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US President Donald Trump treats his Western allies to a tongue-lashing while cosying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, causing alarm at home and around the world.
In the space of a few weeks, President Trump, whose recent predecessors embraced, if not revelled in, their unofficial status as the leader of the Western world, has disparaged and undermined the alliance's key institutions and organisations: the Group of Seven (G7), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
Trump's cheer squad, represented locally by broadcaster Mike Hosking, portrays his bull-in-a-china-shop rampage through Europe as a triumph, a bracing gust of fresh air blowing away stuffy diplomatic niceties and double-talk like cobwebs.
However, Trump's critics – "the haters" – see his "telling it like it is" in a different light. Douglas Lute was the US permanent representative to Nato from 2013-17. After Trump turned the Nato summit in Brussels earlier this month into a confrontation, Lute said, "The one thing that must be delivered [at these summits] is unity. Anything that erodes unity … is very destructive and an opening for anyone whose aim is to divide the alliance."
First, Trump publicly declared that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that increases Germany's supply of Russian natural gas makes the former "captive" to the latter. Why, he asked, should the US foot the bill to protect Germany from the very nation with which it's willingly engaged in a dependent relationship?
German leader Angela Merkel, who grew up in the Soviet satellite state of East Germany, pointed out that she and many of her countrymen and women have first-hand experience of what being a captive of Russia is really like. She could also have wondered aloud whether the fact that China holds more than US$1 trillion of US government debt puts America in a dependent relationship with an adversary.
Not surprisingly, given his history of weaselling out of financial obligations and exploiting bankruptcy provisions, Trump claims this indebtedness gives the US "a lot of power" over China. This is the notion that if you owe the bank $1000, you've got a problem; if you owe the bank $1 million, the bank has a problem. There may be an element of truth in that but surely something similar applies to the Russo-German situation: Russia could plunge Germany into disarray by turning off the tap but it would also kill off a lucrative arrangement and do lasting damage to its reputation as a reliable supplier and trading partner.
If Trump is genuinely concerned about the pipeline's security implications – and there's a suspicion that US energy companies would like a slice of the German action – why would he raise the issue in a manner that makes it politically difficult, if not impossible, for Merkel to address? Mike Carpenter, a deputy assistant secretary of defence during the Obama presidency, agrees the pipeline is a "strategic mistake" but argues that Trump is so politically toxic in Europe "whatever he says has the opposite impact".
Projecting power
Trump berated the Europeans for not spending more on defence. He certainly isn't the first US political figure to harbour the not entirely unjustified suspicion that Western European governments skimp on military spending in order to maintain generous social security programmes. Nor is he the first to ignore, or fail to appreciate, the fact that recent history has made Europeans, particularly Germans, wary of all things military, making defence spending a political hot potato.
Trump also framed the issue in misleading terms. Nato members fund their own military forces, rather than contributing to a common fund, so there's no shortfall for the US to make up. And once the nuclear umbrella is taken out of the equation, the discrepancy between the 4%-plus of GDP that the US spends on its military forces and the Europeans' less than 2% isn't particularly germane to the defence of Western and Central Europe against a threat from the east.
The US spends a vast amount on defence because it's determined to remain the most powerful nation on Earth. It wants to be able to project power to every corner of the globe; the Pentagon has long been preoccupied with the challenge of fighting simultaneous wars against the Soviet Union/Russia and China. The most costly US military endeavours – as Trump himself has alluded to – were the wars it chose to fight in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, rather than its Nato deployments. The invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, launched by President George W Bush, were in response to the 9/11 attacks on the US homeland. Incidentally, 9/11 was the first time Nato invoked Section 5, the collective-defence clause of its founding treaty, which holds that an attack against one member will be regarded as an attack on all. When the US came under attack, the Europeans didn't hesitate to declare solidarity.
Finally, Trump went out of his way to insult and undermine the leaders of his two closest allies. After going after Merkel, he turned his baleful gaze on British Prime Minister Theresa May, rubbishing her handling of the Brexit negotiations and promoting the cause of former foreign secretary and leading Brexiteer, Boris Johnson. Johnson's recent resignation was another step in his campaign to supplant May, a campaign so overt that even our Acting Prime Minister, Winston Peters, is up with the play.
Alliances on life support
Trump's pro-Brexit rhetoric reveals a deep antipathy towards the EU, an entity whose raison d'être, in large part, was to end centuries of warfare by locking nations into a cooperative relationship. Rather unnecessarily, he told an interviewer that he regards the EU as "a foe", and given that Trump is actively seeking to depose May and Merkel, it's safe to assume they don't regard him as a friend. His interference in other countries' domestic affairs is so brazen, and his intentions so clear, you'd almost think he'd taken a leaf out of the Russian playbook.
The insulting language, the jarring characterisations – the EU is a foe, Nato is obsolete – and the indifference to the consequences of his anti-diplomacy have got some thinking the unthinkable.
European defence analyst François Heisbourg told the Daily Beast website that Trump "has a vision of the world in which everything is bilateral and the US can monetise its power … It takes us to the end of Nato, the end of the WTO and possibly the end of the EU. The EU is facing so many challenges already, Trump may think it has reached tipping point and he can push it over."
On a recent three-week swing through Europe, US academic Abraham Newman found his contacts in government circles and academia questioning American values and behaviour to an unprecedented degree: "For the first time, I felt Europeans struggle with the idea that the US might not just be a bully, but a threat."
Depths of pessimism are being plumbed across the Atlantic, too. "Even at the heights of previous crises … the disputes were over policy, not over the fundamentals of the alliance," said Ivo Daalder, Lute's predecessor as US permanent representative to Nato. "Once you begin questioning those fundamentals, the essence of alliance begins to erode, which could lead to its break-up faster than people think."
And for an Antipodean perspective we turn to Mike Rann, former Australian high commissioner to the UK, former Premier of South Australia and a leading light of the University of Auckland student left, back in the days when Tim Shadbolt was a firebrand. Describing Trump's European tour as a "theatre of the grotesque", Rann suggested he was "abdicating the role of every president since Woodrow Wilson in 1918 – that of leader of the free world".
I'd quibble with that on two counts: first, Trump has never even tried on the role for size; second, as US historian William Hitchcock recently outlined on Politico, not every president has aspired to international leadership.
In the 1920s and 30s, wrote Hitchcock, Republican Presidents Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover "trimmed their sails to this isolationist sentiment" following American involvement in the First World War. When World War II broke out in September 1939, their inclination was to stay well out of it. The US didn't enter the war until Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in December 1941, hence Winston Churchill's observation that "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they've tried everything else." (An enduring conspiracy theory held that President Franklin Roosevelt knew Japan was preparing to strike Pearl Harbour but sat on his hands because he wanted an excuse to take the US into the war.)
The struggle between the Republican Party's isolationists and internationalists resumed after the war, coming to a head in the build-up to the 1952 presidential elections. The isolationist standard bearer was Ohio senator Robert Taft, who considered Nato provocative and the Marshall Plan, under which the US financed the rebuilding of war-torn Western Europe, wasteful. The internationalists were led by Dwight Eisenhower, supreme commander of the allied expeditionary forces in Europe during World War II and afterwards first supreme commander of Nato. Eisenhower secured the Republican nomination at a closely contested convention in Chicago and went on to defeat the Democrat candidate, Adlai Stevenson. In office, Eisenhower set the US on a course in international affairs that the next 10 presidents – five Democrats, five Republicans – seldom deviated from. Then came Trump.
Dark forces
Trump is knowingly tapping into a dark corner of the US psyche: the paranoid urge to retreat into "fortress America" and pull up the drawbridge; the tendency to blame the astonishing inequality and the poor's stagnant living standards on foreigners rather than their own fixation with capitalist dogma and distrust of government; and the provincialism that loathes what it doesn't know or understand, partly because it perceives assumed superiority. (In that regard, it's arguable that the almost de rigueur anti-Americanism of the West's educated metropolitan elites over the past 50 years contributed in a small way to Trump's rise.)
But there's a suspicion, bordering on conviction, that there's more to this than opportunistic pandering to an insular, infinitely credulous voter base. (One of historian Arnold Toynbee's indicators of a society in decline was the simultaneous presence of archaism – nostalgia for a mythical golden age of prosperity and social cohesion – and futurism, the belief that a new golden age is imminent. Trump's "Make America Great Again [Maga]" movement is a combination of the two.)
Working on the premise that the Russians recruited, seduced or suborned Trump on his first visit to Moscow in 1987, New York's Jonathan Chait has pulled together all the known strands of this convoluted saga. If Chait's premise and the narrative that proceeds from it are correct – he provides a mountain of supporting evidence of varying consistency – "it would mean the Cold War, which Americans had long considered won, has dissolved into the bizarre spectacle of [Ronald] Reagan's party abetting the hijacking of American government by a former KGB agent."
Tom Nichols, a professor at the US Naval War College, baulks at the proposition that Trump is the Muscovite president. However, he believes it should go without saying that the Russians zeroed in on "a man whose venality, vanity and vulgarity are like a menu of recruitable weaknesses", and that the sheer volume of contacts precludes an innocent explanation.
"There is no way to read Chait's story – or to do any judicious review of Trump's dealings with the Russians over the years – and reach any other conclusion but that the Kremlin has damaging and deeply compromising knowledge about the President," wrote Nichols on Politico. "Whether it is using such materials, and how, is a matter of legitimate argument. That such things exist, however, and that they seem to preoccupy the President, should be obvious."
It's worth noting that Nichols' piece appeared before Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki and, yet again, notwithstanding special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for hacking and otherwise interfering in the 2016 election, took Putin's word for it that Russia had nothing to do with anything.
Trump's willingness to accept Putin's denials harks back to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and President John Kennedy's apparent reluctance to disbelieve various Kremlin envoys' assurances that the Soviet Union wasn't installing nuclear missiles on Cuba, less than 200km from Key West, Florida. In Kennedy's defence, the Soviet operation was cloaked in intense secrecy, the US was relying on spy plane rather than satellite imagery and the overall situation was far more fraught, with West Berlin also in play and the realistic prospect that the crisis would trigger full-scale nuclear war.
Likewise, Trump's clumsy, equivocal retractions – "I misspoke" – had an echo of the Watergate scandal in which President Richard Nixon's press secretary Ron Ziegler's stance evolved from accusing Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of "shabby journalism" and "character assassination" to "I misspoke myself" to "This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative."
Trump's astounding performance at his joint press conference with Putin was too much even for some of his Republican enablers, although the harshest critics were the usual suspects – Senators Bob Corker, Jeff Flake and John McCain – who are on their way out of politics. It was also noteworthy that Republican ire was almost exclusively directed at Russia and not accompanied by the urgently required unequivocal declaration that the Mueller investigation be allowed to run its course and the cards allowed to fall where they may.
Don't hold your breath
As Barack Obama said this week, we're living in "strange and uncertain times". Even if you take a neutral view of Trump's conduct – that he's putting America first, as he promised when he launched his campaign for the presidency, and as the American people, via the Electoral College, empowered him to do – the implications are alarming, since putting America first seems to mean dismantling the world order that has, by and large, delivered peace and prosperity to the West for over 70 years.
To take one example: some defence analysts are already suggesting that if Trump pulls the US out of Nato, the nations of Western Europe will have to choose between developing their own nuclear arsenals – or, in the case of the UK and France, beefing up existing arsenals – or resigning themselves to "Finlandisation", the term coined to describe post-war Finland's compliance towards the Soviet Union, its vastly more powerful and ruthless neighbour.
There is a temptation to view Trump as an aberration and hunker down in the hope that the US comes to its senses in 2020 and normal service is resumed. Trump's control of the Republican Party, and its consequent embrace of Maga populism, suggests this may be wishful thinking. For instance, this is how Jim Inhofe, the second most senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, summed up Trump's European adventure: "I think he has effectively reasserted the US as the leader of the free world." Black is white. Up is down. Sabotage is leadership.
For New Zealanders contemplating this ominous outlook, there's one small if somewhat grim consolation: we know what it's like to be abandoned by the US.
This article was first published in the July 28, 2018 issue of the New Zealand Listener.


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Display all pictures
Outstanding Art Deco tripod sidetable, solid wood with Rio Rosewood veneer, french polish. Glass on top and lower plate with "Sun" pattern veneer. One chromed plated steel stand.
Italy c. 1930
cm Diam 71 x 49
inches Diam 27.95 x 19.29
Ref.: GDPI
2 450,00 €
Copyright © Fins de Siècles. All rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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BLACKPINK and iKON will be presenting a massive collaboration with fashion building '109', which represents Shibuya, Tokyo.
As image models for '109 WINTER SALE' starting on January 2 next year, the two groups will be featured on 7 locations in Japan, including 'Shibuya 109' and '109MEN'S'. Their visuals that portray the newest fashion trends will get exposure to the public in various forms, including original items in pop-up stores, exclusive items, autographed posters, gift campaigns, and collaboration cafes.
BLACKPINK will be displayed in the pillars of 'Shibuya 109' while iKON will be displayed in a banner in '109MEN'S'. This means that they will show-off their special visuals in the center of Shibuya, Tokyo. People are wondering how the synergy effect between the two artist groups from YG and a commercial facility representing Japan will heat up Tokyo's new year.
BLACKPINK and iKON have been receiving steady attention for their appearances not only in Korea, but also in Japan. BLACKPINK, who recently reached 200 million views with their music video for 'AS IF IT'S YOUR LAST' took the no. 1 spot on the Oricon Weekly CD Album Chart last September, with their debut album, 'BLACKPINK'. Also, they are getting the spotlight as the next-generation fashion icon, making appearances in Japan's major fashion events including 'Tokyo Girls Collection' and 'Kobe Collection'.
iKON also displays strong presence in Japan. Their Japanese debut album, 'WELCOME BACK' took the no. 1 spot in Oricon Daily CD Album Chart, while their mini-album 'NEW KIDS: BEGIN' took the no. 1 spots in Oricon Daily CD Album Chart and Billboard Japan Top Single Sales Chart, displaying a huge popularity. They are continuing to set milestones, as they recently drew 323,000 audiences in their 'iKON JAPAN DOME TOUR 2017'.


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Catch a Sunrise
Kevin and I don't catch many sunrises or sunsets. For sunsets we're usually busy gaming, blogging, reading, visiting or skyping. For sunrises we're generally asleep as those are way too early to wake up for! So I figured it would be an adventure to try to capture today's prompt
Catch a sunrise or sunset
And then the other day we had to be in Calgary for 7:30 in the morning. Because we have such a crazy sleep schedule we didn't bother going to bed the night before, just left the house at 4am. The sunrise was hard to see due to heavy smoke in the air. There have been fires in Washington and it's been blowing the smoke up our way. Making it hard to breathe and difficult to see the sun. But we did manage to get this beautiful view on our drive away.
Do you watch sunrises or sunsets with someone special?
Happy Monday!
I'm a lifestyle blogger, covering deep subjects including body images, battles with food, and overcoming how I was raised. I try to be as authentic as possible and I don't sugar coat how I see things.


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(in order of appearance)
Creative Team
Ursula Rani Sarma
Based on the book by
Khalad Hosseini
Original Music Written and Performed by
David Coulter
Directed by
Carey Perloff
Associate Director
Haysam Kadri
Scenic Designer
Ken MacDonald
Costume Designer
Linda Cho
Lighting Designer
Robert Wierzel
Sound Designer
Jake Rodriguez
Stephen Buescher
Michael Paller
Casting Director
Janet Foster, CSA
Cultural Consultant
Humaira Ghilzai
Fight Consultant
Jonathan Rider
Associate Lighting Designer
Andrew F. Griffin
Associate Sound Designer
Beth Lake
Stage Management
Stage Manager
Elisa Guthertz*
Assistant Stage Manager
Dani Bae*
This production made possible by
Jack and Susy Wadsworth
Kathy Scutchfield
With additional development support
previously provided by
Burt and Deedee McMurtry
Katherine Welch
Corporate Production Sponsor
A Thousand Splendid Suns is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.
The development of this play was made possible by the Priscilla and Keith Geeslin New Strands Fund and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Fund for New Works.
This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally presented in partnership with Theatre Calgary.
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States
°Member of A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory
© 2019 American Conservatory Theater-a tax-exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. Number 94-6135772.
Privacy Policy | Contact Us


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Nov 07, 2017
BOSTON, Mass. - Sophomore Nathan Domingos was named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Men's Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team, announced by the league office.
The NEWMAC All-Sportsmanship Team is intended to recognize one student-athlete from each team, in every sport that best demonstrates the ideals of the NEWMAC and its Code of Conduct, regardless of his/her overall performance or statistics for the season.
Wheaton concludes the season with a 7-8-2 overall record and 2-4-1 conference standing.
2017 NEWMAC Men's Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team
|Tim Wood
|Springfield College
|Alan Dang
|Jack Stark
|Clark University
|Garrett Magill
|U.S. Coast Guard Academy
|Lucas Fischer
|Emerson College
|Pavolas Christidis
|Nathan Domingos
|Wheaton College
|Dan McGuinness
|Babson College


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Color: Dark grey color scheme with black details
Sized: One size fits most with adjustable strap
Composition: Custom nylon hat with branded woven pinch tag, branded woven interior hand band tag, and screen printed logo
Printed graphic: One color version of classic squidowl logo
Good habits: Spot-cleaning recommended. If machine wash is necessary, wash with cold water and air dry. Here's a custom designed year-round classic with thoughtful detailing throughout. Let this be your daily dome cover. This item may be available at our brewery bodega at 4257 North Lincoln Ave in Chicago or our production facility taproom located at 2050 West Balmoral Ave.
Are you 21 years old or older?


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Quick Breaks & Holidays In England & The UK, 2016
This web site makes use of cookies, as explained in our Privacy Policy If you use this website with no adjusting your cookies settings, you agree to our use of cookies. This indicates that if a leave year ends on the 31st December the worker would have 18 months after that date in which to take the annual leave for that year. From sunbathing beside a hotel pool all week to exploring your location, our price range holidays cater for distinct tastes.
Regardless of whether it is the most current studio release, an indie horror flick, an evocative documentary, or that new RomCom you've been waiting for, the Fandango MOVIECLIPS team is here day and night to make certain all the very best new film trailers are right here for you the moment they're released.
Holidays for the regions specified within the dates specified will be pre-calculated and stored in-memory. Considering that the claimants ceased to be employed on 18 December they had no entitlement beneath the Act in respect of 26 December. Aer Lingus have teamed up with to bring you Holidays With Aer Lingus You can now book sun holidays, city breaks and cruises to destinations across Europe and worldwide, all with Aer Lingus flights. Traditionally, a inexpensive vacation is located in the non-touristy seasons or when the college holidays are more than, but we know that may possibly not suit your calendar. The flood of vacationers and the school holidays make this the busiest time for several museums, so program ahead to keep away from crowds. IKEA believes that everyone ought to be capable to afford a welcoming house for the holidays. Gives incredible value on package holidays and all-inclusive bargains across a massive choice of amazing destinations.
A lot of other days are marked to celebrate events or folks, but are not strictly holidays as time off function is hardly ever provided examples include Arbor Day (initially US), Labor Day (celebrated sometimes below diverse names and on diverse days in various nations), and Earth Day (22 April).
These holidays require no introduction and you will find they follow specifically the very same rules as New Year's Day and the Day following New Year's Day. Holidays: All flight-inclusive holidays on this site are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. Anything that is not a technique off of Holidays or the core extension is not covered by semver. Christmas Day25 December 2016, SundayMonday, 26 December 2016, will be a public vacation. For more than 20 years Teletext Holidays has strived to supply our clients wonderful value holidays to all of their favourite destinations which includes Spain, Egypt, Turkey and beyond. As the UK's third-largest holiday operator, Jet2holidays' ATOL-protected package holidays and city breaks are much more popular than ever! School vacation dates and in-service days for 2017/18 approved on 23 November 2016.


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By Angela Potter
I find it hard to talk about weight loss and postpartum because I don't want to come across as someone who is perpetuating the idea that every woman needs to get back to their pre-baby weight right away (or at all!). Birth changes us in so many ways and we come out on the other side women who are changed, and who are stronger because of it.
That being said, I understand how hard it can be to watch your body change drastically in just a matter of months.
With my patients, I help them make gentle changes to help their bodies naturally lose the weight without going through a lot of drastic diet changes.
One big way to do that is work on boosting the metabolism.
Boosting metabolism helps your body use the food that you eat more efficiently (aka burns calories better!). It also helps your body use your food for it's intended purpose which means you're getting use out of all the vitamins and minerals you eat.
When your metabolism is sluggish, that can lead to stomach cramping, bloating, an inability to lose weight, or even weight gain.
Boosting metabolism can support weight loss in a healthy way that involves making some really small changes to your regular diet. Stay tuned on the blog for more information about how exactly to do that!


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Can you guess how much of all global food that is produced gets wasted? 5%? 10%? Not even close – shockingly, it's ONE THIRD (1).
Much of this waste is outside our direct control (as end users) because farmers are often forced to throw away food that doesn't meet supermarkets' strict requirements, and supermarkets themselves throw away food that doesn't get sold. Of course we can petition to reduce food chain waste and do things like buy wonky veg to help curb these problems, but we can also directly reduce the amount we chuck away ourselves in the kitchen – you'll be doing your bit to reduce food waste while saving money on your weekly shopping bill. Here's my top 10 tips:
1. Shop smart. Probably the most important change we can make to reduce food waste is by planning ahead for our shopping. Use meal plans and make lists for what you need, thinking about recipes that use shared ingredients so you can use everything up (e.g. if you buy a punnet of mushrooms but only need a few to top a pizza, plan to use the rest in a soup, stew etc). Definitely don't go shopping hungry either, as research shows we make unhealthy food choices when we're hungry (2).
2. Use a Sharpie. We all know how easy it is to forget when we opened something: that tube of tomato concentrate says use within two weeks of opening but can't remember if it was opened two days or two months ago?! Keep a Sharpie handy in the kitchen and write the date on that jar / tube / carton when you open it as a handy reminder. You can also tape sticky notes to your frozen portions so you know when you made them, and more importantly identify what on earth they are!
3. Optimise your fridge. Make sure your fridge is functioning properly, with tight seals, a temperature between 1-5℃, and organised in a way that keeps your fruits and vegetables separate. This is because some fruits produce ethylene, a gas which speeds up ripening and can cause other veggies to spoil faster (3).
4. Watch those dates. Remember, not all expiry dates on food are related to food safety – 'best before' dates are simply the manufacturers' suggestions for peak quality, and foods are still safe to eat beyond this date (as long as they look, smell, and taste ok). 'Use by' dates however are the ones we need to watch, as food can be unsafe beyond this date.
5. Use the whole of the vegetables. There are tonnes of examples of how we can get more out of our fruit and vegetables:
Many foods you usually peel can be cooked with the skin on – potatoes, carrots, parsnips etc all contain nutrients in the skins that would otherwise be thrown in the bin. Just give them a quick wash first.
The stalks of many veggies (like broccoli and cauliflower) are perfectly edible too, and are sometimes even the tastiest bits!
The leaves of some vegetables (like carrots and beetroot) can be delicious and really healthy too – eaten raw or wilted like you would with spinach.
For any scraps you don't end up using, make a quick veggie stock by boiling a few handfuls of veggie peelings / scraps with an onion, some water, and some herbs for about 60-90 minutes, strain, and freeze for a rainy day.
6. Take advantage of your freezer. There are also countless ways we can make better use of our freezers, and here are my favourites:
Notice that you're regularly throwing away half of your loaf of bread? Chuck half of it in your freezer when you buy it, and take it out once you finish the first half!
Have some bananas that you don't think you'll get through in time? Peel, chop, and freeze them and you're a few steps away from having homemade 'nice-cream' later in the week.
Leftover grapes / blueberries can be frozen to make the perfect way to cool your wine without diluting it (plus you get a fruity treat when you finish the glass).
If you open a bottle of wine but don't end up finishing it, tip the leftovers into an ice tray ready to pop into your next recipe that calls for wine, like this beetroot risotto.
Let me know of any other freezer tricks you might have so we can share our collective wisdom!
7. Rotate your food. When you unpack your shopping, put the new food at the back of the shelf / fridge, and bring any older foods forward – this is standard practise in commercial kitchens as it helps remind you what you have that needs eating, and avoid foods rotting in the back of your fridge!
8. Leftovers for lunch. Sometimes these can be the best meals! If you've made a little too much of something or went over-board on that takeaway, store any leftovers for lunch or dinner then next day. Even if you think there's not enough to save, just a couple of spoons of leftovers can be padded out with some toast to make a frugal but wonderful meal.
9. 'Use-it-up' meals. Once a week, try to make a meal using random bits of food you have lying around, including fresh produce and / or store cupboard staples that are nearing the end of their shelf-life. It's a great way to use up food that might otherwise have been thrown away, and you never know – you might come up with a brilliant new creation or food combo!
10. Compost / donate. Lastly, if you can't avoid throwing away food, try your hand at composting – your garden will love you for it! It produces some really nutrient-rich soil and it also means your bin doesn't get as smelly with old food. If you have any jars or tins of food nearing the end of their shelf-life that you don't think you'll use in time, donate them to your local foodbank and help someone who can't afford to buy food.
1. Food and Agriculture Organizations of United Nations. (2017). SAVE FOOD: Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. Accessed on 13/04/2017 from: http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/
2. Tal, A., & Wansink, B. (2013). FaWening fas4ng: Hungry grocery shoppers buy more calories, not more food. JAMA Internal Medicine, 173(12), 1146-1148.
3. ACS Chemistry For Life (2013). Keeping Fruit Vegetables, and Cut Flowers Fresh Longer. Accessed on 06/10/2017 from: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2013/acs-presspac-june-26-2013/keeping-fruit-vegetables-and-cut-flowers-fresh-longer.html


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In my career, I have been privileged to work in some of the world's greatest universities – Imperial, UCL, Harvard – on some of the world's most interesting problems.
Most recently, we used quantum systems to sense individual electrons, a billion times smaller than had been possible before, helping to transform what humans can understand and effect with technology.
I returned from Harvard to the UK because I wanted to build a company that provides value to the world. The UK is the perfect place for this, and with our heritage in science and technology, outstanding higher education establishments and language advantage, we have the potential to be the most innovative country in the world. We all know what the next technological revolution is – the ability of artificial intelligence to harness the ever-larger stock and flow of data, and to create insights, change, and efficiency from them. Britain needs to be at its forefront.
But that will only be possible if we have the best people.
Read more: Stephen Hawking: Artificial intelligence research crucial to the human race
Most startups in the London tech community face a recruitment problem. People, not money, are the real constraint. At ASI, we work with top quantitative PhDs and postdocs who want to leave academia to become expert data scientists and data engineers. Three times a year we place new "fellows" with companies, and train them to be data scientists by putting them to work on real problems. Since 2014 we have worked with dozens of companies, from seed-stage startups to the biggest organisation in the UK. The majority end up recruiting the fellows permanently.
Why does the fellowship work? In large part because of the talent pool. If we were recruiting from the top 30 per cent instead of the top 10 per cent of PhDs, the results would be less startling.
Unfortunately, we are missing out on as much talent as we are recruiting. Fifty per cent of our fellows are non-British, but almost all come from Europe. Why? Because visa requirements and restrictions make it far harder to run our fellowship for non-EU graduates. We turn down incredible people from Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Tsinghua every year because of visa constraints.
Read more: Business groups slam proposed £1,000 employer tax
In five years' time, if British visa requirements for EU citizens map those for outside the EU – even for skilled workers – I am not sure we could run our programme at all. This really matters, because the people we recruit have options. They are talented and in demand. They could go to any university in the world, and get a job in almost any country. They will choose to work where they are most welcome, and where the hassle is low. Britain should be their top choice.
We have been small-minded and parochial for too long. By being so biased towards the 700m Europeans in our visa policy, we missed out on the other 6.5bn people; 90 per cent of the world's talent.
So what should the government do? First, it should aim to reduce friction: a small company like us should be able to complete a visa application in half an hour and wait a few days for an answer. Instead it takes a few days worth of work with several months of waiting.
Read more: Brexit is a chance to build a points-based visa system that actually works
Second, it should understand that rhetoric matters. I would like to see the government speaking to those in our universities, and in the top universities around the world, and telling them that Britain wants them. They should repeat this message every single time they talk about reducing net migration.
Third, we should have an explicit policy that quantitative graduates from across the world will be able to enter and stay in the UK. It is the greatest skill shortage we have, and these are the people we most need to compete with the rest of the world.
Right now, demand for our fellowship remains high. Only one in 10 of those who apply will get on the programme. But in a decade? I'm not so sure. Other countries will realise that our loss is their gain – their universities will seek out the smartest students, and their visa policies will make it easy for them to stay and work in the country.
What is most frustrating about our current policy is that it isn't even popular. It is clear that the public want to reduce low skill immigration. But it is also clear that they would like more great scientists and entrepreneurs.
We can give them what they want, and also make it easier for the economy to grow and for Britain to be the world leader of the twenty-first century. This is obvious to both Remainers and Leavers in this country, and the government needs to catch up.


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How I Got Rid of My Acne
I spent most of my teenage years with only a pimple or two. I complained about the redness and stared really hard in the mirror, willing the teensy spot to 'go away-uhhhh.' During my freshman year of college, my face 'freaked out' (official term) and I began the war against my skin.
Skin - 13948789234
Quinn - 0
Finally, one day, the breakouts stopped (knocking on all of the woods). How? Let me show you the ways:
In kindergarten, I always rejected the recess-time juice. To this day, when people pop open a soda I'm a teeny bit grossed out. It took me several years and hundreds of 4:30 am wakeup calls to even tolerate coffee. Basically, I have always hated every beverage that isn't my baby, water.
Because I'm team water, I've always assumed that I drink enough of it. And for a period of time, I probably did. My semi self-imposed sleep deprivation, had (has...) me reaching for coffee. An aggressive amount of coffee. While I felt like I had been filling up on water daily, I was negating it with caffeine. And I hadn't even noticed.
What I did notice was that my skin looking less than fabulous and my digestive system all out of whack. I blamed the big changes in my life - I had started new routines and ended old ones. I drastically switched up my workout schedule, but was still feeling 'blech.' I reduced my processed sugar intake. I felt a little better, but something was still up.
Then, I started drinking water. An aggressive amount of water. People ask me how much I drink per day and the answer is I dunno. I drink around 128 oz if I'm at work, but who knows how much when I'm home. According to Google, 8 glasses a day is fine.
I assumed oils and lotions would clog my pores, just creating more heinously sized breakouts. Wrong. Instead my skin was dry, dull and I was still breaking out. Why?
My skin was in survival mode. Because I was depriving it of moisture, it was overproducing oils, leading to the ever-cute mountain range on my face. I started slathering my face with coconut oil every night before bed (sorry for the gross image) and my skin almost automatically started to improve. I switched to Cetaphil moisturizer because I was tired of oil on my pillowcase and this works just as well.
The missing piece in my skin saga was magical toner. I am not exaggerating and yes, you had better hold the phone. Ladies, toner. Every night after I wash my face, I apply toner to get the rest of my makeup off/remove sweat from a workout/make sure I don't smell like chlorine post-pool time. When I forget my toner, I know. I will inevitably wake up the next morning with a little redness and/or a pretty pimple.
Anyone who has ever suffered with skin issues knows how hard it can be. There's no amount of makeup that can hide how self-conscious you feel when you wake up with yet another blemish/red spot(s)/heinous patch. Ladies, let's share some skin secrets xx


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In this feature to commemorate the First World War, we will bring you the news as it happened in 1918, as reported by the Morpeth Herald. All material is published with kind permission of the Mackay family. We thank them for their support and generosity in allowing us access to their archive.
Lieut. A.E.V. Brumell, Northumberland Hussars, has been awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in charge of four Hotchkiss gun teams.
When the enemy attacked he displayed the greatest courage and skill in placing and handling the guns, and besides causing great delay to the enemy, inflicted on them very severe casualties. He fought the whole day, and was wounded in the evening whilst collecting stragglers.
Lieut. S. Renwick, Scots Guards, youngest son of Mr George Renwick, of Springhill, Morpeth, has been awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.
When the brigade took up a fresh line, this officer was sent out with two sections on outpost duty. At dawn, seeing the enemy advancing in large numbers, forced them to deploy about 700 yards distance by well-directed fire.
They then advanced to within 200 yards, when they were stopped after suffering heavy casualties. He was then ordered to withdraw to the main line, which he did most skilfully.
The following message from the Prime Minister was read on Monday night in the different Picture Halls in the district and was enthusiastically received:—
The message, which I sent to the people of the British Empire on the fourth anniversary of their entry into the war, is "HOLD FAST."
We are in this war for no selfish ends. We are in it to recover freedom for the nations which have been brutally attacked and despoiled, and to prove that no people, however powerful, can surrender itself to the lawless ambitions of militarism without meeting retribution, swift, certain and disastrous, at the hands of the free nations of the world.
To stop short of victory for this cause would be to compromise the future of mankind.
I say "Hold Fast", because our prospects of victory have never been so bright as they are today.
Six months ago the rulers of Germany deliberately rejected the just and reasonable settlement proposed by the Allies. Throwing aside the last mask of moderation, they partitioned Russia, enslaved Rumania, and attempted to seize supreme power by overwhelming the Allies in a final and desperate attack.
Thanks to the invincible bravery of all the Allied armies, it is now evident to all that this dream of universal conquest for the sake of which they wantonly prolonged the war can never be fulfilled.
But the battle is not yet won. The great autocracy of Prussia will still endeavour by violence or guile to avoid defeat, and so give militarism a new lease of life.
We cannot seek to escape the horrors of war for ourselves by laying them up for our children. Having set our hands to the task, we must see it through till a just and lasting settlement is achieved. In no other way can we ensure a world set free from war.
"Hold fast!"
The fourth anniversary of the war was celebrated at Morpeth last Sunday afternoon by the holding of a meeting for united prayer and intercession and as a day of remembrance in the Playhouse. The service, which was largely attended by the townspeople, was conducted by the Mayor (Councillor Jas. Elliott), who was supported by the ministers of the town.
The speeches were interspersed with suitable hymns, led by a choir composed of the different church choirs in the town, and an orchestral band organised by Mr J. Jobson.
The Mayor said: "Four years today I was awakened by the bells in the Old Tower ringing at half-past six in the morning in the Market Place. I found our Mayor, Councillor Sanderson, consulting with Colonel Collis, and I was asked to get my motor out and convey men to Cresswell to dig trenches.
"I landed my first batch on men on the links of the village about nine o'clock, and on my way back I passed motors loaded with men and picks, spades and shovels, and then more motors and men and more men until I reached Morpeth.
"Then I began to wonder what the men would do for something to eat after working in the hot sun. In the hurry very few had provided themselves with any eatables.
"I ventured to make a speech from the top of my motor, and asked our women of Morpeth to give me some bread and cheese, tea and coffee to feed the men, and before 11 o'clock I had a load of everything in the way of eatables you could mention. By one o'clock everyone had a good feed. Everyone was satisfied and returned home tired but proud of their work that day.
"From that day until now Morpeth has acted up to all the traditions of its ancient and glorious past. Our men have volunteered, and like heroes have bled and many have fallen. Our women have worked like never before to assist all causes and to keep the home fires burning until the boys come home.
"Now let me ask you to make the most of our meeting. Let us get into the spirit of it, and let us feel that we are here in the Divine presence as surely as if we were in a cathedral. Let us sing the hymns from our hearts as we realise the depth of their meaning to us. The closer we get into touch the greater blessing we shall carry away."
After the singing of a hymn and prayer by Dr Drysdale, the Mayor went on: "Today is the fourth anniversary of the day when the call went forth to England's sons and daughters as never before in the history of our nation and Empire. The call to awaken ourselves.
"We had had such a long time of peace that we were wrapped up in a stupor of complacency and sense of security that we had almost become blind to our national birthright with all its privileges, ideals and interests. To say nothing of the neglected duty of three-fourths of our people to the sacred and divine obligations to our God.
"By that neglect we had countenanced a nation utterly gotten in selfishness and self-righteousness; utterly devoid of God or His Spirit's teachings, a nation fed with militarism just as a mother feeds her child with milk, until they looked upon and said to themselves that 'Might is right', and believing in this, with a trivial excuse, they plunged the whole of Europe in war.
"Thank God that England's leaders stood the test of our integrity to our covenants and accepted the challenge. Thank God that our nation, aye, our Empire, backed them up and said 'Right is might.'
"Just as surely as our 'contemptible little army', stretched out until it was practically only one man deep on the plains of the Flanders and France to link up with the French army, stood the shock and arrested the advance of the German hosts in full strength. Just as surely as we are fighting a just and righteous cause to emancipate the whole world from the dominating power and thraldom of militarism and the lust of world power.
"It is our purpose to place our heart's desires before God this afternoon," continued the Mayor.
"Let us approach God both here and at home, and with faith pray for our King and Empire. Pray for our soldiers who fight for us on all the fields of battle that they may be sustained in the long and weary strain by our faith in them and by their own faith in God so hold fast until the tide of battle turns to victory.
"Pray for our sailors, the men who keep watch and guard the seas. May they realise that the eye of God never sleeps or slumbers. Pray for the men who fight in the air, and for them to go down into the deeps, that on their greater risks they may have the greater sense of God's protecting care.
"Pray for our prisoners of war, that all causes which embitter their lot may be removed. Pray for the sick and wounded, for the doctors and nurses who attend to them.
"Pray earnestly for the dying and dead. Pray earnestly that to their closing eyes that light will appear which brightens, which guides, that welcomes them home to heaven and to past."
The Rev. D. Jones said that they were living in an atmosphere of war, but he wanted to bring them into an atmosphere of both war and prayer.
The men who were fighting for us were often discouraged not by the enemy, because they had hearts too big for that, but by things that happened at home. If they had their troubles and anxieties they must cover them, if they had grounds for discontent they must hide them so that when the men came home on leave they must find nothing but encouraging looks and cheerful and sustaining and loving support in every way.
There were people who were trying to find short cuts to peace, but they would not only be the longest way round, but would be the betrayal of those who had fought and suffered. Britain must be strong to do only that which was right and true — to stand by its friends to the last, and to be loyal to the utmost to its Allies.
They should never be able to excuse themselves if they made such a peace as to sacrifice Belgium or leave Serbia to be overthrown and trodden under foot for ever. He was sure they would never do such a foul act.
The Rev. J.C. Sutcliffe said that the hymn "Holy Father in Thy mercy" that they had just sung was one which was sung almost every Sunday evening by the boys out in France. It reminded them that all were gathered together not only as citizens of the town, but as citizens of the Empire. Their prayers and thoughts were mingling with the prayers and thoughts in other parts of this land.
One was reminded of the awful price by which their own security and peace were being secured. It had been his privilege to be with the Army in advance, but it had also been his privilege — nay, not privilege — to be with the Army in retreat. It was then he witnessed those scenes of men and women, boys and girls, flying for their lives before the invader.
When he looked out upon their own nation in peace and comparative security, he asked the question: "Is England worthy of all the self-sacrifices that are being offered on their behalf?" Did they fully realise today what it meant in broken bodies and in shattered homes? Let them remember that the peace and security which they now enjoyed was being bought in blood and tears.
When he remembered those self-sacrifices which were being made in Flanders and France and saw the drunkenness that was still all too prevalent amongst them, when he remembered the light-hearted way in which men would adopt the down-tools policy and called to mind the spirit of greed and grab that was all too prevalent in their commercial life, and compared all those things with the sacrifices of England's greatest and best, he asked himself "Are we worthy of them?"
That was a question each one must ask for himself, and answer in the presence of God. He was not pleading that they should go about with long faces. The call to them was that they should carry sunshine into the homes. The boys out yonder did not go about with long faces: they cheered one another.
They should plead for a deeper note of sincerity in their religious life. No nation had any right to claim a blessing of God upon its efforts unless they did that. It was no use a man praying for God's blessing when he himself was doing what he could to raise prices of foodstuffs. It was a standing disgrace the prices that people had to pay in this country today.
God was a God of righteousness, and He not only stood by the sailor and soldier who give his all, but stood by the widows and the orphans, and those who by their iniquitous dealings made it doubly difficult for those people to live in those times must not plead the hypocrite and ask God's blessing to rest upon them.
Let them remember that the blood that was being shed in France still flowed in the veins of some poor mother.
The Mayor said that he would allude to "Remembrance Day," of which that service formed a part. He said: "I would re-echo in part the message yesterday by the President of the United States. 'We are bound alike to those who have fallen and to those who stand steadfast in the battle line and to those yet unborn for whom we hold our heritage in trust'.
"That our resolution shall not even falter until the full accomplishment of the purpose for which this war was undertaken, and to which we have consecrated our effort, our suffering, our endurance. United by the tie of a common purpose and by the bond of a common sacrifice the free nations of the British commonwealth, will and must hold firm to the end.
"Let us recall the big motives which led us to take up arms and to maintain at all costs that liberty and justice should be upheld. We should remember these things and be grateful.
"And now at this service let our hearts go out in deep and sincere sympathy to all who have suffered bereavement through the war. It is out duty to relieve as far as humanly possible the heartbroken fathers and mothers, the widows and the fatherless children, the weeping brothers and sisters of our fallen men.
"There are many vacant places in Morpeth and an aching void in many hearts which only God can comfort and relieve. In honour to our fallen heroes let us pass our tribute of sympathy in silence standing for a moment."
The audience then stood in silence while the "Last Post" was sounded by two buglers.
After prayer by Ald Norman the proceedings concluded with the National Anthem by the orchestra.
The Mayor announced that the collection had amounted to £11 1s 3d, which would be forwarded to the Northumberland Prisoners of War Fund.
A stand was erected at the entrance to the hall on which the public were invited to place flowers as a tribute of their respect and sympathy to any of their lost loved ones. After the service the flowers were taken to the churchyard.
Mr William Noble, of Belmont House, Morpeth, who has kindly offered to provide additional seats for the use of wounded soldiers and the public generally in the borough, has received the following appreciative letter from His Worship the Mayor (Councillor Jas. Elliott):—
"I received with great pleasure your kind letter and generous offer to provide additional seats for the use of wounded soldiers, visitors and public generally of our ancient borough. I can assure you that your former gift of seats was greatly appreciated and used by all who visit the Park.
"I gladly accept and thank you for the offer, and I have instructed Mr J. Davison the surveyor, to see you and have arrangements made for having the seats placed where they will best serve the purpose. Again, I thank you on behalf of the Town Council and the people of Morpeth."
A detachment of the Morpeth Volunteers, under Second-Lieut C. Grey, attended the camp held at Berwick last weekend.
Will he held on Thursday, August 29th, in Springhill Grounds (Kindly lent by Mr and Mrs George Renwick).
Particulars in next week's "Herald" and Posters.
Those having gardens and allotments with vegetables and fruit to spare or cannot use should send them to Mrs Spencer, who attends the Town Hall, Morpeth, every Wednesday from 9 to 12 o'clock, to collect fresh vegetables and fruit for the sailors in the Navy in the North Sea.
Let no garden produce waste, as Mrs Spencer can find a good use for everything.
Councillor R.L. Fearby presided at a meeting at the George and Dragon Hotel, Morpeth, on Saturday evening, and on behalf of the friends and supporters of Captain Newton presented that gentleman, who is leaving for service in Italy, with a souvenir in the shape of a case of pipes.
Captain Newton thanked them cordially for their gift. It was a night of surprises, and he would add one more by the information that he was to be married before leaving this country. (Applause.)
He was well assured that the work they had been doing so well and successfully would be faithfully maintained, and he hoped on his return that they would felicitate each other on the dawn of a peace in conformity with the noble aims for which this nation had engaged in the great war. (Applause.)
The Northumberland War Agricultural Executive Committee has been informed by the Food Production Department that arrangements have been made to provide additional soldier labour for harvest work.
Farmers who wish to avail themselves of this labour should apply at once to the Chief Executive Officer, Northumberland War Agricultural Committee, 9 Eldon Square, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
A number of Band boys from the Army have also been made available for farm work, and may be of considerable assistance as unskilled labourers
Sir,— On behalf of the Horticultural Sub-Committee for the county of Northumberland, I am venturing to invoke your assistance in calling the attention of your readers to the comparative failure of the cultivated fruit crops this year, and to urge on all who can help, (1) the absolute necessity of saving all fruit possible for jam making and preserving, and (2) the necessity also of collecting blackberries and other wild fruit with the same object.
To enable this to be carried out, I would ask all landowners and occupiers of land to co-operate by allowing blackberries and other wild fruits to be picked by duly authorised pickers, such as members of the Guild of War Agricultural Helpers, Boy Scouts, and school children under proper control.
Chairman of the Horticultural Sub-Committee for the County of Northumberland.
Cragside, Rothbury, August 5th, 1918.
Private Frank Davidson, East View Avenue, Cramlington Village, has been killed in action.
Mr Wm. Rutherford, The Crescent, Ewesley, Morpeth, has been notified by the War Office that his second son, Private Jack R. Rutherford, Lewis gunner, West Yorks Regiment, was wounded on July 19th, and is lying in hospital in France.
The Commandant of the above hospital wishes to thank Mrs Drury, Granby Cottage, for so kindly washing 15 counterpanes and blankets, free of charge, for the hospital.
She also wishes to thank those who have sent the following gifts:— Mrs Ralph Crawford, for 48 fresh eggs; Mrs Angus, Climbing Tree, books; Miss Davidson, papers; the ladies of Morpeth War Sewing Party, 12 pairs of socks; Miss Murray, lettuce; Mrs Mackay, brown loaf; Miss A. Waters, cigarettes and eggs; Mrs Bainbridge, lettuce; Mrs Cookson, flowers; Mrs Jos. Simpson, teacake; Miss Whitelock, cushions and glass basins; Miss Pringle, cigarettes; Mrs Joicey, books and flowers; Mrs J.J. Gillespie, vegetables; Mr Pringle, Tritlington, eggs; the girls at Bow Villa for two large pots of jam.


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Occident Wealth Management
Life never stands still. Like a winding road, it evolves, changes direction, and sets up new possibilities. That means your approach to financial security cannot be static either; because as your life changes, so do your needs and goals.
We can help you identify your financial goals today, and create a personalized plan to help you prepare for the future – even if life takes an unexpected turn. Keeping pace with life's changes is important. Let us help you achieve a secure financial future for the people you care about most.
News & Events
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Didier speaking to Florida State University's football team about money management.
Occident Wealth Management in Savannah
Didier and Gina presenting together at Northwestern Mutual's Southern Regional Meeting
Click here to read more about the latest at Occident Wealth Management.
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Summit NJ Roofing and Siding Services
Above and Beyond's roofing and siding contractor services in Summit, New Jersey. We offer the best exterior remodeling services at a reasonable rate.
Roofing and Siding Contractors in Summit NJ
Summit NJ is home to numerous commuters, who take the Hoboken rail to NYC for work. Summit is a town that has gone through several changes, from Native American settlement to a vacation destination for New York's elite, to the thriving diverse township it is today. We are proud to help ensure that your home is in top shape while you are away for the day, taking the worry and guesswork out of your hands, and making sure that your roofing and siding are up to par. No need to worry, we over at Above & Beyond have it down!
Your roof is one of the most vital parts of your home, if not the most vital. Therefore it's imperative that you get it checked regularly! Contact us for an inspection to properly evaluate the state of your roof. Get checked for potential and current leaks, molding, water damage, and needed replacements, as well as executing repairs and replacements as needed. Full roof installations and replacements are offered as well.
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Artist duo: GURL DON'T BE DUMB
(Eileen Mueller and Jamie Steele)
Print Details
5"x7" Archival Inkjet Prints
Printed on Red River Paper's Polar Matte
An edition of 30 created for the exhibition, LIT UP at The Pitch Project in Milwaukee, WI. Oct. 17, 2014 – Jan. 17, 2015
Artists included:
Jessica LaBatte - Tubes and Zots
Adam Pape - Sink Hole
Sara Condo - Just Me N' My Melons
Jessica Dean Camp - Gabriel
Eileen Mueller - Dan (after Lee Miller)
GURL DON'T BE DUMB - Claire
Evan Jenkins - Untitled
Nick Foster - Not Titled
Alistair Matthews - Untitled (Lintroller)
Cole Don Kelley - Untitled
Jamie Steele - Sammy
Casey McGonagle - Digital Blanket
Kelly Kristin Jones, Brenna
GURL DON'T BE DUMB was founded by Eileen Mueller and Jamie Steele in 2011 as a curatorial project. Trafficking in artists that reclaim the rejected with irreverence and total genius their aim was to build playful exhibitions in an effort to free the works from the academy and facilitate empowered viewership. They have mounted shows at MDW Fair, Iceberg Projects, Vessel & Page, and Heaven Gallery. After completing a residency at ACRE the two have turned their attention to making collaborative works and taking their curatorial research and applying it to works that further explore the materiality of GURLNESS.


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Corbeau Sportline RRX - Seat
Corbeau Sportline RRX - Seat
Perfect for street, track and off-road experiences.
Chosen for its style, technology and comfort.
Aggressive lateral bolster support helps eliminate body shifting and decreases body fatigue.
Corbeau uses state-of-the art injection molded foam which holds its shape for years.
3 & 4 pt. harness capable but design does accommodate a 5th (anti-submarine) slot ,
Generally fits up to a 38" waist.
The slim 2.5" seat base is ideal for minimal headroom requirements and for drivers who may need to wear a helmet.
Black cloth/Black Carbon style inserts:
Add seat heater $148 (each)
Add seat saver (cover) $49
Lumbar support not available
NOTE all modifications classes the seat as a custom seat and as such cannot be returned.


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Fck Yes
F*ck Yes is a modern sex ed series focused on improving communication (and sex) between consenting adults.
Season TWO
Threesome by Jessica King & Julie Keck - Starring Daniel Kyri & Carlton McBeth
Bucket List by Jessica King & Julie Keck - Starring Guinevere Turner & Kaitlin Webster
You can watch the rest of Season Two on Seed&Spark.
Season One
Protection by Emily Best
Pie by Lauren Schacher
Fingers by Julie Keck & Jessica King
She Posted That? by Elisabeth Aultman


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Manos Unidas
At Balcones de Majagual we are always looking to find ways to participate and assist our surrounding community.
One of our absolute favourite groups is Manos Unidas which is a cooperative assisting people with various disabilities to provide themselves with independence, friendship and an improved quality of life by the selling of good created solely by them. Founded by Brooke Rundle & Bastin Vrancken Manos Unidas means "hands together" which this certainly is wonderful example of.
On your check in to Balcones you will be handed one of their stylish bags woven out of discarded rice bags to store your items during your stay. You can learn more about the bags by clicking the link below and if you would like one of these bags for your own use (we imagine you will) of let us know and we can easily arrange this for you for a small cost.


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It's Jesse's birthday today. I'm the breakfast lady at his school on Tuesdays so he brought the "You are Special" red plate with him to school so he could eat his breakfast on it. He's twelve. He's a dreamer and I love him.
My mom and dad said goodbye and made their way to Boston yesterday. After a week and half of warm weather and high temps here in Nebraska, the rains came on Sunday night and we hugged our goodbyes in the rain with jackets on. We had a great visit. It made me want to smile. It made me want to cry an ask myself why, again, do we live so far away from each other? Things don't stay the same. We are never promised a tomorrow and yet that isn't enough to make me want to drop everything and hold my mom's hand and walk in silence while we still can. You probably have a running list in your mind of all the people who need you and all the places you should be. If you're like me, you're only accomplishing a fraction of those duties at any given moment. And so I pray Come, Lord Jesus and forgive me.
And on top of that there's this record that comes out on October 6th. And what if you love the music like you love another human being? What if the music feels like oxygen or beating heart? Does that sound too dramatic? Maybe it is, but in a world where I'm great at getting it wrong sometimes I feel like music might be the only place I'll ever get it right. So this record getting sent out into the world feels awesome and terribly frightening at the same time. Awesome that I get to make something that might connect with another human being. Terrifying in that it took me ten years to get here and the thought that maybe it's just not good enough yet makes me want to break into a million tiny teary pieces.
But I'm pretty good at pulling myself together when I need to. I just need a minute in the bathroom to splash water on my face, take a few deep breaths and get on out there with a smile. Sometimes you do it when your love doesn't seem to be able to fix the mess that is human relationships. Sometimes you do it when 'honorable mention' is what your work earns you. Be thankful. Make the most of it. Be sad, then pull yourself together and be thankful.
And pack for Texas and pray for clarity and check stuff off your list while listening to a super sweet mix of 80s hits including "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears.


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Mike Huckabee supports Duggar family: "Good people make mistakes"
Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came out in support of the Duggar family, stars of reality television show "19 Kids and Counting," after Josh Duggar admitted to child molestation charges.
"Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family," Huckabee wrote Friday in a Facebook post. "Josh's actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, 'inexcusable,' but that doesn't mean 'unforgivable.'"
"No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story," Huckabee continued. "Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things."
The eldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's 19 children, Josh Duggar said Thursday that allegations that he had molested several underage girls when he was a teenager were true, and in a Facebook post he wrote that he had "acted inexcusably" and was "extremely sorry." The Facebook response from the Duggar family came after In Touch magazine published a 2006 police report that claimed Josh Duggar had sexually molested five girls as far back as 2002.
The Duggar family recent gave their endorsement to Huckabee, posting on Facebook that "America needs Governor Huckabee for president!"
The 2016 candidate has also prominently depicted the Duggars' endorsement on his campaign website:
Huckabee added that he and his wife "love Jim Bob and Michelle and their entire family," and criticized the "blood-thirsty media" for publicizing the scandal.
"The reason that the law protects disclosure of many actions on the part of a minor is that the society has traditionally understood something that today's blood-thirsty media does not understand--that being a minor means that one's judgement is not mature," Huckabee wrote. "No one needs to defend Josh's actions as a teenager, but the fact that he confessed his sins to those he harmed, sought help, and has gone forward to live a responsible and circumspect life as an adult is testament to his family's authenticity and humility."
"Today, Janet and I want to show up and stand up for our friends," the former Arkansas governor reiterated. "Let others run from them. We will run to them with our support."
Duggar, now 27 and married with three children of his own, recently resigned from his job with the Family Research Council after the molestation charges came to light.


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The new Perlick 24" Signature Series Adara Beer Dispenser adds an element of luxury to draught beer at home. Available in 1- and 2-faucet models, the Adara Tower features a chrome body with matching tap handles, and the award-winning Flow Control Beer Faucet(s). It's the perfect blend of form and function, backed by nearly 100 years of beer dispensing technology.
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This Curriki resource will walk you through the design process steps for creating your own WebQuest.
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Let me be the 1st to tell the world, If you have been missing that old Future like Astronaut Kid, Dirty Sprite, & 1000 you will absolutely love this #Monstertape . Future Hendrix exercises his skills immediately on this super solid song & tribute "Hardly" Produced By Metro Boomin (R.I.P OGDouble) Check out the video below
If you have never received a gift on Halloween, allow me to be the 1st person to give you a lyrical #Monster sure to get your mind right!
[Submitted By Miss Atown] @MissAtown2u


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Watching them board the bus I was riding, my eyes filled with tears seeing the broken bodies struggling to climb the few short steps up from the street. Every single person struggling to make that climb was disabled to one degree or another. Some were blind, some were deaf, some suffered from mental illness that left them rambling to themselves unaware of the world around them. Many had to be lifted in their wheelchairs, via a special contraption at the back of the bus designed for exactly this purpose. Some were deaf and spoke with exaggerated enunciation in voices too loud for "normal" societal norms.
I had fallen a few weeks earlier and broken my foot, leading me to ride the handicapped bus service so that I could get to work. I had no idea what I was getting into. I had always enjoyed complete ease of motion and took it for granted that everyone did. Of course, in the back of my mind, I knew there were handicapped people out there. But, I had never been confronted with the stark reality of their existence so clearly as I was today, riding this bus for the first time.
I strained to watch as each broken body passed in front of my eyes. I did not want to see what I was seeing. The reality of pain, suffering and broken, often abandoned, human beings was shooting through me from every direction. These are people who we don't often see "messing up" our perfect world. Some how, I had managed to live well into adulthood without seeing them hardly at all. Now, I couldn't help but see what God had placed right before my eyes on this beautiful, late summer day.
I couldn't take it anymore, I told myself. My eyes were filling with tears watching this scene unfold.
Sitting on the inside seat, close to a window, I decided to refocus my vision outside the bus - away from this heartbreak. And then it happened. Shifting my attention to the beautiful farm land that surrounded us on our journey that day, I watched as field after field of ripened corn passed before me. It was harvest time in the bountiful fields of the Midwest. Suddenly, without warning, I heard the words of the scripture, so well known to me, echo in my ears: "The fields are ripe unto harvest, but the laborers are few..." Luke 10:2
Right there, on that bus, in the company of these broken and wounded children of God, I began to weep before my God. I knew He was calling me to serve these that were dear to Him, but far from my heart. I knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt.
I wish I could say I answered His call immediately. I did not. I spent a lot of time arguing with Him. Surely, He had the wrong girl. Surely, He understood that I just couldn't do this. Surely, surely, surely...
It took me over four years to come to obey this call from the God I love. Amazing... I have learned that He is able to deal with all my protests, all my resistance, all my stubborn running the other way. Like Jonah, I learned that He is able to put me where He wants me, until I am ready to obey.
Today, as I bow my knee to Him, I know what it is to be "in the belly of the whale" until I am ready to go where He sends me. I have learned that He is God and I am not. I only wish I had learned it sooner...
I love that the Lord promises to sing over me with rejoicing and to quiet me with His love. Especially when life is upside down, I need to hear Him singing over me...
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The Witness of Suffering...
"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." - Psalm 18:6, 16------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In pursuit of happiness, my American birthright, just like liberty, I've worked hard to get where I am today. And it has paid off with great dividends. I have more than enough money to buy what I want to buy, to eat what I want to eat, to shop where I want to shop and to purchase the "keys to the kingdom" if I so desire. Well, maybe not the kingdom of heaven, but, then again, where is heaven? I say, the only heaven we'll ever have is the one we make for ourselves, right here on earth. A heaven with a god and angels on clouds is a concoction of the losers who can't make it here, if you know what I mean.
I hear about this "god" thing – I mean, I go to church and everything. It's good to cover all my bases. I really just don't need a god too much as far as I can see. But, I do like to keep Him on the back shelf, somewhere, just in case... But, really, when was the last time I needed Him?
I choose my friends carefully and they are just like me - self-reliant and highly successful. Honestly, we've talked about it and we all agree – this god thing is for the ones who can't take care of themselves – they're just too weak or lazy or who knows what. I can't imagine how they got where they are. Didn't anybody ever teach them how to be successful?
Speaking of friends, I got a scary call from one of my best buddies yesterday. He's been my mentor for as long as I can remember. Nobody made more money or rose to the top faster than he did. I watched him pass all the weaker types behind as he climbed the ladder of success, sometimes climbing on the bodies of those who whined and cried for his help along the way. He let nothing get in his way. Whatever it took to succeed he did it, even if he did blur the lines of integrity now and then. You do what you have to do, he always told me. He taught me so well!
Well, anyway, he called me yesterday, with the strangest request. He asked me to come to the hospital to visit him. Seems he woke up with a pounding headache a few weeks ago and after routine tests for what he thought was migraines, he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. They give him about three weeks to live. Three weeks. I couldn't believe my ears. This can't be happening to my friend. He is so strong, so healthy, so successful…
I did go to visit him, this morning. He lay there, barely recognizable with his head and face and body so swollen, I wasn't sure who I was looking at. When he spoke to me, his words were barely audible and his speech was slurred. He had asked me to come to visit him but when I got there, he wasn't sure who I was. The color had completely drained from his face and body which had become a mere extension of the many tubes that assaulted his body from every direction. His wife, dressed in the beautiful clothes she was accustomed to wearing, was red eyed and weeping uncontrollably by his bed. I asked her if she was sure she had the best doctors – after all, this is the 21st century and surely, there was a medical solution for those with the kind of money my friend has. She looked at me with pity through eyes that had suddenly discovered a truth I had yet to encounter. "Nothing can save him now," she said. "Nothing but God." "We need Him," she said with desperation in her voice and tears streaming down her face. "We need Him," she cried. "We need Him. We need Him. We need Him..."
I can still hear her words echoing in my head right now. My friend is dying. All of his money can't save him. He needs God. Watching the suffering of my friend was like a lightning bolt searing through my soul. For the first time in my life, I saw my need for God. He has broken me with the beauty of the suffering of my friend. Yes, I call it beauty. Because it was his suffering that brought him to recognize his need for his Savior. And, as I looked suffering straight in the eye, in the face of my friend, I saw my own need. It wasn't through health, or wealth, or the trappings of success that I came to know Him. It was through the gift of suffering that broke me and showed me my need.
Thank you, Jesus, for the witness of suffering to a rich and self-centered generation. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of suffering that teaches me there is no substitute for You…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Of Snakes and Silken Linings...
Ashen colored, alone on side of the road, she had been left for dead.
Everyone coming down the road glanced her way and then made a bee line in the opposite direction. Wasn't she the one that had been at the party last night, dancing as if she didn't have a care in the world? Yes, that was her. She was always laughing, telling jokes, the life of the party.
When I thought about it though, nobody really knew her. She was the one that everyone envied, but no one knew. She always dressed right, showed up in the right places, and said the right things. But, in the end, she was a mystery. None of us knew her. We all just pretended we did. And she pretended the best of all…
But, now, here she was lying on the side of the road, about to meet her Maker. Or was she…
I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't much care. She had seemed to have what all of us wanted – the perfect life. She had money, she had looks. Plenty of lovers who met her every need. Well, at least they bought her things – she didn't want for anything. Or did she?
The strangest thing happened as I watched from a distance. Some guy walked right up to her and got down on the ground and started to work on her. It so startled me, I went over and asked him what he was doing? He said she had been bitten by a snake that had been hiding in her bag.
She had been carrying around this murderous, venomous monster on her arm for quite some time. Apparently, it had nested in there, deep in the lining of her beautiful silk purse, probably as a baby, small and innocuous. But, it had grown and even given birth to other little killers, all while hiding in her beautiful, expensive bag. She never noticed it until that day when she reached in her bag, absentmindedly groping around for something she had lost, when the deadly thing had pounced on her and grabbed onto her hand until she couldn't shake it free. Without notice, all of the lights in her life when out. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't even call for help. All of the little baby killers gathered around her and feasted on the delicacy of her flesh. They were the ones who were having the party now. They had been so patient – so cunning. They had stayed in the dark and hidden themselves completely in the beautiful things she chose to cover herself with. It was questionable who was hiding more – the snakes or the lady with the silken purse.
But, none of this seemed to matter to the guy who stopped to help her. He was leaning over her, with his mouth to her flesh, sucking out the poison that threatened to take her life. I couldn't believe it. He was risking his own life to save hers. I thought he must be crazy, himself. I asked Him why he was doing it – what did she mean to him?
He looked at me with eyes that pierced right through me. He told me she belonged to Him. She was His. He said He had invested everything He had to rescue her from certain death. I watched Him suck the poison of a lifetime out of her. I watched Him love her right back to life.
I couldn't understand what I had seen. She was so completely helpless in the grip of the enemy she had nurtured so close to her heart. But, here, right in front of my eyes, she was given new life by this guy who said He had never, ever forgotten that she belonged to Him. Seems she had known Him well along time ago, when she was just a little girl. She got so lost, He said, along the way. But, He had never forgotten her. He called her by name. And when He did, she turned and smiled a smile I had never seen on her face before. She knew she was looking in the face of Love, unspeakable and full of mercy. She was captured by the face of her Savior...
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Live Deeply...
"And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ ..."
1 John 2:28-29 (The Message)
I just discovered this wonderful rendering of The Word of God, from The Message.
When I read this, it captured my heart. I so want to do this and so often fail. It got me thinking - what exactly does it mean to "live deeply in Christ"? I haven't figured all of that out yet, but, I love the call of God to come close to Him, to His Son, to go deep in the waters of His love, not just put a toe in. He wants all of us, not just a little bit. Sometimes, I find that hard to do - I want to keep parts of me back. But, when I do, I always pay the price.
When I run into a razor blade that shreds my life, I run to the One who shelters me, encourages me, keeps me from the destruction that is threatening me from out of nowhere. At times like that, I want to go as deep as I can into the sheltering arms of my Savior. I don't want Him "just a little". I want all of Him. I need all of Him. I ask Him to forgive me for my half-hearted love affair with Him. I thank Him over and over and over again that He is not a fickle, on and off again, lover.
Lord, teach me your ways. Lord stay with me. Keep me deeply in the center of Your will.
1 John 2:28-29 (The Message)
I just discovered this wonderful rendering of The Word of God, from The Message.
When I read this, it captured my heart. I so want to do this and so often fail. It got me thinking - what exactly does it mean to "live deeply in Christ"? I haven't figured all of that out yet, but, I love the call of God to come close to Him, to His Son, to go deep in the waters of His love, not just put a toe in. He wants all of us, not just a little bit. Sometimes, I find that hard to do - I want to keep parts of me back. But, when I do, I always pay the price.
When I run into a razor blade that shreds my life, I run to the One who shelters me, encourages me, keeps me from the destruction that is threatening me from out of nowhere. At times like that, I want to go as deep as I can into the sheltering arms of my Savior. I don't want Him "just a little". I want all of Him. I need all of Him. I ask Him to forgive me for my half-hearted love affair with Him. I thank Him over and over and over again that He is not a fickle, on and off again, lover.
Lord, teach me your ways. Lord stay with me. Keep me deeply in the center of Your will.
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ED&F Man Terminal, King George Dock, Hull.
PTS Have cleaned many of the tanks on this site both for change of product on for maintenance inspection.
The tank used to store the Soya Oil is lagged as it is extremely viscous at cold temperatures. See news article ED&F Man Terminals for full details on the tank clean.
The tank is 22m tall and the full height of the tank was cleaned using the Orbital Tank Spinner using a casutic solution which was re-circulated untill clean then finished with a clean water rinse.
Tank internals after cleaning including heating coils.
To improve access/egress to this hazardous oil tank the fibre glass and galvanised steel lagging (insulation) has been stripped back and the hydro-abrasive cold cutting track has been mounted to the tank wall with magnets.
Completed cold cut access hole. The perimeter has been cut and the track and cutting head removed. The remaining coupon is manuvered outwards using magnets.
Successful cut with no heat generated. Looking through the access hole to the tank internals including the heating coils and the oil ready to be cleaned.
Sludge holding basin extraction using a digger, mechanical method.
Digger decanting the sludge from the holding basin into a hopper which feeds a Molex pump.
Showing the depth and high solid content of the sludge holding basin.
Lagoon sludge extraction showing pump mounted on a floating pontoon. This method reduces the disturbance of the sludge enabling the lagoon to remain on line.
Lagoon sludge extraction the pontoon is moved via hydraulic winches situated on the bank ensuring no-one is needed to be on the water for the process.
System for treating water with minimum oil contamination to return to customer clean.
Baffle tank and reed bed filter with assosiated pump and pipes.
Water with minimum oil contamination to return to customer clean.
Our vans are kitted out with equipment and tools to react to all manner of situations.
Hydro-Abrasive cutting equipment set up ready for cutting a tank floor in to sections.
Tank floor being cut in to coupons using track mounted hydro-abrsasive cutting equipment.
Hydraulic Rotating Sluice Basket enables mixing and blending of the sludge to put into a fluidic state ready for pumping.
Hydraulic Sluice Basket mixing and blending the heavy sludge ready for transfer.
Hydraulicly driven sluice basket being deployed into a large sludge lagoon.
Clean straight cut made from the chain mounted hydro-abrasive cold cutting equipment.
Hydro-Abrasive Cold Cutting of a pipe in process using a chain system to hold in place.


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Armoured: Part 1
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 ESV
There are many scenarios in our lives which can cause us to come up against all kinds of challenging thoughts, emotions and desires. Any level of fear fighting and personal advancement can certainly bring to the service fear, doubt and insecurity. A reality of spiritual warfare in those moments of chaos, negativity, stress and confusion comes into sharp focus.
One area in particular that this reality can be felt is in our relationships. Recently, an incident occurred in a close relationship of mine which left me feeling a bit jaded and struggling to forgive. In the midst of it I heard Father God whisper,
"You are fighting the wrong person."
I thought, "really God….cuz I'm pretty sure I know exactly who I'm fighting and clearly they were in the wrong." As with all wisdom packed whispers the Father gives though, I knew I was missing something. Being entirely focused on what they did left me completely unaware of the bigger attack coming at me.
Ephesians 6 does an excellent job teaching us that the things we come up against within each other on the earth are heavily influenced and do not solely originate from one another. It states the battle is actually "not against flesh and blood" but against spiritual dark forces led by satan who comes only to "kill, steal and destroy" (John 10:10). Now, there is the possibility of talking about this subject to find ourselves in one of two extremes – passively unengaged with the battle or overly obsessed with it. Let's try to steer clear of both though and hopefully land where Father God wants us to.
We cannot overcome an enemy we do not correctly identify.
The devil has been deceiving mankind for a long time and one of his most effective tactics is distraction.
When he comes in and stirs something up, in our relationships for example, he is often able to convince us the problem really is the other person. As soon as it becomes a "flesh and blood" battle, we lose sight of the "big picture" we are actually fighting in. The "big picture" is what our scripture passage is talking about. The attack of the spiritual in our lives is like an incoming airstrike which we are unaware of when we are so focused on fighting each other. The bible implores us many places in scripture to "think higher" and begin to fight on the level that the attack comes from with weapons of God's kingdom such as faith, forgiveness, humility and grace. When we refuse to partner with what the enemy is trying to do, by allowing ourselves to remain in anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, rejection etc., we start to live in the freedom Christ purchased for us. We are all broken vessels in some way and brokenness in one person draws out the brokenness in another.
This verse calls us to see life with a higher perspective and goes on to tell us how to fight and win on the spiritual level.
Jesus has won the battle for us on all levels.
"In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross." Col.2:15 NLT
And as we're going to look at in Part 2 of this series, we can be clothed with the armor He gives us in order to overcome everything that comes at us. A helpful first step to victory is to re-direct our focus from the ground level battle we may find ourselves in, to the truth of Christ's victory and our position in Him. He left this powerful encouragement for us in His word,
"I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
In Him we can choose love and freedom which are the staples of His kingdom, and release them here on the earth to see darkness lose its influence in our lives and the lives of those around us.


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One Week Until OTL is in - drumroll - GIRLS' LIFE MAGAZINE!
Yes, that is correct. This time next week, girls all over the country will be greeting Piper Wesley in their mailboxes. A week after that, and the June issue of Girls' Life Magazine, complete with its special Beach Blanket Book Club feature, will be available everywhere magazines are sold!
And that's not even the best part. Because as part of this very special promotion, Girls' Life is giving away TEN copies of OTL!
Excited yet? I am, too, especially after scoring my very own advance copy today. This month's issue is filled with books, boys and everything you need for the beach. What could be better?
To help get you in the beach mood, here are few more pics of OTL making the rounds to tropical paradises. Gosh, if I got out just half as much as my book, I'd be one tan author! Good thing I've got my own trip to Piper's hometown coming up just over the horizon...
Got your own picture of OTL in a fantastic place? Send it along and I'll add to the post, whether it's from your house, dorm or favorite seat on the commuter train. I can't wait to see them!


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another blog about food.
So, an amazing homemaker I am not.
What I am, is an excited-at-times-frustrated-homemaker-training.
One thing that has been super exciting to lately is cooking!
I really genuinely love it.
Planning it, buying the groceries, organizing my pantry and fridge (only to be unorganized in a mad dash for the kids milk in the morning), and getting in there and doing it.
Even when it's stressful, I like the puzzling puzzle of figuring when to put it in the crockpot if I won't have TIME set aside to cook and if my wonderful husband does give me time (aka - play "I get you" with the babes before dinner), I'm even more thrilled.
So in having this conversation with friends, the consensus was - more blogs should be written like this. Will you write one? Say what you're making this week and what ingredients you normally buy and we'll all glean inspiration from one another!
So here's whats on the menu this week:
the sweet potatoes in this recipe have Nick eager with anticipation!
(tues) Cranberry Pork in the crock pot & sweet potatoes
(also, we don't always eat this fancy - that is a special at home christmas date night!)
(wed) Pad Thai in the crockpot
(noticing a trend?)
(thurs) Sandwhiches. Sorry, we have a fun family event planned:)
(fri) Duggars Three Bean Chili
(saturday & sunday) Leftovers and Frozen Soup!
So, a note on these recipes.
I don't buy silly ingredients (or ingredients that seem silly to me).
Liquid Amino?
So, if you can't buy it at Trader Joe's - I usually don't use it.
Also, once I use a recipe once I almost never look at it again. Not because I'm some sort of memory genius, but because my husband has a super helpful palette and if I make a recipe from online - I'll ask him how he thinks it could be better, make the changes and write down our new recipe.
So, here is also my grocery list.
Things for recipes:
small serving of pork
sweet potatoes
rice noodles
soy sauce
coconut milk
red, orange, & yellow peppers
bean sprouts
pinto beans
northern beans
kidney beans
1 can tomatoes
frozen chicken breasts
things I almost always buy:
quick oats
string cheese
apple juice
orange juice
black tea
"just chicken" from TJ
spinach leaves
israeli couscous (I put it in everything, sorry Nick)
graham crackers
2 bunches bananas
animal crackers
shredded light mozzarella
2 loaves bread
2 nonfat plain yogurts
rice milk
TJ's cheerios
pumpkin granola
2 milks
frozen soy corn dogs for kids
frozen mini pizzas for kids
2 bags veggie chips
granola bars
2 bags of frozen berries
And that is like PERFECT for 8 days or so. I go shopping every Sunday so we start to build up a little reserve and then after about three weeks, I know I won't need to go grocery shopping for a whole week - we can just eat through everything and eat whatever I've frozen.
One more thing.
I'm trying to get us closer and closer to a mostly all natural, whole foods only, diet so if you have good old recipes like that - send them my way, please.
Happy Monday Everyone!


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Yuhu's owner, Huang Xiangmo, was involved in political scandals last year that eventually resulted in the resignation of senator Sam Dastyari.
A company linked to political donor Huang Xiangmo, who was involved in the scandal last year that resulted senator Sam Dastyari's resignation, has acquired two major Australian property assets, Jewel on the Gold Coast and One Circular Quay.
Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group is selling its two flagship Australian projects to AWH Investment Group Pty Ltd, an associate company of China-backed Australian group, Yuhu.
The deal, which has been confirmed by Wanda in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is said to be worth $1.13 billion.
Yuhu is owned by Huang Xiangmo, who was linked to the downfall of senator Sam Dastyari last year, after it was revealed that Dastyari advised Huang how to avoid detection by Australia's intelligence services. Huang's Yuhu Group also paid some of Dastyari's expenses, it was revealed.
Wanda will receive $315 million for the sale, and the buyer will also take on A$815.1 million of Wanda's debt. The final price is said to be well down from the original asking price, and both projects were once valued at around $1 billion each.
Wanda Group has been under pressure from the Chinese government to lower its level of overseas debt after the company went on a vast global spending spree. Wanda's owner, Wang Jianlin, is said to be one of the richest people in the world.
AWH Investment Group is half owned by Jimmy Huang, 23. Evan (Xiaozhi) Luo, 30, Huang's brother-in-law, is also a director. Luo is married to Huang Xiangmo's daughter, Carina. Their wedding was attended by politicians on both sides of politics.
The other owner of AWH is Bo Zhang, who recently spent $14 million on numerous Mosman properties, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Huang Xiangmo, the high-profile owner of Yuhu, ceased to be a shareholder of AWH a fortnight ago, with Jimmy replacing him, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. However, it is clear that he was closely involved in the deal.
Until now, AWH has mainly been involved in surburan property developments.
Read more about Chinese investment in Australian real estate:
Chinese demand for Australian real estate is declining
Foreign buyers account for 11% of all NSW home sales
What do China's new capital controls mean for Australian real estate?