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The Instigator
Pro (for)
1 Points
The Contender
Con (against)
0 Points
Dogs are better than cats
Post Voting Period
The voting period for this debate has ended.
after 1 vote the winner is...
|Voting Style:
|Point System:
|7 Point
|3 years ago
|Post Voting Period
|1,027 times
|Debate No:
Debate Rounds (4)
Comments (2)
Votes (1)
I accept the principle of this debate.
I oppose the idea of Dogs being "better" than cats and will try to prove that it is actually the other way around. My ultimate goal is to defend dignity and social status of all cats across the globe. My adversary (whom I welcome) is in favour of the belief that Cats are inferior to Dogs.
Let the debate... Begin.
"My dog notices if I'm doing well or not. I talk to him; there is always someone in the apartment, and I'm not alone."
"He watches over me; he gives me a purpose."
"I have to go outside with him and exercise: this is also good for me."
"When I'm outside with my dog, I always meet new people and chat with them."
"My dog means everything to me - even more than my relatives do."
"I wouldn't want to be without my dog!"
Dogs obviously keep people's mental and physical health intact.
My second contention is that dogs are life saving. Dogs are recognized for their amazing noses, which can be used to find bombs, missing persons, and criminals. Dogs are four-legged life saviors. That's why we have police dogs, not cats. According to National Geographic, seizure-alert dogs can save a human from having a seizure without any medical help. The dog will get the person's attention by performing some attention grabbing actions such as whining, pawing, or anxious barking anywhere between 15 to 12 hours before the attack. The dogs can be trained to stay by the person's side or even dial 911 on a phone. Try training your cat to speed dial.
My debate adversary claims that dogs sustain public health by making their owners laugh significantly more than Cats do. However, Pro does not provide any credible sources, supporting his shady statistics. Although he does mention the "National Institute of Health" it is unclear which Nation (Definition = of, relating to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit: national affairs.) [1] does Pro have in mind.
My opponents also provides me with 6 different quotes, apparently they come from elderly people which enjoy the presence of dogs but I fail to see how this quotes (again, without any sources to support they are actually real) make any real difference to Pro argument. If we substituted the word "dog" with "cat" in all of the quotes, they would still make perfect sense.
Here, let's go right ahead and take one of the upper quotes and see the Cat-sformation
"My Dog means everything to me - even more than my relatives do."
"My Cat means everything to me - even more than my relatives do."
See? No difference. Besides I once more wish to challenge the credibility of this quotes as they appear to be rather fictional and made-up or at the very least, exaggerated. I hope my opponent will be able to provide legitimate sources for all his arguments in the next round of the debate.
It is hard to argue in favour of Cats without devaluing Dogs contribution to society in the areas you have mentioned. Dogs are indeed great workers, recognized by Police, Health institutions and many others. But that only proves my point.
Dogs are in a lower social position to cats. As you gladly mentioned, cats don't work. It is because Cats are royal and high status animals and using them for work would be disrespectful. Furthermore, even if cats have the capability to work in some of this fields, they refuse to cooperate! Because they are self-aware of their own worth unlike dogs who don't value themselves and blindly submit their lives to human masters.
Now, I will provide my own arguments. I have plenty but I will save the most important ones for future rounds. For now let's start with statistics, real ones for a change.
Contention (I) General Statistics
Across the US and Europe, there is more cats owned than dogs (83 Million Dogs - 96 Million Cats owned in United States alone - 2012) [2] What better argument Is there to prove my point if not the peoples preferences. As we can see (I can provide global statistic if you wish) Cats are clearly far more common within US households. Why may that be? If Dogs are better as my opponent clearly claims than why is there more cats than dogs within the US families? Well I know the answer. They are clearly better than dogs and many rational cat owners understand that perfectly.
Contention (II) Personal Hygiene
Cats are wildly known for their high standards of personal hygiene. Do you remember the time you took your dog for walk? Well, if the dog sees a mud pool he will most likely jump right inside of it. Dogs care little to nothing about how dirty they are or how dirty your house is going to be once you come back from work, or walk. Likewise, Cats value their own personal hygiene.
Whiskas, a high profile cat food provider mentions this in their online page "Kittens are naturally clean animals, first learning from their mother how to keep themselves clean, then, after six weeks, taking care of grooming on their own. Though cats are mostly self-sufficient when it comes to hygiene..." [3] the same source claims that cats spend around 3,5 hours a day cleaning themselves. Can you say the same for the dogs? I don't think so.
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com...
[2] www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.htm
[3] www.whiskas.com/CatsCorner/Article/Clean-Cats-Happy-Cats
My opponent states that the quotes I provided could be easily changed to favor cats. While that might seem like a valid argument, it is merely just a what if situation. These cat statements never actually happened, while the statements said about dogs are completely true.
My opponent challenges the credibility and realness of these statements. I can tell you from personal experience that each of these statements are true. Your dog is like your family member and you feel very attached to it.
My adversary says that dogs are in a lower social position than cats, and cats don't work because they are royal. I disagree with this statement. Where is the source for all this information? What is the proof? Dogs work to contribute to the society, unlike cats who sit around thinking they are higher than other people. They are not compassionate enough to actually help someone. The reason we get pets are to have companions, who assist us and make us feel valued and happy. We do not get pets to be their servants and constantly take care of them.
My opponent's first contention says there are more cats owned than dogs in the U.S. The Washington Post says, "Here in the U.S., slightly more households own dogs than own cats. But numbers show that in terms of raw population, cats outnumber dogs to the tune of 2 million (the number is closer to 4 million, by the American Veterinary Medical Association's estimate). Why? One simple explanation is that cats are more compact. You can fit more cats in a house than you can, say, golden retrievers." This means that though more cats are owned, the dogs are more in demand.
My opponent's 2nd contention states that cats have more personal hygiene. Cats spend so much time grooming themselves because they are self involved and have nothing better to do. Dogs, on the other hand, like to have some fun in their lives. They might jump in mud puddles, but they are definitely not spending their lives strictly staying in line. Dogs convince people to be fun loving and not spend their lives being plain boring. Also, Whiskas is a biased source. They are a cat food producer, of course they favor cats. Cats are the ones using their products.
Contention 3
Dogs are more loving. Today, the news channel on NBC, says "They have more personality. They are loyal," he said. "Cats are all about cats but dogs are interested in pleasing their owners. Cats don't care if they please you or not." Dogs try to read your emotions and help you and make you feel happy in anyway they can. Another example of a dogs love is when you come home. A dog will be so happy when you come home from work or school, because a few hours with out you is an eternity without their best friend for the dog. Cats will only love you when you are giving them food.
Towarzysz forfeited this round.
fathabeeb forfeited this round.
Towarzysz forfeited this round.
2 comments have been posted on this debate. Showing 1 through 2 records.
Posted by Lavaguava 3 years ago
Posted by Sarra 3 years agohttp://www.lostateminor.com...
1 votes has been placed for this debate.
Vote Placed by ColeTrain 3 years ago
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Reasons for voting decision: Ff
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Leather Jacket - Muubaa
Tee - American Apparel
Jeans - New Look
Boots - Office
Faux Fur collar - ASOS (I got mine years ago so they don't have the same one but they have a ton of similar ones so I have linked to the page that sells them, hope that helps)
Lipstick - Nars in Cruella
Eyelashes* - Threads in the style Emiloo
I love how one accessory can update a whole look. This is such a simple outfit but my little fur collar just totally takes it up a notch I think. I got it a few years ago from ASOS and I have worn it religiously ever since, its the perfect thing to update an old winter coat too.
I love how messy and undone this look is, something about my hair being super messy, my leather jacket, red boots and red lips, I just love the whole combination. I think its weirdly festive, I mean I know its not a festive outfit but I kinda feel like it is with the red touches, you know?
I was so excited to try out some new eyelashes. The only eyelashes I have ever worn have been Eylure, so I was super excited to try another brand. I love wearing fake eyelashes when it's coming up to the Christmas season, I just think they pull together a glam makeup look so well, they aren't something that I wear all the time but I really love them for special occasions.
I was super impressed with this style that I tried. I love how long and curved they are, they aren't too full or intense either but still give your eyes a real wide awake look and because of the shape the eyelashes are cut in, they give you a sort of cat-eyed look as well, which is my favourite thing ever.
The lashes are all handmade and have a flexi-band for a perfect, lightweight fit. I'll be honest I thought for the length of the lashes they would have felt way heavier on my eyes than they did, they were really comfortable and stayed on great but were also easy to just pull off when I took them off at night (and all my own lashes were still intact too haha). There are 9 styles to choose from and the glue that comes with it is latex free and fragrance free which is great for sensitive eyes like mine. My skin has been so bad at the moment as I've taken a few skin reactions in a row to some skin products I've been trying which is so annoying but thankfully I took no reaction whatsoever to these lashes, so that was great, so if you've got sensitive skin too I would give them a go.
You can buy these lashes from Threads website or you can buy them from the Harvey Nicholas Knightsbridge store too. The lashes are all £9.
Have you tried this brand before, are you a fan?

subset: commoncrawl


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We have had so many Halloween activities that I accidentally dressed Lydia up in costume for preschool. I thought the Halloween parade was this week. The school administrator patiently informed me that the parade will occur on Halloween, as the flier they sent home clearly stated. Oops. In between worrying about my mistake and hoping Lydia was too young to feel embarrassed, I visit taught Marilyn and practiced a bit of piano at home.
Then in the afternoon, Isabella came over and we went shopping for her costume. She wanted to be a cracked doll, so we went to Kid to Kid and DI looking for a lacy dress. I said a silent prayer as we pulled into DI, and bam! Within five minutes, we found the dress. I love God.
Then we picked up Lalitha, Eden and Ada before caravaning with the Pe'as to Red Butte for the Garden After Dark festivities.


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WaldmannBecame Captain of the GIGN's 1st armored unit after the war. Early in the war, had attempted to kill Mills by asking a homeless boy to give Mills a booby trapped package, but Mills survived and became Captain of the Jackals instead, a position that would have gone to Waldmann if Mills had died. Betrayed Mills because he felt that Regium had lost the war, and because he failed to kill Mills previously. Eventually killed by Mills after apologizing.
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|Photo by Jean-Michel Selva
The Lady of Liberty moved from France to New York, yet she's still here.
An article in the local paper announcing the re-installation of the Bordeaux Statue of Liberty and recounting a bit of its agitated history.
Here are better photos of the newly restored Statue of Liberty by Jean-MIchel Silva, a Bordelais (man from Bordeaux) who's a fan of New York
And two articles at Wikipedia on the statue: first its history and then the replicas around the world, including several in France.
France values its connections to the US. The town of Bordeaux, as part of its restoration of the square where this statues is located, decided to restore its Statue of Liberty, which had suffered over the years.


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Serious musings of a Questioning mind
This time around, the title suits the blog fine. Those of you who cannot fathom the meaning of this need to visit Random musings of a Questioning mind to understand what I am saying.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Educated India? Or not?
Friday, January 09, 2009
Ungodly hours I maintain zzz...
It is this thought that has been troubling me for some time now. If I am not going to exist forever, what is the point in building a fortune for myself and my family? Why should I persevere to ensure that my future generations live a good life? Why should I worry about what happens to relatives, friends, animals, birds, insects, trees, water, air, earth, space, the Universe? Why should I think about little insignificant details of my everyday life like whether I will be able to make it to the station in time to catch the 07:48 am fast train so that I can reach my work place on time. Why should I bother whether Arsenal wins the EPL/CL/CC/FAC/WCC/CS etc? Shouldn't I care two hoots about how India performs at the Olympics? Or how Argentina fares at the World Cup? Why should I go into delirium every time my site stats show that the hits have increased? Is there any point to it all?
And of course, as is wont to happen with all things in life, these thoughts, just like millions of my cells have before and like millions will in the future, die out. They are nothing but random neural firings, brought on by the caffeine. I am sure that drowsiness will get the better of me and the last thoughts that pass through my mind before it is consumed by sleep will be of that babe I saw across the street today. And when I wake up in the morning, all of this will be a distant memory. I will want to attack the day with renewed vigour and zest. Every freshly generated cell in my body will cry out for oxygen and lambast me if I fail to get in the daily dose of euphoria, despondentness, anxiety, expectation, frivolity, stinginess - any modicum of emotion to satiate my desires. I will want to debate the future of the bacteria that treat the wastewater at my place of work; crease my brow over the amount of reports that my bosses ask of me; smile when I see that my wife is calling me just to say hello; plan for that StarCraft extravaganza this weekend with my brother; think of ways to chide Yuri when Chelsea defeat Manchester United; await the end of the month to see the numbers in my bank account grow. Suffice to say, that I will be engulfed in my daily activities so much, that I will forget all of this death business.
And come the end of the day, some part of me will begin to wonder (probably some brain cells on their way out) as to what is the meaning of it all. Will this article make me famous and ensure posterity? Will future generations ever read this blog article and comment upon the grave (pun intended) nature of the subject matter? Questions, I wish I will never know the answers to - yet I seek desperately.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Rule 49-O of the Constitution???
49-O? Constitution of India? What the heck is that?
Of late, in wake of the Mumbai attacks, a chain email which was hitherto being circulated during election time has surfaced again. This email, funnily enough, claims that (sic) "there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969 act, in section " 49-O" ... convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!"
A clinical dissection of this email is warranted because if the Constitution of India allows us to not vote for jokers, then the writers of the Constitution (may their souls rest in peace) need to be thanked profusely!
Okay. Google for Section 49-O of Indian Constitution. What's this? All results points to pages which have the contents of the forwarded email! Hmmm... Must dig deeper to solve this mystery. Does the author mean the Constitution? Or does s/he want us to refer the Election Commission Rules? Is there any link to the Conduct of Election Rules? Will Radgovin aka Gman be able to unearth the truth in the quest for knowledge to destroy ignorance? Will he stop asking rhetorical questions? The answer of course is no.
I wonder what the Election Commission of India has to say about this:
Link 1.: http://archive.eci.gov.in/
No link to the Conduct of Election Rules on this site. However, there is a link which says, Proposed Electoral Reforms. Which brings us to:
Link 2.: http://archive.eci.gov.in/PROPOSED_ELECTORAL_REFORMS.pdf
Okay. This says that there is a need to amend the Rules 22 & 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 so as to maintain anonymity of the voter who has voted for no one i.e. he has chosen to reject all probable candidates. This has been pending with the politicians (who make the rules, of course) since 2001.
Link 3.: (after a lot of searching) http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/subord/cer1.htm
The Motherload!!! Here's what the Rule 49-O is all about:
49-O. Elector deciding not to vote. - If an elector, after his electoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon as required under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark.
Does not make sense, does it? I mean, the right to voting secrecy is the cornerstone of democracy. The fact that all our politicians are united against such an act goes to show that our "major" political parties are not all that "divided" after all. I mean, they are always united against a common enemy: the educated masses. Whenever the "educated" class gets agitated, these (*^*%$^) find ways and means to quell their anger. In the mean time, the poor uneducated masses are given hand outs just before the deadline for election commission rules to kick into place. Just to keep their memories fresh so that they know which button to press on election day. A look at the figures of voting in cities vs. voting in towns / villages will show you why the politicians who are in power are in power. Check the living conditions in constituencies of some of the powerful ministers in any state. And I am sure that you will not be surprised to see the people there living contented, peaceful lives. Can't really blame them for that.
And what are the "educated" doing in the mean time? Lamenting about the lack of leadership in the Government, commenting on the state of traffic, security, roads, environment, health care, life style, moral righteousness. Oh, that & forwarding emails spreading disinformation. Don't get me wrong; I am part of all of this myself. I am not one to claim that I am over all of this. I am as susceptible to criticizing all that is wrong around me as the other guy.
I am an Indian, after all.
Another good link to read about the Right to Say No:
For our email disclaimer please visit http://www.asianpaints.com/disclaimer.aspx#email
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Good Blogs: How to Find & Keep them
Searching for good blogs
Tip 1: Ask your friendsNothing beats personal opinion. Google blog search and other related devices for searching for blogs on the internet can only take you so far. For example, I am currently subscribed to two Arsenal related blogs - A Cultured Left Foot (ACLF) and Arseblog, which in my opinion offer damn good reading material for Arsenal fans. However, these two do not appear in the top 20 or so search results. Most of the top results will be populated by popular sites where the "aam junta" go for their daily kicks. However, when you are looking for specific reading which will appeal to the thinker within you, it makes sense to take advice from like minded people. Ask your friends, chat to people about blogs they like (with topics of your interest), ask on orkut/facebook/wherever.
Tip 2: Check wordpress.com / technorati for "happening" blogs of the dayThese sites display a list of the hottest blogs of the moment. There is a reason that a blog article appears on the front page of such sites: popularity. And not just popularity amongst the general masses; popularity because they are good blog articles appreciated by chronic readers! There is a blog I subscribe to: Angry Aussie. The guy has a knack for humour & I picked up the link to his blog via Wordpress. Another pointer for a good blog is the number of comments it has. A blog having multiple comments by different people over a period of time is more likely to have good content as opposed to the blogger interjecting to reply to every other comment.
Tip 3: Once you find a good blog, check for related linksThe best bloggers hunt in packs. Correction, make that "write" in packs. That is not to say that they know each other in real life. Writers write because they have read a lot and cannot control the urge to pen down their own two pennies worth. The very fact that they are writing well suggests that they are reading well. Check the "blogs I visit" section of any good blogger. You are bound to find some wonderful reading stuff over there as well.
Subscribing to good blogs
Tip 4: RSS & SyndicationNow that you have found a blog that regularly updates and has exceptional content, you want to ensure that fresh material uploaded there is made available to you at the moment it gets posted. There are three ways to this: RSS via browser, feed reading software, online syndication providers. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication where your browser automatically downloads latest posts on your "favourite" blogs. These are simple text downloads and will not be as effective if the blogger of your choice has a penchant for the visual media. Nevertheless, these are a very good starting point for you to decide whether a blog is worth reading or not. Syndication softwares download stuff to your PC and the best one around is FeedDemon (available for free download). Similarly, you can go online at google reader / bloglines / etc. to get fresh updates of your favourite blogs.
Tip 5: Sign up for emailSo you are tired of firing up your browser to visit that blog that you like reading the most. Check if there is an option to receive the feed via email. This is a very nifty option that most bloggers like to give to their readers. Nothing as convenient as getting the latest article in your inbox, is there? :)
Improving the content of blogs
Tip 6: Never thought that you could actually improve blogs in the blogosphere?Think again. Writers write because they want people to read. How will there be an impetus for a writer (unless s/he has a compulsive typing disorder) to keep on doling out good reading material? The answer is: feedback. Bouquets & brickbats are typically welcome and the best of bloggers take the time to read each and every comment posted about what they have written. Wherever improvement is warranted, it is usually implemented. So go ahead and type out that witty comment that you thought of. It might just make some one's day! :)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Your article in the Times of India dt. 19/11/2008
Dear Sir,
This is in reference to your article in The Times of India dt. 19/11/2008.
I would like to state up front that I am not in support of any political party that claims
to be working for the benefit of the local Maharashtrian.
Your article states that the data has been sourced from Maharashtra Government.
What were the means used to source these data? Was it gotten under RTI Act, 2005?
Again, the data is for industries in the private sector i.e. the so called micro, small, medium
& large industries. What about the data for Government organizations such as the MCGM,
the Railways, BEST, et al.? Why not publish data from the above records?
As I recall, the pro "sons-of-the-soil" parties are all agitating because of the Government
"safe" jobs being given to outsiders. You have very cleverly deflected attention from that
by publishing data of private sector and pumping up the high percentages.
I am all for equality in employment. I don't care who gets the job (Maharashtrian or otherwise)
so long as that person is capable to handle the responsibilities of the job & eligible for the vacancy.
I believe that the private sector employs people on the basis of their abilities and irrespective
of their background i.e. there is no scope for reservation. That they have employed more number
of Maharashtrians probably points to the fact of the superior ability of the said employees.
Either that, or the local Unions are strong holds of the locals. However, to me it seems more of
an exception rather than the norm.
I am sure that your headline will get lots of attention. I am also sure that you are going to get lots
of flaming emails in your inbox. But you deserve all of the hate that you will get; simply because as
an irresponsible media person, you have published an article for the sake of publicity and not for sharing
of "news".
Govindraj S. Umarji
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Compaq 301TU review
This is a review I had written for my own laptop (for a contest organized by a leading monthly magazine)
A laptop is about as effective as its owner wants it to be. In spite of all the hype surrounding newfangled laptops available in the market today, my plain old vanilla Compaq C301TU scores over them when it comes to sheer basic productivity. Sporting a spartan configuration of 1.6 GHz Celeron processor and 512 Mb RAM, the C301TU is not F1 class laptop material. However, it does provide for fundamental office work applications and simple gaming.
Performance: Since I am running Windows XP, speed is never a concern for me. The 512 Mb RAM suffices for most office applications and I can easily multi-task between office applications and roller coaster tycoon, if I so desire. Of course, for resource intensive tasks such as CAD, it makes sense to have minimum applications running. Switching between applications is a breeze and there is hardly any lag when switching from movies to office and vice-versa.
Looks and Handling: I opted for the understated look of the Compaq over the glossy finishes of the HP/Dell laptops. The C301TU is black and silver, has a wide screen and handles well. It can be carried around for hours without being a pain in the shoulder!
Connectivity: Wireless capability for a low price is the USP of this laptop. Coupled with a standard RJ-45 ethernet LAN port, this makes the laptop one for those addicted to the internet.
Battery life: The C301TU has consistently given me battery life of over 2 hours over two years. Since I live in an area prone to load shedding, this utility comes in really handy when work needs to be done and there is no power available. Even with movies/audio running, battery life is over 1.5 hours.
Applications: The laptop did not come loaded with a lot of software. However, a basic investment in office software makes the laptop very useful.
Support: Compaq (HP) offers good customer care, with all the software/hardware drivers available at their site. However, I have had to send constant reminders to the local dealers for getting an extended warranty. This is probably an area that requires HP's attention.
Cost: The deal is made sweet by the price, which was a modest 32k when I purchased the laptop over two years ago.
Overall a nice and cheap laptop to own and maintain. Great value for money for the corporate types on the move.
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Friday, August 01, 2008
Arsenal 2008-09 Season
Okay. Some people might think its a tad too early for this article. After all, pre-season has just dawned on us and there is still a fortnight for the 2008-09 English Premier League to start in all earnest. However, the clairvoyant in me cannot resist the urge to pen down my feelings: if only for the sake of posterity (or even better, for the sake of "I told you so!")
I've been an Arsenal supporter for eight years now. Come to think of it, I think I became a football fanatic (as opposed to a cricket fanatic) because of Arsenal. Much was made of Manchester United's treble achievement in 1999. I think it was a Reader's Digest article I read about this which made me sit up and take notice of this sport. Till then, football for me was just the game to be played during the rains (when of course, there was no way of playing cricket) Also, I had been recently introduced to the EA Games FIFA series of games.
The first team I noticed in the English Premier League was Arsenal. The symbol was the legendary cannon on the red background. And I thought to myself - that's an interesting name, Arsenal. It conjured up images in my mind of players running on the ground with guns drawn, gunning down opponents who dared to stand in their way. Incidentally, the first FIFA game I played, I chose Arsenal as my side and played against Liverpool. As is wont to happen to a newbie to football (and especially, football played on the PC) I lost.
However, the name of the team and some of the players stuck. I found that I was often selecting Arsenal to play against a plethora of opponents. I found that I could interlink passes between a certain Dennis Bergkamp and a Marc Overmars pretty well. And there was this chap called Thierry Henry, who would constantly outrun defenders at will. I was slowly falling in love with this team called Arsenal.
I don't remember the exact time I made the transition from cricket to football. However, I think that getting admission to an Engineering college which had football enthusiasts aplenty had a lot to do with it. Circa 2001, I started following the Premier League. And in 2002, Arsenal won the EPL under Arsene Wenger for the second time. There had been some records set during this season; however, I was to be made aware of these only after two years.
I took up playing football when in college and realized that I had certain qualities essential for a footballer. One, the ability to spot my team mates. Two, being in the right place at the right time. Three, a loud voice to shout out instructions to team mates. :)
I realized that Arsenal represented in every way the way I felt football should be played. It epitomized team work and passing and the bonding of the team was evident in the celebrations. No matter who scored, the entire team would join him to celebrate. And so would we fans.
The 2003-2004 EPL season was a realization of dreams of sorts. Arsenal played great football and won the Premier League after going unbeaten through the season. Every goal was a treat to watch and every match won was a thrilling spectacle. It was quite befitting then that the most successful team in the history of the Premier League should end this unbeaten streak. What was not befitting was the subsequent results that the team faced. A certain Mr. Mourinho took advantage of this and took an unknown Chelsea team to the top.
The seasons after that were nothing to write home about. We knew that Wenger was in the process of rebuilding a team and that honours would come. That a coveted prize came within our grasp and was snatched away was the cruel twist of fate. Although history will show Arsenal as the beaten Champions League finalists of 2006, live witnesses will remember the game as one totally dominated by Arsenal.
I digress. This article has got nothing to do with the past and / or my love of Arsenal. This article is about the coming year.
I last recall looking forward as eagerly to a season like this in 2003. The previous season, we had been unlucky in losing out the title to United. The 07-08 season was another heartbreak for the same reason. Yet, whatever I saw during that season enthuses me with confidence for the coming season. There is a sense of expectation, an anticipation of glory coming to The Emirates.
We have in our midst, for the first time in many years, a Winner. Something that was lacking all these trophyless years. Sure, we had Thierry Henry, Ljungberg and other veterans who had all been there and done that. However, they were at times out of place in the new squad that Arsene was building. Right now, Arsenal have a gem of a person in Cesc Fabregas. The young lad of 21 has under his belt a Euro win. And that win alone is enough to sustain his hunger for further titles.
Already, there are other players at the club who look up to this guy, who is short in stature but large in accomplishments. Look at his experience: filling up the boots of the erstwhile Patrick Vieira, taking up the creative responsibility in the midfield at a tender age of 18, Champions League silver medal at 19, being selected for the Spanish national team, Euro win at 21. So much accomplished in such a short time. Yet, the difference now is going to be the fact that he has won something. And it is reflected in his statements. Once you get a taste of winning, you have the confidence to go ahead and do it again.
Then again, we have winners with never-say-die attitude in the team. Players like Sagna and Eduardo, talents unearthed by Le Boss who have it in them to turn matches on their heads. Plus, they don't have the mental baggage of past losses; of just being there and not winning. The team is young and they are more athletic and agile than the other teams of the EPL. That this fact has not been used to our advantage is the only sore point I have.
There is so much to look forward to. And so much media pressure on these young chaps. I am sure they will cope well. I believe this team has what previous Wenger teams lacked: the so-called bottle that is required to grind out results. A combination of bad luck and loss of focus resulted in them losing out on a rightful Premier League title. However, this time around, things are going to be different. All because of a win.
This year, as always, Arsenal are placed first in the EPL at the start of the season because of the alphabetical arrangement. At the end of it, they are going to be at the top of it because they deserve to be. More importantly, they also have the desire to be.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Career Planning
Following is an email I have written to a friend who is at the crossroads of his life and facing a "quarter-life" crisis [as opposed to mid-life crisis]
Hope that something good comes out of this long letter for the chap! :)
Dear Confused Friend,
Its good to see that you have managed to set a timeline for your future after LnT. I am sure most of the people your age will never have done such a thing. Heck, even grampa's like me don't do that sort of stuff! :)
I am sure that the email took more than an hour to type [and around a month to think up]. I am sure all that thinking will help you though. Here are my two cents worth:
1. Do you really want to start your own firm? Are you the kind of person who can get work done out of people? This point is definitely worth thinking about because the gist of your email [as I understand] is that you want to take up higher studies [MS/MBA] with the eventual aim of starting your own business. While owning a business is a swell thing, there are many hurdles in the path to success. The most basic one of them being: you have to pay other people their salary before you can claim your own. I am not going to insult your intelligence by saying that you have not thought of these things. However, I will advise you to delve into the business of owning your business a little more.
2. In today's world, you really don't need an MBA to make it big with your own business. Sure, it looks good on your visiting card and on your company website to write Mr. Such N Such, MBA, Stanford. However, with the passage of time, people [your customers] will be impressed only by the quality of your work and not your high CPI at some obscure course during an MBA education.
3. You need not have experience in "two of the biggest categories" to strike gold. You are expected only to understand the basics of finance and there should be a willingness to learn. What do you & I know about finance and/or accounting? Or consulting for that matter? You cannot have relevant work experience in those fields unless you work for such a firm. Since you are stuck with LnT for another year, why not try and get into the financial aspects of things? Work with Marketing to get a feel of cash flows and project finances. Work with Proposals to get a feel of market prices and how LnT is affected by it. Work with Contract Management to understand how to deal with Govt. of India organizations and learn about indirect taxation. I'd suggest working in at least one of the above dept. to add to your repertoire of skills. [if any!!! :)]
4. Don't disregard whatever you have learnt over the last year [even if it seems trifle to you]. Once you are out in the market for other jobs / starting your own work, you will realize the value of all the Excel / SAP / soft skill knowledge that you gained here. Spruce up your resume by making even mundane work sound exciting. I have no doubt about your conversational skills [you are second only to me! ;)]. A resume can get you an interview with a new employer / client. However, your speaking abilities and quality of work will get you the job.
5. Charity begins at home. Speak to Ms. Mabel Abraham, PGM and get involved in some of the volunteer programmes organized by LnT. I don't know if you can get a certificate for your volunteer work. However, you can and definitely will get references. An US MBA is all about networking and building contacts. So, to them, what people say about you is as important as what your GMAT scores / Chem. Engg. percentages say about you. Americans are known to weigh extra curricular activities more than academic. You've got it made with footer, now go get some volunteer experience.
6. As regards your dilemma over the behemoth vs. start-up company, I've only one suggestion to give: take your time. You've got time on your side - you are just 23. Work with both companies to have a feel of how things run. LnT will have already exposed you to the nuances of running a big business and interacting with people. Working with a small firm as an employee will give you closer control over costs and more personal interaction. Get more interested in the financial aspects of all work you do because eventually, when you have your own business, its all going to be about the money. The sooner you understand the nitty-gritties of finances, the better it will be for your start-up.
7. Its not necessary to get a Post Grad. to start a firm in environmental management / any new field. Starting your own company is all about managing people at the end of the day. You can & will always get people who are smarter than you, more intelligent and more knowledgeable. However, if you have the vision, they will willingly follow you to create riches for both you & themselves.
8. Last but not the least, I have written this information with a larger intended audience in mind. I will be putting this stuff on my blog. [with your name removed of course!] I hope you don't mind. And even if you do, I am going to post it anyway! :)
Govindraj S. Umarji
P. S. I never lose an opportunity to get an article for my blog for free! :)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Letter to HR
This is a letter I am contemplating sending to the VP of HR of my company.
Dear Sir,
This is in reference to the "GET Problem" email you will have received from a GET today.
I don't agree to the forum and the means that said GET has used to convey his message to you. However, the message in the email is of pertinence. You will appreciate that Mumbai is a costly place to live in, even for the most affluent of people. For a GET who is earning 15,000 per month [and will probably earn around 18,000 per month after being confirmed] there is no scope for savings / investments. Most of the salary amount will end up in some landlord's bank account and the remainder will serve for daily necessities and miscellany.
I am a PGMT, and considering the fact that I hold a Masters Degree from IIT Bombay, my remuneration is not commensurate with what my classmates are receiving. However, since I like the work I am doing [and also since I have a permanent residence in Mumbai] I see no reason to leave our company. The same may not be true for other new joinees and one really cannot fault them for that.
Our company has introduced a policy of personal bond for retaining "talent" for two years. However, the futility of this will be evident once the current batch of 2007, leaves for greener pastures in 2009. People working here for two years will not serve any purpose. In two years time, we will not be able to recover the time and effort that has been put in the training of a GET.
In the ten months or so that I have spent in our company, I have seen some hard-working and intelligent team members leave. Some have left for higher education, some for higher pay packets and some for convenience. These people could have been retained and their loss is being felt in their respective SBUs. Ready-made replacements will not be available and the additional lag phase while the new joinees acclimatize to our company may turn out to be crucial. Our company is involved in time critical projects. A matter of few days can make a huge impact on our bottom-lines.
I am writing to you with the intention of sharing my thoughts with you. I am sure that you are already aware of these "problems" and have taken measures to counter this. Its just that I feel that these efforts are not being showcased properly. Some more work in this direction is warranted in light of the discontent.
Keeping a person on a bond for two years is not the solution to our problem.
Govindraj S. Umarji


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In the wake of the recent insider trading scandal where confidential Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data was allegedly used to trade on foreign exchange derivative contracts, ASIC has warned that it will pursue insider trading of foreign exchange and other derivatives contracts and is cracking down on leaking price sensitive information.
ASIC's warning and the recent ABS insider trading case serve as a timely reminder that insider trading prohibitions extend beyond shares to all 'financial products', insider trading is vigilantly pursued and those involved face severe penalties.
In this Alert Partner Michael Hansel and Associate Katherine Hammond discuss the recent ABS case, the laws and penalties relating to insider trading and the vigilant enforcement action by ASIC.
ABS insider trading case
The recent highly publicised insider trading scandal allegedly involved a bank employee (the Trader) using confidential and price sensitive ABS economic data provided by an ABS analyst (the Insider) to trade in foreign exchange derivative contracts. The ABS case highlights the rigorous application of insider trading laws to financial products other than shares.
It is alleged that on at least three separate occasions involving up to 10 trades, the Insider provided confidential ABS data on jobs, retail sales, building approvals, capital expenditure and housing finance. The Trader used the data to buy foreign exchange derivative contracts in the minutes before the regular 11:30am ABS data release and then sold shortly after. The Trader is estimated to have made $7 million.
The scam is reported to have been unravelled by a foreign exchange broker who noticed that the Trader, its client, was making significant bets on the Australian dollar shortly before the announcement of significant economic news. He notified the Australian Federal Police (AFP) when he discovered via LinkedIn that the Trader was friends with an ABS employee. The tip-off sparked a nine month surveillance operation.
The investigation has led to seven criminal charges against the Trader and five against the Insider. The AFP has reportedly frozen the men's assets, including a $2.4 million apartment bought from the reality television show "The Block". Both men have been released on bail.
The Trader may also face restitution claims from major investment banks in New York who took the trades and would have lost the equivalent of the amount made by the Trader.
Insider trading laws – it's not just shares
The insider trading laws in Australia provide that a person who has "inside information" must not:
- trade or procure a person to trade in financial products of a company; or
- communicate the inside information where it may be used to trade in Division 3 financial products (Financial Products).
"Inside information" is information that is not generally available which, if generally available, would reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the price or value of particular Financial Products.
A reasonable person is taken to expect information to have a material effect on the price or value of particular Financial Products only if the information would, or would be likely to, influence persons who commonly invest in the Financial Products in deciding whether to acquire or dispose of the Financial Products.[1]
Importantly, Financial Products extends beyond securities or shares and also encompasses:
- derivatives;
- interests in a managed investment scheme;
- debentures, stocks or bonds issued or proposed to be issued by a government;
- certain superannuation products; or
- any other financial products that are able to be traded on a financial market[2]
The penalties for insider trading offences are severe and a custodial sentence is usually imposed.
Depending on the circumstances there is a broad range of potential criminal offences, ranging from insider trading itself to conspiracy to commit insider trading, receiving a bribe, abuse of public office and dealing in proceeds of crime.
For insider trading the maximum prison term is 10 years.
Suspicious activity reporting obligations
Since 1 November 2012, under Rule 5.11 of the ASIC Market Integrity Rules (ASX Market) 2010, a market participant (such as a broker) must notify ASIC if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that a person has placed an order or entered into a transaction while in possession of inside information, or which has the effect of creating or maintaining an artificial price or a false or misleading appearance in the market or price for trading in financial products.
The penalty for failing to comply is $20,000.
ASIC's monitoring of insider trading
ASIC warns that it is committed to taking effective enforcement action against insider trading and ASIC commissioner Cathie Armour has said that ASIC considers its jurisdiction involves trading irregularities in derivative markets.
ASIC's real-time market surveillance system, known as Market Analysis Intelligence (MAI), went live in late 2013 and enables ASIC to better detect, investigate and prosecute trading breaches.
MAI provides sophisticated data analytics to identify suspicious trading in real time and across markets. MAI is built around algorithmic trading technology and allows ASIC to analyse trade data for patterns and relationships so that it has greater means to catch insider trading and deter market misconduct.
Since 2009 ASIC has prosecuted 34 insider trading matters and of those 23 have been successful, with four still before the courts.
Insider trading may now be easier to prove
In a recent decision of the New South Wales Court of Appeal[3], it was held that prosecutors can, in appropriate cases, bring evidence at the same time of a number of suspicious trades to prove insider trading was occurring.
This type of evidence is known as coincidence evidence and can only be used if it would add "significant probative value" which substantially outweighs any prejudice which will be suffered by the accused.
Insider trading cases often involve a number of trades and it can be difficult to prove that an individual trade was made in possession of inside information. Consequently, prosecutors may resort to bringing the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit insider trading (which enables evidence of a number of trades).
Allowing coincidence evidence may make insider trading easier to prove and would avoid the need for separate trials for each count (which may each be unsuccessful on their own).
Regulatory reform
There have been calls for the government to be given greater powers to supervise foreign exchange markets which remain largely unregulated despite the reported $5 trillion in foreign exchange derivatives traded each day (compared to $5 billion a day in share market trades).


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Acetylene is a colorless, combustible gas with a distinctive garlic type odor. When acetylene is liquefied, compressed, heated, or mixed with air, it becomes highly explosive. Acetylene is used as the fuel component in oxy-acetylene welding and metal cutting.
Acetylene is a hydrocarbon consisting of two carbon atoms and two hydrogen atoms. Its chemical symbol is C 2 H 2 . For commercial purposes, acetylene can be made from several different raw materials depending on the process used.
These processes' use high temperature to convert the raw materials into a wide variety of gases, including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, acetylene, and others. The other gases are the products of combustion with oxygen. In order to separate the acetylene, it is dissolved in a solvent such as water, anhydrous ammonia, chilled methanol, or acetone, or several other solvents depending on the process.
Storage and Handling
Because acetylene is highly explosive, it must be stored and handled with great care.
When acetylene is pressurized and stored for use in oxy-acetylene welding and metal cutting operations, cylinders are used. The cylinders are filled with an absorbent material, like diatomaceous earth, and a small amount of acetone. The acetylene is pumped into the cylinders at a pressure of about 300 psi, where it is dissolved in the acetone. Once dissolved, it loses its explosive capability, making it safe to transport. When the cylinder valve is opened, the pressure drop causes some of the acetylene to vaporize into gas again and flow through the connecting hose to the welding or cutting torch.
Oxygen is used in many industrial, commercial, medical, and scientific applications. It is used in blast furnaces to make steel, and is a component in the production of many synthetic chemicals, including ammonia, alcohols and various plastics. Oxygen and acetylene are combusted together to provide the very high temperatures needed for welding and metal cutting. When oxygen is cooled below -297° F, it becomes a pale blue liquid that is used as a rocket fuel.
The Compressed Gas Association establishes grading standards for both gaseous oxygen and liquid oxygen based on the amount and type of impurities present. Gas grades are called Type I range from A, which is 99.0% pure, to F, which is 99.995% pure. Liquid grades are called Type II and also range from A to F, although the types and amounts of allowable impurities in liquid grades are different than in gas grades. Type I Grade B and Grade C and Type II Grade C are 99.5% pure and are the most commonly produced grades of oxygen. They are used in steel making and in the manufacture of synthetic chemicals.
Periodic sampling and analysis of the final product ensures that the standards of purity are being met.
Oxygen may be used for patients requiring supplemental oxygen via mask. Usually accomplished by a large storage system of liquid oxygen at the hospital which is evaporated into a concentrated oxygen supply, pressures are usually around 345-380 kPa (50-55 psi), UK 4 bar. This arrangement is described as a vacuum insulated evaporator or bulk tank.[1] In small medical centers with a low patient capacity, oxygen is usually supplied by a manifold of multiple high pressure cylinders. In areas where a bulk system or high pressure cylinder manifold is not suitable, oxygen may be supplied by an oxygen concentrator. However, on site production of oxygen is still a relatively new technology.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide is supplied to various surgical suites for its anesthetic functions during pre-operative procedures. It is delivered to the hospital in high pressure cylinders and supplied through the Medical Gas system. Some bulk systems exist, but are no longer installed due to environmental concerns and overall reduced consumption of Nitrous oxide. System pressures are around 345 kPa (50 psi), 4 bar UK.
Nitrogen is typically used to power pneumatic surgical equipment during various procedures, and is supplied by high pressure cylinders. Pressures range around 1.2 MPa (175 psi) to various locations.
Carbon dioxide
Typically used for insufflation during surgery, and also used in laser surgeries. System pressures are maintained at about 345 kPa (50 psi), UK 4 bar. It is also used for certain respiratory disorders.
Medical gas mixtures
There are many gas mixtures used for clinical and medical applications. They are often used for patient diagnostics such as lung function testing or blood gas analysis. Test gases are also used to calibrate and maintain medical devices used for the delivery of anesthetic gases. In laboratories, culture growth applications include controlled aerobic or anaerobic incubator atmospheres for biological cell culture or tissue growth. Controlled aerobic conditions are created using mixtures rich in oxygen and anaerobic conditions are created using mixtures rich in hydrogen or carbon dioxide. Supply pressure is 4 bar.
Helium is one of the basic chemical elements. In its natural state, helium is a colorless gas known for its low density and low chemical reactivity. It is probably best known as a non-flammable substitute for hydrogen to provide the lift in blimps and balloons. Because it is chemically inert, it is also used as a gas shield in robotic arc welding and as a non-reactive atmosphere for growing silicon and germanium crystals used to make electronic semiconductor devices. Liquid helium is often used to provide the extremely low temperatures required in certain medical and scientific applications, including superconduction research.
Gaseous helium is distributed in forged steel or aluminum alloy cylinders at pressures in the range of 900-6,000 psi.
The Compressed Gas Association establishes grading standards for helium based on the amount and type of impurities present. Commercial helium grades start with grade M, which is 99.995% pure and contains limited quantities of water, methane, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, and hydrogen. Other higher grades include grade N, grade P, and grade G. Grade G is 99.9999% pure.
Carbon dioxide is used by the food, oil industry, chemical and industrial industry for welding applications. Co2 is colorless. At low concentrations, the gas is odorless. At higher concentrations it has a sharp, acidic odor.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the most common of the reactive gases used in MIG welding and the only one that can be used in its pure form without the addition of an inert gas. CO2 is also the least expensive of the common shielding gases, making an attractive choice when material costs are the main priority. Pure CO2 provides very deep weld penetration, which is useful for welding thick material; however, it also produces a less stable arc and more spatter than when it is mixed with other gases. It is also limited to only the short circuit process.
Argon is a noble gas which under normal circumstances doesn't react with any other element. This is why it's used as a shield gas during welding. Its use protects the metal that's being worked on from the oxygen in the air.
Argon is a food preservative and is also used to fill the "dry" type of scuba diving suits.
Though other inert gases can fulfill the functions of argon, argon is especially attractive because it's inexpensive and plentiful. It makes up nearly one percent of the atmosphere and can be obtained through the production of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen.
Because 100% argon can be used to TIG weld all metals and thicknesses you only need one type of gas in your shop to handle all of your welding projects. MIG welding aluminum is different than welding steel. For aluminum, 100% argon is the gas of choice.
Argon-Carbon dioxide (75% argon/25% CO2) is commonly used by hobbyists and in small-scale production. Limited to short circuit and globular transfer welding. Common for short-circuit gas metal arc welding of low carbon steel. 75/25 mixture is used when weld quality and appearance are required and also for reducing post-weld clean up. This mixture also allows the use of a spray transfer process, which can produce higher productivity rates and more visually appealing welds. Argon also produces a narrower penetration profile, which is useful for fillet and butt welds. If you're welding a non-ferrous metal — aluminum, magnesium or titanium — you'll need to use 100 percent Argon.


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The US economy is projected to gather steam as a result of expansionary fiscal policy, the report said. The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has called for greater collaboration between African governments and worldwide community to check illicit financial flows, drive revenue growth and improve efficiency in government.
The group has been pushed out of the half of Mosul that lies east of the Tigris River, but Iraqi soldiers and their allies are now bogged down in tough fighting in the narrow streets of the Old City of Mosul , west of the river, according to Iraqi security officials.
Till 2011, British prime ministers had the authority to call polls. The British currency, which had weakened before the announcement, was up by more than a cent against the dollar. Sterling fell from 0.845p against the euro to 0.851p immediately after the leader of the UK's Conservative Party made the announcement outside No 10 Downing Street at around 11am, before recovering the ground again within minutes.
Rohani negotiated the Iranian nuclear deal with world powers past year, but some disappointment that the accord has not spurred economic growth has boosted the opposition against him. Numerous reports have indicated that all of these practices have continued unabated during the Rouhani presidency, as has the secrecy surrounding them.
According to Reuters, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters the shooter targeted white people, citing the Muhammad's statements to police and posts on Facebook. "I did it. I shot them", Dyer said Muhammad told officers. Dyer said a responding officer saw the suspect at Fulton and Divisadero Street where he was taken into custody.
The " Observer " said European Union diplomats agreed their position during talks last week. The Republic is one of four countries officially competing to attract both agencies. The " Observer " reported that the EU's chief negotiator hopes the agencies will know their new locations by June. Bishop Cottrell, who did not vote in favour of Brexit, said that the focus now needs to be on ensuring that Britain can live peaceably alongside its European neighbours in a way that brings prosperity.
If they are unsuccessful, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has to decide whether to call fresh Assembly elections or impose direct rule by ministers from London . That triggered an election on March 2 that ended the majority pro-British unionists had enjoyed for almost a century. Sinn Féin came within a whisker of becoming the largest party at Stormont.
China, North Korea's sole major ally and neighbour which nevertheless opposes its weapons programme, has called for talks leading to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Tensions over North Korea's nuclear ambitions are stretched to the limit, with US President Donald Trump deploying an aircraft carrier battle group to the region.
At least one policeman was killed and four other were wounded on Tuesday in an attack on a security checkpoint near Egypt's Saint Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, state television reported. This is the first time the IS has attacked a monastery. The attack in southern Sinai comes as Russia is expected to make a long-awaited decision on whether to restore flights to the Sharm el-Sheikh resort after a Russian airliner was downed in 2015, dealing a serious blow to the area's tourism ...
Stephens' became known as the "Facebook Live Killer" after Cleveland Police said the murder had been recorded on Facebook Live. Stephens was the subject of a nationwide manhunt after posting the video of the killing on Sunday. Police said they have not verified any other shootings or deaths. Video (http://thenewsguru.com/murdered-live-police-urges-ohio-facebook-killer-surrender/) of the killing was posted on Facebook.
The JEE Main is conducted in two modes. Candidates will be allowed to challenge the recorded responses if they differ from the ones that they had marked on the OMR sheet while answering in the examination hall. For SC/ST students the qualifying marks would be 65% in the 12th class examination. "At the time of filling application form of JEE (Main)-2017, the candidates will have to enter their AADHAAR number, name, date of birth & gender which will be validated with the UIDAI's data", the CBSE ...
After a recall referendum against Maduro was quashed last year and amid fears that next year's presidential election will not be fair, opposition supporters say they have no option but to take to the street. They're committing crimes and violating human rights by stepping on the rights of people. "This thing that they just did to Capriles is the product of tyranny", said Adel Rincones, 61, who clutched a sign that read "Venezuela is wounded in the heart with hunger, misery, corruption, ...
Pence says North Korea's "provocation" is another reminder of the risks that USA and South Korean service members face every day "in the defence of the freedom of the people of South Korea and the defence of America in this part of the world".
Both sides also signed 22 pacts in strategic areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation, PTI reported. After talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Modi also announced a Dollars 500 million Line of Credit to support Bangladesh's military procurement.
Numerous golf media outlets reported Ko had parted ways with South African Gary Matthews nine tournaments into 2017. Sounds like a great weekend for her caddie, who presumably got a cut of the $139,773 that Ko won, right? Despite achieving her best result in nine months with Gary Matthews carrying her bag, Lydia Ko has made a decision to dispense with the services of her caddie.
Less than a day after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence declared "the era of strategic patience is over" regarding North Korea, the White House press secretary indicated tolerance for a bit more patience. The comments came a day after North Korea tried and failed to launch a missile from its submarine base at Sinpo. "That's a common failure mode for North Korean missiles very early on in their development cycle when they are working out the bugs in the propulsion and guidance system", the ...
Photos of the two suspects were sent to the security staff of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron last Thursday, AFP reported. Molins said the Marseille suspects met in 2015, while sharing a prison cell for petty crime. To those in the European political establishment and media trying to put positive spin on open border migration, Le Pen quipped that French citizenship should be "either inherited or merited".
The move, coupled with the USA retaliatory strikes against Syria over a chemical weapons attack on civilians, touched off fear in South Korea that the United States was preparing for military action on the North. Director of Jilin University's Institute of Northeast Asian Studies Guo Rui said that Trump's domestic troubles should prevent him taking such action, while North Korea doesn't appear to be on a war footing.
The Chinese government gave provisional approval to Ivanka Trump's company for at least two trademarks April 6, according to Chinese trademark documents reviewed by CNN. "For their own sake, and the country's, Ivanka and Jared should consider stepping away from China matters". The video of the performance was viewed over 2.2 million times on Chinese state media.
Phil . Washington state civil rights advocate Rachel Dolezal says she identifies as black and has been doing so since she was five years old. She informs me multiple times that black people have rejected her because they simply haven't learned yet that race is a social construct created by white supremacists, they simply don't know any better and don't want to: "I've done my research, I think a lot of people though haven't probably read those books and maybe never will".
Turnbull arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a four-day visit to hold talks on ways to boost ties in key areas including defence, security, energy and trade. The two leaders also remotely inaugurated a Nano-technology research centre which was jointly established by TERI Institute and the Deakin University of Australia.
Modi asked BJP leaders to maintain caution with their public remarks and not get carried away with emotion to make untoward remarks. "The aim is not create a strife but ensure justice for everyone", said Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Shipping and Surface Transport, while briefing the media about the Prime Minister's address at the BJP's closed-door session.
U.S. officials say about 20 planes were destroyed in Friday's attack on the Shayrat base. "Why are we supporting this murderous regime that is committing mass murder of its own population?" Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday the United States had not provided any evidence of the presence of chemical weapons on the airbase it had attacked.
Trump held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month and has hoped to use trade as a negotiating tool for Xi's cooperation on North Korea. Robert Zoellick, the trade representative and later deputy secretary of state in George W. Bush's administration, agreed, saying he "never conceded a trade point with China to get assistance on a security topic", like North Korea.
Barnier also rejected the position of British Prime Minister Theresa May , who sent a letter to the European Union a week ago, to open the conversations on the Brexit as much as possible. In a vote yesterday (April 5) MEPs approved the resolution 516 votes in favour, 133 against, with 50 abstentions. May stressed that the sovereignty of the Rock, ceded to Britain in perpetuity by Spain in 1713, was not up for negotiation in the Brexit talks.
India had asked Britain to extradite Mallya to face trial after the liquor and aviation tycoon fled there last March after banks sued to recover about $1.4 billion that Indian authorities say the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes. In February, the Indian government handed over to the United Kingdom authorities a formal request for Mallya's extradition, saying it had a legitimate case against him on charges of financial irregularities and loan default.
The new suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, is being investigated about a "terrorist crime (by committing) murder", Karin Rosander, spokeswoman at the Swedish Prosecution Authority told public broadcaster SVT . "Attack on any of our (EU) member states is an attack on us all". The range of mixed emotions - fear and fraternity, anger and openness, - also surfaced at memorial services and rallies held in Stockholm on Sunday to honor the attack victims.
But he hasn't shared any evidence to back up that claim. President Donald Trump said Wednesday while discussing the unmasking of Trump associates that former top Obama administration official Susan Rice may have committed a crime . "There is a troubling direction that some of this is going in", White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday. She has firmly denied that she did anything inappropriate in requesting the identities of Trump associates.
However, a miffed North Korea's response was a warning of a "merciless" response to any move by the "reckless" Trump government, according to a North Korean Army spokesperson's statement to state-run news agency KCNA . "We will go to war if they choose." he said. Kim did not address the rally, which celebrates the 1912 birthday of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung - North Korea's founding ruler - and which is meant to send an unmistakable message to Washington about the isolated, nuclear-armed ...
Trump is weighing next steps after ordering airstrikes last week. "We're not going to have you cover for this regime anymore, '" Nikki Haley, the U.S. Lindsay Graham said Mr. Trump needs a long-term strategy. "Any time you go in and have a violent change at the top, it is very hard to create the conditions for stability, longer-term", he said.
Behind the heated rhetoric, in fact, Trump's strategy in the region looks somewhat similar to predecessor Barack Obama's - albeit with the added unpredictability of a new president who has shown he's willing to use force. But Pence expressed impatience with the unwillingness of the regime to move toward ridding itself of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. "I'm not like other administrations, where they say, we're going to do this in four weeks, and that doesn't work that way".
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel echoed the sentiment, saying "predictability and reliability" were " more important than ever" in the wake of the Brexit vote. If it goes ahead, this will be the third General Election for Dr Poulter, who was first elected as Central Suffolk MP in 2010 and then re-elected in 2015.
Following the official talks, both dignitaries inaugurated by video conference TERI-Deakin Nano Biotechnology Center in the northern state of Haryana. In his statement, PM Modi emphasised on peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, saying challenges like terrorism and cyber security require global strategy and solutions.
In Washington, President Trump took a moment out from the White House Easter egg roll to send his own briefing warning. When asked about his next move, he said, "You'll see". Pence confirmed during his trip to the peninsula that the USA will continue its plan to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea, despite opposition from China.
Mardan's Deputy Inspector General Alam Shinwari said the students were accused of running Facebook pages that published "blasphemous" content. A mob of students beat a classmate to death for blasphemy while shouting " Allahu Akbar " at a Pakistani university Thursday.


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Project Guest Room #TheSequel REVEAL @Alexanians_Com
The guest room is finally done! Need to review the previous posts to see where we started? click HERE and HERE .
I never really thought of myself as a squealer. You know, one of those girls who makes annoying noises like some tortured chipmunk? Not me.
Until this week. I squeal every time I walk past the guest room.
Every single time.
Yes, the paint looks fabulous. Yes, I am SO totally loving the new furniture arrangement. Yes, the new life I gave the old ottoman is fantastical. And yes, I am in love with the pretty gold mirror I snagged at a local consignment shop. But what really just brings the entire room together and is the cherry on top of an already awesome Sundae is the fancy new carpet from Alexanian's.
It's is simply divine.
The carpet journey started out as hours of online shopping and narrowing my selection to six (see them here). Then, my local Alexanian's store in Guelph kindly brought in my top four.
I was able to bring them home (how awesome is that?!) so I could see them in the space and figure out which worked best.
And not sure if you can tell from the video, but I was pretty sold on the blue Enigma the moment it was unrolled. Watch the video again and hear me say, "wow" about 21 seconds in. That wow stayed and despite rolling and unrolling each carpet about a hundred times, the blue Enigma was always the winner.
(I also, 'wowed' for the red Enigma. How pretty did it look with the red dresser? But the yellow in rug and green in the room weren't ideal together – too bad, it's a lovely lovely rug!)
And how lovely does it look? SO AWESOME. I would LOVE to know what you think of the completed room, so be sure to comment here or over on Facebook after you've scrolled through all the photos and the VIDEO of the finished room at the bottom of the post:)
The carpet us just so pretty and changes depending on sunlight and the angle you're looking at it. Which I love!
Thanks for following along yet another of my fun adventures in #DIY:)!
- Wall Colour: Para Paints Guest List
- Trim & Doors: Para Paints Jo Jo Whitewash
- Carpet: Alexanian's Carpet and Flooring
- Curtains: Ikea
Sponsored Post Disclosure: As I mentioned in the first post, I'm so excited to be working with Alexanian's on this project. They were amazing in helping me find the perfect area rug for this room. High FIVE! Alexanian's provided me with the area rug in exchange for me telling y'all all about my experience. I am not being paid and as usual I only share my honest to goodness opinion because I'm nice like that:)
12 Comments
by aprettylifeinthesuburbs on May 9, 2016 5:27 pm
Oooooh that is a beautiful rug, I can see why you would squeal when passing that room!! ;)
I like the colours in the rug. It all looks so welcoming!
I have serious rug envy... I want one for every room of my home and this post just reminded me how amazing they are!
I love the colours of that rug, too! When I watched the video, I hoped that it would be the one you chose! It's gorgeous!
Such a pretty choice! I'm on the hunt for the perfect new rug for our living room, so I know time consuming and daunting it can be. Yours looks perfect for the space.
Pingback : Heather In Heels » Taking Life One Fabulous Step at a TimeTraditional Christmas Decor Home Tour #CBHomeTour - Heather In Heels
Pingback : Heather In Heels » Taking Life One Fabulous Step at a TimeFull Disclosure: A peek behind the curtain ~ Heather In Heels


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Viking hoard saved
A five month appeal to raised £2m has succeeded in saving the spectacular Galloway Viking hoard.
The hoard, which has been acquired by National Museums Scotland, includes more than 100 pieces of gold, sliver and jewellery dating from around the time of the Norman Conquest and was found in 2014 by a metal detectorist in a field in Dumfries and Galloway.
It is an exceptionally rare survival, and as the largest collection of Viking precious metal found in the British Isles is of international significance. It includes a gold bird-shaped pin, a rare solid gold ingot, intricately decorated silver jewellery, pieces with runic inscriptions, and an elaborately decorated silver gilt container that may have been looted from a Byzantine church.


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Rarely do we break the de facto rule of objectivity and bulleted features lists that normally form the basis for previews of games at such obviously earlier states to belt out, at the top of our lungs, an emphatic cry that said game is going to be completely awesome regardless of what happens in the future. Know why? Occasionally what looks sweet at Alpha turns out to be sheer mediocrity at final and we get stuck with the Pool of Radiances and Wolverine's Revenges of the world that continually force crow down our throats when we dish out sixes and sevens for something that should have been good. But with this, 535907.html" target="_blank">Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, we're going to throw that rule out the window. We fear no crow.
This game will be terrific and you must anticipate it. Period.
All filled with cold draft and warmly hunkered into a private Ubi Soft showing, about five IGN editors sat, beer in hand, laughing it up with various Ubi representatives out of the French giant's San Franciscan offices. E3 and the 2003 future of Ubi were on the slate, but for some, there was only one title to be seen. Each of us walked into the gathering waiting for his title of choice. Names like Far Cry, Raven Shield Xbox, Beyond Good & Evil, Uru and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon danced on the edge of our lips and toyed with our frail minds -- a solid slate indeed. But, after the day was done and the beer was all but gone, we all left with a focused Borg-like mentality. The same singular thought ran endlessly throughout each of our heads replacing even the scintillating idea of a totally nude Virtua Tennis remake/breaking into the porno industry simulator. That thought? "When will we get to play Prince of Persia again?"
High-Res Movies Available!
Want to see this gorgeous title in a higher resolution? IGN Insiders have instant access to nine dazzling clips. What are you waiting for?
After the disgrace that was PoP 3D, it's not hard to walk into this article with a hefty bit of Tomb Raider created pessimism. It's also understandable how some about to witness the game or hear the tale of its grace could be as unoptimistic as you reading this now. After all, prior to our destined demonstration we'd each only seen a handful of artwork and scant few actual in-game screenshots. The promise of amazing animation, total control and the purest of gameplay was titillating, as was the notion that the house that built Splinter Cell would be behind this one. But, will it be good? Well here's to breaking the rules some more...
Unless a comet strikes and a bunch of mutated Triffids obliterate all of Montreal leaving people like Commander Chakotay to deal with the "freaked out zombies" that infest the streets, this game has as good a chance at becoming truly amazing as I do at not ever achieving sexual intimacy with a woman again. It's that much of a given. It's a surefire bet that Vegas wouldn't even take odds on.
Tell me, what do you look for in a game? You know, the dream game you tell your friends about over darts and Guinness, the one that occupies your mind while on the freeway, in bed and in the shower? Control, feel, style, graphics, sound, immersion, fluidity, flare? Prince has them all in spades. We never imagine a game being choppy and lacking animations. We never imagine a game having unresponsive control and hackneyed combat. And, we never imagine a game being a dull trek through tirelessly repetitive environments. Well, neither does Ubi Soft Montreal.
Danny Ruiz of Ubi gave me the quick pitch before the play. Animation? Oh yeah. Control? Yup. Fluidity? You bet. Responsiveness? Absolutely. Reflex acrobatics? Oh yeah. Locales? Uh huh. Every question asked was answered with a resounding yes and followed by a "wait until you see it because it's even better." But, there was some talk of mystical sand infecting humans and mutating them into monsters that needed to be put down with a special dagger, akin to how the vampires of Buffy are dispatched. He went on to describe Matrix-style effects with a big impact on gameplay. I found that the more he trailed off into the fantastic, the more I began to worry, until Sands of Time booted up in front of me and swiftly trampled any and all of my doubts.
Knowing beforehand that PlayStation 2 was the base platform for development, we Xbox, Cube and PC kids came in expecting to be under-whelmed by the Prince's pretty. Quite the contrary, PoP is a testament to the potential yet to be unlocked within the PS2. It's an amazing piece of art and technology and will only look and run better on other systems. As impressed as we were with what was shown aesthetically, much of it has yet to even be implemented and the kids at Ubi Montreal claim to hate that version the most, as it is the least representative of the final vision. With that in mind...
Every character moves with startling believability and fluidity. Graphical effects from the glow of torches (all lights in the final will be dynamic and soft, and very much like SC), to the flow of tapestries (which Splinter actually took from this!), to the billow of smoke, to the haze of a dusty battlefield, to the burn of a blazing desert sun upon limestone, and the soft ripple of an indoor pool as it reflects and refracts appropriately, distorting the lower half of ankles submerged in it, are everywhere. It's insanity! This is not PS2. Crisp, clean, defined, rich, and littered with effects previously thought impossible for that system, Prince of Persia may very well redefine what is expected of graphics in third-person action on the PlayStation. And the end promise? All of that which was seen plus higher resolution everything and even more effects on other platforms.


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 21st Oct 2010 22:52 UTC
It's a rather unclear time over at Nokia in Espoo (Finland!), with people coming and going, and changes in development strategy. The latest one is, I think, a good one: Nokia has stated it will commit fully to Qt as the sole application development framework for both Symbian and MeeGo.
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RE[6]: Comment by RichterKuato
by pgquiles on Fri 22nd Oct 2010 11:41 UTC in reply to "RE[5]: Comment by RichterKuato"
RE[7]: Comment by RichterKuato
by mat69 on Sat 23rd Oct 2010 19:28 in reply to "RE[6]: Comment by RichterKuato"
RE[8]: Comment by RichterKuato
by DeadFishMan on Sat 23rd Oct 2010 21:38 in reply to "RE[7]: Comment by RichterKuato"
Not really. The focus of Krita is totally different than the focus of GIMP.
Krita wants to be a digital painting program like MyPaint, while GIMP is an image manipulation program, as the name says.
Krita wants to be a digital painting program like MyPaint, while GIMP is an image manipulation program, as the name says.
I'd argue that Krita is to GIMP the same that Corel Painter is to Adobe Photoshop. Even though Painter is primarily a painting application it has pretty much all of the PS feature set covered - and if I recall correctly, it even has support for PS 3rd party plug-ins - and therefore a skilled user can use it instead of Photoshop to do basic photo manipulation. I have friends from the days when I was doing illustration for a living that still work in that field and/or in advertisement that are still using Painter as their day to day photo manipulating tool...
Similarly, Krita - despite being a really young application - can be used for photo manipulation right now although recently it has indeed took a turn to cater the painting crowd so it is likely that it will not be competing with GIMP as the best tool for
photo manipulation in the foreseeable future but it remains fairly capable nonetheless.
I reckon that Krita's primary developer also read OSNews frequently and he probably might have an insightful thing or two to say about the matter...


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This one is worth the wait and it is a great idea to have done it in two parts.
The main actors here, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, have grown up and were no longer awkward prepubescent actors. There was more confidence in how they act and the bond that they have shared throughout the years of filming Harry show in how they interact. But I am getting too far from why this movie is by far the best since it started more than a decade ago.
The PLOT: Finally the last installment of the Harry Potter franchise had managed to be faithful the book. It took us thru the harrowing events of the day as the trio find themselves almost alone while they try to find the remaining Horcruxes. Everyone felt the pain of Hermione as she deliberately erased the memory of her from her home, she trudged alone in their streets — this darkness and loss will be the main theme as those who are close to Harry Potter suffer the wrath of Voldermort. Hedgwick, Dobby, Mad Eye Moody paid for their lives as they try to save Harry. Of course Harry being the pig headed that he is wanted to just have it out with Voldermort until Ron put some in him that it is bigger than just him.
The ACTORS: Suffice it to say but the 13 years of working together made them all very comfortable with each other; also having been in Ron, Harry and Hermione's skin that long had made Rupert, Daniel and Emma treat the characters as friends. There were no moments there that you wont feel their pain, their sadness, their silliness, their frustration and their love for each other. They already know how each other works and they adjust accordingly. The nude love scene between Harry and Hermione as imbibed by the Horcrux in the locket from Ron showed that the two actors had grown up and how far they have come as actors. There was no tension, no awkwardness in how they kissed and made love. Rupert was dead on as Ron, he was believable in his scenes with Daniel and Emma as he turns crimson red when embarrassed , bungles up his words when Hermione confronts him, staggers in fear and such. Daniel's stint on stage helped him rid of unnecessary tics, gone were the weird facial expressions. His voice as well has matured and there was a steely resolve when he speaks, truly recreating and imbibing the confused state Harry was in. Emma was just perfect as Hermione from the beginning. Enough said.
The CINEMATOGRAPHY: From the chase scenes in the forest, to the Ministry of Magic building even to the house of Xenophilius Lovegood, the cinematography was seamless. The lighting created the right mood for each scene. A perfect example was when the trio was being chased in the forest, the play of light and dark as they move in and out of the trees made that scene exhilarating. Also the ashen gray backdrop when Harry and Hermione went to Godric's Hollow to find Bathilda Bagshot had made the place looked ominous and made the predicament of the two more pronounced. The sudden appearance of the basilisk would have been better and mind numbing if it was in 3D, as it was the attack of the fang baring snake already elicited nervous laughter.
All in all, Harry Potter's director made the book a reality and given us such a joyride albeit for only 2 hours.


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Tesla Owners Club Belgium
Hello Everybody,
I'm Byron Soulopoulos, President of Tesla Owners Club Belgium with 2.100 members the largest Tesla Owners Club in the world and organiser of Tesla World with 557 people the largest Tesla Owners event in the world.
Our mission is to support Tesla Owners who live, work or travel to Belgium. We've also created the first Tesla Owners magazine called SuperCharged.
Driving a black Tesla Model S 85 since 18 November 2013 with VIN: 22999
@Soulopoulos, President, Tesla Owners Club Belgium @TeslaClubBE
it's a pleasure to welcome you in our "small but nice world" 🙂
You and your community represent an important role in this electric mobility world chapter.
So, in the name of our Forum let me give you and all your members a "Virtual Hug"!
MODEL S 85D | MIDNIGHT SILVER MET| VIN 90xxx | DELIVERY - 14/08/2015 86'000 km // 204 Wh


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1802 E MISSOURI Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85016
1936 E Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85016
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4805 N Woodmere Fairway -- 1005
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There are currently 4 Homes for sale in Beverly Park. The average price for Beverly Park properties is $416,444 which is 93% lower than all Homes within a 20 mile radius. The highest priced property in Beverly Park is $647,000 while the lowest priced Home is listed at $269,000. Most of the properties available in Beverly Park are Homes . Compared to last month, the average price of real estate in the area has gone up 100%.
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Type anything you want here and we will see what we can find in the property descriptions. Maybe a name of a golf course you want to live by or a term like fixer upper.


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Memories provoked by the summer of....
The story of the young person of thirteen years and his three young female companions reminded me of a time in my life when I was about twelve to thirteen years old and it was the time of the summer school holidays in the UK.
For some reason, perhaps my friends had gone away with their families, I'm not sure, but I remember I was at a loose end and felt nothing exciting was going to happen.
I was already aware of my own and others sexual pleasure by this time, having watched older boys masturbate to completion and seen my own sister masturbate, and was a regular masturbator doing it every day, sometimes two and three times, but mainly as a solitary pleasure.
During my bored ramblings at this time I used to walk through the local fields belonging to a farmer who grew grass for hay and straw. In the time I'm talking about it was quite ok to go into the crop field as long as you did little damage and many a young person spent part of their holidays 'bringing in the sheaves.'
During my preambles I really did stumble over a girl a little younger than me, a daughter of one of my parents neigbours. She was lying in the long grass in one of the meadows when I more or less fell over her.
I will call her Katherine for the benefit of this story. I walked over the crest of a hill in grass that came to my mid thighs only to find I was looking down on her lying in the grass with her dress pulled up to her thighs and no knickers on rubbing herself in a slow methodical way. I don't know if she heard me or if I said something but I remember she seemed to casually pull down her dress and speak to me.
Whilst Katherine was a little younger than me, I was not in her league. She had already developed breasts and was usually accompanied by an older boy of perhaps sixteen. Now there may only be three years between thirteen and sixteen, but there is a world of difference culturally.
I cannot remember what Katherine said to me at the beginning of the conversation but in what felt like no time she was asking me if I had seen what she had been doing. I admitted I had. She asked me if I played with myself as her brothers did, they were younger and older than me respectively.
With a slight amount of embarrassment I admitted seeing her and admitted playing with myself. By this time I was sat opposite her in the grass looking straight up her dress at her hairless slit. I was aware of what I was looking at as I had seen my sister's genitals and knew that girls could masturbate for pleasure just like boys, having watched my sister do it many times.
With no prompting or suggestion from me she pulled her dress back up, exposed her genitals, and started stroking them again. Safe to say I needed very little encouragement to remove my trousers and underpants and sat across from her with my eyes glued to her puffy lips as her finger slid up and down what was already a wet slippy canal.
All the time I was stroking my dick, slowly at first and then faster, as I started to reach climax. All this time Katherine has been silent, then all of a sudden she said 'Can you shoot spunk?' and before the sentence was out of her mouth my dick started to twitch and I started to ejaculate.
Just as I started to do this Katherine arched her back off the ground, seemed to grunt two to three times, and I remember seeing how wet her fingers were and at the same time she said 'It's here.'
I don't suppose I could believe my luck but for some reason I didn't revert to a shy adolescent after the ejaculation but just lay there in the sun with no pants on letting the sun warm my dick.
We both lay there in a state of undress for what seemed forever, with the sun on our genitals. The most remarkable thing was that we repeated the same actions in the afternoon, and if my memory serves me right at least once a day if not more, for the final three weeks of the holiday. If it was warm and dry we were in the field, if it was dull and wet, in her fathers garden shed. We only touched each others genitals about three times, at all the other times we were just content to sit and watch each other stroke and I loved to see her slit get wetter and wetter as she got more excited.
Even to this day after 34 years of marriage it is still a great sexual pleasure to lie next to my wife or sit in front of her so I can see her getting dripping wet as she strokes herself and she watches me shoot spunk out of my dick.


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12-Inch Stainless Steel Zester-Grater in Retro green, by Microplane
If you're looking for a zester sturdy enough to grate tough ginger or hard parmesan into delicate strands, and still fine enough to take the tangy zest off a lemon but leave behind the bitter pith, you just found it. The Microplane Premium Series Zester-Grater 46702, in vibrant retro green, features Microplane's famous long, narrow blade design based on woodworking rasps. The blades are made of surgical-grade stainless steel, with sharp, rear-facing cutting tips that effortlessly cut into food without shredding it or your fingers. The soft-touch TPE handle is ergonomically designed to be comfortable and provide a secure grip; TPE ends protect the blade's surface from scratches. And a reusable plastic cover protects the blade when it's stored away. Microplane Premium Series Zester-Graters are dishwasher safe (the covers should be hand-washed) and have a manufacturer's 30-day Money Back Guarantee. Large, heavy-duty and durable, Microplane zesters are ideal for citrus, hard cheeses, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon and much more. Try one the next time you're making a vinaigrette or topping your spaghetti and you'll see why Microplane Premium Series Zester-Graters are a favorite of home cooks, celebrity chefs and restaurant owners the world over.
- Premium Series zesters feature Microplane's legendary long, narrow, rasp-style design
- Made of surgical-grade stainless steel with TPE plastic handle
- Blades effortlessly cut hard and soft foods without shredding, crushing or tearing
- Ergonomic soft-touch handle
- TPE ends prevent scratching of surface top
- Dishwasher safe; hand-wash cover
- Ideal for citrus fruits, hard cheeses, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon
- Blades made in the U.S.A.; products assembled in Mexico
- Dimensions: 12"x 1 5/16"x 1"
- Manufacturer's 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
Additional Information
|Description Author
|Kim S
|Microplane Premium Series Zester & Grater in Retro Green
|GTIIN / UPC Code
|Citrus Zesters
|Home or Commercial
|Stainless Steel & Plastic
|Steel, Green
|Manufacturer's Warranty
|30 Day Limited Manufacturer Warranty
|Country of Manufacture
|United States
|Weight (in Lbs)
Customer Questions
Customer Reviews