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Leave your Smartphone at home… Say what? Impossible you might think… we're living in an era where a phone isn't just a phone. It's a GPS, a camera, it holds passwords, has a boarding pass, an alarm clock… it EVEN allows us to send drunk texts to people we're probably never going to see again (awkward apology to follow the… Read more →
Tag: #meetthelocals
The Launch of our Garden Route Wine Tours
We've handpicked the best wine farms to visit, to sample prize-winning local wines and, in one of the tours, to experience the journey of the wine all the way from the vine to the bottle…. Read more →
Find Your Festival in 2017 (Western Cape)
The weather is warm, the beats are banging and the festivals are on fire! Here's the music, food, wine and trance festival lineup for 2017, for us lucky souls who can call the Western Cape home… Read more →
Brand New Day Trips!
We have some authentic new day trips for the traveler and explorer at heart! If you love spending time in the sun, water and fresh air doing outdoor activities and unique adventures… then read on! We want you to be a part of this summer season in the Garden Route and that is why we'll be running weekly day trips… Read more →
To Beach or not to Beach
When you come to #MeetSouthAfrica, you will inadvertently end up on some of our infatuating beaches. The Indian and Atlantic Ocean glistening in the sun will hold your gaze for hours and the soft white sand that will warm your buttocks, will have you coming back for more year after year. But when one goes to the beach, you do… Read more →
Why limit yourself with an itinerary?
#Independenttravel is all about making your own choices while traveling. Not having to stick to any specific plan or too much of a schedule. Forgetting the guidebook for a while and getting a little lost. That's when you start to experience a country. When you can get past the fancy facade that tourists usually get locked into. That's why we… Read more →
Meet the Locals
Have you ever looked at someone and thought that 'This guy must have one crazy story to tell'…?
Just like countries, scenery and experiences, people can vary more than any other species on the planet. Hairy, beautifully-old and wrinkly. Young, joyous and smiling from ear to ear. Tall, tanned and walking with a stride like a cowboy. Short, hunched and frowning over a newspaper they might not be reading. Not all are what they portray. And not all portray what they are.
I simply love people-watching and I know I'm not alone on my little undercover perversion. Silently sitting in a little beach restaurant pretending to read or type this, while stealing glimpses at an old couple chatting or some friends telling old jokes. And airports! I will gladly pay four times as much for a coffee at Mugg & Bean at Cape Town International while watching all the hello and goodbye shenanigans go down at airports. Irresistible!
But simply watching won't give you a chance to talk to them, and to really experience a country, you have to emerge yourself among the people. Talk to the old guy waiting at the bus stop. Ask questions and listen to the beautifully dressed Malawian lady selling wooden bowls. Make a joke with the kid tied to her back. And best of all, have a few extra drinks with the friendly and weird people at the local drinking hole. Have a few too many as a matter of fact and listen to what makes them tick, what ticks them off, what they do for a living and their views of the Rainbow Nation… You might be pleasantly surprized.
I believe THIS is how you truly experience a country. Beautiful scenery can say a thousand words, sure. But you'll only find out special and unique things if you Meet the Locals. Leave the guide book in your backpack and talk to people. Follow them on a bundu-bashing hike to that 'hidden-spot' only they know about. Join an old couple for their Sunday fish braai at their house and try the lady's trifle for pudding.
Be smart about it. Be bold. Trust your gut feeling about people. This way you will make memories that will never leave you and find things no one else has found or seen. And also see why the locals never leave!


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Goodnight and have a great weekend 😀
Archive for August, 2013
a week in pictures
Posted in encounters, instagram, tagged bakes, cats, family life, food, mela v. world, motherhood, Peanut, relationships, work on 30 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
out of sorts
Posted in random thoughts, tagged fountain pens, mela v. world, rant, relationships, work on 28 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Why is it that sometimes when you catch someone pulling a fast one over you, they get all indignant about it? Like discovering that they were pulling a fast one over you is some kind of a personal failing on your part? Like it is my fault that can't get past the gate? Like it's my job to leave the gate ajar and even to guide you through with a smile?
Seriously, it is bad enough that you were trying to steal from me. But to try to make me feel bad about you stealing from me? That is just plain wrong.
Now I am all confused because on some level, I would like to salvage the professional relationship: it is just not healthy for us to be avoiding each other this way.
Sometimes, it's just so not worth it, you know? Since this year started, I have been yelled at by no less than two spouses of opponents who feel slighted on behalf of their other halves. And I am not even sleeping with these people, for crying out loud!
I would like to say that I am deeply misunderstood except that all of the "misunderstood" people I know also tend to be so freaking weird that even I don't want to talk to them, which is really saying a lot, and it is a little too complicated and existential to try to differentiate the levels of "misunderstood" on a Wednesday morning, as in what is the minimum number of levels you need to by misunderstood on to be qualified to call yourself "misunderstood". Real life is too complicated for my puny brain this morning.
I'm just all out of sorts today. Maybe that's because I'm feeling a bit under-appreciated this morning, or maybe it is due to the fact that this is the second day in the row I missed my alarm and woke up late, which probably means that I should sit out lunch in case I buy something expensive.
a bit about the difficulties of my job
Posted in encounters, quotes, random thoughts, tagged books, reading, work on 27 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
From Haruki Murakami's Underground:
Now, as one psychoanalyst defines it: "Human memory is nothing more than a 'personal interpretation' of events." Passing an experience through the apparatus of memory can sometimes rework it into something more readily understood: the unacceptable parts are omitted; "before" and "after" are reversed; unclear elements are refined; one's own memories are mixed with those of others, interchanged, as often as necessary. All this goes on perfectly naturally, unconsciously.
Simply put, our memories of experiences are rendered into something like a narrative form. To a greater or lesser extent, this is a natural function of memory — a process that novelists consciously utilise as a profession. The truth of "whatever is told" will differ, however slightly, from what actually happened. This, however, does not make it a lie; it is unmistakably the truth, albeit in a different form.
…As a result, the stories told by people who simultaneously experienced the very same scene often differ on small details…these discrepancies and contradictions say something in themselves. Sometimes, in this multifaceted world of ours, inconsistency can be more eloquent than consistency.
The Buddha had always said that who wins the trial depends on who is a better liar. I've always thought that it was a little bit unfair to put it that way.
Then I remembered how when I was a pupil, I'd heard The Bollywood Star tell his client that we only needed him to tell the truth on the stand because there is only one truth, and I thought that it was inaccurate to put it that way too.
I have also heard The Stallion tell his clients what the official version of the truth should be based on documents. I'd thought that wasn't really how it works either.
I supposed that only one truth is that there will always be more than one perception of truth. Unfortunately, in most of my trials, there are usually up to five perceptions of the truth in the courtroom: the plaintiff, the defendant, their respective counsels and the judge; the most immaterial being their respective counsels' views and the most material being the judge's.
So I guess it was a really good thing that we didn't even bother to go on today. We argued preliminary issues and dismissed the claim, then went off to lunch and got on with life. That is way clearer than trying to figure out which of the five perceptions of the truth should triumph.
suspicious cat
Posted in instagram, random thoughts, tagged cats, mela v. world, relationships, work on 26 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I met someone I hadn't spoken to in about 7 years in court the other day. There were myriad and varied reasons leading up to our not-speaking which I, with my elephantine memory, have not forgotten over the years. Not that they were very important reasons, but I distinctly remembered having sat down and taken stock of the situation back then and deciding that the not-speaking did not add anything or subtract anything from my life.
Said person greeted me and chatted with me like a long lost friend, asking about work, about the firm, describing to the junior he had with him how we worked in the same office in the past and how we are friends. All the while, I peered out suspiciously from behind a wall, taken aback by the outward show of friendliness. Then at the first opportunity, I retreated back to my seat far away behind the bar tables.
Seriously, what was that all about?! I don't think I can ever get how people can just forget the unpleasant stuff they did to you in the past. Or pretend it was never there. Makes me wonder whether (a) they had no idea at all how much it rankled in the past or (b) they are just really good at pretending.
If (a), that just makes them socially unaware / incompetent right? So I really shouldn't have wasted any time and effort on the dipshit in the past. Dammit!
If (b), why the hell are you nice to me now? What are you trying to sell me?
And this, ladies and gentlemen, this deep suspicion of everything, is the root of my problem in life. I have always said that my greatest failing in life is the fact that I have a far more developed bullshit filter than the rest of humanity. Hence I don't do orientations or team building or any of that kind of ra-ra shit they make you do in school and at work. I am incapable of connecting with people I don't like or am suspicious of. And I am suspicious of almost everyone. As a result, I've spent most of my life being socially inept, shifty and weird and having very little friends.
No matter how good I have since become at making small talk and behaving appropriately in social settings, somewhere deep down inside, I'll always be that suspicious cat peering out after darting round the corner. Save that with time and age, I am now able to avoid the physically darting round the corner bit and the looking visibly suspicious bit.
So just for the record, my instincts are still pretty good. Just because I look like I am listening to you does not mean that any of your bullshit is getting past the filter.
pep talks and retail therapy
Posted in conversations, tagged fountain pens, mela v. world, relationships, shopping, work on 21 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Mela: If I am giving all these pep talks to people, have you ever wondered who is giving me a pep talk?
The Buddha: Prozac.
I have bought a dress and 6 macaroons (to stop myself from buying a new fountain pen) over the course of this week (which has only been what, two days?). I am (still) on the verge of buying a new fountain pen (which will result in me owning no less than FOUR pens wtf).
I think I should just stop going to lunch.
But it continues…
chiffon cake
Posted in food, instagram, tagged bakes, family life, lion, Peanut, relationships on 11 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
It was my sister-in-law's birthday over last weekend. She checked into a hotel at Resorts World Sentosa and we brought the kids over to hang out on both Saturday and Sunday. We had earlier asked her what she wanted for her birthday cake and she replied that she wanted something non-chocolate.
On Saturday, we all went to Universal Studios and found out, much to the delight of Peanut, that over the year, she had grown tall enough to make it for the Transformers ride. She was so pleased that she rode on it twice and while we were walking through the gift shop after, she insisted that we bought a robot for Lion, who could not go on the ride and spent all that time pottering about outside with my mother-in-law staring at all of the installations. He's currently in a robot phase and has developed an insane obsession with Iron Man.
We left Peanut to stay over with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and brought Lion home to bed. After putting Lion to bed, I started on the chiffon cake.
For the record, I have never actually made a chiffon cake in my life. This is the first try, and after putting it into the oven and finishing the washing up, I realised to my complete shock that I forgot to add cold water to the heavy batter. I then spent the rest of the night wondering first whether it will rise, then after I took it out of the oven, wondering whether it will deflate overnight.
Quite luckily it didn't so the next morning, I made and applied the icing and The Other Half grilled some peaches and we were ready to go! It was lovely and everyone enjoyed it very much. I will probably make it again (with ALL of its ingredients).
the look of triumph
Posted in encounters, tagged family life, lion on 6 August, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Dad: Would you like to employ your superior intellect to transform the insanely complicated Optimus Prime?
Mum: Erm no? I didn't buy the toy.
Mum: This is really taking quite long. I'm going to take a picture and post it on Facebook.
Dad: I got it! I got it! Hahahahaha!!
Lion: Daddy, why does it look like a garbage truck?!

subset: commoncrawl


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Polyphosphate Filter Cartridge
Now With Free Shipping!
Using a Polyphosphate Filter Cartridge can virtually eliminate corrosion and scale build-up on fixtures and appliances by allowing the polyphosphate beads to slowly dissolve in the water which causes the calcium to be held in suspension and not attach itself to the walls of the plumbing system. It basically binds the calcium not allowing it to attach itself. The dissolving beads apply a coating on the inside of the pipes and this also protects the plumbing system from corrosion.
Many home plumbing systems and commercial systems incorporate this filter cartridge into the water treatment system, particularity where the water is very hard, or the water calcifies quickly in the hot water side of the system.
These cartridges contain food grade slow dissolve polyphosphate beads that dissolve slowly in water to inhibit scale and rust build-up. These cartridges are recommended for use with ice machines, coffee and vending machines, food service equipment, water heaters and many other types of water processing equipment.
This cartridge is also very effective in the treatment for ferric and ferrous iron, Up to 1PPM Iron can be held in suspension and not be allowed to precipitate which will damage fixtures and appliances
In addition to pre-assembled cartridges, we also can customize many applications which use Polyphosphate Filters and have several sizes available
This Cartridge is for 4X10" BB housings


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Technicians, engineers and leaders throughout manufacturing often say their number one maintenance operations challenge is the risk of equipment and device failures. What may be lesser known is that safety risk eclipses downtime cost. For example, mechanical equipment wears out in chemical plants or refineries like anywhere else, but if a valve malfunction creates a gas leak, employees and the entire facility could be at risk.
Yet adopting condition monitoring strategies to mitigate those risks can create new challenges. Among them are: retrofitting costs and feasibility; communication among dispersed workers across plants and regions; security; and safety concerns with adding smart devices in sensitive and explosive environments.
Indeed, in some process industries, project engineers are located at different sites than maintenance and operations. That makes the conversations between technicians, engineers and plant maintenance harder. The more siloed information becomes, the greater the risk that critical issues may not be discovered.
In addition, many plants face difficulty implementing smart devices (tablets, cellphones and laptops) and wireless sensors in their specific environments. Smart devices cannot be allowed in areas with intrinsic safety risks, and the information technology (IT) departments at many plants believe the security concerns about devices on the client network are too great. However, without the benefit of those smart technologies, it is hard for many chemical plants and refineries, for instance, to benefit from maintenance and reliability improvements happening in other industries.
Acknowledging these challenges, how does an operation move from reactive to proactive maintenance? Four strategies are suggested:
- Focus on equipment failure modes — Prioritize plant systems based on the impact on plant capacity and availability. The most expensive equipment does not always have the greatest impact. Think of how second-tier equipment — pumps, compressors, valves, etc. — can impact uptime and, of course, worker safety.
- Get buy-in from leadership — Equipment failures carry risks leaders understand, such as quality issues, lowered overall equipment effectiveness scores and potential unplanned capital expenditures. It is also important to note that many smart technologies have quick returns on investment. For example, a reliability engineer at a chemical processing plant recently noted that his plants include multiple large screw-type compressors ranging from 250 to 2,000 horsepower that support a large refrigeration process. On average, each compressor costs $50,000 new. Currently, compressors are rebuilt every four years at a cost of about $25,000. The reliability engineer explained that if he can extend the rebuild of one motor by one year, he would realize enough savings to nearly pay for the cost of a new vibration analyzer in the first year.
- Select appropriate technologies — Look to infuse available maintenance technologies with wireless capabilities. The idea is to automatically collect data. If creating a proactive, conditionbased maintenance (CBM) program were easy, plants would have implemented programs long ago. The reality is that most plants use a hodgepodge of test tools, various software platforms and sensors. And the controls and assets underpinning older plants are difficult to upgrade. They were never designed to be integrated.The newer test tools have embedded Bluetooth radios that allow the user to instantly save measurements to a software as service (SaaS) platform via a smart device. Portable wireless sensors or modules allow technicians and engineers to leave measurement tools in place up to a month. Once in place, these devices monitor, log data and live-stream.Teams use these sensors for condition monitoring and troubleshooting complex system failures. A cloud-connected software platform underlies both types of datagathering practices so that teams and managers have a comprehensive and meaningfully organized set of data. Dashboards available on any device allow engineers and managers as well as technicians to see actual equipment data to baseline, trend and analyze.
- Enhance skills of team — Increasing the core competencies of the maintenance team can add flexibility to an operation. Many plants create maintenance-specific preventive maintenance (PM) programs in which each department (electrical, mechanical, etc.) has its own specific PM programs and activities that use specific inspection and monitoring technologies such as thermal, vibration and data logging. A centralized reliability team may stay focused on the most mission-critical assets, but the data-gathering practice has "democratized," and with that, the benefits have spread to more areas of the plant. In terms of waves of technology, handheld infrared cameras are typically the first inspection tools teams adopt, but increasingly, vibration meters are a close second for plants with extensive mechanical equipment such as pumps. Vibration inspections detect problems earlier than thermography. As teams grow their PM capabilities, vibration becomes more crucial to their practices.
New practices enabled by technology
All in all, the macrotrend is data. The newer portable condition monitoring systems enable teams to choose which equipment to monitor and what kind of data to collect, with little extra effort, while SaaS PM platforms provide the structure for the data to become meaningful enough to drive decisions and actions.
Ideally, teams would use smart devices for all aspects of data gathering, from wired sensors to wireless sensors to connected test tools. That way the data is automatically tagged, saved and trended. While wired sensors have been the go-to, the enterprise systems associated with them do not always lend themselves to straightforward route management, work orders and other workflow aspects central to integration. SaaS PM systems, with mobile devices and wireless sensors as core components, are increasingly the best ways for teams to integrate their data and workflows.
Having the right data to detect a change in the condition of a piece of equipment is tremendously valuable. Teams can prioritize their workload to avoid failures and unnecessary planned maintenance. Integrated data streams — for example, power monitoring plus thermal images or vibration followed by thermal — dramatically speed up decision-making. The alarm features on SaaS PM systems alert the teams to changes in conditions while mobile workflow tools make it possible for teams to move into action. Web-based SaaS platforms allow data sharing with everyone on a team as well as between departments and between teams and their management.
Explore "safe zones"
Finally, for highly regulated intrinsic safety environments, one alternative to current practices being explored is the establishment of "safe zones" where low-energy smart devices can be deployed in nonexplosive Category 2 areas. Out on the plant floor, technicians would use approved tools to collect data and then use the safe zone area to connect the tool to the SaaS platform and complete the upload.
Many sites are also installing secondary wireless networks, specifically for wireless Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices. These secondary guest networks introduce an extra security layer, protecting core plant assets while giving the IIoT devices the Wi-Fi connectivity they need to collect and send data.
As an end goal, the idea is to enable new simplified workflows with which data collection is easier, the data itself is reliable and the PM routing is flexible, depending on team priorities. With a common platform to store data — one that is easily accessible — operators can begin to analyze and correlate data from various technologies. For example, checking time-stamped vibration spectra and infrared data with current trend lines can give insight into equipment health. These data can help foretell impending failures. These newer CBM systems offer solutions without retrofitting, specialized labor or IT resources. And since such systems exist outside control networks, they do not put operations at risk. Beyond the data, the same software can be used to issue work orders, track work completion and even verify the service is completed correctly.
Frederic Baudart is a product application specialist for Fluke Corporation, focusing on the company's process, electrical and mechanical product lines. He has 20 years of experience in field service engineering work and the preventive maintenance industry. He has held various field services and technical positions with responsibility for installation and commissioning as well as services management roles. Baudart is Thermal/Infrared Thermography Level I certified and holds technical degrees in electrical and instrumentation engineering from Chome-Wynz technical college in Brussels, Belgium. Learn more at connect.fluke.com.


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There are so many choices when building with metal.
More than 3 billion pounds of aluminum is used annually in U.S. construction, and much of that is in aluminum roof construction and wall systems of commercial buildings. Aluminum is highly receptive to today's high-performance architectural coatings. A wide variety of factory-applied coatings and colors perform well and stay colorfast on aluminum roofs, which is critical for highly visible steep-slope roof applications. The coatings also help ensure virtually maintenance-free performance and long service life.
Long life and low maintenance are critically important qualities for exterior treatments of commercial buildings. Metal is emerging as the material of choice in many roof and wall applications, and copper is a popular choice among metal types. A primary reason for this is its permanency. Copper roofs can last decades, if not centuries. The oldest copper roof in the United States was installed on the Olde Christ Church in Philadelphia in 1742. In Europe, the copper cornice around the dome at the Pantheon in Rome lasted more than 1,800 years.
Steel is considered a universal building product because of its strength, versatility, durability, and economic value. Today, standing-seam metal roofs are used for countless structures, including shopping centers, schools, churches, and libraries. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, steel roof construction is used in nearly half of all low-rise commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings erected in the past several years.
Terne is produced by coating metals such as carbon steel and stainless steel with a specially formulated alloy containing zinc and tin to dramatically increase corrosion resistance. When terne roofs were first used in colonial times, it contained roughly 80% lead and 20% tin. However, in the latter half of the 20th century, as lead was found to have potentially detrimental effects on health, the lead/tin alloy was replaced. In the mid-1990s, a new and superior zinc/tin alloy was produced that provides improved performance and aesthetics over the original—minus the health risks.
Building owners and architects are increasingly turning to zinc roof construction for its long, maintenance-free life and adaptability to various design styles ranging from traditional to modern. Zinc is a natural material that never fades and retains its look over its entire life span. It is also a noncorrosive, environmentally friendly product with a 100%-clear water runoff. Zinc's anticorrosion qualities have led its use extensively as a protective coating for steel and other metals.


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A major collection of archive Helmut Lang is being exhibited at PFW
Jan 17, 2018 | By Samuel Trotman
Jan 10, 2012
We're in danger of singing the Naked and Famous guys' praises too much, what with our recent coverage of their new retail store and new products, plus their little brother brand, The Unbranded Brand. But hell, this sub-label is worth talking about, so here we go:
We noticed Paulrose Products back at Capsule Vegas 2010 where the first pieces got a soft launch. It is a Canadian-made workwear company originally established by Paul and Rose Svarc (the grandparents of Brandon Svarc from Naked & Famous) in Montreal, Quebec in the 1960s.
Brandon says: "Paul was a great man and the patriarch of our family. After WW2 he immigrated to Canada and built an apparel and workwear business to support his family. Without him, Naked & Famous Denim would not exist.
After he passed away, my father was looking through his office to find anything of sentimental value, and he found an old metal and wooden die stamp from the original Paulrose brand! He showed it to me and I instantly knew that we must create a revival of this old brand in my grandfather's honour. Approximately 50 years after the original launch of this brand of workwear, we have done exactly that."
Using Japanese denims & fabrics, the items are still made in Canada using the details and techniques that we expect from a quality heritage brand.
The first delivery of jeans were made of 17oz unsanforized slub selvedge denim. The denim has an irregular warp size and is woven at a dangerously low tension in order to achieve the beautiful and old-school texture and appearance. All jeans come with flannel lined rear pockets and flannel pocket bags with copper hidden rivets on the rear pockets and a concealed selvedge coin pocket. Added reinforcement is applied using Union Special 43200G bulldog chain-stitched hems & waistbands.
The jeans are offered in two fits: the Heritage fit & Modern fit. The Heritage fit is similar to a 1947 Levi's 501 classic Americana fit, while the Modern fit is a slim tapered leg similar to Naked & Famous' Weird Guy fit but with a touch higher rise. Shirting will be offered in quality Japanese fabrics with a slim fit and minimal details.
Know what's next. Become a WGSN member today to benefit from our daily trend intelligence, retail analytics, consumer insights and bespoke consultancy services.


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Sunday March 20 2016
Grilled Cheese
Tomato Soup
Monday March 21 2016
English Muffin Pizza
Tuesday March 22 2016
Kielbasa with BBQ Sauce
Au Gratin Potato
Wednesday March 23 2016
Sausage, Spinach, and Tortellini Soup
Thursday March 24 2016
Went out to a late lunch with my mother in law, we never did get hungry for dinner.
Friday March 25 2016
English Muffin Pizza (again!)
Saturday March 26 2016
Grilled Cheese.
Nobody was hungry until about 10pm...didn't want anything too heavy


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The Stretch Family Tall Case Clocks were adopted by John Bacon
Another successful adoption story is the Stretch Family Tall Case Clocks and John Bacon. After reading in our Winter 2014 newsletter that the clocks made by Philadelphia's most prominent clockmakers (Peter Stretch and his sons William and Thomas Stretch) were no longer working, John Bacon contacted the Friends office and offered to adopt the artifacts and fund their restoration.
John's Story
I was privileged to serve as the FINHP intern after completing my master's degree in the University of Delaware/Winterthur program in 1990. My thesis was on Delaware Valley slatback chairs and aside from Winterthur itself, INHP has the best and broadest collection of these chairs and related turned seating furniture (namely Windsor chairs).
I spent several sessions measuring and looking at the collection under Karie Diethorn's watch, so was thrilled to have the opportunity to then work with her and the rest of the Museum Division team. I helped with general curatorial work and wrote a report on domestic garrets and cellars: to be honest, that report was more interesting to me that the thesis! I am thrilled now a quarter century later to support INHP by adopting the Stretch clocks in honor of the curatorial team and encourage others to participate in this rewarding and worthy program.
Today, both clocks are back in Independence Hall, working and in the case of the 1725-30 clock made by Peter and William, playing an unidentified 28-note tune six times a day.
Thank you John for bringing back the music and our clocks!


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« ПредишнаНапред »
espouse their religions belief: but we cannot bestow any praise on uui hope much from such kind of reasoning.
Art. 36. An Appeal of an injured Ind'tu dual to the British Nation, on the arbitral y and inquisitorial Consequences of the Tax on Income, commonly called the Property Tax: and particularly to the Manlier it is "•Messed nn Profession*. Trades, and small Incomes. B^y Charles Rivers, Solicitor, Basing Lane, Bread Street, Cheapside. J'vo. <s. Richardson
In order to make the Property Tax productive, it has been deemed necessary to employ vigorous measures for ascertaining the amount of individual incomes; and in certain instances, it may be presumed that the process adopted has been inquisitorial and oppressive The case i»\ the present author, who unsuccessfully appealed on oath against an rxceasivc assessment, appears to be very hard: but, as we have not the reasons of the Commissioners for their conduct towards Mr. Rivers, we must not positively decide. His remarks concerning the unequal operation of the tax on the rich, and on persons in moderate circumstances, arc just, though not new; and his hint respecting people ot landed property, who, on the renewal of leases, saddle their tenants with the tax, is not altogether unworthy of notice. He considers the burden thus ingeniouily shifted from the landlord to the weeupier, as a virtual increase of rent, for which the latter should be surcharged: but perhaps our gentlemen will quote in this instance the maxim of law, Qji facit per allet um facit per it.
Art. 37. Brief Considerations on the Test Laws; in a Letter to the Right Ron Lord Viscount Milton. By a Beneficed Clergyman of the KstablUhcd Church and a Yorkshire Freeholder. 2d Edition. With a Postscript containing additional Observations and a Reply to Objections. Svo. is. Mawman.
Wc noticed the first edition of this liberal and sensible pamphlet in M- R. Vol. liv. N. S. p. 444; and we recall the attention of our readers to it, in consequence ot the Postscript, in which the writer most satisfactorily txposcs the futility of the objections to the repeal of the. Test Act, that have been founded oh the nature of the Coro«nation Oath, and on the plea that it is a fundamental law of the realm. He concludes with a fervent wish that religious difference* may cease to be the ground of political distinctions, and that vice and incouipctcucy may be the only causes ot civil disabilities and exclusion.
Att. 38 fhe Calendar; or Monthly Recreations; chiefly consisting of Dialogues between an Auni and her Nieces; designed to inspire the juvenile Mind with a Love of Virtue, and of the Study of Nature. By Mrs. Pilkinglou. 12010. pp. 266. 3s. 6d. Boards, Harris. 1807.
To instruct young persons to conduct themselves with propriety in life, and to teach them just sentiments respecting the more familiar phenomena ot nature, are the objects of this useful publication. Mrs. Pikingtou has coutnved, by means of occurrences which are supposed to hafe happened within the cognizance of the character* whom she Introduces, and by the changes which were observed to take place during the several months of the year, to make an interesting work for the improvement of the juvenile mind. Tlie valuable information, the just Sentiments, and the familiar and pleasing manner in which they are communicated, render it worthy the attention of those who iuc engaged in forming the minds of the ruing generation.
Art. 39 The Preceptor and his Pupils; or Dialogues, Examinations,, and Exercises on Grammar in general, a:d tlie English Grammar in particular. For ilie Use ot Schools and private Students. By George Crabb. i:mu. pp. 203. 33. 6d Boards. Boosey.
Mr Crabb has divide 1 the subject of this volume into 22 Lessons, in Dialogue, each ot which is illustrated by various examinations and exercises. He does not pretend to any improvements ;—acknowledging his adherence in disposition, terms, and dehnitiotis, to thotc of Mr. Murray. He professes only arrangement and method, and in this respect the teacher of youth will lind the woik of conquerable Service tor the junior classes. .\_
Art. 40. Scenes for the Young; or Pleasing Tsltrs calculated to prrTniote good Manners and a Love of Virtue in Ch'ldien. By I. DaJ'. 12mo. is. Od Diirton and Harvey. 1807. In these tales, the necessity of learning to read, the propriety of good behaviour, the value ot good.humour, and the advantages, of diligence and a trust in Providence, are exemplified in a manner which is adapted to the comprehension ot children. They lurin. Lhcrefoic an useful little work tor young persons.
Art 4!. Narrative of the Expedition to the Baltic: with an Account of the Siege and Capitulation or Copenhagen; including the Surrender ot tlie Danish Fleet. * By an Officer employed in the Expedition. 12mo. pp. 307. os. 6d. Boardo. Lindseil. liiocv.
Art. 42. The Siege of Copenhagen; or, Documents comprehending an official Detail ot the Bombardment of that Ci'y, together with a Danish Narrative of the dreadful Calamities suffered by the Inhabitants in consequence thereof; the whole compiled from original British and Danish Papers. By an Officer from Copenhagen. To which is prefixed an historical Account of the City of Cu'pcnhageu. l2mo. pp. 115. 28. 6d. sewed. Hughes. 1808. A clear idea may be formed, from eiiher ot these publications, of our late expedition to the Baltic. The editor of tile smaller tract, however, has contented himself with doing little more than reprinting the Gazettes which contained the letters trout the officers employed, and that which conferred on them the honours of the peerage as a reward for their exertions. The larger work consists of a rather more extended narrative, and is accompanied with a considerable portion of political reasoning to prove the necessity and justice of the mta^ tuie. lu defending our uiiuijicu for this yery questionable act, the
writer boldly asserts: * the direct motives which led to It will «*> doubt soon be developed.—-the secret articles of the Treaty of Tilsit will be their avengers '—The work appears, by the date of the dedication, to have been published on the 20th of last January, a very fe* days before the meeting of Parliament; and the author must have been not a little surprised at the falsification of his prophecy, by the refusal of Administiation to produce those Articles, or eveo to State the substance of them. They still remain a profound secret to the public, which was desired to judge of the measure by referring to them; and the public, on the other hand, is now tolerably well satisfied that they have always been equally a secret to those ministers who so confidently appealed to them.
Art 43. Thoughts on the Expediency of disclosing the Processes of Manufactories ; being the Substance of two papers lately read before the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne. By John Clennell, P.S.A. Edinburgh and Perth. 8vo. Pamphlet Newcastle. 1807.
"When public spirit shall generally triumph over selfishness, their Mr. ClenneH'8 proposition will be adopted: but. as long as trade is carried on with views of private gain, so long will the manufacturer, who has a profitable secret, endeavour to keep it to himself; and he will not be easily persuaded that lie shall gain more by divulging it. By the grant of Patents, individuals are indeed obliged to make disclosures, which arc ultimately advantageous to the public. Mr. C.'s hints are good, but the difficulty will be to get them adopted.
We have received a letter from Mr. Crabbc, the ingenious author of the volume of Poems recommended in our last Number, in which he disclaims any title to the Poem cal'-d the Slull. He observes that he recollects to have seen, many years since, that this production was imputed to him in our General Index, and he had 6ome intention of writing to us on the subject t but, not having then fulfilled hit design, he now finds it expedient to declare that he neither is. uor knows who is, the author of that publication.—We very readily communicate this information, both as a matter of justice, and because we have considered the Skull as very inferior to Mr. Crabbe's other compositions. On what authority we originally ascribed it to him, we cannot at this distance of time recollect.
The publication intitled Ecclesiastic* fforst, concerning which we sometime since received a letter, has not yet come to our hands.
J. S. of Dundee is acknowleged. We shall make inquirie* oa
the subject.
For AUGUST, 1808.
Art. I. Some Recount of the public Life, and a Selection from the unpublished Writings, of the Earl of Macartney. The latter consisting of Extracts from an Account of the Russian Empire: a Sketch of the political History of Ireland ; and a Journal of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China: with an Appendix to each Volume. By John Barrow, F.R.S., Author of '* Travels in China" and " Southern Africa," and of " a Voyage to Cochinchina." a Vqls. 4X0. pp. 1150. jl. 38. Boards. Cadell and Davies. 1807.
TA7"E- are not now for the first time to consider the qualifica* * tions of Mr. Barrow as a writer, and, for the information of the public, to appreciate his merits and his defects; because, from the several works which he has already communicated to the world, and of which we have made due report, he is well known in both these respects. It has before been remarked that he is too much addicted to prolixity; and we are sorry that even primdfacte evidence, in the present instance, affords countenance to the charge:—evidence, too, which a farther examination will stronply corroborate. We fear also that we shall have to add to this objection, another on the score of partiality. Every biographer may be supposed to feel a peculiar interest in the subject of his labours; and if the character which he delineates should on the whole stand high, it is natural for the. writer's feelings to betray him into excess of panegyric. His duty to the public, however, requires him to correct this fault; and his obvious liability to fall into it takes from him all excuse for not being on his guard. His very sense, mereover, of obligation, when as in Mr. Barrow's case his patron is his hero, in proportion as it is creditable to his private feelings, is so far incompatible with his task as a writer of history, that, like the bias of a bowl, it requires to be calculated, and allowance to be made for it.
In the first volume, Mr. B. gives an account of the " birth, parentage, and education" of Lord Mncartneyj and he then proceeds to a minute and circumstantial narrative not only of
Vol. Lti. Z his his actions, but even of his words and observations, in the various situations of Envoy to St. Peterburgh, Chief Secretary of Ireland, Governor of Grenada, Governor of Madras, Ambassador to the Emperor of China, and Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.—He thus assigns his reasons for writing and publishing these memoirs:
* The design originated in a hint that was conveyed to me of the great probability, amounting indeed nearly to a certainty, that the history of a life employed on such various and extraordinary occasions, as that had teen of Lord Macartney, might be expected, in these times of general reading, to rind its way into print in some shape or other, however imperfect; for that even in his life time application had been made to him for materials for this purpose, and that the pursuit of such materials after his death was not likely to be abandoned. On this suggestion I became naturally desirous not to be anticipated in a work of this nature ; and thus deprived of the opportunity of fulfilling what I considered to be a duty to the memory of a great and distinguished public character, particularly due from one who for so many years had enjoyed his friendship and been honoured with his patronage. It appeared te me, indeed, on every consideration which I could give to the subject, that a faithful sketch of the public conduct of a man who had filled various and eminent situations in the four quarters pf the globe, of one who, with the eye of a statesman and a philosopher, had surveyed mankind in every region and climate of the earth, and who, after a long and laborious life spent in the service of his country with an unblemished reputation, resigned it at hut full of years and crowned with honour, in the midst of his friends and in the bosom of his family—it appeared, I say, that a sketch of such a life would afford an illustrious example for imitation not unworthy of being handed down to posterity; and in this opinion I had the satisfaction to be confirmed by the concurrence of many of those friends, who were most dear to him when living, and in whose memory he will long survive. Such were the motives and the origin of the undertaking.'
He adds that,' being furnished with the means of giving a tolerable account of the many difficulties his Lordship had to encounter, of the firmness with which he always met them, and the wisdom by which he overcame them, he flattered himself with the hope of being able to exhibit an illustrious example of extraordinary self-denial and disinterestedness, of inflexible integrity, unabating zeal, and unrelaxing energy in the public service.' Though this be the very language of a determined and unscrupulous eulogist, Mr.B. declares that he has not 'indulged an inclination to launch into a strain of general and indiscriminate panegyric, but has contented himself with rather relating the actions of his patron than reciting his praise: but how can he expect his readers to regard his narrative of Lord Macartney's life as strictly candid and impartial* when he exi ptessly


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It's time to let you know what's in The Food Calendar for October. We're finally in Autumn (although I'm happy to say that the weather hasn't realised yet and it's still lovely and warm). I'm fully suspecting that it'll get it's revenge in a few weeks but I'm going to enjoy the last little hints of summer while I still can 🙂 .
One food that I firmly associate with Autumn is apples, so this month I've selected some amazing apple recipes to share with you to celebrate Bramley Apple Week from the 3rd to the 9th October and Apple Day on the 21st.
20 Amazing Apple Recipes
These recipes are selected from other bloggers who come here to share their recipes for each of the events in The Food Calendar (plus a few others I found and loved from across the web). Head down the page for a full list of what's on in October and take a look at the recipes that have been shared this month, and if you're a blogger then make sure you come and join in 🙂 .
Savoury Sausage & Sage Baked Apples from Lavendar & Lovage
Pork Parsnip & Apple Traybake from Easy Peasy Foodie
Toffee Apple Gingerbread Loaf from Domestic Gothess
Apple Crumble Flapjacks from Charlotte's Lively Kitchen
Baked Apple Oat Crumble from Hijacked by Twins
Pippin Pie from Sneaky Veg
Caramelised Apple Pancakes with Maple Date Butter from How to Cook Good Food
Bramley Apple Breakfast Pancakes from Easy Peasy Foodie
Little Apple Cupcakes from Family Friends Food
Apple Cake from Le Coin De Mel
Toffee and Apple Cake from Cherished by Me
Chocolate Apple Pops from Charlotte's Lively Kitchen
Apple Roses from Only Crumbs Remain
Apple Fritters from Free From Fairy
Apple Crisps from Blue Bear Wood
Apple & Blueberry Spelt Soda Bread from Cherished by Me
Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Butter from Allotment 2 Kitchen
Guernsey Gâche Melée with Butterscotch Sauce from Tales from the Kitchen Shed
Apple Crumble Ice Cream from Domestic Gothess
If you're after even more apple recipe inspiration then take a look at my Apple Recipes Pinterest board.
What's on in October?
17 September – 2 October – British Food Fortnight
1 October – Buy British Day
1 October – International Coffee Day
1 October – World Vegetarian Day
3-9 October – National Cake Week
3-9 October – Bramley Apple Pie Week
9 October – International Beer & Pizza Day
7-14 October – National Seafood Week
10 October – World Porridge Day
10-16 October – National Curry Week
10-16 October – Chocolate Week
14 October – World Egg Day
14-16 October – RNLI Fish Supper
16 October – World Food Day
20 October – International Chefs Day
21 October – Apple Day
22 October – National Nut Day
25 October – World Pasta Day
31 October – Halloween
31 October – 4 November – National School Meals Week
31 October – 6 November – British Sausage Week
If you're tweeting or instagramming about any of these events then don't forget to use the #TheFoodCalendar hashtag.
Add your recipes to #TheFoodCalendar
If you're a food blogger than I'd love you to come and share your recipes for the events in the calendar this month.
You can…
- Add your post(s) to the linky at the bottom of this page.
- Share a post/picture/thought about any of the events using hashtag #TheFoodCalendar on Twitter and/or Instagram (you can also tag me @CharlotteLK on Twitter and @charlotteslivelykitchen on Instagram if you like).
- Pin your post to my dedicated #TheFoodCalendar Pinterest board – to join the board make sure you're following me (as it won't work otherwise) and then leave your Pinterest ID in the comments and I'll add you.
Once you've done that then go and share the love with some of the other bloggers joining in – comment on some of the other links, like/retweet on Twitter, heart/comment on Instagram or Repin some pins from the Pinterest board. I'll be reading, tweeting and commenting on all the posts shared.
You're also more that welcome to add the #TheFoodCalendar badge to your posts to let others know all about it (you'll find the code at the bottom of this post).
By linking up your posts you're giving me permission to use an image from the post in future roundups (with credit and a link back) and also to share the post with an image on social media. If you don't want me to do either of these then just let me know in the comments.
Linkup Badge Code
To add the #TheFoodCalendar badge to your post, simply copy the code below into the text editor of your post (any problems, let me know and I'll do my best to help).
Before I go…
I've been busy adding new events into the calendar so make sure you take a look and see what's new.


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The CEEDAR Center works with states, universities, and education agencies. We like to say that we provide "Opportunities to Learn for Teachers and Leaders." We are a national technical assistance center dedicated to supporting states in their efforts to develop teachers and leaders who can successfully prepare students with disabilities to achieve college and career-ready standards.
Resource Overview
An IC is a tool that identifies and describes the major components of a practice or innovation. With the implementation of any innovation comes a continuum of configurations of implementation from non-use to the ideal.
This paper features an innovation configuration (IC) matrix on "Teacher Preparation to Deliver Evidence-Based Transition Planning and Services to Youth with Disabilities" that can guide teacher preparation professionals in the development of appropriate transition planning and services content.


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UK open public data
April 19, 2010
Ordnance Survey, the British national mapping agency, has released open data at the beginning of this month. This is a 180 degree change for Britain. It used to have one of the most restrictive public data policies and hardly any official geo data was available. The new British open data policy is one of the most liberal policies worldwide and we can hope that other countries, in particular in Europe, will also understand the importance of unrestricted access to public data and adopt similar open policies.
The data is not only called 'open' it really is open. Unlike other 'open data' projects that use unopen share-alike licenses, the OS OpenData is available under a so called 'OS OpenData License', which is aligned and interoperable with the creative commons attribution license.
Of interest for GeoNames are several datasets:
- 1.7 million postal codes (code-point)
- 1:50'000 Gazetteer (260'000 toponyms)
- admin boundaries
It will take some time and work till we can make optimal use of the data. The existing 'outcode' based postal codes have already been replaced with the new data. On the free ws.geonames.org server the postal code webservices (reverse and search) are now returning the full 1.6 million postalcodes. The dataset does not include postal codes for NIR, IM, GY and JE. For those regions we continue using the previous data.
The postal code dump directory now contains two files for GB, the default file with the outcodes and an additional file with the full postal codes. It is not yet clear whether we should continue with the outcodes or replace them entirely with the full codes. What do you think? Please comment your ideas and requirements below.
In order to use the admin boundaries we will have to clean up the existing admin divisions and align them with the Ordnance Survey divisions.
The gazetteer unfortunately only has a very high level 'feature code' and for the majority of the toponyms the feature code is missing entirely (X).
fcode | count
X | 128662 (all other features)
O | 41228 (other)
FM | 34723 (Farm)
W | 24425 (Water)
H | 14524 (Hill or mountain)
F | 8708 (Forest or wood)
A | 5252 (antiquity non-roman)
T | 1259 (town)
R | 237 (roman antiquity)
C | 62 (city)
8 Responses to "UK open public data"
April 28, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I was trying to use the geonames web service to query for the lat/long data corresponding to a specific post code. I could not use post codes such as LE4 XXX. Is the web service using the data provided by OS or am I missing something
June 15, 2010 at 1:05 am
Please keep the Outcodes dump file available, it's more manageable than the full file of 1.6 million addresses which a large amount of data to host & search through.
August 27, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Hi, I have been using this on site above for some time without problem. In teh last couple of weeks the returned data has changed. I guess because of this change? I mailed support but they have not replied.
My problem is i was using for UK town/county but that data is now missing for most UK postcodes. I see now contains Town/ county but includes terms such as boro.
Frankly if this is the new format it is incorrect as postcode http://ws.geonames.org/postalCodeSearch?postalcode=N22+5LJ should return Wood Green.
Help / advice please?
February 5, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Hi there, I tried to post my problem on the forum but the captcha does not work :-s
Basically, I have imported both your Full UK Postcode dump and also imported the OS OpenData dump and converted the Eastings/Northings to latlon. I have compared the two data dumps and have found over 8000 post codes that are > 50 metres difference and up to 4 miles different. A quick check on google maps ascertains that the data from the OS Eastings and Northings converted using the library found here http://code.google.com/p/geocoordconversion/ is the more accurate eg the postcode SA10 8BJ from your dump is as http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=FfoJFQMdp7zG_ylDLoxgE0VuSDE9AI31fjWhPQ%3BFW9-FAMdrxHG_w&q=sa10+8bj+to+51.6747350109151%09-3.79656103370248&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=16.921245,50.756836&ie=UTF8&ll=51.690436,-3.777924&spn=0.074703,0.198269&t=h&z=13&saddr=sa10+8bj&daddr=51.6747350109151%09-3.79656103370248 whereas the data from my conversion is as http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=sa10+8bj&daddr=51.72308%09-3.75035&hl=en&geocode=FfoJFQMdp7zG_ylDLoxgE0VuSDE9AI31fjWhPQ%3BFUg7FQMdMsbG_w&mra=ls&sll=51.69323,-3.77799&sspn=0.074698,0.198269&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15
How Can I provide you the full dump of my conversions?


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Monday, November 17, 2014
What is it?
Digital fire control systems, the U.S. Army Armaments Research Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal in cooperation with various Program Management Offices, provide significant advantages for increasing weapon accuracy, responsiveness and survivability on the battlefield. Fire control system digitization is the automation of fire control functions, previously performed manually by the gun crew, resulting from the use of a networked, software-intensive fire control system.
The purpose of a fire control system is to acquire/receive target information and then implement the functions necessary to maximize the effects on target. For instance the Paladin fire control system provides a digital link to the fire support network for calls-for-fire and mission data, uses automated sensors for navigation and location, on-board sensors and a ballistic kernel for aiming data computation, automated 3-axis sensor for gun orientation, and precise weapon aiming implemented by automatic weapon drives.
Digitization of direct fire systems, such as the Abrams tank, which are reliant on on-board line of sight sensors to acquire target information and perform aiming data computation, paved the way for easier expansion of system function and capabilities.
What has the Army done?
ARDEC, supporting the respective Program Management Offices, has digitized all of the Army's gun-based indirect fire systems including M109A6 Paladin self-propelled and the M777A1 and M119A3 towed howitzers; dismounted 120mm mortars, M1064 mortar platforms and M577 fire direction center and STRYKER mortar carrier variants.
ARDEC's fire control mission addresses functions that cover the entire target engagement cycle to include target acquisition and tracking, target/environmental sensing, ballistic computation, gun/launcher/sight control and stabilization, munition initialization/tracking, and network communications as well as diagnostics, prognostics and training capabilities.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
The Army is currently evaluating technology solutions to address the associated size, weight, and power challenges in support of man portable and lighter weight fire control systems, such as the 60mm and 81mm mortar systems and small arms. ARDEC is also pursuing similar fire control technology improvements for larger caliber direct fire weapon systems.
Why is this important to the Army?
In addition to advantages in increased weapon accuracy, responsiveness and survivability, these software-intensive fire control systems have also facilitated the incorporation of smart munitions within the fire control systems such as the artillery's excalibur and precision guidance kit (PGK) munitions, the mortar's advanced precision mortar initiative (APMI) munition and the tank advanced multipurpose (AMP) round. Additionally, since the efforts are performed in house with government owned Intellectual property, significant advantages result from hardware and software commonality and the associated cost, schedule and sustainment benefits.
Subscribe to STAND-TO! to learn about the U.S. Army initiatives.
November 2014
Military Family Appreciation Month: Visit Army.mil: Army Families
December 2014
Dec. 16 - Jan. 25: Battle of the Bulge
Dec. 25 - 26: STAND- TO! will not be published
Quote of the Day
The warrior spirit is alive and well, and indeed, it is a part of our military history and traditions. The warrior spirit of strength, honor and courage is a part of my heritage.
- Lt. Col. Nathele J. Anderson, the commander of the 4th Battalion, 321st Regiment at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
American Indians in the U.S. Army
STAND-TO! is an information paper-based web platform that supports the U.S. Army's strategic communication objectives.
The information papers -- written, approved and submitted by the Army agencies -- provide a broad, objective view of the Army's current operations, doctrine and programs. The "Today's Focus" topics highlight Army Staff initiatives and support Army wide strategic-level issues.
All published editions are sent to subscribers via email and archived daily in the STAND-TO! Archives.
STAND-TO! falls under the management of the Online and Social Media Division (OSMD) in the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs (OCPA).
Subscribe to STAND-TO! to learn about the U.S. Army initiatives.


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'Please don't pick up food from the floor with your feet and eat it'
'Oh God. They're screaming. They're all dying horribly.'
'Ohio has a Welsh Heritage Museum?'
' The Waxed Bat doesn't sound like a wine. It sounds like Ozzy designed a sex toy.'
'Must you?'
'I can't see Boris Johnson now without thinking of a pinata.'
'Is this thing on?'
'Which end of you is that goddawful smell coming from?'
Filed under: Parenting | 2 Comments »


text:
What is my background as a business content and career document writer?
I've been writing for business and professionals crafting funding letters, business plans, web content, professional bios, resumes and cover letters, LinkedIn profiles and other marketing materials for over 30 years.
As a journalist, business writer and Resume Consultant attending career fairs, I interview employers, hiring managers, and marketing directors to learn what they need, learn about their audience and gain insight on their writing needs for at least 25 years.
I love to blend storytelling and journalistic strategies to write compelling content, so I continually learn and absorb information on content marketing, selling, and career development to add value to client needs.
What assignments do I handle?
Because I come from a family of self-employed entrepreneurs I understand how businesses work and what professionals desire in marketing content that connects with their target audience. I quickly grasp business and sales concepts and excel in articulating ideas into compelling content that is relevant for success. I help companies and individuals write for general audiences and C-level executives.
I've written training curriculum for wireless communications, public relations pieces, articles to promote restaurants, business plans and funding documents for businesses and individuals, and professional bios to convey the talents and experience of business owners and corporate leaders. I've also written case studies, blog posts, web content, press releases, direct mail marketing pieces, and real estate pieces.
I've helped professionals advance their careers using business-related case studies, LinkedIn profiles, resumes, CVs, and broadcast letters to align their careers for advanced success.
For more information about my specific content writing, check out my Writing Samples and services pages.
How do I quote projects?
I charge by the project, not hourly, which helps you know what to expect and exactly what you are going to pay.
I'm not an hourly rate business content or copywriter. My fees are partly based on the time it takes to customize your materials, I include my expertise and value I bring to the table and take into account standard industry prices. I'm not the cheapest, nor am I the most expensive. I don't write $100 articles or career documents.
I do research your experience or your company, your competitors and your job goals and take time to understand your target audience before I begin writing. I'll discuss your objectives and goals for each piece, and provide you with a proposal or client contract that defines clearly what I can and will do for you.
I base my fees on:
- The type of written materials you need
- Whether or not you have any messaging or background materials to work from
- How much research is involved
- What deadlines are involved
- The nature of the product or service
- The complexity of you writing needs
What do you need from us to get started?
Proposal Agreement & Payment
After an initial consultation, I create a scope of work that defines how I can help you and what it will cost. After we discuss your proposal agreement, often called a client contract, and we agree it meets your needs and how much you want to invest in your project, you need to sign the contract and return a copy to me. Sometimes if we've met in person, you review the contract at that time, sign it, and we exchanged signed copies.
For career marketing documents or resume writing projects, I require full payment up front for all projects under $2,000. This is a resume industry standard. It also reserves time on my schedule. At any given time, I may be working on several projects of various sizes. Note that most career marketing documents and resume projects are much below that cost.
For most projects, I require 50 percent of the project fee up front to begin work. I'll invoice you for the remaining amount with net terms, which are 15-30 days or upon project completion, which comes first.
I also work on a monthly retainer if that better suits your needs. Retainer fees are due the first of the month and include a 60-day cancellation clause notice. For professionals seeking career advancement, this is an ideal way to receive updates on career documents for multiple job search opportunities over a period of time.
How long will it take to write my copy or documents?
From experience, it depends on what you need written. In general, I will estimate how long it takes for me to deliver the first draft for your review.
Typically for career documents, such as resumes, CVs, cover letters, and broadcasting letters, turnaround averages 7-10 business days following completion your personal strategy session or our initial consultation following signature of the contract.
Sometimes you may need a faster turnaround time. We will discuss this during your consultation and it will be outlined in the scope of work provided in your signed client contract. If your timeline changes after the contract is signed and you have a "rush" job, call me and I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule. Rush jobs typically include a rush fee. If I can't help you, I'll refer you to a writer who may be able to accommodate your need.
For business marketing projects, it will depend on the availability of the executives or customers involved in the project during the interview and reviewing processes. Sometimes your experts are not immediately available, have quit and moved to another company, or can't get back to me for several weeks.
How do I handle edits and revisions?
When I submit a draft, most clients are very happy with my work and don't require revisions. Generally, all clients are asked to review their drafts and get back to me in 5 days to make edits or revisions. Two sets of revisions are included in the project fee and reflected on the contract. If revisions are requested, they are normally handled by phone to quickly make revisions and get your documents back to you within 24 hrs., depending on the revision.
For business projects, two sets of revisions are included in the contract fee. Revisions must be requested in 10-30 days of receipt of the copy. To be considered as reviews, they must not involve a change in direction, scope or format. This change in scope is covered in the original contract as well. Business project revisions may take longer, depending on what is requested and their complexity. Normally, they take only a few days.
Do you guarantee your work?
No reputable writer can guarantee your case study, career documents, white paper or direct response content will generate a specific amount of response or will be included in any publication or website. While several agencies are pioneering a pay-only-for-placement business model, I do not work this way.
The client contract outlines this in detail for every project, including career documents.
I do guarantee that you'll be satisfied with the written materials I'll provide you. If the project misses the mark, I'll fix it until you are satisfied.
I have a project in mind and am ready to start. How do I contact you?
Give me a call at (916) 698-3461 or email me, and we can discuss your project and needs through a free consultation.


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Taste the Middle East
The cuisine of the Middle East in general falls under the category of "Mediterranean" cuisine, that is naturally very healthy for you.
Many countries in the Middle East share a love of vegetarian and vegan dishes and there is a large variety of delicious recipes to choose from.
Many of the dishes of the Middle East — tabouli, falafel, pita, hummus, baba ghanoush — have become popular beyond the region, especially in Europe.
Middle Eastern cuisine itself breaks down into several subcategories, among those are the cooking traditions of the Levant, Egypt, the Arabian peninsula, the Maghreb, Iran and Israel.


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Method and apparatus for lenticular liquefaction and aspiration
A technique is described for liquefying, or gelifying, a hardened, cataractous lens nucleus and aspirating the same. Heat or heated solution is delivered to the lens nucleus in vivo so that the heat or heated solution is placed in contact with the hardened nucleus in order to heat and liquefy the same. The lens nucleus is irrigated simultaneously with a cooled solution to thereby limit to a very small area where the heat or heated solution is present in the eye. This allows the surgeon precise control over which intraocular anterior segment structures are exposed to the heat or heated solution. The liquefied lens nuclear material is then aspirated from the eye. The above allows the removal of a lens nucleus through a 1 to 2 mm corneal or limbal incision which is smaller than the smallest incision allowable with previously known small incision cataract techniques. The above benefits the patient as it allows small incision cataract removal to be done in a way that is non-traumatic to intraocular structures. The above benefits the surgeon, and the patient, in that it is a relatively straightforward and easy surgical maneuver for the surgeon to perform. This is in stark contrast to current phacoemulsification, which is potentially very traumatic to intraocular structures, and which is a relatively difficult surgical maneuver to perform.
The present invention relates to cataract surgery and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for liquefying, or gelifying, a hardened, cataractous lens and aspirating the same from an eye. This method and apparatus allows for cataract removal through a very small incision, in either the peripheral cornea or surgical limbus. The unequivocal superiority of this method and apparatus compared to present small incision cataract extraction techniques is that it is non-traumatic to intraocular structures, that it is much easier for the surgeon to perform, and that it allows for a smaller incision.
The lens of an adult human eye is about 9 millimeters in diameter and about 5 millimeters thick. A lens capsule, which is the basement membrane of the lens epithelial cells and which has structural integrity, surrounds the lens. The lens, internal to the capsule, is comprised of a nucleus and a cortex. The cortex is a soft, thin layer which surrounds the centrally located nucleus.
The nucleus is comprised of an outer nucleus and an inner nucleus. The outer nucleus is soft regardless of the age of the patient. The inner nucleus is normally soft until approximately the age of 45. After a person attains this age, however, the inner nucleus becomes progressively harder. In some instances, the inner nucleus becomes very hard. When the inner nucleus is soft and relatively elastic, the lens readily changes shape in order to focus, a process known as accommodation. As one grows older and the inner nucleus hardens, the ability of the lens to accommodate decreases. Glasses can be worn in order to correct this deficiency. Wearing glasses will not, however, correct the vision of a person who has a significant cataract.
An eye becomes cataractous when the lens becomes opaque. Cataracts cause diminished vision. If the degree of opaqueness is significant the cataractous lens may be surgically removed. For many years, the most prevalent surgical procedure for removing a cataractous lens was intracapsular extraction. In an intracapsular procedure, the entire lens along with the capsule is removed. A major drawback with this procedure is that the resulting aphakic (lensless) eye has no capsule. Therefore, because there is no capsule there is no capsular support for a posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL).
Extracapsular lens removal has rapidly become the preferred method for cataract removal since the advent of intraocular lens implants. With this procedure, the anterior portion of the capsule is cut open so that the cataractous lens can be removed. However, the equatorial and posterior portions of the lens capsule are left intact. Once the cataractous lens nucleus and cortex are removed, the implant can be inserted therein. In traditional extracapsular cataract extraction, the lens nucleus is delivered manually. A drawback of this is that a relatively large incision (from 8 mm to 11 mm) must be made in the limbus in order to remove the cataractous lens. That large of an incision causes a relatively lengthy post-operative healing time and is often the cause of significant surgically-induced post-operative astigmatism.
In recognition of the drawbacks of the aforementioned extracapsular procedure, phacoemulsification was introduced. This technique involves the utilization of an irrigation/aspiration handpiece that has an ultrasonic tip attached to the distal end thereof. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,613. The ultrasonic tip, which is rather sharp and made of metal, vibrates approximately 40,000 times per second in order to break up the lens nucleus into tiny pieces so that these pieces can then be aspirated from the eye. The advantage of phacoemulsification is that it allows lens nucleus removal through a relatively small incision of about 3 mm. The disadvantage, however, is that it has proven to be relatively dangerous since the ultrasonic tip destroys any and all tissue that gets in its way. If the vibrating tip comes into contact with the cornea, iris, or capsule, it can cause serious and permanent damage. Moreover, during the break up of the hard nucleus, a chip can break off and effectuate a tear in the posterior capsule. Another disadvantage of phacoemulsification is that it requires a very high degree of skill, concentration and experience on the surgeon's part for it to be performed well on a consistent basis.
Due to the above, cataract surgeons desire a small incision cataract extraction procedure which is inherently safer and easier to perform than phacoemulsification. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,078,564, 4,135,516, 4,191,176 and 5,022,413 suggest an alternative method for liquefying the hard nucleus so that the same can be aspirated from the eye. The patents describe a method of liquefying the cataractous lens by injecting a concentrated solution of a lens digesting enzyme onto the lens and thereafter removing the enzyme digested lens material. A drawback with this method is that it takes, at a minimum, 12 to 48 hours for the enzyme to soften the hardened nucleus material. Accordingly, the cataractous lens can not be liquified and simultaneously aspirated from the lens capsule. Furthermore, it is not believed that very hard nuclei would liquefy with this enzyme technique.
Other methods have also been proposed for breaking up the hardened nucleus so that the same can be aspirated. These methods are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,744,360 and 4,597,388. To Applicant's knowledge, however, none of these methods has ever been successfully utilized.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for safely liquefying the hardened nucleus of a lens, so as to allow its removal by aspiration. This would allow for lens nucleus removal through a very small incision of 1 to 2 mm in either peripheral cornea or surgical limbus.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments and demonstrating features of the present invention there is provided a technique for liquefying a hardened nucleus of a cataractous lens based on the finding that the nucleus can be melted or liquified if heated to an appropriate temperature. The liquified nucleus can then be aspirated. According to the invention, a 1 to 2 mm incision is made into either the cornea or limbus and an opening is made in the anterior lens capsule. A heated solution is then delivered to the lens nucleus though the anterior capsule opening so that the solution contacts the hardened nucleus in order to liquify or gelify the same. The lens nucleus is irrigated with a cooled solution while the heated solution is being delivered to the nucleus. This simultaneous cooled solution is provided to limit to a very small area (of from about 1 to 2 mm) where the solution is actually hot. This allows the surgeon precise control over what intraocular anterior segment structures are exposed to heat or heated solution. The only exposed structures will be lens cortex, nucleus and capsule. The lens capsule, however, is not structurally damaged when exposed to the heated solution. The liquified nucleus is then aspirated and the lens cortex is removed by standard irrigation/aspiration technology.
As used in this application, the term liquefy is intended to encompass the concept of gelify or gelifaction. That is, liquefy or liquefaction implies changing a hardened lens nucleus into a liquid or into a soft enough gel-like substance so that it can be aspirated from the eye by standard aspiration devices.
Other objects, features and advantages will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form which is presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a lenticular liquefaction and aspiration device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and
FIG. 2 diagrammatically represents a cannula inserted into the lens of a human eye.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used in the two figures to designate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a lenticular liquefaction and aspiration device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as 10.
The lenticular device 10 includes a hollow handpiece 12 with a first end 14 and a second end 16. An elongated cannula 18 extends from the first end 14 of the handpiece 12 and terminates in a tip 20. The tip 20 has three ports formed therethrough. Three lumens 22, 24, 26 are positioned in the cannula. Each of the lumens has one end communicating with a corresponding port and an opposite end extending into the handpiece 12.
An irrigation tube 28 has one end thereof connected to the lumen 24 and an opposite end connected to a fluid source 30. The fluid source is heated by a heating element (not shown) that can be located within or outside of the handpiece 12. The heated fluid source 30 supplies heated fluid through the heated irrigation tube 28 and out of the tip 20 of the cannula 18 via the port associated with the lumen 24. A preferred heated fluid is a balanced salt solution (BSS). However, a variety of other solutions that are compatible with the tissue being treated can be utilized. The optimum temperature for the solution is believed to be approximately 180.degree. F. However, temperatures from about 110.degree. to about 215.degree. F. are also believed to liquify the hardened nucleus without damaging the surrounding capsule with the optimal range being about 160.degree. to 200.degree. F. The supply of heated BSS solution can be applied in bursts controlled by the surgeon in a manner well known in the art.
A cooled solution irrigation tube 32 has one end thereof connected to the lumen 26 and an opposite end connected to an irrigation supply source 34. The irrigation supply source supplies fluid through the irrigation tube 32 and out of the tip 20 of the cannula via the port associated with the lumen 26. Once again, the preferred irrigation solution is a balanced salt solution. The irrigation supply source is preferably mounted above the handpiece 12 so that gravity continuously feeds the irrigation solution through the irrigation tube 32 and out of the tip 20 of the cannula 18. This irrigation solution should preferably be chilled pre-operatively as in current phacoemulsification techniques, or may be cooled intra-operatively. The preferred temperature for the cooled solution is believed to be approximately 40.degree. F., although the optimal temperature will vary depending on the temperature of the heated solution and the configuration of the tip 20.
An aspiration tube 36 has one end connected to the lumen 22 and the opposite end connected to a vacuum source 37. The vacuum source 37 causes the lens material and the BSS to be aspirated from the lens through the tip 20 of the cannula via the port associated with the lumen 22. The liquified lens material is disposed of by means well known in the art. It should be noted that all of the above operations are preferably controlled through a controller circuit 38.
To facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing arrangement, its operation will now be briefly described. Referring to FIG. 2, a human eye 40 is shown which includes a cataractous lens nucleus 42. As is well known, the nucleus 42 is surrounded by a cortex. The lens nucleus 42 is further encompassed by a lens capsule 44. A small incision 46 is made in the cornea 48, or in the limbus 54, to allow the tip 20 of the cannula 18 to be inserted therein. An opening 47 is made in the lens capsule. The cannula 18 is passed through anterior chamber 50 and through the opening 47 in the lens capsule 44. Accordingly, the tip 20 of the cannula is placed in contact with the cataractous lens nucleus 42.
A cooled solution, preferably BSS, is fed through the irrigation tube 32, through the lumen 26 and out the corresponding port in the tip 20 of the cannula 18. The flow from the irrigation source 34 is controlled by the surgeon in a manner well known in the art (e.g. a foot actuated flow control switch).
Heated BSS is fed through the tube 28, through the lumen 24 and out the tip 20. The only portion of the eye that contacts the tip 20 when the heated BSS is being emitted therefrom is the cataractous lens nucleus 42. Upon contact with the heated BSS, the cataractous lens rapidly liquifies. The cooled BSS from the irrigation tube 32 rapidly cools the heated BSS so that the cornea 48, the iris 52 and the zonules 53 will not be exposed to heated BSS. Accordingly, thermal damage to any of the aforementioned structures will be avoided.
The liquified lens and the BSS are aspirated through the lumen 22 and through the aspirating tube 36 when the vacuum source 37 is activated in a manner well known in the art such as through the use of a foot pedal. The aspiration and the irrigation of the lens take place simultaneously. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the aspiration takes place substantially throughout the procedure. That is, it is believed that it is not necessary nor desirable to liquify the entire lens nucleus before aspirating the same. Rather, as a portion of the lens nucleus is liquified by the heated solution, it is irrigated by the cooled solution and aspirated. This process continues until the entire lens nucleus has been liquified and aspirated. Once the lens nucleus and cortex are evacuated from the lens capsule 44, an intraocular lens implant can be inserted through a small enlargement of the incision 46 and the opening 47 in the lens capsule 44.EXPERIMENT 1
A cataractous lens was removed from a 56 year old patient via an extracapsular procedure. The hardened lens nucleus was placed in a specimen container. A solution of BSS was heated in a cup to approximately 180.degree. F. The solution was drawn into a 5 cc syringe. With a 25 gauge needle, the heated solution was injected into a portion of the lens nucleus. The portion of the lens nucleus contacted by the heated BSS immediately liquified. In addition, the lens nucleus, which was originally a dark yellow, became clear upon liquefaction. The resultant liquid was clear, not yellow. The BSS was allowed to cool to a temperature under 180.degree. F., but still hot. Injection of this cooler BSS into the lens nucleus turned it into a soft gummy gel that was light grey in color. That is, it changed from a yellow solid mass to a light grey gel. The resultant gel was of a soft enough nature that it could be aspirated from the eye with standard irrigation/aspiration technology.EXPERIMENT 2
A cataractous lens was removed from an 80 year old patient via an extracapsular procedure. The hardened, brunescent lens nucleus was treated with a solution of BSS that was heated to approximately 180.degree. F. The nucleus instantaneously liquified. Next, a piece of the anterior capsule was contacted with BSS solution at approximately 180.degree. F. An inspection of the capsule under operating room microscope (Zeiss) magnification indicated no obvious structural damage to the same.
Although the present invention has been particularly described as a method and apparatus for lenticular liquefaction and aspiration for the purpose of removing a hardened lens nucleus and thereafter replacing the same with an intraocular implant, it is contemplated that the invention may have broader implications. By way of example and not limitation and as a direct result of the small capsulotomy size allowed by use of the present invention, it may be possible to develop a methodology to kill all lens epithelial cells and remove them at the time of cataract surgery, thus preventing post-operative lens capsule opacification. Furthermore, a malleable, injectable gel-like intraocular lens (IOL), could be inserted through the 1 to 2 mm anterior capsulotomy resulting from the lenticular liquefaction and aspiration according to the invention. This would provide the patient with an almost completely intact capsule (anterior, equatorial and posterior) at the end of surgery that would not opacify after surgery, and that would be comprised of the clear, malleable gel-like IOL. The end result of that surgery would be a clear lens that accommodates. This would simulate a state very close to the natural lens prior to the onset of either cataract or presbyopia. Current cataract extraction techniques require too large of an anterior capsulotomy to allow the above to occur.
The above surgery could become a refractive surgical procedure for the treatment of presbyopia; wherein the surgery would be done to remove the lens simply because it is getting too hardened to accommodate properly, even when it is not cataractous.
As indicated above, the heated solution delivered to a yellowed, cataractous lens changed the lens color dramatically from a yellow to a clear liquid, or to a light grey gel. (A non-cataractous lens normally has a light grey hue.) As a result, the possibility exists of being able to deliver heat or heated solution to the lens to clarify it, to remove the opacity, without having to remove the lens from the eye.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
1. In a method for treating cataracts in vivo by liquefying a cataractous lens nucleus and aspirating the same from within a surrounding lens capsule comprising the steps of:
- delivering a heated fluid directly into said lens nucleus in order to liquify the same;
- irrigating said lens nucleus with a cooled solution so that said lens nucleus and said heated fluid are rapidly cooled, and aspirating said liquified lens nucleus while continuing to irrigate the same.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said fluid is comprised of a saline solution.
3. The method of claim 1 further including effectuating an opening in said lens capsule, said heated fluid being delivered into said opening and said liquified lens nucleus being aspirated out of said opening.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said heated fluid has a temperature in the range of about 110.degree. F. to 215.degree. F.
5. A lenticular apparatus for liquefying a lens nucleus and aspirating the same comprising:
- a substantially hollow housing having a first end and a second end;
- means for applying heat to said lens nucleus in order to liquify at least a portion of the same, said means for applying heat including a supply of heated solution and means for directing said supply of heated solution to said lens nucleus in order to liquify the same;
- means for irrigating said lens nucleus while said heat is being applied to said lens nucleus;
- means for aspirating said liquified portion of said lens nucleus while said lens nucleus is being irrigated;
- said heat applying, irrigating and aspirating means extending through said first and second ends of said housing and being secured adjacent one another in said housing.
6. A lenticular apparatus for liquefying a lens nucleus and aspirating the same comprising:
- a hollow handpiece having a first end and a second end;
- a cannula extending from said hollow handpiece, said cannula terminating in a tip, said tip having a plurality of ports formed therethrough;
- first, second and third lumens positioned in said cannula, each of said lumens having an end secured to a different one of said ports in said tip of said cannula;
- a first irrigation tube means connected to said first lumen in said cannula for supplying heated solution through said tip of said cannula via said port associated with said first lumen;
- a second irrigation tube means connected to said second lumen in said cannula for supplying cooled solution through said tip of said cannula via said port associated with said second lumen;
- an aspiration tube means connected to said third lumen in said cannula for aspirating liquid through said tip of said cannula via said port associated with said third lumen;
- a heated fluid source;
- a cooled fluid source, and
- a vacuum source;
- said first irrigation tube means including a first irrigation tube, said first irrigation tube having two opposing ends, one of said opposing ends of said first irrigation tube being secured to said first lumen in said cannula and the other of said ends being secured to said heated fluid source, said second irrigation tube means including a second irrigation tube, said second irrigation tube having two opposing ends, one of said opposing ends of said second irrigation tube being secured to said second lumen in said cannula and the other of said ends being secured to said cooled fluid source, and said aspirating tube means including an aspiration tube, said aspiration tube having two opposing ends, one of said opposing ends of said aspiration tube being secured to said third lumen in said cannula and the other of said ends being secured to said vacuum source.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 6, 1995
Date of Patent: Apr 1, 1997
Inventors: Mark S. Andrew (Haddonfield, NJ), Mylina Andrew (Haddonfield, NJ)
Primary Examiner: V. Millin
Assistant Examiner: Ellen Tao
Attorneys: Norman E. Lehrer, Jeffrey S. Ginsberg
Application Number: 8/384,655
International Classification: A61M 100;


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Hello All!! Sorry for not blogging regularly for couple of months and Thanks to all the readers who are still following my blog. I will try to post at least two posts per week from now on. This is my passion/dream so will try hard not to lose it : ).
I did clean up a little bit to add some fall touches to my house. Love plush pumpkins. Big time. They are so cute and adorable and a very nice touch around the house. It adds so much warmth and color to my family room : ).
In my dining room, added some more pumpkins, as you know i'm not a seasonal decorator ,try to keep the basics in place as the next season starts. Yes, i do have the blue table runner which i adore and think it does compliment orange so well.
In living room, i needed some contrasting colors to the pebble grey by glidden, so far this is my favorite color of all ,love white pumpkin in here : ).
Love this mini glittery pumpkins. A bright contrast to my table : ).
My do-to list is so long, but my immediate one to finish up is this Duktig kitchen. Excited to add all possible vibrant colors : )
Thanks for the read!!