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This article series has been responding to Dennis Venema's and Scot McKnight's book Adam and the Genome.1 Our primary focus has been on Venema's scientific claims. In our previous post, we explored chapter one which deals exclusively with nongenetic data. Venema's remaining chapters dive into the subject of genetics. In this post, we begin exploring Venema's evidences in chapter two, titled "Genomes as Language, Genomes as Books."
Naturally, with a subject as technically complex as genetics, our task might seem daunting. Nevertheless, in previous posts, we made a critical observation that simplified our task. We discovered that evolutionists refuse to read young-earth creationist (YEC) literature because they think that YECs are liars. Consequently, when evolutionists cite evidence to support their claims, they effectively fit facts to conclusions.
In chapter two, Venema's opening arguments illustrate his refusal to engage the YEC literature. His purpose in these arguments is spelled out explicitly:
When faced with compelling evidence for evolution, many nonbiologists assume that evolution requires substantial changes in multiple organisms in the same generation for a change to pass down over time. Therefore they conclude, reasonably enough, that evolution is too improbable to occur.
If indeed evolution worked that way, they would be right. But, in fact, that's not the way it works. Evolution works by incremental change within a population, shifting its average characteristics over long periods of time.2
To illustrate this point, Venema turns to human language for an analogy.
Missing the Bigger Debate
Venema's choice is clever. Many parallels exist between the process of language change and the process of biological change—extending even into the realm of "transitional forms," a subject that Venema addressed in chapter one. To accomplish his stated purpose of showing that "evolution works by incremental change within a population," Venema picks an appropriate analogy.
At face value, Venema's analogy doesn't distinguish between evolution and YEC.
But what relevance does this analogy have to the origins debate? Had Venema read the YEC literature and addressed it in his book, the relevance (or lack thereof) would have been clear. In fact, YECs endorse language change. We explain the origin of the over 7,000 languages in existence today by invoking an initial, instantaneous language split at Babel, which would have resulted in perhaps 70 languages, followed by massive language change in the last few thousand years.3 Furthermore, YEC biologists like myself use similar language analogies to explain DNA change and the process of speciation.4 At face value, Venema's analogy doesn't distinguish between evolution and YEC.
One of the most critical distinctions between evolution and YEC is in an arena that Venema's language analogy never addresses. Like the YEC position on language change, YEC scientists postulate an initial miracle (the creation events of Genesis 1) to explain the origins of the first ancestors or kinds. In other words, the YEC position holds that the language analogy has strict limits. Venema doesn't discuss these limits in chapter two.
Engaging the Critical Issues
Instead, Venema deals with the potential limits to evolutionary change in another chapter. In chapter four, Venema addresses some of the objections that the Intelligent Design (ID) community has raised about the limits of evolution. Since some of the objections raised by the ID community have been adopted by the YEC community, Venema's claims in chapter four ("What About Intelligent Design?") are worth exploring in detail at this juncture in our article series.
Since ID arguments can be as technically complex as the field of genetics, let's focus our attention on just one of the ID arguments that Venema claims to rebut: Michael Behe's. Unlike YECs, Behe accepts common ancestry of many species and has no problem with the evolutionary timescale. Behe's only objection to evolution is the mechanism: random mutation and natural selection. In the last two decades, Behe has published two books—Darwin's Black Box5 and The Edge of Evolution6—which outline his specific reasons for objecting to the evolutionary mechanism.
Venema attempts to summarize Behe's arguments in chapter four. Given Venema's refusal to read the literature of his YEC opponents, it's no surprise that Venema manifests a similar flaw in his treatment of his ID opponents. Though Venema claims to have read both of Behe's books,7 Venema's summary and understanding of Behe's claims leaves much to be desired.
Before exploring where Venema went wrong, let's review what Behe has claimed. In Darwin's Black Box, Behe took up Darwin's own test for evolution:
If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.8
Naturally, Darwin claimed to "find out no such case."9 But, as Behe points out, neither Darwin nor his contemporaries knew anything about the molecular details of cells—the very place where evolutionary change is supposed to happen. Behe put Darwin's test in biochemical and molecular terms.
In short, Behe concluded that biological systems consisting of multiple, mutually interdependent parts—or irreducibly complex systems—could not evolve via mutation and natural selection. In his book, Behe gives multiple systems that meet the criteria of being irreducibly complex and, therefore, inexplicable via evolution.
Nearly a decade after Darwin's Black Box, Behe took up an even more adventurous task in The Edge of Evolution. Since Venema seems to conflate the messages of these two books, let's allow Behe to explain his purpose in his second book. Furthermore, given Venema's very pointed responses to Behe, it's worth quoting Behe at length to understand exactly what Behe was trying to accomplish, and to understand the relationship between Behe's second book and his first:
Darwin's Black Box was concerned to show just that some elegant structures in life are beyond random mutation and natural selection. This book is much more ambitious. Here the focus is on drawing up reasonable, general guidelines to mark the edge of evolution—to decide with some precision beyond what point Darwinian explanations are unlikely to be adequate, not just for some particular structure but for general features of life. This can be compared to the job of an archaeologist who discovers an ancient city buried under sand. The task of deciding whether random processes produced things like intricate paintings on walls of the city buildings (perhaps by blowing sand) is pretty easy. After all, elegant paintings aren't very likely to be made by chance processes, especially if the paintings portray not just simple geometric patterns, but images of people or animals.
But once the cherry-picking is over, the going gets tougher. Are the dark markings at the side actually a part of a painting, or just smudges? Is a pile of stones next to an exterior wall a table or an altar of some sort, or just a random collection of rocks? Is ground near the wall the remnant of a tilled field? Where lies the border of the city? Where does civilization stop and raw nature begin? Deciding on marginal cases like those is harder work, and the conclusions will necessarily be more tentative. But at the end of the study the archeologist will be left with a much clearer picture of where the city leaves off and random natural processes take over.10
Venema's Fatal Misstep
With respect to Behe's two books, Venema breezes over the differences. He treats the tests that Behe lays out in the second book as nearly equivalent to the first. In fact, as the quote above demonstrates, Behe's first book makes a very tight theoretical argument. Behe's second book attempts to empirically determine general rules for distinguishing between evolution and ID. The first book lays out a rigorous case; the second book, by definition, deals with more ambiguous data and is, of necessity, more tentative.
Specifically, Venema takes Behe's "new binding sites between proteins"11 rule from The Edge of Evolution and overextends it. Venema treats this rule as nearly equivalent to Behe's arguments in Darwin's Black Box. In fact, they are distinct, consistent with the distinctive purposes of each book:
The conclusion from Chapter 7—that the development of two new intracellular protein-protein binding sites at the same time is beyond Darwinian reach—leaves open, at least as a formal possibility, that some multiprotein structures (at least ones that aren't irreducibly complex, in the sense defined in Darwin's Black Box) might be built by adding one protein at a time, each of which is an improvement.12
Behe makes it obvious that his irreducibly complexity argument from Darwin's Black Box is different from the general rules that he derived in The Edge of Evolution. This distinction is critical because Venema's rebuttals focus largely on the "new binding sites between proteins" rule—to the exclusion of the arguments in Darwin's Black Box.
Since Behe published Darwin's Black Box, the evolutionary community has exerted great effort in trying to rebut it—but without success.
Venema's misstep is fatal. It is also consistent with evolutionary practice over the last two decades. Since Behe published Darwin's Black Box, the evolutionary community has exerted great effort in trying to rebut it—but without success. In general, evolutionary responses fall into four categories. First, evolutionists have appealed to the concept of scaffolds. By analogy, bridges are an example of irreducibly complex structures. Yet they exist and have been built in numerous small steps, seemingly in defiance of Behe's arguments against this possibility. The reason bridges overcome the barriers to the construction of irreducibly complex structures is the existence of scaffolds that buttress unstable intermediate steps in the construction process. Of course, scaffolds exist because intelligent people put them there. Since evolution seeks to replace intelligence as a scientific explanation, and since Behe seeks to reestablish intelligence, the evolutionary appeal to scaffolds is logically flawed from the outset. In other words, to invoke scaffolding in response to Behe's arguments is to concede defeat.
Second, evolutionists invoke vague hierarchies from simple structures and systems to complex ones. This argument deftly skirts Darwin's own criteria for testing evolution. Since evolution works via "numerous, successive, slight modifications,"13 the real test of evolution is in the details of the mechanism, not in the way that life can be organized. Effectively, the evolutionary appeal to vague hierarchies changes the subject—which is not a rational response to a scientific challenge to evolution. (Darwin's Black Box hammers this point home.)
Third, evolutionists have appealed to neutral evolution to explain the origin of irreducibly complex biological systems. This tactic actually makes the problem worse for evolution. Neutral evolution is simply a synonym for blind luck. When the explanation is luck, probability calculations apply, and the probability of forming a biochemical system by blind luck is effectively zero.14
Fourth, evolutionists have ignored irreducible complexity entirely. They have cited the evolutionary origin of structures that are not irreducibly complex, in order to justify the origin of structures that are. This logically incoherent answer does nothing to meet Behe's challenge.
In chapter four of Adam and the Genome, Venema cites three examples that supposedly rebut Behe's arguments. Venema describes a genetic comparison in fruit flies, a "whole-genome duplication (WGD) event" in the lineage leading to vertebrates (i.e., humans, mammals, fish, and so on), and an example of evolution in viruses that infect bacteria.
Again, because Venema conflates Behe's two books, Venema's arguments are deficient. They also end up repeating the same erroneous strategies that evolutionists have employed for 20 years. The fruit fly argument, by Venema's own admission, does not represent an irreducibly complex structure—a flaw in reasoning which Behe himself has publicly identified.15 In other words, Venema commits the fourth type of error that I discussed above.
Venema's second claim is one from a vague hierarchy. Venema simply assumes that the species—whose DNA he examines—are related via evolutionary common ancestry, and then calls Behe's arguments refuted. Venema never describes a detailed mechanism by which these DNA patterns arose (nor does he give detailed justification for whether they are irreducibly complex—a necessary point to prove if Venema wants to rebut Behe's claims from Darwin's Black Box). In other words, Venema never shows how "numerous, successive, slight modifications" actually produced the genomes that we see today. In short, Venema repeats the second error that I discussed above.
In Venema's last example, he seems to finally engage Behe's claims. Venema says, "This experiment documents the addition of a protein to an irreducibly complex system."16 In fact, Venema contradicts himself later:
Thus Behe is now faced with a concrete example of a new protein-binding site arising through multiple mutations, with that new binding event replacing a previously essential part of a complex system—and all documented at a level of detail that cannot be disputed.17
Which is it? Was a new protein added to the system? Or was one part of the system replaced with another? Venema doesn't seem to understand the difference between the two—or the significance for Behe's ideas. In an irreducibly complex system, swapping one part for another doesn't explain the origin of the system.
For example, in Darwin's Black Box, Behe uses a mousetrap as an analogy for irreducibly complex systems in the biological realm. In the mousetrap example, the pieces of the mousetrap can be attached to the floor instead of to the piece of wood that normally forms the base of the trap. The floor and the base can be swapped. But this says nothing about how any of these components arose in the first place. Before the swap and after the swap, the number of irreducibly complex components is the same. Nothing has been added to the system. A swap does nothing to explain how a mousetrap can be built step-by-step from a non-mousetrap. For evolution to occur, an irreducibly complex system must be built by addition of parts, not the swapping of parts. Venema claims that parts were added to the system—and then contradicts himself later. In fact, his latter answer is true—which means the example never really addresses Behe's claims in Darwin's Black Box. In other words, Venema's last example falls under category four of traditional evolutionary responses to Darwin's Black Box.
Conclusion and Ramifications
Consider the significance of Venema's attempts to rebut Behe. For over 20 years, evolutionists have had opportunity to cite some example, some biological process, some experimental result that refutes Behe's claims. And, after two decades, the best that Venema can do is change the subject. This does not bode well for the scientific coherence of evolution.
Since Behe's arguments are still fatal for evolution, we won't take the time to explore Venema's responses to other ID claims. If Venema can't address the most significant objections to evolution, then there's no need to explore the rest. The naturalistic evolution of irreducibly complex biological structures is impossible.
It seems that Venema picks and chooses from Behe's concepts to fit Venema's preconceived conclusions.
Let's analyze one more aspect of Venema's treatment of Behe's ideas. Why does Venema make the errors that he does? Perhaps Venema's blunders are due to his earlier confusion about the purposes of Behe's two books. With respect to Venema's third example that supposedly refutes Behe, Venema seems preoccupied with the "new protein binding site" rule (as the quote above demonstrates), yet he doesn't recognize the distinction between this rule and Behe's arguments from irreducible complexity. In other words, it seems that Venema picks and chooses from Behe's concepts to fit Venema's preconceived conclusions. Whether deliberate or inadvertent, Venema seems to have the same approach to all of his critics, whether YEC or ID.
In subsequent posts, we'll explore in more detail Venema's language analogy, and how he attempts to use that analogy to buttress his other claims in chapter two.


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Fellow moms, our job is not for the faint of heart. It takes a thick skin, superwoman strength, and lots and lots of patience. Before I had kids, I thought I knew what being a mom would look like.
You know what I'm talking about … a life like the pictures we all post to Facebook. Kids smiling and getting along. Purple-ribbon 4-H projects at the county fair. Babies who never have snotty noses. Everyone working hard together in the barn. Relaxed parents who always agree on how to handle decisions. A winning attitude after a race.
But it doesn't always look like this. From one mom to another, its simply hard some days. Especially those days where your kids are in competitions. Kids fight. Races get rained out. Dads yell. Kids cross over in front of the judge. Wrestling headgear gets left at home. Moms yell. Trumpet valves stick. Big things, little things. They all add up to be a lot at times.
Let's be honest, competition brings out some not-so-great emotions sometimes. So what would happen if we moms took a few minutes to prepare ourselves better for those days? Because if mom's not feeling it, no one's feeling it.
Get rested up.
OK, OK. I know this is likely an impossible dream, but really, we need more sleep. We burn the candle at both ends to be able to get everything done for our loved ones. Oftentimes by the time the FFA judging contest or the football game arrives, we're a hot mess just going through the motions. Research proves that a good night's sleep makes you able to tackle the day's stresses more easily. When you are tired, you are less patient and more easily agitated, which can increase stress. We have enough of that already, so let's not add to it by starting out overly tired.
Prepare your heart.
Before the busyness of the day sets in, find a few minutes to prepare your heart. Even if the only place that you can find a bit of quiet is in the bathroom, do it! Give yourself one minute to clear your mind, focusing in on what really matters. What do I want my kids to learn today? What do I hope they will gain from this experience? We all want our kids to win in life. We'd be lying if we say we don't. However, as parents, it's our job to help prepare them for the real world. And in the real world, you don't win all the time. There is no better training ground than some of these competitive events to help our kids learn these lessons. I have to check myself that I don't get so caught up that I lose sight of the larger purpose of why we invest so much time into these activities.
Admit when you are wrong.
We will make mistakes. Be ready to admit when you are wrong. I've found that when I'm willing to lead my children with an apologetic heart, they reciprocate. When I point fingers and blame, they follow suit. Motherhood provides a lot of scenarios where you may be able to admit when you are wrong and help your children learn a very important lesson along the way.
Be on the lookout for other moms in need.
Fight the urge to be self-absorbed. Ladies, we need to watch out for each other! Look for the mom who needs a smile because she's overwhelmed or the mom whose 2-year-old is having a meltdown. It's amazing what a bit of kindness can do in someone's life. I don't know about you, but when I'm looking out for others' needs, I spend less time worrying about my own problems.
By the time she fell asleep on this 90+ degree day, I was ready for a nap myself. Sometimes our victories look like a sleeping child.
Extend grace.
Some days it will seem like your kids and your hard work are simply being overlooked. Extend grace to others anyway. Sure, your kid has worked hard. But so has hers. When your friend's kid wins, congratulate her and share in her joy. When your day comes, you'll want someone to do the same for your family. And don't forget, it's OK to give yourself a little grace, too. You are going to lose your patience at some point. You will likely yell a little. You may even have to take a time-out. Just remember, you're not alone.
So the next time you're getting ready for another one of your kids' events, remember to stop and prepare yourself, too.
Related Articles:
The Night My Husband Tore Down the Barn to Save a Cat

subset: commoncrawl


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Carol Waldron, MA
Senior Lecturer/Teaching Associate Professor
Specialties & Expertise
Color Theory
Design & Production of Handmade Books
Course Titles (resident and outreach teaching)
GDes 2345 Typography
GDes 3312 Color and Form in Surface Design
GDes 4345 Advanced Typography
Selected Scholarship
"Color in Graphic Design: An Analysis of Meaning and Trends" AIC Color '01 The Ninth Congress of the International Colour Association, 2001.
"Integrating Design Knowledge: From Two to Three Dimensions." Panel: Off the Page, the 3-D Assignment FATE Foundations in Art: Theory and Education, 8th Biennial National Conference: 'Taking Risks' @ MassArt, Boston, Massachusetts March 2001.
INTERPLAY Prespectives on the Design Legacy of Jack Lenor Larsen. 2000 Paul Whitney Larson Gallery—University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
"Color in Graphic Design: An Analysis of Meaning and Trends" (with Barbara Martinson) AIC Color '01 The Ninth Congress of the International Colour Association, Rochester, New York, June 2001.
Professional, Institutional, and Community Leadership and Service
CHE P&A (Academic Professionals and Administrators) Consultative Committee, 2001-present.
CHE Program Chairs Committee,2000—present.
Member TCDC Font Jury: University of Minnesota Design Institute (Twin Cities Design Celebration) international font design competition/commission, 2002—present
DHA Curriculum Committee, 2000—present
Friends of the Goldstein, Goldstein Museum of Design, University of Minnesota, 2000—present
CHE Excellence in Academic Advising Award nominee, 1999
CHE Excellence in Academic Advising Award nominee, 1997
246g McNeal Hall
1985 Buford Ave
St. Paul, MN
(612) 624-3633


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Rightfully Sewn Celebration at Anaphora
Rightfully Sewn, in partnership with Women's Business Center, announced its inaugural Kauffman FastTrac® NewVenture scholarship program in January 2016. A group of 11 credentialed panelists of Kansas City's community leaders selected the five winners (below) Whitney Manney, Ami Beck, Kate Nichols, Heidi Herrman, and myself.
Rightfully Sewn Announces Scholarship Winners
What an honor to be selected as one of Rightfully Sewn's Scholarship recipients! If I can say anything about my experiences as a designer it's that success and happiness lies in the experiences you have while creating. In the end, it's not what you made but who you made it with and I couldn't imagine a more talented or supportive group of women to share this journey with Thank you Kansas City for believing in us!
KC Magazine's City's Best 2011 — Best Local Fashion Designer Finalist!
KC Magazine's City's Best 2011 — Best Local Fashion Designer Finalist!
Thank you to everyone who nominated me to the Best Local Fashion Designer category in KC Magazine's City's Best Awards. I am so flattered to be among such great company: Matt Baldwin of Baldwin Denim & Standard Style, Laura McGrew of Tomboy, the fabulous ladies at Monkey Wrench Clothing and of course the amazing Peggy Noland!
2011 Mastermind Award from The Pitch
I'm so honored to receive the Pitch's Mastermind Award this year! The full article is here.
Here's an excerpt:
For the sixth time, we're singling out four of Kc's cultural leaders. we think they look like classics.
Since the first MasterMinds, in 2006, The Pitch has given $20,000 to local artists. On April 2, four new MasterMind Award winners join a roll that includes some of Kansas City's most fascinating and dedicated cultural forces. Each new recipient picks up a check for $1,000 — no strings attached. If past winners are any indication, the talented people we've chosen this year will only get more interesting.
Recent Articles
Refreshed and Recharged for 2017
Posted on January 14 2017
Rightfully Sewn Celebration at Anaphora
Posted on April 03 2016
Rightfully Sewn Announces Scholarship Winners
Posted on February 15 2016
KC Magazine's City's Best 2011 — Best Local Fashion Designer Finalist!
Posted on January 24 2015
2011 Mastermind Award from The Pitch
Posted on January 20 2015


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Public chocolate moulding course – High Heel
Uncomfortable but sweet. Make your own milk chocolate high heel and decorate your sweet shoe with various glitter toppings and chocolate writing according to taste.
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Run as of 6 people.
As of 15 people you can book this course as a group.
💰 PriceCHF 40.00 for adults (as of 17 years of age)
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As a counselor, I'm always thrilled when someone publishes a book on a topic that's useful to kids, especially when it's written in an accessible style, and by someone whose work I admire. As an author, I'm downright depressed when that book is on the same topic as a book that I'm working on, and even worse, takes a similar approach. My stomach churns, my heart breaks. It's one of the very few times I feel competitive about writing.
I know that sounds strange - in an economy that exacerbates the "so many manuscripts, so few homes" world of publishing, how can an author feel anything but competitive?
But in my experience, writers are giving people, the very embodiment of the concept of paying it forward. If I succeed, I help you succeed, and that helps both of us to be successful.
But can that happen when non-fiction writers are tackling the same topic? When I picked up the book in question, I could practically hear doors slamming. The very book that hadn't existed when I proposed mine now not only existed, it was good. Did that mean mine was now extraneous, irrelevant?
I hope not. Time will tell. There are other publishers, other audiences, other possibilities.
And perhaps, other books.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
4 comments:
- Cate Masters said...
My very sentiments, Lisa. Authors don't compete in the same market, they enrich it with their own unique works. Keep at yours. Even in nonfiction, authors have their own voices, and yours will shine through.
- March 8, 2010 at 4:29 PM
- Susan Gourley/Kelley said...
I hope you continue with your book. There's always numerous books on the same issue and readers and researchers like having choices.
- March 8, 2010 at 9:55 PM
- Lisa Lawmaster Hess said...
Thanks for the words of encouragement! As authors, we try so hard to be original - and it's a survival skill - that it's easy to forget that each of us has a unique voice.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
- March 9, 2010 at 9:54 AM
- Laurie J. Edwards said...
And you're such a great writer and counselor. All of those will enrich your work. Someone may be waiting for YOUR book, so keep writing. And let us know when it sells.
- March 17, 2010 at 9:15 PM
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Now available: Forges de Niaux's superior blades for Case-IH Precision Disc 500 / NH P-2080 / 2085. Same dimensions as OEM, but with the greater durability of the Forges de Niaux! Harder on the periphery, for 20% greater wear life. Stays sharper longer. (Note: We don't stock these in our Salina warehouse; all orders will incur shipping.)
Tough, Proven
20% more wear-life than the next-best—our old standby, Ingersoll-Canada. The Niaux 200s also stay sharp longer. But the additional wear life on the Niaux 200s doesn't impair their toughness, because the extra hardening occurs only on the outermost inch or so (also, they use a different steel to handle the additional hardening—it's not the usual 15B30 steel that all the other blades are made from).


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When it comes to choosing a burial method, gone are the days of only having a choice between two options - a cemetery burial or a cremation. In Australia, traditional methods are now available alongside a range of new alternatives that address space and environmental concerns, as well as the needs of those seeking a meaningful long-lasting memorial. Biodegradable urns, for instance, make it possible to turn the remains of a loved one into a tree, while memorial diamonds are ashes transformed into a unique precious stone.
Ashes to Diamonds: How specialists can turn ashes into a stunning diamond
The only difference between a natural diamond and a cremation diamond is the process by which each is created. Under a microscope, they look exactly the same but natural diamonds are the result of an underground mineral process whereas memorial diamonds are made from human remains. Like the natural variety, each memorial diamond is completely unique, deriving its singularity from the distinctive composition of the ashes or the hair from which it is made.
Also known as memorial diamonds, they are grown in a laboratory where a process, designed to mimic the production of natural diamonds, extracts the carbon from the ashes and hair, and using intense heat, turns it into a dense crystal. The growth process of ashes to diamonds can last anything from a few months to a year, though the average length of time is six months.
First, the remains must be analyzed to confirm the purity of its carbon and this can take up to two weeks. The rest of the process will depend on the size of the diamond which are generally available from 0.25 Carat to 1 Carat. It will also depend on the cut and the color you have selected.
Ashes into diamonds companies such as the Swiss Zürich based Lonité ensure that the resulting gem is graded by a gemological laboratory like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which provides confirmation of the stone's validity and characteristics. The color of diamonds from ashes is unpredictable and can be brown, yellow or pink, unless other elements are introduced during the process. On request, when turning ashes into diamonds, colors like blue, red, and completely colorless can also be created.
Cremation Diamonds vs Cemetery Burials: What about the environment?
Those who opt to have a loved one memorialized as a diamond, often do so to keep them close. The diamond can be set in a ring or necklace, and worn by mourners, shared by family members, and passed down through generations of a family. Terminally-ill patients have been known to choose memorial diamonds to declare their indestructibility, while other people aware of the ecological impact of cemetery burials prefer something more environmentally-friendly. Though the body still needs to be cremated for making ashes into diamonds, cremation diamonds ensure fewer harmful effects on the environment. On the long term, cemetery burial, because of the embalming process and the fluids that get out of the body during the preparation, but mostly because of the burial space maintenance, is said to release 10% more of CO² than a cremation.
Turning ashes into diamonds in Australia: A great alternative for our furry loved ones
Not just for humans, pet ashes can also be turned into diamonds. In Australia, pet ashes to diamonds is becoming an increasingly popular way to preserve the memory of a beloved pet and continue to share them with others. The process isn't specific to mainstream pets like cats and dogs either. Horses, rabbits and even rodents can be made into cremation diamonds. To do so, 200 grams of ashes or 10 grams of the pet's fur is needed for the process.
Memorial Diamonds: A More Affordable Burial Alternative
In Australia, cremation diamonds are considered a cost-effective alternative to traditional burial. Ashes to diamonds' costs often start at AU$2,900 and can go up to AU$25,800. Costs do vary depending on the color, cut, and size of the stone. It takes the longest to create a diamond from ashes that is completely colorless, as it requires more efforts and more technical processes. Therefore, it is also the most expensive stone to make.
In 2017, cemetery burial costs have skyrocketed around the world. In Australia, the average funeral cost is of AU$7,075 and can go up to AU$15,000 for the most elaborate funerals. (Source – finder.com.au) The cost of the funeral will also depend of its location which varies from cities to cities. Additionally to the funeral costs, we can also count the price of the burial space which has also significantly risen this year.
These last couple of years, turning ashes into diamond has become a new way of celebrating our departed loved ones. Others Asia Pacific countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore or Japan have also picked up on this new alternative, which has enabled them to honor the memory of their loved ones and take funeral habits to a whole new level.


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Aquacalm (Metomidate hydrochloride) is used for the sedation and anesthesia of aquarium and non-food fish species.
Fish sedation may be desirable for transport or removal from exhibit tanks prior to cleaning.
Fish anesthetics may be useful to enable detailed examination, spawning, or minor surgical procedures.
Contact us for pricing and assistance at Syndel's USA office at (800) 283-5292, or Syndel's Canadian Office at (800) 663-2282. Fo


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This comedy serial is based on the typical Nepali narrative lifestyle.
Its objective is to entertain the audience with humor.
Nepali Comedy Serial Golmaal Episode – 61
Production Advisor: Parshuram Rijal
Production: Vibes Creation Pvt. Ltd.
Writer/ Director: Netra Raut
Asst. Direction: Shivahari Nepal
Banner: Vibes Creation Pvt. Ltd.
Legal Adviser: Krishna Prasad Acharya
Editor: Rabindra Khadka
Camera: Sagar Khadka
Sound: Dinesh Tamang
Light: Prakash KC
Makeup: Yadav Thapa
Production: Hari Budhathoki
Music: Krishna Raj Bhandari
Logo Animation: Kumar Shah
Singer: Chetan Sapkota/ Narayan Dhital/ Parshuram Rijal
Artists: Jayananda Lama, Ramesh Adhikari, Shambhu Thapa, Anumati Nepali, Sandhya Budha (Kauli Budhi), Nabina Shrestha,Yadav Thapa, Puskar Dhungel, Begam Pun, Anita Baiju, Susmita Giri, Prem Yatri, Krishna Mangal Shrestha and More.
Do not try to copy our contents without our permission
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For Fox Sake Funny Kids T-Shirt
Funny Kids T-shirt that will give the adults a few cheeky giggles. For Fox Sake!
T-Shirt are made from 100 % Cotton – Nice feel and hard wearing
Sizes and Colours Available:
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*You Choose the colour you would like the image to be printed in & the text. Please include details of your custom idea in the extra notes text box.
**All prices are in Australian Dollars and include GST


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Roysia pupils enjoy host of cracking Christmas activities in Royston
PUBLISHED: 12:01 23 December 2017
It has been a very busy run up to the festive season at Roysia Middle School in Royston.
The Friends' Christmas Fayre provided a cracking start to the festivities, all proceeds from the event go towards benefiting pupils.
Last week, class 8S visited The Old Barn day centre for senior citizens, accompanied by Mr Streeter,
A spokeswoman said: "They were a credit to themselves, their families and school as they delivered entertainment to it's members.
Year 8's Iona Berry has taken a trip to the House of Commons following an invitation from the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
The brief was to meet ministers and engineers and tell them all about her involvement in the First Lego League and how her team — B6 Berrillium — became the UK and Ireland LEGO Champion Team.
An unexpected 'snow day' on Monday last week meant preparation time for their Christmas Celebration, at Royston's parish church, the next day was significantly reduced.
However, they were not going to allow a little bit of snow to get in the way of Roysia's very first performance at the church.
The spokeswoman said: "After careful planning and team work, we all made it to the church on time and pulled off a moving performance to a packed congregation. Well done everyone!"
Key Stage 2 have been treated to a visit to Cambridge to see Jack and the Beanstalk and Key Stage 3 have been on their credit reward trip.
In other festive fun, Mrs Morton and her catering team served over 100 plates of Christmas dinner on Thursday last week, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The festivities continued the following day with staff and pupils wearing Christmas jumpers in support of Save the Children.
And to finish off the term, 18 school choir singers visited Mary Barfield House yesterday and performed Christmas carols, and today the school had a Christmas-themed house competition and celebration assembly.
The school spokeswoman said: "Seasons greetings to all members of the Roysia community and thank you for your support this term.
"We wish you all a happy and prosperous 2018."
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Kings Cross Steelers look to bounce back in historic fixture against Braintree
PUBLISHED: 10:00 26 October 2018
©TGS Photo tgsphoto.co.uk +44 1376 553468
Kings Cross Steelers will look to bounce back to winning ways when they tackle a historic away fixture against Braintree, writes Jacob Ranson.
The Steelers, who were founded as the first ever gay inclusive rugby union club in 1995, always take special pride in this upcoming fixture as their opponents were the first side they beat after struggling to get fixtures for a long time.
The club founder, local MP's and former players will be coming down to the match to reminisce the fixture.
They go into it on the back of a 26-17 defeat at home to Maldon last weekend though and will be determined to get a win.
The second team will also travel away to Woodford's second string side as they look to continue their rich vein of form after sealing a comfortable 50-0 victory against Bancroft.
Coach Scott Marshal said: "The first few minutes were woeful for the visiting team, seemingly asleep at kick-off the larger Bancroft Pack was able to win the ball back and build pressure just outside the KXS 22 metre line for a sustained period.
"Gradually territory and pressure built as KXS worked back onto the front foot."
KXS were rewarded by a strong individual try to Jonah Weisz who chipped twice and chased the ball down to score a 60 metre try.
The Steelers scored twice more before the half time break with charging breaks to prop Richard Surmon and Ben Brookes respectively to make it 19-0.
The second half saw the Steelers continue to apply pressure but over-eagerness to score without leveraging phase play saw a number of scoring opportunities not executed.
Eventually the building pressure led to success with tries to Craig Terron, Chris Martin, and Ian Bowden all breaking the line.
Quentin Louy touched down his first for the club, only to back it up a few moments later with a second try.
The fourth team travel away to Loughton this weekend on the back of a heavy 62-12 defeat to Bexley seconds.
Coach Ben Pugh said: "The Steelers showed some promising signs early on, with the set-piece working much better, but paid heavily for a series of missed tackles which enabled Bexley to build a healthy lead."
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The information in a test equipment datasheet can be an important tool for understanding a unit's features and whether it will fit your lab's needs. But do these datasheets promise too much? We regularly get questions from engineers about units that do not perform as they would have expected based on the information in the datasheet. To address this mismatch between what's outlined in the datasheet and the unit's actual performance, we need to understand that not everything that is written in the datasheet is guaranteed.
In the test and measurement industry, each manufacturer has its own format and style of datasheet. And while there are terminologies that are used across board, the definitions of these terminologies often vary among manufacturers. Tempting as it may be to skip the definitions section of a datasheet and jump straight into the parameters, don't. It will help you understand the difference between these common terms: specification, typical and nominal.
Specification is the most reliable set of data. It describes the product's performance and characteristics that are covered by product warranty. It is also usually accompanied by tolerance limits. All specifications are normally tested in the manufacturing process within a specific environment, such as temperature range. Each piece of test equipment you purchase must meet and perform according to its specifications. If it doesn't, send it for warranty repair or exchange, depending on the agreement with the manufacturer.
Some test equipment may actually perform better than the specifications. The possibility of this happening is, in fact, pretty high –up to an 80% chance. This is what is called typical performance. Typical performance is not warrantied, but most of the test equipment manufactured should perform to that level. Some manufacturers define typical performance as "performance beyond specification that 80% of the units exhibit with a 95% confidence level over a certain temperature range." This performance may or may not be tested in the manufacturing process, but if you really need your test equipment to perform at this level, there's often room to negotiate with the manufacturer to screen for such units – a sufficiently attractive purchase volume helps.
Another set of performance data which is not within the product guarantee - and rarer, too - is the nominal performance. This is the performance characteristic that is expected of the test equipment by design but is never tested in manufacturing.
Knowing these common terminologies and also reading the fine print of the datasheet can help you avoid the issue of your test equipment not meeting expectations. MAT tests all our equipment to ensure it conforms to the correct specifications. We can provide you with datasheets for your reference and can also review specifications for any piece of equipment in question. We also sell and lease Lab-Certified Pre-Owned Test Equipment from all major manufacturers, so please feel free to browse our inventory (check out the Downloads tab to see datasheets) or contact us today.
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Location Info
Chesapeake Regional Obstetrics & Gynecology
113 Gainsborough Square, Suite 201
Chesapeake, Virginia 23320
There's no other day quite like a birth day! At the BirthPlace, you will receive personalized, patient-centered care with all of the services, education and support you expect. We deliver high quality, compassionate care to every baby, mother and family.
Services & Specialties
Getting Ready for the Big Day
Our physicians, nurses and care team are dedicated to helping you through your entire birthing experience. It is our goal to provide you with the best possible care while also preparing you to care for your newborn at home.
If you are looking for a board-certified physician to deliver your baby, Chesapeake Regional Gynecology & Obstetrics offers a wide range of services.
We also offer a variety of parenting and childbirth classes.
Getting off to a good start is the key to successful breastfeeding. Certified lactation consultants are available to help during your stay and after you return home. Our team offers Breastfeeding Classes and provides the support and education new moms need to help learn effective positioning techniques and solve challenges during the first weeks.
We also have a monthly Breastfeeding Support Group to help new moms adjust and an on-site Lactation Store for all your breastfeeding needs.
Call 757-312-3159 to learn more.
We're Prepared
Our experienced and dedicated team is prepared to respond to unexpected emergencies.
In-house Hospitalists
Our Hospitalist program ensures that there is always a qualified doctor on hand. Board-certified obstetricians are available after office hours and around the clock during weekends. Pediatric hospitalists are also available 24 hours a day. We share highly specialized Neonatologists who also staff the local children's hospital.
Level II Nursery
Should you deliver a preterm baby at 32 weeks who is as little as 3.3 pounds, our staff will provide the very best care for your newborn in our Level II Nursery, equipped with everything necessary to care for little ones who have stabilized, but need to stay in the hospital a bit longer before they are ready to go home.
Rest Easy Rooms
When mothers are discharged, but their baby is still in the Level II Nursery, a Rest Easy room can be reserved for the comfort and convenience of our parents. Its queen sized bed with a television, sink and attached restroom are located right across the hall from the nursery.
Pain Management Options
Depending on the patient's health care provider and certain criteria, the following options are available:
- Labor tub
- Birthing Balls
- Shower
- Walking, Movement
- Intravenous (IV) Pain Management
- Epidural
- Nitrous Oxide
The Lactation Store
Located on the Chesapeake Regional Medical Center campus and inside the Lifestyle Health & Fitness Center, The Lactation Store carries an entire line of high-quality breast pumps, specialty nursing bras and hard-to-find items new moms need. Our certified lactation consultant and Medela Certified bra fitter can help you choose the right bra and select items to keep you and your baby comfortable.
To schedule a personalized bra fitting or visit with a certified lactation consultant, call 757-312-6508.
Postpartum Support
After bringing baby home some new mothers feel overwhelmed, stressed or anxious. It's a common feeling. An estimated 15 to 20 percent of postpartum patients feel that way within the first few days after delivery. It's the No. 1 complication of having a baby.
Our twice monthly Postpartum Support Group brings new mothers together to calm fears and talk with others feeling the same way. An experienced facilitator helps answer questions and offers support, encouragement, information, resources and solutions for coping.
The group is free and open to women during pregnancy or first year postpartum. There's no need to register. Infants are welcome. Email email@example.com with questions.
Chesapeake Regional Obstetrics & Gynecology
113 Gainsborough Square, Suite 201
Chesapeake, Virginia 23320


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Wynwood Factory
The new Wynwood Factory is composed of 4 different event spaces and nightclub concepts, open air creative spaces for concerts and food and art festivals, and a 2,000 square foot terrace overlooking Wynwood, Miami and Miami Beach
The Factory is located right next to the railroad tracks in the Heart of Wynwood and less than 5 minutes from Downtown, Midtown and Little River.
The Factory will be the driving force behind the Wynwood art, music and entertainment scene.
The Factory is the brainchild of seasoned nightlife impresarios Louis Puig (Club Space & Heart Nightclub), Eric Milon (The Opium Group), and Andy Kostas (Automatic Slim's). Wynwood Factory is now open every weekend.


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The Doha Amendment has reached 130 ratifications.
At 144 ratifications, the Amendment will enter into force.
15 July 2019: With one month to go before the UN Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit, which is expected to catalyze climate action and ramp up ambition, the SDG Knowledge Hub looks at the status of ratification of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol. Since our last ratification update on 20 November 2018, eight countries have ratified the Amendment.
The Doha Amendment establishes the Kyoto Protocol's second commitment period from 2013-2020. It was adopted by Decision 1/CMP.8 at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 8), in Doha, Qatar, in 2012.
Since November 2018, eight Parties have ratified the Amendment, bringing the total number of ratifications to 130. Dominica submitted its instrument of acceptance on 15 July 2019; Kuwait on 8 May 2019; Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) on 23 April 2019; Lesotho on 18 January 2019; Mongolia on 20 February 2019; Montenegro on 26 December 2018; Nicaragua on 3 July 2019; and Paraguay on 21 February 2019.
The Amendment will enter into force when 144 Parties, or three-quarters of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, have submitted their instruments of acceptance to the Depositary. It is now 14 ratifications away from entry into force. [Status of the Doha Amendment] [UN Treaty Collection Doha Amendment Webpage] [Doha Amendment] [SDG Knowledge Hub Doha Amendment Ratification Update 20 November 2018]


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- Islamic State once controlled a fortune of about $6 billion. Now its territory has been destroyed, the terrorist group may be down to its last $300 million.
- IS officials no longer have the liabilities of operating a nascent "state". So they have more flexibility with their remaining cash.
- The group's leaders may have stored the money in cash hideouts. They are also thought to have invested it in legitimate businesses like hotels, real estate companies, farms, and car dealerships in the Middle East.
Islamic State (IS) has amassed a war chest of as much as several hundred million pounds and continues to exploit a string of revenue streams that are likely to enable the group to finance a covert network in Iraq, Syria and further afield despite the complete physical collapse of its so-called caliphate.
IS's reserves of cash are a fraction of what they were at the height of its power in 2015, when the jihadists' control of almost half of Iraq and Syria enabled them to accrue around $6 billion, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Other sources have said their money was derived through taxation, extortion, theft and oil smuggling. Yet the sums now believed to be at the group's disposal mean it will remain a well-funded terrorist organisation for some time to come.
Following the fall of IS's last stronghold in eastern Syria, international efforts to squeeze its sources of finance will be stepped up in order to thwart any attempt by the group to support and mobilise cells in the region – where it can reportedly call on 14,000 to 18,000 militants, according to a report from VOA citing U.N. counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov.
Some of these loyalists are suspected of being behind recent lethal attacks that left 10 dead in the vicinity of Mosul and Kirkuk. In February, the Pentagon's internal watchdog agency warned that IS was already regrouping in Iraq, and was capable of mounting a resurgence in Syria within 6 to 12 months, unless it came under sustained pressure.
A UN Security Council report in February said that some member states reported that IS has access to financial reserves of between $50 million and $300 million and that, though it has lost some sources of revenue through battlefield defeats, it now has fewer liabilities: the collapse of its self-proclaimed state has freed up funds that would otherwise be spent on officials' salaries and public services.
The UN believes the group has "bulk-stored cash" in its former strongholds and smuggled some into neighbouring countries for safekeeping, with a proportion invested in legitimate businesses. These are reported to include hotels, real estate companies, farms and car dealerships in the Middle East region.
Nearly two years ago, Alaco learned from European and American diplomats that IS was channelling funds to jurisdictions beyond Iraq and Syria. The process was likely conducted through small financial services companies – such as money transfer operations and boutique banks – which receive little regulatory scrutiny and do not have in place the kind of safeguards that mainstream banks have. In effect, it has been employing methods typically used by organised crime groups to launder assets through relatively small enterprises from which money can be retrieved without arousing suspicion.
The UN report said that while IS no longer has reliable access to oil-producing areas in eastern Syria for direct extraction, it "earns more revenue by extorting oil cargoes extracted by others", with unregistered money-service businesses remaining the primary means of transferring its funds.
IS cells, the report continues, are expected to be self-financing through a variety of activities, including extortion, kidnapping for ransom or other criminal activity. Indeed, the UN said there are reports that the group retains intelligence on local communities that could be used in future to "extort or otherwise extract financing from areas previously under its control".
As reconstruction gets under way in Syria and gains momentum in Iraq, the RAND Corporation's Colin P. Clarke, writing in Foreign Policy recently, suggested IS may seek to extort money from officials linked to projects and insert their own operatives into supply chains, pocketing money at each stage of the process.
Indeed, the UN report said a document obtained by one member state described IS' post-caliphate objectives as undermining stabilisation and reconstruction activities, targeting infrastructure rebuilding efforts and generally thwarting economic progress.
A US Treasury national terrorist finance risk assessment for 2018 said IS financiers and supporters are seeking to access US and international financial systems, both directly and indirectly, to move funds in support of the group and its regional affiliates around the world.
Throughout 2018, the Department of Treasury and State targeted IS branches, facilitators and networks in Bangladesh, Iraq, Somalia, the Philippines and across West and North Africa. In a major recent sting in October, a joint operation by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, supported by US-led Coalition Forces, broke up what was seen as a key IS financial network based in Baghdad and Erbil.
Citing US law enforcement, the risk assessment report said that while some terrorists (especially core Al-Qaeda operatives) have avoided regulated financial institutions – as they believe transactional information could be used to track their activities – some IS-inspired supporters have displayed less concern over operational security and are more willing to use such institutions.
The UN report said member states in or neighbouring the conflict zones of the Middle East continue to take steps to counter the two-way flow of funds controlled by, or linked, to IS, but many lack expertise in countering terrorism financing, preventing them from "fully investigating and prosecuting terrorism-financing offences".
The findings are supported by the watchdog Financial Action Task Force, which seeks to curb money laundering and terrorism finance. It said in February that nearly two-thirds of countries it has assessed are still not taking effective action to investigate and prosecute terrorist financing. A Security Council resolution late last month ordering UN member states to introduce laws criminalising the funding of terror groups may prompt action, as the measure can be enforced through sanctions.
Despite its comprehensive military defeat, IS remains a threat in the Middle East and internationally with the capacity to sow mayhem as an underground terrorist organisation, due in large part to its monetary reserves. The focus of efforts to stem the group now looks set to switch from a military struggle to a hunt for its funds and financiers. The US is once again taking the lead but evidence suggests that not everyone is onside.
Yigal Chazan is the Head of Content at Alaco, a London-based business intelligence consultancy.


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On Sunday night, Yahoo's Style and Music editors joined forces for a lively live-blog conversation about the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Style team's Sarah Cristobal, Lauren Tuck, and Erika Ostroff looked at the best and worst of this year's red carpet fashion, while Yahoo Music editor Lyndsey Parker, writer Paul Grein, and other music experts weighed in on all the big ceremony moments and results. And checking in live from the scene were Style's own Emily Zemler and Music's Laura Ferreiro.
Relive music's biggest night with a play-by-play right here!


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ban.do // Pink Peekaboo Clutch
$35.65 was $50.95
This product is currently sold out.
We love our peekaboo clutch so much that we made a ridiculously cute circle version! it's perfect for showin' off your cool phone case, members only card, or chapstick collection. quick warning though: not the best place for secrets!
- 10.25 in. circle
- leatherette and translucent plastic
- metallic gold hardware


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Happy National Pet Month!
The month of May is a chance to observe a myriad of different causes, organizations, peoples, and things but my favorite, top-of-the-list, month-long observance is our pets. That's right, May is National Pet Month! And I am so thrilled about it. It's another opportunity to celebrate our pets and spoil them just a bit.
While you're thinking of the perfect national spoil-your-pet month agenda, I would like to highlight just a few of their most special qualities and how those qualities help us to be happier, healthier, humans: the reason I find such pleasure in celebrating them this month and every month.
Our pets have abilities that we as humans often have difficulty mastering. And while they have countless endearing and admirable qualities, I want to bring attention to their ability to show loyalty, empathy, and love. These are abilities nearly impossible to obtain without true sincerity. Even when sincerity isn't a problem, our own self-care often hinders our ability to fully dedicate ourselves to those expressions.
A dog has no such problems. He does not place his own well-being above the love he shares for his beloved human. And love truly is the commonality of all of these traits.
Some of you may question your pet's loyalty when she decides to abandon you for a squirrel or eats one of your favorite shoes, but those are simply the indiscretions of a pure and playful soul. When it comes down to it, she would do anything for you. A dog on your doormat absolutely quivering with joy waiting to see you after a long day away is the purest form of loyalty. As is the way she comes back to you after deciding that, for today, the squirrel wins.
Loyalty may seem a small thing, but loyalty from another builds our trust in that individual, makes us feel loved and needed, and, in turn, makes us want to return that love and help in any way to meet their needs.
The intuition of our pets is astounding. They don't need us to tell them our problems in order to empathize with us. Not that my cats haven't caught an earful now and then, but let me tell you, I didn't need to open my mouth for them to know that something was wrong.
Our pets have an ability to read us better than a book. They read our mood, movements, facial expressions, tone, and our hearts. They know what we feel and feel what we feel. Their ability to mirror our moods show us support and we relate to that in a very real way. After giving that support of solidarity, they comfort us through their enduring presence, an ear to scratch, belly to rub, a chin on our knee, or warmth settled in at our toes.
Whether it was a bad day at work or a lifelong struggle with anxiety and self-doubt, their comfort and support makes a measurable difference in our mood, happiness, and overall health.
Love is so much more than a one-way expression. It is not only their ability to show love, but their ability to share it, to recreate it in our own actions, that is so incredible.
The loyal companionship and empathetic kindness of our pets brings love to our lives on a daily basis. But they're also sharing their love simply in being present. Being constant. Being a driving force to get outside in the peace of nature. Being so lovable themselves that we can't help but to reach out and love them back. Love may not be a cure-all, but I know that so much would still be broken without it.
Our pets have a huge impact on our mental and physical wellness. From their ability to get us walking outdoors to their inspirationally positive behaviors that help to lift our own chins up, they improve our lives. They make us happier and healthier.
I believe that it's because they show us loyalty, empathy, and love and share with us how to return those expressions. Simply put, they are perfect creatures who we're lucky to share our lives with. Perfection is found so rarely that it's only suitable we celebrate it. Happy National Pet Month!
How will you celebrate?


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8:45pm STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN Screening
[In Association with the UK Jewish Film Festival]
Directed by Matt Ratner (USA)
Billy Crystal in a bittersweet, heartfelt drama about lost dreams and life renewal.
Book Tickets HERE
5:30pm Opening Drinks & Press Reception
7:00pm SHORT FILMS MAIN COMPETITION 1
THE VAN by Erenik Beqiri (Albania)
The van finally stops, the doors open and the son steps out alive. A few more fights and he will be able to pay his way out of Albania.
LEARNING TO SWIM by Ruth Grimberg (UK)
Behind the high suburban hedges of a quiet English town Ingrid resists fearful warnings to offer shelter to Ahmed, a Syrian refugee.
NEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB by Yves Plat (France/Tunisia)
Two Tunisian football fans find a donkey in the desert on the Algerian border. Strangely, the donkey is wearing headphones and carrying bags of white powder.
THE BEACH HOUSE by Richard Naylor (UK)
James and Mike's plan to 'double propose' changes when they discover their girlfriends have a proposal of their own.
7:00pm SHORTS PANORAMABuy Tickets Here
DREAM OF THE F KEY by Grey Chen Iaems Zhang (China)
An F Key believes it is more than part of a keyboard.
ARC NORTH x POLARBEARZ – TOGETHER NOW by Kevin Hindriks (Philippines)
An alternate universe Romeo & Juliet story, set in the slums of Manila North Cemetery.
AGORIA – CALL OF THE WILD by Loïc Andrieu (France)
Jane, an enigmatic cop is forced to face her secret power to dive into death. Not dead yet…but no longer alive.
NICE SHOES by Jonathan Lawrence (USA)
A sci-fi extravaganza. Can you spot the 40 sci-fi film references?
HOSTAGE by Nestor Villasmil (USA/Venezuela)
Based on a true story of a country that has fallen victim to a cruel inhumane dictatorship. The T-shirt soldiers face a powerful criminal state with nothing but courage.
MADBEN – GRIEF, DANCE TO DEATH by NOBRAIN (France)
On a deserted landscape a soldier encounters a mysterious object.
WOMEN UPROOTED by Dominique de Villers (UK)
A thought-provoking documentary opening up the harsh realities of stateless living in 21st Century Britain.
RED DRESS. NO STRAPS by Maryam Mohajer (UK)
Just another ordinary evening at the grandparents in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war with the Voice of America on the radio.
APARTMENT 34 by Eduardo Fuica (UK)
A fly-on-the-wall observation of prostitution.
XIANG JUN by Zhou Songkai (China)
One canoe goes by, like the lingering sound on vibrating strings.
RUNNING AFTER by Will Peppercorn (UK)
A young athlete keeps running, until he can't stop.
2.3 x 2.6 x 3.2 by Jiaqi Wang (UK)
The certainty of hope against the uncertainty of disease.
BROTHER by Tulsi Shivaanand (UK)
Zhe Hat is unable to lean on his brother, so to stop his nightmares he calls upon the dream eating Baku.
7:00pm AMERICAN MIRROR (FEATURE DOCUMENTARY) – UK Premiere followed by Q&A with Director Arthur Balder and a Networking Event in the Bar afterwardsBuy Tickets Here
AMERICAN MIRROR: INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY by Arthur Balder (USA)
How do we perceive and judge ourselves and others in a world dominated by social media, which demands perfect beauty and instant gratification? Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon and painter Tigan Tsitoghdzyan discuss how the apparently in conflict values of beauty and ageing are perceived in our social media obsessed society.
7:00pm SHORTS FILMS MAIN COMPETITION 2Buy Tickets Here
THE PECULIAR ABILITIES OF MR. MAHLER by Paul Philipp (Germany)
East Germany, 1987: A 6-year-old child disappeared without a trace. The special investigator Mahler uses his mysterious abilities to solve the case.
73 COWS by Alex Lockwood (UK)
A beef farmer struggles with his conscience every time he takes his cows to slaughter, and so sets about doing something extraordinary.
PATISION AVENUE by Thanasis Neofotistos (Greece)
A single mother's most important roles in life collide over the phone.
THE CHRISTMAS GIFT by Bogdan Muresanu (Romania/Spain)
A son's letter to Santa Claus throws his father into inescapable turmoil.
TATTOO by Farhad Delaram (Iran)
First they start with your body!
OPEN WIDE by Benham Taheri (UK)
Mr. Karobka doesn't expect his visit to the dentist to take such a startling, and perhaps satisfying, turn.
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE SKY by Vasilis Kekatos (Greece)
Two strangers meet for the first time at an old gas station. One lacks the 22.50€ he needs to get home. Can the one sell the other the distance that separates them from the sky?
7:00pm TO PARIS (FEATURE FILM) followed by a Q&A with Director Sergey SarkisovBuy Tickets Here
A new Russian feature film that is based on the true story of two officers in the Red Army, who on the day after the final victory against the Nazis in 1944 steal a German staff car, go AWOL and head for Paris.
8:30pm CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS CEREMONY & SCREENING
The awards will be announced followed by screenings of some of the winners.
9:30pm CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
The venue will be revealed at the Saturday screenings. All those at the screenings are welcome to join us.
Throughout November 2019 the UK Film Festival in association with Film Bath Festival and Leeds International Film Festival is presenting the following feature films as part of the European Parliament Lux Prize in Bath and in Leeds.
Cold Case Hammarskjöld by Mads Brügger (a co-production of Denmark/Norway/Sweden/Belgium/UK/Germany)
God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya by Teona Mitevska (a co-production of North Macedonia/Belgium/Slovenia/Croatia/France)
The Realm by Rodrigo Sorogoyen (a co-production of Spain/France)
To find out about tickets in Bath or Leeds please go to:
Lux 2018
The London screenings were presented at the Barbican Cinema.
The UK Film Festival is proud to be screening the 3 finalists in November in Bath and Leeds in association with Film Bath Festival and Leeds International Film Festival.
Druga strana svega/The Other Side of Everything by Serbian director Mira Turajlić is a documentary, which confronts the history of an entire country and society in its fight against nationalism and struggle for democracy. The chronicle of a family in Serbia turns into a searing portrait of an activist in times of great turmoil, questioning the responsibility of each generation to fight for their future.
Kona fer í stríð/Woman at War by Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson is a joyful, inventive, energetic and feminist saga of a woman who is a music teacher and lives a double life as a passionate environmental activist. As she begins planning her boldest operation yet, she finds out that her application to adopt a child has finally been accepted and there is a little girl waiting for her in Ukraine.
Styx by Austrian director Wolfgang Fischer appears at first to be a documentary, but is in fact a masterly composed allegory of our polarised world and ambivalence toward the refugee crisis. The protagonist sails of to her dream holiday; a solo yachting voyage in the Atlantic, but after a storm finds herself near a dangerously derelict vessel filled with people who desperately need assistance. The coastguard send her radio instructions to stay completely out of the matter because she is barely equipped to help but this clashes with her sense of social responsibility. Will she sail freely while others drown?
Congratulations to the following ten films that have been nominated for the Lux Prize:
- Border/Gräns: director Ali Abbassi (Sweden, Denmark)
- Donbass: director Sergei Loznitsa (Germany, France, Ukraine, Netherlands, Romania)
- Girl: director Lukas Dhont (Belgium, Netherlands)
- Happy as Lazzaro/Lazzaro felice: director Alice Rohrwacher (Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany)
- Mug/Twarz: director Małgorzata Szumovska (Poland)
- Styx: director Wolfgang Fischer (Germany, Austria)
- The Other Side of Everything/Druga strana svega: director Mila Turajlić (Serbia, France, Qatar)
- The Silence of Others/El silencio de los otros: director Almudena Carracedo & Robet Bahar (Spain, USA)
- U_July 22/Utøya 22.juli: director Erik Pope (Norway)
- Woman at War/Kona fer í stríđ: director Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland, France, Ukraine)
About the Lux Film Prize:
The Lux Film Prize is an award given out by MEPs to promote European cinema, make films accessible to larger audiences across languages and cultures, help promising productions circulate beyond their national market and encourage debate about values and social issues across Europe.
The UK Film Festival London represents the Lux Prize in the UK in association with Film Bath Festival and Leeds International Film Festival.


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Villa Amore / On the Amalfi Coast in Positano
- Bedrooms
- 4
- Bathrooms
- 4.5
- Sleeps
- 8
Top Features
Prime villa with extraordinary views, terraces and pool. Great staff.
Villa Amore is an exquisite two-story residence of white stucco, set on a cliff side overlooking beautiful Positano and beyond to the Gulf of Salerno. The location is sublime.
- Intimate and relaxing atmosphere only 10-15 minutes from Positano city shopping center
- Stunning views of the Faraglioni Rocks and Li Galli Islands
- Direct access to the Bagni d'Arienzo, down about 300 steps, where guests will find a traditional seafood restaurant for lunch.
- Swimming pool with panoramic views, umbrella, sun beds and pool towels
- Bedrooms with panoramic sea views from balconies, terraces and windows
- Indoor and outdoor living rooms
- Solarium
- Partially air-conditioned
The villa is just outside of Positano, in the direction of Amalfi. Positano is home to an array of delightful shops, cafés and restaurants—and yet retains a small town atmosphere beloved by tourists. It can be accessed on foot along the beautiful but narrow and winding Amalfi Drive. Alternatively, one can take the bus that stops on the road just above Villa Amore.
Day trips can be made by boat to the isles of Capri and Ischia or to Praiano, Amalfi, and Naples, with its famous archaeological museum. Ravello, at a higher altitude a bit removed from the coast, is enchanting, with two lovely aristocratic villas that are open to visitors and a handsome 11th century Duomo. Among the Sorrento Peninsula's many attractions are the fascinating archaeological sites at Pompeii, Herculeum and Paestum. Visits to these destinations can be made by calling the car and driver service in town. A car is not necessary but may be desired, especially off season when parking is easier to find and there is less traffic. Free parking must be found along the street, where you will find a slight widening in the road as well as the bus stop.
The villa features a spacious open-plan living room with vaulted ceilings, including a sitting area with fireplace and a separate dining area. The room is furnished and decorated with an understated elegance, accented by select pieces of sculpture and other artwork. Two sets of french doors open onto a beautiful furnished terrace facing the sea and an adjoining pool area, with comfortable lounge chairs. This picturesque outdoor area has a vine-covered stone wall, an array of potted plants, and a regal statue keeping watch from one end of the pool.
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The Villa
Ground floor
- Open-plan living/dining room with fireplace
- Elegant, modern kitchen, fully equipped
- Solarium
- Furnished terrace with view of the sea
- Twin bedroom – en suite bathroom with tub
- Library furnished with a double bed to accommodate two guests
- Bathroom with tub
Second floor
- Two bedrooms, one with a king-size mattress, the other queen
- The bedrooms are air-conditioned and provided with TV and telephone
- The bedrooms have panoramic sea views, from the windows, balconies and terrace
- Fireplace in one bedroom
- Two bathrooms, one with tub and shower and the other with tub
- Pool with panoramic views, umbrella, sun beds and pool towels
- Outdoor living room
- Half bath with access to the pool area
- Utility room with washing machine
- Features
- Lake/Sea ViewTerrace/BalconyStaff IncludedWine Cellar
- Centrally located safe
- Location
- Near Beach Walk to village/services
- Closest store or village: 1.0 km
- Closest Village/Services
- 1.0km
- Transportation
- Car Free
- Pool/Spa
- Pool (unheated)
- Communications
- PhoneInternet/Wi-Fi
- Entertainment
- TV (terrestrial)
- Climate Control
- Air Conditioning
- Partially air-conditioned
- Kitchen
- Great KitchenDishwasher
- Laundry
- Washer
Rates and Availability
Calendar available on request. Please inquire.
- Minimum Stay
- 1 week
- Arrival Day
- Flexible
|Mar 3 - Apr 27
|Apr 28 - Jun 1
|Jun 2 - Jun 29
|Jun 30 - Aug 31
|Sep 1 - Sept 28
|Sep 29 - Nov 2
Additional Information
- Includes
- Final cleaning
- Breakfast service (food and beverage extra)
- Maid service 8 hrs/day, 6 days/week
- Utilities (normal use) and air conditioning, not heat
- Pool service
- Pool towels
- Wi-Fi
- Tourist tax
- Extras
- Heating is metered and extra at 0.42 /kwh
- Porter services for arrival and departure on request
- On request, private transfers and excursions, cooking school, walking tour, beauty and wellness treatment, and tailor services on request with extra charges.
- Security Deposit
$1,300 payable by check to Doorways, returned a month after your trip minus any damages or unpaid fees.
- Notes
- Telephone is available for local calls only.
|10 min
Request Information
Similar Villas
Villa BenessereSleeps 16(+4)22,390 – 35,300 /wk
Villa CastiglioneSleeps 148,750 – 15,750 /wk
Diana EstateSleeps 2 -141,236 – 6,624 /wk


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Devil RayMEMBERS
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About Devil Ray
- Birthday 09/06/1979
Profile Information
Summerland Point
Recent Profile Visitors
Kiama FAD
Devil Ray posted a topic in Gamefishing GrapevineHey Raiders... Im heading out off Kiama on Sunday and had a few questions. 1. What is the boat ramp like down there? 2. Locations for Livebait 3. Has anyone fished the FAD recently or heard any reports from there for Dollies Thanks in Advance Raiders
Devil Ray started following Paul Worsteling - Yamaha, Kiama FAD and Help! Want a hard top for my boat
Fishing Swansea on Sunday
Devil Ray posted a topic in Fishing ChatHello Raiders, Well i am out of hibernation and am ready to get the boat wet again. Tracking the weather all week and it looks like a real treat. Going to put the boat in at Swansea and head out through the heads, wanting to chase some nice big winter snapper. I have heard Catherine Hill Bay is a good spot and is quite reefy and holds good reds. Any suggestions, marks, honey holes etc would be great raiders. I havent fished this area much but at a guess i would say that moon island would be a good spot for livies, squid etc. if anyone can confirm that? I will be out on Sunday from 5am, any raiders see me out on the water come say hi.... I have a 5.5m savage lancer named Devil Ray Thanks in advance
How do you store your premade rigs
Devil Ray replied to night_rider's topic in Tackle TalkAny particular colour of Noodle Dean?
Score 1-2 Stockton flathead Vs me
Devil Ray replied to fisherman666's topic in Fishing ReportsFlip thebail arm over next time you go for a squirt
Home made scent
Devil Ray replied to Dubsjh's topic in Fishing ChatIt might not need improving, let us know how you go... If it is no good then we can add some lol
$4K Snapper caught
Devil Ray replied to antonywardle's topic in Fishing ReportsCatching fishi is just a BYCATCH of having a boat.... I loooooove fishing but i love being on the water, letting all your problems dissapear, chatting with ya mates etc it is money well spent for my sanity
Help! Want a hard top for my boatThe top is fibre glass i am pretty sure
Help! Want a hard top for my boatHello raiders... I bought my first boat around 7 months ago, being on a budget i couldnt buy my dream boat but it was after all " a boat" . I have slowly made some improvements over time and am looking at going the whole hog soon with a respray, new bai board and live tank etc I would really like to get a hard top built but i have no idea how much i can expect to pa??, who does these things?? Where do i start? I have attached a photo of the boat, if anyone has any idea on price ( ball park figure) or a business in Newcastle, Sydney or Central Coast that does this sort of thing then please let me know. Cheers Guys n Gals
Georges Jewfish in a yak on SP
Devil Ray replied to whitewash's topic in Fishing ReportsGreat effort mate
Catching Yakkas at Balmoral
Devil Ray replied to flattiefisher27's topic in Fishing ChatPlenty of yakkas at Balmoral, i use a sabiki rig ( about $2 at most tackle shops) with small pieces of prawns, squid or Pilchards. Burley them up with small pieces of bread. Once you have your livies i use a very basic rig, large ball sinker down to a swivel then on to your leader tie a 2 hook snelled rig at the bottom. Feed the top hook just through the nose of the fish and the back hook about halfway down just under the dorsal fin. Make sure you have some slack line between the two hooks so you livey can swim freely. Good luck mate
Dollies a plenty in 26oC water 4/4/14
Devil Ray replied to Aqua Naut's topic in Fishing ReportsLooks like a great day, plenty of awesome dinners there mate
I would love to see a Fishraider show on TV someday.... Run by the members, sharing rigging techniques, tackle and locations that are accessible to the majority. I know for a show to be viable sponsors need to be onboard but if we use the amount of knowledge from this forum and its members there could be a very informative program with minimal product plugging. People using gear that they have chosen and used not given to them for the purpose of plugging a particular product.
Back to basics. Catching livebait
Devil Ray replied to NaClH2OK9's topic in Fishing ChatI have been hearing a little bit about the Sabiki rods, how much are they?
Embarrassing yet saddest moment of my fishing career.
Devil Ray replied to Michael Pitt's topic in Fishing ChatIm feeling ya pain
I am jealous of the guy to be honest.... He gets paid to fish all over Australia and the world. All his gear is given to him and he is paid to use them.... I am craving a fishing show that explains rigs used and why they use them... And to fish in locations that are acessible to the majority of the public.


text: It's an interesting trend that's occurring in pop world when artists release 2 versions of one song - a dirty and a clean version. Even SCP favourite P!nk did it with her single Less Than Perfect / F**king Perfect. Canadian R&B/Rapper Karl Wolf is the latest to do this with his two versions of clean Mash It Up & dirty F**k S**t Up! A great song actually from an artist who's previously covered the Toto classic Africa with his own unique R&B twist. Check out Mash It Up here now..!


text: Paper Title Water Utility and Distribution System using PLC and SCADA Abstract This paper is all about scheduling and distribution of water as water becomes the most important resource that needs to be taken care of, it is a natural resource which can be saved and must be utilized properly and never be wasted hence we have come up with a project in order to process the project which changes the perception towards the scarcity in future.Our primary target of the paper is providing the centralized system to monitor and control the entire water distribution system. As the scarcity of drinking water increases day by day, we are in need of preserving drinking water. Here we are proposing a system with PLC (programmable logic controller) and SCADA system through which we can monitor & control entire system with billing management. Here water will be distributed at minimal cost according to the strength of the family, which will be found by govt. database & extra usage will be charged more as per the usage. Also by this system we can track heavy users and charge them or penalize them heavily. Also this entire system can be controlled or accessed through cloud as future enhancement.


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No man likes to find that his favorite body part is covered in penis sores. This unsettling situation can be a sign of a number of issues, one of which is the little-known STI called donovanosis. Maintaining proper penis health, including avoiding unprotected sex, is important for avoiding STIs; but if a man does contract donovanosis, it's crucial that he knows what steps to take for treatment.
What is it?
Penis sores (also often called penis ulcers) can occur for a number of reasons, including an allergic reaction to antibiotics or an infection. Often, however, an STI is the culprit. While herpes, syphilis and chancroid are more well-known causes of penis sores, men still need to be aware that these ulcers may indicate donovanosis. This is especially likely if a man has had sex while traveling to one of the less developed regions of the world. Donovanosis is extremely rare in more developed areas, but much more common in less developed (usually tropical or sub-tropical) countries.
Also known as granuloma inguinale, donovanosis is a bacterial disease which presents with ulcers that are often mistaken for those associated with syphilis. If a man has unprotected sex with a person with this bacteria, he may develop the sores - but not right away. Typically there is a window of between 10 and 40 days after exposure during which the ulcers form. The sores are like open wounds, oozing a pus-like substance. The sores themselves are fairly painless, but the longer they last, the more they spread. As they spread, they damage and may even destroy the penile tissue in the area. Scarring often results due to tissue damage.
Left untreated, the ulcers can spread beyond the penis and into the entire groin area, even spreading to the legs.
Antibiotics are typically used to treat donovanosis. It's important to begin treatment as early as possible; the longer that the condition persists, the longer the treatment may need to be. A typical course of treatment runs 3 weeks or longer; the exact length depends upon how stubborn the sores are.
Once sores have been treated and disappear, a man should still monitor closely. Often, the condition will resurface at a later time.
Since donovanosis can be a recurring condition, it's advisable to take steps to avoid contamination in the first place. Practicing proper safe sex, including the use of a condom throughout the duration of sexual contact, is strongly advised. It's also important to avoid sexual contact with a person if there are visible indications that donovanosis (or another STI) may be present.
A man who has donovanosis should avoid having sexual contact with another person until the doctor has determined that the condition is no longer present. This includes all forms of partner-based contact - intercourse, oral sex and manual contact with the genitals.
Donovanosis can be a difficult condition to deal with, and the penis sores that it presents with can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Once the sores have closed and begun healing, there may be lingering soreness. Using a top-notch penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) may provide some relief from the soreness. A crème that is packed with both a high-end emollient (such as Shea butter) and a natural hydrator (think vitamin E) is an excellent choice. This combination of ingredients locks in moisture and helps continue the dermatologic healing. Penis sores often contribute to an unpleasant odor, so using a crème with vitamin A is recommended. Vitamin A possesses anti-bacterial properties which help to eliminate persistent penis odor. Man1 Man Oil can boost penis health to a higher level.
In : Men's Health


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Our Events
Asian Summit on Education & Skills - Asia's only annual leadership event dedicated to the Education & Skills sector. ASES brings together influential leaders, eminent educationists and other key stakeholders to create an unparalleled platform for exchange of dialogues on policy, implementation of future practices and new growth drivers that are revolutionising the education and training sector in Asia. Learn More
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IDA Connect - Live interactive workshops, Powerful Conferences, Thought Provoking Round Table meets, Peer Interaction and Community building are important initiatives taken by IDA with the objective of empowering teachers & trainers on various advancements in the education & training sector. Learn More
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DDA - Didac Distributor Alliance, the only community bringing together all the Didactic Distributors from across the globe. Learn More.


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One of the quickest and easiest way to obtain financial assistance is to file an asbestos bankruptcy trust claims. There are over 30 asbestos trusts to file with so it can be confusing.
It is important to file with all trusts funds you are eligible for to maximize your recovery. Some trust funds can pay you within as little as 6 weeks and for many patients this can help with treatment and other living expenses.
There are strict time limits so contact us now before it is too late!


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The Stolen Blessing
Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-45
On Sunday our RADIUS kids learned how God would change Isaac and Rebekah's family. God's plan was that their older son would serve the younger. That wasn't how families typically worked in Bible times. The birthright was an important part of the patriarchal culture. Typically, upon the death of his father, the older brother would receive twice as much property and goods as the younger. But Esau gave it to Jacob for a hot bowl of stew. Later, Jacob wore his brother's clothes and lied to his father to receive a special blessing Isaac meant to bestow on Esau—another privilege afforded to an oldest son. With his blessing, Isaac made his son master over his brother. Just as God said, the older would serve the younger.
Our kids learned that nothing can stop God's perfect plan. Jesus is the firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15), and He deserves all the privileges afforded to Him. But when Jesus hung on the cross, He gave up His blessing for us. Jesus took the punishment we deserve so that the Father would give us the blessing Jesus deserves.
Family Conversations and Activities
Family Discussion Starters:
- Jacob and Esau both wanted the wrong thing or tried to get good things the wrong way. Have you ever done the same?
- How did God make His plan happen? (Esau gave his birthright to Jacob.)
- What can stop God's plan? Nothing can stop God's plan.
Family Activities
- Talk about a time when it was hard to trust that God was working out His perfect plan.
- Make a card of the big picture question and answer. Tape it to your mirror as a daily reminder.
Bible Verse
"I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you." (Genesis 26:24)
Want to Talk About It?
Do you have questions about RADIUS Kids? Be sure to check out our Kids Page.
Want to know more about how you can engage your children in meaningful play? You can join our Facebook Group or feel free to contact Stephanie Ricard (RADIUS Kids Coordinator) or Andrea Krick (RADIUS Kids Preschool Coordinator).
Want to know more about the Gospel Project? Check out their website.
- 1.God Created
- 2.Sin Entered The World
- 3.Cain and Abel
- 4.Noah and the Ark
- 5.The Tower of Babel
- 6.God's Covenant with Abraham
- 7.God Tested Abraham
- 8.The Promise Reaffirmed
- 9.The Stolen Blessing
- 10.Jacob's New Name
- 11.Joseph Sent to Egypt
- 12.Joseph's Dreams Came True
- 13.Angels Spoke To Mary & Joseph
- 14.Jesus Was Born
- 15.The Plagues, The Passover & The Crossing of the Red Sea
- 16.The Wilderness Test
- 17.The Golden Calf


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Cardiff City's 2008 FA Cup final team - Where are they now?
It has been six years since at the time Championship side Cardiff City were in the FA Cup final against the then Premier League outfit Portsmouth. What ever happened to the players that played that day for the Bluebirds?
Loovens sends Celtic top
Glenn Loovens' dramatic injury-time winner in a 2-1 victory against Hearts at Parkhead sent Celtic two points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
Celtic close in on Rangers target Loovens
Celtic are on the cusp of signing defender - and one-time Rangers target - Glenn Loovens after moving close to completing a deal with Championship side Cardiff for the player.
Rangers favourites to capture Loovens
Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale is willing to sanction the sale of Rangers target Glenn Loovens - but only at the right price.


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I am not complaining, but rather stating some facts ["Voter's remorse on a school budget," Opinion, June 8].
I am finishing my 22nd year as a teacher, and I adore my profession. I work with intelligent, creative, hardworking people, and I love the community where I teach -- students and parents alike.
However, here are some facts: In our last contract, we accepted a two-year freeze. No steps, no credit advancement, no raises. Why? The teachers union knew the community was facing some financial trouble, and we wanted to be a part of the solution. Did my taxes go up where I live? Yes. Did the cost of food, gas and oil go up? Yes. Did my children need new clothing, new sneakers and new sports equipment? Yes.
I know many people feel teachers receive automatic raises each year, but this is not always the case. Educators also feel for the losses in their schools: of sports teams, clubs and electives, to name a few. We know how important these experiences are to our students.
However, I have to disagree with the headline ". . . teacher step raises are a culprit." Most of us feel a strong connection to the district in which we teach, and I resent the statement that teachers are tied to taking opportunities away from the students.
Amy Rogan, Lynbrook


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India will make a $700 million oil payment to Iran on Wednesday, sources said, the first release of such funds after the July deal on the country's nuclear program that sets the roadmap for the lifting of sanctions against Tehran.
Partial payments of some of Iran's oil dues have been allowed since early 2014 on the basis of a temporary deal that was a prelude to the July agreement, Reuters reported.
Refiners will be making payment in rupees equivalent to $700 million to the state-run UCO Bank on Wednesday this week, said three sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
They said UCO Bank has already bought dollars in the forward markets for payments into the Central Bank of Iran's account with Oman's Bank Muscat.
The sources said US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has already approved the banking mechanism and payment of $1.4 billion by Indian refiners in two equal installments to Tehran. Timing for the second installment is not yet known, the sources said.
Indian refiners have been depositing 45% of their oil payments to Iran in rupees with UCO Bank since 2012.
Tehran uses the funds, currently more than 170 billion Indian rupees, or $2.57 billion, for importing non-sanctioned goods from New Delhi, the sources reportedly said
Refiners have been holding the remainder after a route to pay for oil through Turkey's Halkbank was stopped in 2013 under pressure from sanctions, although payment of some of those funds was allowed after the initial temporary deal.
Indian refiners owed about $6.6 billion to Iran as of the end of August. Essar Oil owes about $3.1 billion, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd $2.8 billion, followed by Indian Oil Corp, which owes $581 million. HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd owes $97 million and Hindustan Petroleum Corp has to pay $29 million.
Sources said HMEL, which last made purchases from Iran in 2013, has not been participating in the payment mechanism because of a sharp decline in the rupee since then.
The remaining four companies will pay Iran amounts in proportion to what they owe, the sources said. India is Iran's biggest oil client after China, although New Delhi has reduced purchases under pressure from the sanctions. Tehran is now its seventh-biggest supplier, down from the No. 2 spot in the pre-sanctions era.


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Welcome to rambotutoring.com! Thank you for your time and interest. If you're looking for high-quality math tutoring in Westwood or online then you've come to the right place.
Charles tutors all high school mathematics and most college-level courses as well. You name it–Calculus, Statistics, the GRE math subject test, the quantitative section of the general GRE, and SOA's exam P–and we can tutor it. Charles has over 10 years of tutoring experience, a degree in math from Berkeley, and is a current UCLA graduate student, so you can be confident that he knows the material well and can teach it.
Please feel free to contact Charles, if you have any questions or comments. Charles is friendly and would love to hear from you regardless of whether you're sure that tutoring is right for you and your family. Thanks for stopping by!