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So early in the new year but already there is one potential contender for my television drama of 2013. It's an unsettling and sexily contemporary six-part drama called Utopia that might superficially have a whiff of Poliakoff (including as it does mysterious relics, dark conspiracies and beautiful cinematography), but couldn't be more different in terms of dash, humour and sheer seat-of-your-pants excitement. It's called Utopia, although "Dystopia" would have been a more apt description.
The screenplay is by Dennis Kelly, Sharon Horgan's erstwhile scripting partner on "the best sitcom nobody watched", as BBC3's Pulling is repeatedly described, and more recently, the co-creator of the West End smash musical Matilda. The plot involves a youthful trio of graphic novel fans (played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett from Misfits, Alexandra Roach from Hunderby and Adeel Akhtar from Four Lions) who decide to meet up after becoming online forum members obsessed with a cult graphic novel called Utopia, about a scientist who makes a deal with the Devil and whose pages are rumoured to have predicted the worst disasters of the last century.
Powerful unseen forces known as The Network are also after the secrets contained with the graphic novel, and IT consultant Ian (Stewart-Jarrett), student Becky (Roach) and nuclear-bunker owning conspiracy theorist Wilson (Akhtar) find themselves thrown together and running for their lives from the funkiest pair of sadistic hoodlums since Tarantino was in his prime – with their remorseless and enigmatic question: "Where is Jessica Hyde?" (Hyde, played by Fiona O'Shaughnessy, finally reveals herself at the end of tonight's episode).
"I thought it would be interesting if we had ordinary people," says Kelly. "Most conspiracy thriller protagonists tend to be either journalists or cops and I was more interested in what if it was someone who was like me, a person who doesn't really know what they're doing."
Filming in Liverpool, director Marc Munden (The Devil's Whore/Mark of Cain) gives Utopia a stylishly heightened look, while the young cast is surrounded by such flavoursome veterans as Stephen Rea, James Fox, Geraldine James and Simon McBurney, with Paul Higgins playing a civil servant in charge of NHS drug procurement who is seemingly being blackmailed by the Russian mafia. Kudos, the production company behind Spooks and Life on Mars, approached Kelly with the idea of writing a conspiracy thriller around a graphic novel. "It didn't seem like there ought to be a conspiracy in something like a graphic novel," he says. "Graphic novels are very beautiful and amazing works of art, and I liked the idea that there was this group of people who understand they are works of art."
Perhaps aware that the subject matter might sound a tad niche, Kelly adds that he didn't want to make his protagonists too geeky. "I didn't want to go down 'geek avenue' because actually lots of people read graphic novels," he says. "It meant you could reach a lot of ordinary people." And whether or not the graphic novel turns out to be a McGuffin, Kelly has managed to craft one of the least predictable thrillers since The Killing – perhaps because he shares a technique with The Killing's creator Soren Sveistrup. "I like not knowing where I'm going as a writer," he says. "If it surprises me, there's a good chance it will surprise you."
He's well served by his young cast, especially the impressive Alexandra Roach, last seen as the lead in Julia Davis's award-winning Rebecca spoof, Hunderby. "It's the one job I put everything into… I cancelled a holiday… I was like, 'I'll do anything,'" she says. "What normally happens is that my agent sends me a script and I get 10 pages in and my instinct kicks in about whether I should or should not go for the audition, but with this I read straight through and just knew I wanted to be part of it." This, even though her first scene was a (albeit very funny) vodka-fuelled fumble with Stewart-Jarrett in a nuclear shelter. "You're nervous anyway starting a new job, and the schedule comes through and it's 'You're doing a sex scene' – that's great on my first day." I wish there had been vodka on set."
Just as Kelly didn't shy away from the cruelty in Roald Dahl's Matilda, there is some pretty shocking stuff in Utopia, especially a torture sequence involving rubbing chilli powder, sand and bleach in someone's eyes. Expect the Channel 4 switchboard to be busy that night, and Ofcom to be alerted. "The only violence I personally find offensive is violence that doesn't shock me," says Kelly. "Anytime I've seen violence in real life it's always, always been shocking… so if you're making something like this, you've got to go with it unless you're a coward. Mind you… people knowing that it came out of your head, you do actually think, 'What do these people think of me?'"
Channel 4 seems to have been happy to give Kelly his head. "With this, no one has backed away from anything I've thrown at them," he says. "I've got to be honest – writing these scenes and you're thinking, 'At some stage someone is going to say you can't do this.'"
Is he a conspiracy theorist himself? "I kind of wish I was but I don't believe in any of them. I like that people are obsessed with them, but then again there must be some that are true – all the stuff that's been going on recently, it's just mad.
"The human mind looks for patterns and wants to make connections, and people do make intuitive leaps and they're right, like Watergate, but when you get to things like the moon landings… the moon landings happened." Is he sure? "Yep, quite sure."
'Utopia' begins tonight at 10pm on Channel 4
- More about:
- Ariel Sharon
- Sharon Osbourne
- Sharon Stone


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Authorities say federal budget cuts have trimmed about 75 slots from the JROTC Cadet Challenge Camp at Fort Benning in west Georgia, but 310 students will still take part in the week-long event.
Lt. Col. Robert Koester, senior Army instructor at Dooly County High School, said the Army required high schools to trim about $100,000 from the June 10-14 camp under the sequester cuts that went into effect March 1.
Students from about 30 schools will take part in events which include rappelling, water safety, obstacle courses and jumping from the 34-foot tower at Eubanks Field.
Students with the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps live in dorms at Columbus State University during the camp. Buses transport them to Fort Benning daily for activities.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Major Personal Announcement!
I believe that everything bad has something good. I started blogging to get through my recovery from an Achilles tendon repair. I found I had a lot of knowledge and opinions about the ghost realm. Others seemed to like what I had to say and how I liked to say it. Then, in October I wrote some short stories for the Halloween season and ya'all really enjoyed them. So, I started to feel more confident about my writing, something I had stopped doing years ago. So, I submitted a short story and won the contest, went on and submitted more short stories and got them published, then started seriously working on books. I was in a miserable marriage with no emotion about it and I had been eating and gaining some weight on my thin frame. I didn't feel like myself and lost all confidence. Ya'all thought I was pretty and sweet and smart and I realized I am worth more than I am asking in my marriage. So, I decided to get a divorce and lost weight rapidly.
It's an extremely amicable divorce and we are doing this with great dignity. We started out at at 16 and 17 as friends who tried to make it romantic but it just wasn't there. We didn't think of each other "that" way and we had almost nothing at all in common from interests to viewpoints. So, we are going through the divorce process now and I am getting an apartment in my son's apartment complex nearby and happily simplifying my life.
I am finishing up the manuscript for a book "Was That a Ghost?" about how to determine if something you encountered might be of a paranormal nature. Being on my own and having an apartment will make it possible to spend more of my free time writing. I am thrilled beyond belief! If I hadn't ruptured my achilles, if I hadn't started a blog.... Well, you get the picture.
My life is just beginning now and I can honestly say, it wouldn't have happened if ya'all hadn't been so inspiring and sharing your own trials and tribulations and letting me know that I'm fine just the way I am. I love you all! This is yet another reason why the Hug-A-Blogger project is so necessary! I know I'm not the only one whose life has changed because of the blogging community. Those of you who regularly email me (a lot of you) know that we affect change in each other all the time. I'm a big believer in recycling and so I hope to keep giving back some of the support I've received.
After all, we're all in this crazy human experiment together!
37 comments:
I'm SO glad to hear everything's working out with the divorce and all. It's great that y'all are keeping it friendly and amicable and handling it like adults.
You already know what an inspiration you've been to me personally, at times I've felt like you're my only friend in the world. :)
Of course you know I'll be there cheering from the sidelines as you move on to greater things!
Love ya!
You're part of the friendly fan club that got me off my ass and doing what needed to be done. You inspired me. When I see potential in special people like you, I have to nag you to the end of time to live up to your potential and ask more of those around you. You need a good support team and I'm part of it!Thanks Jessica, you are a dear. We are handling this extremely maturely and I think that's because the feelings haven't been there so long, we're rather like brother and sister. Our son appreciates this too. He says that separately we're awesome, but together we're sort of hang dog sad. Yeah, that's a sign.
ReplyDeleteThanks Echo. My doctor (idiot) opened me up and looked at the tendon--it was like spaghetti noodles. He hadn't seen anything like it. So, what does he do? Instead of closing me up and opting to talk to associates and research it a bit, he decides to give it a try. Permanent damage since then. I know I need to see another doc about it and file a malpractice suit, but damn I hate that it's taken this much out of my life already and the only way to try to fix it would be another surgery and I will never go through that again.
You know, it's crazy cause I'm usually confident in most ways, but I have never in my entire life lived on my own. This is part of what I've been pining for, the ultimate test of my potential. You are my sweet dear friend and I am so thankful we found each other here in this crazy blog universe. We are moving into apartments around the same time. We will have to share pictures of our nests with each other, dear.CB;
Of course, you'll get a personalized autographed copy :-)
We are actually more friendly now than when we were trying to play at marriage. Funny how that works. Our adult son benefits the most because he enjoys both our company and we can all be together for events and not one single issue, we're happy for each other and our futures.Since we finally met face to face at the Pioneer Cemetery this past January, I felt a kinship right away. I was lost for the past two years after being laid off and not finding any employment. Your beliefs in me and my talents, made it possible for me to try things I never would have the guts to do otherwise. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I could see cemeteries and abandon buildings as works of art but now I do and see it in everything especially through my camera. I also never thought I would be a part of writing and creating a book or two but here we are working on them. You have not only become one of my most trusted friends but my little sis too. Love ya Miss Autumn Forest...damnit I am weepie now.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I am so glad that fate, destiny or just pure luck (pick your choice) brought us together as friends. I too am going through a lot of stuff. I will probably tell you and "the girls" all about it in more detail one day soon. I think it will be therapeutic even though I've said it to my friends here. Sometimes I just need to feel like I've done the right thing...or at least tried.
You are awesome Sharon! One day, me you and Ju are going to have to get together and get into trouble! LOL


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Posted on 04/13/2003 7:01:06 PM PDT by Hermann the Cherusker
Baghdad archeological museum looted
A Baghdad mob looted Iraq's largest archeological museum amid a breakdown in civil authority following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, an AFP reporter said.
A dozen looters helped themselves in ground floor rooms at the National Museum of Iraq, where pottery artefacts and statues were seen broken or overturned, while administrative offices were wrecked.
Two men were seen hauling an ancient portal out of the building, and empty wooden crates were scattered over the floor.
Upstairs rooms seemed to have been spared for the time being.
Iraq, among the earliest cradles of civilisation and home to the remains of such ancient Mesopotamian cities as Babylon, Ur and Nineveh, has one of the richest archaeological heritages in the world.
The museum housed a major collection of antiquities, including a 4,000-year-old silver harp from Ur.
International cultural organisations had urged that the archeological heritage of Iraq, one of the cradles of civilisation, be spared ahead of the US-led war launched on March 20.
I still think the Museum Directors are probably guilty.
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McGuire Gibson, (who I believe has a title something like) professor of archeology and antiquities at the University of Chicago, and who may be the leading American scholar on what were the contents of the Iraqi Museum, was interviewed on National Public Radio Weekend Edition at about 8:20 a.m. Sunday, April 13, before Russert's broadcast. (Check www.npr.org, click on "Transcripts" and type in "McGuire" as keyword.)
Gibson said he had TWICE contacted the Pentagon before the latest invasion of Iraq to tell them that the Iraqi National Museum, as a world treasure (thousands of artifacts, all indexed, some as old as 3,500 to 4,000 years, including Sumerian writing clay tablets, Ur of Chaldees, priceless gold statues or statuettes of historic kings, ancient carved jewelry with precious stones, the basis of all western civilization, not just "Arab countries") should be preserved at all costs, no matter what happened to other buildings. To the best of my knowledge, the museum was not bombed.
We do not know whom exactly in the Pentagon Gibson contacted or by what means, but hopefully Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., among others will find out.
Gibson said that U. S. soldiers stood by while looters went in and out of the museum carrying things and when asked about it, the soldiers said (presumably truthfully) that they had no orders to stop the looting. I do not think the soldiers should be blamed in any way, since they were just carrying out orders, as they had been carefully trained to do. Later inspection inside the museum showed not only almost all irreplaceable clay tablets smashed and obvious treasures carried off but even the indexing itself was largely destroyed amid the litter of jagged broken objects scattered across the floors.
The point is that persons in the Pentagon who were very well acquainted with all the specific military targets in Baghdad and who knew all about the museum as a non-military target important to the Iraqis and people all around the world, DELIBERATELY declined to pass along orders to soldiers on the ground to stop any destruction of this priceless treasure. These persons KNEW that after a U. S. military government was set up it would be important for a reasonably smooth transition to avoid NEEDLESS irritation of an already devastated Iraqi population and that the international reputation of the United States as a humanitarian nation was at stake in this matter. Therefore they had to know that destruction of this museum would SEVERELY DAMAGE the reputation of the U. S., but they DELIBERATELY IGNORED this situation anyway. I can only conclude that these persons in the Pentagon WANTED to help destroy the United States.
But it's not just a matter of our reputation as a country. The fact is that many Muslims of different nations will be happy to use this terrible event as a means of further stirring up hatred against the United States and terrorism against its individual citizens. So the PERSONAL SAFETY of Americas has been endangered and additional American lives may be lost in the future as a result. Iraqis are already blaming the Americans for this disaster (see attached AP story in the Billings Gazette), even though all the pillaging was done by Iraqis, and we can be confident that no American soldier stole anything at the museum.
Some apologists for the Pentagon are suggesting that Saddam Hussein may have stolen some of the most valuable treasures from his own museum. This however would have clearly been counter-productive, because all the educated persons in Baghdad knew what was in the museum and it was to Saddam's personal interest to be the ruler of the "most important country in the world," which in this particular respect Iraq undeniably WAS. People from all over the world came to see the museum.
Sean Hannity, a pro-administration liar, gave this spin Tuesday afternoon, April 15 in his syndicated radio broadcast (something like this): "Then there's this flap about the Iraqi museum, as if we could expect American soldiers to be excited about people carrying sofas outside the building". Hannity then quickly went on to other things. (Of course it was a lot more than sofas they were carrying.)
April 13, 2003
Last modified April 13, 2003 - 4:11 am
Billings Gazette
Iraqis blame looting, lawlessness on U.S.
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - At first they cheered, smiled, offered hearty thumbs-ups to the U.S. soldiers newly in their midst. But across Iraq's lawless capital, that sentiment is evaporating as quickly as Saddam Hussein's government melted away.
Baghdad was bursting with anti-American feeling Saturday as residents saw their city being stripped by its own citizens while U.S. forces stood by, rarely intervening and in some cases even motioning treasure-laden men through checkpoints.
Some still agreed with the United States' assessment of itself as a liberator. In the middle-class Zayuna neighborhood, friendly people offered American Marines baths, bread and buoyant greetings - and asked for both autographs and help against looters.
But for other Iraqis, in dozens of interviews conducted across Baghdad, the assessment was drastically different: America as conqueror.
"The coalition forces are responsible. Where is the law?" said Safa Hussein Qasim, 44, a jeweler. "This is the promise of the United States to Iraq? This is democracy in Baghdad?"
To walk the streets Saturday was to wade through a crazy-quilt blend of disarray and sadness, rage and jubilation and self-hatred. Though available booty was running low, looting continued apace, as did citizen resistance to it. One man carried a purloined tuba up the street. Baghdadis fretted and argued: What would become of their country?
"Saddam Hussein's greatest crime is that he brought the American Army to Iraq," said Gailan Ramiz, 62, helping a mob that was trying to tear down yet another Saddam statue at Shorji market, Baghdad's biggest.
It is stories like Hassan Shrawa's that are making them turn their backs on the uniformed Americans who swept in days ago.
Shrawa, 30, an engineer from Baghdad's Saddam City section, said he and his neighbors captured a Syrian mercenary and turned him over to U.S. troops Friday. As Shrawa tells it, the commander flatly refused to take custody of the man.
"What happens in the future?" Shrawa mused.
U.S. forces say they are doing the best they can under chaotic conditions - chaos, many Iraqis point out, that the United States itself created. Few praised Saddam. But at least, they said, he offered stability.
Baghdad lacks that right now. Water, electricity and gasoline are pipe dreams, and food is becoming almost as scarce.
On the streets of Zayuna, curious children milled around Saturday, trying out English phrases and asking for Marines' addresses. One presented Sgt. Paul Coughlin of Boston with a red flower that he nestled in his grenade pouch; another played marbles with medic Brent Cook, 23, of Houston.
Elsewhere, the Marines received less enthusiasm. In front of the Palestine Hotel, an area thick with U.S. Marines, several dozen Iraqis demanded a new government - now. "We want peace," they chanted in English as Marines looked on from fighting vehicles.
Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, at U.S. Central Command, says reports of looting in Iraq are overblown - that many parts of the country are peaceful, and lawlessness "is already tapering off significantly."
U.S. officials insist that the restoration of law and order will become a higher priority. The State Department said Friday it was sending 26 police and judicial officers to Iraq, the first component of a team that will eventually number about 1,200. And on Saturday, the U.S. military and the Iraqi police said they've agreed to joint patrols to restore order - "sooner rather than later," one Marine said.
For Iraqis on the ground, such promises mean little until they're delivered.
Residents, fearing looting would move on to private homes, set up neighborhood patrols to prevent it. One family put a girder across the street at the end of their block and stood by it with guns. They, too, denounced America.
"The United States breaks into the palaces and then threatens all the people who steal from them," said Efil Adnan, a 48-year-old oil engineer guarding the barricade with two of his sons and his brother. He held a pistol; the brother wielded a Kalashnikov.
"The United States is a liar," Adnan said. "They are not going to make anything better."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
You're hysterical.
Calm down, wait a few weeks, and most of the stuff will be returned, after the army pays off the thieves.
The hand-wringing over this museum is, frankly, incomprehensible to me. It happened, it will be fixed to the extent possible.
Bitching and bellyaching and acting as if soldiers should have paid attention to a friggin' museum when a shooting war was going on is a bit unrealistic.
Those of us with a little background in the area are putting our bets on this alleged "looting" as a coverup for a Saddam Bargain Sale that's been going on since Gulf War I.
And as for taking soldiers off combat duty to guard a museum -- it's no go. The key is even visible in these articles: once the situation is stabilized you can place guards on nonessential duty. Winkling out snipers and suicide bombers, protecting American military installations, holding a perimeter, and preventing damage to water, power, and essential administrative installations all take precedence before artifacts. And at the time this allegedly happened, our people were still getting shot at. No way a CO is going to take his men off looking for Fedayeen trying to kill them until he's sure they're all gone.
Amen and amen. I think two things are at work here. (1) The operation was such a howling success that the armchair critics forget that it was still a combat situation and our soldiers were still being shot at (and in some cases killed). (2) The folks who hate George Bush and this administration are going to seize on ANYTHING to criticise him, and frankly this looks like the only game in town, such as it is.
I don't recall any of these people having such an overwhelming interest in art and archaeology before this thing came down. Why do they suddenly care so much? I took a lot of undergrad courses in Classical Archaeology (primarily Greek & Roman, but some Middle and Near East as well) and I love and honor the work of the past, but I can't see all this vitriol about what is COMMON FORM in any war. Ask any Arch. major about what happened to all the precious golden Mycenean artifacts in the Berlin Museum after WWII (the Russians looted 'em, though they denied it for 50 years), or the Rosetta Stone, or even old Belzoni walking on golden mummies "as thick as autumn leaves in Vallambrosa."
That assumes that there was anything actually still left in this museum to loot . . . which I think is highly unlikely. This was in all likelihood a coverup for the systematic liquidation of the museum's collection by Saddam and his cronies.
But, but...Rummy promised!
"I'm kind of old-fashioned. I begin with a couple of principles: one is the job of the Pentagon to prepare for contingencies we do that all across the globe, we have all kinds of contingency plans that we've prepared."
"And as a matter of fact, I think I've mentioned to some of you that we've issued some new contingency planning guidance which is classified and we are significantly changing the process for contingency planning. The speed of the cycle for contingency planning is going to be accelerated and they are going to be less stale and more current than they have been in the past, which I think is critically important for this country."
Meantime, Rumsfeld commenting about the news reports of various US plans to attack Iraq said yesterday "One of the responsibilities of the Department of Defense is to see that we have thought through a host of different contingencies and possibilities."
"What we expect is that it's our job to be prepared for any conceivable contingency. And therefore all the way from that unhappy thought -- and dangerous thought -- all the way over to catastrophic success where so many people surrender so fast that the task becomes very quickly humanitarian assistance and medical assistance and water and those types of things. So they have developed contingency plans for the full spectrum of contingencies."
"artistic contingencies", no.
This whole thing is just a bunch of dedicated administration-haters beating any issue they can find. Quagmire - oops, that won't work. Iraqis hate us - oops, that won't work either. No WMDs - that's looking unreliable right now. Antiquities! That's it! We'll blame the Army for not instantly securing everything of any value in the entire country of Iraq! Yeah!
He had on a knowledgeable international culture spokesperson, a woman, who also faulted the Pentagon on this matter.
She also said coalition troops DID protect the Oil MINISTRY Building -- not the oil fields.
O'Reilly was fairly quick to get her off the air and he did not successfully rebut what she said.
The story said in part:
"A senior Pentagon official said the military had never promised that the buildings would be safeguarded.
" 'We could never guarantee ahead of time the safety of a single building,' said Dr. Joseph Collins, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.
"At the Pentagon, defense officials said that the museum had in fact been put on the American military's no-target list in response to the scholars' warnings, and that the military had refrained from bombing it.
"But in an e-mail message Mr. Collins said that 'in no case' had his office instructed military commanders to provide protection for the museum or library.
"We leave such decisions to commanders on the scene," he said.
This shows typical deceitful spin from the Pentagon when it has been caught.
Of course the Pentagon could not guarantee ahead of time the safety of a single building. But it could TRY, which in this case it deliberately did not do.
Collins' statement that "We leave such decisions to commanders on the scene" was a deliberate cop-out, since protection of the museum was a high policy international American reputation matter, where instructions had to be issued from the top and not merely left to field commanders guided only by military considerations.
Case proved: Rumsfeld DID ALLOW looting of museum to happen and DID LIE.
Read the last quote, honey.
Especially on an active battlefield, there's a tremendous difference between the two. The shelling of Monte Cassino is an example of "target/no-target" status. Reducing that historic monastery to rubble was highly controversial at the time (and since), but the debate was whether to make it a target because German troops might use its walls for cover, or to make it a "no-target" because of its historical and artistic value. That's a static decision that can be made fairly high up and far away. (The troops who were under the walls would have voted 100% to take the whole place down.)
A discussion of whether to protect Cassino monastery from looting by Italian civilians would be an entirely different issue. Whether to protect a particular building MUST be left to commanders on the scene, because the battlefield is a highly volatile, rapidly changing situation. It's not a "cop-out", it's placing decisions in the hands of the people who have the information to make them.
As far as the oil ministry, it's been thoroughly thrashed out either here or on another thread - by somebody knowledgeable about the business - that the records in that ministry are vital to keeping the oil wells functioning as a valuable resource for the Iraqi people. So they are higher up the scale of importance than the museum.
That all said, it's a shame that the artifacts are apparently missing. It would also be nice if we had had the building under surveillance from the git-go to avoid all the controversy about whether looting actually took place while U.S. troops were in the area, or whether that was simply a cover-up story. But I don't think blame can be laid at the feet of the military - protection of non-essential property is way down their list of priorities.
Iraqis Say Museum Looting Not as Bad as Feared
Please note this particular quote:
Lt. Col. Schwartz, whose functions also include feeding the lions in the abandoned Baghdad Zoo next door, said he couldn't move into the museum compound and protect it from looters last week because his soldiers were taking fire from the building -- and were determined not to respond. There is an Iraqi army trench in the museum's front lawn, and Lt. Col. Schwartz said his troops found many Iraqi army uniforms inside. "If there is any dirty trick in the book," he said, "they sure used it."(Emphasis supplied.)
This has been blown out of all proportions and allowed lefties to heap calumny upon those undeserving of such treatment. There IS an aganda being subtly fulfilled by some unscrupulous people and the gullible are buying at least some of it. That's the REAL story.
I think you owe Rummy an apology. Saddam looted much of this long ago, and he caused us to need to go in there.
Ultimately, if Iraqis want to destroy their own country they will be able to do so, that's not the sort of contingency that should be Rummy's priority. We should all thank Rummy for the speed of our victory and the low number of casualties.
170,000 objects smashed ... thousands of looters ... America is guilty ... blah, blah, blah ... LIES!
I prefer CINOs...CONSERVATIVES IN NAME ONLY. :-)
In NO war, is the protection of " stuff " ( antiquities, museums, hosues of whorship, etc. ) primary, secondary, or even 1,0005th on the list. Much of it was pretty high up there, in this one. That's remarkable and an historical first. OTOH, Saddam et co. has been " looting " the national treasures ( not excluding oil !) for decades. You haven't bothered, I wager, to even read all, or even some of the more factual threads, on FR, let alone news papaer article and magazine articles previously, about this stuff being GONE. Well, HAVE YOU ?
Just how much do you even KNOW about Mesopotamian/Babylonian/Assyrian antiquities anyway ? How about early Koran, for that matter ? Fact is, that a vast horde of this stuff is all over the world, extanat in some of THE finest museums, private collections, college/university collections, and easily available to scholars. Early Korans ? I can tell you where to go to buy one, if you have enough money, or where you can see one, as soon as you pick youreself up and hgo there, in the blink of an eye.
We didn't loot nor pillage. We aren't raping the women and children. Our military is now safegaurding banks, recovering stolen money, going after the ragged " Ali Babas, as well as trying to keep the peace, fight off those still firing at us AND catching the missing high ups. NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU ? Well, now, ain't that a bloody shame; tough!
AS to Rummy and pals ... they've done a rewmarkably GREAT job and that you fail to see and understand that, leaves one to believe that you don't have enough intellect to even dare debate the subject. ; ^ )
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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Things will be looking up for Kurt on this Thursday's Glee (Fox, 9/8c) when he starts an internship at Vogue.com, and we've got a sneak peek at his new boss, Isabelle, played by someone who knows a little something about clothes and the Big Apple: Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker.
VIDEO | Glee Exclusive: Brittany & Sam Shed Their 'Celebrity Skin' in Makeover-Themed Performance
Even though Kurt only just started his gig at the iconic fashion brand, he's already impressed his mentor with a slideshow of his various outfits, including the return of the asymmetrical half-sweater from Season 3's "I Kissed a Girl."
Press PLAY to watch the preview and then hit the comments with your thoughts.
Follow @VladaGelman


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A report released by the Homeland Security Department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the bureau paid more than $2.6 million in undisputed claims by Aug. 3, and planned to review another $3.8 million of disputed invoices.
But Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, which she chairs, will continue to monitor the disputed claims.
Norton said that reforms at ICE -- including appointing an ombudsman to oversee the bureau's invoicing system and providing training for contract guard vendors -- will help "eliminate security risks to federal employees where they work."
The report detailed steps the agency had taken since July to solve problems with its invoicing system. ICE has appointed additional financial personnel to "provide hands-on support" to the Federal Protective Service, the agency responsible for managing contract guards. ICE also sent a memo on July 30 to all its contract guard vendors on new consolidated invoice procedures and instituted weekly status reports and conference calls to assess progress on contract guard payments.
The report says the agency would continue to make adjustments "if needed."
Norton requested the ICE report to assess progress on paying contract guards, some of whom claimed in July that they had gone into bankruptcy or been forced to borrow money because the government did not pay them in a timely manner. Some vendors found it difficult to meet their payroll requirements as a result.
"This large amount in overdue, undisputed claims from FPS endangered security at federal sites because it carried the risk that guards would fail to show up for work," Norton said.
Norton also has proposed the Federal Protective Service Guard Contracting Reform Act, which would prohibit the federal government from contracting with companies owned, controlled or operated by people who have been convicted of felonies. Norton wrote the bill in response to the discovery that STARTECH International Security, a private guard vendor, had received funds from the government but had not paid its employees. STARTECH's owner had served time in prison for fraud.
The bill has passed the subcommittee and will face full committee review in September.


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Bryan Caplan on why too many people are – even without knowing it – closed-minded.
Pete Boettke on some weaknesses in market monetarism.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth on the flaws in the new study (by the American Association of University Women) on the pay-gap between men and women in the U.S. It bears repeating: if such a pay gap as the AAUW finds is real, then no one should waste time writing about it. Instead, those people who believe that this pay gap is real should – and could, quite easily – make a fortune by exploiting it: start businesses that hire women at wages closer to the value that women add to their employers' revenue streams. Not only will such new businesses themselves soon result in a closure of the pay gap, but the business owners – having made huge profits on other employers' consistent stupidity or intransigent small-mindedness – will have large pots of $$$ to devote to their favorite "Progressive" causes.
And here's Christina Hoff Sommers on the same pay-gap study.
George Will on ballot questions other than the one asking which "prancing pony" (to steal Yevdokiya Zagumenova's apt description) will harass us from the Oval Office until January 20, 2017. Will introduces his discussion of these other ballot issues perfectly:
Tuesday night, as returns reveal whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney has the smaller gigantic number of Americans not wanting him to be president, notice other indexes of political change:….
Over at the IEA's blog, Steve Horwitz weighs in against regulations prohibiting "price-gouging." (HT Yann Nicholas)


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Artist description:
another failure. im sorry RMD. no ink. im done trying to continuously impress myself and others. rmd let me improve so much, but im just not happy with my work online anymore. this doesnt mean im quiting. i wont be drawing every week anymore.I
Flash Draw Created Oct 31, 2009 338 x 470px Unless noted Copyright 2009 Lavenderdoodle.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
Award: Skillful draw. Liked: The amazing line work on the face and body. Tips: None, as ink loss can't be helped lol. not with all that detail.
failure ?? this drawing is amazing, everything from the coloring to the details, ur really an amazing artist lavi ^_^


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Audio Bible Listen to the Bible online in either the King James or World English Version. Listen to the Bible Online
Bible Study for New Believers Have you tried everything and still feel empty, do you wonder how you can really know God and have a relationship with Him? Are you sure where you'll spend eternity and how do you know? Bible Study for New Believers
Bible Overview Overview of each book in the Bible including name, category, key phrase and key idea, where we got the title, who to meet, when it was written, map of location along with a synopsis of the book contents and theme. Bible Overview
About the Bible Learn about the bible, where we got it, who wrote it, what's in it and why we have different translations. The Bible contains different kinds of books in two categories. Some are history, some wise sayings. Some are God's commands to His people. About the Bible
Bible Unpacked The Bible Unpacked presents the Bible's teaching in a systematic form using verses taken directly from the Bible. Each edition of is written to address the needs of non-Christians through to mature Christians, from teenagers to adults. Bible Unpacked
Bible Stories The stories you know and love are all here in our online tool. Read the Bible from start to finish one story at a time. All those classic Bible stories you read when you were small are all here. You can also read by chapter picking from your favorite translations. Bible Stories
Join Our Prayer Team Our goal is to help Christians grow in their faith and Bible knowledge while helping them to explore and study scripture by taking into context the surrounding chapter and book, as well as history and culture, guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Join Our Prayer Team
Attributes of God Attributes of God - Ever wondered about God's true nature? A breakdown of His character, as revealed in the Bible, can be discovered. Click to visit Learn about God and His Attributes.
Harmony of the Gospels Review and study the events and stories of Jesus across all four Gospels. This study organizes events from the life of Christ. Click to visit Learn about the events from all four Gospels.
Miracles of Jesus Study the Miracles performed by Jesus across all four Gospels. Includeg the eyewitness testimonies to Christ's miracles. Click to visit Study the miracles of Jesus from the Gospels.
Parables of Jesus Study the Parables told by Jesus across all four Gospels. The Bible is full of stories called parables that signify spiritual truths. Click to visit Study the parables of Jesus from the Gospels.
Passion of Christ The purpose of Jesus' sufferings, which culminated in His death upon the Cross, is one inseparable whole with the Grace God. Click to visit Learn why Jesus died for us on the Cross.
About the Bible Lean about the bible, where we got it, who wrote it, whats in it and why we have different translations. Click to visit Learn how we got our current Bible.


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Content Marketing and Social Selling
Zenzi Helps DIRECTV for Business Tap Into Current Subscribers To Sell To New Leads
Zenzi Helps DIRECTV for Business Tap Into Current Subscribers To Sell To New Leads
Educate, motivate and empower youth to look beyond today and take action to protect their health and prevent breast cancer.
Values marketing campaign for Outshine Fruit Bars attracted purpose-seeking customers and brought them together in support of a common mission.
Chiquita Brands wanted to re-energize its iconic brand for a younger generation, increase awareness and enagement.
The Del Mar Tourism Business Improvement District engaged Zenzi to promote the brand new Del Mar Racetrack Fall Season and highlight the city as a premier travel destination.
Software developer takes market segmentation a critical step further to generate leads and grow conversions over 30% by pinpointing customer values.
Make an online splash to prepare for one of their largest residential grand openings and connect with homebuyers in an authentic, engaging way.
Zenzi helps Franklin's Gourmet Popcorn tap into what most motivates its top customers to purchase again and again
Zenzi went beyond demographics and increased engagement for bargain grocery retailer Grocery Outlet with a values-based social and blogger campaign targeting customers who share...
Tagg the Pet Tracker came to Zenzi with a superior technology product and a desire to go beyond product features and create an emotional bond with pet owners.


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There are officially eight teams playing for the Stanley Cup in round two -- but with the exception of the Philadelphia Flyers I'm not sure what game they're playing. I just know that if Alexander Ovechkin isn't allowed on the ice, it can't possibly be hockey.
Read Whole Story
Yes, this was a strange season to be a Canucks fan -- and I think it's going to be the best post-season ever. The Canucks kept racking up wins, but they weren't flashy, fun, wins. They were ugly, nail-biting, old-time New Jersey Devils one goal, frequently in extra time with a "lucky bounce" wins.
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day..


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Marketing Information
Glossy pouches preserve, enhance and protect important documents. Premium materials ensure clear, durable results. Pouch is easy to use. Simply place document in pouch and insert into your laminator. Pretrimmed, 3 mil pouches are compatible with all laminator brands. Pouch size accommodates legal-size documents. Standard construction is designed for occasional handling, filing or posting.
General Information
Product Type | Laminating Pouch |
Manufacturer Part Number | 52226 |
Manufacturer Website Address | www.fellowes.com |
Packaged Quantity | 50 / Pack |
Manufacturer | Fellowes, Inc |
Product Name | Legal Glossy Pouch |
Brand Name | Fellowes |
Product Information
Features | Pre-trimmed |
Sheet Size | Legal - 8.50" Width x 14" Length x 3 mil Thickness |
Sheet Type | Type G - Glossy |
Physical Characteristics
Weight (Approximate) | 1.60 oz |
Color | Clear |
Height | 9.0" |
Width | 14.5" |
Country of Origin | China |
Recycled | No |
Recycled Content | 0% |
Post-consumer-waste% | 0% |
Assembly Required | No |
This product is shipped only within Canada and Warranty valid for Canada only.
Computer Valley makes every effort to provide accurate specifications, descriptions, images and price on all products that are found on www.computervalley.ca
However for complete and updated descriptions, compatibilities, specifications and actual photo we recommend our clients to consult with manufacturer's websites or simply call us for proper clarifications. Computer Valley is not responsible and will not accept returns for items purchased that are not compatible with your system. Please ensure that you have verified compatibility and actual photo with your system by visiting the manufacturer's web site prior to purchase or give us a call to make sure what you are purchasing.
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Computer Valley wants to provide you with the best and fastest possible service. We try to ship in stock orders placed before 2:00pm EST the same day. For in stock orders placed after 2:00pm EST they are usually shipped the next business day. However there are always exceptions. Please contact us prior to placing your order if you need your purchase by a certain date.
We ship by UPS, FEDEX, USPS, CANADA POST , PUROLATOR and LOOMIS from the nearest locations possible based on stock in hand.
Please note: Computer Valley reserves the rights to accept and cancel any order at anytime due to pricing error or any other reason. An email will be sent as a confirmation of the order status.


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All topics that relate to PS4, but don't involve modding or hacking of the console, should be posted to this forum room.
If your question is about modding or hacking of PS4, post your questions to this forum instead.
PS4 - Modding & Hacking
This forum is meant for Playstation 4 -related modding / hacking discussion only.
If your question doesn't relate to modding or hacking, but to some other PS4 related area, like the console itself, its games, PSN, etc please post your questions to our PS4 - Everything else forum instead.- Discussions:
- 3
- Messages:
- 12
Latest: Playstation 4 hacked in only 5 days? megadunderhead, Sep 22, 2014
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Don't miss your chance to see Tab Benoit in San Juan Capistrano! Check out the schedule below for the concert date of your choice, then buy your Tab Benoit San Juan Capistrano tickets before they sell out!
Looking for Tab Benoit tickets in other cities? View all Tab Benoit tickets »
Sorry! We couldn't find any events for Tab Benoit in San Juan Capistrano.
If you were searching to see if Tab Benoit is coming to San Juan Capistrano, then you're in luck! For their latest tour, Tab Benoit will indeed hold a concert in San Juan Capistrano. Have an awesome concert experience when you go to see Tab Benoit in San Juan Capistrano. Get your Tab Benoit tickets San Juan Capistrano and join fellow fans for a concert to remember!


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Top Items:
The Note:
Frist Backing Health Care Bill? Not So Fast... ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Rick Klein report: Former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist declared last week that, were he still in the Senate, "I would end up voting for" the health care reform efforts now being debated in Congress.
Igor / Wonk Room:
Why Reid Shouldn't Include The Public Option In The Merged Senate Bill — Lawrence O'Donnell — who served as Senate Finance Committee staff director during the debate over President Clinton's failed health care reforms — tells Politico's Live Pulse that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) …
Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, Ruby Slippers, The Huffington Post, Democratic Strategist and TalkLeft
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Taking Their Time: Finance Committee May Delay Vote As It Awaits CBO Analysis
Taking Their Time: Finance Committee May Delay Vote As It Awaits CBO Analysis
Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:
Six Dem Governors Hold Out On Health Care Letter
Six Dem Governors Hold Out On Health Care Letter
The Politico
The Politico:
GOP leaders to Steele: Back off — GOP leaders, in a private meeting last month, delivered a blunt and at times heated message to RNC Chairman Michael Steele: quit meddling in policy. — The plea was made during what was supposed to be a routine discussion about polling matters …
Think Progress, The Moderate Voice, PostPartisan, Crooks and Liars, Salon, Washington Monthly, Politics Daily, Daily Kos and AMERICAblog News
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Steele applauded ACORN leader in speech — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Like other GOP leaders, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele took a harsh tone toward ACORN last month after several of the group's employees were caught on tape offering financial advice to activists posing undercover as a pimp and prostitute.
The Hill:
President summons congressional leaders on Afghanistan strategy — President Barack Obama has called congressional leaders to the White House on Tuesday to discuss the worsening situation in Afghanistan, according to congressional sources. — The meeting, with leaders of both parties …
Alex Spillius / Telegraph:
Barack Obama furious at General Stanley McChrystal speech on Afghanistan
Barack Obama furious at General Stanley McChrystal speech on Afghanistan
Hot Air, Crooks and Liars, Jules Crittenden, Top of the Ticket, Christian Science Monitor, Comments from Left Field, Outside The Beltway, American Spectator, Villainous Company, Left Coast Rebel, FishBowlDC, YID With LID, About.com Conservative …, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice, Fausta's Blog, The Huffington Post, THE WEEK News & Opinion, democracyarsenal.org, Washington Post, Wake up America, Below The Beltway, The Daily Dish, QandO, Pajamas Media, Michelle Malkin, Suburban Guerrilla, The Jawa Report and TalkLeft
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Dems: GOP rooting against America — During the Bush era, Republicans from Karl Rove to Joe Wilson questioned — in ways both veiled and overt — the patriotism of Democrats who challenged the administration's Iraq policy, pre-war intelligence and surveillance programs.
Federal Trade Commission:
FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials — Changes Affect Testimonial Advertisements, Bloggers, Celebrity Endorsements — The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has approved final revisions to the guidance it gives to advertisers on how to keep …
The Moderate Voice, TechCrunch, Hit & Run, Daily Kos, BuzzMachine, Wall Street Journal, On Deadline, Law Librarian Blog and Amygdala
Paul Krugman:
The story of the stimulus — I read the Ryan Lizza piece on Larry Summers with a great sense of relief. It turns out that in talking to Ryan, I managed to say almost nothing worth quoting — which is, in these circumstances, very much the goal. (If I have something controversial to say …
Open Left, No More Mister Nice Blog, Ezra Klein, D-Day, J. Bradford DeLong's … and The American Scene
Chuck Todd / msnbc.com:
ROVE FOR RUBIO — From NBC's Chuck Todd — Over the past few weeks, Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist has found himself being put on the defensive more and more in the primary thanks to the challenge by ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio. While Crist has financially overwhelmed Rubio to date …
Taegan Goddard's …, Salon, Scorecard's Blog, And So it Goes in Shreveport, TPMDC and The Buzz
Not Larry Sabato:
SHEILA JOHNSON'S PARTY FOUL — At a rally for Bob McDonnell's campaign, Sheila Johnson mock-stutters when talking about Bob's "o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-opponent" Creigh Deeds. When Bob comes up to speak he says nothing. — Pathetic. We deserve more class than this in the Governor's mansion.
Brian W. Walsh / Washington Times:
Criminalizing everyone — Needed: A 'clean line' to determine lawfulness — "You don't need to know. You can't know." That's what Kathy Norris, a 60-year-old grandmother of eight, was told when she tried to ask court officials why, the day before, federal agents had subjected her home to a furious search.
Kate Galbraith / Green Inc.:
Apple Resigns From Chamber Over Climate — Apple has become the latest company to resign from the United States Chamber of Commerce over climate policy. — "We strongly object to the chamber's recent comments opposing the E.P.A.'s effort to limit greenhouse gases," wrote Catherine A. Novelli …
The Atlantic Business Channel, The Huffington Post, Think Progress, DailyFinance, NRDC and MoJo Blog Posts
Meir Javedanfar / Guardian:
Ahmadinejad has no Jewish roots — Rumours that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's family converted to Islam from Judaism are false. In fact, they are proud Shias — In June 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's meteoric rise from mayor of Tehran to president of one of the most influential countries in the Middle East took everyone by surprise.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Petraeus For President! (12 Months Late) — It's certainly true that Washington was abuzz with the idea of the GOP trying to recruit General David Petraeus as a 2012 presidential candidate, but as I recall that was 12-18 months ago so I'm a bit puzzled to see it put at the heart …
Anne Bayefsky / Weekly Standard:
You Can't Say That — At the UN, the Obama administration backs limits on free speech. — The Obama administration has marked its first foray into the UN human rights establishment by backing calls for limits on freedom of expression. The newly-minted American policy was rolled …
Michelle Cottle / The New Republic:
No Exit — The never-ending lunacy of Betsy McCaughey. — On an ordinary day, Henry Aaron, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, comes across as the quintessential policy wonk: knowledgeable, thoughtful, measured, perhaps even a tad boring.
Jeremy W. Peters / The Caucus:
Obama to Address Gay Rights Organization — President Obama will speak to a gathering of gay rights activists this weekend, a day before thousands of people are expected to march on Washington in a demonstration calling for greater legal protections for gays, lesbians and transgendered Americans.
Steve Krakauer / Mediaite:
Red Eye Resurgence: More Demo Viewers Watch Fox At 3am Than CNN at 8pm — Fox News' 3amET comedy/news hybrid Red Eye is in a league of its own when it comes to cable news shows. But that doesn't mean it isn't a player in the ratings. — Despite its late (or early, depending on your sleep habits) …
Michael Calderone's Blog
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2010: Kentucky Senate — 2010 Kentucky Senate: Early Match-ups Suggest Tight Race for GOP Vacancy — Republicans look like they're in for a tough fight in Kentucky to maintain the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Jim Bunning. — The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey …
Government Admits Guantánamo Detainee Mohammed al Qahtani's Torture Videotaped — CCR Blasts Government for Failing to Disclose Existence of Videotapes for Seven Years — The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) learned today of the existence of video and audio tapes …
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
He's Back, Hat in Hand — Chastened by Reaction To His Rutgers Women's Basketball Team Comments, an 'Older And Wiser' Don Imus Returns to TV on the Fox Business Network — After holding forth for hours behind the mike on everything from Roman Polanski to Afghanistan …
Wall Street Journal:
What We Would Have Told Obama — Though we weren't invited to the White House, here are better ideas to increase coverage for the uninsured. — Printer — Friendly — We aren't among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to "join the President in pushing for health insurance reform …


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It was once believed that Sharp Top Mountain was the highest peak in the state of Virginia. The stone that was included in the Washington Monument was taken from the summit of Sharp Top and is so inscribed at the monument. In fact, not only is Sharp Top far from the highest peak in the state of Virginia (that honor goes to Mount Rogers), it is not even the highest peak in the vicinity, with Flat Top Mountain being close to 200 feet higher.
However, Sharp Top is quite an imposing southern Applachian mountain. We here in the South don't have a true treeline (our highest summits are about 3,000 feet too short for that). But there are some rocky peaks in this part of the nation that rise dramatically above the other highlands and which, bare of all but unyielding stone, offfer 360 degree views of the waves of ridges flowing out toward the east and west. Sharp Top Mountain is such a peak, and it is easy to understand how men once thought it to be the highest mountain in the state of Virginia.
Getting There
Sharp Top Mountain is located in the Peaks of Otter Recreation Area at milepost 86 of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Red Tape
There is no red tape of which I'm aware.When To Climb
All year. Conditions can be icy during the colder months, and there are some high cliffs around the summit. Care should be taken under icy conditions.Camping
There is a Park Service administered campground just off the parkway on Route 43. However, it is only opened from April 1 through October 31. I am aware of no prohibition for camping along the trails in either the Jefferson National Forest or in the Peaks of Otter region.Mountain Conditions
Check the weather for Bedford, Virginia. Subtract five to ten degrees for the higher ridges. Check the road conditions at the Blue Ridge Parkway site here.External Links
- Peaks of Otter Lodge.
Nice website run by the conessionaire who runs the Peaks of Otter Lodge, with some good information.


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Photo Galleries
Image 2 of 13
An ironworker pushes a beam into place on One World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, on Tuesday in New York City. When completed the building will rise to 1,776 feet (541 meters). Sept. 11 will mark the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.
PHOTO: Mark Lennihan/AP


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Blue Danube
You must collect your tickets at this address from 09.00AM on your booked date!
Ticket Collection Address:
Orangerie Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Wien
Blue Danube
Opening hours
We recommend going on the cruise that departs no later than 2:00 p.m. Then dinner is at 6:30PM and Concert begins at 8.30PM. Tours from April to October.
U-bahn Schönbrunn Station
View map


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Why should this make me feel bad? It is, after all, 24 years since I started an affair with one of my students. And the affair still hasn't finished. We feel anything but shame, because there can be no shame in falling in love. No, I feel terrible because I have found in me something I never would have expected: sympathy for Chris Woodhead, the Chief Inspector of Schools. After all, it was his comment that teachers who have a relationship with their students shouldn't automatically be sacked that started the latest controversy, and that focused attention once again on his own affair with an ex-pupil.
I took up my first teaching post in 1973. I was 24. It happened to be in north Germany, where a shortage of English teachers meant that work was readily available. I got a job teaching students for their Abitur (A-levels).
Anyone who knows about love at first sight will understand the next bit. I walked into the first lesson on the first morning and was lost forever. The quiet, rather shy 17-year-old girl in the second row made my heart leap, my stomach churn and all the other traditional but true symptoms. We've never known why, but then you can't explain things like this. Christine wasn't particularly good at English, certainly never drew attention to herself and, above all, was completely uninterested in me. The advance grapevine had marked me down as spoken for; besides, you don't look at teachers like that. And, despite the wild feelings in me, I realised that I could never look at a pupil like that either. It was out of the question.
Except that anyone who has felt like that knows that rationality flies out of the window. I did one hilariously naff thing by lending her an LP with a song called "Lady Fantasy" marked with an asterisk; she never even noticed. After a year, fate intervened: a friend of Christine's organising a party and inviting me. On the way home, I asked Christine to share my umbrella and, in the teeming rain, we kissed outside her front door. I remember dancing home, Gene Kelly-like, and being horrified yet amazingly elated in the morning. Christine's diary merely reads: "Elke's party, Mr Shawford." But there is no sign of doubt.
Mysteriously, we both started organising parties like there was no tomorrow, always inviting loads of other people to disguise their true purpose. We both intuitively understood what was happening, and that it was completely right, yet in the eyes of most people, entirely wrong. Christine's diary regularly starts to read: "Got home at 2am/3am/ 5am". The mixed feelings of passion, love, terror and inability to fight it return to both of us today as we look back over that amazing time. It was nearly two years before we could "go public", two years filled with adventures, scrapes, near misses and numerous doomed attempts at ending it. Practically every sentence I write seems like a line from a crass pop song, but, as Christine's mother never failed to say: "Some things are meant to be."
One of the most helpful aspects of the relationship was that Christine's parents rapidly found out what was happening and supported it. They also could feel the "rightness" of what was developing, they liked me and they were interested in their daughter's happiness. But the way it came out was memorable. Christine's unwitting father agreed to find me a second- hand car and we all drove out to a small village garage to inspect it. "It'll be ideal for you to take your fiancee out in," said the dealer.
"Fiancee? Don't be daft. This is her English teacher," protested Christine's dad.
"No way," replied the dealer. "Have you seen the way they're looking at each other?"
That evening, it all tumbled out. And was given the seal of approval. This made everything a lot easier. Added to that, we were sensible. We continued to go out with groups of other students, none of whom suspected what was happening after they said goodnight. We would drive to cinemas and pizzerias in other cities, with poor Christine crouched on the floor in the back of my VW Beetle. We even took a four-day break in Copenhagen, where I had a friend who was in on the secret. The diary reveals a level of activity which scarcely seems credible, 17 years of marriage and two teenage children later. Boy, was it love.
Frequently we would decide that it had to stop, that the stress was unbearable. These interludes would last a day or two before we would bow to the inevitable. Things which would start the doubts could be pretty unpleasant. One evening, we were indiscreet on a tram, only to become aware that we were being observed by a pupil from Christine's class. "That's it," I thought, "I'm sacked." But he never said a word. He must have woken up and assumed he'd imagined it.
At school, we were so discreet that it was probably noticeable how distant we were. I remember one occasion when Christine had emerged from a dreadful oral exam and was sitting in the corridor in floods of tears. Even the most cold-hearted teacher would have comforted her. I had to walk past without casting her a glance.
The only matter of disagreement, which niggles to this day, was the fact that my determination not to show Christine any favouritism meant that I erred on the side of caution in marking her work and awarding her all- important marks (which would have a crucial influence on A-level grades, university admission, etc). It worked, in that no one suspected any preferential treatment, but maybe I could have been a little more generous.
On several occasions, we had to attend social events like parties and gigs and pretend not to have any relationship other than the teacher-pupil one. To this day, my flesh creeps at the Richard Thompson song "The Way That It Shows": "Your gaze of compassion, just a little too right ... A slip of the tongue, a squeeze of the hand, that's the way that it shows."
For make no mistake, this was a serious business. The fact that we felt we had to go through with it is significant. Even though Christine was over the age of consent, her parents approved and I wasn't hugely older than her, from an educational point of view, it would undoubtedly have been a sacking offence.
And then, in early 1976, it all became dark, nasty and very frightening. The local authority where I was working realised that they no longer needed foreign teachers and effectively, that I was to be sacked. A huge protest erupted. Students, parents and staff all agreed that it was essential that I should stay. The entire school went on strike, there were protest marches in the city centre, a TV documentary was made and the story was front page news in German newspapers. My landlady reported that two men had been snooping around my flat, in the wake of a Communist paper implying that I was being removed for alleged left-wing sympathies. I remain convinced that they were either from the tabloid press or the local authority, seeking evidence on which to sack me. If only they had known what to look for, they would have found it in abundance. As it was, they left empty-handed. The protests failed, my contract was duly terminated and Christine and I relocated to England, where we have lived happily ever after.
None of the above will be comprehensible to anyone who has never been hopelessly in love. But do you know, I believe Chris Woodhead will understand.
The author's name has been changed.
- More about:
- Fall In Love
- Richard Thompson
- Teachers
- West Bromwich Albion


text: Li Datong is the former editor of Freezing Point, a weekly supplement of the China Youth Daily. Last year he famously posted a blistering letter on the newspaper's computer system attacking the Communist Party's propaganda czars and a plan by the paper's editor in chief to dock reporters' pay if their stories upset party officials. He was promptly sacked. Late last month he wrote a piece on http://www.opendemocracy.net on the Shanxi slave labor story, asking " how such things could happen, and who should be held responsible.'' His answers are here:


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Voicepic Lets Your Pictures Talk!
It is simply amazing how, a couple of decades ago we were using a piece of coal to capture "pictures" and now we can take photos even with our glasses.
It is absolutely unbelievable. And the following application will surprise you even more. I am talking about Voicepic, the app which will allow you to add up to 5 seconds of audio recordings to any photo and then upload it on sites or social networks.
Voicepic is very simple to use and it is the perfect way to combine a perfect capture with the perfect caption.
And, surprise: Voicepic is available starting with today for iPhone users, from any iTune store. Yeeey!
Can you hear me?
Source: www.coolest-gadgets.com
Incoming search terms for the article:
- voicepic (4)
- green gadget iphone (1)
- mini video camera (1)
- recording spy camera (1)


text:
Jewish World Review June 4, 2008 / 1 Sivan 5768 Over the Hill With Bill By Kathleen Parker
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Hope. Change. Hope and change. Hope 'n' change. Say the words often enough and they begin to take hold, attaching themselves lichen-like to the psyche. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. JWR contributor Kathleen Parker can be reached by clicking here. © 2008, WPWG |
Lifestyles |


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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 18, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nationwide, five million permanent loan modifications have been implemented in the past four years, said Faith Schwartz, Executive Director of HOPE NOW, an alliance of counselors, mortgage servicers, investors and other mortgage arena participants, in an address at the call center of loan servicer Ocwen Financial Corporation (NYSE:OCN), which has helped more than 240,000 customers avoid foreclosure, generally through
"Five million hard-working American families have been able to permanently save their homes from foreclosure. Loan mods are outpacing foreclosure sales by about a million," Ms. Schwartz said.
"We also know that this crisis is far from over and there are still millions of families that need mortgage assistance… We are clearly not out of the woods yet," she added.
In her remarks, Ms. Schwartz underscored that one of the biggest challenges is finding solutions for the underwater mortgage problem. She cited the potential success of the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, which has helped almost 900,000 homeowners refinance and has recently been expanded to help a million more homeowners reach eligibility.
Ms. Schwartz noted Ocwen's success with modifications, particularly its innovative approach on delinquent underwater mortgages. "Ocwen is one of the industry's most active HOPE NOW partners and is one of the foremost innovators in the mortgage industry. The recently rolled-out Shared Appreciation Modification, or SAM, program is proof that Ocwen is committed to their customers. Through an effective and balanced approach to writing down principal on troubled mortgages, Ocwen's SAM program has been instrumental in optimizing borrower acceptance and lowering re-default rates while at the same time providing net-present value positive outcomes for its servicing clients who are the owners of the loans." Ron Faris, Ocwen's President and CEO said, "The five million permanent loan modifications that have been achieved by the industry since 2007 wouldn't have been possible
without the non-profit counseling community and the government coming together and working as one. HOPE NOW has helped bring all these agencies and parties together to reach out to delinquent homeowners, improve the overall customer experience and embrace new technology."
Other participants at the event included human rights activist Kerry Kennedy and Peyton Herbert, Senior Vice President of HomeFree-USA, a nonprofit homeownership development organization.
Said Ms. Kennedy, "The work of community organizations in the struggle to prevent foreclosures and help distressed homeowners is invaluable. The problem and the task are daunting, but many of the solutions and programs are working. We must sustain and intensify the effort — and continue to search for new and creative approaches." About Ocwen
Ocwen Financial Corporation is a leading provider of residential and commercial loan servicing, special servicing and asset management services. Ocwen is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in West Palm Beach and Orlando, Florida, Houston, Texas and Washington, DC, and support operations in India and Uruguay. Utilizing our global infrastructure, proprietary technology, world-class training and processes, we provide solutions that help homeowners and make our clients' loans worth more. Additional information is available at www.Ocwen.com. About HOPE NOW
HOPE NOW is the industry-created alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, counselors, and other mortgage market participants, brought together by the Financial Services Roundtable, Housing Policy Council and Mortgage Bankers Association, that has developed and is implementing a coordinated plan to help as many homeowners as possible prevent foreclosure and stay in their homes. For more information go to www.HopeNow.com or call the free Homeowner's HOPE Hotline at (888) 995-HOPE.CONTACT: Katarina Wenk-Bodenmiller
Sommerfield Communications, Inc.
E: firstname.lastname@example.com


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September 2
Reasons to Surrender
As we learned yesterday, God tells us to surrender our lives to Him. This is no small task. All our plans, every desire we feel, each entitlement that once seemed our right—everything is put aside in order to make way for our King's will. But perhaps you have wondered why God can ask this of us.
The Lord has every right to demand that we give Him our all. First, Scripture teaches us that He is sovereign—the King and Ruler over the entire universe. As a result, we are under His authority, whether we choose to submit or not. Next, through His death and resurrection, Jesus saved us from our sin and its consequences. Therefore, we are indebted to Him more than we could ever repay. And finally, He sustains us; we should consider each breath and heartbeat a gift from Him.
Undoubtedly, God is entitled to ask that we yield our life to Him. At the same time, surrender is in our best interest. The Father promises that following Him leads to hope and an established future. Psalm 31:19 states, "How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You . . ." So, while He is the Almighty One with all authority to demand our life, He promises to care for us and to do what will benefit us most.
Are you willing to put yourself aside in order to follow Jesus? His way is best, and it offers hope, joy, and peace. We will not always like everything He chooses at the moment, but He promises to work all things for good. Will you trust God enough to hand the reins over to Him?
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.


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I love these little guys!
For those days in between when your farmers' market flowers have died and your next opportunity to replace them, a nice green bouquet can work wonders to fill the gap:
Plus, they're rooting, so there's that bonus as well.
Bouquets feed the soul. No one ever said they had to be flower bouquets.
I guess I have basil babies (roughly 12 feet from the mother plant) now.
It feels satisfying to follow a post about a 90-year-old with a post about infants.
Meet my new Filius Blue pepper plant sprouts:
I'm excited to see these little guys grow, but don't tell anyone – they're going to be Christmas presents in a few months.
I recently got the seeds from my good friend Jenn Daniel. A few years ago, she gave me a tiny plant, which turned into this:
Pretty, right?
Don't let that pretty purple color fool you – those peppers are hot! But if you leave them on the plant long enough to turn bright red, they will be much milder.
It's a very cool pepper plant. I'm so glad Jenn sent me more seeds so I can share the love! Thanks lady!
Please say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our beloved Expert Dottie, who officially became a nonagenarian today.
90 years old is an impressive feat. To do it with style and grace is extraordinary. Happy birthday Dottie! We love you!
(photos courtesy of Cindy Correll)
Heeeeyyyyyyy, look who it is:
It's everyone's favorite octogenarian – soon to be nonagenarian – Expert Dottie!
I recently visited her in Sedona, Arizona to see her new digs. Nice views, eh? We took an early morning walk, and it was breathtaking.
Once the sun popped up, the views became even more stunning.
Of course, the company was even better than the views.
I neglected to take selfies with her – we got sidetracked. For those of you wondering, Dottie's doing awesome. It's hard to believe she'll be 90 in a couple of weeks, or that a year ago around this time she was preparing for heart surgery.
She's once again charming everyone around her and making tons of new friends. As is her usual M.O.
We did a couple of laps, then sped off for breakfast and a busy day.
If anyone would like to send Dottie birthday wishes, I will happily pass them along to her. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear from you.


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Just wanted to pop in and say Hi. Looks like the software is a huge success ! Fantastic... I remember when ... *lol* All the best !! Dave (Cleveland, Ohio)
Heyya Dave! Wow! Great to hear from you. Haven't seen your name in ages. Hope all has been well with you. Drop me an email and we'll catchup! - Marc


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"This book is a wake-call for all of us who have misjudged what children need and can handle, and who have wandered so far from the best practices that we are raising neurologically damaged and emotionally stunted human beings as a result. Simplicity Parenting arises from dialogues with real people, from their questions and their needs. Kim John Payne is sharp, funny, and wise, and–best of all–he has something shattering but positive to say to an America that is struggling to know how to live." —Steve Biddulph, author of The Secret of Happy Children
"If you are raising children in these anxious times, you need this book. It will inspire you, reassure you, and, most important of all, it will remind you that less is more, that simplicity trumps complication, that rhythm and routine bring peace to the soul. In this profound and practical guide, Kim John Payne offers parents a doable, step-by-step approach to simplifying everyday family life, from the toy box to the dinner table. In the process, he reveals to us the rewards to be found in slowing down, savoring our children's childhoods, and more fully enjoying our own adult lives."—Katrina Kenison, author of Mitten Strings for God
"Simplicity Parenting takes the unusual and unusually wise stance that sometimes less can be more. Less as in less frenetic activity, less racing around, less clutter. Payne provides practical strategies for turning down the volume and creating a pace that fosters calmness, mindfulness, reflection, and individuality in children. Simplicity Parenting should be on every parent's (indeed, every person's) reading list."—Kathleen A. Brehony, Ph.D., author of Awakening at Midlife
"Brilliant, wise, informative, innovative, entertaining, and urgently needed, this timely book is a godsend for all who love children, and for children themselves. It provides a doable plan for providing the kind of childhood kids desperately need today!" —Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness
"Kim John Payne helps parents better understand one of the most challenging issues of our time–the hurried, materialistic, competitive, highly pressured nature of today's childhood. After reading Simplicity Parenting, parents' new mantra will be 'less builds security, sanity, and connection.' And they will have the tools they need for implementing this mantra in their families."—Diane E. Levin, Ph.D., co-author of So Sexy So Soon


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Prentice Hall published Thinking Mathematically by Robert Blitzer in 2010. Now you have the opportunity to buy cheap Thinking Mathematically copies from our website in this 5th edition release. We also make it possible to sell your Thinking Mathematically book back here as a pre-owned copy to sell to someone else. That's how our website works - providing a service for all American students to make the most of. Get to grips with math now and enjoy the cheapest prices for Thinking Mathematically used copies. It couldn't be easier to learn how to get your thinking moving along the right lines, thanks to the lessons in this text book. Robert F. Blitzer is the author of 'Thinking Mathematically, Fifth Edition', published 2010 under ISBN 9780321645852 and ISBN 0321645855.
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The Horse Forum
- General Off Topic Discussion
- - I used to be blonde
I used to be blonde Last edited by Joshie; Yesterday at 11:53 PM. Reason: I used to be blonde. The above is what Joshie posted on an edited post.:shock: Expanation needed !!! |
Well, in case you haven't noticed, I am a bit of a goof ball. I realize I've hidden this well :wink: so you may not know this about me. When I make a boo boo I often say my blonde roots are showing. I was a blonde child. Actually, I could call myself blonde until I was about 19. I never know what to put in the box that requests the reason for editing. A goofy box kinda deserves a goofy response, doesn't it? :lol: |
I am a brunette that went blonde.....LOL:lol: |
Imma brunette that acts blonde. |
I'm a former (recovered???) blonde who now has very dark, graying hair. The disgusting thing is my hubby is a lot older than I am but I'll soon have more gray than he has. So....you can't tell by looking at my hair that I have a blonde past. You can tell, however, by my ditzy ways. :lol: |
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Vulcan Home Ltd Was founded in January 2013 By Ben Spackman and Konrad Waloch. Both of which, are very keen and passionate about what they do.
Between them, they have over 15 years experience in the Chimney industry and are now passing that book of knowledge down to a very hard working and professional team that is expanding very quickly to keep up with the growing demand of solid fuel appliances.
We like to think of ourselves as a very "current" company, keeping up to date with all the latest technologies and products that are available in the Chimney industry. We are constantly looking at how we can improve and have already invested in high tech equipment that will allow us to do an all round better job and extend on the list of useful services we can supply.
Our services consist of:
- Chimney lining.
- Supply and install of many different high quality Wood burning stoves.
- CCTV Chimney surveys and reports.
- Supply and install of Custom made Fireplaces and Hearths.
- Twin wall flue systems.
- Chimney sweeping. ( With the latest power sweeping methods.)
Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Thames Ditton, Kent


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What is it that David Cameron, Kate Moss and Tim Henman all have in common? Apparently, they all choose to start their day with a bowl of steaming oats. Once viewed as a rather depressing slop, muesli's austere relation, it seems these days that everyone is eating porridge for breakfast.
Last January, Quaker Oats revealed that its sales had risen an astonishing 200 per cent since January 2009, and reported the largest orders in the company's 110-year history.
More surprising was that during the summer months it wasn't just the temperature that was soaring – Quaker Oats reported a 24 per cent rise in sales this June compared to 2009. Such popularity surprised even insiders. Hayley Stringfellow, Quaker's marketing director, remarked: "Last June was the hottest ever recorded worldwide, so to see sales of hot cereal rise, despite the heat, was very unusual."
To understand why porridge has become so popular, one only need look at the health benefits a regular dose of oats offers. High in fibre and protein, oats have been proven to lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and boost serotonin (believed, among other things, to help prevent depression). Porridge is digested slowly and helps to keep you full for longer, leading to just about every health expert proclaiming it to be the most desirable way to start your day.
Paired with the fact that a packet of oats is very cheap to buy, it makes sense that they are flying off the shelves in these tight financial times.
While most people choose to make a bowl of porridge at home themselves, it has also become a popular choice when eating out. Its current classless image means that it can be found on the menu anywhere from top hotels such as the Dorchester (served with brown sugar and cream, for £7.50) to McDonald's (with milk and jam, setting you back just 99p).
How should you make your porridge?
Water or milk? Sugar or salt? To soak the oats or not to soak? How to make your morning bowl can provoke fierce debate among porridge aficionados, who tend to be very particular about their technique. And that is before we negotiate the myriad ways to finish off the oats, with berries, honey, seeds and jam. Traditionally, the Scots balk at using anything other than oats, water and salt, so we asked three Scottish Michelin-starred chefs (right) to share how they make their morning porridge.
Weird and wonderful
As porridge is intrinsically associated with breakfast, we often shun using oats in other savoury dishes. But why should we? After all, oats are a grain, just like rice, and it makes sense for oats to provide the basis of other meal-time dishes. Everyone knows about Heston Blumenthal's snail porridge, served at the Fat Duck in Bray, but strange and exotic dishes made with porridge are becoming increasingly popular. At the World Porridge Making Championships held earlier this month in Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands, Barry Gauld from the Kinlochewe Hotel near Achnasheen received a special mention with his West Coast Seafood Porridge (below left).
The image problem
Quite at odds with the healthy, trendy image it has today, porridge has been viewed throughout history as the dish of the poor and has a reputation for being plain and unexciting. And it is in this way that porridge has usually made appearances in culture.
The Seventies television show Porridge followed two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade. The comedy derived its name from the British slang for serving a prison sentence – "doing porridge" – so-called because porridge was once the traditional breakfast served in UK prisons.
Earlier, when writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle visited a First World War armaments factory at Gretna on the Scottish border, he gave the nickname of "the Devil's Porridge" to the mixture of nitroglycerine and gun-cotton, res-embling a lumpy paste, that was used to propel shells on their lethal mission.
In his poem "Oatmeal", the US poet, Galway Kinnell, describes a solitary morning alone with a bowl of porridge. He imagines that fellow poet John Keats has joined him at the table because "due to its glutinous texture, gluey lumpishness, hint of slime,/and unusual willingness to disintegrate, oatmeal should/not be eaten alone". The poem is a fierce defence of a wild imagination faced with the mundane, in this case represented by the porridge.
But surely porridge's most prominent literary appearance is in the children's story The Story of the Three Bears. The tale had been around for years in the oral tradition before it was first published in 1837, with the intruder an ugly, elderly woman who tasted the three bowls of porridge. The pretty young Goldilocks only replaced the old woman 12 years later (and has stayed put ever since).
West Coast Seafood Porridge
Barry Gauld's recipe
Ingredients (serves three)
100g pinhead oatmeal, soaked overnight and washed
500g light white chicken stock
3 large Langoustine tails
3 large scallops (roe removed)
approx 100g flaked hot smoked salmon
2tbsp parsley butter
pinch of salt
pinch of paprika
little vegetable oil for frying
1 Bring the chicken stock to the simmer and then add the drained oatmeal, stirring constantly.
2 After around 20 mins add the parsley butter. Taste and season as required.
3 Dust the scallops with the smoked paprika and salt.
4 Peel the langoustine tails.
5 Sauté the langoustine tails and scallops together on a high heat for a couple of minutes on each side.
6 Gently fold in the flaked smoked salmon.
7 Apportion the porridge into three bowls and decorate with a langoustine tail and a scallop.
How Scottish chefs make their porridge
Tom Kitchin
Chef and proprietor, The Kitchen, Edinburgh
Porridge is a staple in the Scots' diet, to stave off the winter chill. Some like it sweet, some salty; my version is a little bit of both. I like to add my own twist to give it some texture. Mix 200ml of oats and 400ml water and bring to the boil. Add half a tablespoon of salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes and take off the heat. Mix 25g sunflower seeds, 25g of walnuts and half a grated apple, and serve with cold milk.
Martin Wishart
Chef & proprietor at Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh
Take one cup of porridge oats, 2-3 cups of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring it up to simmer. I cook it for no more than 10 minutes; five is usually enough. Serve into the bowl. Then comes the important part. Pour a bit of cold milk straight from the fridge on top of the porridge and it will just float there. The porridge becomes hard and almost sets under the cold milk – it's fabulous. I'm quite a traditionalist when it comes to porridge; I don't add sugar.
Jeff Bland
Executive chef, The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
We use 1 cup of good old-fashioned porridge oats to 4 cups of water. I wouldn't bother soaking the oats – the more things people have to do, the less inclined they are to make it. We boil the oats for about 20 minutes with a pinch of salt. One of the most important things is once the porridge is cooked, to turn off the hob, put a lid on it, and just let it sit there for 10-15 minutes. We offer our guests cream, milk, honey and sugar. The traditionalists will eat it just as it comes and the English, of course, will want to put jam on it.
Oat cuisine
Groats, or kernels, are made by having the oats hulled and their outer casing removed. They are particularly nutritious. However, they are hard to chew, so they are often soaked and cooked.
Steel-cut oats
These whole-grain groats havebeen cut into just two or three pieces by steel, rather than being rolled. They resemble small rice pieces, and are also known as 'pinhead oats'.
Jumbo rolled oats
These are the most popular – and the most familiar. The whole groats are steamed and rolled to make oat flakes. They have a slightly lower nutritional value than unsteamed oats, but cook in a few minutes.
Oatmeal consists of oat grouts that have been ground up. The finer they are ground, the smoother th texture of the resulting porridge. For fluffier porridge, it is recommended to stir and whisk them.
- More about:
- Chicken
- Dairy Products
- Fish
- Porridge


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Colin Campbell - London, UK - War of 1812 on Waymarking.com
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Colin Campbell - London, UK
War of 1812
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Colin Campbell was Field Marshal of the British Army and fought in several conflicts...the War of 1812, the Crimean War, the First Opium War, the Indian Mutiny, et al.
London, United Kingdom
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This 1867 life-sized bronze sculpture of Campbell is located in Waterloo Place in London. Campbell is depicted in military garb and boots and is looking down at the viewer. The artist is Carlo Marochetti.
This website (
visit link
) has an additional close-up photo and explains:
"Interestingly, the base of the monument has Clyde's birthdate, 1792, but no year following "died" (Clyde died in 1863). "As commander-in-chief in India he brought the the Indian Mutiny to an end in 1858" '
Below the sculpture of Campbell is another work with a woman (representing Britain) sitting on the back of a lion.
Although Campbell's participation in the War of 1812 was apparently unremarkable in comparison with his other achievements they are referenced in this Encyclopedia Britannica article (
visit link
) as well as in the Wikipedia (
visit link
) entry for Campbell that informs us that Campbell:
"...(20 October 1792 – 14 August 1863) was a British Army officer from Scotland who led the Highland Brigade in the Crimea and was in command of the 'Thin red line' at the battle of Balaclava. He later commanded the relief army in the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
...Campbell served in Nova Scotia with the 7th Battalion, 60th Regiment in the War of 1812. After the peace of 1815, he devoted himself to studying military science. In 1823, he quelled the slave rebellion in Demerara, and two years later bought himself a major's rank. In 1832, he became lieutenant-colonel of the 98th Foot and rendered distinguished service in 1842 during the First Opium War. Campbell next saw action in India, in the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848-1849, under Sir Hugh Gough. He was wounded at the battle of Chillianwala. At the decisive victory of Gujrat, his skill and valour contributed largely to the success of the British forces; his "steady coolness and military precision" were highly praised in official despatches. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1849, and specially named in the thanks of Parliament.
Crimean War
After further service in India, Campbell returned home in 1853. The next year, the Crimean War broke out, and he accepted the command of the Highland Brigade, which formed part of the Duke of Cambridge's division.[1] The brigade and its leader distinguished themselves very greatly at the Battle of Alma; and with his "thin red line of Highlanders" he repulsed the Russian attack on Balaclava. At the close of the war, Sir Colin was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, and elected honorary D.C.L. of Oxford University.
Commander-in-Chief of India
His military ability had been late in being recognised; but his true worth was soon appreciated. In 1857 what started as a mutiny of sepoy soldiers in India spread to a general insurrection in the north of the areas of India controlled by the East India Company. The initial successes of the rebellion led Lord Palmerston to offer him the command of British forces there on July 11, 1857. On being asked when he would be ready to set out, Campbell replied, "Within twenty-four hours." He left England the next evening, and reached Calcutta on August 13. After spending over two months in the capital to organize his resources, he started for the front on October 27, and on November 17 relieved Lucknow for the second time. Campbell, however, considered Lucknow a false position, and once more abandoned it to the rebels, retaking it in March 1858. He continued in charge of the operations in Oudh until the embers of the revolt had died away. For these services he was raised to the peerage in 1858 as Baron Clyde, of Clydesdale in Scotland. After returning to the United Kingdom in the next year, he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and a pension of £2000 a year. He was promoted to Field Marshal in 1862."
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The European Survey on Language
Competences is a major initiative by
the European Commission to support
the development of language learning
policies across Europe.
Find out more
More about the European Survey on Language Competences and SurveyLang partners
Find out moreAn introduction to the work SurveyLang does in developing and delivering the European Survey on Language Competences
Find out moreUseful links for the European Survey on Language Competences and links to SurveyLang partners
Find out more16 August 2012
Link to the Survey's datasets
The results and the datasets from the Survey have been made available here
21 June 2012
Release of Final and Technical Reports
The European Commission have released the Executive Summary and the Final and Technical Reports from the First European Survey on Language Competences.
12 October 2011
SurveyLang Standard Setting Conference: Cambridge 26-30 September 2011
This major event brought together experts in each of the five languages as well as language professionals to set the standards for the test results from the Main Study held earlier this year.