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Making Security Strategy Reality: Winning Strategy through Tactics
In cyber security the strategic goals are often clear, while the methods to achieve those goals is anything but. This webinar introduces Damrod's Cyber Strategic Framework that applies military analysis to cyber security challenges. Aimed at security teams trying to implement high level goals in the real world, this talk focuses on effects based planning that integrates disparate elements of IT and security into a cohesive package. Defending the network is about more than technology. Analysis and leadership are critical elements of an effective cyber defense. You will leave this webinar better equipped to develop the tactics that make strategy a reality.
About the Presenter:
Griff is trained as a Canadian Infantry Officer and is a holds a Master's Degree from the LSE. Unable to find "real" work, he got into software development as a Scrum Master, leading the development of a web based application. This experience fostered an interest in cybersecurity, and Griff went on to a boutique start-up providing application security to Fortune 500 companies. Frustrated by the disconnect between technologies and poor analysis within cyber security, Griff founded cyber defense firm Damrod Analysis in 2017.
Jan 16 2018
32 mins
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Information Security
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Title: Making Security Strategy Reality: Winning Strategy through Tactics
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Presented by: Griff James, Director, Damrod Analysis
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Making Security Strategy Reality: Winning Strategy through Tactics
Griff James, Director, Damrod Analysis
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32 mins


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Ila Dress from Coffee and Thread
So first let me give you the details of this cute dress, taken from the Coffee + Thread site:
The Ila dress is an A-line dress that features a shaped yoke, front panel and in-seam pockets. There are two sleeve options to choose from - a short and a long sleeve. The design of the dress allows for numerous color blocking options as well as the addition of piping, pom poms, lace, etc. The trim of choice can be easily added to any seam in the dress.
It comes in sizes 18 months - 12 years. It is a layered PDF pattern (so you can choose the sizes you need). I made the size 4 for my younger daughter, but when I re-checked her measurements, it turns out I really should have gone with the size 3 with 4 length for her. So big sister was happy to step in and model the dress. The problem is that she needs a size 5 length, hence the tunic-like look on her.
Unfortunately, I don't think this nani IRO fabric is available anymore, and honestly I'm not even sure what it's called. My older daughter calls it her "cloud dress" (see--she already insists it's hers) and my younger daughter said it looks more like popcorn. I bought the fabric from a shop in Nippori maybe a year or more ago, so it was probably already a couple of years old by then. I used silver piping in the waist seam and the bodice seams, but neglected to add it to the yoke -- mainly because I ran out and I was too lazy to go out and buy more. Of course now I'm regretting that.
What I love best about this dress is the pockets, so you might find it odd that I neglected to add them to this version. I did add them to my first test version, quickly made with an Ed Emberley print, which my younger daughter has since claimed for herself. It's too big for her, but since I made the short-sleeved version, most likely she will have grown into it by the time spring rolls around.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
dear fedex,
i know i shouldn't use the word hate, but i hate you for putting a hole through this painting.
you don't deserve x's and o's,
ps. my sister-in-law had me do this painting for her sister who is getting married this summer. she wanted with browns instead of the traditional black & white with a color background. pretty sweet.


text:
Today I have an inspiration post up on the Sizzix blog! The Halloween inspiration continues with this pillow case:
Hope you visit me there!
7 hours ago
This is SO adorable, Jan! I absolutely love fall and love Halloween, too, and I adore how you kind of combined them here on this sweet pillow!
© 2015 In My Own Imagination. Felicity Template designed by Georgia Lou Studios All rights reserved.


text:
We know you're not "just like everyone else." There may not be a post nearby, and your unit may not have had a family "readiness" meeting since 1992, but, lo and behold, your Soldier's unit has been activated and you have a need to get connected and to empower yourself with the knowledge to succeed.
Welcome. We're glad you've found us.
Here you will find a list of organizations, Web sites, and publications that address your unique situation.
Start here, but also, feel welcome to join the rest of our community by becoming an AWTR listener, visiting our facebook page, and reading our articles. If you don't find what you're looking for, be sure to tell us.
Web sites
Guard Family
Army Reserve Family Programs
Ameriforce Families magazine
GX:The Guard Experience
Reserve & National Guard magazine


text:
Since Sarawak was on a public holiday fiesta till 4th of June, I received my trove on the 6th. So I had to resist myself from reading any review that the other bloggers had posted just so I will feel surprised when I unbox the trove.
So, these are what I received in the June's trove!
|So delighted to have a fully packed trove, major love! (ノ´ー`)❤
|Close up of all the products. Spot any familiar brands?
And yes you may laugh from the beginning to the end.
|Shake, shake, shake it like a polaroid picture :P
|Leave it on your eyes for a few seconds.
|And off it goes!
|Well, I supposed you can see the difference although I didn't put on a heavy eye makeup.
Hope you enjoy my vlog and don't forget to let me know what you think okay :D
Have a great week ahead.


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|Photo credit: www.thebutterflysite.com
Over these past few months I have done much soul searching and gained quite a bit of insight. I am learning to accept myself more and compare myself with others less. I am learning to come to grips with my perfectionism and realize that I do not have to be the best to have purpose in life. I am learning that God does not love me because of what I do, but simply because of who I am.
|Photo credit: www.thebutterflysite.com
I will be retiring in six weeks: May 16, 2014. I have adored my teaching career and I know that I will miss it greatly; but it is time to move on. I plan to follow a passion, something I have never done in life. I plan to write.
I have developed a business website, Stepping Stones Publications, where you can learn more about my interest in becoming a personal historian. I have also developed three blogs that will allow me to write more freely without self-imposed limitations.
Stepping Stones Blog will be my personal blog. I anticipate many entries will focus on my writing endeavors, or books read, or personal discoveries. The first post will be up tomorrow.
Stepping Stones: Travels will document all my posts related to exploring the world, from local Kansas City to exotic Europe and beyond. The first post should be up by the end of this week.
Stepping Stones: Photos will not only showcase pictures I have taken, but will also discuss how photography has taught me valuable life lessons. I hope to have something to share in the next couple of weeks.
As with any venture, I am a bit tentative. There is comfort in the cocoon, even if the space is cramped and confining. But I know that staying within prevents me from becoming the person God desires me to be. The wings have developed, it is now time to take a step of faith and fly. I hope you will join me on this journey...


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|Bad picture quality wise and my heels aren't down but he's starting to understand the "extended trot" thing.
We let them canter on the trails towards the hay field and then loped up the hill where my step-dad had made a little clearing for galloping. A huge deer jumped maybe 5 feet away from us out of the hay and freaked out a little when it couldn't figure out how to get away, lol. Luckily the horses were amazing and didn't do more than just stare at it like "why are you so scared man let's be friends" and Red tried to walk over to it but Mrs. Deer wasn't super happy about that.
We trotted around up there then walked back down the hill on the buckle and let them walk back down towards the barn again. We rode pretty much everywhere and the horses did perfect.
|Step-dad isn't the best photographer.
I worked on my position a lot. Mom helped me out with bounciness when she saw that I wasn't riding quietly and by the end of the ride I felt like I had done a good job, and it wasn't just Red doing amazing and dealing with me. The ground was still sloppy and wet in some places and Red was full of energy and didn't do his best when it came to slowing his trot down but he still did really good regardless and it was still 100x better than what his trot looked and felt like before.
This morning I went out and did some liberty with the goober. About halfway in Shalom decided to join in and it was really neat. He's so people oriented and willing to please. At one point him and Red were working really well in sync and following/trotting after me. Once Shalom is in tip-top shape and I have my arena built I'd really love to see how far they'll go together with liberty. Red did perfect and was backing up and following completely tackless (took off his halter and everything) and doing everything I asked until the mare across the street decided that galloping around and playing was fun and Red galloped away to see her. ;)
I'm headed out to a rodeo this evening to take some pictures for some folks and see some friends compete. Hopefully the lighting will be better today (last time it was rainy and blah) and I'll get some good shots to share.


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The 18th Annual Official Buffalo Comicon! Official website www.buffalocomicon.com
Exclusive interview by Joe Tell (JT) with Queen City Bookstore's own Emil Novak, Sr. (EM) about the upcoming 18th Annual Buffalo Comicon 2017.
Thank You Emil!
JT: Howdy folks, this is Joe Tell. I'm a local music and comic book blogger covering the Buffalo scene and I'm here with Emil Novak, Sr., proprietor of Queen City Bookstore. They have been in business since 1969, almost 50 years. We're here to promote the Buffalo Comicon, which is coming up at the end of September and the beginning of October. Hello, Emil please fill everybody in on all the fine details of the show.
EM: Hey Joe, thank you for having me on today, it's a lot of fun. I really appreciate you wanting to do the interview and just to clarify the Buffalo Comicon is being held on Saturday, Sept. 30th and Sunday, Oct. 1st at the end of this month.
JT: Where is the Buffalo Comicon going to be held this year?
EM: Well this is the third year in a row for the larger show that we do which is in dowtown Buffalo at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The smaller shows that we do in the spring are held at the Marriott Inn. So this one happens to be the larger show and we have a whole bunch of guests' and people coming in and entertainment and panels.
JT: Who are some the comic book artists' that you have coming in for the show?
EM: We've got some local talent that's really popular and famous who will be here again. We have Graham Nolan who's a really good friend of ours. Graham lives in the WNY area and he created the character Bane which is probably Batman's biggest villain now next to the Joker. His other characters are still popular but Bane seems to have popped up to a larger degree from the Tom Hardy movie roles. We have another good artist who's a good friend of mine and he did alot of work for Marvel in the 90's his name is Steve Geiger. He was at Marvel during the era when the guys that formed Image comics were still at Marvel, they hadn't formed Image yet. We're talking about Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee and Erik Larsen. Steve did alot of cool stuff in that era, he did alot of real famous covers and he did a spin on the Hulk for a bit. We have Tony Isabella coming in who's a real famous comic book writer. He created the Black Lightning character for DC comics after he left Marvel. We comic book panels downstairs, we're going to have a big panel about Jack Kirby. We're going to have some experts talking about different decades of Jack's work and we're going to show some video and after that we'll have Q&A it should be alot of fun. We have a lot of good artists' and vendors, it's a good time for a bunch of nerd balls to hang out and have a good time.
JT: You are having a Cosplay contest right?
EM: Yes, we have a Cosplay show and a big Cosplay contest. Later in the evening we're having a Cosplay awards banquet at the end of the night, we'll have some free finger foods.
...There will also be Queen City Bookstore Awards. We're giving out a special metallic award, one's named after my father and some other people who've done great things for comics. It's really nice because it's the first time we will be doing it. Buffalo is an older city in many ways because it's one of the pioneering cities for comics in America. Queen City is 50 years old but there was people wheeling and dealing in comics in this city in the 40's and 50's. The heartbeat of fandom sort of sprang from Buffalo in many ways, of course New York City and Chicago and those places also but Buffalo was thriving in that area and there was a lot of people who really contributed to fandom which is basically the essence of what the hobby is all about. So I could go on and on but you may want to go the website and check out all the goodies we have listed it's www.buffalocomicon.com
JT: In my opinion this show is the best one in Buffalo, other stores in town do shows but this is the one that truly highlights comics and brings them to the forefront.
EM: Well thank you I glad you noticed that, that's how it should be because that's what we do. I don't sell autographs, I don't sell sports memorabilia, we'll leave that to the people who think they are comic book people because they are not. They don't bother me, not a big deal.
JT: The Buffalo Comicon is the biggest and best comic show in town. Emil does a great job, I've been to quite a few shows and I always had a great time.
EM: You've helped out as own of our associates and worked with us and we appreciate that.
JT: If you need Buffalo Comicon tickets you can come to Queen City Bookstore.
EM: Pre Sale tickets are available at the store and on the website at a discounted price. If you wait until the day of the show you can buy them at the door for $15 for an adult for one day and $10 for Sunday, you get a better price if you buy 2 tickets. That works for Saturday and Sunday for adults and youths.
JT: It's an all ages event.
EM: Yes it is, we're giving away 5000 free comics. There's also a nice event that happens in September it's right around the time of the show, it's called Batman day. This is the third consecutive year, this particular year Harley Quinn takes over the Batman title. She kidnaps the holiday for herself. There will be three specific Harley Quinn based comics we'll be giving out free this year...
...Come to the show, buy your ticket and enjoy the day. There's so much going on, there's so much entertainment you may want to pay me more if you want to for all that the price is so low for the amount of entertainment. We definitely would like to see everyone, all ages friendly for boys and girls. We want you to stop by and enjoy the show.
JT: If you don't have any comic books and you want to pick a couple up for free to start your collection you can go to Buffalo Comicon.
EM: It's a great hobby, it encourages you to read. Comic books are American originals just like jazz, hamburgers and baseball. Comic books are as American as you can get. Be proud of it and celebrate comics. We always have time if you stop by the store or the convention. Any one of the people that are here will spend time and talk to you and tell you about the history, how to collect it's our pleasure, we don't shut up, we'd love to talk to you about comics!
Thank You Emil!
Buffalo Comicon Official website www.buffalocomicon.com


text: I don't usually decorate for Easter, but we had a chill Sunday a few weeks ago and I was pulling out some spring decor I purchased a year or so ago (The idea was that maybe I would use some of it to host a spring brunch or a spring baby shower one day). Since we organized or "garage" last year and added shelving units all the holiday decorations are so much more accessible and I thought why not mess around with the spring decor for Easter. A few hours later I came up with this little spread on the table. The only items I purchased were the green bunnies, three dollars each at Target (I hot glued fake flowers to them because well I love flowers), and the lavender spheres at World Market. Now I can't wait to dye some eggs, I'm thinking something like this, to go with the blue couch in the front living room. Happy Easter Y'all!


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If you have been following my blog for sometime, you may have noticed that I often have what looks like a tank under my lower v-neck tops and dresses.
That said, they were actually half camis, which I always loved because they gave that same look without the extra bulk that a full length tank might give.
Well, I recently discovered a new take on the half camis called the Cleava and was interested in how it worked and could offer the same look with even less bulk than the half cami.


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S5 System 2 Course (ST-S5SYS2)
- Description
- Dates and Registration
Short Description
- The course is aimed at SIMATIC S5 operation, service, assembly and programming personnel. Knowledge and skills acquired in the ST-S5SYS1 course are consolidated and extended to enable the student toecognise and remedy faults/errors in SIMATIC S5 controllers, and to create more extensive programs. The main emphasis lies on practical exercises with various Simatic S5 programmable controlle
- On completion of this course the student will be able to:-
- Systematically use the current Siemens programmers as tools for program generation, documentation and troubleshooting
- Know performance characteristics, component parts and principle of operation of a SIMATIC S5 programmable controllers
- Fulfil simple logic control tasks, e.g. write programs, start up the PLC and remedy errors
- Master and use the basic operations of the STEP 5 programming language
- Know the different starting characteristics of SIMATIC S5 programmable controllers after a stop status
- Be familiar with typical applications and be able to use them in practice
- Set-up of various SIMATIC S5 programmable controllers (practical exercise)
- Structured programming with STEP 5 programming language
- Generating user function block with supplementary operations
- Systematic analysis and remedying of program errors
- Error diagnostics with ISTACK< BSTACK, program check and error OB (practical exercise)
- Analysing of program structures, structured programming, jump instructions, paramaterizable function blocks, numerical conversion, datablocks, indirect addressing, start-up characteristics
- Acquiring and processing of analogue measured values (practical exercise)
- Application of standard documentation, such as manuals and catalogues
- Working out solutions of practice-oriented problems. Applying them in exercises with the programmer and the programmable controller in conjunction with a conveyor model.
- Participation of the Siemens ST-S5SYS1
- Course Duration - 5 Days
TypeFace-to-face training
5 days


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Comedian Darryl Lenox is on the road with his new 20/20 tour that will stop at the Kelowna Community Theatre this Friday, April 22. Tickets are available through www.selectyourtickets.com.
In 2013, Stagetime Magazine named his CD Blind Ambition "One of the Top 5 Comedy Albums of 2013," joining Louis CK, Reggie Watts, Tig Notaro and the late Patrice O'Neal.
You may be wondering why his special and comedy tour both have such obvious references to vision, and it all dates back to a bar brawl here in Canada that forever changed his life. Lenox almost lost all of the vision in both of his eyes, but thanks to one very talented doctor and an extremely risky eye surgery, he did not.
The content of Lenox's show goes deep, discussing the possibility of never seeing again, the accompanying depression and thoughts of suicide which he cleverly maneuvers through with incredible skill and humour, as well as a wide range of other, more light-hearted and hilarious topics.
Living with a visual impairment has refined Lenox's perspective, allowing him to cut through audience preconceptions, discard self-pity, and deliver pitch-perfect repartee that leave audiences spellbound and sore from laughter. Lenox compares his show to a roller-coaster ride — full of ups and downs, tension and release.
Lenox has performed on Comedy Central's "Jamie Foxx's Laffa Polooza." He has also appeared on Conan O'Brien and was interviewed by Marc Maron on an episode of Maron's hugely popular WTF podcast — both to rave reviews.
Tickets for Darryl Lenox 20/20 Tour this Friday April 22 at the Kelowna Community Theatre are available through www.selectyourtickets.com, in person at the Prospera Place box office or by phone at 250-762-5050.


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Mobile Apps
Martha Speaks Word Spinner is a family-style party game - but with a distinctly Martha twist! Up to four players can join in the fun, with six interactive mini-games that both kids and parents can play together. Players choose their game pieces from their favorite Martha Speaks dog characters and then the adventure begins. Along the way to the finish, players will encounter more than 100 vocabulary words. So what are you waiting for? First one to the dog house wins!
With Martha Speaks Story Maker you can make eight different interactive stories starring Martha and her friends using Martha's MAKE A STORY story-making engine. Your stories will be saved in your own private LIBRARY to re-read with Martha anytime you like. You can also test out all the new vocabulary you've heard in your stories playing the WORDBONE ZONE balloon-popping quiz! The more stories you make, the more words you can pop in the Wordbone Zone.


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Clash of civilizations between Islamic world, West?
For those who believe in a clash of civilizations between the Islamic world and Western democracy, the last few weeks which saw violent protests agains a crude US film ridiculing the Prophet Mohammad must seem like final confirmation of their theory.world Updated: Sep 24, 2012 15:02 IST
For those who believe in a clash of civilizations between the Islamic world and Western democracy, the last few weeks must seem like final confirmation of their theory.
Even those who reject the term as loaded and simplistic speak sadly of a perhaps catastrophic failure of understanding between Americans in particular and many Muslims.
The outrage and violence over a crude film ridiculing the Prophet Mohammad points to a chasm between Western free speech and individualism and the sensitivities of some Muslims over what they see as a campaign of humiliation.
There seems no shortage of forces on both sides to fan the flames. The tumult over the video had not even subsided when a French magazine last week printed a new cartoon showing the prophet naked.
"It's ridiculous," Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the America Islamic Congress, said of the violence that on Friday killed 15 in Pakistan alone as what were supposed to be peaceful protests turned violent.
"Yes, this video is offensive but it is clearly a grotesque over reaction that in part is being whipped up by radical Islamists in the region for their own ends. But it does show you the depth of misunderstanding between the cultures."
Starting last week with a few relatively small embassy protests and a militant attack in Libya that killed the US ambassador and three others, violence has since spread to more than a dozen countries across the Middle East and Asia.
Despite the focus on religion, few doubt there are other drivers of confrontation.
The war on terrorism, US drone strikes, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Guantanamo Bay prison simply continue, in many Muslims' perceptions, centuries of Western meddling, hypocrisy and broken promises.
Meanwhile, many Americans see those regions as an inexplicable source of terrorism, hostage-taking, hatred and chaos. In Europe, those same concerns have become intertwined with other battles over immigration and multiculturalism.
"It has always been a difficult relationship and in the last decades it has become even more delicate," said Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic studies at American University in Washington. "Even a seemingly minor matter can upset the balance. ... What is needed is more sensitivity and understanding on both sides, but that is difficult to produce."
Not all the news from the region indicates an unbridgeable gap. Many Libyans, especially young ones, came out to mourn US Ambassador Chris Stevens after his death and make clear that militants who killed him did not speak for them. Thousands of Libyans marched in Benghazi on Friday to protest the Islamist militias that Washington blames for the attack.
Still, the "Arab Spring" appears not to have made as many friends for America as Americans might have hoped.
The very countries in which Washington helped facilitate popular-backed regime change last year - Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen - are seeing some of the greatest anti-West backlash.
The young pro-democracy activists who leapt to the fore in 2011, Washington now believes, have relatively little clout. That leaves US and European officials having to deal with groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
There is concern that regional governments such as Egypt might now be playing a "double game", saying one thing to the US while indulging in more anti-Western rhetoric at home.
It may be something Washington must get used to.
"What you're seeing now is that (regional governments) are much more worried about their own domestic population - which means being seen as too close to the US is suddenly ... a liability," says Jon Alterman, a former State Department official and now Middle East specialist at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The current US administration is not the first to discover democracy does not always directly translate into the sort of governments it would like to see.
In 2006, the election victory of Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip was seen helping prompt the Bush White House to abandon a post-911 push towards for democratic change, sending it back towards Mubarak-type autocrats.
Rachel Kleinfeld, CEO and co-founder of the Truman National Security Project, a body often cited by the Obama campaign on foreign policy, said the new political leadership often had less flexibility than the dictators before them.
"Is that difficult for the US? Yes, of course. But it would be a mistake to simply look at what is happening and decide we should go back to supporting autocrats," she said.
The popular image of the United States in the Middle East stands in stark contrast to the way Americans view themselves.
Western talk of democracy and human rights is often seen hollow, with Washington and Europe only abandoning autocratic leaders when their fate was already sealed and continuing to back governments such as Bahrain still accused of repression.
"The simple truth is that the American people are never going to understand the region because they never ask the right question - which is what it feels like to be on the receiving end of American power," says Rosemary Hollis, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at London's City University.
Whoever wins the White House in November will face a string of challenges across the region.
As it faces down Iran over its nuclear program, while backing rebels in Syria and governments in the Gulf, Washington risks being drawn ever deeper into the historic Sunni-Shi'ite sectarian divide within Islam.
Already having to face up to its dwindling influence over Iraq, it must broker its exit from Afghanistan and try to keep nuclear armed Pakistan from chaos.
Then, there are relations with its two key regional allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia, both troublesome in different ways.
Israel is threatening military action against Iran over its nuclear program, and U.S. officials fear Americans would feel the consequences if Israel does attack.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains deadlocked, and Obama's rival for the presidency, Republican Mitt Romney, indicated in comments earlier this year and made public this month that he sees little chance of any change there.
Saudi Arabia might be a key oil producer and occasionally invaluable ally, but analysts say some rich Saudis, if not the government itself, have long funded and fueled Islamist and Salifist extremism and perhaps also Sunni-Shi'ite tension.
Said Sadek, professor of politics at the American University in Cairo, said people in the Middle East still prefer Obama to the alternative. "He is seen as the only president to ever really reach out to the Middle East. But (it) is a difficult place," he said. "The countries that have gone through revolutions were always going to be unstable. ... You could have perhaps 5 to 15 years of instability."
While many Americans would like nothing more than to turn their backs on the region, Obama made clear this week he does not see that as an option: "The one thing we can't do is withdraw from the region," he said. "The United States continues to be the one indispensable nation."
(The writer is Reuters' Political Risk Correspondent)
The latest newspaper views on the West's crisis with the Muslim world
America's Inevitable Retreat From the Middle East, NYT
Pankaj Mishra, the Indian novelist and essayist, says "the drama of waning American power is being re-enacted in the Middle East and South Asia after two futile wars and the collapse or weakening of pro-American regimes.
Muslim Rage & The Last Gasp of Islamic Hate, Newsweek
Ayaan Hirsi Ali's cover story for the magazine sparked controversy and #MuslimRage became a trending topic on Twitter last week. "The Muslim men and women (and yes, there are plenty of women) who support—whether actively or passively—the idea that blasphemers deserve to suffer punishment are not a fringe group. On the contrary, they represent the mainstream of contemporary Islam," wrote Ali.
Muslim Rage and the Lost Dignity of the West, The American Spectator
Roger Kaplan's dissenting opinion on Ayaan Hirsi Ali's cover story for Newsweek. "The cause is not us, but them," writes Kaplan about the "clash" between Muslim nations and the West. "There will always be some film or cartoon or what not circulating somewhere that a self-righteous and self-appointed guardian of the truth will find offensive."
Muslim rage: why they won't calm down, The Economist
The world's best know conservative magazine warns against simplistic explanations of 'Muslim rage' It says "outbursts of rage can also be stirred by political grandstanding and mischievous politicians preying on an ill-informed and aggrieved populace."
Washington's role amid the Mideast struggle for power, Washington Post
The newspaper takes a less grim view of the protests. "The protests should be seen not as a popular uprising against an obscene but obscure film, or as a rejection of the United States, but as part of a struggle for power in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and other countries where the old autocratic political order has been demolished," it says.
First Published: Sep 24, 2012 14:20 IST


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I've lived with my parents, my ex, and now housemates – strangers I met on Craig's list.
We've sold the two-bedroom apartment that we purchased four years ago. I was a bit of a Sheldon with the decorating. I wanted it to look like something out of a magazine, we had funky patterned cushions, feature walls, we used the natural light to the best of our ability, had indoor plants, and all furniture chosen over months and months to find perfect pieces. Things that people, women, exclaimed over. Once off items, souvenirs from trips, art pieces picked up at via e-bay. I still feel a little sick thinking it's been dismantled and sold off.
My friend Alice, who's a bit of a hippie, said that furniture stored energy and memories, and that I should get new things for my new life. It made sense. And I was angry with Brad. I wanted to show that our old life meant nothing to me. That I'd moved on. That I didn't care.
That was a lie too.
It's been two years and nine months since I've had sex.
We didn't make love, have sex, whatever, for about a year before we separated, and the divorce came through a month ago.
Wow, I'm so off tangent. I wanted to tell you about my housemates.
So I live with two others.
Sarah is 29, in retail, single, red-head (not natural), and is never home. She is out all the time, either dating, friends, family, she is always busy. Lovely, but way too chatty.
This morning, at 645am I zombie walk, pre-coffee, to the kitchen.
'Hi,' she chirps.
I nod. Incapable of words.
'So how was your night? I had like, the best night ever. We went to Zero for drinks, then met these guys, and the six of us decided to go to Mecca for Lebanese. Then we realized, they were totally Sixster – this way cool un-discovered band. Anyway, the lead singer, Jeremy, asked me for a blow job. So we went to the bathrooms. I had just knelt down, when security came in and busted us. We got kicked out of the restaurant. Oh my god. Can you believe it? Like it was Denny's or something.'
Seriously. That's what she said. At 645am. Not cool Sarah. Not cool.
Then we have Alex, a a-typical, IT nerd. Lovely, but is home everynight. When you ask what he does, he will always say:
'I have a team mission on to take out a horde, and loot a castle.'
Something to do with WOW. I had to google it after our first conversation. World of Warcraft. None of my friends are into online video games, but he loves it. His girlfriend in Scotland lpays it, and that's how they met. They've been dating for a year but haven't met. She's coming across in the next few weeks, and if things are good between them (I think that's a polite euphemism regarding if they want to have sex with each other) then they will decide whether she moves across, or he does. Depends on Visa's. I wonder if Alex is a virgin? It's a definite possibility. But he's super lovely, but so shy. He only talks to me if I initiate.
If she doesn't work out, maybe I should pop his cherry and end my drought. Only kidding. I'm not that desperate.
Give me a month.


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In six magical seasons with United George scored 179 goals in 370 games - six in one game!
George turned professional in 1963 and made his Manchester United debut against West Bromwich Albion. At the tender age of 17 he ran his experienced Welsh opponent Graham Williams ragged.
As the newest 'Busby Babe' George soon became the driving force in the United team and the catalyst that would overcome the terrible memories of the Munich air crash in 1958 in which 8 of the Busby Babes died.
Along with Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, George formed probably the greatest football trio of all time. The special mix helped United win two first division championships and the coveted European Cup and he was voted European Player of the Year.
This is a very rare 16x20 inch photo signed by George Best & Denis Law.
The item was personally signed by George Best in a signing session carried out and attended by Allstarsignings in London, 14th March 2005 and by Denis Law in Birmingham, 15th August 2004.
The item comes with an Allstarsignings certificate of authenticity which will have photographic proof inserted into it and is superbly framed and ready to hang.
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text: I just finished playing Portal 2. This is one of the funniest and fun video games I've played in quite a while. If you haven't played the first Portal, get it. Then move on to Portal 2. Five Stars! The video below provides a hint why I enjoyed the game so much.


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Axiom Charlevoix LX 8 Trunk Bag
This item is currently not available.
Axiom's Charlevoix LX 8 Trunk Bag is perfect for commuting, running errands and touring with its insulated, large main compartment and exterior pocket for organizing and easily accessing your gear. Made of 600-denier polyester, this tough, water-resistant bag fits on rear racks (sold separately) and attaches with a simple Velcro strap system. It includes zip closures, carrying handles and reflective details for safety.
Volume: 366 cubic inches (6L)
Weight: 430 grams
Axiom Bags - Trunk Bags
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Leaping Bunny Celebrates 15th Anniversary
Every year, millions of animals are subjected to cruel and unnecessary experiments to test the products we use every day from cosmetics to household cleaners.
Even though animal testing is not required by the FDA or the Product Safety Commission, and despite the fact that alternatives to testing exist, many companies continue with the practice. Even products that are simply labeled as "not tested on animals" or "cruelty-free" may have been tested by other companies, at the ingredient level or at certain stages of development making it confusing and frustrating for individuals who are trying to make compassionate choices.
In 1996, eight animal protection groups came together to form the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), which established an international certification program that requires companies and their ingredient suppliers to pledge not to test on animals at any stage of development and stay open to independent audits. CCIC manages certification in the U.S. and Canada, while the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection manages it in the UK and members of the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments manage it in Europe.
15 years later, the logo that goes with this certification, that you may recognize as the one and only Leaping Bunny, can be found on products from over 400 companies from around the world to help consumers identify products that are really cruelty-free.
"There is absolutely no need to inflict suffering on animals for cosmetic, personal care and household products. By committing to use only products approved with the Leaping Bunny mark, consumers are helping to send a strong message to companies – that not testing on animals is best for business as well as ethics. Next year we hope to harness that same public will and finally end animal testing for new cosmetics sold in Europe with our petition at No Cruel Cosmetics," said Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.
Today, finding truly cruelty-free products is easier than ever and strong support of companies who have pledged not to test on animals sends a great (financial) message to companies who still do. To learn more about which companies do and don't test on animals, visit the leapingbunny.org and sign the pledge to buy only cruelty-free products.
Related Stories:
FDA Approves Alternative to Animal Testing for Botox
Scottish Parliament Urged to End Animal Testing


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Handheld Metal Detector for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Pediatric Emergency
- 189 Downloads
- Citations
Foreign body ingestion is a common problem for which children present to the emergency department. The most common ingested foreign bodies among children are coins. Metal detector is an equipment, which measures a change in inductance of a coil when an electroconductive material is placed near it and produces an audio-visual signal. The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of HMD in the local Pediatric population.
This was a prospective study conducted in the pediatric emergency department among children presenting with history of foreign body ingestion. The outcome measured was presence or absence of metallic foreign body detected on handheld metal detector examination.
During the study period, 36 patients with history of foreign body ingestion presented to the emergency department. Among these, 28 were metallic foreign body ingestions. Coins were the most common type of foreign body ingested. Among the metallic foreign bodies ingested, all the coins were accurately identified by the handheld metal detector. Non-coin metallic foreign bodies like metallic screw, needle and stapler pin were not identified by the handheld metal detector.
The study demonstrates that handheld metal detector can be safely and reliably used as a screening tool in the process of detecting ingested coins. The plain radiograph still appears to be superior as it accurately localizes sharp metallic objects as well as cell batteries (button batteries) which need to be detected early and removed in order to prevent complications. Handheld metal detector is an effective tool that can be used in the follow up of patients to confirm whether the coin like metallic foreign body has been expelled. Handheld metal detector examination is more sensitive than traditional X-ray examination to detect radiolucent metallic foreign bodies like aluminium.
KeywordsHandheld metal detector Metallic foreign body Children Emergency department
HBH was involved in literature review, manuscript preparation and conception of study. VJ was involved in manuscript preparation, conception of report and manuscript review. SM was involved in manuscript preparation, conception of report and manuscript review. SG was involved in conception of report, manuscript review, manuscript submission and will act as guarantor for this paper.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Name of the Ethics Board
[1] Central Institutional Review Board, SingHealth.
Informed Consent
Written informed consent was obtained from the parents for publication of this study and accompanying images.
Conflict of Interest
Source of Funding
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- 2.Hesham A-Kader H. Foreign body ingestion: children like to put objects in their mouth. World J Pediatr. 2010;6:301–10.Google Scholar
- 3.Pugmire BS, Lim R, Avery LL. Review of ingested and aspirated foreign bodies in children and their clinical significance for radiologists. Radiographics. 2015;35:1528–38.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
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- 5.Lemberg PS, Darrow DH, Holinger LD. Aerodigestive tract foreign bodies in the older child and adolescent. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1996;105:267–71.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
- 6.Seikel K, Primm PA, Elizondo BJ, Remley KL. Handheld metal detector localization of ingested metallic foreign bodies: accurate in any hands? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153:853–7.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
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- 9.Arena L, Baker SR. Use of a metal detector to identify ingested metallic foreign bodies. Am J Roentgenol. 1990;155:803–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 10.Saz EU, Arikan C, Ozgenç F, Duyu M, Ozananar Y. The utility of handheld metal detector in confirming metallic foreign body ingestion in the pediatric emergency department. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2010;21:135–9.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
- 11.Biehler JL, Tuggle D, Stacy T. Use of the transmitter-receiver metal detector in the evaluation of pediatric coin ingestions. Pediatr Emerg Care. 1993;9:208–10.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
- 12.Ros SP, Cetta F. Successful use of a metal detector in locating coins ingested by children. J Pediatr. 1992;120:752–3.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
- 13.Stack LB, Munter DW. Foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 1996;14:493–521.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
- 14.Bradburn DM, Carr HF, Renwick I. Radiographs and aluminium: a pitfall for the unwary. BMJ. 1994;308:1226.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar


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Holy moly is it hot outside. DC has been hitting the 100s and high 90s the last few weeks. It's unbearable. One of the best ways to quench the thirst caused by such extreme heat is agua fresca – refreshing fruit water. It is incredibly easy to make, especially if you have a powerful blender. If your blender is not a powerhouse there are ways to make sure your drink is still nice and smooth. Either way its a great way to beat the heat the rest of the summer.
Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca – 1 Knife (Adapted from Paletas by Fany Gerson)
- 1 cucumber
- 6 cups water
- 3 limes
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Wash the cucumber and cut of the ends and discard them. Then cut the cucumber into quarters.
- Squeeze the juice of the three limes into a bowl and set aside. To release more juice roll the uncut limes on the counter to soften them. I also like to use a fork to help juice the limes to get more out of each one.
- In a pitcher pour in 2 cups of water.
- Place the cucumber in the blender along with the remaining water.
- If your blender has a "liquefy" option blend using that option until the cucumber has liquefied. If your blender does not, blend the contents until the cucumber is well pureed.
- Pour the cucumber water into the pitcher, using a strainer to sift out any solid pieces.
- Add the lime juice to the pitcher as well as the sugar. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved.
- Allow to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours until cold, then serve and enjoy!


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Type: Indoor/outdoor
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High: Uplifting stoned
Flowering: 65-75 days
Height: 120-150cm
Yield: 450-550grams per m2
See our range of cannabis seeds by Allstar Genetics for great prices on all our seeds


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Whether you are feeding 2 or 22 the flexibility in both design and length options with these table runners brings a sophisticated, beautiful sense of play and variety to your table. They are designed to run down the centre of the table or be placed side by side to create different shapes and sizes.
Mix or match patterns to create a truly individual bespoke design! Add a beautiful detail to a hall table in your entrance, a side table in a room, or on a bureau top as a surface to place your jewelry and cherished items.
Note: Pattern placement will vary from the examples shown.


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One of my aims when buying my Silhouette was to cut screen protectors. I'm sad to say it's not very good at this:
But I just got an idea - maybe I can use less force, but double or multiple cut? Haven't tried this yet.
Update 25 Feb 14
Ok I tried multiple cutting - up to 10 times - and it either distorts, or it doesn't cut through. Things left to try - double-sided cutting and 30° blade.
Update 15 Apr 14
I tried with a new blade. I could cut through the screen protector (after removing the TOP protective film) with about speed 8, force 15, blade 4, double cut, but it still distorts. I think using a hard cutting mat might reduce distortion, but there is a high risk of damaging the blade.
Update 23 May 14
Ok I've got the aluminium/aluminum Graphtec blade holder (CB09) and the 60° blades. Will probably make a whole post on them, but the good news is they CAN cut screen protectors without warping, barely:
SummaryORIGINAL SILHOUETTE
The original Silhouette cannot cut through screen protectors without distorting them. It can still help, though. You should engrave the outline using as high a thickness as you can without distorting the protector (around 10), then finish off by hand using a penknife/X-acto knife. It's still faster and more accurate than ruler/freehand.
If you want to, you can buy a third-party blade holder, which supports 60° blades (search for the CB09 blade holder). These CAN cut through screen protectors without distorting, but you have to search for the correct thickness (around 10-15), and use double cut.
If you're thinking of getting a Silhouette just to cut screen protectors, don't.
If you already have a Silhouette and would like to cut screen protectors, it's worth getting a 60° blade.


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So: the art. The dewy beauty of Sejic's work highlights the magic of this ratty world; and is it just me or did this issue seem more magical and emotional than the previous ones? The only thing that really bothers me is Dee's hair. Why, Sejic? Why did you dull down Dee's glorious regal crown of fluffy tendrils? He has beat it down into a jheri curl situation, folks. It's terrible.
As for the writing: we dive into some real heavy stuff in this one. Hannah's sour exterior, Violet's and Dave the Orc's affections for eachother, Dee's personal and complicated spiritual grapples, Betty's...adorableness...it seems like this issue touches upon very human stuff that we as a "Rat Queens" audience are not used to.
The whole experience is wonderful. I love these crazy broads and all but sometimes it feels like they are too cool to be real. Obviously they are mage elves and smidgens but one likes to think that if you can play like a human you can hurt like a human, no?


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Institute - About us
The DMT Institute - Polish Institute for Dance and Movement Psychotherapy was established as the first independent centre in Poland to offer a complex training for dance movement psychotherapists. The training is a postgraduate programme, first established by Zuzanna Pedzich and Wioletta and Marek Gajowy in cooperation with Penelope Best.
In 2008 the Institute's DMT Training was affiliated with the Association for Dance Movement Therapy UK and accredited by the Polish Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy. Since July, 2013 the Institute is directed by Zuzanna Pedzich and Malgorzata Wisniewska.
The goals of the Institute are as follows:
- Enhancing knowledge about dance movement psychotherapy, including establishing a training programme in cooperation with dance therapists from the UK,
- Offering dance movement psychotherapy for children and adults,
- Establishing professional standards for dance movement psychotherapy training and registration in Poland.
Adress for correspondence:
The DMT Institute - Polish Institute for Dance and Movement Psychotherapy
ul. Rybnicka 77
02-432 Warsaw, Poland


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There it was. A small yellow jacket wasp that flew over and clung to the side of our window of the car. We were still in Newtown, CT on the way to pick up a rental car to head to JFK. This time, Aila and I are heading to Amsterdam for a bicycle/barge trip ending up in Bruges, Belgium. Our little yellow friend held fast to the outside of the window, its small yellow legs gripping the window as best it could. We started the drive along the main street of Newtown, reaching a speed of 25 miles per hour. "Buzz Aldrin", as we nicknamed him, was still there. The wind was whipping through his little antennae, pushing them back over his head, reminiscent of what the ears and tongue of a dog would look like when it had its head out of the car's window. What is holding this guy on, I thought? Buzz's 6 yellow legs were spread out, clinging on. We increased the speed to 45 MPH as we started to approach the entrance to the highway. His body quivered and his wings flapped uncontrollably, but he still held on. This is amazing! His body lowered and legs spread out at what looked like the maximum angle. What will it take for him to give up? We headed onto the on-ramp and increased our car's speed to highway levels. At 67 MPH, he was still there. You could just imagine that he was screaming out "wheeeeeeee" and having the time of his life. What was holding him on? Are his legs naturally sticky? I am not sure whether it was the amount of wind, or whether he just couldn't take the fun anymore, but at 69 MPH, he was ripped off the window by the wind, probably wondering how he gets back to the nest, some 10 miles away by now. Oh the adventure little Buzz will be able to tell his friends, once he finds his way back.
Yes, our next cycling adventure is about to begin. We are heading to JFK for Amsterdam where Aila and I will join 26 others for a bicycle and barge trip, ending in Bruges, Belgium. This will be a different type of cycling adventure than I have had in the past. Instead of riding across the USA, the west coast, or the Blue Ridge Parkway, this one will be with city-style bikes where the prime directive of the day is not to cover lots of distance in the smallest possible time, but instead to see the sights, smell the roses and enjoy the events. Of course, if I have my way, these sights will include some beer-gardens, chocolatiers, bakeries and other "important" attractions.
|Typical house along the canal
As we approached the highway towards NYC, I spoke a set of words that I never thought I would have said. "The traffic is backed up in the other direction, because the HOUSE driving along the highway is too slow and taking too many lanes". It brought to mind several other sentences that I never thought I would have heard. Aila and I recalled some of them:
"What did you do with Morgan's arms?" A neighbor's child was born with a defect that caused her to have stumps for arms and legs. She would, on occasion, take them off and play without them. Hence the strange question, when it was time to send her back home.
"My mistress really loves me, and Aila responds 'I am glad your mistress loves you'". The first time I rode my new titanium bike, nicknamed "The Mistress", I came back home exclaiming the sentence. My wife Aila was pleased that "The Mistress" was worth the expense.
|One of the many cheese shops
We flew through Iceland to arrive in Amsterdam, tired but excited about the trip. Since the first day was mostly shot from the travelling, we simply ate a small dinner, had a beer and headed for bed.
The second day was packed with sights, museums and a canal cruise. We took in the Rijksmuseum and the Rembrandt House. Although the Rijks, as the locals say, was nice, I preferred the Rembrandt House instead. He lived in a large house off of the canal, but even though business was good, he eventually went broke and the banks took everything. How times have not changed.
|Outside of the Rijksmuseum
The third day, we saw the Van Gogh Museum, the Old Church, the Amsterdam Museum and another canal cruise. We walked by the Anne Frank house, but the line was way too long to consider going in. We are getting quite good at zipping around the city using the trams.
|Near the Old Church
Our hotel, The Amrath, is excellent: it was previously a shipping house. It has many interesting details to it and makes for a great hotel, if you ever stay here.
|Our hotel - The Grand Hotel Amrath
I am very impressed by the food in Amsterdam. The meals here have been excellent so far. Last night, we did French cuisine - sauteed mushrooms, then baked with brie cheese and a steak with peppercorn sauce and tonight we had Italian - feta cheese, ham and olive pizza, and freshly made raviolis with mushrooms, ham and a Verde sauce.
|Good food in Amsterdam
Tomorrow we start the bike/barge ride. I am looking forward to it, however I think that Aila is a bit nervous about it. I know she will do great at it. So far, she has done about 500 miles of training, both inside on the trainer and outside on the paths. We will join about 26 other people who are making this trip their adventure too. I suspect that most are not road cyclists, but more likely people who are looking for an adventure together with their spouses that has a reasonable level of cycling activity.
Let's see what tomorrow brings. Don't forget to click on the Aila's Perspective" link to read what she has written.


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open your eyes
to a new life
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Barrington Place offers great living spaces. Check out the amenities.
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Sportsgirl 'Iceberg'
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Color Club, Art Club 'White'
ChinaGlaze 'Go Go Pink'
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Dotting tool
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Seeking Help From My Readers
I'm asking for help from any of the legal-type folks who occasionally read my blog to help me figure this out. Zhubin, Amy, Erin, Matt Novak, Barzelay.....I'm looking at you!
2. I'm trying to pick a song list for my wedding reception. We got a DJ, and they have a relatively extensive list. There's so many songs I like....but I'm guessing that a reception full of Everclear and Jars of Clay won't make for much of a celebration.
I need some suggestions from people with impeccable (read: similar to my own) taste in music.
Mike, Jeff: I'm looking at you.
You go to this site, select "Wedding" then go to the song list.


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"If I were pressed to say why I love him, I feel that my only reply could be: 'Because it was he, because it was I.'"
Michel de Montaigne, On Friendship
Music to accompany article: Cello Suite No.1 in G (J.S. Bach)
Only those who savour solitude are capable of true friendship. Only when two people do not need one another can they become friends in the deep meaning of the word. In this intimate dance of souls, the self becomes the other and the other becomes the self. And yet, it is the separateness of the two that propels the movement.
At the heart of friendship lies the Gelassenheit, the letting go of the other in peace. Inevitably this is followed by the expectation of their return, when it happens, if it happens. Whilst solitude is essential for cultivating a state of not needing the other, paradoxically it is precisely the other that enables us not to need. The word alone derives from all one and a friend is someone with whom we can be all-one, with whom we can be alone. Whilst "we live as we dream — alone" (Conrad, Heart of Darkness), we delight in sharing our aloneness.
One might think of friendship as a camaraderie of 'free spirits', who, at every moment, make a conscious choice to be close to each other without the need to possess, to enslave or to serve. While "slaves cannot be friends, tyrants cannot have friends" – said Nietzsche. "What we commonly call friends and friendships", continues Montaigne, "are no more than acquaintanceships and familiarities, contracted either by chance or for advantage, which have brought our minds together. In the friendship I speak of, they mix and blend into one another in so perfect a union that the seam which has joined them is effaced and disappears." Such union can only take place between individuals, between undivided selves.
Friendship was greatly valued by the ancient Greeks. Yet, according to Aristotle, no friend is to be preferred to truth, which is greater than any finite human being can be. He stated of his friendship with Plato: "Plato is my friend, but truth is a greater friend". A true friend is not some incarnation of the nymph Echo that only tells us what we want to hear; a friend tells us what we daren't see in ourselves. When a self-induced disaster befalls us, we can invoke his soft yet persistent probing: "Could you have done it differently?"
Nietzsche, like the ancients, held friendship above erotic love and considered agon (a contest) to be an indispensable ingredient of it: "in your friend you should have your best enemy"! In this he echoed W.R. Emerson: "let him be to thee a sort of beautiful enemy, untameable, devoutly revered and not a trivial conveniency to be soon outgrown and cast aside" (from his essay Friendship). Hence, beware of those who echo you in a flattering fashion, and also of those who reduce you to an echo!
Friendship is about sharing an ideal, sometimes more precious than life itself. Such was the camaraderie of those who were facing death in the desolate trenches of the Great War. Saving a friend from extinction sometimes required the sacrifice of one's own life; serving one's country in peril was a higher ideal still. Every heroic endeavour implies readiness to die for the ideal or principle that stands above the earthly existence of the individual. It dispenses with utility and transports us into the realm of the transcendental. Nietzsche extolled the ideal of friendship thus: "There is, to be sure, here and there on earth a kind of continuation of love in which the greedy desire of two persons for one another has given way to a new desire and a new greed, a common higher thirst for an ideal that stands above them: but who knows this love? Who has experienced it? Its rightful name is friendship" (The Gay Science; I:14). A sense of uniqueness is implied here, uniqueness of the ideal and uniqueness of the friend who shares this ideal with us.
A friend makes us feel fully ourselves without the fear of being judged or rejected; he is like a mirror that helps us to become ourselves. In his presence, we can discard the mask. A friend sees the good in us when the rest of the world doubts it, when we ourselves doubt it; a friend is someone who walks in when others walk out. For Hamlet, it was the loyal, unwavering Horatio who quietly gave him courage to face the hostile, treacherous world. He was also someone to whom Hamlet was not afraid to show the vulnerable, anguished and also loving side of himself. It was in Horatio's arms that Hamlet died, and it was Horatio who was left to mourn the 'sweet Prince' and tell his story to the world. Perhaps "to become what one is", even the great ones must have a 'Horatio' by their side? Especially the great. And this is what Nietzsche, the advocate of hardness, solitude and self-sufficiency, wrote to his 'Horatio': "My dear friend; what is this – our life? A boat that swims in the sea, and all one knows for certain about it is that one day it will capsize. Here we are, two good old boats that have been faithful neighbours, and above all your hand has done its best to keep me from capsizing!" (letter to Franz Overbeck, November, 1881).
When we are in deep suffering and despair, no words can bring solace. The silent, compassionate presence of the other is all that is needed. This can be brief, but it must be sincere. A moment of shared, wordless stillness becomes a moment of friendship; it is also the moment when healing begins. We treasure the memories of these 'spots of time' in our hearts and return to them when despair returns to overwhelm us. To use the metaphor from Bergman's unforgettable film of the same name, they become our "wild strawberries".
To conclude, here is an extract from Wordsworth, a man who knew a great deal about the darkness and the transformation of the human soul:
That with distinct pre-eminence retain
A renovating virtue, whence ...
... our minds
Are nourished and invisibly repaired.
(from The Prelude: XII)
(from The Prelude: XII)
I dedicate this essay to my friend, Eric Phipps, who has been a midwife to my thoughts for many years, and hopefully for many more to come.


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Hello everyone! I am so late today! So very sorry! I lost track of my days somehow. I have a project for you today using Gigi Poinsettia. She is so gorgeous with all of those flowers in her hair.
I found a gorgeous poinsettia paper in my stash and new it was the perfect backdrop for this little lady. You can find all of the details on supplies over on my blog. Why not take a look in the shop and see what else is available! We have a new release coming, so I am sure you will want to pop back and check that out in a couple of weeks!


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I've also made this cake using fresh Driscoll's raspberries, which is also the perfect ending for your family Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday meal.
Now let's get started.
|Strawberries and Cream filled Coconut Cake with Chocolate Ganache
1 box white cake mix
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs (use just the egg whites of 2 or all 4 eggs for a less dense cake)
3/4 of one can of coconut milk, mixed well
2 tsp McCormick's very vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
8 oz cream cheese-room temperature
4 oz white chocolate-melted
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp McCormick's very vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups fresh Driscoll strawberries, chopped
|Fresh strawberries with special thanks to Driscoll's
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips-melted
1 cup heavy cream
1 12 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9" cake pans with cooking spray and flour and set aside.
Empty cake mix in large mixing bowl. Add baking powder and stir together. Open and stir coconut milk until smooth. Pour 3/4 of the can into cake mix and blend at medium speed with mixer for about 3 minutes or until smooth and completely mixed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Mix in vanilla and coconut extracts.
Pour equal parts into each of the three 9" cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown and top springs back when touched.
Set cake pans on wire racks to cool. Remove one cake layer from pan and place flat side down on cake plate. Using a knife, trim cake layer of any mound so that layer is flat on top. Remove remaining two cake layers from pans and level as well. (Be sure to eat the trimmings!)
Prepare strawberries
Clean and chop enough fresh Driscoll's strawberries to make 2 cups. Clean and slice a separate cup of fresh Driscoll strawberries to decorate top of cake. Set aside.
Prepare ganache
Pour one and a half cups of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into microwavable bowl. Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. Microwave for one minute and stir until smooth. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Break up white chocolate into small pieces in microwavable bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals until all chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside, stirring periodically until cooled.
Blend cream cheese and extracts on med-high speed until fluffy. Pour in melted white chocolate and mix. Slowly add heavy cream and powdered sugar mixing at med-high speed. Continue to mix until filling thickens. Stir in chopped strawberries and optional 2/3 cup shredded coconut with large spoon or spatula. Place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator and pour about half of filling onto center of prepared cake layer, spreading to half inch from edges. Place second cake layer, flat side down on filling and top with remaining filling. Place the last cake layer, flat side down on top. Frost entire cake with Cool Whip and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator and pour ganache on top of cake directly in center, allowing to flow down sides. Decorate with fresh sliced strawberries and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Visit Driscolls.com where you'll find recipes for pies, cakes and many other desserts to serve all your holiday needs.
Thanks to Driscoll's for suppling the farm fresh strawberries.


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how are you? i hope you had a magical weekend filled with fun adventures or maybe instead full of quiet beauty? whatever brings you joy!
friday for me was art class & lino cutting. i traced from a cuteness drawing by lauren saxton of fair rosamund art which was published in our, the faerie tales of violette, first magazine pagan poetry. created 3 stamps with that girl. she is pink, blue & white as you can see in one of my images below:)
saturday i devoured a poetry class as created by south bank poetry. re-writing the works of lewis carroll and his alice in wonderland:))) i wrote my FIRST ever poem. it's one of the reads that is included in my little short film you can take a look at below:) the class was sort of focusing on rhyme poetry. the teacher katherine lockton was so gentle & encouraging. as was the founder of south bank poetry peter whom too was there to help in any way. i am to dive into the world of poetry. it fits so beautifully with all i am creating.
yesterday i took it easy. continued on my project faith hope & love:) organising my house a tiny bit more... the morning was just creating a beautiful long walk while listening to various podcasts. i have given you 5 that i love (go here if interested), i wanna add 3 more to that list:)
a work in progress:)))
faith hope & love
friday's morning walk beauties
peckham rye common
at friday's art class
devouring the works of lauren saxton:)))
lino cutting learning
the poetry class was held at the poetry society and its cafe
i wore this for the poetry class:)
wayward daughter dress
antique cross necklace
vintage bangles
office ballerinas
happy quirky:)
timehop is really my diary:)))
having fun with imovie:)))
one step at a time:)
some film stills
life isn't long enough to do all you could accomplish. and a privilege to be alive. in spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful the world is. supposing you only saw the stars once every year. think what you would think. the wonder of it.
be joy
love to you
alice solantania saga


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Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub, MAC lipstick in Creme D'Nude, Soap and Glory Butter Yourself Moisture Lotion, Paco Rabanne Lady Million, Benefit Cosmetics Hoola
So the first month of 2015 has gone, soon before we know it, it will be September or something silly, swear each year that goes by goes so quickly! Anyway, here's some of the things I can think of that I have been loving this month.
My lips absolutely suffer in the cold months, it's ridiculous how bad they get. Anyway I woke up one day and I was like, I NEED TO EXFOLIATE MY LIPS and I used to swear by this Lush lip scrub back in my college days, so I picked up one and the difference it's made is so good. My lips feel a lot better, they're still dry and not all perfect, but they're a lot better, I don't feel like I want to rip all my lips apart anymore, which you know, is great. Because my lips have been in a not so great condition, I haven't been wearing lipstick, but since they got a bit better half way through the month, I've been picking up Creme D'Nude all of a sudden, which is a classic in my eyes.
At Christmas I picked up the Soap and Glory box which everyone was banging on about which was on like half price or something, and I've been absolutely loving it. My favourites out the box have been the little pack of face wipes because they're perfect to put in my bag to do my makeup every morning on the train, and this Butter Yourself moisture lotion. I've actually been using this loads, which is surprising as I usually move onto a different goo or get lazy and don't at all.
This month I bought my first Hoola, which is a bronzing boxed powder from Benefit. I've owned boxed powders before, but never this one, and now I have it I wonder why the hell I didn't buy it bloody sooner. It goes on like a dream and works wonders, I love it. I'm eyeing up my next boxed powder from Benefit right now, the Rockateur one, looks lush.
Finally my favourite pictured is Lady Million. For my boyfriends birthday a few months ago, I bought him the men's Million version, as I knew he loved it and had run out, the smell is divine. Then for Christmas he surprised me with my own one (how sweet is that) and I actually love it. It's my new special scent for special occasions or when we have our date nights, and it just smells so bloody amazing. He did well at Christmas, very well my boy.
And those are my beauty favourites for this month, it's not much but I can't really remember loving anything particularly during January apart from Celebrity Big Brother and ordering dominos..
Hope you enjoyed my post, what have been your favourites this month?