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The forecast for fog was completely miscalculated and this morning although cold and frosty was absolutely beautiful and sunny at Chesworth Farm. Just before dawn the Skylarks were already in song and continued throughout the day, while about 40 Redwing and a couple of Fieldfare came out of roosting in one of the hedgerows. A pair of Grey and Pied Wagtails were displaying, as was a male Mistle Thrush and several Song Thrush and a male Yellowhammer.
The ringing there this morning was reasonable with 42 new birds being caught of 11 species and along with Jake, Eddie and Stuart being joined by A-ringer Val Bentley (pictured below) and observer Tom Forward.
Highlights included two new Reed Bunting, two new House Sparrow, three Song Thrush (including two new) and only the third new Wren for the year. Interestingly, we also caught the same male Blackbird with unusual wing-moult that we have caught the last three times here in the same part of the same net! It must just like being handled! Highlights of the retraps included three Blue Tit and a Dunnock all originally ringed in 2007.
To end the days ringing I was just leaving Warnham LNR after dark and as I was about to pull onto the main road an adult Mute Swan was walking part with cars trying to avoid it. I realised that it was one of the pair off the golf course that had come onto the reserve lake and in the process of being driven off by the resident pair even after dark was forced onto the road. I jumped out of the car and quickly managed to catch it ringed it and then took it back to the lake on the golf course.
A successful end to the day!
Birds ringed:
Reed Bunting - 2
Dunnock - 2
Great Tit - 4
Goldfinch - 4
Blue Tit - 16
Robin - 1
Wren - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
House Sparrow - 2
Greenfinch - 7
Song Thrush - 2
Mute Swan - 1


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Author: Marisha Pessl
Published in 2013
Rating: 8.5/10
I did not expect to be reviewing this book on a horror blog – especially considering Pessl's first novel reads as a coming-of-age dramedy/mystery. I was a huge fan of "Special Topics in Calamity Physics," though it was a bewildering read, and when I saw that Pessl had come out with a new novel after 7 years, I was extremely intrigued. I'm not a big fan of mystery/thriller novels – the masculinity of their prose is usually too much for me – but I had to see what it was all about. I couldn't have been more surprised, and obsessed.
"Night Film" is centered around the world of Stanislas Cordova, a cult director with the reputation of Lynch, Kubrick and von Trier combined. He's reclusive, brilliant, and his films are terrifying; shrouded in mystery and rumor. But there's something strange about him – something dark. Scott McGrath, a journalist whose last attempt at uncovering Cordova's secret left him disgraced, has never given up on his story; and when Cordova's daughter is found dead, he has an excuse to pick up the mystery once more. This time, though, the stakes are higher – McGrath might not only lose his job, but his sanity.
It starts off how you'd imagine, with a cynical investigator met with a confounding case. It doesn't stay typical for long, though. Pessl fabricates a mind-bending reality for Cordova, evoking his films brilliantly, as well as his obsessive and cult-like fans. Add in a few wonderfully painted quirky sidekicks, and you've got an intriguing premise. The reader is led through McGrath's search for answers step by step, uncovering little bits of evidence that range from weird to disturbing. As he hunts for clues with his two assistants, both of whom were connected to the dead daughter, he is drawn into a surreal Lynchian underworld – one that soon becomes deadly, and perhaps even supernatural.
The brilliance of "Night Film" lies not in its story or its writing, but in the little details it brings to life. Pessl fills the book with fake Internet pages from Cordova's secret fan sight (full of eerie urban legends and creepy pictures), and as the book goes on, with anecdotes from those who were involved with him professionally or intimately. The stories begin to pile up into a horrific painting of an occult family, harboring disturbing and demonic secrets in their Gothic mansion (which plays a big role in the novel as well). The book reads flawlessly like an ultra-long Lynch film, complete with surreal characters and hints at dark magic. As the clues are uncovered and McGrath becomes more paranoid, the novel transforms beautifully from a typical thriller to a bizarre horror-mystery-psychological dissection.
I became obsessed with this novel very quickly, once the real story began to unfold and the horrific elements came into play. The mystery is so complex and unsettling that I found myself looking over my shoulder at the slightest sound. I have rarely been so involved in a book as this one – an apt comparison would be "House of Leaves," which is undeniably more intelligent, but has the same documentary quality that seeps into your brain and convinces you that what you're reading is real. I was attached to the characters, fascinated by Pessl's imagery, and desperate to get to the ending.
There are flaws, of course – the ending being, for a moment, one of them (I won't give it away, but I do encourage readers to keep faith while reading the conclusion) – but I was able to overlook them due to the intensity and morbid beauty of the tale. It inhabits the world of cult arthouse horror perfectly, and by the end, feels like one of Cordova's fictional films. If Lynch, Fincher and Argento were to become one person, their first work would be something like this – a colorful, atmospheric, Gothic, and deeply human thriller of epic proportions. It's not for everyone, surely, but I recommend it highly – so long as the reader knows they will stay with it through its 600 pages until they have reached the ending.

subset: commoncrawl


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Heaven's Asphalt
Lisa Williams
What do you love?
What causes freedom to pulse within your veins? Where can you go to hide away from this world's noise, to decompress?
Since I was a girl, for me it's been the great outdoors. Give me the mountains, the ocean, the countryside and all the animals that they contain. They call to me, they cause me to think clearer, and breathe deeper. I believe that nature by it's very existence heals people and animals. It's a glimpse of the beauty that abides in Heaven, which, I believe is a real, live place.
I'd be content on this earth to be continually barefooted and fancy free. Give me shelter under a gazillion stars, a garden, animals, and a simple life. That's enough for me and it began when I was a child.
Ours was a middle class family of six, whose vacations involved camping, hiking, and swimming in oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. Back then, we never could've imagined the hidden dangers lurking within the grassy meadows and trees of the forests we visited. Yes, way back in 1971 there were ticks which carried Lyme Disease in those California woodlands. Neither my parents, their friends, family, or doctors knew a thing about Lyme Disease. So, when a tick that was carrying Lyme bit my arm when I was twelve years old, we didn't sweat it. When the bite mark grew and resembled a bulls eye, we still didn't worry. When I came down with flu-like symptoms, my parents thought I had the flu. The fact that nobody else got it was attributed to luck.
The years that followed brought with them a host of health problems for me. I had difficulty concentrating, and learning. I experienced headaches daily. Participating in sports for any length of time was next to impossible due to severe fatigue. I didn't dare try out for the track team, when running one lap winded me. I rarely slept through the night. Insomnia was quite common. I didn't know that it wasn't normal not to get strep throat every six months. My back often hurt and I developed stomach issues.
How in the world I lived to be 46 before a correct diagnosis is beyond my realm of understanding. At the time, I was dying.
Maybe I lived that long because after that fateful camping trip to Mammoth Pool, California, I was on antibiotics every 6 months or so. Or maybe there is a greater power at work here.
Often times now, test results regarding my condition are bleak. They say things I wish were not true. I do everything the doctors tell me to do, but, according to the test results I have not progressed. If that is true, I ought to be dead.
But God…He has another plan. He has kept me alive against the odds. I'm convinced that I won't breathe my last breath a second sooner than I'm supposed to and when I do, He will take me Home.
Home, where they pave the streets with pure gold. Home, where gates are made of pearls. Where we will only know happy tears, and peace uninterrupted.
Think about that for a minute. The materials we use to pave roads here on Earth are the cheapest we have; cement, sand and crushed rocks. The materials used to pave the roads in Heaven are pure gold.
That's Heaven's standard. Pure gold for streets. Pearls for gates. (Revelation 21:21)
That gives me hope like nothing else. God has prepared a place for me and spared nothing for its beauty, and that includes divine health. No more sickness. No more dis-ease. We will know ease, peace and love so divine this writer cannot find the words to describe it. We will know God face-to-face. That's the real beauty of Heaven, the One who created it. That's what makes life on Earth worth living, too. His love is all over this planet. I take that love with me, along with the love of friends and family.
That's how I'm going to win. That's the medicine that saves me.
Dear God,
Please pave my soul with love as transparent as the gold in heaven. Purify me as such. Walk the streets of my heart and own every cobblestone and grain of sand. Help me to love as Heaven loves, and to abide in You always.


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quotation use in essays
Quotation Marks With Slang If you use a colloquialism or a slang word or phrase, simply use it; do not draw attention to it by enclosing it in quotation marks how to use quotation marks in news articles. ThinkExist journalists need to know when to use quotation marks. com Quotations is your source for famous quotes from thousands of famous people the most common situation in which you ll use quotation marks in a. Search or browse more than 300,000 quotations, subscribe to the popular quotation marks, language standards, fifth 5th grade english language arts standards, grade level help, internet 4 classrooms internet resources, teachers, students punctuating titles: when to use italics, underlining, and quotation marks. Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, poet, and philosopher it s easy for students to forget that different types of titles require different. Essays: First Series as corrected and published in 1847 introduction: be brief; give some suggestion of the direction you intend to take in your essay. First published as Essays, 1841 indicate the aspects of the book you intend to deal with. This site use double quotation marks to enclose the titles of songs, short stories, essays, poems, and articles: softly, almost tenderly, legree recited the lyrics to the song. Are you trying to learn how to write or teach persuasive essays? Look no further! This page will provide you with all you need about writing persuasive essays bach, musicological font, homepage. How to Use Quotation Marks bach is a set of software fonts for microsoft windows(3. Quotation marks( ) are used to enclose words that are quoted from the original source, or to set off dialog from narrative 1, 95, 2000, xp, vista, windows 7) that can make use of windows. They always note: the title of an article or essay is not enclosed in quotation marks, italicized or underlined at the top of the page. Download printable version (pdf) What s new in the 8th edition MLA Handbook? MLA Documentation has two parts: A detailed list of Works Cited; A citation within the the reason for punctuating a. Quotation marks are punctuation marks used in pairs to set off speech, a quotation, a phrase or a word there are two types of dialogue: direct and indirect direct dialogue is speech using the character s exact words. You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, worse yet, as an incomplete sentence, in your writing in this case, quotation marks are get an answer for if you are writing an essay do you underline, use quotation marks or italicize the book title? and find homework help for other essay lab. Use ellipsis marks if you wish to leave something out of the middle of a quotation (perhaps it is not needed or will make your quotation too long) virtualsalt using quotations effectively robert harris version date: november 27, 2012 original date: february 13, 2001 (reflects mla handbook [1999/2003] style) sorted by subject: inspirational, thought-provoking, humorous, and literary; quotes for occasions and greetings. Titles Using Italics and Quotation Marks By YourDictionary How to properly write titles using italics and quotation marks are questions a lot of us have How to Use Quotation Marks in News Articles


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November 2018
Thanks to all of the archers and club members that supported our 2nd UKRS WA18m shoot at the LQ Arena, Stourport.
October 2018
Congratulations to WFCA archer Jasmine Simspon for retaining the title of Junior Barebow Girl National Champion for the 3rd year in a row. At the Archery GB National Clout Championship event held in Bradford, she shot a double 1 way clout round at 120 yards with a winning score of 162. Well done!
June 2018
The first National Rankings document has been published by Archery GB and we're happy to see some Wyre Forest club members on there. Well done to Melissa Preece, Karen McKay, Scott Potter, Martin Preece and Daniel Finn.
June 2018
This year the weather was hot and sunny at the Wyre Forest Company of Archers Open Western tournament, a nice change from the rain we normally seem to get!
The tournament was well attended with archers from across the West Midlands and beyond.
Well done to all who shot and a special well done to all WFCA archers who won trophies and medals.
Results are now available on the Tournaments page.
June 2018
Article about WFCA junior archers Freya and Heike in the Express and Star.
Congratulations to WFCA junior archer Heike Palmer on breaking two national records – on 14th April scoring 622 at 40m at the Blow Away The Cobwebs shoot at Long Mynd Archers, and on 15th April scoring 412 on the Junior Warwick round at Droitwich Archery Club.
Heike has also been selected to represent England in the team for the Home Nations tournament which is being held during the JNOC on 7th July.
We wish her the very best of luck!


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Easter - Sunday, April 20
Please begin thinking about who you will be inviting to be your guest on Easter Sunday at Riverside! We will have a free pancake breakfast beginning at 9am with an exciting time of worship at 10:30am. There will be no small groups or New Vine City.


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Monster Energy & 9910 presents....
(Dirtybird / Trapez)
Alongside: NVS, Mr Wedge & Travis Mateeson
Super excited to be teaming up with Monster on this and bringing backChristian Martin for another round at 9910! He was here a few months back for the Magic Mountain Tour and now we have the Dirtybird heavyweaight coming back for another knockout on the dancefloor. We have some familiar Edmonton faves opening up in Night Vision's NVS and Wheelhouse Productions Mr Wedge & Travis Mateeson. Not to miss folks!
$15 advance tickets available online @ wwwyeglive.ca & Foosh on Whyte Ave
Back to All Events
Monster Energy & 9910 presents....
Monster Energy & 9910 presents....
Earlier Event: July 8Consilience album release with Marlaena Moore, R.ariel, & Jessica Jalbert
Later Event: July 16Archaics LP Release "Soft Focus" w/ Mitchmatic & Power Buddies


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About me
Silvia de Leonardis passed classical acting school in Munich, Constance and Zurich. Among others, she played at the municipal theatre in Constance and in the Theater an der Grenze in Kreuzlingen/Swiss. During her theatre time she participated in a workshop for film acting (camera acting workshop) of the film and stunt production company Action Concept, in which she was able to get a small part in the TV series Der Clown. From then on, appearances in several episodes of Tatort followed, as well as a small part in Die Manns, SOKO 5113 and Küstenwache, until she was discovered for comical roles. She especially succeeded in the presentation of resolute women, and therefore got parts in the motion picture Großglocknerliebe, as well as in the comedy Die Rosenheim-Cops. From 1999 until 2006 de Leonardis also worked as a film coach on Set with the actor Bobby Brederlow, who was born with Down's syndrome, in many productions like Bobby, Tatort and In aller Freundschaft. She also worked for the telenovela Lotta in Love as a film coach for Janin Reinhardt.
In 2014 Silvia de Leonardis started to work with Alex Taylor, who was certified for the 10th time as best acting school and acting teacher of Los Angeles. In 2017 she got the O-1 Visa for the United States and since then also works in America. Her favorite roles are strong women leading characters who are fighting for love and/or justice.
Silvia de Leonardis lives in Munich, is married and has a daughter.


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Innovations, new product ideas and sales concepts bring trade up to speed: the three international consumer-goods fairs Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld, as well as the new Floradecora order fair ended for 2,938 exhibitors from 63 countries (2016: 2,855*) with countless new contacts and well-filled order books. Over 85,400 trade visitors from 154 countries (2016: 82,097[1]) made their way to Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre to place their orders for the coming season and cultivate important business relationships. Summing up the results of the fair, Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, said: "Healthy growth of three percent in the number of exhibitors and a four percent increase on the visitor side confirms that our four consumer-goods fairs – Christmasworld, Floradecora, Paperworld and Creativeworld – represent the international hub for the worldwide trade".
Creativeworld continues upward growth
Creativeworld is the platform for the national and international hobby, craft, creative and artists' requisites sectors. From our point of view, there is no alternative anywhere in the world.
Creativeworld 2017 can boast the largest number of manufacturers and products in the history of the event. It is not only the 15 percent rise in the total number of 344 exhibitors from 37 countries that has continued to build its role as the sector's leading international trade fair. This fact is also impressively evidenced in the interest shown by the 8,657 trade visitors from 94 countries.** "Creativeworld is the platform for the national and international hobby, craft, creative and artists' requisites sectors. From our point of view, there is no alternative anywhere in the world," says Kirsten Rohde, Vice President Marketing, Marabu. For Andreas Helmis, Managing Director of Edding Vertrieb GmbH, too, the leading role enjoyed by Creativeworld is indisputable. "We have enlarged our presence, in order to increase our penetration into the creative hobbies segment and to establish our brand more extensively on the international scene. To that end, we were represented, this time, by double the number of people in the team and even this enlarged group had plenty to do throughout. We met all our objectives at Creativeworld completely."
That Creativeworld is the world's most important platform for business deals and orders in the creative hobbies, DIY handicrafts and artists' requisites sectors is reflected in the number of international exhibitors who take part. Companies from 37 nations (2016: 30) were represented in Frankfurt, where they came to promote themselves and their new products. Numerous companies take advantage of Creativeworld specifically as a starting point for launching their products on the market. This is confirmed by Gerlinde Karg, Chair and Executive Officer of the Manufacturers' Association of Hobbies and Creative Crafts (Herstellerverband Hobby-Kreativ e.V.): "It is here in Frankfurt that manufacturers' innovations are introduced for the first time. And this year there is a particularly large number of new products." From the Schmincke company, for example. "We get our new products ready in time for the show – that way we can present our artists' colours to a broad international audience. At no other event can you find such broad international participation as here. We already had people contacting us from 36 different countries before the show began," says CEO Nils Knappe. More than 60 percent of the visitors travelled to Frankfurt am Main from 94 other countries - a real boost to export opportunities for the exhibitors. This international participation is something that Dr. Florian Hawranek, Managing Director and Owner of C.Kreul, also appreciates: "Creativeworld is the most important trade fair that we attend. We get an opportunity to see all our international customers here." For Martin Erler, Managing Director of Efco, Frankfurt is the unchallenged international location: "Customers come from as far afield as Canada and Cyprus, America and Kuwait - from all corners of the globe. Creativeworld is the only truly international trade fair in our sector."
The top five visitor nations were France, the Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain and Italy. More specialist wholesalers and retailers came from these five countries this year, too. In addition, Creativeworld recorded increased visitor numbers from Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Australia, Denmark and North America.
The positive mood in Halls 4.1 and 4.2 at Creativeworld is also reflected in the levels of satisfaction amongst exhibitors. 80 percent of the exhibiting companies in the Creativeworld halls were satisfied or even extremely satisfied with the degree to which they had achieved their targets and had made contact with their target visitor groups. "We are really delighted. Creativeworld is like a shop window on the world for us. Visiting the fair once a year is extremely important, not least to see, too, what is going on in the sector in general," says Ellen Jacoby, Creative Director at Rico Design.
Yet these results are topped by the figures for the visitors. According to the visitor survey, as many as 91 percent of the wholesalers and retailers were satisfied or extremely satisfied with Creativeworld. Of the trade visitors attending the show, the largest proportion came from the retail trade, but there were also more visitors from the wholesale segment placing orders at Creativeworld. This latter group increased in size by six percentage points as against the previous year. Also clearly improved is the quality of the visitors: 75 percent of all the trade visitors are in managerial positions and, hence, bring with them a level of responsibility for purchasing decisions. The buyers are mostly interested in products from the hobby and DIY-handicraft segments (58 percent). But graphics materials and artists' requisites (36 percent) were also extremely popular, as were handicrafts and creative textile design (32 percent).
Creativeworld Focus: issues for the high-street retail trade
"The largest group of trade visitors at Creativeworld comes from the retail sector. This year, therefore, we focused our complementary programme on topics that are important for high-street retailers," says Michael Reichhold, Head of Creativeworld. Specifically in times of online shopping, targeted communication with and approaches to the customer are particularly important. Numerous lectures, including 'Encouraging customer loyalty – Report on experience in the world of handicrafts' and the discussion session entitled 'The future of retail – retail in the future' provided useful tips and pointed to possible ways, in which the retail trade can position itself to ensure that it remains competitive. This is the way, it is suggested, to bring customers back in increased numbers to town centres and into specialist retail shops.
Absolutely imperative, moreover, is an effective shop-window display, since this represents the initial contact with potential customers. "How better to begin to get a grasp of this topic than with the first German Visual Merchandising Championship. We organised this championship in cooperation with talent sponsors WorldSkills Germany e.V. and the European Association of Visual Marketing / Merchandising (VMM)," says Reichhold. Altogether six talented young window dressers competed against one another and spent four days sketching designs, sawing and building, making and decorating. In the end, there emerged six impressive shop windows to be viewed, which gave visitors from the high-street retail trade plenty of ideas for dressing their own shop windows. The competition was won by Ronja Pfeiffer from Modehaus Reischmann in Kempten. She will now form the German national Visual Merchandising Skills team, along with Melvin Suckow (2nd place) from Karstadt in Berlin and Annalina Väth (3rdplace) from satis&fy in Frankfurt and they will train together in preparation for the World Championships in Abu Dhabi in October 2017.
Exhibitors like Stephan Rayher also suggested, to the trade visitors who visited them, numerous possibilities for targeted customer communication: "Interest in all things creative amongst consumers continues to increase. Wherever we see a professional presentation, the consumer's interest increases. That's why we now offer our customers a complete 100 % solution: from sales material and advertising materials such as flyers, posters, banners and online content to decoration. We still have to convince some customers, but we can already see it working." Rather than going into too much detail about individual products, this year, Colart concentrated more on overall concepts. "We focused on presenting the brand in an exciting atmosphere and in an appealing light. In so doing, we want to help our retailers, too, and show how they can present the products," explains Sophia Olver, Global Communications Officer at Colart.
Workshops, Trend Show and the Creative Impulse Award bring life and variety to Creativeworld
Creativeworld is both a cradle of innovation and a business platform, at one and the same time. Almost all exhibitors had hands-on activities and product demonstrations on their stands. And there was also a broad spectrum of creative workshops on offer in the Creativeworld Forum. "The life's blood of Creativeworld is the very varied programme of events that we have developed in conjunction with our exhibitors. The visitors – all trade professionals – not only wanted to see the latest products; they were keen to have a go with them and test them out. And they were keen to try out the new trends for themselves and discuss issues that relate to their sector," says Michael Reichhold. DIY icon and TV presenter Martina Lammel not only provided a guide to the Programme of the Creativeworld Forum, she offered a workshop herself where she explored, with the participants, the latest trends in jewellery making. In addition, other trends were to be seen on stage, including hand-lettering, working with soap and some stylish wrapping ideas for gifts.
Numerous graffiti artists assembled at Creativeworld, representing the new trend in Street Art. And it was not only finished works of art that were on show. There were, at the same time, presentations of the most diverse materials that can be used to create street art. Street art offers specialist retailers a huge opportunity to appeal to new target groups and to extend their selections even further.
The Creative Impulse Award is a perennial feature at Creativeworld and the most important award worldwide in the hobby, DIY-handicrafts and artists' requisites sector. It was presented, for what was already the 12thtime, on 28 January 2017. A total of 70 products were entered in the competition for this coveted prize, sponsored by Messe Frankfurt in collaboration with the bit-Verlag publishing house. The Creative Product of the Year award went to efco creative with their 'Wood Veneer Fabric': winners of the Creative Tool of the Year award were Fiskars with their 'Fabric Circle Cutter'; the best Complete Set of the Year was submitted by Folia with their 'Christmas Train Advent Calendar' and Creative Book of the Year was awarded to the Christophorus Verlag publishing house for their 'Sewing with SnipPap'.
When it comes to trends for next season and keeping up with what is going on in the sector, the first port of call at Creativeworld has to be the Creativeworld Trend Show. The new season's trends were identified under the headings of 'whimsy', 'thoughtful' and 'imperfect'. Developed by the bora.herke.palmisano Trend Bureau at the behest of Messe Frankfurt and displayed in Hall 4.1, a dedicated workstation invited visitors to experiment with the latest trends themselves. For retailers, this is an ideal opportunity to take some ideas and suggestions away with them and then to try them out later in their own shop environments: either to help with advising customers on the new, fashionable materials and handicraft techniques or to help with presenting products and decorating the sales area.
Trends for 2017: colouring-in, hand-lettering, modelling clay of all kinds and all of it soft pastel shades
The faster and more efficient everyday life becomes through digitalisation, the greater the need for a relaxing compensatory activity. It has long since no longer been about achieving a technically perfect result, as the Trend Bureau bora.herke.palmisano demonstrate with their 'imperfect' theme. It is much more about the creative process, the pleasure in one's own creativity and the joy of a result that turns out to be 'different' and 'individual'.
Anyone looking around Creativeworld in 2017 could hardly have avoided noticing that pastel is the colourway of the moment. Be it soft rose-pinks, light greens or milky shades of blue, most materials are available in friendly, modern pastel colours. This is often in combination with vintage patterns and motifs, or with metal foil as an enhancement. And there are a host of fresh, playful motifs to accompany this trend, from graphic triangles and ice-cream cones to butterflies, cacti and pineapples. And when talking of motifs, we must not forget to mention that squirrels and flamingos lead the trend, as far as animals for the new handicrafts season are concerned. One of the major trends, this year, is all about modelling things with your hands. Either with silky-light modelling clay, foam effects, or super-soft, self-curing or moulding concrete.
Drawing and colouring in, tangling and doodling – drawing lines and filling them in continues to be a very popular way of relaxing. Hand-lettering has been a successful addition here. Pens and pencils, kits and books enable customers to experience the joy of the free-flowing script. And there are other areas, too, where writing and lettering are creating something of a stir. Pens, markers and paints that can be used on all kinds of surface and with which, above all, you can personalise porcelain, glass and plastic. Glass and transparent plastic are used for screw-top jars and vases for table decoration, or to hang up cut flowers and plants. Moreover, natural materials such as cork fabric, vegan leather and hemp continue to be on trend. New additions are cross-over materials such as cork leather and wood veneer fabric.
Next events:
As in the past, the quartet of consumer-goods fairs will be held around the last Saturday in January:
- Christmasworld: 26 to 30 January 2018
- Floradecora: 26 to 29 January 2018
- Paperworld and Creativeworld: 27 to 30 January 2018
Further statements, information and images can be found at:
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's leading trade fair organisers, generating over €640* million in sales and employing 2,364* people. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 30 subsidiaries and 55 international sales partners, allowing it to serve its customers on location in 175 countries. Messe Frankfurt events take place at approx. 50 locations around the globe. In 2016, a total of 138* trade fairs were held under the Messe Frankfurt umbrella, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Comprising an area of 592,127 square metres, Messe Frankfurt's exhibition grounds are home to ten exhibition halls. The company also operates two congress centres. The historic Festhalle, one of the most popular venues in Germany, plays host to events of all kinds. Messe Frankfurt is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
*Preliminary figures for 2016
** Basis: Creativeworld FKM-certified figures 2016: 295 exhibitors, 8,666 visitors
- Press release (pdf, 65 KB)


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Jimmy Changas
Lunch at Jimmy Changas It would take knowledge of a history of success of a particular restaurant group to entice me to drive to Deer Park/Pasadena area for a quick lunch. Such is the case of the growing world of restaurant concept successes by Russell Ybarra. … Read More


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Trump shares embrace with Martin Luther King's niece after she backed him as US President
THIS is the moment Donald Trump warmly embraced Michael Luther King's niece just months after Alveda King backed the US President all the way to the White House.
Alveda King and Donald Trump embrace
Evangelist and pro-life Ms King sparked controversy when she revealed she had voted for the billionaire tycoon on the same day people across the US celebrated the federal holiday of Martin Luther King Day.
And today the pair appeared to mark their friendship with a hug after Donald Trump delivered a speech at the National Museum of African American history.
The US President vowed to stop anti-semitism after a wave of bomb threats targeted Jewish centres across America.
Donald Trump has vowed to stop rising anti-semitism
Anti-semitism is horrible and it's going to stop
He said: "Anti-semitism is horrible and it's going to stop."
Mr Trump described anti-semitism as an "age old" adding: "there's something going on that deposit fully allow it to heal. Sometimes it gets better and then it busts apart.
"But we want to have it get very much better, get united and stay together".
The president's daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism after marrying her husband and has pleaded with citizens for "tolerance".
Donald Trump visits the National Museum of African American history
Trump and King are pictured laughing during the museum visit
It could be surprising that Ms King, the niece of the celebrated civil rights leader, voted for Mr Trump, a divisive figure who has caused controversy over his recent travel ban from seven Muslim countries.
Ms King previously said: "While I voted for Mr Trump, my confidence remains in God, for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,' added the anti-abortionist."


text: D459 - D459 escape sash lock for fire doors Application Escape sash locks are suitable for perimeter doors where single action escape is needed, but a high level of security is also required. Incorporates feature to prevent the door being left unlatched, making them ideal for fire doors. Available with single cylinder and thumbturn. Uses Euro profile cylinders. Supplied as standard with striking plate. Both square and round faceplates are available. Key can be removed in locked or unlocked position. Split follower lock: incorporates different and separate functions on either side of the door. For finishes, handing and dimensions see Lockcases Information appendix. When ordering please specify door thickness. Specification Double-throw stainless steel deadbolt thrown up to 20mm by two 360° turns of key or thumbturn. The deadbolt cannot be thrown when the door is in the open position, ensuring that the door will always latch properly. Split follower lock; requires lever furniture with split spindles. Both latchbolt and escape follower are reversible without opening lockcase. Available with 60mm backset. Exterior [PROD3] Interior Key operates deadbolt when door is closed. Lever handle retracts latchbolt only. Turn operates deadbolt and latchbolt when door is closed. Lever handle retracts both bolts. Finish Product has been successfully type-tested for conformity to BS EN 12209. Regular audit testing is undertaken. Product has also been successfully type-tested for conformity to BS EN 179 in conjunction with an ASSA Aluminium 1325 lever handle. Regular audit testing is undertaken. Classification: 3 7 6 B 1 4 4 2 A B/D. Standards Ordering Options 10440210131 D459 ESC SASH 60MM SQU 24MM F/P *TEC PG* 10440110131 D459 ESC SASH 60MM RND 20MM F/P *TEC PG* Close


text: Laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll) with a sweet confection that instantly turns any party into a proper Bourbon Street blowout. The classic Mardi Gras King Cake is a sweet brioche confection decorated in the traditional purple, gold and green colors of New Orleans' world-famous "Fat Tuesday" celebration. There are many customs associated with the King Cake, including the belief that it must not be served before Carnival (lest it rain on Mardi Gras) and that luck will come to whoever finds the little baby figurine hidden within the cake. If you're looking to try your luck this Shrove Tuesday, we've collected a krewe of sweets that you can parade from party to potluck.


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Let's reinvent ourselves!
If you were to ask my five year old son what his father does, he would probably answer: "My Dad's making the air clean". And, in fact, I am currently in the fantastic position to be able to work in an innovative and sustainable area at MANN+HUMMEL which concerns the quality of our ambient air and specifically the reduction of fine dust. Why am I so enthusiastic? Well, for one thing we have a lot of freedom and secondly we are working together on the future of the company. But first things first.
I myself came into the team in August 2017 and have led the strategic initiative since the middle of 2018. Last August we started to conduct field tests with test vehicles, the so‑called fine dust eater vehicle. In fact, they do not "eat" the fine dust in the literal sense of the word, but filter it out of the air. For example, the filter installed on the roof of the vehicles retains fine dust from ambient air. A brake dust particle filter fitted to the brake system prevents the discharge of brake dust to the environment. And the occupants of the vehicle are protected by an NO2 fine dust combi-filter.
The eye-catching design of the vehicles makes them hard to overlook as they drive around the area of Stuttgart and other places. My boys are always excited when I occasionally come home in the fine dust eater vehicle because I usually go to work by bicycle: "Hey, can you take us for a drive?", are the first greetings when I enter the house. Sure, I can 😉
New approaches for project management
The fine dust eater technology platform has allowed us at MANN+HUMMEL to enter new territory in a number of ways. One is in terms of technology, as it enables us to transfer our know-how as a filtration specialist over to new, future-oriented application fields. Another is in terms of customers, as we (still) do not have a definite customer who comes to us with exact requirements and says this is exactly how we will do it. This leaves us more freedom in the area of development and that gives our team the chance to try out working methods which are different to existing methods. I am thinking here about approaches such as Design thinking or SCRUM, which help teams to work quicker and more purposefully.
Design Thinking, for example, is based on the assumption that the problem is better solved when people of different disciplines work together in an environment which promotes creativity. SCRUM on the other hand is an agile working method which puts us in a position to work with high concentration on subjects and in a very short time to generate tactile results in the form of prototypes and to test these together with customers at an early stage. In a first step this does not have to be a 95% prototype, 70% will do at first. In addition, we integrate the customer in the project at a very early stage and give the customer the opportunity to strongly identify with the subject, as the customer can directly help to shape an own solution.
What stakeholders and big data have to do with the fine dust eater
The context in which our innovative team is working is newer and bigger than that found elsewhere. We interact with a much wider circle of stakeholders which is not limited to classic OEMs, suppliers and our colleagues worldwide. The subject of fine dust affects cities and communities, and, as we have recently seen, as a premiere in Germany the city of Hamburg has introduced a ban on two roads for cars and trucks which do not conform to the Euro 6 emission standard.
On January 1, 2019 Stuttgart will follow with a general ban for all Euro 4 diesels or older. We are in contact with political and scientific networks and are working together with institutes and research consortia. This is partly new for us or is being practiced much more intensively than was previously the case.
A further aspect is very interesting. The innovative developments in connection with the fine dust eater have been made in the era of industry 4.0 and big data. We are also working on making our technology intelligent and equipping the test vehicles with sensors to enable the system itself to measure and determine the state of the system and the ambient air. Then the system uses an internet connection to upload the data to a cloud. The data we collect from the many projects help us to open up new markets and find new customers.
The video was part of the internal global campaign "#ChallengeAccepted" at MANN+HUMMEL.
Our project also participated in an internal global campaign from MANN+HUMMEL and we recorded this video. The video helped us to give our colleagues around the world a better understanding of our project. As we were the first to enter this new field at MANN+HUMMEL, we would like colleagues to be in a position to understand the basics of what we are doing. The company has placed its trust in us and we would like to repay this trust in the very near future.
5 km every day to work and back
I appear in the video as a cyclist. The concepts of both the bicycle and fine dust eater are for me simply authentic. Every day I ride five kilometers to work on the bike, whatever the weather. For me it's a real alternative to the car, bus or train. I travel inexpensively to work in an environmental manner and I am just as quick as when I take the car to do the same journey. This enables me to easily get my 40 minutes of sport in every day.
We live in a time where many things get scrutinized and some things which are tried and tested have to be abandoned. We owe it to our children to question things and to a certain extent to reinvent ourselves. MANN+HUMMEL is currently doing just that and I am proud that our team is part of the process.
Have we aroused your interest?
Find more information on our website:
The MANN+HUMMEL Fine Dust Eater


text: All web hosting accounts are managed through a Control Panel and no matter the type of the latter, there's always a File Manager tool, which enables you to look into the files that you have uploaded inside the web hosting account and to complete simple operations with them, for example moving, copying or deleting. Based on the particular tool, there could be more advanced functions too, like control over permissions and archives. Several Control Panels are simpler to use compared with others and so are their File Manager sections. Due to the fact that this is the main tool you will use to handle your files, it's important to check in advance what options it includes and if it shall work for you, because a hard-to-use File Manager could be a burden and will make managing your online presence more complicated.


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Great value for this Top floor 3BEDROOM and 2 full bathroom condo. The bright and spacious open concept living space is upgraded with high end laminate floors, gorgeous backsplash, granite counter tops in the kitchen and both bathrooms, complete with in-suite laundry. Unit comes with heated underground TITLED PARKING and storage locker is directly in front of the parking stall. Copperfield is a great neighborhood close to many schools, parks, and shopping areas. Easy access to Deerfoot and Stoney Trails, South Health Campus. Please call us for a showing today!
Balcony, No Animal Home, No Smoking Home
Playground Nearby, Shopping Nearby
Disclaimer: Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed by CREB®.
Listing information last updated on September 21st, 2019 at 9:00am MDT.


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A man has been mauled to death by a lion which pounced on him after he reportedly scaled a zoo wall.
It has been reported that an Indian man has been mauled to death by a lion. Officials revealed on Monday that the man was mauled to death after he scaled the wall of a zoo in northern Punjab state, According to the Agence France Presse, AFP, the man climbed the 20-foot (six-metre) wall of Chhatbir Zoo, home to four lions, on Sunday and entered the restricted area where he was attacked. Hearing his screams, the staff rushed to try and rescue the man. "He was an intruder in the zoo. We took him to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries," said Roshan Sunkaria from the state forest department. The animal that attacked the man was an Asiatic lion — a critically endangered species and a major tourist draw. Only around 500 exist in the wild, all in the Gir sanctuary in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The authorities have not yet been able to contact the victim's family. The zoo has stepped up warnings inside the premises and advised visitors to travel with an escort and keep vehicles locked.


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UPDATE: Frank Ocean has updated his Tumblr to announce free merch in Houston, Miami, Dallas, and Atlanta for those who bring photographic proof they voted at a ballot. The effort is to help incentivize the 42 percent of non-voters in the US as well as back Democratic candidates Stacy Abrams (Georgia), Andrew Gillum (Florida), and Beto O'Rourke (Texas).
After more than a year away, Frank Ocean is back on Beats 1 today with a brand new episode of Blonded Radio—his expertly curated, on-again, off-again, surprise-laden radio show. Listen to the new episode live below. Unlike previous episodes of Blonded, this episode isn't numbered. It's instead billed as a midterms special. (That's a subtle hint. Go vote.)
We'll update this piece as soon as the episode is up on Apple's website for re-streaming.
The last time that Ocean broadcast a Blonded Radio episode, in August last year, he dropped in a new song called "Provider."Follow Alex Robert Ross on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Noisey US.


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Ifta Course
Ifta Course
Darul ilm seeks to develop students beyond the 6 year Alim course with an additional year in which they specialise in Islamic jurisprudence. This year is designed to give the graduated students an additional year of practice in Ifta (giving Islamic rulings).
They will study specialist books with special muftis and the main focus in this year will be to give the students practice and experience of answering the day-to-day issues within the community.
Students are encouraged to research different contemporary issues and give a fatwa regarding them. This helps them investigate and broaden their knowledge
Who is this course for?
Students need to have graduated as a alim or alimah from a reputable madrassah.
Are there any prerequisites for the course?
They have to graduate as a alim or alimah before taking up the course.
Timings and Tuition Fees
The timings are saturdays and sundays 6-8 PM.
The tuition fees are 250 pounds per semester (works out at £93 per month)
There are three semesters in the year
What is the duration for this course?
Two years
How do I apply for this course?
By clicking "buy this course" at the top of the page
If you have any questions send us an e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com
Books covered in this course:
- Al Qawaid Fiqhiyyah
- Madhkal ila maqasid shariah
- Rasmul Mufti
- Mashq Fatawa
- A dissertation of 8,000 words
Course Features
- Lectures 0
- Quizzes 0
- Duration 2 years
- Skill level Advanced
- Language English
- Students 0
- Assessments Yes


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For many Americans, the concept of nationalism is still quite foreign. Many people do not seem to understand that citizens of countries other than the United States actually believe that their country is the greatest on Earth.
Of course, "greatness" is a subjective term, which is what makes one's inherent sense of national superiority such an interesting aspect of human nature. And nowhere is nationalism more prominent than in the world of soccer.
In North America, professional teams tend to provoke the most love, hate and tension. When it comes to soccer, it is national competition that is the most divisive.
The FIFA World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world. One of its most enticing features is the fact that it is all about national pride: Money, business and all of the so-called dirty aspects of sports are ostensibly out the window.
More recently, however, players have been deciding their international futures based not on which country they call home but on which gives them the best chance to either make or win the World Cup or, worse, which team will give them the most international exposure to parlay into a fatter club contract.
From an American perspective, the most well-known such case is that of Giuseppe Rossi, the New Jersey-born Villarreal striker who chose to represent Italy rather than the United States in international competition. He has now scored six goals in 27 appearances for the Italians.
It could be argued that Rossi was immersed enough in Italian culture — as he moved there when he was only 12 — to consider himself an Italian, but I don't buy that. By that age, one should have enough of a sense of pride and patriotism to identify more with the country of one's birth than one's country of teenage residence.
Unfortunately, what was once a stage for pride and national loyalty has become a platform for personal gain.
This past summer, Canadian-born Jonathan de Guzman — a former Villarreal midfielder now on loan to Swansea in England — attended a Canadian men's national team game in Toronto.
Dressed in a Canadian team jacket and standing under the bleachers at BMO Field, de Guzman denied reports that he was ready to commit to the Canadian national team, instead reiterating his intention to play for the Netherlands, his adopted homeland where he had recently gained citizenship.
Responding to a question about his previously reported interest in playing for Canada, de Guzman said, "It was just the fact that I wasn't really playing much in Villarreal, and obviously, when you don't play that much, you need to refresh your mind."
While the fact that de Guzman was so blunt about his message shows a lack of respect — he went on to talk about how much the Canadian team needed him — his message itself paints a depressing picture of what the international soccer landscape has become.
As we enter an NHL lockout stemming in part from the willingness of players to leave their teams for big money elsewhere, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the idea of loyalty may soon sit behind glass in a hall of fame somewhere as a relic of the 20th century.
As a passionate Canadian, I could never imagine suiting up for another team. Despite the fact that — had I possessed post-high- school-level soccer skills — I would have been eligible to represent England, the United States and maybe even Germany, I would be embracing the red and white, World Cup or bust.
De Guzman, Rossi, and many others before them have felt the wrath of their true countrymen for their decisions. I hope that's a sign that these cases are aberrations rather than the impending norm.
But try as I might, I can't repress the fear that one day I'll hear the dreaded news: Brazil buys Lionel Messi for $200 million.
Arik Parnass is a sophomore in the College. CANDID CANADIAN appears every Tuesday.


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Survivors Featured in New Multi-Media Dance Work
A chance conversation that TASSC staff member Shanta Kingham had after watching a dance performance has opened a pathway for five survivors from the TASSC community to contribute their powerful stories about leaving their homelands to a multi-media dance performance that opens on Friday, April 13, in Arlington, Va.
The premier of "Border" by Jane Franklin Dance brings together spoken testimonies, movement, visual art and music to explore the barriers and prejudices individuals experience because of race, gender, ethnicity and national origin.
The show runs through April 28 at Theater on the Run in Arlington.
Jane Franklin, the troupe's founder, recorded audio interviews with the torture survivors associated with TASSC who describe aspects of their lives and their experiences leaving behind their homeland to seek asylum in the United States. The survivors also contributed photos of special meaning to them that will become part of the visual experience of "Border."
The TASSC community members are among a diverse group in "Border," whose audio recordings of real-life experiences probe bias, isolation and loneliness and the urge for belonging.
Others include a woman who works in a male-dominated profession; an HIV positive young adult; a black woman who describes cultural assumptions people make about her; a Latino man stopped by the police, and challenged by a disability and finding employment; and others who talk about same-sex parenthood and bi-racial marriage.
Franklin said her production explores "the barriers and dividing lines that people experience that may not be visible." A previous production, "The Migration Project" focused on human flight and relocation. With "Border" stories of bias also lead to people "who have inspired a redirection of action, aided others in crossing boundaries or made barriers insignificant."
"My goal is to get the audience to think about the boundaries and 'dividing lines' we all experience, some hidden, some very visible," she said.
TASSC's involvement came about when Shanta Kingham, clinical case manager, attended a previous performance of Jane Franklin Dance's "The Migration Project." Afterward, by chance, she struck up a conversation with Franklin who mentioned the themes of her next production in the series. Kingham suggested the possibility that members of the TASSC community might be interested in being involved in the production and Franklin jumped at the chance.
Kingham said the TASSC members who participated were thrilled by the experience. "It's so validating to have someone listen to your experience. It's empowering to share your story in this public venue, especially when you were silenced at home. The experience gives them back their voice in a public sphere," said Kingham.
TASSC offers torture survivors assistance through a holistic approach that includes medical and psychological care, employment and legal assistance and attention to their emotional and spiritual needs. TASSC's clients come from all walks of life and from across the world. Many have professional backgrounds and were forced to escape their home countries, leaving behind their families and their careers. The torture they experienced often came about because they spoke out against policies under repressive governments.
Kingham said being involved in the arts was new territory for TASSC and one that she hopes TASSC will be able to pursue further, with the success of "Border."
"It's very exciting," she said, "There is tremendous potential to use the arts as a form of healing, a catalyst for social and political change, and a platform to raise public awareness about torture and other crimes against humanity. Performances such as "Border" are an incredible opportunity to have the voices of survivors of torture heard, and their stories to be told."
For more information about Border, visit: http://www.janefranklin.com/performances/tickets


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You can see a lot just by looking: European Infant Mortality and GDP in Motion
My 15 year-old daughter Grace got fired up by Hans Rosling's first Ted talk. She took up the challenge of learning a little bit of R code to build a web display using Google's Motion Chart for her final European History project, June 2015. Her project display involves time series of population, infant mortality, and per capita GDP for nine countries, 1820-1992.
This was a real data analysis problem. For Grace, most of the work involved gathering the data, getting it into the right format for display and thinking about the data limitations. As she worked to understand the meaning of the numbers, I got to trot out Lord Kelvin's advice, "the more you understand what is wrong with a figure, the more valuable that figure becomes."
I showed Grace how to insert the R code into a Shiny app and then open a shinyapps.io account to share with her class. (Here's the link for her project.)
The overall pattern is decline in infant mortality and increase in wealth from the start of each country's series through 1992.
Interact with the display for individual countries and you can see the impact of World Wars, the Great Depression and the break up of the Soviet Union. For example, the Netherlands experienced a sharp drop in estimated income and increase in infant mortality at the end of World War II.
Technical Notes
Grace used population and constant dollar GDP per capita data from the Madison historical series.
Infant mortality series--deaths before age 1 per 1000 live births--came from a physical book, International Historical Statistics: Europe 1750-1993 (4th edition, 1998) by B.R. Mitchell, London: Macmillan Reference; New York, N.Y.: Stockton Press, accessed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison research library. That source meant a bit of time reading and typing numbers into a spreadsheet, a throwback to 20th century data analysis.
We found that the Google chart element sometimes loads slowly--be patient and if you run out of patience, hit the reload button. Since the Motion Chart is rendered in Flash, you can use the free browser download from Puffin if you want to see the chart on an iOS device.
Grace allowed me to share her code, I have posted it here on GitHub.


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Kraft - Promotions
In-store promotions featuring Kraft products. Each promotion would require store kits for the retailer including posters, feature product shelf cards, entry forms or coupons and promotion overview sheets. Larger promotions would include additional signage and recipe booklets. Many of these promotions featured retailer fresh products in combination with Kraft products, significantly increasing sales and having customers looking forward to the next promotion.


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Today has been a home-body, busy Sunday with lots of energy and a desire to sort things out.
The pantry got a going over, as did the trunk by the front door that always gets everything dumped on it. Also sorted through the selection of toys I keep in the lounge room for when Dylan (1yo grand daughter) comes over to visit. The stash had grown to overflowing numbers of toys and the cull will make the aftermath of her visits more manageable.
It's mid July and the weather is gorgeous. Big cool blue skies, and still days. Rain is coming but it's a few days away yet. Winter is probably my favourite month; especially this side of the shortest day. The darkness hasn't got such a grip on everything. The sun setting at 5:11pm is just a stupid time of the day to start getting dark, so I'm appreciating the light when I drive home at the end of the day now the days are eking out a bit more.
A woman at work asked me how I was going the other week. The question wasn't a passing remark, but a sincere question. I answered her honestly that I felt stuck, unable to get any traction on my ideas and plans.Not just having trouble finishing anything creative but trouble getting started. We talked for a bit and she suggested that maybe I'm like that because I am needing to recharge, to replenish - that I was in fellow - which is what farmers do to their land as part of crop rotation. Letting the soil recuperate nutrients for the Spring planting. Maybe I'm worn out and wrung out after such a year of change and upheaval.
So thinking on that for a while, I've have let myself do what I feel like more and more. Seems right now that's turning out to be reading, tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle - sometimes straight after work - and cooking. I've been making restorative food like deep flavoured vegetable soups, hot roasted vegetables, slow cooked stews. Also things like pickles and chutneys, with aromas of sweet vinegar and spices making the whole place feel really cosy, and me feel really virtuous. Nothing like a row of jars of chutney or stewed rhubard to make a girl feel like she's achieved something of her weekend.
Tonight I roasted pork for dinner. I followed Jamie Oliver's instructions in the video below and it turned out great. The balsalmic really sweetens up and makes for a delicious alternative to a thick gravy.
I didn't make the beans he mentions in the video. Instead I roasted vegetables with rosemary and garlic because it's so simple and delicious and something I've been doing quite often over the last few months. The smells of rosemary wafts through the house during the cooking and is very restorative.
Reading three books in the last month has to be an all-time record for me. I'm great at intending; somewhat okay at beginning; crap at finishing books - especially novels.
- The Elusive Language of Ducks by Judith White
- The Shining Girls by Lauren J Beukes
- She Left Me the Gun by Emma Brockes
All three are worth checking out for cosy winter reading.
Now I'm wandering what to read next. I have several considerations:
- Cooked by Michael Pollan
- The Table Comes First by Adam Gopnik
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I managed to move the hutches for the rabbits by myself this weekend. Usually it takes two of us and lots of discussion about where to move them to and how to set them out. My determination to get it done despite my by-my-self-ness was quite satisfying by the end of the day although I did take longer than the two-man system. Moving the hutches gives parts of the back lawn a chance to recover and a chance for me to find and fill in all the burrows those busy bunnies have created. If the house disappears into a sinkhole one day, no one around here is going to be terribly surprised.
Every weekend, I let the bunnies have free range of the entire back garden. They explore and forage, chase each other and lie in the sunshine. The yard is as secure as I can get it so they're pretty safe. I heard them back into their hutches around sun set.
The bunnies have discovered the compost heap. The rich, dark soil has compacted to make a really good digging area. Mops was dedicated to the task today and burrowed with single-minded determination to the point she didn't run away when I got close - something this independantly-minded rabbit tends to do.
They have their favourite places in the garden - under the guava or feijoa trees to eat any fallen fruit; the lemon tree bark is pretty tasty too; seems that the leaves of the kowhai tree are a favourite as they stand on their hind legs and stretch up into the branches to slowly eat the poor plant to death. It's so lovely to look out of the kitchen window of a weekend and see bunnies hoppiting about the back garden.


text: Quick view ACT Monoloc ACT £69.36 884006P is a one-piece, direct replacement or upgrade to the standard, two-piece wedge collar and wire ring featured in pull-type clutches. The spring tension of the segmented retaining ring is carefully calculated and tested for optimal performance. It... Compare Add to Cart Wish list


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Marriott Bonvoy Home
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1 Room: 1 Adult, /Room 0 Children/Room
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Innovative spaces. Inspired experiences. Personalized services.
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About Marriott Bonvoy
Our Arusha hotel features elegant guest bathrooms.
Our Club Room includes 1 king bed, a pool view in the executive wing.
The Traditional Room features 2 twin/single Bed(s), a garden view and a balcony.
Our Deluxe Premium King Room features 1 king bed, a garden view and a balcony.
Our Traditional Queen Room features 1 queen and garden view.
Elegant traditional twin bathrooms available in each of our traditional rooms.
Our 1 bedroom Executive Suite features 1 king bed, a pool view and a balcony.
Meaning "Avocado" in Swahili, Parachichi features À la carte European, Asian, and East African dishes and an extensive wine list.
Cardio and strength machines and free weights as well as complementary fitness classes.
An outdoor swimming pool surrounded by wilderness.
4 Event Rooms, 4,757 sq ft Total event space and 500 capacity largest space.
The Jumuika Conference Hall is our largest events & meetings space.
Our Jumuika Conference Hall is the ideal place to hold a conference.


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MuscleXP Hair, Skin & Nails Daily Vital MultiVitamin
- Combines vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients along with healthy hair, skin and nails support
- This comprehensive and complete formula delivers a total of 36 nutrients comprising vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, health blends, amino acids in one convenient daily dose.
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The kitchen is called the heart of a home where you make food for your whole family. You make and serve food for your daily needs in the kitchen. It is the necessity of every house, whether it is big or small. But it is also a place where most of the waste in your home is produced. You daily produce lots of waste from vegetable coverings, wasted food, etc. So to keep your home clean from attracting unwanted visitors in your home, you need to take care of that waste in some way. Food disposal appliances help you do that job.
Food waste sums up to 10%-20% of any household waste alone and can be a hindrance to sanitation and public health. It also corresponds to the degradation of the environment as disposing of them is such a troublesome task. It produces methane gas when buried in landfills and requires more energy when burned. Both of this corresponds to the pollution and environment degradation. Food disposal appliances help to manage the food waste effectively by turning the scraps into minuscule pieces and disposing of them in the sewer system.
Lots of manufacturers and dealers are available both online and offline that sell food disposal appliances. But they usually charge very high for their products. The better option is to visit the website of UAKC. The UAKC or the Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center are the largest sellers in Kitchen and indoor home appliances in Los Angeles founded in 2000. They sell appliances from the most notable and recognized brands and manufacturers at the most reasonable prices.
UAKC has the widest range of food disposal appliances like compactors, disposals, dispensers, trash compactors and recycling cabinets, etc. They will the required appliances for all your waste disposal needs. For more information, visit their official website.


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And I've learned so much in such a short time, it was great!
But it's time to get some rest :)
Here is some stuff I have been working the last couple of weeks
For computer animation We have been working on a simple polygonal character, without hands on legs and a torso, and have a few simple mechanical animations with him the first were A walk and a Jump, we were also supposed to complete a turn but sadly we ran out of time. So here it is:
Simple poly from Uri Lotan on Vimeo.
For Concept we completed our first original animatic, the premise was simple "someone is trying take a bite of your dinner" and this was my interpretation, a story about a little kid, a monster, and some chocolate.
Hope you enjoy:
Thief from Uri Lotan on Vimeo.
Here is some stuff from figure from the last semester.


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In every season, the Lord desires my active and ongoing conformity with Christ. In 2018, the Spirit will labor to bring out the fruit of God's justification in my character and life with others (Galatians 5:22-23). Remembering John 17:17, below are a few ways I hope to cooperate with the Spirit's work in me this year.
Make Time for God's Word
Do you ever feel that you're just too busy for the Bible? There's so much clamouring for your attention, regardless of whatever stage of life you're at. Let's not even speak of the constant drip of media and entertainment distractions; it's almost unbelievable how addictive they are becoming!The reality of this frenzied busyness, which frankly, most of us are caught up in, is that The Bible is in danger of remaining a closed book, even to us Christians!
Seasons of Unpaid Work and Your Calling
It was a Tuesday like most others: playground time with my young daughters. Who would have guessed that, amidst the gigging screams of my girls, I would find myself defending the deity of Christ in conversation with another mom who was a Black Hebrew Israelite? A deep theological debate—covering the Trinity, substitutionary atonement, and Pan-Africanism—hadn't been on my radar as we headed to the playground. And yet, there I was, chatting with a relatively young mother of two in her attempt to proselytize.
I Don't Want to Waste My Life
Today is my birthday. I'm 35. I woke up this morning with a blog post on my mind; not a new one to write but one written four years ago on my 31st birthday. That post is below. I read it this morning and it encouraged me to pray for the grace to persevere. I want to run as though to win the prize...I don't want to waste my life (1 Corinthians 9:24).
Women who Bleed Bible
Sisters, I don't speak here of petty surface glances of the Word; just enough to make you feel good about your Christianity. I speak of women who understand that they are commanded to present themselves to God as approved and unashamed workers, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Believing this, they read. They read carefully and deeply. They string pieces together until they interpret the Bible by the Bible. They knit sections together to unfold the big picture of the gospel.
Dear Wormwood: Screwtape's Letter on Bible Study
My Dear Wormwood,
You report in your last letter that your patient intends to purchase a "good study bible" with the determination to begin regular readings in the New Year. My dear nephew, calm yourself, as you seem rather troubled by this decision. If well managed, there is no cause for concern. You fail to remember the countless patients, firmly in the grip of Our Father Below, who own multiple copies of that dreadful Ancient Book!
The Fear of Death and the Fear of a Wasted Life
My prayer today then is to have an attitude like that of Calvin's – a disposition that fears a wasted life over death. I want to do well for the Lord – an alert and useful servant who keeps a lamp burning and whose Master finds her dressed in the hour of His need (Luke 12:35-40). My prayer is that my heart would not be captured by dissipation, distractions, and the cares of life but would be consumed by a love for Christ (Luke 21:34). How ever many years there might be for me, I want to live each one jealously for His glory.
If you're Hungry to Consume the Word, God is Gracious to Feed
I believed myself a Christian long before I was. I grew up attending church, affirming the existence of God, and even praying to the Lord Jesus but there was nothing much beyond this. I had no affection for Christ: no true worship; no fervency in prayer; no hunger for His Word. Was I wild and unruly? Not at all. I was motivated to do well in school and so made straight A's. I was eager to please at home and so assisted in the care of younger siblings. I enjoyed simple contemplation and so read volumes of Jane Austen in quiet corners. I was even made an example by some as a good girl – but saved I was not.
Choose Christ over Willpower in Temptation
We have all tasted temptation. For the Christian, temptation is both a pre- and post-regeneration reality. James, writing to Jewish believers, states: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (James 1:13-15).
Run to Win - Christ is the Prize!
I begin this post with a little self-disclosure: I don't know how to run! What do I mean? Let's just say, if you saw me running, you would understand perfectly well what I mean. To be specific, I was never taught (or perhaps I failed to learn) how to properly bend my knees when running. The result is a stride that slightly resembles a duck.


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Bushwacker Pocket Style Rear Fender Flares
Technical Details
- Fits 2007 to 2015 JK Wrangler Unlimited and Rubicon Unlimited
- 4-door models only
- Pair of rear flares only
- Adds up to 6.75 in. of tire coverage from debris
- Installs easily with minimum body-side drilling
- OEM matte black smooth finish is easy to paint
- 100% UV protected Dura-Flex® 2000 - no chalking
- Made in the USA with a Limited Lifetime Warranty
With their recessed stainless steel bolts and massive presence, Pocket Style Fender Flares are a Bushwacker original and an off-road icon. They're custom-designed for your Jeep Wrangler to complement oversized tires and high-clearance lift kits. You can mount them right out of the box, with their tough, OEM-style matte black finish – they're UV protected so they won't chalk. Or, paint them to match or accent the body color, for a factory-custom look. Pocket Style Fender Flares are made in the USA from our thick, proprietary Dura-Flex® 2000 TPO. Its the thickest, most flexible material available, tailor-made for added durability and flexibility on the trail. Despite their hard-core bolt-on styling, Pocket Style Fender Flares install easily, with no body-side drilling required. When you need maximum tire coverage with minimum time and effort, it's in the pocket. Pocket Style Fender Flares from Bushwacker.


text: Share: Comments Print June 26, 2011 at 10:16 AM Celebrate Fourth of July at the Wooden Boat Festival July 2-4 Posted by Mark Yuasa Celebrate the Fourth of July weekend by attending The Center For Wooden Boats Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival on July 2-4 located at the south end of Lake Union. The free event will feature some 200 wooden boats from rowing dinghies to the 133-foot classical schooner Adventuress. The festival is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, July 2, and Sunday, July 3 and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday July 4. On Independence Day, Lake Union Park will remain open to the public for prime viewing of the Lake Union Fireworks show which gets underway around 10 p.m. During the festival, visitors will be able to board dozens of historic sailing and rowing vessels from the CWB collection, and board many of the historic private vessels brought to the show by their owners. Classic rowboats can be rented, and free steam and sail rides will be running nonstop. Festival attendees can explore the many styles of boatbuilding in the Northwest, ranging from modern skiffs and cedar strip kayaks to traditional Native-American cedar canoes by Master Haida carver and CWB artist in residence Robert Peele. On Sunday, July 2, the canoe currently being carved at CWB will undergo a "steaming", part of the traditional construction process. Attendees can also learn to steer by the stars, sharpen their chisels or tie a "turks head" knot in our skills classes and booths. Activities for the kids include Toy Boat Building where they can to build and decorate their own model boats and Pirate Storytime aboard the historic tug boat Arthur Foss; featuring the nautical yarns of Pirate Lou. Kids will also be able to build a kite and fly it from the festival grounds, and sail model boats in the park's new boat pond. Come see the Quick and Daring Boat Building contest, sponsored by Everett's Thain Boatworks/Earthwise Ventures. In this longtime festival favorite, teams have just 24-hours to construct a boat and then race it; sailing a leg, paddling the next and anything goes on the homeward leg, in this inventive and hilarious contest that rewards the first boat still floating at the finish line. For more information go to The Center For Wooden Boats wesbite. Comments


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Monday Madness
So not too long ago I was using Find My Friends app to stalk my children as I like to do... and it showed Oldest in ... Ontario, Toronto. As in Canada.
Odd, as she's never been to Canada. I texted her and she didn't respond. So with visions of her having been kidnapped (what? I'm a mom, I worry!), I texted The Boy. HE texted right back that yes, he had eyes on my daughter AND her phone and, as he assured me, they were not in Canada, 2,500 miles away but in the city. As in San Francisco.
An hour later I checked Oldest's "dot" on the app. Now it showed she was at a winery in Sonoma.
I again texted Oldest. She answered this time and said nope, she was not at a winery in Sonoma but still in the city and that she would tell me when and if she changed locations.
Fine. But naturally I couldn't help but peeking at the app once more later that night. It showed her at Disneyland. I resisted calling her, you should be very proud of me. But Find My Friends app? You need to lay off the crack pipe, that's all I'm saying.


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Friends David Hayes, Pam Presta Miller, and Cari Johnson Pelava were all members of my wedding party in 1978. When I moved from Dodge City, Kansas, to Hermosa Beach, California, in 1976, they were some of the new friends I made soon after I arrived. Cari and David were former Michiganders and are directly responsible for me meeting Jim—the love of my life. David recently moved back to Michigan, Pam lives in Ohio, and Cari lives in Minnesota. We put our collective heads together and figured out some days towards the end of September when we could spend some time at my house. It was time for a reconnection, since Jim and I had not seen Cari in thirty-four years and Pam in ten. We spent our days laughing, sharing old pictures, making fun of each other, and catching up on each other's lives. There, however, seemed to be a constant as we enjoyed each other's company: music.
Music played in the background whether we were in the car or in the house. One day when we were traveling, as I rode in the backseat between Pam and Cari, I started singing "Stuck in the Middle with You." One morning, as people were waking up and wandering into the kitchen for their first shot of coffee, someone mentioned having a weird dream. Naturally, since we all lived in California during Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album explosion, I started singing "Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?" from the song "Dreams." The more I fell into this pattern of singing instead of talking, the more difficult it became for me to stop myself. It was as if I had lost sight of language unless it was attached to a song. At one point David asked me how I could remember lyrics for just about any song even though I had trouble remembering things from the past year or two. His question made me stop and wonder: How was it possible that I could remember songs and lyrics? Was I reconnecting to the past through music or because of music?
On September 5th, 2011, I began reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. He examines how music and the brain function together. As I always do, I wrote comments in my journal and made notations in the periphery of the pages of the book. As I recently reread my comments while working on this essay, I discovered a chilling comment I had written after reading about "motion parallax (the shifting appearance of the visual world as we move through it)" (155). My journal comment: "How I feel before a migraine."
I had been having unusually severe headaches during the summer of 2011, particularly when the barometric pressure rose upward as if a needle on an old stereo, as it finally reached the end of a song. Motion parallax also seemed to happen when the barometric pressure spiraled downward. Everything synthesized on October 29th, 2011, when I suffered a Grand Mal seizure and discovered I had a brain tumor. Now that I look back, it's almost as if reading Musicophilia during this time frame in my life was meant to be. The warning signs were there, but I failed, or perhaps refused, to heed them.
As I continued examining my journal notes from my initial reading of Musicophilia, I noted my fascination with the passage Sacks wrote about a session with one of his patients the poet W.H. Auden attended and said the session "reminded him of an aphorism of the German Romantic writer Novalis: 'Every disease is a musical problem; every cure is a musical solution'" (274). Why do I feel so moved by that insight into the human psyche? Why has music played such an important role in my life? Maybe I don't know the answers to these questions yet, but I know I am not alone. I know that music affects my friends as well.
One night Jim, David, Cari, and I sat on our deck watching the moon rise over the lake with our conversation further illuminated by several candles burning on a small table. Most of the lights in the house had been turned off. The Eurythmics "Would I Lie to You?" blared from the stereo inside with Annie Lennox's voice fueling the driving drumbeats while Dave Stewart worked his guitar magic. We noticed Pam, inside, dancing and singing as if no one else existed. It was as if those of us on the deck had disappeared, and Pam had been overtaken by synesthesia—a "fusion of the senses" (Sacks 192). I understood how this could happen, because when I listen to this song on my iPod, it makes me want to run or walk faster as if I could spin myself into the future.
I also remember moments of Pretzel Tour road trips with Micki Holladay, Rachael Livingston, and Jeanne Beilke where conversation ceased. Micki would slip one of her CDs into the car stereo, and as an old familiar song began to play, we would sing along while our bodies gently moved, even though we were strapped in by seatbelts. What role does music have in the synesthesia of friendship? And as we sing and remember, are we returning to a time in our past when life was much simpler? To a time when we were young and the future seemed to be a long promise in front of us?
I also remember when I taught at Saginaw Valley State University, and I played guitar and sang with the Cremains of the 10th Circle. We practiced once a week in the Cave, multiple times a week if we were going to perform somewhere, and I practiced at home every night for hours at a time. I felt sorry for my husband and dog. Although my dog would place himself next to me on the floor, away from the amps, he would stick with me until practice was over. Jim stayed in the living room or ventured outside while his wife rocked the neighborhood. It was quite important to me to memorize the lyrics of the songs I practiced and not use a cheat sheet during a live performance. This isn't to suggest I was perfect: I screwed up lyrics quite a few times. The band was loaded with talented people, and I wanted to try and keep up, perhaps convince them I was worthy to be in the band.
I wonder now if I could perform live without a cheat sheet. Could I nail the lyrics? When I practice, my fingers seemingly fly across the guitar with abandon, but what about the lyrics—the language of the song? Sometimes I practice with my eyes closed, hoping I won't have to open them to look at the typed or written words on my cheat sheet. These songs should be as embedded in my brain as much as songs I wrote while I lived in California or songs I survived on during my high school years. If I can answer a question with lines from a song, there has to be a reason. I know that music is the solution to my problem—and I am working my way back into the way my life was before everything suddenly changed if that is possible. Maybe music is my solution because music is how I connected with so many people.
Reconnecting with friends and relatives over the past year has reminded me how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life. I have only mentioned a few of those people in this essay. They are the mirror to my past, present, and future. If Novalis was correct when he wrote "every disease is a musical problem; every cure is a musical solution," then I am ready for the cure. When I sing some of my original songs such as "Radio" and "Highway Michigan," my own moment of synesthia forms, and the people in my life, the memories, and the sheer joy I find in the sounds, the images, and language connect and reconnect me to everything that matters.
Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia, New York: Vintage Books, 2007, 2008. Print


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Yesterday I was watching a TV show with my toddler and as I'm sitting there watching this older gentleman dance and sing on stage I thought, "Wow he probably grew up wanting to be a rock star but that didn't work out so now he's a rocking entertainer for kids". At first I thought that was sad but then I thought about all the things young boys fantasize about if they want to be a rock star when they grow up:
Raving fans
Rocking out, doing their thing
And this guy definitely has all three! It got me thinking about my journey and another quote that has really stuck with me, "Keep your goal in mold and your plan in sand" - Lisa Nichols.
Growing up I wanted to be the usual hairstylist, veterinarian, teacher... as I went through high school I wasn't a bad student but I definitely didn't have it all figured out either. After high school, I started at community college and quit, worked my way up into retail management, then thought I might want to do interior design and went to work at an architecture and interior design firm. Once I realized that wasn't working either I started community college again with the intent of going into teaching.
It was at that time I took a part time job working at a cosmetics store having zero experience and never wearing makeup other than lipstick. After working there awhile, women would come in asking me to go on-location to do makeup for their wedding. It was then that the light bulb went off in my head, like hey this is an actual business and when we start a family I can work on the weekends and be home with our children during the week.
Fast forward years later we had two elementary age children, I had a successful makeup artistry business with a studio and makeup line, and I suddenly felt this little nudge to do something more. I had been teaching makeup artistry classes for a few years but I wanted to go more into the mindset and strategies to help women grow their businesses. I announced one day to my sister, "I want to do coaching" but I had no idea how that would work into my busy life. I had no idea how to get started or what the next step was but once the idea was there, I couldn't get it out of my head.
It just so happens not even 2 weeks later I found out we were expecting our third and *surprise* baby! The story gets to be like a winding road after that and the coaching idea went on the back burner for 2 years but I noticed I kept getting all of these women messaging and emailing me, "How can I be a makeup artist? How can I do what you do? What are the steps I need to take? How did you open a studio/start a makeup line?". I realized that they were reaching out to me because there wasn't a lot of information out there about building a makeup artistry business past buying a makeup kit, and so my coaching business was born.
Sometimes things don't look like how we think they will or should. Sometimes we get little nudges, I think of them as like little bread crumbs, and if we keep following them we eventually start to see the whole picture come together.
Don't ignore the little nudges, that's the Universe talking to you!


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| Deputy Russian Foreign Minister to Visit Israel
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister for the Middle East and Africa, Victor Possuvalyuk, will tomorrow (Tuesday) 2.12.97, arrive in Israel as a guest of Foreign Ministry Director-General, Eitan Bentzur. The visit is in the framework of the Senior Advisory Forum between the Israeli and Russian Foreign Ministries, which was set up by Foreign Minister David Levy and his Russian counterpart Yevgeny Primakov during the latter's visit to Israel in October.
It is expected that the following issues will be raised in the discussions: The peace process; developments on the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks and the multi- lateral process, which Russia has participated in from the beginning. For its part, Israel will raise the matter of the Russian votes in the UN General Assembly and Security Council.
Possuvalyuk, who has a doctorate in history, also acts as Special Representative to the Middle East for President Yeltsin. In addition to his discussions at the Foreign Ministry, Possuvalyuk will meet with President Weizman, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Levy during his visit.
Home Israel Foreign Affairs Deputy Russian FM to Visit Israel


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Through this publication, the National Statistics Institute (INE) and the Secretariat of the National AIDS Plan (SNAP) jointly present a Health and Sexual Habits Survey analysis. This study is of great interest due to its contribution to the design of prevention policies preventing the spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), causing AIDS, and it provides a comprehensive outlook on the results obtained in the HSHS.
Contents of the publication (Files in PDF format)
In our bookshops
If you want to acquire it cash on delivery, you may request it by e-mail.


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Today's unpopular opinion: the phrase "work life balance" is unhelpful and generally inconsistent with how the world actually works.
The phrase, "work life balance" implies a few things that I don't experience to be true.
First, it implies that there are two separate things, one called work and one called life, which are not the same thing.
Second, it implies that there is an ideal mix of these two separate things, an equilibrium which we are seeking.
But that's just now how I experience the world.
I've never heard anyone say that their out-of-balance in favor of life. Nobody's ever said in my hearing, "I really need to work on work-life balance. I just don't think I have enough work to coincide with the amount of life that I have."
What most people seem to call, work life balance" I experience as a question of resource allocation.
I have a finite amount of money, talent, and most preciously, attention. And I have a list of things demanding a share of those things. So I have to make decisions about how to allocate my resources across my various priorities.
The most common problem that I encounter is: under-allocating attention to things that have no utility but bring me joy, and thus increase my available attention, focus, and passion in the next day/week/month/season. Sometimes because I fail to see the connection between "time off" and my own capacity and effectiveness.
But I also experience a problem in which I over-allocate attention to urgent things, leaving not enough for important things that lack a deadline, or at least a looming deadline. Sometimes this is because I haven't set aside time to work without distraction.
And I sometimes experience a season in which I'm bad at allocating my attention because I haven't allocated any time to select my priorities purposefully. In those seasons I'm not making purposeful decisions, but instead just working on whatever comes to my mind which usually means I'm not allocating my attention most effectively.
But "work life balance" is not a thing that I experience. This is an unpopular way of looking at the world but it's been useful for me. Do you see this issue differently? Is there a metaphor you like better?


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I know you're keen to know what we got up to in Portland, and you no doubt want to know all about the top nightspots, so I'm afraid I'll disappoint! We were tucked up in our room pretty early each night as we were traveling with the little man, but here are some of the things we got up to in the first city I've visited since Sydney which I think I'd really like to move to...
I'd been wanting to visit Portland for a few years so it could quite easily have failed to live up to my expectations. On the first day I was a little out of sorts post flight to Seattle and then early morning train (I had been to bed between the two fortunately!) but it didn't stop me falling for Portland pretty much straight away. The atmosphere is fab and it's so green - the amount of trees in the place came as a surprise - probably even more than we have in London (for the size at least). My only disappointment was to find that the Museum of Contemporary Craft which I'd hoped to visit had closed down, but otherwise it was great.
First we need to talk about Voodoo Doughnut - every other person seemed to be wandering around town with an intriguing looking pink box! A bit like London's Vicky's Doughnuts (I assume as I haven't been!) it's built a cult following and there was always a queue (I believe it's open 24 hours though so presumably it's not that constant) but it was worth it. The chocolate glazed also removed the small boy's wobbly tooth which had been threatening to come out for weeks. The only side effect being that the tooth fairy seems to have a going rate of $5 when she only gives £2 here - shocking!
The Voodoo Doughnut boxes were piled high on the tables (next to other lovely more savory delights) at Pine Street Market where we went to eat both nights as it worked so well for the small boy. Part Boxpark, part Mercato Metropolitano it was nice and had a wide range of different food on offer. We went for burgers and ice cream on the first night and pizza on the second (followed by the legendary doughnuts!).
We were fortunate enough to be there during the Portland Rose Festival and spent a very nice evening entertaining the boy at the sizeable fair which ran along the banks of the river. There were loads of rides suitable for all ages - we spent a small fortune but he was happy!
I also went looking for shops and found some real treats. Firstly I stumbled upon Ecru - a really lovely little stationery/card shop - where I obviously did my Just A Card duty. They had a lovely range of letterpress and hand printed Portland cards and lots more besides.
Made Here PDX was on my must visit list and it was almost overwhelmingly good. Fortunately the fact that I had to be able to get the stuff home stopped me overindulging, but I did get a lovely print. Everything they sell here is made locally.
We also visited design shop Canoe which was very smart - they stock a range of items from across the world which is beautifully curated.
I can't not mention Powell's City of Books which is huge (apparently the world's largest independent bookstore) and rather wonderful (so huge in fact it has a map and loosing the small boy was likely rather than possible!) - they stock both new and used books on just about every topic you can imagine.
For the boy we found Finnegan's Toys & Gifts - not massive but a very nice toy shop. I spotted a box of Lisa Congdon badges on the counter so had to pick some of those up for myself!
We spent quite a bit of time just wandering about and admiring the place - in particular we loved the Pearl District, which is bordered by some lovely houses like these above. We also found a great fountain for the small boy to cool off and splash about in (for a whole hour!).
Other family friendly meal spots we enjoyed were the Picnic House on Salmon Street and Deschutes Brewery where Mr M was able to indulge his love of beer and the small boy his love of clams...
It was a bit of a whistle stop visit and I so hope I can visit again some time - leaving was hard! I also know that there were many things we didn't get to see (partly as we were aiming to appease the little man for a large part of the time).
So the important question.... is Portland weird? Well yes, just a little bit though and it all the right ways!