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Sunday, February 5, 2012
I Feel Good about Squash
With age comes many things, including a growing fondness for squash ... especially baked Acorn Squash with butter and brown sugar or raw Zucchini in salads.
Then, an intriguing recipe popped up on my radar, containing something new to me -- Butternut Squash -- that looks like this when you buy them:
Research revealed that the word "squash" comes from the Narragansett language (belonging to Native Americans living in Rhode Island long ago) and means "a green thing eaten raw."
In fact, squash was one of the "Three Sisters" planted by Native Americans: corn, beans and squash. Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Experts say it is both, since it's considered a vegetable when used in cooking, but because it has seeds it's technically a fruit.
The bottom line is the deep yellow/orange flesh of Butternut Squash tastes great in a recipe for "Tortellini with Butternut Squash" originally found in Real Simple and modified by swapping out the mushrooms for sweet Italian sausage.
The surprisingly tasty ingredient in this recipe is the squash, which is cut into chunks, seasoned with salt and pepper and sage, tossed in olive oil, and then baked on a cookie sheet quickly in a hot oven until it looks like this:
Check out the recipe HERE.
This dish will provide the entree for another Birthday Dinner at my house next weekend, served with a shrimp, avocado and fennel salad ... and topped off with a luscious Limoncello Cake.
How do you like your squash?
7 comments:
Loved the limoncello cake I used to be able to get at a bakery in Anacortes, which is no longer there. Thanks for the vegetarian recipe, I printed it out!ReplyDelete
Love it! Printed it! Gonna make it!ReplyDelete
Hmm. I see my comment didn't post from my iPhone. Sometime I am gadget challenged.ReplyDelete
Well, my comment was that the squash certainly looks tasty and I really want to try that recipe soon. When I was a kid, I hated squash. I had an older cousin who had pronounced it awful and inedible, so I would not eat it. Eventually, my older sister asked why I didn't like squash and when I told her it was because of what Cousin Paulette said, she told me I should make decisions on my own and through my own experiences instead of basing them only on the opinions of others. The next time we had squash, I gave it a try. Boy, was the cousin wrong.
BL, I love squash! I have made roasted acorn squash with bacon, zucchini chips, and butternut squash soup! Oh how I love the soup! Your dish looks great! I am very tempted to go get a squash as I have most of the other ingredients on hand, will let you know if I do.ReplyDelete
P.S. I don't think the squash is hard to cut, I just use a big chef's knife and lop the top off from the bulb then peel and cut the rest!ReplyDelete
OK - Here's the bet. Spam instead of squash - in my kitchen at least - and war with Iran to compete with NASCAR races for best Neilson ratings. Maybe not US vs. Iran. But SOMEBODY vs. Iran.ReplyDelete
THis song is dedicated to that area of our bodies located behind and below our navels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gmZ4RJp5GQ
HOpe I'm not too obnoxious for a serious blog..... XOXO
I think there might be an apple pie in the mix too!ReplyDelete


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Before starting our first history rotation in first grade I thought that TJ and I would spend a year looking at different countries and cultures. I looked at a few different programs but didn't find anything that really suited me so I figured I would put together my own plan. I've been working on it off and on for awhile now and have finally finished them!
Edited - 2013: While I've shared this document for the past 5 years, I've decided to move it to another site. If you'd still like to access it you can download a PDF copy at my blog Facebook page.
Homeschooling: Elementary Years

subset: commoncrawl


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October 21, 2012
Santa Cruz
The original plan to Santa Cruz involved us on a 16 hour bus ride from Cochabamba, but that changed when my tio Jaime and cousin Marco said we could go with them. I can't even explain how much fun we had during the next few days!!!
We celebrated Marco's birthday in SC, and drove through some pretty crazy roads to get there. The scenery changes dramatically from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz… It's truly breathtaking!
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Right in the heart of Port Denison!
Welcome to the Surf Shack, a three-minute walk to a great surfing beach ideal for not just surf lovers but ocean lovers alike. Take in a spot of fishing, swimming, boating or the picturesque sunset after an already relaxing day in majestic Dongara/Denison.
The Surf Shack's interior boasts a beautiful decorated area and wooden floorboards throughout with two bedrooms consisting of queen size beds and third bedroom providing 2 single beds and a newly renovated bathroom and laundry & second WC.
The kitchen is well appointed with a chef's delight in the way of a Falcon freestanding twin oven along with (in addition wok burning) stovetop.Take in a movie on the LCD TV in the comfort of an attractive air-conditioned living retreat.
The Surf Shack offers two outdoor entertaining areas. Exit the living room through French doors into a beautiful alfresco dining courtyard well shaded and sheltered. The high limestone wall and wooden entry gates to the property provide plenty of privacy. The backyard includes an undercover waterproof pergola also well sheltered from the Southerly breeze, with ample parking for two cars or a boat, a laundry and extra toilet.
Sit at the bar while chatting to the nominated cook as they prepare local delicacies on the BBQ, complete with a fish cleaning station and sink that boasts hot and cold running water.
The backyard boasts plenty of room for the children to run around outdoor shower; a perfect large area ideal for entertaining large numbers or just the two of you!
The Surf Shack is a truly special place guaranteed to entice you and your guests back many times throughout out the year!
Just minutes walk to coffee shop, bakery, fish and chips, restaurant & tavern, bottle shop and picturesque Marina.
A perfect holiday for everyone!


text: Since we are your tech pioneers, we had to adventure to an Apple store to check out the new MacBook Air for you. Very impressive. I loved the light machine. Most laptops are too heavy for me to carry on an adventure. Not this one. We'll be talking about it more on Sunday's live show, 2pm Pacific. See you here!


text: Alazar Technologies Inc. has released the ATS9870, a gigasample waveform digitizer based on the eight-lane PCI Express bus. Data conversion rates to PC memory are up to 1.4 GB/s, sustained over many hours. The two simultaneous analog inputs can be sampled at rates of up to one gigasample per second with 8-bit resolution, providing a signal-to-noise ratio >40 dB. Each channel can have up to 4 GB of onboard dual-port acquisition memory, enabling transfer of acquired data without having to stop the acquisition session.


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Basketball Without Borders has helped grow the game, as Dieng can attest
MINNEAPOLIS —Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton remembers the former Gorgui Dieng.
That'd be the lanky Senegalese kid with a wingspan of more than 7 feet who, at one point, didn't understand the concept of goaltending. Even in college, he couldn't grasp why his freshman season ended when Louisville fell in the Sweet 16.
The old Gorgui sometimes appeared awkward with a basketball in his hands; after all, he'd rarely picked one up before attending the Sports for Education and Economic Development Academy in Thies, Senegal his first three years of high school. From there, he earned an invite to the 2009 Basketball Without Borders clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It was there that Newton first saw Dieng's potential. He wasn't as strong as he is now, nor was he at all familiar with the nuances of basketball that come naturally to American kids who grow up playing the sport in their driveways.
Dieng spent most of his youth kicking a soccer ball around in his hometown of Kebemer. Yet there he was, swatting shots into the bleachers and tearing down rebounds against the other top 59 players in Africa as selected by NBA, FIBA and local basketball federation officials.
"I remember Gorgui just being really raw, being athletic," said Newton, who played college hoops at Kansas before turning to the executive side of the sport. "The one thing I do remember about Gorgui is he just really competed, nonstop, and he wasn't very polished offensively, but defensively, he got after it and rebounded the ball ferociously."
The clinic, part of the NBA's vast, David Stern-spurred masterplan to globalize the game, exposed flaws in Dieng's fledgling skill set.
But it also kickstarted his transformation into an NBA starter.
"It helped a lot," said Dieng, who earned MVP honors at the camp. "It helped me shore up my game, become a better basketball player. I learned a lot of things on and off the court, how to carry myself."
First held in Africa in 2003, Basketball Without Borders invites continents' top youth players ages 19 and under for a few days of hoops, life-skills seminars and community service projects. The NBA brands it as a "global basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport and encourage positive social change in the areas of education, health, and wellness."
For American coaches and scouts, though, it's also a hub for international talent.
Entering the 2013-14 season, there were 11 NBA players who previously participated in a Basketball Without Borders Camp. Four more, including Dieng with the 21st overall pick, were drafted last summer.
Several additional athletes have earned major-college scholarships, which Newton maintains is the primary objective for most participants.
"It's actually more about the grassroots of basketball, because the majority of those kids won't be pros," said Newton, who's been involved with the program for eight years. "It's about getting them good enough to learn the game so that maybe they can get an education from it, maybe come to the states. All the kids that I've ever spoken to, when I ask them what they wanna do, they never say 'I want to play in the NBA.' They always say 'I would like to get a college education so I can come back and help my people.'"
That was Dieng's original goal when he picked up at the age of 19 and moved to West Virginia to play for Huntington Prep. Then came a scholarship from Rick Pitino and, eventually, a national championship with Louisville.
Timberwolves teammate and Cameroon native Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had the same notion when he attended the inaugural African Basketball Without Borders clinic. That helped him land at Montverde Academy, a prep school in Florida.
UCLA signed him to a scholarship, and the Bucks snagged him in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft.
But the aim is at more than just creating and exposing hidden overseas prospects, Newton says. Seminars that touch on schooling, leadership, character development and taking care of one's body mesh with the outreach projects completed by participants and guest NBA players in a way that teaches as much as it coaches.
Community endeavors include Habitat for Humanity and basketball-court construction projects.
A prince in his native village of Bia Messe, Cameroon, Mbah a Moute goes back to South Africa for Basketball Without Borders almost every summer. In addition, he has his own three-day camp for the continent's top 50 players. Five alumni of that clinic are now playing Division I college ball, including Kansas product and projected No. 1 overall pick Joel Embiid.
Newton usually serves as a coach when he attends clinics. The player ambassadors help on the court, but their main duties are accompanying campers out in the community.
That may be the biggest treat for basketball junkies whose best exposure to the NBA comes via staying up late at night to catch games on television.
"It is a lot of fun, because they soak up everything that you say," Newton said. "They can't wait for the words to come out of your mouth."
Africa is 11.67 million square miles large. But in terms of basketball, it's a small world — especially when it comes to the Timberwolves.
Newton got to know Mbah a Moute through the pair's repeated return trips to Basketball Without Borders. Both first came in contact with Dieng at the 2009 rendition.
The initiative isn't limited to the home landmass of Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon, though. Minnesota center Ronny Turiaf, a Martinique native with close ties to France, has attended camps in Paris and India and plans to be at one in Chinese Taipei this summer. Last year, Alexey Shved and former Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko worked with kids at a Russian version of the program.
Likewise, Minnesota assistants Terry Porter and Jack Sikma participated in Portugal's Basketball Without Borders camp this past summer.
Working with gifted athletes to whom hoops don't come naturally can be both a joy and a challenge, Newton said. Some of the game's simplest intricacies must be harped upon, but players tend to listen and respond to coaching with less recalcitrance.
"Some people may see that (American kids) are talented, so instead of really teaching them the game, they allow those kids to do whatever they want to do," Newton said. "So when they get to the college level and the pro level and they have to be taught, they've never had that constructive criticism, and they find it really hard to take it. That right there itself is a downfall for a lot of our kids. "But for the kids over in Africa, they know how to take constructive criticism, and they see it as that — constructive criticism. They know that you're trying to help them improve."
That's certainly been the case with Dieng, by all accounts. After barely playing until the middle of March, he's responded pristinely to an increased workload in the wake of injuries to Turiaf and Nikola Pekovic.
Now much more coordinated, muscular and confident than he was four years ago, he's averaged 11.7 points and 11.7 boards per game since the beginning of March.
All season, Mbah a Moute told the big man to "just be patient and work hard. His opportunity will come."
And while Mbah a Moute himself hasn't played as much as desired since coming over in a trade from Sacramento — 14.8 minutes per game — his relationship with Dieng has paid off.
"He's helped me out a lot," said Dieng, who speaks fairly good English and speaks four other languages. "Any time I'm down, he just kind of talk to me. Sometimes, practice gets tough. He just came and talked to me, he came to my place and we have dinner and talk."
Coach Rick Adelman also has observed Dieng's progress — the roots of which can be traced to Johannesburg, a city more than 9,000 miles away.
"He's a very quick learner," Adelman said. "I think he's a smart player. He's got a really good understanding of the game."
Follow Phil Ervin on Twitter


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What is a "Personal Family photographer"?
A "personal family photographer" is more than just a photographer that takes your families pics once..
What I do is so much more than just sitting an adorable baby in front of a backdrop. (Granted I do put the occasional newborn in front of a backdrop if the client asks for it ;-) )
Truth be told...I am a story teller. Good Lord I love a story.
I am not about posing all of my images...I am totally fine with a messy house (because that is real life)...I want capture my clients just being who they are.
Of course there are posed family shots BUT there is a whole lot of kids being allowed to be kids at my sessions.
I don't expect perfection from a child...I am there for them to share with me who they really are and try and capture it in a artsy way. Putting my angle on an image and hoping the child doesn't even realize they did anything but have fun.
A families story is so much more than just a single session at a milestone moment. I can share images of my families that start on wedding days and are still being told with almost grown children.
I simply have been allowed to become part of the family in a way.
My cameras and I have been witness to huge love, tiny miracles, tragic death, divorce, teens on their way out the door to their own new beginnings...on and on.
We have shared tears of both joy & sadness more times than I can count...the holding of hands and being half therapist, half mother always friend.
I tell their story over years with my images...not just once.
I get attached to watching your families grow up.
There's this bond that comes from being invited to be part of your most intimate, often life changing moments.
It's wonderfully humbling.
It has 100% shaped who I am today.
The stories...all the beautiful stories.
I look back over the last 15 years and think
"How am I THIS lucky? This blessed beyond blessed to be asked in? To STILL being doing this thing I love?"
The answer is simple...passion/calling/love of my fellow humans.
If your family photographer can connect with you then capturing who your family really is flows naturally.
The joy your photographer has for you with each chapter of your life...well it comes through in your images.
This isn't just a job it's a calling.
I live for the story telling...everyone has a story.
I want to capture yours.
Breathe life into it and make something that brings a family joy for a lifetime.


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Networth Update
Yeah! My student loan payments went through yesterday, and it pushed my networth to POSITIVE $596
That's amazing!!
Hooray! Doesn't it feel GREAT to be in the positive?!?! I absolutely love it.ReplyDelete
Did you see Punch Debt's Student Loan comment:
"I've been paying on my student loan for 15 yrs , If I just robbed a bank and paid it off, I'd only have to do 18 months" Sounds compelling
I love it! Congrats on the net worth push. =D
Congratulations! That's great!ReplyDelete
Wow that's great!! Congrats Jessie! :-DReplyDelete
Boo to the YA!!!!! That's totally freakin awesome. Isn't it so relaxing to see the progress. Keep on keeping on!ReplyDelete
Way to go Jessie! But remember Grandma's words - when they were finally worth more than they owed, she figured she could quit worrying about shopping. Ahh, the life of a small-business owner in a small town!ReplyDelete
@ All - thanks!! I can't beleive it's already that high!!
@ Mom - I'll have to keep that wise women's words in mind ;)
Yay, out of the hole!ReplyDelete


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According to Lonely Planet, arty, bohemian Galway (Gaillimh) is renowned for its pleasures. Brightly painted pubs heave with live music, while cafes offer front-row seats for observing street performers, weekend parties run amuck, lovers entwined and more.
Steeped in history, the city nonetheless has a contemporary vibe. Students make up a quarter of its population, and remnants of the medieval town walls lie between shops selling Aran sweaters, handcrafted Claddagh rings and stacks of second-hand and new books. Bridges arch over the salmon-filled River Corrib, and a long promenade leads to the seaside suburb of Salthill, on Galway Bay, the source of the area's famous oysters.
Galway is often referred to as the 'most Irish' of Ireland's cities, it's the only one where you're likely to hear Irish spoken in the streets, shops and pubs. Even as it careens into the modern age, it still respects the fabric of its past.
Getting Here
By Train
The main train station in Galway is located just off Eyre Square and about one mile from the start line of Run Galway Bay. More info on trains to Galway from www.irishrail.ie
By Bus
The main bus tation in Galway is also located just off Eyre Square and about one mile from the start line of the Run Galway Bay. More info on buses to Galway from www.buseireann.ie
Getting around while you are here.
Car & Bus
Parking throughout Galway's streets is metered and costs €1 for the first 30 minutes and €0.80 for every hour thereafter. There are several multistorey and pay-and-display car parks around town. The closest to the Run Galway Bay start lines are located at Jurys Hotel and along Merchants Road in the city centre.
You can walk to almost everything in Galway, including out to Salthill, but you'll also find regular buses departing from Eyre Sq.
Local transport
Taxi ranks are located on Eyre Sq, on Bridge St, and next to the bus-train station. You can also catch a cab by dropping by a taxi office. Try Abbey Cabs (569 469; Eyre St) or Galway Taxis (561 111; Dominick St).
Coca-Cola Zero® Bikes is an exciting new addition to Galway. Bike stations are located throughout the city to provide a healthy and convenient means of transport.Ideal for supporters who want to cycle the course. www.bikeshare.ie
Map of Galway City


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2013 Costasera Masi
Red • Veneto • Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG • Italy • Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara
2013 Costasera Masi, Veneto, Italy, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Proud, majestic, complex and exuberant: this is Masi's gentle giant. A benchmark for the Amarone category, which, together with Barolo and Brunello, makes up the aristocracy of the Italian wine world.
Appassimento is the traditional method used in the Veneto region to concentrate aromas and tastes in wine. The grapes are laid out on bamboo racks to dry during the winter period before vinification.
This is an ancient technique, operating for centuries in the area. This art has been transmitted by the Boscaini family and employed in an innovative fashion by the Masi Technical Group to make modern wines from semi-dried grapes, and above all, Amarone.
The APPAXXIMENTO® symbol on the bottles proclaims Masi's expertise in Appassimento in the XXI century and guarantees the authenticity and quality of their wines.


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How To Grow Your Email List
As a business owner, there is a lot of emphasis on growing a large email list. I have even heard people say that you need to have a certain number of subscribers before you can launch a product or service. While I don't necessarily agree with that, there is some merit to growing a large email list. Every subscriber is a potential customer or client, so naturally the more you have, the better it is for your business. Although I will add that it doesn't mean you can gain a bunch of email subscribers and then spam them like crazy - but more on that later.
Last week, I talked about how you could implement an email sign up pop up box for your website and why you should give it a try. When I did this, it helped to grow my email list just by having an easy option for people to drop in their emails. This is one of many ways you can grow your email list, but I wanted to share a few more with you today.
Create an opt in
I am sure that you have heard that giving people incentive to sign up for your list is one of the best things you can do for your email list. I definitely agree with this, but you also have to be sure that you are giving away something that people will want. Listen to to your audience and figure out what will benefit them most. Your freebie can be anything from a free printable, discount, guide, or Ebook, but it depends on your audience. You want your opt-in to relate to your business and help to show people what it is that you do. It is another way to establish your expertise in an area too.
I recently added a new opt-in specifically for business owners all about creating a cohesive brand as an incentive for business owners to join the list. It has proven to be valuable content that people genuinely want and will push them to sign up for the list.
Tell people about it
No one will sign up for your list if they don't know about it! Be sure to tell people about your list and what they will get when they sign up so that they are enticed to actually sign up. You want to make it interesting so that they will take the extra step to add their email. The best way to show that you have an email list is on your website. Add sign up boxes in places that are easily seen and add a little text to explain what type of content they will get for joining. You can also promote your list on social media and blog posts by reminding people to sign up and telling them about the freebie they will get for joining.
Provide valuable and exclusive content
Our email boxes are sacred places. We have talked about this before, but if you are going to send an email, make sure it is worthwhile to read. By providing valuable content to your audience, they will be grateful for the information and even be more likely to share it with others. If your subscribers truly enjoy reading your emails, they will become loyal followers and speak highly of you to others. Once you fill your list with emails, you want to keep those people around. Like I said earlier, you don't want to spam them by sending too many sales emails and not enough valuable content.
Another aspect of this is to provide exclusive content specifically for your email subscribers. Don't simply send all of your blog posts to them via email. If they want to read your blog, they will go to your blog. That's not to say you can't include popular blog posts links in your emails, but you need to give them something else too. They need a reason to get your emails in their inbox among the other 100 they get every day. This can be in the form of the content itself as well as special deals or offering new products and services to them first. Make sure it is clear that they will get exclusives by signing up for the list too as another incentive to join.
Listen to your audience
By listening to your subscribers, they will tell you what they want. Ask for feedback in your emails through questions and have your subscribers respond directly to you to start a conversation. Once you get them talking, they will tell you what they want to read. Listen to what they are saying and provide content to help them with their problems.
Grow before you launch
While this may seem a little backwards, I wanted to touch on the importance of growing your list before you launch. Whether you are launching a new business or simply adding a new product or service, it is helpful to have a list of people to directly promote your business to. If they have signed up for your list, they are likely interested in what you have to offer. Letting your email list know about your newest offering will help to increase awareness and sales.


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October 2, 2013 - Federated Identity Services
Presentation: Federated Identity Services - Single sign-on to external web services using organizational credentials With Matthew Economou
We will be talking about trust federation in general and about his team's implementation in particular, using Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) and the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML). With this presentation, We aim to answer the following questions:
- How would one safely enable access to third-party web applications using an organization's own authentication database?
- How do federated identities work?
- How might one deploy a federated identity service?
This is a fairly technical presentation and will include a demo if time permits.


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Client fightmymonster | Avatars are an essential part of many games. Here is a selection of the avatar characters created and animated for fightmymonster.
These are a small sample from those you can gereate and design in the game. In the avatar generator you can combine parts to create the creature of choice, mutant, unded, deep sea and robot style!


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I'm sorry to say we had a little scuffle last night. The gravediggers are hard at work in the backyard, and I've sent my minions out to chase the last of the ruffians down. So I think it's safe tos ay this time, we'll continue uninter–
*Angry shouts sound from outside*
"Excuse me." *Night Mistress hits button on security pad, explosion sounds* I'm sorry. As i was saying, I've invited romance author Casey Wyatt to speak with us. 🙂 Please, make yourself at home, dear.
First off, welcome back. For those who might not know you, Casey, why don't you tell us a little about yourself and your work?
Casey: Hi! I'm Casey Wyatt. I write paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I currently have two published novels and several more in progress. I'm an avid reader, movie watcher, anime lover (especially Fullmetal Alchemist!)
Mistress: My minion's poking me to say that's a very good choice. Whatever anime is….anything else?
*Aside from Juli: Don't mind her, Casey. She may live in the 21st century, but she's stuck in the 12th.
*Mistress peers at Juli*: What did you say?
Nothing, ma'am.
*Mistress narrows eyes* Yes, well, anything else Casey?
Casey: Yes, I also enjoy knitting and crocheting stuff.
Mistress: What inspired your latest novel The Undead Space Initiative?
Casey: My own demented imagination. Seriously, all my story ideas seem to sneak up on me. I was driving the car when the idea for The Undead Space Initiative popped into my head. I heard – Cherry Cordial, vampire stripper must flee to Mars. And that is pretty much what the story is about. The idea for Mystic Ink came from a baby name book while I was researching character names for a different story.
Mistress: Okay,my minions have insisted I ask you some probing questions. Ready? All Hallow's Eve or All Saint's Day?
Casey: Halloween!
Mistress: Favorite scary movie?
Casey: Shaun of the Dead. I was going to choose The Nightmare Before Christmas, but it's really not that scary.
Mistress: But so endearing, yes. I agree. Ahem, Dr. Frankenstein, or Dracula?
Casey: Dracula. Sorry, but I prefer dead guys with matching body parts.
Mistress: Candy corn or chocolate?
Casey: Chocolate. Though I do love candy corn and I buy it the moment it appears in the grocery store (so that would be late August!).
Mistress: What are you going to dress up as for Halloween this year?
Casey: Scary writer girl under deadline.
Mistress: If you could be in any classic horror novel, or story (such as Dracula, Frankenstein, Carmilla, Turn of the Screw, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Tell-Tale Heart? The Raven?), which would it be?
Casey: Hmmm. Good question. That depends since I want to survive the experience. I do love Edgar Allen Poe, so I would have to say The Raven.
Mistress: Please give us a taste of your work.
Casey: This scene from my latest release, The Undead Space Initiative, is between my heroine Cherry Cordial and the super sexy Ian McDevitt. Between, me, you and the fence post, I sure wouldn't mind spending time with him in a spaceship, if you know what I mean <wags eyebrows>!
Mistress: Undead? Sounds like my kinda guy. Let me see here…. *peers at book in Casey's hand*
Suddenly, I wasn't the biggest, baddest thing on the block.
They always traveled in packs. Enough of them could take me down. Revenants were cousins to vampires, undead beings with too much spirit. Essentially ghosts with physical reality.
I picked up the pace, steering toward the middle of the street and well away from dark corners. If I had a heart rate, it would have been pounding. My blood was rare and prized. One sip and the revenants would keep me alive to serve as a drink dispenser.
I fished through my bag. Where was my cell? Jonathan would come. Provided I could find the damn phone.
Meaty thwacks rang out in the alley as I passed by.
Do not look.
A soft oomph, followed by a clipped English accent, "Try that again, bastards."
I looked.
A lone and gorgeous male vampire had been captured. Three revenants had him pinned against the wall. Two held his arms and one pinned his legs. Three more surrounded him like a pack of knife-wielding hyenas.
The vampire snarled. Long fangs bared, presumably pissed off at his capture. With his sculptured physique, he could handle the situation. Right?
None of the baddies had noticed me yet. I could leave.
Another punch landed, connecting with the vamp's mouth. The crack echoed in the alley. Liquid splattered, followed by cruel laughter.
The vampire hottie spat, his lip broken. Blood trickled down his jaw, seeping into the stark white collar of his button down shirt. "Think twice before you cut me, mate. I'll smash all of your fucking heads in."
"Shut up, meat."
One added, "I'm so scared," before swinging his knife and tearing a gash in the vampire's chest. The pack laughed. A revenant approached the vampire with IV bags.
Crap-a-roni, now I had to get involved. They planned to bleed him out. That's what revenants did. They took a vampire's blood and drained him or her dry. The blood was then sold to the highest revenant bidder. They believed our blood could remove the excess spirit from their bodies, returning them to their true vampire form.
Problem is—it's a myth. There's no way for a revenant to become a vampire, any more than I could become a zebra if I wanted to. These guys were zealots. Deranged lunatics.
"This is your last warning, blokes," Mr. Sexy English accent said. I tried not to shiver at the sound of his rich voice. Heady whiffs of his sweet scented blood drifted my way. Like a fine wine, the smell promised a delicious and satisfying taste. Saliva pooled in my mouth. My fangs dug into my bottom lip.
"Well lookee here!"
Damn. I should have run when I had the chance. The pack turned in my direction, their faces eager for more blood. I cringed under the gaze of the hollow-eyed, pale-skinned nightmares who all wanted a piece of me.
The nearest one licked his gray, rubbery lips. "Yum. Dessert."
I was too stupid to live. Why didn't I run? My feet were frozen to the spot. I did the lamest, girliest thing possible. I swung my purse. And connected. A solid hit to the nuts.
The revenant shrieked, clutching his junk. "Bitch!"
The male vampire bucked, tossing the revenant off his left arm. Partially free, he ripped the arm off the other revenant before the thing could even react. With balled fists, Mr. Hottie crushed the skull of the captor holding his feet.
"Don't stand there like a daft pony!" the vampire scolded. He snapped the neck of the nearest revenant, then motioned. "Get out of my way!"
"What? Without my help, you'd still be trapped against a wall!" I ducked and stepped aside, narrowly avoiding the gray-lipped revenant who had thought I was dessert.
"The rubbish bin would be more help than you!" Mr. English silenced two more revenants with brutal, neck-twisting efficiency.
"Oh really?" What a prick.
The revenant recovered from the nut bash and charged me again. His fingertips knocked off my ball cap. I kicked him in the stomach, grabbed the garbage barrel and slammed it over the revenant's head as he honed in on me. The plastic bin wouldn't kill the thing, but he couldn't see either.
"Pathetic," the vampire said.
Mr. English and I watched as the last revenant bounced against a brick wall before falling over, his legs scissoring.
"Time for this one to bugger off as well." Mr. English yanked off the barrel and snuffed out the revenant with a bone-shattering blow to its head.
One by one the corpses disintegrated into dusty husks. A breeze blew through the alley and scattered the remains. Gray vaporous clouds floated around before dissipating into the air. To a passerby, the revenants' final passage would look like dirty car exhaust.
"Well, I'm off then. Have good evening." He brushed dirt off his tailored trousers. "Sod it, they scuffed my shoes. And this shirt is ruined."
"Yeah. What a tragedy. You're lucky. You could have been a revenant Slurpee."
He sniffed at the suggestion. "I was never in any real danger."
"You could have fooled me," I retrieved my ball cap from the grimy sidewalk.
A late afternoon sunbeam penetrated the alley, illuminating the vampire's blue-green eyes and highlighting the fine bone structure of his face. I tried not to gawk.
I gathered my tangled hair and mashed it under the hat. "Looks to me like they had you pinned against the ropes." Did I mention he was gorgeous? Like a cover model. An underwear cover model. I cleared my throat. He was a total stranger, and while I bet he looked divine in only underwear, I needed to stop ogling him.
When he stared at me and didn't reply, I lamely added, "You know? Down for the count."
"I understood the reference, luv," he said in his damn fine accent.
A man-shaped shadow shifted from across the street, forming a dark blot in the alley's entrance. We weren't alone.
Mistress: Sounds intriguing! We wish you all the best with it. Before we let you go, where can our guests find you on that evil little realm called the Web?
Casey: I have my tentacles all over the web!
Mistress: *hehe* A girl after my own heart. I guess I'm going to have to have one of my minions look into that.
Website: www.caseywyatt.com
Blog: www.caseywyatt.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.wyatt.37
Twitter: @CaseyWyatt1
Tumblr: http://caseywyatt.tumblr.com/
The Undead Space Initiative:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Undead-Space-Initiative-ebook/dp/B008SFZRB6/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344164814&sr=1-2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1112373343?ean=2940014948333
Pink Petal Books – http://pinkpetalbooks.com/The-Undead-Space-Initiative-by-Casey-Wyatt.html
Mystic Ink:
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/casey-wyatt?keyword=casey+wyatt&store=ebook
Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/mystic-ink/
Casey: Thanks for having me as your guest today, Night Mistress. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. Or if you want to talk movies, anime, zombies or about other fun topics, I'm game!
Mistress: Thanks for taking time out to be with us, Casey. Good luck with that deadline! Don't forget to take a moment out of your night to scare those trick-or-treaters (or to cast a spell on those pesky villagers)!


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SYDNEY, Australia — Australia's most prominent Islamic cleric will not give sermons for two or three months, but will not face censure from his mosque for a sermon comparing women who do not wear head scarves to "uncovered meat," the mosque's spokesman said Friday.
The board of the Lakemba Mosque Association met late Thursday with Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali and decided afterward to accept his apology for the comments, which triggered a storm of protest.
Association president Toufic Zreika said the board was "basically satisfied with the notion that certain statements made by the mufti was misrepresented and the mufti was misinterpreted."
"Obviously those comments have been made, but he provided us with an unequivocal apology for saying so," Zreika told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
The decision prompted further condemnation.
"I think this is a slap on the wrist," said Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Sue Goward on Friday, a day after she accused Hilali of inciting rape.
Hilali apologized for any offense he had caused in making the comments a month ago during a sermon marking the holy month of Ramadan, after they were printed in The Australian newspaper.
Al-Hilali has long been a lightning rod in strained relations between the government and the Muslim minority. He said he had no intention of stepping down.
Howard condemns statements
Prime Minister John Howard and others denounced al-Hilali's remarks as blaming women for rape.
The controversy comes amid tense relations between Australia's estimated 300,000 Muslims and the rest of the mostly Christian-heritage population of about 20 million. Last December, the nation was gripped by riots that often pitted gangs of white youths against youths of Middle Eastern decent.
Howard recently offended parts of the Muslim community by singling out some Muslims as extremists who should adopt Australia's liberal attitudes to women's rights.
After last year's deadly London transit bombings, Howard accused Australian Islamic leaders of not doing enough to condemn extremism and offered government money to train local imams and reduce dependence on migrant clerics. The government has also introduced tough counterterrorism laws and is proposing tighter citizenship rules.
Debate in Europe
The issue of how Muslim women should dress has caused debate in Britain since former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, now leader of the House of Commons, said this month that Muslim women visiting his office should remove their veils. Similar passions raged when France banned head scarves and other religious symbols in public schools two years ago.
Al-Hilali, 65, is the top cleric at Sydney's largest mosque, and is considered the most senior Islamic leader by many Muslims in Australia and New Zealand, having been appointed mufti by Australia's top Islamic body.
His remarks about women drew national attention after they were printed Thursday in a national newspaper, The Australian.
'Uncovered meat'
In a translation from Arabic by the newspaper, later verified by other media, al-Hilali was quoted as saying in the sermon: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside ... and the cats come to eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat's?"
"The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred," he was quoted as saying, referring to the head scarf worn by some Muslim women.
Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said al-Hilali's comments encouraged rape and that Muslims should force him to step down.
"This is inciting young men to a violent crime because it is the woman's fault," Goward told television's Nine Network. "It is time the Islamic community did more than say they were horrified. I think it is time he left."
Howard said the comments were "appalling and reprehensible."
"The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous," he told reporters.
Pressure from fellow Muslims
Al-Hilali also faced pressure from within the Muslim community.
"Whether he steps down or not, I think it's time for Australia's Muslim faith to have a religious leader who has a better understanding of Australian laws, Australian values and the Australian way of life," said Alia Karaman, a female member of a leaders' group at a Sydney mosque.
Al-Hilali issued a statement Thursday saying The Australian had selectively quoted from the sermon, and that he was shocked at the reaction.
"I would like to unequivocally confirm that the presentation related to religious teachings on modesty and not to go to extremes in enticements," the statement said.
"This does not condone rape, I condemn rape," he said. "Women in our Australian society have the freedom and right to dress as they choose, the duty of man is to avert his glance or walk away."
Asked if he would quit his senior post, al-Hilali told Seven Network television news: "No, no, no."
Lightning rod
Al-Hilali is an Egyptian-born Sunni who has been a staunch critic of Australia's alliance with the United States in the Iraq war. He triggered a controversy in 2004 for saying in a sermon in Lebanon that the Sept. 11 attacks were "God's work against the oppressors." Al-Hilali said later he did not support the attacks, or terrorism.
Last year, al-Hilali traveled to Iraq to help negotiate the release of an Australian engineer from kidnappers, winning thanks from the hostage's family.
Many Australian Muslims say they are increasingly treated with suspicion since the Sept. 11 and other international terrorist attacks.
Waleed Aly, a member of the Islamic Council of Victoria state, said al-Hilali's comments would result in more antagonism toward Muslims. "I am expecting a deluge of hate mail," he said. "I am expecting people to get abused in the street and get abused at work."
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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By Vidya Diwakar, CPAN Research Officer
Disability may cause poverty, and poverty may cause disability. This two-way street has become a landmark drive-through visited time and again in disability and poverty discourses. But what about the intersections – women with disabilities who are persistently poor? These intersecting inequalities remain a blind spot in the literature, policy frameworks, and more recently, in the Sustainable Development Goals.
In an IDA-ADD-CPAN partnered project on disability and poverty dynamics in Bangladesh, I have attempted to illuminate this blind spot. Specifically, I investigated how disability and chronic poverty amongst women in the country affects activities of daily living, social assistance, and household coping strategies. I adopted a gendered lens as the lived realities of persistently poor women across developing country contexts are distinct from those of persistently poor men. This led me to hypothesize that the same may hold true within the subset of PWDs. From this springboard, I analysed the IFPRI Chronic Poverty and Long Term Impact Study, a panel study of rural Bangladesh between 1994 and 2010. My inquiry is part of a larger study that explores disability and poverty dynamics in Bangladesh; in the other related investigations, Peter Davis draws on life-history interviews to examine how poverty can magnify the disabling effect of certain impairments, while Binayak Sen tests whether links between disability and poverty are stronger where people have severe functional limitations or are severely poor.
Quantitative results confirm the importance of gender in the disability-poverty dyad, and the consequent shortfall of the current SDG framework. Though disability is mentioned several times across the SDGs, not once are these intersecting inequalities specifically addressed. Consider some of these goals:
- SDG4.5 seeks to eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. This is certainly a noble goal. But why stop there? Why not delve one unit of analysis further and recognise the distinct experiences of girls with disabilities (or equally of girls from ethnic minorities or in vulnerable situations)? In rural Bangladesh, I found that persistently poor girls with disabilities are much less likely to have attended school or completed primary education compared to boys in the same circumstances, though results are not statistically significant at conventional levels. This suggests that current education stipends need to develop to specifically target this cohort.
- SDG8.5 advocates productive employment for all women and men, including for persons with disabilities. Again, mentioning these groups in the same sentence does not explicitly acknowledge their intersection or actively encourage policies aimed at improving the lives of the vulnerable. In the Bangladesh dataset, while persistently poor women with disabilities are more likely to be employed compared to their male comparator group, it is highly probable that this employment is not gainful but stems from a position of heightened vulnerability where the work may be on very poor terms.
- SDG17.18 encourages data disaggregated by "income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics". Here, too, the explicit intersections between these vulnerabilities remain absent.
To be sure, the SDG goals take large strides towards improving the lived realities of persons with disabilities. They delve into critical concerns surrounding access to education and employment, empowerment, and data availability among this group. But noble though the framework may be, it falls short in explicitly acknowledging intersecting inequalities. To this end, as the Bangladesh study suggests, the disability-poverty dyad should be expanded into a disability-poverty-gender triad, and the tale of intersections brought to light.
More information on the project Disability, poverty and poverty dynamics: a preliminary analysis of panel data, policies and politics in Bangladesh


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Woodland is making a massive comeback thanks to HSGI, B5 Systems and Tactical Distributors who have teamed up to introduce several new products to the market. Although woodland camouflage has been all but abandoned by the US military it continues to remain popular due to its effectiveness in the environments it was designed for. Even the US Army Jungle School continues to issue woodland hot weather BDUs to its students and MARSOC CSOs use it for certain applications. Below is a short press release from High Speed Gear who have introduced several of their most popular items in woodland camouflage complete with woodland pattern webbing.
B5 Systems has also introduced exclusive, woodland dipped versions of their popular firearms accessories, including stocks, grips, and forends.
Additionally, Tactical Distributors has an entire category for woodland items on their site.
The Woodland pattern was the default camouflage pattern issued to United States military personal from most branches of the armed forces starting in 1981 with the issuance of the BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) until its replacement in 2006.
STS Woodland Camo Hat is now in stock!


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The benefits of whey protein are so a lot of and implement to so many diverse teams of individuals, that listing them all can be really a sizable undertaking. While in the perception of the overview, the benefits of grass fed whey protein allow it to be a wonderful option for people today of all ages who battle to take care of a balanced food plan and to boost their all round wellness.
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Whey protein is a wonderful resource of the vital amino acid, leucine. Leucine is crucial for athletes mainly because it plays a crucial part in advertising and marketing muscle mass protein synthesis and muscle growth. Whey protein is often a soluble, straightforward to digest protein and is particularly proficiently absorbed in to the overall body.
It really is usually known as a ""fast"" protein for its ability to swiftly provide nourishment to muscle tissues. The body demands far more electricity to digest protein than other foodstuff (thermic effect) and to be a end result you burn off far more energy following a protein food. Whey protein is a wonderful protein option for most cancers patients mainly because it is very straightforward to digest and very light to your process.
Whey protein may be additional to your wide range of meals and drinks to raise the protein articles without having impacting flavor. Balanced nourishment techniques are actually demonstrated to engage in a job in helping to control, and perhaps protect against, the onset of type-2 diabetes. Whey protein, a top quality, significant biological value protein, is really a excellent choice for diabetics who really need to carefully control food items ingestion.
A latest examine in Europe in contrast whey protein to casein, the primary protein in milk. They found that older adult males who consumed whey protein showed bigger protein synthesis, or expansion, which helped restrict muscle reduction more than time.


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Radical Hospitality/
Reading 1
Genesis 18
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Reading 2
From Matthew:
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
Nearly two years ago, I arrived in this country and this city to live. I was new to this congregation and in the British Unitarian movement. I was a stranger. I knew almost no one when I arrived. I did not know you and I did not know this land. I did not know how to speak properly! I said weird things like bathroom and sidewalk. I thought that cars had trunks and glove compartments and that they ran on gasoline. And my pronunciation - well, it left much to be desired.
And yet I – the stranger – was welcomed here. I was made to feel at home. We can forget just how important that is, but indeed, it can change and save lives, and I will suggest that it lies at the very core of what it means to be a religious person.
In our first reading this morning from the Hebrew Scriptures book of Genesis, Abraham and Sarah were visited by three men – three strangers. How did Abraham respond to their arrival? He did not say as we might today in such a situation: "who are you and what do you want?" He offered hospitality to these strangers, and he did not stop with the minimum – a little bit of water and some bread and be on your way... Abraham pulled out all the stops – or at least he had his wife – Sarah – pull out all the stops. This was a patriarchal culture after all… (And believe me – I would never try that with my wife.)
Abraham has his wife bring 3 measures of flour and make it into cakes. "Measure" translates to the Hebrew seah which would be about 5 and a half kilograms. Abraham is providing more than 16 kilograms of flour for three guests! That would make enough cakes to feed about one hundred people. He doesn't stop there. He takes a calf from his herd to prepare for his guests and finally, he also serves them milk and cheese.
Hospitality played an essential role in ancient Israelite culture. Theirs was not a very forgiving climate after all and the traveler would encounter many dangers. Hospitality meant survival for the traveler. It was, for the ancients, a matter of life and death.
What does hospitality mean to us today? We may hear the word hospitality and think of the hospitality industry – of hotels and cruise ships. We may think of entertaining and the proper way to set a table – which fork goes where and how to prepare lovely offerings for guests. But, the hospitality I want to talk about today is not about business and it is not about elegance. It is a wild, untamed hospitality that involves opening our hearts to others. It is about touching the lives of others and it is about our own growth as spiritual beings.
Let's call this "Radical Hospitality," which is the title of a book by Father Daniel Homan and Lonni Collins Pratt. In their book, Homan and Pratt write about the practices of the Benedictine monks – an order committed to the practice of offering hospitality to every soul that turns up at their door.
Fifteen centuries ago, Benedict prepared a short guide for the monks of his order. He taught that their greatest duty was to show open-heartedness and acceptance. Benedict wrote: "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'"
What can radical hospitality mean in today's world – a world where we have become increasingly isolated, fearful, and individualistic? Radical hospitality is about a profound way of acceptance. "When we accept" write Homan and Pratt, "we take an open stance to the other person. It is more than piously tolerating them. We stand in the same space and appreciate who they are, right now at this moment."
One night during my time as a hospital chaplain, one of the doctors asked me to speak to a patient. She told me that this patient was harassing members of the nursing staff. I entered a hospital room to find a young woman looking at me with suspicion. She assumed correctly that the doctor had sent for me to try to calm her down - to make her more manageable.
I introduced myself to the patient - I'll call her Maria. And – perhaps because I didn't know exactly what to do, I decided not to do anything, except to listen. I did listen, and noticing that I would listen and not try to change her, Maria began to talk.
She was terrified. She was a healthy young person who had suddenly developed a mysterious ailment that threatened her life. She lived in the inner city of Boston, where she struggled to raise three sons by herself. The neighborhood they lived in was infested with drugs, crime, and prostitution. All too often, young people and even children were killed in drug-related gang violence.
From what she told me, Maria was a good mother. When she talked about her sons, her face lit up with pride. Against the odds, all three were doing well and staying out of trouble. Maria often took other neighborhood kids into her home, providing them with a refuge from the danger of the neighborhood streets.
But Maria was anything but a saint. She told me of how – two years earlier – she had served four months in prison. The human being who sat so vulnerable before me had attacked another woman – slashed her neck with a razor.
Imagine the thoughts that went through my mind then. How did the images fit together? Mother, criminal, patient, prisoner, nurturer, violent offender, protector… human being. Human being. As my feelings settled, I couldn't label this person as one thing or another. I couldn't see her as different from me. She was a human being with the anger and love and care and fear and the capacity for violence that we all have. In this stranger, I saw everything that is true of all of us. I saw our differences dissolve.
I listened to Maria's story for an hour and a half. Maria had probably never experienced unconditional acceptance before. As we talked, she became softer, calmer, and less angry. Initially the image of the toughness she needed to survive in her world – she cried freely as she shared her life with me. I opened my heart to her. I had not set out to change Maria's behavior. Happily, I heard nothing further about conflict between her and the nursing staff.
Offering acceptance in this way is something that any one of us can do. As suggested by these words by pioneering psychotherapist Carl Rogers, the only requirement is that we be in touch with our own humanity:
"There is no experience that this man has that I cannot share with him, no fear that I cannot understand, no suffering that I cannot care about, because I too am human. No matter how deep his wound, he does not need to be ashamed in front of me. I too am vulnerable. And because of this, I am enough. Whatever his story, he no longer needs to be alone with it. This is what will allow his healing to begin."
Those of you who know your Hebrew Scriptures will not be surprised to hear that Abraham and Sarah's mysterious guests turned out to be God in human form. These guests visited with a message that would change Abraham and Sarah's lives. They announced that Sarah would soon become pregnant. The news must have come as something of a shock to the future parents, as they were each over 90 years of age at this point. (Just imagine trying to cope with a toddler in your mid nineties or worse yet, with a teenager when you're well over a hundred!)
What are we to make of this disguised appearance by God? One way to look at this story is as a warning to be on your best behaviour all the time: "be nice to everyone you meet or you might offend God!"
We don't take kindly to attempts at scaring us into good behavior and besides – at least this is true for me – God doesn't pop around for dinner all that often. Perhaps a better interpretation is to consider that the divine is not something found only in special divine beings, but rather in every single one of us.
In the reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is heard to say "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." I take these words to mean not just that we should treat each person as though they were divine. I prefer to believe that what Jesus was saying is that – at some level – they truly are divine. There is an element of the sacred in each person – a unity that connects all beings – high and low, rich and poor.
Radical hospitality is about seeing through – seeing beyond externalities. It is about seeing through the hurts, the quirks, the defenses, the habits, the appearances… It is about looking deep within another person to recognize and value the worth, the sacredness that lies within each of us.
Radical hospitality is not easy. It challenges us to be open to those who are different or strange to us. It challenges us to get beyond our own fears to make a connection with another person.
Unless you have entirely stopped watching the news, reading newspapers and magazines, and listening to the radio, you hear something every day to tell you what a dangerous place this world is.
As children, we are told "Stay away from strangers" and if we have our own children, we may say the same to them. Stay away from strangers. Even as an adult, I haven't completely left that warning behind. What does it mean for my religious values that instruct me to honor the worth of every person if I continue to have a suspicion of all strangers? We all need and want connection, but whether for ourselves or for our loved ones; our fears get in the way.
Radical hospitality does not mean letting everyone in. We have to make choices and we have to set boundaries that protect ourselves and others. Still, it is easy to become too self-protective. Radical Hospitality urges us to enlarge our circle of those we are willing to include and to learn to accept those who are not like us. It is all too easy to live our lives surrounded only by people who are just like us, but such a life narrows our perspectives. It does not challenge our minds or our spirits.
My encounter with Maria changed her, and it changed me as well. Through listening to her and accepting her, I began to see a new reality through her eyes. My heart – open to accept her life without judgment – was enlarged. It was left more open, more compassionate, and more ready to embrace the struggles that others face.
This receptivity to joy and surprise does not come without pain. An open heart is a vulnerable heart. An open heart is sure to be broken from time to time. Opening my heart to Maria and her story brought tears to my eyes along with hers. But taking this risk allows us to learn about ourselves and to grow.
Every one of us longs to be accepted. We long to be recognized and valued for who we are.
The story is told of a young family out to a restaurant for dinner. When the waitress arrived, the parents gave their orders. Immediately, their five-year-old daughter piped up with her own: "I'll have a hamburger, chips and a Coke." "Oh no you won't," interjected the dad, and turning to the waitress he said, "She'll have roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and milk." Never taking her eyes of the child, the waitress said, "So, luv, what do you want on that hamburger?" When she left, the family sat stunned and silent. A few moments later the little girl, eyes shining, said, "She thinks I'm real. She thinks I'm real."
I'm real! This is how we feel when we are really heard – when someone is able to really hear us and see us for who we really are. We feel real. We feel valued. It changes our view of the world and our place in it.
It is sometimes easy to feel that the problems of the world are so vast that there is nothing we can do to make a difference. Opening our hearts in hospitality is something we can do. The way we are with each person can change lives. It may seem a small thing, but it can make all the difference in the world.
I close with these words from "Radical Hospitality":
"It is a courageous thing to keep getting up every day, and it is a much more courageous thing to rouse your heart and incline it to love. To care for each other, to open the door to the stranger, to open your heart to the stranger, lifts you up into the great dance of life…It is not important that we recognize God in the stranger… What matters is that we stretch our hearts open and draw near to each other. It is the way of hospitality, the way of life, and it is, in this remote place where we have awakened to find ourselves, the only way home."
May it be so.


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What beautiful ideas over on Vim & Vintage! This post is re-blogged from Vim & Vintage – please do head on over there for wonderful ideas and lots of sunshine.
Vim & Vintage - design. life. style.
I want to know – does anyone actually like when the clocks move back? I most certainly loved the "extra" hour of sleep the other night, but now that the sun sets at 5pm I just want to throw on some pj's and go comatose after dinner. In memory of Daylight Savings Time, here's my tribute to the sun – well, in the form of sun rooms.
My dream home would most definitely have a sun room in it. Let's think about this…It's a room completely devoted to the big, bright ball of light in the sky. You can soak up that Vitamin D without even going outdoors. Perfection. If you're lucky enough to have one, here's some really cool designs I've come across.
I know Emily just posted this like a day ago but I saw this and instantly felt myself 8th grade style crushing this room. I'm…
View original post 184 more words


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Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is critical to organizational success. As organizations grow and leadership changes, funding sources shift, support mechanisms evolve, and new avenues have to be explored. Strategic guidance, through the strategic planning process, keeps the organization on its course and allows leadership to shape direction and follow its priorities systematically.
MMP Associates works with organizations to develop strategic plans that are ambitious, but achievable in fulfilling the organization's mission. We work in partnership with the board, organizational leadership and staff to ensure that those who will have to implement the plan are involved in its development. Our services include:
- 3 – 5 year strategic planning
- Capacity assessment and skills audit
- Competitive analysis
- Environmental assessment
- Executive coaching
- Executive on-boarding
Learn more about MMP Associate's approach in our article on strategic planning by Dr. Perrone.


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Tony Barkume
Tony represents clients of all sizes, from individual inventors and start-ups to multi-national corporations, and understands the value of IP from the business perspective. Tony has expertise in mobile and wireless technologies, computer hardware and software, network and Internet-based inventions, security systems including alarm and access control systems, sensor technologies, e-commerce, reward/loyalty systems, financial instruments, radio frequency and antenna technologies, and bar code systems and methodologies.
Patent Portfolio Development, Acquisition and Management
Focus on preparation, prosecution and acquisition of patents in the United States and abroad (written/prosecuted over 250 issued patents); management and strategies for large patent portfolios
All phases of prosecution before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including Examiner interviews, appeals, strategic use of continuation practice, offensive and defensive patent reexaminations
Successful prosecution in overcoming 101/Alice rejections, including Supplemental Examination procedures
Proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) including Appeals and Covered Business Method proceedings
European Patent Office proceedings at The Hague and Munich including Oral Proceedings in prosecution and opposition phases for European patents.
Patent Analysis and Opinions, Litigation Support – Offensive and Defensive
Analysis of third party patent portfolios for freedom of use opinions, development of non-infringement/ invalidity positions, risk analysis, counseling in product design-around for liability avoidance, claim charts and analysis for litigation support
Review of third party products and services, determination of infringement of client's patents with recommendations for litigation or licensing
Patent Licensing Programs and Strategies; Business Counseling and Corporate Transactions
Extensive experience in developing progressive licensing strategies from both the licensor and licensee perspectives, brainstorming sessions and invention mining within business groups, presentation of in-house patent seminars, and development of a corporate patent-centric approach
Intellectual property audits and analysis, support of mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions through due diligence reviews, portfolio analysis, risk assessment
Greenberg Traurig LLP, New York, NY: Partner, Co-Head of Patent Prosecution for IP National Practice Group
Symbol Technologies, Inc., Holtsville, NY: In-House Patent Counsel
White & Case, New York, NY: Associate
Hedman, Gibson & Costigan, P.C., New York, NY: Patent Attorney
Hazeltine Corp., Greenlawn, NY: Senior Design Engineer
AIL Corp., Deer Park, NY: Electrical Engineer
St. John's University School of Law, J.D. magna cum laude 1991; Law Review
Stony Brook University, B.E. in Electrical Engineering 1980-1982
Columbia University, School of Engineering & Applied Science 1977-1979
Admitted to Practice
New York (including U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of NY and Eastern District of NY)
United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Patents For Software-Related Inventions, 5 Software L.J. 279, 1992
Disclosure Requirements For Software Related Patents, 8 The Computer Lawyer 1, October 1991
Proprietary Protection of Computer User Interfaces, 64 St. John's Law Review. 559, 1990


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Parrott: EAJA - LOCAL V. NATIONAL CPI/
Parrott v. Shulkin, docket no. 2016-1450 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 13, 2017)
HELD: Where an attorney works in multiple locations, the correct method for calculating attorney fees is the local Consumer Price Index (CPI) approach, which is based on the cost of living where the legal services were actually performed, and the EAJA application should apportion the attorney's "time to those locations and use[] the CPI for each locality."
SUMMARY: The Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) provides for an hourly rate of $125 – and allows for an adjustment to this rate to reflect the increased cost of living. The increase is based on one of two calculations: the national Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the local CPI. The national approach focuses on the "national scope of the statutory cap and the ease of computation," whereas the local approach focuses on where an attorney works and has an office.
In this case, Ms. Parrott's attorney has his principal office in Dallas, Texas, with additional offices in San Francisco, California and Little Rock, Arkansas. The attorney worked on Ms. Parrott's case at all three offices. In the EAJA application, he calculated the attorney fee using the CPI rate for Washington, DC. He asserted that this was consistent with the Court's prior holding in Mannino v. West, 12 Vet.App. 242, 243 (1999), which applied "the local cost-of-living increase actually experienced … where work was performed nationally but always before the Court in Washington, DC." The Secretary objected to the EAJA application, asserting that the appropriate rate was the CPI for Dallas, the location of the attorney's principal office.
The CAVC disagreed with both parties, and determined that the fairer approach was to "use the local CPI to calculate the hourly rate for each of the three locations in which [the attorney] performed work and to then review [the attorney's] itemized billing statement and apportion each billing entry to the firm office where the work resulting in the entry was performed." Because this approach would require the Court "to seek additional information" from the appellant and her attorney and to "calculate four separate hourly rates," the Court declined to take on this task and instead ruled that the attorney was entitled to the statutory $125 hourly rate.
On appeal to the Federal Circuit, the attorney argued that the "EAJA does not mandate a particular method for computing attorney fees," and because statutory ambiguity should be construed in the veteran's favor, he should be allowed to use the CPI approach that yields the highest fee. This "optimal yield" approach would allow the attorney to use the CPI for Washington, DC. The Secretary argued that the local CPI approach is more consistent with the language of the EAJA and produces fairer results. The Secretary resisted the "optimal yield" approach, noting that the EAJA is not a veterans benefits statute. He further argued that because the EAJA "represents a waiver of sovereign immunity … [it] should be strictly construed in the government's favor."
The Federal Circuit examined the language of the statute, discussed the relevant case law, and determined that "the local CPI approach, where a local CPI is available … is more consistent with EAJA than the national approach." The Court held that the CAVC did not err in ruling that the local CPI approach was the correct calculation method, and that it correctly determined that the attorney's EAJA application should have apportioned his time to the different locations of his offices and used the CPI's for each locale.
The Federal Circuit disagreed with the proposed "optimal yield" approach, finding nothing in the statute that would permit a claim for "the highest fee." The Court found that this approach "runs afoul of the statutory text and EAJA's prohibition against windfalls." The Court added that the doctrine of resolving interpretive doubt in the veteran's favor does not apply to EAJA because EAJA is not a veterans benefits statute.
Finally, the attorney argued that the decision to award the statutory rate of $125 per hour was an abuse of discretion because the CAVC did not permit him to resubmit a corrected EAJA application. The Federal Circuit determined that it lacked jurisdiction "to review all discretionary actions" of the CAVC, and stated that its "jurisdiction attaches when the Veterans Court commits an abuse of discretion rising to the level of legal error." The Court found that the CAVC "did not interpret any law or regulation in declining to permit [the attorney] to resubmit a corrected EAJA application." Rather, the CAVC simply determined that the requested fee was not reasonable and "used its broad discretion" to calculate what it deemed an appropriate fee. The Court found no legal error in the CAVC's ruling.


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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) today recommends the UK government further increases the state pension age (SPA) to combat rising costs.
In October last year, the government announced the SPA would rise to 66 by 2020, accelerating the pace of change advocated by the Labour government, which planned to raise the SPA to 66 by 2026.
However, the OECD says the reform does not go far enough.
In its Economic Survey of the UK, it argues: "To deal with rising pension costs, a further increase of the effective retirement age should be sought, for example by increasing the SPA further.
"Given the political costs related to discretionary changes in the pension age across OECD countries, an automatic adjustment in line with longevity should also be considered."
The OECD is not the first entity to call for even more drastic change.
In February, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the government could help tackle "lacklustre" projected growth for 2011 by increasing the SPA to 68 by 2020.
The government says raising the retirement age at the current rate will save £5bn a year by 2015.
However, the policy remains controversial. Ros Altmann, the director general of Saga, says with the government's current plan, men's pension age increases by one year but women's increases by six years in 2020.
Women in their late fifties will be hit by the sudden jump in their SPA, and Towers Watson has warned many women aged 57 will be unable to save enough money in the meantime to cover the extra years they must wait for state pension.
Further details from the OECD report can be found here.
Article from Professional Adviser


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The White House Just Indicted 7 Iranian Hackers
The Obama administration on Thursday announced the indictment of seven Iranian hackers for a coordinated campaign of cyber attacks on dozens of U.S. banks and a New York dam from 2011 to 2013.
The indictment, filed in a federal court in New York City, described the suspects, who live in Iran, as "experienced computer hackers" believed to have been working on behalf of the Iranian government.
At least 46 major financial institutions and financial sector companies were affected by the hacking campaign, according to the indictment.
At a news conference, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the seven Iranians caused tens of millions of dollars in damages. The alleged attack against the dam by Iranians could have been a clear and present danger to Americans, she said.
Justice Department officials released the indictment at a news conference in Washington in what is one of the highest-profile U.S. indictments against a foreign nation on hacking charges.
The broader indictment comes at a time of reduced tensions between the United States and Iran after a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.


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The team returned to Mingende after our expedition to Mount Wilhelm. It was a bittersweet day. We knew we had to say goodbye to our patients as we discharge them home on postoperative day 5. We also had to say goodbye to the staff. Dr. Maggie had seen some of the patients without us in the morning and made good use of the camera I left with her. We reviewed the post operative photos and determined that all the ptosis patients were doing well and protecting their corneas (a major complication we were hoping to avoid).
It was now time for the bandages to come off for Singha. There was joy as we removed the tight bandage and although she was swollen, she was happy with the new look of her face! After saying goodbye to the staff and the remaining patients, we got back into the ambulance from Goroka Regional Hospital and our long two day journey home began.
We formed lifelong relationships with our friends at Mingende and I cannot wait to return to check up on our patients next year!


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Reflections on the Cross
For the next three weeks, as Easter approaches, we will be reflecting on the cross here on the blog. We hope you are encouraged as you read and reflect on Jesus and His love.
As a worship pastor, I often hear, sing, and lead songs that have lyrics about the image of the cross. The image of the cross is not only in songs however, it is everywhere and it is the staple symbol of Christianity. It doesn't matter where you go in the world, you will see the image of the cross as a photo, on a necklace, as a tattoo, and in many other places. If we step back for a moment and think about the prevalence of the cross, it is a bit shocking as it represents one of the most gruesome ways of torture and death known to man. The worst criminals of the time, the ones who weren't even worthy to be stoned, beheaded or put to death in any other way, were sentenced to this repulsive act of execution. And yet it is a representation of our faith as Christians and of our Savior. But why was Jesus sentenced to this gruesome death? Jesus was perfect. He never sinned, never made a mistake. Even Pontius Pilot, an unrighteous, worldly Roman Prefect, washed his hands clean of this man's so called "guilt." As an innocent man, Jesus didn't deserve this death. But, as prophesied for hundreds of years, He went to the cross. Jesus fulfills these oracles in Isaiah 53:7: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Like an innocent lamb, he was led to be executed. For what purpose? The prophet Isaiah proclaims the answer centuries before the occurrence in Isaiah 53:5-6: "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
For us all! The apostle Paul speaks of the scandalous nature of the cross repeatedly throughout the New Testament. Very clearly, he writes of the importance of the cross in 1 Corinthians 1:23: "but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" and Romans 5:7-9 states, "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." Thank you Jesus!
So what does this mean for us? The cross (and subsequently the Resurrection) is the most central part to a life with the Living God. The crucifixion is the manifestation of God's unhindered, unfiltered, uncontained and unconditional love and forgiveness for all who call on the Name of Jesus. Luke 23:34 says: "And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." This is the heart of the cross. Jesus' words for them at this scene and for us today are words of abundant forgiveness in response to our sin. I love what Isaiah 40:1-2 says of Israel: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins." The beauty in the midst of this appalling and grisly act is the majestic and undeserved forgiveness of our sins. God has given us double for all our sins! We don't deserve even the equivalent. But in His goodness, He pardons us without measure.
This leaves me to ask this question: "How can I apply this to my life today?" Jesus foretold that we would have to do the same thing that He did in Matthew 16:24-25: "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Our call as followers of Jesus is to take part in His death and resurrection. Philippians 3:10 says: "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
Romans 6:5 says: " For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." What a joy and honor it is to share in His death, the crucifixion. I know it sounds bewildering and confusing, but the crucifixion, albeit hideous and repulsive, is the most beautiful event that could ever have happened in the history of the world. Next time you see that cross necklace or tattoo on some dudes over beefed-up bicep, let that be a reminder to you of the ultimate sacrifice He gave so that you might have life. And let it remind you of the joy we have to take up our own cross alongside the most glorious Friend and Savior, Jesus.
Prayer in response:
Thank you Jesus for giving your life for mine. I don't deserve your love and forgiveness, but You chose me. I choose to take up my cross and follow you. I don't want to gain the world and lose my soul. Thank you for enduring the evil and pain of the cross so that I might have eternal life. In this season, help me see your sacrifice as a beautiful yet heartbreaking act to come alongside you and carry my cross with You. I love You Jesus and choose to say yes to You again.
By Preston Seibert
Worship Pastor


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Development Team Strengthened to Support Growing Demand for Multifactor Authentication and Anti-Counterfeit Solutions
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Sep 15, 2015) - VerifyMe, Inc. (OTCBB: VRME), a pioneer in patented physical, cyber and biometric technology solutions that prevent identity theft, counterfeiting and fraud, today announced that Balu Ramamurthy has joined the company, reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Ramamurthy will lead the company's biometrics, optical and image processing areas and contribute substantially to mobile authentication solutions.
Prior to joining VerifyMe, Mr. Ramamurthy was a software consultant at ENT Matrix where he worked on the Financial Risk Assessment team at Goldman Sachs in New York. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ramamurthy was an Algorithms & Software Developer at Eyelock and a Software Engineer at WIPRO Technologies.
Mr. Ramamurthy has extensive programming skills, experience in developing and working in various real time image processing applications and aptitude in algorithm optimization and image processing.
Mr. Ramamurthy received a Masters of Science in Computer Science from Clemson University. He earned a Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology at SSN College of Engineering in India. While at Clemson, Mr. Ramamurthy was a Graduate Research Assistant in the Computer Science Department, where he worked in the Biometrics Pattern Recognition Lab.
"I am pleased to welcome Mr. Ramamurthy to VerifyMe. We look forward to benefitting from both his technical and programming expertise. Mr. Ramamurthy's background covers areas of technology that will immediately strengthen our team," said Paul Donfried, Chief Executive Officer at VerifyMe.
"We are in the process of building out our engineering team with programmers who have come from leading technology companies," said Sandy Fliderman, Chief Technology Officer. "Mr. Ramamurthy has deep technical knowledge and a wealth of experience in the very areas that are most critical to VerifyMe."
Mr. Ramamurthy commented: "I am excited to join VerifyMe and utilize my technical expertise in assisting the new leadership team to develop and enhance our technology platform and bring new solutions to market. Counterfeiting, identity theft and fraud are serious problems across many industries which creates a significant opportunity to add real value to our client's businesses and their consumer relationships."
About The Company
VerifyMe is a high-tech solutions company in the field of authenticating products and people. VerifyMe's physical technology authenticates products, documents and currency with a suite of proprietary security inks and pigments. The company's digital technology authenticates people by performing strong, multi-factor verification via its patented digital platform. To learn more, visit www.verifyme.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements," which may be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "estimates," "anticipates," or "believes" or the negative thereof or any variation thereon or similar terminology or expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to: our ability to raise additional capital, our limited revenues generated to date, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, the ability to successfully develop licensing programs and generate business, rapid technological change in relevant markets, changes in demand for current and future intellectual property rights, legislative, regulatory and competitive developments, intense competition with larger companies, general economic conditions, and other factors set forth described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 16, 2015. VerifyMe (formerly known as LaserLock Technologies) expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Investors and Media:
Benjamin Burrell
Chief Operating Officer
212-994-7002 x702
Investor Relations


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Admit it. You've had that dream...where you wished that you could build a car that was cooler and faster than the ones you read about in the magazines. Sydney Allard had that dream too, but he made his dream a reality. For a brief time, Sydney Allard defied the odds building over 1,900 cars that bore his name and transforming the automotive world.
Search the site...
The Cars...
The Allard Motor Company built over 1900 cars from 1946 to 1958. Those cars were made of 20 different model types, ranging from sports cars that took the racing world by storm to powerful family saloons that were precursors to the muscle car era. To keep costs down, the cars used Ford parts where possible, but in America they were given potent V8's from Cadillac & Chrysler.
See the Cars (Click "The Cars" at top of site)>
Buy an Allard>
Allard News & Stories...
We strive to be your source for all the latest Allard related news & stories. Here you'll find event reports, letters from fans & owners, stories about unique Allards, and amazing videos from the internet. Check back regularly, we update this section often!
What a story. From humble beginnings; building a few cars for friends, then repairing military vehicles during WWII, to opening a factory to build cars for the public. Allard had many successes: a third at Le Mans, race victories throughout the world, and Sydney's crowning achievement - victory at the Rallye Monte Carlo. However, Allard lacked the resources to adapt to the changing times and ceased production by 1956. However that was not the end. Sydney kept his dream alive, selling aftermarket performance parts while bringing drag racing to Europe in the early 60's.
Learn More About the Company>
Read the Brochures>
Read the Year Books>
About the Register...
The Allard Register is an informal group of Allard owners and enthusiasts. Our goal is to promote the awareness of and interest in the Allard marque - and the special role that it played in the post-WWII renaissance of motor sports. Our activities are focused toward preserving and sharing information about the Allard Motor Company; and helping each other with the preservation, restoration - and especially the use and enjoyment of the surviving Allard automobiles.
Archives, 1971 - 1987>
Archives, 1987 - 2009>
Archives, 2009 - Present>
Internet Links...
The Internet is packed with countless web sites that are dedicated to all things automotive. Whether you are looking for other Allard stories, or stories and photos about the golden age of sports car racing, you'll find it on the Internet. Perhaps you need Allard knock-off wheel nuts, pistons for a Cadillac 331, or a Lucas tail light...the internet has brought together vendors from all over the world to make restoring or maintaining your Allard easier than ever.
Links to Allard Related Sites>
Links to Allard Technical Resources
The Store...
At some point we'll have have a store here that will allow you to buy cool Allard gear...perhaps even parts for your Allard!


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Happy to share Clover Lewis Swimwear has received more great press.
Pioneering designer mastectomy brand Clover Lewis Swimwear is setting the trend in 2017, featuring in the premier publication for global swimwear trends – the Swimwear Yearbook 2017 (SYB).
The go-to publication for the very best of designer, mainstream and sporty swimwear collections for 2017, the SYB chose the sculpted Jump Bikini (below, middle) from the Olympians Rule collection, along with Stella Mccartney's Miracle Swimsuit as key pieces in the Athleisure trend for Summer 2017. The Jump collection features include clean graphic lines, two-colour matte combination and is finished off with gold hardware for a luxurious sports-luxe look.
Clover Lewis Swimwear is the ultimate in post surgery poolside glamour, for women who want to look and feel gorgeous following breast surgery. Created for women who have had mastectomy and other breast surgeries, by breast cancer thriver Clover Lewis, the luxury swimwear collections are admired and can be worn by all women who desire figure-enhancing swimwear.
Olympians Rule is an industry-changing collection of swimwear designed for women whose amazing bodies tell all sorts of stories. The collection is vibrant with colour, and influences, carefully curated to create an inspiring range, rich in vintage silhouettes, Grecian drapery, ravishing shades and Riviera-chic flavours all built around one inspiring central theme: feminine strength.
While offering indisputable, fashion-forward glamour, the collection also boasts thoughtful comfort features, developed primarily for its unique wearers.
Alongside the Jump Bikini that was featured, the publication also includes an interview with the brand's creator Clover Lewis and the ethos behind the collection.
Clover Lewis stated:
"It was great to be interviewed as a new promising designer in the magazine's Design Room, to share the DNA of Clover Lewis Swimwear, and motivation to start the post surgery brand with a designer difference.
"As a breast cancer survivor, it has been extremely satisfying to be able to use to use my personal experience and creativity to develop a collection of glamorous, discretely functional swimwear. Our ethos is simple – to help women 'Look good outside and feel great inside'. We aim to encourage women back into the water with pride and confidence about their bodies, and to enjoy the well being benefits of feeling fashionable.
"Our swimwear puts our customers' needs at the centre of things. Whilst offering indisputable, fashion-forward glamour, the Olympians Rule collection also boasts thoughtful comfort features, developed especially for its unique wearers. From optional, super-secure breast form pockets, to chafe-free seams, high necklines and adjustable features, this is stylish swimwear with in-built sensitivity for women's bodies."
This is the second year Clover Lewis Swimwear has been included in SYB. The brand also featured in the June collectors edition of British Vogue's 100 Years of Style - the first post-surgery brand to feature in its 100 years of publication.
Retailers can see the collection in person at the London Swimwear Show, July 17 - 19 2016, Berkeley Suite, Raddison Blu Portman Hotel, 22 Portman Square, W1H 7BG.
Notes to editors:
For further information contact Clover Lewis on 020 7993 8594 / email@example.com
High resolution product photography of the collections featured in the Swimwear Yearbook are available, along with others from the wider collection upon request.


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Inside Sufiya's Grill
Belly Dance Night- July 15, 2016
Persian Delight- featured on Long Island Weekly, April 20-26, 2016
Best Of Long Island 2016
We are so incredibly honored to be voted Best Romantic Dinner and Wait Staff two years in a row, and named 2016's Best of LI Mediterranean Restaurant. This has been a great year for us- we truly enjoy getting to know our growing circle of regular customers and introducing new ones to our tasty comfort food. Thanks again for your continued support- we will continue working hard to make your experience consistently enjoyable at Sufiya's Grill!