out on the sides. Slowly add Milk and bring to boil. You can add about 1/2 water.
Cover and cook for 10 mins. Once its nicely done, add the fried paneer and simmer for 2 mins. When you are about to remove from fire, add the cream and remove. You can avoid cream if you don't like, but to go along the name, cream adds taste.
This would taste great with Naan or Parotta, I served with Chappatis.
North Indian Dishes
Paneer Recipes
Vegetarian Recipes


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by Djinane Alsuwayeh
Mario Testino, V magazine, 2006
See the history of fashion photography here
See recent fashion photography here.
Fashion and (the) Image
Fashion and the Image concerns fashion theory as it's articulated via graphic design and photography. There are two senses of image and how fashion relates to those senses.
The first sense, in which image means likeness or picture. Photography and drawing are two techniques where likenesses and pictures can be reproduced. The second sense, in which image means identity or meaning. Where personal identity is the unique character of someone and brand identity is the visible image of a product. For example, someone's image means a sense of identity and fashion and clothing are central.
Chanel Look Book, FW 2009
Companies since the 1980's recognized that what they were producing and selling were not products but brands. What is consumed in post modernity is not commodity but the sign; the image or sign is what's consumed. Images or identities may be constructed and communicated by wearing fashion, in photography, graphic design and illustration. The brand image is the core meaning of a company. Advertising is what is used to convey that meaning of the world. The image is linked to marketing and advertising and constructed in fashion photography to sell the cloths. The role of fashion photography is to sell cloths through seduction. It is used to create a likeness or picture, which in turn is used to construct an image. The image then is used to sell fashion cloths.
The brand visions above are entirely different as are the images to sell the brands. Below the photos of the Missoni family for the Missoni campaign, by Juergen Teller who has created a similar brand aesthetic for Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood and YSL.
Photography, Semiology, and graphic design are disciplines that use these two senses. Photography provides likeness and pictures and also contributes to the identity or brand meaning of the fashion designer and companies. Semiology deals with both senses. And Graphic design uses photography to provide illustrations of fashion items as well as a more significant function in producing and communicating identities and meaning.
There is no definition of fashion though there is an implicit theory of fashion; it's not about cut and cloth but about graphic design, packaging, and communication. The product itself takes a back seat in fashion and graphic designers play the role. For example the two white t-shirts one from CDG which attracts the architect and the Hugo Boss which attracts the businessman because the shirts no matter how similar or different, each shirt are constructed and communicated by graphic design.
Most of the things written about photography and graphic design have no relation to theory. It's neither anecdotal nor technical. What is purely a technical concern with the equipment of photography like the film, lighting and the effects actually mask a wealth of cultural variables and thus a range of ways in which meanings can be created and manipulated. There is a cultural theory and a theory of meaning hidden in or behind the technical language used by these photographers.
Most photo analysis discusses technical differences such as the use of lighting below rather than the message communicated by the photos. Akris, 2010 & Opium, 2010.
Fashion Photography, Roland Barthes
Photographing the fashion signifier (garments) poses problems of method that where set aside. Yet fashion photographs, its signifiers and signified, are drawn from the world.
In fashion photography, the world is photographed as a theater. It is always an idea; a word, that varies through a series of examples. The theater of meaning suggests two things; poetic in association of ideas of substances for example knitwear. The signified here is autumn, and the country. But is diffused as a substance consisting of wool. With the associations of ideas become wordplay, which is the second idea that is humorous; where we find the main opposition in fashion between the serious winter/autumn and the gay spring/summer.
Guy Bourdin, 1978. In his essay on fashion photography, Roland Barthes explains that the world is a backdrop. The world can also be transformed into a particular stage for specific theater themes. The theater of meaning in fashion walks the line between serious and whimsical.
There are three different styles of experienced scenes, the objective, romantic and mockery. They are to make fashion's signifieds unreal. By putting the signifieds in quotation marks fashion keeps its distance with regard to its own language, and by making the signified unreal fashion makes the signifier real. This is done by shifting the viewer from the signifying background towards the reality of the model.
Objective - Romantic - Mockery
Fashion affects that sort of shock to consciousness, which suddenly gives the reader signs of the mystery it deciphers. It also dissolves the myth of innocent signifieds at the same time it produces them, it attempts to substitute its artifice for example its culture. Fashion does not suppress meaning, it points to it with its finger.
Barthes describes fashion photography as an exorcism in which everything in the photo is made "outrageous" so that the garment alone seems real and convincing.
Only the shoes in this photo can be understood. Guy Bourdin for Charles Jourdan, 1978.
Fashion creates a disappointment of meaning because in its establishment of the mystery it has no resolution. It produces meaningful signs but does not rest on explanation.
Chris Von Wangenheim, Vogue, 1979
Gender and hegemony in Fashion Magazines; Woman's interpretation of fashion Photographs By Diana Crane.
Fashion has been conceived as a form of hegemonic oppression exerting an obligation to conform that's heavy on the female population. Fashion photographs generate dissatisfaction amounts women because they feed upon the unreal, which sets high expectations that, most woman cannot meet.
Mario Testino, V 59. The author points to a conflicted hegemony. Different images send different messages especially about women.
The effects of images on woman in the media; advertising, have been the subject of studies and debates for many years. Understanding these impacts requires the consideration of two things. The first being the concept of hegemony as it applies to texts created for woman. The second are theories of media reception and their conceptualization of women as the interpreters of media materials. Feminists argue that's media images of woman are directed at men and those women are encouraged to look at themselves and other woman as men do. Gender advertisements identifies characteristic poses in advertisements that present woman as inferior to men, in the manner stereotypical images of the woman correspond to the ways woman's roles are understood in American culture.
Mario Testino, V 59
Gender is primary in determining how individuals relate to one another in social interaction. Gender ambiguity is disturbing for many people and is argued that gender identification should be unambiguous.
Fashion as a form of media culture can also be interpreted in terms of conflicted hegemony. A fashion advertisement indicates an internally contradictory hegemonic process- an on going dialectic between dominant and oppositional forces. Advertisers have been forces to incorporate oppositional elements in order to attract the attention of sophisticated consumers. Fashion is described as a form of culture characterized by opposition between two countervailing historically established cultural discourses. One romanticizes fashion and the other trivializes it.
The conflicted hegemony also concerns the role that women play as desirable figure versus wife and mother.
It is argued that postmodernist elements in contemporary fashion contribute to a conflicted hegemony. Women's responses cannot be characterized entirely by either acceptance of or resistance to hegemonic values. There is a variation depending of the nature of text, age, social class, and ethnicity of the reader or viewer. Women from different social class and ethnic groups respond either negatively or positively to different aspects of material, depending upon its relevance and significance for their lives.
Fashionable clothing is meaningful to the consumer because it expresses ambivalences surrounding social identities for example young/age, work/play. Fashion continually redefines the tensions and embodies them in new styles, thus fashion photographs are subject to different interpretations because they present diverse and crosscutting identities.
JCrew 2009 and Terry Richardson 2009
Postmodernism in fashion is seen as liberating for woman. Because a variety of styles are fashionable at the same period of time, woman are able to construct personal styles that are meaningful to them, using specific elements of fashionable styles rather than merely following a new and well defined style. Women are expected to respond to fashion photographs and clothing advertisements that are likely to be postmodernist stylistically and conflicted in terms of their interpretations of woman's roles.
Postmodernism, feminism and fashion magazines-
Fashion in fashion magazines has diverse contradictory social agendas. Fashion magazines please both advertisers and consumers. Fashion photographers have synchronized their themes and images with those that show youth cultures and that are circulated by the media.
Fashion photography has incorporated sexual poses as one showing woman in low status in animal like poses. And the other are woman are portrayed as empowered and androgynous capable of achieving goal and managing others by wearing business suits and other costumes derived from masculine attire.
Terry Richardson, Jimmy Choo, Cruise, 2009
Selection of photographs and questions for research-
The study was to examine responses and representations of gender in fashion photographs and clothing advertisements among young and middle aged women, about categories such as the frontal gaze and eye contact, androgyny and gender ambiguity, lesbianism, ritualization of subordination, withdrawal, sexuality and nudity.
Authority of fashion-
Based on the research and questionnaires there are several reliance's on different types of sources of information about fashion. Those included their social milieu, media including fashion magazines, TV, and clothes worn by popular singers, and final local stores. The information suggested that the authority to transmit information about fashion today is widely diffused.
Some of the responses were; that fashion standards set in the magazines were impossible to achieve, that fashion photographs should be viewed as art and fantasy rather than representations of fashion, and African Americas did not attempt to follow fashion because to them fashionable styles were created for white woman.
The Fashion Magazine and its social agendas-
Several photographs present the woman in highly sexualized poses suggesting that woman's roles are that of a sex object.
Terry Richardson, Jimmy Choo, Cruise, 2009


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Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is believed to have stated that the natural wealth the Russian Federation possesses is too much for one country to have. It's obvious that the West would have loved to live off the decaying carcass of the Soviet Union, and they managed to do just that during the 1990s. But Vladimir Putin's FSB backed rise to power in Moscow a decade ago all but put an abrupt stop to the West's parasitical activities in the Russian Federation. Within a few short years, Putin and company turned an immense failed state into a great world power once again.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that global energy production will be plummeting in the coming decades. There is simply not enough oil and natural gas to meet global demands. As the United States, Middle East and the north Atlantic region runs out of energy reserves, northern and eastern Eurasia will be one of the only regions on earth that will continue to host significant amounts of energy reserves. Consequently, it is safe to assume that the political entity that controls the politics of Eurasia will be in the enviable position to control the global economy and global political affairs. After the West's failed efforts in the 1990s to wrestle the strategic energy transit routes in the Caucasus away from Moscow's control, I'm glad to report that the political entity that is increasingly beginning to look like the master of Eurasian energy production and distribution is the Russian Federation. Blessed also with an abundance of natural wealth, and a military that is fully capable of protecting it, the Russian Federation realizes it will be in a very enviable position in the 21 century. Moscow also realizes that it will have to continue protecting its national wealth from the deadly clutches of the Anglo-American-Zionist global empire. And that is essentially why we are seeing a rapid increase of Russia's military presence in the energy rich Arctic region. That is also why we are seeing increased military spending and modernization of Russian forces in Russia's energy rich eastern regions and its strategic transit routes in the Caucasus. We can expect more in this regard in the coming years.
Moscow currently satisfies about 1/3 of Europe's oil needs and approximately 1/2 of its natural gas needs. The figures for certain NATO members are even much higher. For instance, Russia today is poised to provide 70% of Turkey's and Italy's energy needs.This already bad situation is gradually getting worst for Washington, London and Brussels because of recent political developments in Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. During the pivotal years following Vladimir Putin's ascension to power in the Kremlin, Moscow managed to essentially monopolize Eurasia's energy production and distribution networks. Moscow has also begun energy exploration in the vast energy rich Arctic region and it has regained its political leverage over key Central Asian states and the south Caucasus. Moreover, Moscow has also managed to strike long-term energy deals with NATO members Italy, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany and Norway, as well as Austria and the Ukraine.
With recent successes in the Caucasus, including the historic bashing Georgia got in 2008 and its prolonged military presence in Armenia, Moscow has managed to firmly place its boots in the south Caucasus. With Europe and America nowhere in sight, the geopolitical climate we see today will endure for the foreseeable future - barring any major unforeseen event. As a result, any future gas/oil pipeline traversing the region will need Moscow's blessing. This is in essence a deathblow to the West's Nabucco project, which envisioned exploiting Azeri and Central Asian energy independent of Moscow and Yerevan.
Needless to say, Western political observers are in a panic mode today, but the economic crisis the West is currently wrestling with and its military entanglements in the Middle East and Central Asia are tempering their response to Moscow's successes. Nevertheless, by controlling Europe's energy imports, Moscow can theoretically be in an enviable position to indirectly control its politics. This may explain Germany's recent enthusiasm when is comes to dealing with Moscow. By controlling Central Asian energy production and distribution, Moscow can also maintain China's long-term dependence and thus friendship. This situation was foreseen by Western political analysts some years ago, and this is one of the fundamental reasons why Washington, London and Brussels have been desperately trying to gain a foothold in the energy rich regions of Central Asia and the Middle East. Despite their best efforts, however, Moscow has been able to check them in various fronts. As a result, Russia's Vladimir Putin today is the reigning king of Eurasia, for centuries considered to be the world's most coveted geopolitical prize. The following news articles from various sources highlights the Russia's unstoppable energy onslaught.
As I like to say - they loved Gorbachev because he allowed them to kill the Bear, they adored Yeltsin because he allowed them to feed off the decaying carcass of the Bear, now they fear and hate Putin because he has resurrected the Bear.
Russia to create Arctic armed forces: http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/0/rXrG5vNrvGM
Russia, Turkey bridge pipeline in gas issue: http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/0/9qtETgzjdxw
Nabucco pipeline forgotten: http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/13/7LT3RVD5pVA
BTC Pipeline - Oil Connection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pi-GdkEu8QGo with the Flow: Gas giants merger to warm up Russia-Ukraine ties? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z37Pzwg4kEo&feature=player_embedded
Gimme Fuel: $11 billion pipeline launched, EU to get gas directly via Nord Stream:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT0XdKsBnPU&feature=player_embedded
In October 2003, troops carrying machine guns boarded Russian oligarch Mikhael Khodorkovsky's plane on the runway of a Siberian airfield.
Kordokovsky, the richest man in Russia, was the owner of Yukos, at the time the country's biggest oil firm. Within hours he was hauled back to Moscow wearing handcuffs and a black canvas hood over his head. Vladimir Putin had flexed his political might and changed the political course of Russia. BBC journalist and Russia expert Martin Sixsmith's book, Putin's Oil, is a vivid account of what led to Khodorkovsky's arrest, its dramatic aftermath and far-reaching consequences.
ePolitix.com: I was expecting your book to be somewhat dry and academic – in fact it reminded me of a Tom Clancy novel.
Martin Sixsmith: I was interested in the human clash between these two men, Putin and Khordokovsky, rather than the nitty-gritty of the financial background. It is also a clash between two ways of seeing Russia and its future. From 1990 they had ten years of trying to be like us – it didn't work. That is when the oligarchs got very rich. In 2000 the country was nearly bankrupt and there was ethnic violence and disorder on the streets and a few people getting very rich. In 2000 they changed their minds and have gone in the opposite direction, which is a centrally-governed state with a very strict, harsh authority in Moscow.
In 1991 when Communism ended you were in Russia as a reporter. Were people hopeful they could change Russia and was their lack of experience of capitalism the reason they ended up in such dire straits?
The brief answer is yes and yes. After 74 years of Communism people were fed up with it. It was an awful place. The guys who were in charge were pretty young, Western-leaning, liberal and spoke English with American accents. They said they could make things better and the people went along with it, they did not really know what capitalism was, but it was different. McDonalds had opened in Moscow, they liked it, they liked the hamburgers but could not afford them. Yeltsin and his guys, who I knew and kind of liked, they were very well-intentioned. The West has a lot to answer for because we sent over these hard-nosed economists, who said to Yeltsin, 'you have a very small window and if you do not change to capitalism overnight the Communists are going to come back and you will be strung up'. Yeltsin was not a man for the detail so he thought 'OK'. They introduced this barmy system where they liberalised prices, which then shot up. Everybody got made redundant, massive factories were closed down and the whole thing just imploded. The West pushed them down this road and then did not give them the help to get out of it. By 1996 Yeltsin has to go to the oligarchs and ask them to bail him out, otherwise he said he would lose the election and the Communists would be back. The oligarchs gave him the money but with conditions attached.
Where do people like Khordokovsky and the other oligarchs come from in a Communist system?
These are extremely bright guys, seven or eight guys who at one point claimed they owned one quarter of Russia's economy, and they did. Most of them were wheeler-dealers, slightly on the edge of the legitimate economy under Communism. Most of them Jewish, actually. Khordokovsky was atypical because he was a young Communist. He later claimed he joined on purpose because he would need the contacts to make a big success of himself. So by 1996 they owned all the newspapers and TV stations, so when Yeltsin was in trouble they asked for access to the crown jewels of the economy – the energy sector, the metals sector, distribution, transport. Up until then the Communists had blocked all that. Yeltsin was in such a pickle in 1996 he just signed on the dotted line and he was incredibly re-elected. It was not a rigged election but it was amazing how he turned it round. He had the press and lots of money, of course.
Later, when Putin comes in, he puts pressure on the oligarchs. What did he want, was he just an old-style Communist wanting to renationalise everything?
No, he was not, but he recognised the country was falling apart and something had to be done pretty quickly. He had learned the lesson of history – for the last thousand years Russia has been an autocracy based in Moscow. They have had brief experiments with reform and they have all gone wrong. It was always a terrible disaster when they tried to become like us. Putin sought to restore order to the economy and turn it around, and part of that was to try and look at the deals done by Yeltsin with these very powerful oligarchs. He sat down with them and said 'you and I know this was a bit dodgy, but I do not want to tear it all apart, my aim is to improve the well-being of the country'. Putin attempted a deal where they would keep out of politics, and they had been very influential over Yeltsin and expected to do the same with Putin, which did not happen. Most said OK. Berezovsky was furious, he thought of Putin as his creation, so he got out. Berezovsky continued to finance political parties. There was a moment on national TV where he waved his finger at Putin, which is just not done in Russia.
Of course after lots of clashes with Putin, Berezovsky ended up fleeing to London, claiming political asylum here in 2001. Why do these Russian billionaires come to London?
It is interesting because after the Russian Revolution everyone fled to Paris. Now it is London - it is partly because the British government has a fairly relaxed asylum policy, and they feel safe here. They feel that the education system is good and London is accessible to get back to Russia. But a lot of them have gone to the US or Israel.
There is a brilliant moment in the book where you describe the arrest of Khordokovsky at an airport.
Well that was a very Russian thing for Putin to do, not only arrest him but show we are arresting him, show who is the boss, we are the state.
Will he ever be released from prison?
The received opinion is that he is going to go down for another 20 years, I think there is a possibility he could be released, because Medvedev (the current President of Russia), who is a lawyer himself, keeps saying we need a legal system that can be respected. But it would be a political decision as well. It is not absolutely clear he is innocent! It is not a terrible thing he might go to jail. Of course he was selected for this treatment and others were not, so it is selective justice.
Putin puts forward an image of the semi-naked strongman, not something our politicians would do. Does that appeal to the Russian mind set?
Russian history will judge him extremely well, in contrast with Yeltsin and Gorbachev, who are hated. Putin is popular because if your country is falling apart, there is nothing to eat, the lights go out at 10pm, you are not going to be happy about it. He has restored order and he is a strong man, the image of him on horseback is right. He has got the economy back on its feet, you do not get shot in the street like you did under Yeltsin. His opponents may see his actions as those of a tyrant, but the Russians think he did the right thing. Russia now has its oil and gas resources back under its control. That has allowed Putin the political clout he needed on the international stage and he has restored order. Russians like Putin because he is strong, he is not drunk every night like his predecessor, and I saw Yeltsin, he was like that, he stank of vodka. They want someone who does not drink, is physically strong.
Do the Russians have an inferiority complex and think we do not respect them enough?
I would say it is more a fear of vulnerability, if you look at the last thousand years they have been invaded from every side you can imagine. In the 13th century they were invaded by the Mongols who stayed around for 250 years and set back their development for a quarter of a millennium. That deep-seated fear of foreigners is still there. The funny thing about Russia is we think of them as tough guys, strutting on the international stage, with menacing rockets. They do not see it like that, they see it as having to remain vigilant.
Putin's Oil, The Yukos Affair and the Struggle for Russia by Martin Sixsmith is available from bookshops or can be bought online here.Source:http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/putins-fight-for-contol-of-russias-oil
*Click here to view the full PDF of this report
Executive Summary
The August 2008 war in the Caucasus revealed the new strategic realities that have emerged in the Black Sea / Caspian Region in recent years. These realities have been driven by overly ambitious Russian policies and have weakened Western strategic interests in the region. The conditions created immediately after the war appeared more favorable to Russia and less favorable to other nations in the region, most notably Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The August war in Georgia demonstrated some risks associated with the functioning of the transit energy corridor in the southern Caucasus. It also demonstrated the need for broader security guarantees for a region that is vital to European and global energy security. The most important finding of the paper is that while the corridor has a tremendous potential to augment its transit capabilities with new pipelines, railroads, marine and air ports, the security of the South Caucasus transportation corridor cannot be taken for granted. Moreover, Western countries will need to ensure stability and security in the region in order for the corridor to meet its full potential.
The Russian invasion of Georgia established new strategic realities in Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia. It was the culmination of Russia's impressive comeback in Eastern-European and Central-Eurasian affairs that has occurred in response to high energy prices, a weak US strategic position, European division and uncertainty in Turkey's strategies. The war made clear that Russia is willing to use force to deepen and promote its interests, while western powers are not. This fact was predictable, but not certain to some. The war in Georgia helped firmly establish this reality and may also indicate that even NATO members may not be fully protected by their commitment to that organization. As the Russia-Georgia conflict demonstrates, military force has once again become a major factor in Russian foreign policy. Nevertheless, economic provisions and energy incentives are still the primary tools employed by Russia to further its foreign policy interests abroad.
At the same time, the weak Western response to Russia actions may send the wrong signal to the Russian leadership about the level of freedom it has to use force in what Russia considers its sphere of influence. Furthermore, the weak economy and the declining popularity of Russian leaders may create internal instability within Russia and tempt Russian leaders to once again utilize force to further their objectives. Europe and the United States need to carefully consider their policy response to such scenarios.
Another major finding of this paper is that energy is an important factor in the stability of any country and, in Georgia's case, domestic energy security is also the foundation for stability of transit, and development of the entire regional infrastructure. The physical damage to the infrastructure and the environment in Georgia as a result of the war was tangible but not large. The damage to Georgia's transportation system is repairable in a relatively short period of time. The pipelines are gradually approaching pre-conflict volumes of the oil and natural gas shipments although the shipments via railway, ports, and air have all shown signs of decline. Instead, the key problem emerged with the malfunctioning of the largest energy facility in the country - the Enguri hydro power plant.
The reservoir for the power plant is located on Georgian-controlled territory while the actual electricity production plant is located on Abkhaz/Russian controlled territory. The Georgian leadership had to make a very difficult political decision in accepting the offer of the Russian company Inter RAO (the subsidiary of the giant Russian state-owned energy monopoly Inter RAO United Energy Systems (UES)) on joint operation of the power plant. While there is a positive history of activities of the Inter RAO UES in Georgia, the Russian state-owned company's control of a key electricity supplier for the entire country is not the best political and economic security outcome for Georgia.
Lastly, the paper argues that the initial damage that the war inflicted upon the political reliability of the transit corridor is gradually diminishing and that new opportunities are emerging. The complete reversal of this damage can be possible but will depend on U.S. and EU policy, the role of Turkey, internal stability in the Caucasus region, and Russian policy in Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is important to remember that when the initial decision to revitalize the energy corridor through Georgia and Azerbaijan was made in the mid 1990s, the security environment was extremely difficult and there was no infrastructure to support shipment of oil through the corridor, yet leadership of the United States and Turkey supported that decision and helped to implement it. Today's environment is much more favorable considering the functioning infrastructure and greater demand for Caspian energy.
New natural gas discoveries in Turkmenistan and the next stage in oil and gas developments in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will require additional export capacity and a tough battle is ahead between the different export options, each supported by state sponsors with competing interests. It is significant in this context that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on November 14, 2008, to develop a Trans-Caspian oil transportation that will include onshore oil pipeline in Kazakhstan and a tanker fleet in the Caspian Sea to ship Kazakh oil to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and on to the world markets. As it was indicated at the Budapest summit devoted to the Nabucco pipeline project on January 27, significant progress has been made on the development of a natural gas link between the Caspian and Europe, and Georgia has an important role to play.
These developments indicate that the energy producing countries of the region are determined to seek the diversification of export options, but they need to be supported by the United States, and in particular European, NATO, or Turkish security guarantees. After all, Western Europe and Turkey are the major consumers and beneficiaries of Caspian energy resources.
Source: http://www.jamestown.org/programs/recentreports/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=34654&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=54b53bf6cc
Russia is heavily dependent on Ukrainian pipelines, which carry about 80 percent of its natural gas exports to Europe, and it has long coveted a greater degree of control over them. If the deal were to go through, Gazprom would effectively swallow the Ukrainian company, Naftogaz, said Chris Weafer, chief strategist at UralSib Capital, an investment bank. "In any merger, Gazprom would dominate — it would be seen as a complete Russian takeover over of the Ukrainian gas system," Mr. Weafer said. If it came up for legislative approval, he added, what happened during the vote on the naval base "would look like a kindergarten party by comparison." Mr. Weafer called Mr. Putin's suggestion a "nonstarter," but he said Mr. Putin could be laying the groundwork for the more politically viable approach of forming a joint venture that would control the Ukrainian pipeline system. "He's probably trying out the extreme, knowing full well it would provoke a strong reaction inside Ukraine," he said.
And that it did, in a country still split between its Europe-leaning west and Russia-leaning east. Yulia V. Tymoshenko, who lost to Mr. Yanukovich in a bitterly fought presidential race, said the merger proposal "could be seen as a joke" but warned of "a large-scale plan to liquidate independent Ukraine." She predicted the "full absorption of Ukraine by Russia," and blamed Mr. Yanukovich for ceding too easily to Russia's will. "You can sculpt whatever you want out of plasticine Yanukovich," she said, according to a statement posted on her party's Web site. Mr. Yanukovich, a former Communist apparatchik who ran on a platform of closer ties to Moscow, has closed a series of agreements with the Kremlin since taking office, culminating Tuesday in the vote allowing Russia to extend its lease on the naval base. Russia, in return, agreed to cut the price of its natural gas by 30 percent — at a cost to Russia of at least $30 billion, Mr. Weafer said — and went on to waive a $2 billion fine it could have levied on Ukraine for purchasing less gas than was included in a contract signed in January.
The deals come at a critical time for Ukraine, whose economy has contracted precipitously in the downturn, with demand from industrial customers down by 50 percent during the first three months of the year compared with 2009. Dmitri S. Peskov, Mr. Putin's spokesman, dismissed the notion that Gazprom would take over the smaller company, saying the proposal would create a new legal entity. He said that Ukraine was interested in finding a co-owner for Naftogaz, and that Russia sought to "receive a guaranteed route for the fulfillment of its obligations to customers in Western Europe." He also said, in comments carried by RIA Novosti, that it was too early to speculate on a possible asset swap. The two countries' energy ministers will meet with the companies' top officials to discuss the proposal in mid-May. If the merger idea goes forward, it would reflect a regional trend that has emerged during the financial crisis, as Western banks pulled out of the region and former Soviet states turned to Moscow for capital and business ties.
During his comments in Sochi, Mr. Putin underlined the material support Russia has given Ukraine's economy. "Thanks to the gas discount — I said this at the meeting with my colleagues — our neighbors will be able to invest more than $40 billion in their national economy over the next 10 years," he said, in remarks carried on Russian television. The Russian proposal would also have implications for Europe, which has been paralyzed by winter stoppages in natural gas deliveries as Ukraine and Russia clashed over payments. The European Commission is likely to take a dim view of a merger because it would hamper efforts to draw Ukraine into its sphere of influence and away from Russia's orbit.
Europe has heaped much of the blame for gas stoppages on Gazprom and the Kremlin. But it was unclear on Friday whether the commission had the means to intervene, or stymie, the Russian proposal. Part of the deal mooted by Mr. Putin involved lending Ukraine $500 million — a fact European Union officials are most likely to find galling, since they helped secure loans for Ukraine last year so it could pay its gas bills to Russia. Mr. Weafer said, though, that Europe might sign onto a joint venture plan, which would give Russia some equity in the pipeline system. Russia could then help modernize Ukraine's pipeline system and use it to carry Central Asian gas into Europe. That arrangement, he added, could deal a death blow to Nabucco, a proposed pipeline that would transport Central Asian gas through Turkey into Austria, allowing Europe to reduce its dependence on Russian gas. As Ukraine considers Russia's proposals, he noted, Moscow is pledging substantial sums. "They are getting what they want," he said. "But they are paying for it."Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/world/europe/01gazprom.html?scp=3&sq=gazprom&st=cse
The chairman of Norway's Ocean Futures research institute, Willy Ostreng, said the agreement's foundation in international law and bilateral negotiation bodes well for resolving future conflicts between other countries in the far north, where interest in shipping and offshore petroleum production may intensify if the polar ice cap continues to recede in response to warming temperatures. "It's a model case for what may happen in the future in the Arctic," Mr. Ostreng said. The Norwegian and Russian frontiers cap Europe's northernmost bulge. The new delimitation extends the two countries' 122-mile land border northward beyond all the islands of the Barents Sea and into the Arctic Ocean, although the two leaders did not provide an exact northward distance. Conventional practice elsewhere in the world has been to position maritime boundaries at the midpoint between opposing land masses, and for 40 years that has been Norway's goal with respect to its Svalbard archipelago to the west and the Russian island groups of Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land to the east.
Russia argued instead for a "meridian line" boundary running more or less straight north from the mainland, which would have provided it with an additional 67,000 square miles of economic territory — about equal to the entire Norwegian sector of the North Sea, whose oil resources have made Norway a rich country. Mr. Stoltenberg said the line approved on Tuesday splits that disputed area nearly in half, which means the line will still run considerably closer to the Norwegian islands than the Russian ones. A number of oil or gas fields identified by Russian seismic surveys in the 1980s are thought to straddle the line. "Both parties believe the disputed area contains rich deposits of mineral resources, in particular oil and gas," said Mr. Ostreng. "But they don't know for sure. And when you don't know for sure, you act as if the area is extremely rich. It is not easy to give up strategic resources."
A spokesman for Greenpeace, the international environmental organization, said he was startled by how the two leaders talked about oil and gas exploration immediately after announcing the new boundary. "It just shows the greediness of Russia and Norway that the first thing they talked about is not global warming, which is what's making this area suddenly accessible, but resource extraction," said Truls Gulowsen, head of the group's Norway branch. "This part of the planet is extremely sensitive. It is often covered with ice and there is no technology to clean spilled oil and chemicals out of ice." Geologists say the eastern Barents, under Russian economic stewardship, probably contains far more oil and gas than the Norwegian sector, though the Norwegians have beaten their neighbors to the punch by starting production in a western Barents field called Snow White. Based on expertise gained there, a Norwegian company, Statoil, has signed up to help Russia's state gas giant, Gazprom, develop a large offshore field called Shtokman far out at sea on the Russian side of the Barents. That technologically demanding project has been delayed, however, by low gas prices.
At a meeting in Canada of the Arctic nations last month, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store of Norway seemed to express frustration over Russia's longstanding opposition to placing the maritime boundary at an equal distance between islands of the two nations. He was widely quoted as saying Russia was "not yet a stable, predictable state." The two states have clashed in the past over fishing rights and practices in the Barents Sea, which contains vast stocks of cod. But in recent years Russia and Norway have worked closely on a shared fisheries management system. So while the new dividing line will add clarity it will not alter fishing practices on a large scale, Mr. Ostreng said. The area in question qualifies as the high seas, he said, so no matter where the line was drawn it would not affect passage by naval vessels or commercial ships.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/world/europe/28norway.html
The gas will be supplied via two parallel steel pipelines of 27.5 bcm/year capacity each. The length of this under sea pipeline is 1220 km. It will begin at Vyborg in Russia near St. Petersburg, cut across the Baltic Sea (maximum depth 210 metres) and reach Greifswald in Germany. It will cost about US $12 billion to build and will be ready to deliver gas by 2012. It will be the largest underwater gas pipeline system when built. The pipeline will pass through the territorial waters and/or economic zones of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Several side pipelines will be built in different countries to connect with the main pipeline.
The pipeline, discussions about which began in 1997, is an outcome of the strong commitment from former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and Vladmir Putin, the former President and current Prime Minister of Russia. Schroeder is presently the chairperson of the Shareholders' Committee. The strongest objection for the pipeline has come from Poland. In 2006, the Polish defence minister compared the agreement between Russia and Germany with the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact. There have also been apprehensions that the pipeline may be misused by Russia for spying purposes. Russia has dismissed these allegations as unfounded. Countries like Ukraine, Poland and Belarus stand to lose US $1 billion per year in transit fees when the pipeline is constructed.
Thirty per cent of the funding for the project will be provided from the equity holdings while the rest will be raised by various banks. Several European banks have joined the project to raise funds. Nord Stream is a truly pan-European project in which a large number of companies are joining hands. Russia's Gazprom holds 51 per cent of shares in Nord Stream AG, Germany's Wintershall and E.ON Ruhrgas hold 20 per cent each, and the Netherlands' Gasunie holds 9 per cent. These companies have wide experience in building and operating natural gas pipeline projects around the world. Some other companies are expected to join the project. The equity holding pattern will change in future as more companies join the project. Already funding to the tune of US $4 billion has been raised from 22 banks.
The project will supply Russian gas to Germany, France, Denmank, Belgium and the Netherlands. Eventually a pipeline may be built to connect the United Kingdom also. The pipeline will help Russia diversify its routes and Russia's dependence upon Ukraine for supply of gas to Europe will reduce. The recipient countries will be freed from supply disruptions caused by Russian-Ukrainian spats in the last few years. This factor alone has compelled Germany to back the pipeline project. Nord Stream will get its gas supples from Yuzhno-Russkoye gas field which has an proven gas reserves of 700 bcm and estimated reserves of one trillion bcm. The fields in the Yamal peninsula, Ob-Taz bay and Shtokman gas fields will also be added. These are some of Russia's largest gas fields.
The project will change the nature of Russian-European relations. It is hoped that energy interdependence will forge better ties between the EU and Russia. Nord Stream is crucial for Europe's energy security. Europe currently needs about 543 bcm of gas annually. This will go up to 629 bcm by 2025. Eighty one percent of this will have to be imported. Nord Stream will meet about 25 per cent of the projected growth in Europe's gas imports. No wonder the project is listed as a priority project in EU's Trans-Europe Energy Network (TEN - E).
Despite the beginning of the construction of the pipeline environmental concerns remain. The Baltic Sea is considered to be one of the most polluted seas in the world. Chemical and conventional munitions were dumped into the Baltic Sea after the two world wars. Several surveys have been carried out in the past to map the sites where such munitions may be lying. The pipeline route seeks to avoid sensitive sites. The concern is that construction activities in the sea may stir up the toxic waste in the Baltic Sea. Russia has said that the environmental impact studies done for the Nord Stream show that the pipeline is safe. Finland would not allow any construction ships to anchor in its economic zone. The pipeline project has obtained safety and environmental clearances from the concerned countries and agencies but environmental NGOs like WWF have criticised the environmental impact clearances obtained as inadequate.
Doubts have also been expressed about the economic viability of the project. Will it deliver Russian gas to European customers at an affordable price? Despite these apprehensions, Nord Stream should come as a great relief to energy starved Europe. Europe is looking for alternative non-Russian sources of energy supply as well. The Nabucco project is one such project aimed at delivering gas from Central Asia to Europe. Russia's counter to Nabucco project is the South Stream project through the Black Sea into Southern Europe. It may be noted that together Nord Stream and South Stream gas pipelines will equal the gas pipeline capacity of the Russia-Ukraine-Europe system.
Russia is no doubt an energy super power. The dependence of individual European countries on Russian gas varies from 21 per cent in the case of France and 43 per cent for Germany to 74 per cent for Austria, 79 per cent for Poland and 100 per cent in the case of Finland. This dependence is likely to continue in the foreseeable future. The Nord Stream Project will further strengthen Prime Minister Putin's vision of positioning Russia as a major power in the world.
Source: http://www.eurasiareview.com/2010/04/nord-stream-takes-shape-big-victory-for.html
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev paid a visit to Turkey on May 11-12, during which he signed agreements for $25 billion in projects — mostly in the energy sector — including a massive commitment to build a $20 billion, 4.8-gigawatt (GW) nuclear power plant. Medvedev's visit is the culmination of months of negotiations between Ankara and Moscow over where the countries could agree to disagree on the future of Eurasian energy flows. Turkey, straddling Europe, Asia and the Middle East, is looking to bolster its geopolitical standing by signing deals that would allow Turkey to transit energy from the East to the European markets. Russia, as the dominant natural gas supplier for Europe, wants to ensure Turkey does not give Europe too many options in circumventing Russian energy networks. Since Russia and Turkey are both resurgent powers in the region, the energy issue can turn quite thorny at times, particularly as the West is leaning on Turkey to keep its distance from Moscow. But Russia and Turkey are not looking for an energy brawl at the moment. Tensions exist between these historic rivals, but the current geopolitical environment is pushing the two sides to work with — instead of against — each other.
Competing Over Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan has long been a pawn in Turkey's negotiations with Russia. The country shares deep cultural and linguistic linkages to Turkey, and already transports roughly 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year for the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipeline, which circumvents Russia and carries natural gas from Azerbaijan's offshore Shah Deniz fields through Georgia to Turkey for the European market. Phase II of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz project is expected to come online in 2018 and produce 15 bcm per year, 12 bcm of which would be available for export. Turkey wants to secure as much of that remainder for export as possible so it can transit substantial amounts of natural gas through its territory for projects like the much-touted Nabucco pipeline, designed to provide Europe with a non-Russian-influenced natural gas alternative. Russia, which has a strategic interest in maintaining an energy stranglehold on Europe, naturally wants to ensure pipeline projects such as Nabucco remain pipe dreams.
Such an opportunity arose for Russia roughly two years ago when Turkey began pursuing a diplomatic rapprochement with Azerbaijan's biggest foe, Armenia. Azerbaijan was deeply offended that Turkey would try to make nice with Armenia without first ensuring Azerbaijani demands were met on Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that Armenia seized from Azerbaijan in a war in the early 1990s. As Turkish-Azerbaijani relations deteriorated, Russia made sure it was there for Baku in its time of need, giving Moscow the leverage it was seeking over issues such as Shah Deniz II pricing agreements. So, whenever Turkey approached Baku for a pricing deal on Shah Deniz II, Russia would outbid the Turks and the Azerbaijanis would continue to hold out on a deal. At the same time, Russia used its clout over Armenia to ensure that Turkish-Armenian negotiations remained deadlocked. In the days leading up to Medvedev's visit to Turkey, however, signs of progress between Turkey and Azerbaijan over Shah Deniz II started coming to light. Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natik Aliyev announced May 5 that Turkey and Azerbaijan were coming close to a final pricing agreement to supply Turkey with a minimum of 7 bcm of natural gas from Shah Deniz II. According to a STRATFOR source, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has thus far made a verbal agreement with an advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for Turkey to pay around $220-270 per thousand cubic meters. This starting price is considerably lower than the Russians' earlier offer of $300 per thousand cubic meters. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that these negotiations picked up just prior to Medvedev's visit. If Baku was moving forward with Ankara on a Shah Deniz II deal, the Russians likely facilitated these negotiations.
Nabucco On The Back Burner
However, this assistance came at a price. Russia does not want Azerbaijan's natural gas to go toward a pipeline project like Nabucco that directly violates Russian energy imperatives. That said, there are signs that Russia may be willing to let a bit of its energy stranglehold over Europe slip if, in return, it can more firmly entrench itself in Turkey, the crucial link to Europe's energy diversification efforts. According to a STRATFOR source, Russia has given its consent for now to the Turkey-Azerbaijan natural gas deal on the condition that the massive Nabucco project be shelved. The source claims Russia and Turkey have agreed for the time being that Turkey will focus its attention on another, smaller pipeline to carry the extra Azerbaijani natural gas: the Interconnection Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) and Poseidon pipeline project. This pipeline would take Azerbaijani natural gas across Georgia and Turkey (through an existing Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipeline) into Greece, and from there into Italy through an underwater pipeline across the Ionian Sea. The ITGI-Poseidon project would have a capacity of 11.8 bcm per year compared to Nabucco's capacity goal of 31 bcm per year. This difference in market share makes ITGI-Poseidon a more acceptable compromise for the Russians. Moreover, there is potential down the road for Russia to link into this pipeline project through its ambitious South Stream project led by Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, which aims to deliver Russian energy supplies to Europe across the Black Sea.
The ITGI project — priced at roughly $507 million — would be far more cost effective than Nabucco, the total estimated cost of which is as high as $11 billion. The ITGI project is also already under way, with the Greece-Turkey connection having come online in early 2007. Under the European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP), the European Union has also pledged a grant of $126.9 million for the final section of the project, the Poseidon pipeline. It remains to be seen whether Turkey will be able to convince its European partners, now struggling with the Greek financial maelstrom, to put down more money to see through this project, as well as others such as Nabucco in the future. However, Turkey will be able to make a much more convincing argument for more funding if it can secure Azerbaijani natural gas to source these projects.
Azerbaijan's Demands
Azerbaijan's demands in this whole affair are quite simple. Baku wants a favorable price on its natural gas, but is also looking for guarantees from Ankara that the Turkish government will not pursue meaningful peace talks with Armenia without first addressing Azerbaijani concerns over Nagorno-Karabakh. Given that the Turkey-Armenia talks have been deadlocked since early spring, Turkey likely has the diplomatic bandwidth to offer such guarantees in the interest of securing this natural gas deal and mending its relationship with Azerbaijan.
Unprecedented Deal-Making?
Russia had to have a strategic purpose for it to start easing its grip on the Shah Deniz II negotiations between Turkey and Azerbaijan. That strategic purpose may have manifested itself during Medvedev's May 12 visit to Turkey. During that visit, two significant energy deals were signed that signaled Russian-Turkish energy integration on an unprecedented scale. The first deal was for the construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant by a Russian-led consortium led by Atomstroyexport and Inter RAO. The power plant will have four reactors with a total capacity 4.8 GW and cost roughly $20 billion. The scale of this project cannot be emphasized enough. If this nuclear power plant is built, Turkey will be home to one of the largest nuclear energy installations in the world. Russia has not even built a nuclear power plant on this scale for itself, and does not have a reputation for providing the necessary funding to bring such projects into realization.
STRATFOR sources, however, claim many of the details of the deal have been worked out. Russia will have a controlling stake in the plant and sell the rest (up to 49 percent) to other investors, most likely Turkish firms such as AKSA, which has strong political and family ties to Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party. The plant will likely be built in two stages; two reactors built, followed by the second two. The construction for the power plant near Turkey's southern Mediterranean coastal town of Akkuyu is expected to take seven years, and can only begin after both parliaments ratify the agreement.
Instead of having Turkey pay a large amount of money up front, Turkish electricity firm TEDAS has signed an agreement to buy electricity from the plant for a minimum of 15 years, allowing Turkey to pay for the construction in installments once the plant becomes operational. Russia is expected to use this 15-year guarantee to secure loans for the project. Turkey will also have to rely on Russia for maintenance and the technological components for the plant, giving Moscow the long-term leverage it has been seeking in the Turkish energy sector. Still, $20 billion is an enormous sum, and STRATFOR remains deeply skeptical as to whether Russia will indeed follow through with its financial commitment to get this project off the ground. If it does, this project would signify a sea change in Russian investment behavior. It would also raise questions as to where else Russia could put its money in pursuit of its strategic energy goals.
Another agreement was signed for Russia to supply a pipeline that would pump Russian oil from the Black Sea port of Samsun in northern Turkey to the Ceyhan oil terminal in southern Turkey on the Mediterranean coast. Turkish firm Calik Energy (which has close ties to the AKP government) and Italian firm ENI (which has close ties to Russian energy giant Gazprom) are building the pipeline, which will have a capacity of between 1.2 million and 1.4 million barrels per day. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said the Samsun-Ceyhan deal would cost $3 billion, and STRATFOR sources claim Calik Energy will be responsible for financing most of the deal. The purpose of this north-south pipeline is to alleviate the heavy congestion of oil tankers traveling through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to travel between the Black and Mediterranean seas, an issue Turkey and international energy firms have been grappling with for some time.
The main purpose of the pipeline will be to decrease traffic of the larger 350,000-400,000-ton tankers and free up the straits for the 150,000-ton tankers. The economic viability of this pipeline has long been in question, however, given that transit through the Bosporus and Dardanelles is free by law. It thus remains to be seen what economic incentives will be given for tankers to bring oil to Samsun port to be transported through the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline. Turkey already imports more than 60 percent of its energy supplies from Russia, and that energy dependence will deepen if this pipeline becomes operational.
Nothing Firm Yet
STRATFOR will thus be closely watching the Turkish-Russian nuclear power and Samsun-Ceyhan agreements, as well as whether Turkey and Azerbaijan will strike a deal over Shah Deniz II in the coming days, as officials on both sides have been claiming. Any of these deals would only be sealed under a broader understanding between Moscow and Ankara. Yet each of these deals also comes with substantial caveats. In addition to the economic feasibility issues attached to the nuclear power plant and Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline deals, a potential Shah Deniz II deal would likely contain a number of loopholes. For example, Turkey can assure Russia right now that the extra natural gas it receives from Azerbaijan will not go toward Nabucco, and then divert the natural gas toward whatever project it chooses down the line.
By the same token, Russia can facilitate negotiations between Turkey and Azerbaijan over Shah Deniz II right now to secure the energy deals it wants with Turkey on nuclear power and natural gas supplies, but can also use its influence with Azerbaijan to scuttle the Shah Deniz II deal between Ankara and Baku at a later point in time. Nothing is set in stone in this flurry of pipeline politics, but for now, Russia and Turkey appear to be working toward a mutual energy understanding.
Source: http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/05/14/russia-turkey-a-grand-energy-bargain/
September, 2008
Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/wtMost...U6460620080830
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/marke...15028720080831
Source: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/a...enewsid=113587


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Finally! I had time in my week to finish this. Now, for the review.
My Rating: 4 Stars
Description: In Jesus, Judas believes
he has found the One—a miracle-worker. The promised Messiah and future
king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, Judas
joins the Nazarene's followers, ready to enact the change he has waited
for all his life.
But Judas' vision of a nation free from Roman
rule is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who
will not bow to social or religious convention—who seems in the end to
even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact
that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man
bent on a drastically different agenda.
Iscariot is the story of
Judas—from his tumultuous childhood and tenuous entry into a career and
family life as a devout Jew, to a man known to the world as the betrayer
of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the
life of Jesus himself that forces us all to reexamine everything we
thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in
My Thoughts: From cultural stand point, this book was amazing. Lee put a lot research and study into her story. I felt like I could actually see Israel, the Mikva, and Jesus' prayer covering. I felt the social and political tensions as well. No other novel I have read set in the time period has made everything come to life so well from the standpoint of someone actually living then instead of now.
As to her topic, I applaud Lee on her courage. Few would dare to take a hated villain of history and show him as what he truly was, human. I have always believed that there was more to Iscariot's story than simply that he betrayed Jesus and I am glad to finally have read one possibility.
The only issue I had was that some of the events were changed. Either they happened to someone else or in a different place. This threw me off as knew how the stories were supposed to go. However, I understand that Lee needed to condense the story in order to, as she says in her author's note, get to the heart of the story.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes & Noble.
Enter giveaway on Goodreads.
Like my review on Amazon.
Like my review on Goodreads.


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South Africa
Fresh off their failed attempt at qualifying for the 2017 African Cup of Nations in Gabon, South Africa's national football team has switched focus to another qualifying series – the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Bafana Bafana got back to training on Monday putting behind them their 1-1 draw with Mauritania last Friday.
South Africa failed to beat Mauritania in a crucial game that could see any of the two sides sail through to the Nations Cup which begins on January 14 in Gabon.
"What happened that we did not qualify for AFCON? We can't change it. It happened. And what do we do now? We look forward to the next available assignment, which is qualifying for the World Cup. And we have to prepare very well for that," Defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele told a press conference.
South Africa finished third in Group M with 7 points, having won 1 game, drawn 4 and lost 1.
"Obviously, it makes us feel bad, you know, because the coach and the technical staff believed in us. That's the reason why they call us. And I don't think they need to take the blame. We also need to take the blame, you know, because we're the ones playing on the field. We're the ones not converting our chances," admitted midfielder Keagan Dolly.
Coach Ephraim Mashaba says the team will have to fight harder to secure a place in the 2018 World Cup.
But the 1996 AFCON winners will have a lot more work to do before then. They have to edge past Senegal, Burkina Faso and Cape Verde in the qualifiers for the World Cup which begins on October 3.


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All items > Knives > Fixed Blade Knives > Paragon (Fixed)
- Overall Length:10.50"
- Blade Length:5.75"
- Blade Material:Damascus
- Blade Style:Dagger
- Edge Type:Plain
- Handle Length:4.75"
- Handle Material:Burl
- Color:Wood
- Weight:5.80 oz.
- Sheath:Leather
- Knife Type:Fixed Blade
- Brand:Paragon
- Model:Shadow Fighter
- Country of Origin:USA
- Best Use:Collection
- Finish:Damascus
- Product Type:Knife
The Shadow Fighter from Paragon features beautiful craftsmanship by master knife maker Eddie White. This fixed blade knife features ladder pattern carbon Damascus 1520-1095V steel made by the cloisters (see detail in picture #2). The burl wood scales sit atop the full tang blade. The custom fitted leather sheath has a beautiful finish and includes a satin pocket clip. This is a gorgeous knife for those with discriminating taste.