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Stadionplein 24
images by me with Olympus PEN camera
Like crossing into a parallel universe, a huge gridded surface of white tiles, no windows, brightly lit by fluorescent lamps, white panels standing tall creating a maze effect.
This place was the manifestation of my thoughts: nothing is everything. The emptiness was so powerful, felt so intense and surreal to me. Because there is nothing -A LOT of nothing- , I saw everything – everything that is there (the beauty of a single broken tile), but specially everything that is not yet there, everything that could be there, or everything that I would do there. It became strangely clear that a space is not much more than nothingness demarked by walls, borders, imaginary lines. Why does nothing become something simply by putting these borders in the form of white walls around it?
Okay, so how did I get here? In the search of a toilet, I found myself on the first floor of the new Kunsthal Citroen after the Rietveld academy graduation show. Until only last month, this building was a Citroen car garage for decades. A modern 1950s building just outside the centre of Amsterdam. Standing on its own on the open Stadionplein (Stadion Square) away from the traditional crammed streets of Amsterdam. Designed by Jan Wils in the late 1950s, you can see the influences from Dutch modern art movement De Stijl to which Wils was briefly part of. Only a week ago, the first edition of the Amsterdam Art Fair was held here, representing all major contemporary art galleries, hence the white empty space.
On the second floor there is a wonderful new restaurant, the interior is the original industrial car garage with not much else than pink chairs and tables – a beautiful radical contrast. Oh, and it also has a roof terrace.
Conclusion, a nice place to put on your Amsterdam to-visit list.


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"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven – A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-10)
I am definitely in a "season" right now as I slowly wrap up a fulltime career in Law Enforcement (and part time career as an apologist); I'm beginning to shift the balance in the opposite direction. In this busy season of change (when it feels like I am employed in two full time jobs), it's gratifying to be able to serve the local Church in one form or another.
That's why I was blown away and humbled to part of this list of apologists mentioned by Brian Auten at Apologetics 315. Brian is a great example of what I have been trying to become for many years now, even as I've talked about it on our weekly podcast. I often say that its incredibly important that each of us use what God has given us to make a case for Christianity in a world that is increasingly secular. All of us are called to be apologists (1Peter 3:15); no one get's off the hook when it comes to this responsibility and challenge.
We often dream about utilizing one of the many gifted "all-stars" of Christian Apologetics to start an apologetics revival at our church or community, but God wants to use YOU as part of His army of apologists. Yes there are many "million dollar" apologists that are well known and oft-requested. But the world needs a million "one dollar" apologists even more than it needs one more "million dollar" apologist. You and I have experiences and knowledge that can be used to advance the cause of Christian Case Making. We simply need to take some time to prepare, be willing to accept the challenge and be bold enough to get in the game. Brian has done that over at Apologetics 315. He began by simply assembling the work of others as he pointed the rest of us to the great work of educated and experienced scholars. Then he began to podcast interviews with these men and women and provide original materials to help the rest of us become good Christian Case Makers.
I'm glad to be Brian's partner. Together we are two dollars closer to the goal.
J. Warner Wallace is a Cold-Case Detective, a Christian Case Maker, and the author of Cold-Case Christianity
Comment or Subscribe to J. Warner's Daily Email

subset: commoncrawl


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Good morning! One final Father's Day card from the pile of them I made that time a few weeks ago with new Unity Stamp Company releases!
A bit of distress ink around the edges of the white help it mesh with the background a little better.
Here are links to the products I used on this including affiliate links where possible. Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!!!


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- Description
With the Snow Peak Titanium Coffee Press, you can make the best tasting coffee in the backcountry.
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Comes with its own nylon mesh stuff sack. Weighs only 6.3 oz.
- Titanium construction
- Makes enough for 3 cups
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- Folding handles
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- Specs
Best Use Backpacking, Camping Type Titanium Coffee Press Packed Size 3.2" x 5.5" Item Weight 6.3 oz. Capacity 3 Cups
- Reviews
Real Customer Reviews
3 Items
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Likes: For java lovers, there's no need to skimp on your next cup when out in the woods. Take the time to grind your beans with a good hand grinder (Hario Mini Mill Slim) and enjoy the process. Once you have your settings nailed, just be sure to SLOWLY press on the plunger to minimize fines. As advertised, this press is remarkably light! Highly recommend!
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What's the sound? Is that the sound of a duck quacking? Or is it the sound of a new look headed your way? Introducing the next look in our series on facial hairstyles: the Ducktail Beard.
Simply put, the Ducktail Beard is a full beard that extends into a point. When shaped correctly, it looks extremely similar in appearance to a duck's back tail feathers because of the way in which the beard tapers to a point, hence the name. A mustache is typically connected to the pointed beard, but those mustache hairs are generally kept shorter to help provide a more defined look for the pointed beard.
Growing your own Ducktail Beard is extremely easy to do. Let your beard grow out to a long, full length (at least an inch or two on your chin). Then, starting with the top area of your chin, trim the hairs in a gradual manner in a top-to-bottom motion, making sure you are tapering each side towards a center point underneath your chin. The length of the beard is entirely up to you, but you do want it to make a clear, defined point.
A great trimmer to help you achieve this look is our MicroTouch Trimmer. This exceptional hair trimmer comes with your online purchase of MicroTouch Tough Blade at Toughblade.com and is a perfect tool for trimming your beard, mustache, sideburns, and more!


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The circumstances of my first visit to Palestine/Israel in 2004 are described in the previous post. For more on what was then called "The Jewish American Medical Project" (JAMP) and later The Health and Human Rights Project (HAHRP) see here.
What follows are a couple of reports I made then, principally focusing on the trade union movement and the work of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, which was the Israeli partner of the project; in the West Bank, we worked with Palestinian Medical Relief Society.
What follows are a couple of reports I made then, principally focusing on the trade union movement and the work of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, which was the Israeli partner of the project; in the West Bank, we worked with Palestinian Medical Relief Society.
2004 - JAMP Israel-Palestine Trip
Summary (Jeff Klein)
Tuesday-Wednesday, 13-14 January – Ramallah:
The health care related members of the group departed for clinical visits in Nablus and Jenin; Howard, Jan, Naomi and Jeff had a series of meetings with representatives of the Palestinian workers' movement and with human rights organizations concerned with the issues of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The first meeting, on Tuesday morning, included representatives of the Palestinian General Confederation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) and staff of the Democracy and Workers' Rights Center (DWRC).
The PGFTU is the largest Labor organization and the "official" trade union movement in Palestine. Present at the meeting were:
Mohammed Aruri, a member of the 8-member Executive Committee and assigned to the Legal Department;
Amna Mafarja/Rimawi, also on the PGFTU Executive Committee and Secretary of the Women's Department;
Abdel Raheem Khateeb, member of the Secretariat of the Ramallah branch of the PGFTU and representative of the Hotel and Service Unions.
Later, we were also joined by
Hussein Tavil, who works in PGFTU media and propaganda and is also employed at HDIP.
Mohammed, a lawyer, has been active since the 1970's in the PLO and was a Palestinian delegate to the Madrid Conference that preceded the Oslo accords in the early 1990's; Amna has also long been active in the PLO and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP); Hussein comes out of the Construction Union and had once been an activist with the Communist Party. All had been arrested and detained many times by the Israeli authorities. Abdel Raheem, who is younger, lost his hotel job in Jerusalem due to the Israeli closures at the start of the current Intifadah.
The PGFTU is an affiliate of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU); the US AFL-CIO also belongs to the ICFTU.
The PGFTU has approximately 270,000 members in the West Bank and Gaza, with 16 branches in all the major population centers, from Jenin to Rafah; 20,000 members belong to the Ramallah branch. The PGFTU leaders stated that more workers would like to join but Israeli closures and the "Apartheid Wall" have made movement difficult and paralyzed economic life in the occupied territories; Palestinian unemployment stands at more than 55% and over 70% of the population lives in poverty.
Unemployment in some border villages in the West Bank is even higher, since up to 90% of the workers used to be employed in Israel and have now lost their jobs; there used to be more than 120,000 Palestinians workers in Israel, most of them technically "illegal" and without social benefits. Even today, desperate Palestinian workers risk their lives trying to cross into Israel for employment; many have been killed or wounded at checkpoints or border crossings. The PGFTU leaders pointed out that even when Palestinians could work in Israel there was a kind of "apartheid" on the job in which Palestinians were paid less than the legal minimum wage and denied protections that were required under Israeli law. The PGFTU is involved in many legal cases in Israel, in collaboration with Israeli lawyers, to secure benefits owed to Palestinian workers, such as severance pay and insurance payments.
Recently the unions have paid emergency relief grants of $300 to unemployed families (made possible by funding from Arab countries in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority Finance Ministry), and delivered distributions of food made possible by the Saudi government and the Red Cross. In addition, the Palestinian Authority has authorized a 3-month extension of health insurance for the unemployed. Lately, the PGFTU has been negotiating with the PA to implement new Social Security legislation that was adopted during 2003.
The PGFTU representatives complained that the Israeli trade union federation Histadrut does little to address this situation, even failing to carry out agreements that were signed when Palestinians could legally work in Israel. For example, Histadrut was supposed to cover the legal fees of Palestinian claimants appealing Israeli labor law violations and to forward part of the dues paid by Palestinian workers to the Israeli unions. Since the Intifadah, relations between the PGFTU and Histadrut have been broken entirely.
Later that same day we visited the PGFTU's somewhat impoverished offices in Ramallah and met the union's General Secretary, Shaher Saa'd. It was explained to us that the PGFTU (with funding from Norwegian unions) had constructed a new headquarters building in Nablus, the West Bank's largest city, but the union offices were severely damaged (and eight staffers wounded) when Israeli armed forces bombed the center of town during an incursion in April 2002. Under the subsequent curfew and occupation of Nablus, the PGFTU headquarters were invaded by Israeli troops, who stole or smashed all the office equipment, scattered the union's files and left Hebrew graffiti on the walls: "Be careful, we will be back soon," and "We are the Power."
As a result, and considering that the on-going closures in Nablus made movement in and out nearly impossible, the PGFTU moved to temporary offices in Ramallah, with some new equipment purchased with aid from other unions and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The PGFTU consists of 13 national unions, each with regional and local organizations, in sectors such as Hotel/Tourism, Hospital, Textile/Clothing and Construction. In addition to a 30-member National Executive Committee (17 members from the West Bank, 13 from Gaza) there are also central departments, including Organization, Education, Legal, Women's and Media/International. Although the unions are not explicitly political, all secular parties or tendencies are represented in its leadership and among its members: Fatah, Democratic Front, Popular Front, People's Party (formerly the CP) and FIDU (Palestinian Democratic Union Struggle Front). So far the Islamic Movement is not formally represented in the PGFTU, although there are a few nascent "Islamic" unions in Ramallah and Nablus, which are outside the Federation.
The roots of the Palestinian labor movement can be traced back to the British mandate period, when Jewish and Arab Communists established the first general trade unions in 1924, with membership open to all. Sectoral unions in Construction and Printing were founded in 1944. After the partition of Palestine in 1948-49, the Histadrut in Israel represented both Jewish and Israeli Palestinian workers (at least in theory). The (Jordanian) General Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1965 in the West Bank; and in Gaza, then under Egyptian administration, unions were organized independently. After the Israeli conquest of the West Bank in 1967, the PGFTU was founded as an independent entity (in 1970), while the unions in Gaza remained separate until merged with the PGFTU in 1994 during the Oslo period. Prior to that, the Palestinian trade unions -- which were outlawed by the Israeli Occupation -- operated clandestinely and the National Executive used to meet in Amman, Cairo or the Torino (Italy) center of the ILO. Today, the Gaza branch of the PGFTU operates autonomously once again because communication with the West Bank has been made impossible by Israeli closures and travel restrictions.
The following Web sites have more information:
A US-Palestinian Labor Solidarity organization was founded recently as an outcome of the tours of Palestinian Labor Representatives in the US during 2002 and 2003:
The Democracy and Workers' Rights Center (DWRC) is an NGO concerned with workers' legal and union rights; among other functions it advocates greater democratization within Palestinian society and in the unions. The organization receives funding principally from European foundations, but is also supported by the Boston-based Grassroots International.
On Tuesday morning the DWRC was represented by
Carine Metz Abu Hmeid (a French woman married to a Palestinian), whose background is in international law and legal rights; and
Abeer sous Abumadi, in charge of the DWRC program in occupational health and safety.
(Hasan Barghouthi, the DWRC General Director, was out of town attending the World Social Forum at Mumbai, India; Barghouthi has visited and spoken in Boston under the sponsorship of Grassroots International)
The DWRC has branches in Jenin and Gaza as well as its main office in Ramallah. The organization helps Palestinian workers to sue for their legal rights in Israeli courts, a daunting challange given the usually high cost of lawyers and the difficulty for plaintiffs to appear in Israel given closures and travel restrictions.
The DWRC and the PGFTU work together on labor issues before the courts and on matters such as social security rights. However, the DWRC is critical of the PGFTU for what it contends is a lack of internal democracy and too close ties to political parties and the PA. (See more on this below.)
On Wednesday afternoon we visited the DWRC main office in Ramallah, where a presentation on the work of the organization was made by staff people we had met earlier, together with lawyer Samar Amad of the DWRC legal department, and Mahmoud Ziadeh, who heads the "Workers' Freedom of Association and Organizing Unit. As was the case with many Palestinian organizations, the DWRC offices were severely damaged during the IDF incursions of April 2002, when Israeli troops broke in the building, destroyed or stole furniture and office equipment and general trashed the facilities.
The DWRC was founded in 1993 after the start of the Oslo process by a volunteer group of academics, lawyers and trade unionists. Its goal is "A Palestinian society where peace and democracy, human rights, fundamental liberties and social justice are the highest values in its political and social principles." The main target groups of the organization are stated to be "workers and employees in the public and private sectors" and "socially marginalized groups," for example, women and children in Palestinian society. The DWRC works to reinforce democracy and enhance civil society through organizing, legal and humanitarian aid, training, research and publications, lobbying, as well as directly addressing issues of unemployment and poverty.
DWRC situates its work within the wider context of fighting "the negative consequences of globalization and the trade agreements on the comprehensive development process in our countries, human rights and fundamental liberties." General Director Hasan Barghouthi has participated in world anti-globalization forums in Italy, Brazil and India. DWRC is a member of the International Federation of Workers' Education Associations (IFWEA), the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), the Arab Network for NGOs and the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO). Recently the DWRC was instrumental in helping to found a new Arab Federation for Democracy and Workers' Education Associations (AFDWEA), which held its first conference in Cairo during December 2003.
(For more information, see www.dwrc.org)
Mahmoud Ziadeh made a lengthy presentation on the work of the DWRC with trade unionists and its relationship with the PGFTU. Mahmoud's personally history is worth summarizing: He was active in various capacities with the Palestinian labor movement and the PGFTU since 1978; he once headed the Construction and Public Services Union in Hebron (1981) and was later Vice-President of the Hotel Workers of Jerusalem and President of three different union federations; he spent about 10 years in Israeli jails (and, as he recounted during the Tuesday meeting of prisoners' support organizations, his son is now held on a 30-year sentence in Israeli prison without the right to have visits from his family). Mahmoud says he eventually left the PGFTU in a dispute over its lack of internal elections. He has worked for the DWRC since 2002.
During Mahmoud's talk the discussion was joined by a number of workers who were rank-and-file supporters of DWRC and union activists:
Munir Barghouthi, president of the workers' committee at Bir Zeit Pharmaceuticals;
Sayel Mehat and Warda Al-Arouri (the only female worker at the meeting) of the Ramallah branch of the National Union of Telcom and Postal Workers
Ramsi Shaheen, private school teacher;
Munir Kazaz, professor of Neuro-Science at Bir Zeit University and a member of the University staff union;
Majid Kilani, an electrical engineer who works for the Ramallah municipality.
Mahmoud was critical of the PGFTU's coziness with the PA and characterized the recently proposed draft labor law as "violating international principles of free association." According to Mahmoud, the law would restrict the right of workers to decide what unions or what types of union to join by presenting a common "structure" of union organization that would tend to empower top-down decision making. He also charged that certain government-financed social security or health insurance benefits would be offered only to PGFTU members.
Criticisms of the established unions or the PA were voiced by the other participants in the discussion. In general, the workers charged the existing unions with often being unresponsive to the rank and file, undemocratic, ineffective, and bureaucratic -- and being effectively management or government dominated.
[It was impossible to judge the validity of these criticisms, or to know how widespread the alleged problems may be. But such issues are common to all trade union movements, including certainly in the US. In my experience, there is often a tension between the immediate desires of the rank-and-file membership and the union leadership even in the most democratic unions. Charges of bureaucratism, corruption and lack of responsiveness to the base are also widespread in many labor organizations, even when they may be providing members with good representation overall. It would be surprising not to encounter such issues in Palestinian unions. Some of these problems or contradictions are often more acute in countries or movements with a relatively large state sector or close relationships with government or political parties. On the other hand, "politicization" of unions is not exactly alien to our experience in the Massachusetts or the US as a whole, particularly among unions representing large numbers of public workers! (JK)]


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When I saw the Zaandam Inntel hotel online, I wasn't quite sure whether I loved or hated the funky, modern, and more than slightly weird exterior design. But it was cheap (by the standards of Amsterdam & environs), fairly new, and had fantastic reviews, so we booked ourselves in for a couple of nights.
The rooms were spacious and bright, with big windows and distinctive murals - it was slightly disconcerting to have the Verkade biscuit lady looking down on us as we slept! Having a double bed made of two singles pushed together is never ideal if you move around in your sleep (as I do), but the mattresses were comfy and the sheets were good quality. Instead of the €16 buffet breakfast, we headed across the street to Delifrance for decent coffee and cheap croissants. We had a lovely stay and would happily use this hotel again... but I still don't know if I like the outside!
Zaandam itself is a few minutes from Amsterdam Central by train, but we had plans to visit Zaanse Schans which is north of the city, so it was a perfect location for us. The town was in the middle of major rebuilding work, apparently to restore the old canals (long ago filled in), which will be a great improvement to the environment when it's finished - meanwhile, a large part of town feels like a building site.


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Jurnal Artical Review
Article Review
Article Review
1 ) Micheal R .Smith (2001 ) evaluates the effect of police activity and crackdown on reduction of crime rates evaluated in article Police-Led Crackdowns and Cleanups : An Evaluation of a Crime Control Initiative in Richmond , Virginia . He posed the question that whether to what degree police activity can reduce or impede the criminal activities . His study is specific to Blitz and Bloom ' initiative taken by the City of Richmond police Department to curb the criminal offenses in some areas He states that the purpose of this study was [banner_entry_middle]
to measure the effects of Blitz to Bloom on crime and calls for service in and around the targeted hot spots (Smith , 2001 ) He further states that evaluation of the impact of Richmond Police 's Blitz to Bloom ' program was the central focus of this research study and not the processes involved in this operation
Smith based its study on the earliest place selected by police officials to under treatment of Blitz to Bloom strategy . The selected Area Highland Park neighborhood was due to higher crime rates neighborhood cohesiveness and local political processes . The characteristics of this area included the 96 African American population with an average household income of 22700 . Robberies , high rates of violent crime and drug marketing were pervasive features of this area . Police elected an area of 50 square block area . Police methodology included deployment of more personnel in the area and significant visible presence
2 ) Smith used primary data collected by Richmond Police Department that was comprised of crime statistics collected by police department from October 1998 to October 1999 and citizens ' calls for service to police department . The dependent variables included the rate of the crimes over the month of April , 1999 and outcome variables were crimes reported to the police and citizens calls for service . The independent variables include manpower allocation , patterns of patrol activities (the number of suspicious stops , traffic citations etc , code enforcement efforts trash removal , and other neighborhood improvement efforts (Smith br
Smith states that a quivalent comparison group was employed to assess the effectiveness of Blitz to Bloom program and pre April 1999 and post April 1999 (before and after the Blitz to Bloom crackdown Further statistics and data was acquired about areas with same racial composition and crime characteristic to make a comparison between these areas and Highland park (the area subject to the treatment of Blitz to Bloom operation
Smith used t test as the basic analytical tool for this comparative appraisal and evaluation of post and pre Blitz to Bloom period . But Smith pointed out further impediments in the way of effective utilization of t test for the evaluation purpose . Smith illustrates that effective utilization of this analytical tools demands normal distribution of the population under-study , the equal variance of population and the observations within each sample are independent of those in other sample (Smith ,
.68 ) but reports of Richmond Police Department often violated these pre-requisites as collection of suitable data according to above mentioned characteristics was not possible due the small number of criminal offenses within the target population Smith attributes the same problems to the data collected for calls for service , for example , domestics call , calls of doubtful happenings etc
Smith tried to correct or reduce the degree of error by compiling the data on weekly basis instead of daily basis . He asserted that mostly this approached yielded results and resulting distributions approached normality (Smith ,
. 69 ) He further employed the technique of Levene 's Test for equality of variance showed that results are diverse In case of significant differences , Smith further utilized Mann-Whitney U Test that is a powerful device that does not assume normality of distribution and equality of variances (Smith ,
. 69
3 ) The findings of Smith 's research study clearly manifested a significant reduction in the crime rate during the month of April 1999 when Blitz to Bloom program was implemented . During April 1999 , only a single UCR Part I offense occurred in Highland Park area and its neighborhood so in the area as compared with criminal activities reported in the past six months . In the same period , there was no significant change in the reported crime in the target area as compared with pre-1999 period and no police action was either taken that could had have effected the reported crime in the target area . So Smith says that Although Part I property crime showed a measurable reduction in the target area after the Blitz to Bloom went into effect , this reduction was not statistically significant (Smith ,
Smith further tried to locate the effect of Blitz to Bloom ' outside the target area and for this purpose he analyzed the data of areas adjacent to Highland Park and its neighborhood . The problem to evaluate this effect was that Highland Park was an isolated area , cut off from its neighborhood by railroad tracks , interstate highways and main roads So Smith asserted that the major impact of the program was ensnared in the Parkland Park area itself and was not displaced to other adjoining areas . However he calculated this effect by the data available and found that in certain area there was nominal effect of this Blitz to Bloom and in some areas this impact was nil (Smith described three Zones 90 92 and 93 and found that Zone 90 manifested no significant impact while this effect was marginal in Zones 92 and 93 the details and map of these zones are available at page 72 and 80 respectively . Smith 's findings further illustrated that Six month after the blitz period ended , crime had returned almost to its preintervention level within the target area (Smith ,
.73 ) Smith suggested that Sherman model of frequent crackdowns after specific intervals is a proper solution to this problem of remounting of criminal activities . The research study further found that call for service was reduced to 18 in the Highland Park as compared with previous five months
4 ) Smith illustrates the shortcoming of the research study by depicting the examples of non-availability or poor quality of the data on many of the linked variables . The research suggested that police crackdowns are viable measures to reduce the criminal activities for shorter period of time . So these must be implemented in a specific area after frequent intervals . He further suggested that although crackdowns do not reduce the public demand for police services . Smith says that Blitz to Bloom program was not a feasible program at the monetary side and further research should be carried out to find more appropriate measures . He raised some questions for further study that as Blitz to Bloom program was of a shorter period , what would be the effects if a longer term maintenance program had been put into place
M . R Smith (2001 : Police-Led Crackdowns and cleanups : An Evaluation of a crime control initiative in Richmond , Virginia . Crime and Delinquency 47 , 60-83
Article Review … [banner_entry_footer]
Author: Essay RaptorThis author has published 9190 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.


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This post is sponsored by the Paleo Recipe Generator, which features over 700 Paleo recipes personalized to meet your unique needs.
This simply traditional appetizer can double as a snack anytime, and is perfect during the hot summer months.
Type of dish: Snack, Salad
Equipment: Knife and Cutting Board
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced into ¼ inch slices
- 1 ball mozzarella, cut into ¼ inch slices
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- good quality olive oil
- balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- Layer the tomatoes and mozzarella in a staggered manner, like a row of dominoes that has fallen. Arrange them on the plate either in a circle or in a long line, with a basil leaf in between each.
- Whisk the olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio, for example, 3 TB of olive oil to 1 TB vinegar. Drizzle the dressing over the Caprese salad.
- Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve.
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Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Host and Parasite
I'm not going to bother going through the reasons why, because they should be obvious given what I wrote last week and what I've said time and time again here -- but if this story is true, then NBC is finally just dead to me.
The Huffington Post: Al Sharpton: MSNBC's Next Host?/7.18.11
As I said, I've written quite a bit about Sharpton in the past. The following post from late 2007, though -- right around the time that Don Imus was trying to get his career back after having it torched-and-pitchforked by the Sharpton mob -- is an audience favorite.
"An Open Letter to Al Sharpton" (Originally Published, 12.4.07)
Dear Al,
It's been eating you alive, hasn't it?
You've been sitting there at home, fidgeting like a smack addict in need of a fix, desperate to satisfy the need that drives you 24/7, the one that calls out to you in the middle of the night and just won't go away until it's fed.
It's okay, Al -- I understand. It's not your fault; it's your disease.
You suffer from ADD. Attention Deficit Disorder.
Your body goes into withdrawals when you've been deprived of attention for too long.
It's a common condition these days, although you admittedly have a particularly acute case of it.
How long has it been for you, Al? How long has it been since some negligibly curious racial controversy popped into the public consciousness and provided you the perfect gaping hole in which to insert yourself? When was the last time you got the chance to blow what might otherwise have been an innocuous and easily rectifiable situation completely out of proportion, turning it into an international incident? When were you last afforded the perfect excuse to forgo honest, constructive dialogue in favor of draconian public demagoguery?
How long has it been since you've seen yourself on TV, Al?
I know, man, it hurts -- which is why Don Imus's return to the airwaves just couldn't have come at a better time.
I mean, despite it having been a legitimately contentious issue, the Jena Six thing worked out really well for you personally. It was just like the 60s what with that big march and all, with you and Jesse getting to join together to create one big cacophonous wall of righteous indignation. But Imus, well that was your magnum opus -- a masterpiece of misdirection. During that whole sickening malignancy on the logic-and-reason center of the collective American brain you really made your presence known. You were the man of the hour, on every talk show and every panel of discussion, raising all kinds of hell and organizing all sorts of unnecessary marches and protests. You were almost single-handedly responsible for the downfall of a broadcasting icon -- an admittedly irrelevent icon, as easy a target as there ever was, but an icon nonetheless.
How it must've irritated you that Imus managed to somehow pull himself out of the hole you blithely dug for him.
Except that it didn't bother you at all, and you and I both know it.
The second coming of Imus presented you with the perfect Christmas gift: a brand new chance to dredge up all kinds of absurd acrimony over an old man's stupid, offhand comment -- a comment that was so laughably feeble from the outset that it still seems incomprehensible for it to have at one point occupied so much of America's attention.
So, last night, you once again got the fix of that precious spotlight -- the one you've been so desperately craving.
You turned up on Larry King Live, as well as a few other "news" shows. You were again welcomed with open arms and your opinions and supposed conventional wisdom were again treated with respect, as if they held some sort of significance and weren't, in fact, little more than self-obsessed blather.
You were holding court, and it was good.
But here's the thing, the big secret that someone with an ego as monumental as yours is probably unwilling or unable to admit to himself: The people who invited you on that show couldn't care less what you think. What you have to say doesn't matter half as much as how you say it. You're an instigator, and that's all that the brain trusts behind Larry King and Hardball and O'Reilly and the rest of their ilk are looking for.
They want someone who makes for good TV.
They want a clown to entertain their audiences and keep them watching.
And you're it.
You never disappoint. You give them exactly what they're looking for, every single time.
While you sit in a studio howling and whining and haranguing and moralizing, trying as best you can to speak as loudly as you can into the microphone, a television producer turns giddy cartwheels in a control room, knowing that America probably won't be able to turn away.
But what's the harm, really?
Everyone's getting what they want, right? You're playing them, getting all that priceless face-time and maintaining your wholly undeserved place as an authority figure; they're playing you, using your surefire buffoonery to create the kinds of contrived controversies that translate into one giant ratings bonanza again and again.
In the end, who loses?
We do of course.
Labels: al sharpton, msnbc
1 comment:
For years it has boggled my mind trying to figure out exactly how Al Sharpton and PETA supplanted Jesse Jackson and the SPCA/Humane Society as the spokespeople for respectively, the black community and animals. I still don't understand how Sharpton has been able to shake off the whole Tawana Brawley debacle, it's like it never fucking happened. I mean, it really didn't happen, but Sharpton's part in lying and trying and failing to cover up said lies with yet more lies has been ignored/forgotten for reasons I have yet to see
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Publisher: Intercollegiate Studies Institute ISBN: 9781497645127 Pages: 70
Psychology is frequently the most popular major on campus, but it can also be the most treacherous. In this guide, Daniel N. Robinson surveys the philosophical and historical roots of modern psychology and sketches the major schools and thinkers of the discipline. He also identifies those false prejudices—such as contempt for metaphysics and the notion that the mind can be reduced to the chemical processes of the brain—that so often perplex and mislead students of psychology. He ends by calling for psychology to investigate more intensively the problems of moral and civic development. Readers will find Robinson's book to be an indispensable orientation to this culturally influential field.


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|OBSESSED w these VIVA VOX Pom Poms!!! So Chic
Monday, February 18, 2013
Posted by Monica Rose
Labels: VIVA VOX F/W 2013
2 comments:
lol Love le black dot!ReplyDelete
Maggie A
Love Scrapbook
- AnonymousFebruary 24, 2013 at 3:55 PM
Do you know where I can get those pom poms? Are they pins? Can't find anywhere. Thanks! email@example.com
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Filed under: The Dress
How gorgeous is this frilly concoction? This dress reminds me of the wedding dresses I used to try to make for my Barbies from fabric and lace scraps; albeit, this one is better.
This lovely layered dress is from custom gown designer Tashina Hunter.
Filed under: Beauty
My local nail salon started carrying a line of gel nail polishes a few months back. I took the plunge and tried the gel polish for my wedding. I went with a french manicure.
The low down: the gel polish is so pretty. The gel colors are extra glossy and the colors are all bold. The manicure lasts about two weeks, though I am noticing that the darker solid colors can last up to three weeks. One of my favorite features of the semi-permanent paint – once you have stuck your hands under the UV light, there is no chance of chipping, smudging, or any potential oops. I purse dive for my cell phone the second my gel manicure is finished (in the salon chair).
The pros: Long-lasting, fabulous, and hypoallergenic! Nails stay gorgeous and grow healthy and strong beneath the polish over the two to three week period.
The cons: Sometimes the actual paint can crack – but that seems to run more true in the lighter colors. As your nails grow out, nail beds start to show, and the polish is best removed back at the salon. (Note to self: must avoid peeling the polish off with my teeth.) Also, the salon-only service is a tad pricier than a regular manicure.
This week I went with Shadow Black…


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RECORD STORE DAY 2018 > Tank & The Bangas - Live Vibes
Tank & The BangasLive Vibes
DETAILSEvent: RECORD STORE DAY 2018
Release Date: 4/21/2018
Format: LP
Label: Verve
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
Recorded live at Gasa Gasa in New Orleans in 2017, LIVE VIBES makes fans feel like they are in the front row of one of the best live shows around. Currently on a world tour, Tank and the Bangas are the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Concert contest winners. They are a genre-defying group quickly becoming one of the most buzzed about bands in the country. Record Store Day Exclusive Limited Edition yellow color vinyl.
1. Not Mr. Rodgah's Neighborhood (1:12) 2. Quick (8:11) 3. X's (5:04) 4. Ripperton Love (7:21) 5. Boxes and Squares (7:41) 6. Twice (All Wayz) (8:33)


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Reflections by award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett, author of many books about the sea
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Great review from Linda Collison
The American-born seafarer William "Bully" Hayes was a notorious celebrity in his own lifetime and in the century after his death became the antihero of numerous accounts, novels, secondhand memoirs — and a Hollywood movie starring Tommy Lee Jones and Michael O'Keefe. At least two Pacific watering holes have called themselves Bully Hayes — one in Hawaii and one in New Zealand.
Much has been written about this 19th century adventurer, accused of countless cons, crimes, swindles and brutalities — some true, some embellished, some pure fiction. Overshadowing his misdeeds, or perhaps driving them, is the portrayal of Captain Hayes as a charismatic and dauntless character — an enduring, mythical, antihero. This image was created largely by the popular media of his time, says maritime historian Joan Druett. Her latest book, The Notorious Captain Hayes; The Remarkable True Story of William 'Bully' Hayes, Pirate of the Pacific, is the most definitive biography written about the man, the myth, the legend. The author has spent years reading everything in print about Hayes, studying contemporary newspaper articles, letters, diaries, ship logs and shipping lists in an effort to separate fact from fiction.
The result? An objective but very engaging popular history of a sea captain, trader, showman and blackguard known for his many dupes and crimes — some mere swindles — others abhorrent (rape, coercion, and blackbirding — the transport of poor refugees as cheap labor). Joan likens the mythical Captain Hayes to Hollywood's Captain Jack Sparrow. The bad guy we love, an enduring archetype.
From Linda Collison.com
Read more, for the interview
Linda is a seafarer and a very fine writer, author of the haunting Water Ghosts.
Posted by Joan Druett at 8:40 AM
1 comment:
Congratulations! Ms Collison is no amateur when it comes to writing a good nautical book.
- August 23, 2016 at 10:16 AM
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How To observe Your Laptop Using Typing Keyloggers
A: Yes, whereas the code is planted within the telephone, it will grant you distant access to the Galaxy S7's media library where images and video recordings captured by the digicam are saved. Will they need to access the data? Principally, when you have the administrative passwords and/or privileges, all you'll have to do is log on to your laptop and install the software program. For true, everlasting file erasure, you need a file shredder. Facilitates consumer to keep and look at backup of recorded log file. Custom log options are available in a number of the talked about applications, which allow you to save log information after every outlined interval. It should keep log of the browsing historical past, texts, name logs and plenty extra. Verify Logs via FTP Remotely (out there for iOS solely). This is not your typical free android spy app undetectable tricks that you can just find anywhere steal browser cookies and passwords from FTP purchasers and email applications and then ship the info to a distant server run by the fraudsters. Silent Keylogger invisibly data keystrokes, emails conversations, chats, visited websites, passwords, used purposes and captures screenshots and sends experiences to your e-mail handle, FTP or LAN path.
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It may be downloaded at no cost and used for any working system equivalent to Home windows, iOS, Android, and so on. Study Extra about Keylogger Software for Android telephone in our weblog. This is one of the purest ways of free android spy app undetectable without any skill involved or mum can have a number of user profiles. We've mSpy Coupon Code to get you discount from the store worth on all plans. The lowest priced worth cellular spy? It's because of this that people will opt for the keylogger spy software to ensure that they know if their employees are doing what they should be doing. Hence, do thorough research and even take consultants advice, and pay for the deserved spy app. Then choose the objects you want to monitor and record and the way often pictures to take. It could possibly monitor removable drives, printer usage, utility/game utilization, and many others. Recorded knowledge might be accesses from a remote Pc. When you install it on an Android machine, you'll be able to monitor texting, background applications and much more from your desktop, telephone or some other device with the identical operating system.


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All content uploaded by visitors or sponsors. If you see a forbidden content please let us know.
All models appearing here are 18 years or older. For 2257 related inquiries please contact each movie site owner individually. We do not produce pornographic movies ourselves. Reproduction of our site design, as well as part or totality of our links is prohibited.function nocopy(event) { var event = event || window.event; if (event.preventDefault) { event.preventDefault(); } else { event.returnValue = false; } return false; } document.onmouseup = nocopy; document.onmousemove = nocopy; document.ondragstart = nocopy; document.onselectstart = nocopy; document.ontextmenu = nocopy; document.oncopy = nocopy; document.oncontextmenu = nocopy;


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Jenelle Evans typically wears her hair in the same way every day: Pin, clearly flat-ironed straight. It looks good on her, but, if I might be so bold as to say: A change wouldn't kill her. Sure, she's a cute kid, but the super-ironed look isn't really in anymore. So, it was so refreshing to see Jenelle debut a new 'do. It looks fantastic!
Love the waves Jenelle's got going on! Her hair looks so much healthier this way than when it's straight, and it has tons of body and volume, too. She looks great with straight hair, but I'd have to say, I most definitely prefer this style. It almost looks like, dare I say it, Chelsea Houska's hairstyle.
More From The Stir: If You Thought Jenelle Evans' Hair Was Red Before, Wait 'til You See It Now
Jenelle's a young girl, and she'll obviously continue to experiment with different looks, but if I have any say, I vote she keeps this for a little while. It just looks so great on her!
Do you like Jenelle's new hairstyle?
Images via Jenelle Evans/Instagram


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A few days ago, as 2015 waned, I sat with a friend and we shared our annual reviews with one another.
While I do this with a friend with whom I share recovery, it is not solely focused on spirituality and sobriety. This really is a kind of year-end annual review, the kind one might do at work.
We each do it our own way. My friend writes out a number of goals in a a series of categories. He then pulls out the lists and sees what kind of progress he made on each one. Some items he will cross off as completed — or he may add new goals.
I, too, look at a number of categories. But I don't typically have hard-and-fast goals for each one. Instead, I reflect on what yearly progress (or lack of it) I have made in each area, and think about some concrete intentions for what I will do in the upcoming year.
While we each do it differently, there are two things we have in common: Our categories are similar, and we are careful to do this work in writing. This is a serious review and we take it seriously.
Here are the categories I used in reflecting on my actions in 2015, and my intentions for 2016. In each area, I ask myself what progress I made, and what I plan to do moving forward. I try to capture specifics.
- Body (health, fitness, nutrition, rest)
- Mind (learning new things, staying sharp)
- Spirit (Recovery and program, faith, mindfulness, generosity)
- Social (family relationships, other close relationships, community)
- Finance and administration (how well I pay my bills, savings, income, orderliness of my affairs)
- Work and professional (diligence, responsibility, development and growth)
- Creativity (writing, music, other pursuits)
In talking to my friend, I invariably recall areas where I have real shortcomings as well as progress that I hadn't recalled. I write those down as they come to me, during our conversation.
Throughout the year, every few months, I review the list in order to help me stay on track.


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So here goes.....a little bit of honesty.
Working from home is so incredibly rewarding and one of the best decisions I've ever made but in recent months I've become a very busy sewist whilst trying to maintain a certain level of professionalism and creating a balance between some stressful times at home, mainly my 13 year old daughter and her severe Crohn's disease.
I truly believe that it's so important, as a parent, to have an outlet for stress and mine's my artwork, designing and sewing. I adore getting lost in my own thoughts, my own little world where anything goes, and there's nothing better than having the satisfaction at the end of a design that you've actually come up with that idea and even better, brought it to life.
With a heavy heart I did make the decision early January to slow down a bit for the moment in order to get my family back on track because recent developments haven't been so good and family always comes first. I'm not beating myself up about it though because it's all a part of life and another learning curve, in fact, it's such a huge learning curve for me personally because it's taught me that I now need to be even more organised in order to continue successfully running Button Fayre and so I have some big plans lined up, quite literally.
My order book is open for the end of February/start of March to sew cushions which I'm looking forward to and I'm also in the process of designing and sewing up some new ' Hooly Hoop Art ' pieces which will be for sale on my website and of course, on Facebook where I'm mostly present on a daily basis.
Here's a gorgeous ' Hooly Hoop Art ' piece that I made for my Christmas market and I love these, they're such fun and most elegant at the same time AND they look amazing hanging on a wall.
2014 was a wonderful year for Button Fayre because it really became established and I'm so proud of all the achievements made.
There are lots of new ideas and designs for 2015 but my main aim this year is to get a really good plan of action on the go and to arrange my time in such a way that I can concentrate on poorly children when I'm needed and eventually start working for orders again.
As always, I have a big presence on Facebook and so please do go along to take a look at the page where you'll be warmly welcomed and any questions, just comment or send a private message, it's that simple.
Lucy x


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Saturday, May 9, 2015
A Little More Pink from Pink Ink Stamp Co!
18 comments:
Your flamingo and flowers look great!ReplyDelete
Fantastic card, Kay! Love how you combined the two stamp images and how pretty your coloring is.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous! I love flamingoes!ReplyDelete
Delightfully cheery, Kay! I really like how you combined the sets to create this neat image. Good for you for find a solution to your dilemma. Your coloring is wonderful. The addition of the sequins adds a nice sparkle. :) Hope you have a lovely weekend, too! Hugs!ReplyDelete
What a sweet card, love the flamingo!ReplyDelete
I love that you set your flamingo inside the window box! So much fun! Great idea using the gel pen too! Such a sweet, summertime card!ReplyDelete
WOW!! This is just Sunning and Gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Have a wonderful day,
Crafting With Creative M
What a fun card. The flamingo is too cute.ReplyDelete
Super fun! Love the color and wow... cant believe you drew all those little dots on the border!!ReplyDelete
What a lovely card with the pink flamingo! Very pretty flowers and all the white dots around the card is the perfect touch!:-)ReplyDelete
Another really beautiful card, Kay! I love the soft pastels and how you added all those dots so perfectly to the scalloped border! I hope you're having a great weekend, and that your Mother's Day is fun and memorable! (((Hugs)))!ReplyDelete
Adorable card! What is it about flamingos? We all love them...ReplyDelete
Love love love this!!!ReplyDelete
You are so popular as a designer, Kay, and I can understand why!! You did a brilliant job on the RC release and now your flamingo card for Pink Ink has me swooning, too! Your energy and talent leave me in awe, girl!! Hugs, DarnellReplyDelete
I love flamingos too. 😀 And these are wonderful!ReplyDelete
I've always wondered what it is about flamingos that everyone likes?! lol I love how you stamped/colored and designed your card Kay! Beautiful work! Which white pen to you like the best?ReplyDelete
You're working magic with this flamingo, and I'm doing all I can not to jump with glee that you're on another DT! Oh, forget it...there...just did my happy dance and yep, my husband is just nodding his head. LOVE your card, my friend...the flower box, the gel pen for his legs...brilliant! Smiling...your abundant creativity is just so energizing...ReplyDelete
Love that flamingo stamp and your card came out beautiful! I'm so happy you're on IG now, yay!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for leaving me a comment! I read and appreciate each and every one so much! Hugs :)


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This is a film which story comes from a children's book. It's about the life of a young boy called Nicolas in the 60-70's. The book is written from the point of view of this boy, telling what is happeninf in is life, school things, playing the fool with his friends. It's full of humor and is very funny and popular in France, my kids and I loved it !
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Historic Building Restoration Services
Heather & Little is pleased to offer a wide range of historic preservation and building restoration services to our valued clients. From government buildings to historic churches, significant commercial properties and even heritage homes, we've successfully completed restoration projects for more than 90 years.
Our skilled craftsmen have the expertise necessary to restore historic buildings, and can handle a host of general contracting duties to assist in your building envelope restoration project. Beyond our sheet metal fabrication and roofing services, Heather & Little can provide or help you choose a suitable historic restoration contractor to handle masonry repairs, wood repairs and restoration, exterior painting and much more.
Why Choose Heather & Little for Historic Building Preservation?
Since 1925, our professionals have proudly participated in historic restoration projects to preserve local heritage and restore some of North America's most significant buildings. Heather & Little's team of talented artisans possess a number of unique skills in the restoration industry, including the fabrication of ornamental sheet metal features, statuary repair, metal roof tiles and shingle replication and much more. Whether you require a reproduction of an original decorative sheet metal element, or need a restoration of a historic roofing system or metal window or door cladding, you can trust our craftsmen to complete your project with the utmost attention to detail.
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A Ski Bunny is Born Ch. 01byNikki H©
AQToday I am a fully-fledged she-male, living with my girl friend Kim, who, to me, is the most beautiful girl in the world. We live as sisters to the outside world, but we are in fact passionate lovers. This whole true story started some 5 years ago, let us tell it to you.
At that time I was a single guy, twenty-four years old with a very bachelor life style. Having no family ties (orphaned at an early age) I had no recall to call any place home and worked all around the globe, taking contract jobs in the computing world where and when I liked. I considered my lifestyle almost idyllic and thought I was happy, but all of the time felt that something was missing from my life.
At a petite 120 Lbs. and five foot five inches I had to work hard to trap the ladies, but with my boyish looks large green eyes and blonde hair, which I always wore on the long side for a guy, the girls always see me as 'cute'. Because of this I did not have too much trouble attracting female companions, a lot of them wanting to mother me, but I soon learned how to play that to my advantage.
Although I am quite small it does not reflect in the size of my manhood, having being blessed with a generous eight-inch monster. To make up for my petite build I had worked very hard at my sexual prowess and could keep my cock hard for hours, delaying my orgasm until ready.
One of my favourite sports is skiing, and during that winter I took a contract in a major North American city close to some major ski resorts. As well as being my favourite sport, it was also fun due to the 'ski bunnies' and my efforts to 'trap' them! Ski bunnies are the young attractive girls who squeeze themselves into tight slinky ski suits and wiggle their little butts all of the way down the slopes, driving all of us young guys crazy!
My busy schedule meant that I could only take the occasional day skiing, but towards the end of the project things had quietened down and I managed to get a whole two days off. I decided to venture to one of the main mountain ski resorts to have some fun. Luckily the resort was only a 90-minute drive away so I decided to travel each day rather than getting accommodation, and in any case, if I did 'trap' a ski bunny I reasoned that I could always spend the night with her!
On the first morning I loaded my car with ski equipment, not bothering with a change of clothes, but remembering to pack my toothbrush and shaving kit, 'just in case'. I figured that the clothes I was travelling in (jeans and a white cotton shirt) would be fine for a couple of days but the toothbrush and shaving kit would be essential if I trapped a ski bunny and stayed over the night.
Upon arriving at the main ski lodge I changed out of my travelling clothes and into my skiwear, and set out for a full day skiing. The skiing was superb, but not nearly as wonderful as the abundant amount of 'ski bunnies' on the hill. "Got to get me one of those" was my main thought of the day. In the early morning I had thrown myself recklessly down all of the difficult slopes and was feeling a little weary so spent an hour or so navigating my way down one of the easier runs looking for ski bunnies.
There was so many to chose from, but then I came across one in trouble. This poor girl was evidently a novice skier as she was having a really difficult time just standing on her skis. As I got closer I could tell she had a luscious body. The sight of her slim body and lumps wiggling around inside the golden ski suit was purely sensual. Not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth I made my play.
"Hi, can I help?" I asked. "Oh yes please" came the reply, "I am just learning and cannot get the hang of this at all". "No problem" I said, " My names Nick, what's yours?' "Hi Nick, I'm Kimberly " she replied "but I like to be called Kim", "OK Kim, lets see what we can do to help you ski down this hill" I said. "Oh thank you" she gushed, "I thought I would never be able to get down, I've been stuck for ages"
I spent the next two hours coaching Kim in the basic skills of skiing. This involved as much 'close' work as I could get away with. Up close she looked and smelt sensational. She was my age, with long dark auburn hair and the deepest darkest soulful eyes you could imagine. What with this and her sensual body writhing around in her beautiful golden ski suit my hormones were racing away with themselves and I'm sure my hard cock must have been showing through my skiwear. Although I certainly had my work cut out for me, and after lots of tumbles and falls on both our parts, we were ready for a rest. I suggested going for lunch and Kim quickly agreed, so we skied slowly down into the village.
As we went into one of the small bistros I could tell that I had not been wrong. Kim was really beautiful. We chatted about everything and time really flew by. We seemed to be on the same wavelength and had lots of common interests and ideas about life, before we knew it we had been sat there for over 90 minutes. "Oops, I suppose we had better get back on those slopes again" I said. Kim reluctantly agreed and so we ventured back up the ski lift to resume the 'one-on-one' coaching.
The afternoon went much like the morning, lots more falling over and other accidents for both of us, but now with a lot more laughter and teasing, since we had broken the ice over lunch. All good things come to an end and it was soon time for me to call it a day and head for home. "Well, I've got to be going Kim" I said, "It's a long drive back to town for me." "Oh, do you have to go?" she asked pleadingly "I was hoping we could eat somewhere together this evening" "Well, eating out is not a problem" I replied, "but I don't have any accommodation here, so will have to leave for home later on" "You could always stay over night at my place" she said coyly. 'Yes!' I thought, strike one for the good guy. "Kim, that's really kind of you," I said, not wanting to sound too keen "but I don't want to put you out or anything, are you sure it's Ok?" "Of course it is" she said, "It's the least I can do after all of the help you've given me today. I have a cabin close by and I have a spare room you can use, although the cabin only has one bathroom, is that OK?" "That sounds wonderful, let's go then!" I said enthusiastically.
We returned to the main ski lodge so I could change out of my soaking wet skiwear and into my dry clothes. I offered Kim a lift back to her cabin, which she accepted, so we loaded the skis onto the roof rack, all of the skiwear into the trunk and set off for her cabin.
"I love these new Beetles' she said, referring to my car. "Yeah, me too" I said, " I've just got it. I tried all sorts of different stuff from SUVs to sports cars, but I preferred the Bug, it's just more fun". "Yeah" she sighed, "I have a sports car but I'm thinking of changing it"
We pulled into the driveway of her cabin and I then saw the sports car she referred to. It was a new Ferrari. "Wow", I said "what a machine, is that yours?" "Yes" said Kim, "but I don't like it, Its too noisy, there's hardly any room for my luggage, and no where to put any shopping" 'That figures' I thought to myself.
I was now kind of wondering whom this girl was. She was staying in a beautiful little log cabin with sensational views over the village, lake and mountains; she also drove a Ferrari, neither of which your average person could afford.
We left our ski equipment in the car and headed inside. The cabin was really special. It had a generous but cosy central room with a large fireplace, surrounded by a couple of comfortable sofas and scatter cushions. It also had a large picture window with access to a decking area that had views right across the frozen lake and village, to the ski resort. It had a small kitchen/breakfast room, two bedrooms and only one bathroom as she had mentioned earlier.
"Nick, yours is the second bedroom down," she said "but we'll have to take turns at the shower" "Ladies first" I said, "Thanks, there's lots of CDs in the rack and help yourself to a beer, there's some cold in the cooler" she said, as she wriggled off towards the bedroom in her tight ski suit.
I lit the gas log fire then picked out a CD, helped myself to an ice- cold bottle of Bud and settled down in one of the comfy sofas, looking at the view through the picture window. 'This is living' I thought to myself as the beer and music started to relax me. "OK, I'm done," I heard her shout "its all ready for you now, there's a towel on the rail for you to use". "Great, but I've got to warn you that I don't have a change of clothing" I replied. "No problem," said Kim "you look good as you are". 'That sounds promising, strike two' I thought!
I took my shower, 'Typical, she's only got fragranced musk shower gel, still better than smelling like an old sweaty sock' I thought to myself. After drying off I used some more of her musk body deodorant, got dressed, and joined her in the room. She looked stunning, dressed in a short silk ruby red wrap, tied at the waist with a red satin belt. She was laid on one of the sofas in front of the fire, with her dark wet hair slickly combed back, but also finishing off my beer! "Hey!" I laughed "that's mine!" "It's mine now, you'll have to fight me for it" she said, giggling. "You've got it" I said, and ran over to the sofa and started to tickle her.
As she wriggled around under me her wrap slipped a little to reveal a beautiful breast and just a glimpse of dark nipple. "Enough, Enough!" she giggled, quickly giving in and handing me back my beer. I sat on the floor next to the sofa. "You smell nice, what is that?" she asked, "You should know" I said, "It's your stuff" "I think it smells better on you than it does on me," she said "you should wear it more often" Before I could answer Kim asked me if I would dry her hair. "I'll have a go" I said, "but I've never done anything like that before so can't promise good results!" "I'll help you" she said, "come and sit over here on the floor and I'll sit in front of you so its easier"
I moved over, waiting for her to return from the bedroom with her dryer. "Open your legs up so I sit between them" she said 'Should be the other way round' I thought to myself but did as requested anyway. Kim slid down onto the floor with her back to me and shuffled backwards until she was a snug fit between my legs. The feeling of her silky wrap under my fingers and her heady scent caused the expected stirring in my loins, resulting in one large boner.
"Somebody's pleased to see me," she said teasingly, "can't you keep that thing under control!" "Are you joking" I replied "Its taking all of my self control not to jump you right now!" "Calm down cowboy, " said Kim "all good things come to those who wait, let's get on with the job in hand first" 'That's it' I thought, 'strike three, your out, or in hopefully!'
I started to dry her hair. She had the softest and shiniest hair I'd ever seen or felt. As I dried it she kept giving me little instructions on what to do and after a couple of minutes I was really starting to enjoy myself and got quite lost in the task. I was disappointed when she said it was finished. Between us we had actually made a very good job of it. She had a smooth long feathered bob style cut that reached easily past her shoulders.
"I'm hungry, lets eat" she said. "Yeah, good idea" I replied feeling hungry myself, "what do you fancy?" "Italian, it's my favourite" she said jumping up, "I know a little restaurant in the village which is fairly quiet through the week, lets go there" "OK by me" I said, "I'll drive, but you'd better put some clothes on first, we'll get lots of attention if you go dressed like that!" "Cheeky!" was all she said as she skipped off to get dressed. When she returned she looked a vision. She had on a creamy silk translucent blouse that showed off her lacy black bra, a short black leather skirt, shimmering tan stockings and black High Heeled pumps.
"You look stunning," I said, "if I new we were dressing for dinner I'd have come more prepared" "What, this outfit?" She said dismissing it "I don't ever wear pants or frumpy clothes if I can help it" "Well" I said, "to coin a phrase you certainly look a million dollars dressed like that" "Why thank you" she said coyly "come on, let's go"
The restaurant was in fact a small bistro, but served excellent food and wine. We both ordered the house special of spaghetti and Italian meatballs, and to wash it down a bottle of red wine. Eating spaghetti has never been my forte, especially when it's dripping in tomato sauce. After a couple of half-hearted attempts I managed to slap myself around the face slurping on a rather long strand of the stuff, and splashing tomato sauce over my face and white shirt in the process. Kim thought that was hilarious and started giggling. She giggled so much that the table wobbled, knocking over my glass of red wine which spilt all over my side of the table, dribbling down onto my shirt and jeans. She didn't seem at all sorry and started howling even more at my predicament. 'It's just a good job that the bistro isn't busy' I thought to myself. By this time I was in a bit of a mess so I thought 'what the hell' and tucked into my meal.
By the end of our meal my white shirt was speckled all over with tomato sauce and my jeans had a huge damp red wine stain right in the groin area. Kim had faired a little better than me, and only had a couple of small splashes on her blouse, which she said I did anyway. The time in the restaurant flew by with no awkward pauses in our conversation and it was soon time to go.
I paid the bill and we left, getting some strange looks from the other customers, mainly due to the state of my shirt and jeans. When we arrived back at the cabin she put on a CD and opened another bottle of wine. "Do you mind if I smoke?" She asked "I don't smoke, but don't let me stop you " I said. "I only smoke a little," she said, "usually after supper, but I always go outside on the deck as I don't like the smell in the cabin. Are you going to come out and keep me company?" "Wild horses couldn't drag me away," I said. I followed Kim out onto the decking and we both leaned on the railing looking out at the lovely view and talking while Kim smoked her cigarette. "Its quite cold outside now," said Kim "do you have a coat with you?" "I'm afraid not" I said, "only my ski jacket, which is out in the car" "You can wear one of mine for now" she said "Its very private out here"
She wriggled off to her bedroom and returned with two coats. She put on a long A Line style black leather coat which buttoned tightly around her body, showing off her sensual figure to perfection, then flaring out over her sexy long legs. She handed me a three-quarter-length ladies Fir coat, made from a creamy coloured fur, which was silky soft to touch. "This looks expensive" I said, "I can't wear this!" "Of course you can Nick" she said "just slip it on otherwise you'll get cold" "OK, if you insist" I said, not wanting to argue with her.
I slipped my arms into the sleeves and pulled the coat up around my shoulders. It was lined with smooth nylon and slid easily and gracefully around me. I was surprised at how well it fit. The warmth and soft touch of the fir around my neck and face was really erotic but all I could picture was Kim wearing it, with nothing underneath, Wow that would be good!
"That fits you perfectly" she said, "you must be the same size as me" "Just about" I said, "this coat feels lovely to wear, no wonder ladies like them so much" She just smiled and took one of the seats out on the decking. Once we had coats on we quickly warmed through and spent the next hour or so sat outside idly chatting and drinking whilst Kim had the occasional cigarette. We talked about everything and nothing; generally putting the world to rights, but managing to get through another two bottles of wine in the process.
Towards the end of the evening I remembered my messy clothes and asked her if she had a washing machine. She said that she didn't and had all her clothes cleaned at the local laundry, but told that she would sort something out in the morning, and not to worry. By this stage I couldn't have really cared as the effects of the wine and long day were taking their toll.
Kim walked over and sat on my knee, straddling me with her long legs. Her shiny leather skirt rode up revealing a glimpse of stocking top. 'This is getting too much for me' I thought 'If we don't end up in the sack tonight I'll have to wank myself to sleep!'
She brought me back to my senses when she said, "I've had such a lovely day, Thank you" then kissed me. We sat kissing for ages, probing each other's mouths with our tongues. I could taste the evening in her mouth, the sweet lipstick, the red wine and also the acrid taste of the smoke. I was enveloped by her sweet perfume and could not get enough of her mouth. It was a truly erotic moment. My hands slid up inside her coat and moulded themselves around her breasts. With that she pulled away from me. I was worried that I had blown it so said "Me too, nearly perfect". She got up and said "Its getting late, time for bed. Come on Nick, I'll walk you to your room". I was getting really mixed messages from this girl, what was the score?
She showed my to my room and left me at the door saying that she would see me bright and early in the morning. I dragged my weary butt over to the bed, stripped of my dirty clothes and crawled in. I started to rub my hard cock but the next thing I knew Kim was waking me with a lovely hot cup of coffee, she was wearing her ruby red wrap from last night and sitting casually on the edge of my bed. "It's turned nine o'clock sleepy head," she said handing me the coffee "Thanks" I said, "I need this". "I've had your clothes collected by the laundry service, they should be ready in a couple of days, although they did say they probably wouldn't come clean with all of those stains on them". I looked down on the floor and could see all of my clothes had gone including my underwear and socks. "What am I going to wear now?" I asked, remembering that I was naked under the duvet. "Wear these for now" she said, handing me a satin wrap and panty set similar to the one she had on, although this one was coral pink with a matching pair of satin and lace panties. With that Kim left me in the room saying "hurry up, we've got a lot of skiing to do today!" "You're joking!" I shouted after her "I can't wear these!" "Unless you want to walk around naked, you'd better wear them" she said, "it's all I've got for you". "Ok, I'll take a shower first, I hope nobody can see me in these though" I laughed, "they'll get the wrong idea".
I had a nice shower, using the musk oil shower gel and deodorant again. I dried off and then slid the panties up my legs. The feeling of the cool silky materiel as they slid up my legs was very erotic. The lace scratched a little in comparison to the satin but still felt very erotic. The panties fit surprisingly well so I slipped on the satin wrap. The wrap glided effortlessly over my skin and felt very sensuous. The softness of the material felt wonderful, it was so silky and smooth to touch but cool on the skin. I was surprised at how sexy I felt just wearing these clothes in comparison to my normal male wear, which consisted of mainly cottons. That surprised me a little.
I walked down into the kitchen and sidled up next to Kim. "Oh, that smell again" she said, "and look at you, don't you look sexy!" "Whoa," Is all could say in surprise as I saw myself across the room in the long mirror. I must admit that whilst wearing this wrap, and with my longish blonde hair, from a distance I could almost pass for girl.
We had breakfast and then Kim skipped off to get changed ready for skiing. When she came out she looked stunning. She was wearing a shiny black suit that looked almost like she had been poured into it. Her face was perfect. She had accentuated her dark eyes with contrasting gold and brown colours, and had applied the most luscious red lipstick that gave her the sexiest of pouts. "That look will kill me today" I said, "you look good enough to eat". "Save that thought for later" she said, winking at me. 'What a tease' I thought. "Ok" I said, "my turn, "where'd I leave my ski gear?" "Oh No" gasped Kim, "I think you left it out in the car last night. It'll be cold and damp now" Kim offered to go and get it. When she came back she was holding it at arms length. She was right, it was in the same state as when I took it of yesterday, cold, soaking wet and now a little smelly!


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Nashville Next is a city-wide planning effort with policies that will affect HWEN.
Schedule -- See #4 above for April's public meeting schedule
Urgent: Help protect our neighborhood!
Just pick ONE simple action to do during April's final review and comment period:
Read the letter of concerns
Nashville Next Links
http://www.nashville.gov/Government/NashvilleNext.aspx -- Main Nashville Next page
http://www.nashville.gov/Government/NashvilleNext/Community-Plans.aspx -- Scroll down and select the Green Hills-Midtown Community Plan to see the lack of detail about our neighborhood. NOTE: Pages 36-40 provide detail on other parts of our community! Ask for this kind of special planning for HWEN! Also: Click on "Community Character Manual" for a description of the concepts used to define what type of land use will be allowable in HWEN.


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Search the BBC Archives
Search the CIA Archives
Search the UN Archives
Andronicos "The Great" as Director of the Human Race and Manager Planet Earth commands and Andronicos "The Cynic" responds as follows.........
The Global Flag: Many Tribes: One People, One Planet
Extract of Andronicos "The Great's" directive relating to His new Global Flag (from section 12.60 of the 12-12-12 book):
I direct the new Global Flag be used forthwith. It should never be placed at a lower level than other flags, or placed on the same flag pole. Treat it with respect. Never incorporate the Global Flag image as part of a national one or visa versa.
Using, wearing or flying the new Global Flag does not mean you love your tribe (country) less. Neither does it indicate that you agree with every one of my opinions, directives or instructions. It means you consider ALL human beings equal.
Technical specifications for artwork and legal copyright matters can be found in Appendix G.
Producing Global Flags
If you are a factory wishing to commercially use the flag for merchandise such as real flags, mugs, jewellery, badges, T-shirts etc, you are hereby given a licence in return for 12% of the proceeds being given monthly to ANY non political NON religious registered charity in your country which spends less than 12% of its yearly income on administration. Download the artwork free of charge and register on www.12-12-12.org/globalflag.
If you are an individual there are no constraints other than to direct you to undertake three things: Don't wear the emblem on your right hand or on your forehead as a hat. Treat it with at least the same respect as you would your national flag. Never incorporate the Global Flag with any nationalistic symbol.
Be proud of your tribe, be proud of your culture, but more than this: be proud to be part of the global family of the human race.
Quick Links for The Blueprint for the Eradication of Extreme Poverty and War by December 12th 2012
Simple Site Map
All the 600 issues (or topics) to bring about World Peace and the eradication of extreme poverty by December 12th 2012 are divided up into 12 main headings as found on the home page. Alternatively, you may find useful navigation hints below:
Please note: this website is written in British English
Remember to bookmark www.12-12-12.org!
The 12-12-12 website is an educational website that facilitates individual or group discussion. The coded 12-12-12 book is a snapshot, written over an 87 day period, of the major problems in the World as at March 17th 2002 and possibly how to resolve them. The author Andronicos has written it in an ironic style to act as a catalyst for constructive discussion.
This website does not solicit nor accept paid advertising or web awards. Neither does it solicit donations from other organisations, charities, corporations or members of the public.


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By: Sandy Cares
Tucked away on South America's northeast coast is a mysterious three-island archipelago composed of Île Royale, Île Saint-Joseph and Île du Diable, or Devil's Island, once known as the Salvation Islands. Each of these storied tiny islands, which together served as a French penal colony between the mid-19th and 20th centuries, had a different purpose.
Île Royale was the site of the administrative center, the wardens' accommodations and the prison for less dangerous prisoners. Île Saint-Joseph was the island where the worst convicts were jailed, and Devil's Island, virtually inaccessible, was where political prisoners were kept in isolation.
Flooded with an infamous and mysterious past, these islands are now frequented by curious travelers – myself included – fascinated by the island's dark history. One legendary prisoner, Alfred Dreyfus, was a French artillery captain framed and arrested for high treason in 1894 and was sentenced to life at Devil's Island. He was later exonerated, but only after years of imprisonment. He was the only prisoner on the island at the time, and his guard was ordered to never utter a word.
There are no piers on any of the islands, the spot that was once the home to thousands of thieves but is now accessible from Kourou. Wildlife is now more abundant than ever, with green-winged macaws, agoutis, capuchin monkeys and sea turtles frolicking all around. Timeworn buildings retain the history of the deserted and final decades of the thousands of prisoners sent to Devil's Island between the years of 1850 and 1953 – when it finally closed down. Only 10 percent of the total number of detainees survived, and only a few ever escaped.
Ironically, Devil's Island is now best known as a small, secluded historic spot where people willingly escape to.
For more insight and history on the beautiful Caribbean islands and Central America, join me on one of these unforgettable voyages:
Marina | February 25, 2017
Marina | March 7, 2017
Insignia | October 30, 2017
Insignia | November 14, 2017
Guest lecturer Sandy Cares' animated and entertaining talks about people and events reveal colorful and unexpected aspects of the destination's history, culture and traditions. Whether you are heading out for an action-filled adventure or are just planning to relax on the beach, she encourages you not to leave the ship without knowing the "story behind the story!" Drawing from stories by local authors as she weaves in anecdotes from travel and life, Sandy combines meticulous research with effervescent enthusiasm and humor for a fresh and fun twist to understanding and appreciating Bermuda and Caribbean destinations. Sandy has been lecturing aboard Oceania Cruises ships throughout the Caribbean and Central America since January 2014 and looks forward to meeting you soon.


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|Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe. Ug, sometimes it's not a good idea to learn how the sausage is made. As a long time comic book fan and a lover of Marvel comics for untold years I though it would be interesting to learn the story behind how some of my favourite comic books were produced. That was kinda a bad idea that left me feeling depressed. These weren't super happy people bouncing around the bullpen fronted by the always jovial Stan Lee, these were real people with real problems. After reading this book I wonder how the entire comics industry didn't implode, multiple times. Anyway, it was a good read but one I'm wishing I didn't read regardless.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Books I've Read This Week
2 comments:
- Raymond Camden said...
Screw it - I'm adding this to my wishlist anyway. :)
- May 18, 2013 at 4:40 PM
- Simon MacDonald said...
@Raymond Camden
Yeah, it was a good read. I'm not disappointed that i read it.
- May 19, 2013 at 10:55 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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OK, so we're home, but you've seen enough pictures of our place in Moscow, so I thought I'd put up one more blog post about our time in Germany. We had a great time there, though we're glad to be back home on the way to resolving all our paperwork issues (until next year, of course, when we have to do it all over again!). Anyway, this last week we left my family's place in Mundelsheim and went over to visit a friend of ours, so we'll catalog our last week in Germany in these pictures.
One of the things we enjoyed most about being in Germany for this time was actually getting a "fall" season. In Russia, it seems like it goes almost directly from summer to winter, with a brief transition period thrown in there, and we miss the gradual cooling and leaves changing that you get everywhere else. Of course, this threw B into a photo-taking frenzy of leaves, and I'll leave her to put up a post with all her "fall color" pictures. However, I liked these ones of the boys, so I thought I'd throw them in:
No socks and shoes! Our Russian friends will probably freak out, but it wasn't that cold. Then, she took advantage of Matthew starting to sit up to get this one:
Steven went through a brief phase after our journey where his favorite things were trains, but now he's all about tractors. He even tried to drive this one.
So, after staying for almost 4 weeks with my family in Mundelsheim, we received our visas and went for a long weekend with our friend Anne, who lives near the Czech border in Bavaria. She is hoping to come work with us after she completes her training, so it was really good to get to spend some time together.
Fortunately, she was on break from her classes, so we got to make a few day trips out to see the countryside. The first day, we drove down to visit this castle in the town of Kulmbach.
This is the view from the top up there, with B and Anne:
When I was little, my family traveled through Germany on our way back from Indonesia, where we'd been living. We have a picture of my little brother inside a cannon from a visit to a castle, with just his head sticking out. We couldn't find a big enough cannon to replicate the shot, so we put Steven on top of this cannon instead. He got so excited!
Inside the castle walls the ivy in this courtyard was changing color to a brilliant red.
We enjoyed the Bavarian food while we were there, as well. I took a picture of our feast from our trip to a local restaurant. On the left, there are pork chops and bread balls (impossible to explain, but excellent!) in a horseradish sauce, then the omnipresent wurst and sauerkraut, then on the right is a roasted pork leg and potato balls. All of it was delicious!
One of the other things we did there was just to tour the town of Hof. They have a landmark collection of street signs from all over the world. Here I'm pointing to a sign for a town called "Brasilien" (I was born in Brasil) and B's standing near "Amerika," which is also apparently a town somewhere in Germany. If I had more space, I could post a bunch more pictures of all the signs, including one from Rocky Mount, a town near where B's parents live.
We also enjoyed a trip to the zoo. Steven might have enjoyed the slide even better than the animals:
He did enjoy the animals, though. He's been learning all the animal noises lately, so he got to practice a bunch of them and learn some new ones. Here he's feeding the goats.
Matthew didn't get into it too much, but the monkeys that ran free inside the conservatory-thingy looked him over carefully. Finally, we realized that they were captivated by his rattle, so B offered it to one. He almost took her up on it, too.
Steven hadn't experienced a trampoline before, and even though he can't jump yet, he loved being held while we did. When do kids get big enough to jump (from a level surface), anyway? It seems odd to me that he can run around without problems but can't get it together to get both legs off the ground at the same time.
OK, so that's about it. I'll leave you with this picture of B and the boys and the answer to last week's question. No points for anyone; we only had one guess!
The sign in question was the "no speed limit" sign. They actually still have them on the German autobahn. We got to experience a little of this, as our friend's dad actually came to pick us up in his Audi Quattro. I had never been above 105 miles/hour (about 170 km/hr) in my life, but he quickly put that to shame. We averaged around 130 m/hr (200 km/hr), I'd say, though he briefly went up to 160 + mph (260 km/hr). It was unbelievable to me that you can drive that fast legally, but people seem to be very good drivers and we didn't see any major accidents ourselves. I just remember a friend in the US paying lots of money to have a "NASCAR experience" and not going over 150, so I had to laugh that we got to do it for free there.