text:
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.
Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the films Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. Due to the Red Scare and her left-leaning political views, Horne found herself blacklisted and unable to get work in Hollywood.
Returning to her roots as a nightclub performer, Horne took part in the March on Washington in August 1963, and continued to work as a performer, both in nightclubs and on television, while releasing well-received record albums. She announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than three hundred performances on Broadway and earned her numerous awards and accolades. She continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, disappearing from the public eye in 2000.
Horne was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City.[1] Reported to be descended from the John C. Calhoun family, both sides of her family were a mixture of African American, Native American, and European American descent and each belonged to what W. E. B. Du Bois called "The Talented Tenth", the upper stratum of middle-class, well-educated African Americans.[2][3]
Her father, Edwin "Teddy" Horne (died April 18, 1970 at age 78),[4][5] a numbers kingpin in the gambling trade, left the family when she was three and moved to an upper-middle-class black community in the Hill District community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[6][7] Her mother, Edna Scottron, daughter of inventor Samuel R. Scottron, was an actress with a black theatre troupe and traveled extensively. Scottron's maternal grandmother, Amelie Louise Ashton, was a Senegalese slave.[8] The young Horne was mainly raised by her grandparents, Cora Calhoun and Edwin Horne.[5]
"Stormy Weather"
When Horne was five, she was sent to live in Georgia.[9] For several years, she traveled with her mother.[10] From 1927 to 1929 she lived with her uncle, Frank S. Horne, who was the dean of students at Fort Valley Junior Industrial Institute in Fort Valley, Georgia [10] and who would later become an adviser to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.[11] From Fort Valley, southwest of Macon, Horne briefly moved to Atlanta with her mother; they returned to New York when Horne was 12 years old.[10] She then attended Girls High School, an all-girls public high school in Brooklyn which has since become Boys and Girls High School; she dropped out without earning a diploma. In the fall of 1933, Horne joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club in New York City. In the spring of 1934, she had a featured role in the Cotton Club Parade starring Adelaide Hall who took Lena under her wing. A few years later she joined Noble Sissle's Orchestra, with which she toured and with whom she recorded her first record release, a 78rpm single issued by Decca Records. After she separated from her first husband, Horne toured with bandleader Charlie Barnet in 1940–41, but disliked the travel and left the band to work at the Café Society in New York. She replaced Dinah Shore as the featured vocalist on NBC's popular jazz series The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street. The show's resident maestros, Henry Levine and Paul Laval, recorded with Horne in June 1941 for RCA Victor. Horne left the show after only six months to headline a nightclub revue on the west coast; she was replaced by Linda Keene.
1957 USO Christmas Show. "I'd Do Anything."
Horne already had two low-budget movies to her credit: a 1938 musical feature called The Duke is Tops (later reissued with Horne's name above the title as The Bronze Venus); and a 1941 two-reel short subject, Boogie Woogie Dream, featuring pianists Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons. Horne's songs from Boogie Woogie Dream were later released individually as soundies. Horne was primarily a nightclub performer during this period, and it was during a 1943 club engagement in Hollywood that talent scouts approached Horne to work in pictures. She chose Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and became the first black performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio. November 1944 she was featured in an episode of the popular radio series, Suspense, as a fictional nightclub singer, with a large speaking role along with her singing. In 1945 and 1946 she sang with Billy Eckstine's Orchestra.
She made her debut with MGM in Panama Hattie (1942) and performed the title song of Stormy Weather based loosely on the life of Adelaide Hall, (1943), which she made at 20th Century Fox, on loan from MGM. She appeared in a number of MGM musicals, most notably Cabin in the Sky (also 1943), but was never featured in a leading role because of her race and the fact that films featuring her had to be re-edited for showing in states where theaters could not show films with black performers. As a result, most of Horne's film appearances were stand-alone sequences that had no bearing on the rest of the film, so editing caused no disruption to the storyline; a notable exception was the all-black musical Cabin in the Sky, although one number was cut because it was considered too suggestive by the censors. "Ain't it the Truth" was the song (and scene) cut before the release of the film Cabin in the Sky. It featured Horne singing "Ain't it the Truth", while taking a bubble bath (considered too "risqué" by the film's executives). This scene and song are featured in the film That's Entertainment! III (1994) which also featured commentary from Horne on why the scene was deleted prior to the film's release. In Ziegfeld Follies (1946) she performed "Love" by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. Horne wanted to be considered for the role of Julie LaVerne in MGM's 1951 version of Show Boat (having already played the role when a segment of Show Boat was performed in Till the Clouds Roll By) but lost the part to Ava Gardner, a personal friend in real life, due to the Production Code's ban on interracial relationships in films. In the documentary That's Entertainment! III Horne stated that MGM executives required Gardner to practice her singing using Horne's recordings, which offended both actresses. Ultimately, Gardner's voice was overdubbedby actress Annette Warren (Smith) for the theatrical release, though her voice was heard on the soundtrack album.
1982 on "The Tonight Show"
By the mid-1950s, Horne was disenchanted with Hollywood and increasingly focused on her nightclub career. She only made two major appearances in MGM films during the decade, 1950's Duchess of Idaho (which was also Eleanor Powell's film swan song), and the 1956 musical Meet Me in Las Vegas. She was blacklisted during the 1950s for her political views.[12] She returned to the screen three more times, playing chanteuse Claire Quintana in the 1969 film Death of a Gunfighter, Glinda in The_Wiz_(film) (1978), and co-hosting the 1994 MGM retrospective That's Entertainment! III, in which she was candid about her treatment by the studio.
On the Judy Garland Show in 1963
After leaving Hollywood, Horne established herself as one of the premiere nightclub performers of the post-war era. She headlined at clubs and hotels throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. In 1957, a live album entitled, Lena Horne at the Waldorf-Astoria, became the biggest selling record by a female artist in the history of the RCA-Victor label. In 1958, Horne was nominated for a Tony Award for "Best Actress in a Musical" (for her part in the "Calypso" musical Jamaica) which, at Lena's request featured her long time friend Adelaide Hall.
From the late 1950s through the 1960s, Horne was a staple of TV variety shows, appearing multiple times on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, and The Bell Telephone Hour. Other programs she appeared on included The Judy Garland Show, The Hollywood Palace, and The Andy Williams Show. Besides two television specials for the BBC (later syndicated in the U.S.), Horne starred in her own U.S. television special in 1969, Monsanto Night Presents Lena Horne. During this decade, the artist Pete Hawley painted her portrait for RCA Victor, capturing the mood of her performance style.
In 1970, she co-starred with Harry Belafonte in the hour-long Harry & Lena for ABC; in 1973, she co-starred with Tony Bennett in Tony and Lena. Horne and Bennett subsequently toured the U.S. and U.K. in a show together. In the 1976 program America Salutes Richard Rodgers, she sang a lengthy medley of Rodgers songs with Peggy Lee and Vic Damone. Horne also made several appearances on The Flip Wilson Show.
Additionally, Horne played herself on television programs such as The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Sanford and Son in the 1970s, as well as a 1985 performance on The Cosby Show and a 1993-appearance on A Different World. In the summer of 1980, Horne, 63 years old and intent on retiring from show business, embarked on a two month series of benefit concerts sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta. These concerts were represented as Horne's farewell tour, yet her retirement lasted less than a year.
1958 on "What's My Line."
On April 13, 1980, Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, and host Gene Kelly were all scheduled to appear at a Gala performance at the Metropolitan Opera House to salute the N Y City Center's Joffrey Ballet Company. However, Pavarotti's plane was diverted over the Atlantic and he was unable to appear. James Nederlander was an invited Honored Guest and noted that only three people at the sold out Metropolitan Opera House asked for their money back. He asked to be introduced to Lena following her performance. In May 1981, The Nederlander Organization, Michael Frazier, and Fred Walker went on to book Horne for a four-week engagement at the newly named Nederlander Theatre (formerly the Trafalgar, the Billy Rose, and the National) on West 41st Street in New York City. The show was an instant success and was extended to a full year run, garnering Horne a special Tony award, and two Grammy Awards for the cast recording of her show Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. The 333-performance Broadway run closed on Horne's 65th birthday, June 30, 1982. Later that same week, the entire show was performed again and videotaped for television broadcast and home video release. The tour began a few days later at Tanglewood (Massachusetts) during the July 4, 1982 weekend. The Lady and Her Music toured 41 cities in the U.S. and Canada through June 17, 1984. It played in London for a month in August and ended its run in Stockholm, Sweden, September 14, 1984.
"A Fine Romance"
In 1981, she received a Special Tony Award for her one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which also played to acclaim at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1984.[13] Despite the show's considerable success (Horne still holds the record for the longest-running solo performance in Broadway history), she did not capitalize on the renewed interest in her career by undertaking many new musical projects. A proposed 1983 joint recording project between Horne and Frank Sinatra (to be produced by Quincy Jones) was ultimately abandoned, and her sole studio recording of the decade was 1988's The Men in My Life, featuring duets with Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joe Williams. In 1989, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The 1990s found Horne considerably more active in the recording studio – all the more remarkable considering she was approaching her 80th year. Following her 1993 performance at a tribute to the musical legacy of her good friend Billy Strayhorn (Duke Ellington's longtime collaborator), she decided to record an album composed largely of Strayhorn's and Ellington's songs the following year, We'll Be Together Again. To coincide with the release of the album, Horne made what would be her final concert performances at New York's Supper Club and Carnegie Hall. That same year, Horne also lent her vocals to a recording of "Embraceable You" on Sinatra's Duets II album. Though the album was largely derided by critics, the Sinatra-Horne pairing was generally regarded as its highlight. In 1995, a 'live' album capturing her Supper Club performance was released (subsequently winning a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album). In 1998, Horne released another studio album, entitled Being Myself. Thereafter, Horne essentially retired from performing and largely retreated from public view, though she did return to the recording studio in 2000 to contribute vocal tracks on Simon Rattle's Classic Ellington album.
"How Long Has This Been Going On?"
Horne was long involved with the Civil Rights movement. In 1941, she sang at Cafe Society and worked with Paul Robeson. During World War II, when entertaining the troops for the USO, she refused to perform "for segregated audiences or for groups in which German POWs were seated in front of African American servicemen",[14] according to her Kennedy Center biography. Because the U.S. Army refused to allow integrated audiences, she wound up putting on a show for a mixed audience of black U.S. soldiers and white German POWs. Seeing the black soldiers had been forced to sit in the back seats, she walked off the stage to the first row where the black troops were seated and performed with the Germans behind her. She was at an NAACP rally with Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, the weekend before Evers was assassinated. She also met President John F. Kennedy at the White House two days before he was assassinated. She was at the March on Washington and spoke and performed on behalf of the NAACP, SNCC, and the National Council of Negro Women. She also worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws.[15] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
1944 "The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea"
Tom Lehrer mentions her in his song "National Brotherhood Week" in the line "Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to cheek" referring (wryly) to her and to Sheriff Jim Clark, of Selma, Alabama, who was responsible for a violent attack on civil rights marchers in 1965.
Horne married Louis Jordan Jones in January 1937 and lived in Pittsburgh. On December 21, 1937 they had a daughter, Gail (later known as Gail Lumet Buckley, a best-selling author)[16] and a son, Edwin Jones, born on February 7,1940, and died on September 12, 1970[4] of kidney disease).[5] Horne and Jones separated in 1940 and divorced in 1944.
Horne's second marriage was to Lennie Hayton, one of the premier musical conductors and arrangers at MGM, in December 1947 in Paris.[17] They separated in the early 1960s, but never divorced; he died in 1971.
In her as-told-to autobiography Lena by Richard Schickel, Horne recounts the enormous pressures she and her husband faced as an interracial couple. She later admitted in an Ebony, May 1980 interview she had married Hayton to advance her career and cross the "color-line" in show business, but had learned to love him in a way.[18]
Screenwriter Jenny Lumet, known for her award-winning screenplay Rachel Getting Married, is Horne's granddaughter, the daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet and Horne's daughter Gail.[19] Horne's other grandchildren include Gail's other daughter, Amy Lumet, and her son's three children, Thomas, William, and Lena. Horne died on Mothers Day, May 9, 2010, in New York City of heart failure. Horne's funeral took place at St. Ignatius Loyola Church on Park Avenue in New York City. Thousands gathered to mourn her, including singers Leontyne Price, Dionne Warwick, Jessye Norman, Chita Rivera and actresses Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Leslie Uggams, Lauren Bacall, Audra McDonald and Vanessa L. Williams.
On the Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1998.
In 2003, ABC announced that Janet Jackson would star as Horne in a television biopic. In the weeks following Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" debacle during the 2004 Super Bowl, however, Variety reported that Horne demanded Jackson be dropped from the project. "ABC executives resisted Horne's demand," according to the Associated Press report, "but Jackson representatives told the trade newspaper that she left willingly after Horne and her daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley, asked that she not take part." Oprah Winfrey stated to Alicia Keys during a 2005 interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she might possibly consider producing the biopic herself, casting Keys as Horne.
On the Dean Martin Show
In January 2005, Blue Note Records, her label for more than a decade, announced that "the finishing touches have been put on a collection of rare and unreleased recordings by the legendary Horne made during her time on Blue Note." Remixed by her longtime producer Rodney Jones, the recordings featured Horne in remarkably secure voice for a woman of her years, and include versions of such signature songs as "Something to Live For", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Stormy Weather". The album, originally titled Soul but renamed Seasons of a Life, was released on January 24, 2006.
In 2007, Horne was portrayed by Leslie Uggams as the older Lena and Nikki Crawford as the younger Lena in the stage musical Stormy Weather staged at the Pasadena Playhouse in California (January through March 2009).
The 83rd Academy Awards presented a tribute to Horne by actress Halle Berry at the ceremony held February 27, 2011.[20]
Sources: youtube, imdb.com, wikipedia
Grammy Awards
|Best Jazz Vocal Performance
|An Evening with Lena Horne
|Blue Note
|Lifetime Achievement Award
|Best Jazz Vocal Performance – Female
|The Men in My Life
|Three Cherries
|Best Jazz Vocal Performance – Duo or Group
|"I Won't Leave You Again"
|Three Cherries
|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
|Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
|Best Cast Show Album
|Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
|Best Female Vocal Performance
|Porgy and Bess
|Female Solo Vocal Performance
|Lena at the Sands
Other awards
|Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Historic Site
|International Civil Rights
Walk of Fame[23]
|NAACP Image Award
|Outstanding Jazz Artist
|Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award
|Songwriters Hall of Fame
|Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
|Hollywood Walk of Fame
|Star at 6282 Hollywood Blvd
|Honor (motion pictures)
|Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
|Hollywood Walk of Fame
|Star at 6250 Hollywood Blvd
|Honor (recordings)
|American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers
|The ASCAP Pied Piper Award[24]
|Given to entertainers who have made significant contributions to words and music
|Emmy Award
|Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
|John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts
|Kennedy Center Honors[25]
|For extraordinary talent, creativity, and perseverance
|Howard University
|Honorary doctorate[26]
|Drama Desk Awards
|Outstanding Actress – Musical
|Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
|New York Drama Critics Circle Awards
|Special Citation
|Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
|Tony Awards
|Special Citation
|Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
|Tony Awards
|Best Actress
As featured vocalist
- A:"That's What Love Did To Me" (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin) / B:"I Take To You" (Mack Gordon, Harry Warren)
Issued in 1936 on 78rpm 10″ vinyl by Decca Records on Decca 778B. Credits Noble Sissle and His Orchestra,[27] Lena Horne was credited as Helena Horne for this recording. Recorded on the 3rd of November 1936 in New York.
- "Stormy Weather" (1943)
- "Love Me or Leave Me" (1955) #19 U.S. Pop
1 Comment
Wow! What an amazing blog/website! I could spend hours just reading away! As a young professional theatre performer this is SO helpful!
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI


text:
With extraordinary views, rolling clouds and exceptional walks, Grisedale Pike is one the Lake Districts most interesting destinations. Grisedale Pike is an exceptional example of a Wainwright fell and is located in the Lake District region of North West England. This small mountain is largely made up of laminated mudstone and siltstone that extends down five ridges to the adjacent valley floors. The village of Braithwaite is situated at the base of the lengthy eastern ridge
It is extremely popular with hillwalkers and was brought to prominence by Alfred Wainwright who stated in his book:
"All visitors who come to walk on the hills turn their footsteps in due course to Grisedale Pike. It is seldom a prime objective, being a little out of the way, but the graceful peak piercing the western sky is a nagger of conscience and cannot long be ignored. Nor should it be."
The most popular route to the summit starts outside Braithwaite and is known as the Grisedal Pike Path. It winds its way up the eastern flank before following the ridge in a generally east to west direction – a distance of around 2 miles (3.2 km).
Directly below the southern summit of Grisedale Pike are the remains of the Force Crag mine which up until 1991 was the last lead mine to be operating in the Lake District. Along with others in the region it provided vast quantities of munition quality barites during WW11. In 1990 a major collapse within the mine created serious flooding that could not drained. The owners, the New Coledale Mining Company, had no choice but to shut it down. The associated buildings a mill are now in the care of the National Trust and listed as a scheduled monument.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to climb Grisedale Pike is the spectacular view from the summit. On a clear day it is even possible to see Slieve Donard Mountain some 90 miles way across the Irish Sea in Northern Ireland. Other landmarks visible from the summit include; The Isle of Man and even the southern uplands of Scotland. Given the right weather conditions it is actually possible to see all four major regions of Great Britain – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Camping and Caravanning Club Site
Crow Park Road, Keswick
Cumbria, England, CA12 5EP
+44 (0)1768 772 392
Contact Details
- Address: Carpark, B5292, Braithewaite, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, CA12 5SY
- Part of UK: England
- Sat Nav Postcode: CA12 5SY
- Entrance Fees: Free Access
- Disabled Access: None
- Visibility from Road: Excellent (From a distance)
- Image Credits: Stewart Smith Photography

subset: commoncrawl


text:
07 Sep The real point of self-care
Happy September Birdies!
I hope you are well. After taking three weeks off in August I feel relaxed and rejuvenated. I spent an entire week on my own in sunny Cyprus and then went on a campervan trip with Keivor through France, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. It was just what the doctor ordered. Self care really is so important.
As I headed back into work mode this week a client pondered the following…
'The world is actually a really challenging and stressful place, maybe we're all meant to be stressed, and the self care strategies are numbing us out to the reality of the situation.'
At first the statement stumped me. I didn't know which angle to tackle it from. I mumbled something along the lines of self-care strategies actually being quite messy themselves, and processes through which we connect with our truth. Frustrated, I couldn't quite land on a response that really made sense to me or my client.
However, about half an hour after the conversation, as I walked alone through the streets of London, my real response hit me like lightening.
The world is a challenging and stressful place because most of us don't practice self-care strategies.
When we ignore our feelings of pain, doubt, sadness (and we all have these feelings by the way – we are all a spectrum of emotions) we end up projecting our stresses and anxieties out into the world. When we fly off the handle or blame and moan about other people we are actually releasing our unprocessed challenging emotions.
When we prioritise our self-care, our self-love, our self-esteem building practices we are each taking responsibility for reducing the amount of stress there is in the world. We are processing our challenging emotions rather than projecting. For most of us the projection will be minimal, and may seem insignificant, when we get road rage for example, or get really p*%sed off when we break a mug or dinner gets burnt. But when we scale it up and look at the bigger picture, people go to war over their unprocessed emotion. The conflict and challenges the world is facing comes from peoples' inability to really look at, be with and healthily process their emotions.
Self-care, processing of emotion, building self-awareness is not a nice to have, it is a crucial part in creating a peaceful, sustainable world.
Self-care is the most important job for us to do. To work on ourselves and make sure we are kind and compassionate and loving to ourselves means we are being kind and compassionate and loving to the world.
Self-care is an absolute priority, it is not a luxury.
Sending so much love, Hannah
PS. If you know anyone else who would like to receive Bird newsletters please send them this link and invite them to join the movement – http://eepurl.com/bjWCHb


text:
Offering an extensive portfolio of exclusive
Ibiza villas for rent and sale, and a range of tailored holiday and personal
concierge services,
Be Real Ibiza is your dedicated Balearic travel partner.
Tailored ServicesCustomised personal attention. We cover every detail, so you don't have to lift a finger. We make your holiday effortless sit back, relax and enjoy.
Featured Rentals
For Rent
Villa 602Ibiza
3 4
For Rent
Villa 321AIbiza
10 6
For Rent
Villa 127San Rafael
10 6
For Rent
Villa 287San Rafael
3 5
For Rent
Villa 081San José
5 6
For Rent
Villa 086San José
4 5
For Rent
Villa 119AIbiza
8 6
For Rent
Villa 534San Antonio
6 6
For Sale
Price on Asking
Villa 171Santa Eulalia del Río
10 6
For Rent
Villa 524Ibiza
7 6
For Rent
Villa 087San Juan Bautista
5 5
For Rent
Villa 082San José
4 4
For Rent
Villa 130Ibiza Town
8 6
Tell us what you are looking for!
Our property consultants are here to help. With a database of over 300 properties, let us help you narrow it down.
- "I can't recommend Be Real Ibiza highly enough they never once let us down and was always on time."S. Perkins, Keats Agency
- "Always accessible and I would recommend Be Real Ibiza whole-heartedly to anyone."Ben Slater, CEO & Founder, Bow&Arrow
- "I would certainly recommend Be Real Ibiza as they are a professional, capable, responsible and reliable team with a good sense of humour and always a beautiful smile on their faces... A real pleasure to work with!"Lauren&Duccio Duranti
- "They are consistently excellent in delivering anything you need on the island. Their contacts and knowledge go a long way in making your holiday perfect!"Ryan Dowling (UK)
About Us
Providing personalized travel and holiday services in Ibiza for over 10 years we are a trusted and well-established full-service agency. While our extensive portfolio of luxury real estate with villas to rent and sell is the perfect way to start planning your next Ibiza vacation, our expertise ranges from VIP and concierge services to event management, wedding planning, yacht charter, private boat rental and anything else you can imagine to make your Ibiza holiday experience unique and memorable.
We provide all our customers with superior service. By taking care of the finer points and attending to every detail, we leave you to enjoy your holidays. Whether it's an exclusive private party hosted at your villa, an intimate dinner prepared by your own private chef, a beach bed at Blue Marlin, a VIP table at Amnesia or Pacha or a last minute booking at Cipriani… just call us and its done. We work with only the best suppliers and our long-standing relationships guarantee exclusive access to the island's most desirable locations.
Why Choose Us
Just approaching our 15th season on the island, we have all the island insight to guarantee an amazing holiday. Let us use our experience to deliver the best of the Mediterranean.
We pride ourselves to being readily available for any request you may have. Whatever you may need you can call us anytime.
We give 100% of our best to all of our clients, regardless of what we source for you. We make sure everyone leaves a happy customer.
Working with only the best suppliers on the island, our professional collaborators are all experts in their field. From equipment rentals to catering a well-vetted supplier list ensures nothing is left to chance.


text:
About Us
UCCE in Sonoma County
Cooperative Extension
The mission of the University of California Cooperative Extension is to extend information developed at the University of California to enhance quality of life and the environmental and economic well-being of the citizens of California through research and education.
Cooperative Extension has research support and organizational capacity in agriculture and natural resources, in family and consumer sciences, in community resources development and in youth development. University of California advisors are housed in County Cooperative Extension offices throughout California. These advisors extend knowledge and provide county research in selected Cooperative Education program areas. Specialists housed on University campuses conduct researchand work with advisors in the counties to provide information for dissemination.
UC Cooperative Extension, Sonoma County programs include; 4-H Youth Development, Ag Ombudsman, Integrated Pest Management, Livestock & Range Management, Marine Science, Master Gardeners, Specialty Crops and Olives, Sudden Oak Death, Viticulture and Watershed Management.
ANR works hand in hand with industry to enhance agricultural markets, help the balance of trade, address environmental concerns, protect plant health, and provide farmers with scientifically tested production techniques and Californians with increased food safety.
- 200 locally based Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists
- 57 local offices throughout California
- 130 campus-based Cooperative Extension specialists
- 9 Research and Extension Centers
- 6 statewide programs
- 700 academic researchers in 40 departments at 3 colleges and 1 professional school:
- UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources
- UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
- UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Our advisors live and work in the communities they serve. To many Californians we are the face of UC—providing expertise, visibility and a keen understanding of local issues.
The University of California Cooperative Extension works in cooperation with federal, state and county governments to provide local educational programs throughout California. Federal funds, through the USDA, provide a portion of the budget. The state, via the University, pays academic employee salaries and provides statewide program operation funds. County government provides funding for overall operations for local Cooperative Extension Offices.
For an overview of the breadth of UC ANR's extension and research activities, download the Cultivating California brochure. (1.7 MB)


text:
The Suffragette Movement, Two World Wars, the swingin' 60s, Britpop and the digital revolution - we been part of it all
Pinpointing exactly how far TI Media's roots stretch back into the midst of publishing history is a complicated business. The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in 1963 following the merger of the UK's three leading magazine publishers - George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications - who came together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing Corporation (IPC). And IPC Magazines was created five years later, in 1968. But those three original magazine businesses each had their own illustrious history, having been established in 1881, 1890 and 1880 respectively, with a number of the titles they launched in the late 19th Century still being published today under the TI Media umbrella. And when The Field, launched in 1853, joined the IPC stable in 1994 following the acquisition of Harmsworth Magazines, it saw our family tree reach back even further. IPC was acquired by Time Warner in 2001 and was renamed Time Inc. UK in 2014 after Time Inc. acquired the company in connection with its spinoff from Time Warner. Shortly after Time Inc.'s subsequent acquisition by Meredith Corporation in 2018, Time Inc. UK was acquired by Epiris LLP and rebranded to TI Media in June 2018.
As our timeline below reveals, the TI Media story has taken many fascinating twists and turns throughout a period spanning more than 160 years.


text:
Analysis of radiation-induced apoptosis in human lymphocytes: Flow cytometry using Annexin V and propidium iodide versus the neutral comet assay
Background: The neutral comet assay was devised to measure double-stranded DNA breaks, but it has also been used to measure apoptosis based on its characteristic DNA fragmentation patterns. There is still uncertainty about the reliability of this method. By comparing the comet assay with a flow cytometry method that uses Annexin V binding to apoptotic cells, we have provided further evidence for evaluating the usefulness of the comet assay for detecting apoptosis. Methods: Apoptosis was induced in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by ionizing radiation and measured using the comet assay and a flow cytometry method that measures Annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) staining. Results: The Annexin V flow cytometry assay distinguished among early apoptosis, late apoptosis, and an apoptotic or necrotic phase in which the cells were labeled with both Annexin V and PI. The comet assay detected only the latter two phases of apoptosis. Conclusions: The comet assay is a useful tool for measuring the late stages of apoptosis whereas the Annexin V assay measures higher amounts of apoptosis because it can detect cells in an earlier stage of the apoptotic pathway.
|Additional Metadata
|Annexin V, Apoptosis, Comet assay, Flow cytometry, Human lymphocytes, Propidium iodide, Radiation
|Persistent URL
Wilkins, R.C, Kutzner, B.C. (B. C.), Truong, M. (M.), Sanchez-Dardon, J. (J.), & McLean, J.R.N. (J. R.N.). (2002). Analysis of radiation-induced apoptosis in human lymphocytes: Flow cytometry using Annexin V and propidium iodide versus the neutral comet assay. Cytometry, 48(1), 14–19. doi:10.1002/cyto.10098


text: Our friend Nico Craig recently completed a killer new interior mural using only a stamp. That's right, a stamp! The Montreal based artist used a stamp that says "Land of Confusion" over and over in a stippling technique to give the illusion of two portraits on the surface. Take a peep a the science after the jump!


text:
Our clients mean the world to us. We are committed to serving our sellers and buyers and our reviews prove it! If you're interested in working with our team and want to know more about other clients' experience, listen to what others have said about working with us.
"Thanks for all your help and great communication! It's been awesome! Y'all truly are the EXPERTS!" - Miriam K.
"Thank you all for the way you helped us get the house sold. We appreciate it very much! "
"Everything has been great! Thanks for being so patient with us and being so helpful! Thanks again!" Tim
"Customer service was and is superb." - Benji P.
"Tosha is awesome! Great experience!" - Dana S.
"Just stay as dynamic, pleasant, and efficient as you are! Leslie deserves a bonus, she's a great communicator. Thanks for everything! God Bless." - Bob and Ruth R.
"The responsiveness, customer service, and hospitality was excellent. LeAnne did an outstanding job from the listing appointment to the closing - Leslie also did an outstanding job with communication and getting all the details for closing." - Slip S.
"The expertise of LeAnne Carswell's Expert Real Estate Team shines through with every question I asked, every piece of advice needed in this process and the professionalism of this team was amazing. Thank you for your excellent marketing, sales, professionalism and for quickly and efficiently selling my property. - Johanna C.
"Super! GREAT Professionalism!" - Bill B.
"Easy and flexible to work with." - Ron W.
"Leanne was very professional in her job and abilities. She sold the house in only a few months when I had it listed with other realtors for about three years and no offers." - Joe H.
"The responsiveness, customer service, and hospitality was excellent. LeAnne did an outstanding job from the listing appointment to the closing - Leslie also did an outstanding job with communication and getting all the details for closing." - S. Snyder
"LeAnne provided us with outstanding service throughout the entire process. We were very satisfied with our experience with LeAnne." - Lister, Jeter, & Lloyd LLC
"The Carswell Team, and particularly Jessica Rolfe did an outstanding job selling my house. They know the market well and responded to my questions with sound advice. Communications were excellent throughout the process, and the few times I needed reassurance, Jessica's insight demonstrated why she's such a successful Realtor. I have no hesitation recommending the Carswell team. I just wish I hadn't wasted three months trying to sell by owner before placing the listing with them!" - Keith C.
"My Realtor was always in constant contact and went above her role to help me understand issues in selling my property." - Mark S.
"LeAnne, What can I say? You are Super! Your the kind of Realtor everyone should have. You were always 'with it' and 'on top of things.' We know who to come to again if we need to buy or sell because you are the BEST. Thank you!" - Dan and Miriam
"LeAnne and her team were incredible! They saved me from foreclosure and sold my house with in 3 months. Before LeAnne my house had been on the market for almost 2 years. Words cannot express my gratitude to LeAnne and her team." - Karen M.
"Selling our home in less than a week proved to us just how reputable LeAnne Carswell and her staff are. Pete was so impressed with the weekly calls from LeAnne, prior to us signing a contract with KW. She stayed in constant contact before-during-and after the sale of our home. Our many thanks to LeAnne for all of their hard work – phone calls, virtual tour, lots and lots of paperwork! LeAnne Carswell, GRI (Greatest Realtor Indeed!)" - Pete and Julie H.
My wife and I found a house we were interested in buying on a web page online. We were looking to move to South Carolina from New York at the time. The house was listed with Lorraine and we called her about it. It was the day before Christmas that we were to come and visit with family and asked Lorraine if she could accommodate us with seeing this house on such short notice and right on the Holiday weekend. She was as accommodating as anyone could possibly hope for a Realtor to be ... she even found the time and effort to take us on a boat ride on the lake the house was located. We contracted on the house that very weekend and have been living in it since. We are very satisfied customers!" - Ben and Pat R., Lyman, SC
"I highly recommend the LeAnne Carswell Expert Real Estate Team. They got my house sold when nobody else could. They are very professional and kept me up to date through the entire process." - Cherryl M.
"Very friendly, always called back when I call, and always kept me informed." - Dianna W.
"Laura has been most patient with us and our long hunt for a house. Very helpful, kind and effective. I have enjoyed very much working with her. She was/is a trusted ally! (And a new friend!)" - Frank and Laura D.
"LeAnne Carswell, you are the best Real Estate agent in the world…your team is fabulous! I couldn't sell my house for over a year with other agents, and within 2 months you had a buyer! The end to this real estate nightmare is almost over thanks to you! You saved my house from foreclosure and you will never know how grateful I am! THANK YOU!" - Karen M.
"[Lorraine was] very thorough and proactive! Wonderful Realtor!" - Olivia and Mike C.
"My husband and I have recently relocated to South Carolina. We had no idea what we were looking for and had no place to live. Lorraine not only helped us decide where we wanted to live, she found us a place to rent temporarily. It is very stressful moving and relocating. Lorraine made us feel like family and its hard to find people that go out of the way to do that. We did not feel rushed or ever a bother. Congratulations for adding such a fine agent to your team." - Pam and Dale W. Lake Hartwell, S.C.
"Gayle was awesome!" - Carrie and Robert K.
"Laura was attentive to all our needs. If she didn't have an instant answer to a question, she was prompt to get one and report back to us in a timely manner. She immediately took us under her wing like a member of her family. Whenever we would approach a bump in the road, Laura would instantly find a way to make it smooth." - Larry and Deborah B.
"Closing was wonderful –I am very pleased with you and your group LeAnne! We knew who to call and you delivered! We can't begin to thank you for everything. You came highly recommended and we would highly recommend you and already have." - Brendan and Anne B.
'We stumbled upon Lorraine while driving by a house listed by Lorraine. We called the number and did not get a voice mail, we got Lorraine. After she answered all our questions, she asked if we had a Buyer's Agent. Well, we had signed to sell our house with someone else. We had no intention of having the Realtor who listed our house, help us find one. We told Lorraine we may not sell our house easily, it had been on the market for sometime, we were 'window shopping' for our new home. She was a breath of fresh air, the absolute opposite of our experience with the other agent! If I had to describe Lorraine in one word, it's passionate. She is passionate about her work, Lorraine enjoys her job, and it was a pleasure to look at homes with her. Always easy to contact, responds very quickly, and we never once felt like we couldn't ask her to show us any home. Some stretched from one end of the county to the other. Sometimes my husband and I wouldn't be looking for the same 'type' of house. I always felt she just wanted us to be happy, and get the best deal possible. I told my husband, 'we must be her favorites.' That was until I spoke with some of her other clients. She treated them as well, too! Well to sum up our experience, our listing ran out with our previous Realtor. We listed with Lorraine, she sold our house in a short time and found us our dream house. We love our house, and Lorraine negotiated an incredible deal. I just recommended her to some friends, and she is finalizing the purchase of their new home now. We don't want to move again for some time, but when we do, Lorraine will definitely be the first person we call." - Gary and Josephine S., Greer, SC
"LeAnne was recommended by my father with many compliments. We couldn't have asked for better service not to mention a great woman to work with. LeAnne understood our needs right off the bat. We ended up with a great house and a great friendship." - David and Tania M.
"LeAnne, thank you so much for working with us on the sale of our property. I consider you to be a very professional individual, yet with a personal caring touch, which means so much today in business. Thanks again." - Christine C.
"Thank you LeAnne! Thank you for all of your help. I know my uncle would have appreciated your helpfulness. I hope the new family at Welcome Avenue have as many happy years there as my aunt, uncle, and cousin did. Thank you." - Penny H.
"We had a great buying experience with Lorraine. Her knowledge of the Lyman Lake area and its housing prices was extremely helpful. She gave us useful data points and realistic expectations in our hunt for lakefront property. Even though we were "casually" looking for a place for over a year, Lorraine continued to email us new listings that we might be interested in. Had she not been persistent in her efforts, we would not have found the place that we did." - Amy & Scott F.
"LeAnne, I want to express my appreciation for the excellent job you did as my Realtor. Thanks for your honest, professional, knowledgeable, and commitment you showed handling everything from listing my house all the way through closing. I'm really pleased with the communication you and your staff supplied keeping me informed. I think your marketing plan was great. I wish you and your group much success." - Patricia K.
"Thank you for the great job. Love the way you keep your clients up to date with monthly reports—fortunately we only received one! It is so important to keep clients informed of how many times property is seen and all follow ups. It keeps them up to date on progress and makes them feel their property is important. Love the communication efforts of your group, such attention to detail. Words can't express how much we appreciate the quick turn around in selling this property. Professional and helpful all the way through!" - Dave and Tamera E.
"We looked for just the right piece of lake property for years. We had unusual requirements with big expectations. We also worked with many Realtors over the years and never had one that wanted to really search out the right place for us. They would show us a property or two then move on. Lorraine was definitely different. She listened to our desires and showed us the places that weren't necessarily i n her best interest, but they were in ours. In 2008, we found our dream property. Every day we spend at our weekend retreat we are thankful for the little getaway that fits us perfectly. We recommend Lorraine very highly. If we are ever in the market to buy or sell real estate again, rest assured we will work with Lorraine Clippinger." - Marsha and Jim B.
"Thank you so much to the entire team. Working together—you guys provide stellar service. You can tell you guys have done this a few times." - Anonymous
"In the future if we have any Real Estate needs you will be our 1st choice." - Gary F.
"We are extremely pleased with the service we received from LeAnne. We have already recommended your agency to all of our friends! Thanks for a job well done." - Anonymous
"The service we received from LeAnne and her group were exceptional. We would highly recommend LeAnne to anyone, and would use her and her group any time in the future." - Pam M.
"On top of their game." - Anonymous
"Lorraine always had quick responses to our phone calls. She was always willing to show us the home we were interested in as soon as possible and regardless of time of day or weather conditions. Lorraine maintained great communication via email and phone throughout the buying process. She also recommended a fantastic mortgage loan officer to handle our loan processing which made the buying process very smooth and efficient." - Amanda and Joey S.
"We were very pleased! Thanks for all you did to help—we got the price we wanted in a great time frame, plus help dealing with a difficult buyer/Realtor combo! Would highly recommend." - Anonymous
"Thank you for the wonderful and continuous service that you provided for me and my wife for this big purchase. I would definitely recommend you and your company." - Brandon and Sara M.
"You were quick to find exactly what we were looking for! We had a Realtor before – for 3 months or more looking and never found what you found on the first shot! Thank you!" - Ronald F.
"Mandy Justice was a pleasure to work with in our search for a home in the upcountry of SC. She is personable, persistent, and very patient. We highly recommend her for any Real Estate need; including our son who will be relocating soon to the Greenville area." - John and Gigi P.
"Mandy was very helpful to us. She did much research to find properties for us to examine, and spent most of 3 days with us walking vacant land. She listened to what we wanted and was able to find it for us. Overall a great experience!" - Anonymous
"Thanks for helping us sell. We look forward to being neighbors!" - John and Frances S.
"LeAnne is the greatest." - Dan A.
"Lorraine is one of the best agents whom we have worked with and we have worked with a lot of agents around the country. Lorraine listened to what we wanted, asked questions, and was always willing to show us a house even though it may not be what we were looking for. She was helpful, considerate, and just a pleasure to work with. We would recommend Lorraine to anyone who is looking for a home, who wants an agent to really work FOR them and with them." - Bob and Carol F. Greer SC
"Nice group of people to do business with." - Johhnnie M.
"Mike and I are very pleased with the attention and service given to us by Mandy. She was caring, patient, friendly, and very efficient to show us every house we wanted to see and stayed with us for months! Also thanks for keeping us informed weekly on what's going on with the closing." - Mike S.
"It was a good experience working with LeAnne—thanks for your help." - David and Janice B.
"We always appreciate the way you handle our Real Estate matters. Everyone in your office was very helpful and pleasant to deal with." - Lenny and Lori
"If we are ever in the market again to buy or sell property I hope LeAnne is still available to help us." - Kevin and Casey L.
"Extremely nice people to work with, helped in every way to sell my home. Everyone in the office was pleasant and easy to contact." - Tina R.
"Awesome! From the time Jessica make her presentation we knew we had the right people representing our home. Their communication with us was always timely and efficient Our home sold just as promised. Great team would recommend to anyone!" - Barry N.
"Lorraine was always available at all times and days to answer my questions and concerns. She is fabulous." - Stephanie S.
"We both felt very comfortable with LeAnne and she was always willing to answer all of our questions. We will absolutely refer her to any of our family and friends." - Anonymous
"LeAnne has a very pleasant personality and was very helpful to me in this process." - Jane H.
"LeAnne your patience is a great asset. Your positive outlook and honesty are commendable and you have excellent people skills." - Nell and Jack
"The dedication and professionalism in every way and how hard you worked for us." - Anonymous
"The ability to quickly understand my wants and needs in and house and land. Thanks LeAnne." - Eva
"You always had the time to answer my questions and stayed in touch with us about new listings." - Anonymous
"Easy to talk to and knowledgeable about our situation and the location." - Anonymous
"LeAnne you always had the time to listen. Thank you." - James and Carrie D.
"LeAnne, thanks for all you did to getting my house sold. I will use you in the future." - Mike
"Easy to work with they found me the perfect house and gave me your time while i was in town." - Anonymous
"When we wanted to see the house, our realtor always went out of her way to meet us at our convenience, even on short notices." - Matthew M.
"LeAnne was friendly, honest, and her personality is a plus!!" - Tammy and Jeremy
"My wife and I would like to express our deepest satisfaction with your service. Thanks LeAnne your were always friendly and knew what to do." - Yuri and Galina I.
"LeAnne is a great Realtor and person!!!" - Jim and Ginger H
"Lorraine was so helpful and patient with us She would travel all over and helped us as much as possible." - Glen and Martha P.
"Lorraine was very helpful with the purchase of our new house. She was very accessible and knowledgeable about the property." - Michael and Julie B.
"The LeAnne Carswell Team did a great job and we would recommend them to others." - Gil G.
"LeAnne, What can I say you are an 'Angel from Heaven.' You are a wonderful person and have great staff." - Corlis J.
"Klase, Was a very nice and prompt agent." - Michael C.


text:
Our Community
Why come to Zambia? Because of its people!
Warmth, hospitality and friendliness is in the nature of all Zambian tribes of which there are 72 in the country.
The area around Kaingu Lodge has long been inhabited by the Ila-people, good grazing land at the Kafue Flats have also attracted many Tonga (before the creation of the Itezhi Tezhi dam, the Ila-Tonga were the richest pastoralists in Africa!). Chief of the area is Chief Kaingu (hence the name of our lodge) and he is a Lozi originally. All no problem, since the motto of the first President Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, was: "One Zambia, One Nation". And so it is not surprising that hospitality and a warm welcome is integral to Zambian culture.
The first small, very traditional one-family-villages are located about 15km south of the Lodge, our community school is reachable in about 1 hour drive. The majority of our employees are from the local area and are trained in house.
Experience the hospitality of the Ila, Lozi, Kaonde, Luvale and Tonga with us!
Twalumba (Ila, Tonga) Twasanta (Kaonde) Litumezi (Lozi) Tunasakwila (Luvale)
Thank you!


text:
Such a bummer I wasn't able to find out any information on these 2 portraits, other than a few words about a blog post. I though they were good pieces to show
Such a bummer I wasn't able to find out any information on these 2 portraits, other than a few words about a blog post. I though they were good pieces to show
Art by Zhan Ni Li
I found this piece on a websit/ blog about one's person life experience being trans. It was used specifically in part with a story that was told about being asked what gender they were. If you are interested like I was feel free to look over some of their stories.
Artist: Pham Tuan Tu 2010
This was a submission painting in a talent contest. There were roughly 700 participants, 4 of the painting featured a transgender theme. Needless to say, this piece of art was voted the best and won the competition. It is a beautiful depiction into the mind and life of a transgender. It is amazing!
Though I was born in 1984, the aids epidemic was very much a big issue. Though it seemed to take way to long for it to get proper medical attention. However, in the 90's, there were even movies made about some of the struggles one might have faced when they were though to have the virus.
The movie (Philidelphia) featuring Tom hanks. A gay lawyer who is basically fired for being gay/having aids. Was one of the earlier movies about Aids and aid awareness.
Another strong impact and a first openly gay man in the media was MTV's "Real World" Pedro Zamora. Who was given credit for personalizing and humanizing those living with HIV.
Also the very famous girl group TLC, had a hit song in 1994 called "Waterfalls". Waterfalls featured a very famous verse singing "his health is fading and he doesn't know why. 3 letters took him to his final rest place". (Unprotected sex-lead to aids) This song brought great awareness to the Aids epidemic.
I feel personally, at the time that Aids was a big thing but it wasn't reacted upon at the time like it really was a fatal virus. Like in Cindy Patton's Sex and Germs, The politics of aids," people with aids cannot fully recover because treatments are predicated on immune system functions which no longer exist in those patients". Also in that same segment, Aids was originally named GRID- Gay related immune deficiency… Even worse, I still feel that this is a highly under cared for disease/virus. I feel that it was big for a few years, then it just seemed to be put out of sight. I understand that medical advances have come a long way but there are still thousands upon thousands of people (of all sexuality) that suffer with this on a daily basis…
Why would a serious epidemic in America not have a call to action in helping with the cure? It really makes me think of what would it be like now if the aids epidemic was happening now, verse 20 years ago? How would it be taken differently? Or would it still be the same?
Perhaps its association with "gay"? Another
a 1902 photo of 2 women on a sailboat. Assuming they are lovers because they are about to share a kiss. Would this pic still be considered art if it featured a man instead of 2 women? What makes this art?
Please share any ideas or thoughts!
This is one of the photos in the series "Butch Women of San Francisco" all the women re photographed in there personal surroundings. Many of the photos have quotes about or below stating some of the comments the women have heard about their identity.
Particular question are asked of me when I explain any kind of Homosexuality in art. For example, What kind of pieces can and do you consider art? What makes an image, structure or photograph an "art" piece? Do the piece all have to be vulgar? Does it have to be blatantly obvious that the image is of two male or female lovers? Does it have to feature the lovers in a moment of passion? Or can it simply be a portrait of one object or subject?
In art, Any of these questions I would answer NO!!! Art can be what you make it. When something thinks of art they generally think of a painting on canvas. On a random mission to find something a little out of the "typical art" I came across a small, photography exhibit called Photographing (The Butch Women Of San Francisco) by Meg Allen "those who choose to exist and identify outside the gender binary" In this intriguing series, it showcases women of all ages and backgrounds. Megan is trying to capture the butch identity that she saw in her and some of her close friends.
Is this true art? Obviously I feel it is? I guess the more in-depth question is, is it homosexual art? It feature nothing revealing. No women in a erotic poses after making love… Can the image of a "butch" women qualify as art?
In my searching I was extremely surprised to find out about Naomi and Ruth. The Book of Ruth is a Hebrew/old testament book. It is considered to be a religious or biblical book. The story about the two women is beautiful. Totally unaware to most, words that were exchanged from Ruth to Naomi are some of which are read in wedding ceremonies.
"Do not press me to leave you or turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die- there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!'' (Ruth1:16-17)
People in that time also recognized the women's relationship. The people understood that above all the Naomi and Ruth loved each other.
This passage reminds me of Walt Whitman's "we two boys together clinging". To me it feels like it has the very same feeling and meaning behind the Naomi and Ruth from the book of Ruth. (Whitmanarchive)
I posted 2 photos of Ruth and Naomi because I found it so fascinating. I fell that when it comes to the issue that same-sex couples have a lot of time people who are religious are the ones ruffling the feathers. People only see it being condemned. This particular biblical reference is the total opposite. It provides positive support.
My question is, why are these passages not known about or shared among people who attend church? Why does it seem that there is more hate for same-sex relationships then love? The paintings of Naomi and Ruth are very gentle to the eye. They are not offensive and have a calming and loving feel to them.
Is there a way we can use this art to help encourage same-sex relationships in the religious communities? I know the actuality of this happening is slim to none but it would be worth the shot. If even it would be possible to change one person's mind about same-sex relationships it would be worth it. How could we use this art to its best benefit?


text:
On November 9th, Hispanics for School Choice hosted a forum on education reform featuring Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. The event was held at one of Wisconsin's newest charter schools, La Casa de Esperanza Charter School in Waukesha.
The event highlighted the education reforms both governors have promoted in their states. After remarks by both governors, students were able to ask Bush and Walker questions. In addition to La Casa de Esperanza, schools in attendance included St. Marcus Lutheran School, St. Martini Lutheran School, and HOPE Christian Schools, along with virtual school and homeschooling families.
"There are few people who have done more for education reform than Governor Bush and Governor Walker. It is incredibly special to bring these two men together in Wisconsin, the birthplace of school choice, for a forum on education reform at a brand new charter school during the 25th year of Wisconsin's choice program," Said Jason S. Crye, Executive Director of Hispanics for School Choice.
After the remarks and the question and answer session, during which Jeb Bush delighted the many Spanish speakers present by making a few comments in their language, both governors spent time taking pictures with and talking to the families present.


text:
Suza Scalora: "We are constantly hearing about a world that is violent, chaotic and frightening. It seems as though we're inundated with painful, horrific stories by way of the Internet, newspapers and other media outlets. The newest headline, for example, was about another possible beheading by the terrorist group, ISIS. How can we find inner peace with all this insanity around us?"
Answers from Eckhart Tolle to this and other questions:
Eckhart Tolle TV | Spiritual Teachings and Tools For Personal Growth and Happiness
Eckhart Tolle - Die deutsche Webseite


text:
Deciphering the VA Lender's Handbook Chapter 7 Part 8
The past two articles were dedicated to explaining VA construction loans in most of their aspects. While many VA-approved lenders do not offer construction loans, for the dedicated borrower insistent on getting one, there is usually a way. This article is going to get started on energy efficient mortgages (EEMs). We'll be covering what an EEM is, what it can be used for, and the requirements for getting one. EEMs have been mentioned in many previous articles but have not been referred to by that name. I'll explain why throughout the article.
An EEM is a loan that covers the cost of making energy efficiency improvements to a dwelling. A borrower does not make an EEM by itself; rather, it is made as an add-on to a VA loan for a new purchase or a VA refinance. The EEM is considered part of the main loan and is allowable on most new purchase loans, interest rate reduction refinances loans, and cash-out refinances. There are some restrictions on what the EEM can be used for, but the Handbook offers a good list of things that can be approved for an EEM. Acceptable uses are not limited by the things on this list; if you have an improvement to your home that you'd like to do, but it does not appear on this list, consult with a VA-approved lender. Here is the list:
- solar heating systems, including solar systems for heating water for domestic use,
- solar heating and cooling systems,
- caulking and weather-stripping,
- furnace efficiency modifications limited to replacement burners, boilers, or furnaces designed to reduce the firing rate or to achieve a reduction in the amount of fuel consumed as a result of increased combustion efficiency, devices for modifying flue openings which will increase the efficiency of the heating system, and electrical or mechanical furnace ignition systems which replace standing gas pilot lights,
- clock thermostats,
- new or additional ceiling, attic, wall, and floor insulation,
- water heater insulation,
- storm windows and/or doors, including thermal windows and/or doors,
- heat pumps, and
- vapor barriers.
As you can see, nearly any improvement, big or small, to your house that will save you money on your utilities can qualify for an EEM. Feel free to ask a VA-approved lender if you have an improvement you'd like to make and are hoping it can be covered with an EEM.
As mentioned before, an EEM is considered part of the main loan, and as such is secured by a first lien on the home. For you first-time home buyers out there, a lien is essentially the right to use your home as collateral to secure the loan you got to purchase the property. You legally own the home, but the holder of your lien can take the home from you (foreclosure) if you default on your loan. There may be more than one lien on your home, depending on if you have a second mortgage or another loan in which they took a lien on your home. If there is more than one lien on your home, they are referred to as "first", "second" and so on in the order of the claim they have on the home in the event that you default on your obligations to more than one of the lien holders. The VA loan program requires that all VA loans be secured by a first lien on the property, and that includes the funds that are provided as an EEM.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if the borrower is planning on performing the labor by him or herself, only the amount necessary to pay for materials will be loaned. The limit on EEMs is $6,000, which is usually enough for one or two large improvements, or up to dozens of small ones. If you have a lot of improvements you'd like done to the home, and you're handy enough to do many of them yourself, you can get a lot of value out of that $6k. The lender is responsible for determining that the proposed improvements are reasonable and viable for both the property and the requested loan amount.


text:
Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time.
Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time.
You are here:
© 2020 Ikhtisar.net - All Right Reserved.
Public collection title
Private collection title
Here you'll find all collections you've created before.


text:
If you would like to have your own biography written professionally we can discuss your requirements via email.
Please contact
Depending on length and amount of research required, a reasonable price will be quoted with a deadline for completion of your biography. Memoirs, biographies and life stories can be excellent gifts for young relatives who may not learn much about their grandparents unless it is written down. A memoir written professionally can also be extremely cathartic. This is a highly recommended gift to yourself. A sample introduction to one man's biography is given below:
This page has the following sub pages.


text:
Global vision drives rising value
The most valuable brands in the UK are consistent with the top of the inaugural ranking for this market, released a year ago. Vodafone again tops the table, with a brand value 6 percent higher, at US$28,860 million. HSBC, Shell and BT all follow, and Sky has this year overtaken BP to claim the final place in the Top 5. Rounding out the Top 10 this year are Tesco, Lipton and Barclays, and this year Dove takes 10th place, bumping out O2.
Many of the strongest UK brands have become a household name worldwide, and some of the leading names in the ranking generate as much as 99 percent of their revenue from overseas markets.
Among the brands generating most of their revenue from markets outside the UK are: Johnnie Walker, Castrol, Lipton, Dove, Standard Chartered, Kit-Kat and Vodafone – representing a broad range of categories.
What these brands gain from being so strong outside the UK is a resilience to the ups and downs of consumer demand at home – something increasing numbers of UK brands will be looking for, particularly in a post-Brexit world. The combined brand value of the BrandZ Top 75 UK Brands is around 10 percent of UK GDP.
The benefit of exposure to a greater number of international consumers is evident in the scale of the most overseas-driven UK brands, and in their growth patterns.
The 10 brands with the greatest proportion of revenue from international markets are, on average, worth double that of the other 65 ($6.1 billion versus $3.2 billion).
In the past year, the Top 10 international players have grown their brand value by 12 percent, far outpacing the average rise among all brands in the BrandZ ranking, with double their rate of growth.
These overseas-focused brands score better than the average of the other brands in the ranking on all five aspects of brand health: purpose, innovation, communications, experience and brand love. They are seen as being especially innovative, and good at shaking up their category.
On the up
The fastest-growing brands in the ranking come from further down the list, and – encouragingly – from a wide range of categories. This shows that while external factors can have a bearing on a brand's ability to grow, it is still possible to significantly outperform sector averages, and to buck trends by growing value when the rest of a sector declines.
Prudential, for example, has grown the fastest of any brand in the ranking, and has eclipsed the growth achieve by other insurance brands. Banks have had mixed fortunes, with some rising at single-digit percentage rates and others seeing brand value shrink in the past year, but NatWest has achieved 17 percent growth, making it the fifth-fastest riser in the Top 75.
What these fast-growing brands have in common is stronger Brand Power – a measure of a brand's ability to influence consumer propensity to buy (an average score of 175, versus 145 for other brands in the Top 75). They achieve this by beating other brands on three key ingredients of Brand Power: they are more meaningful, more different and more salient (well known).
Fast-rising brands in this year's ranking are also more innovative; they are especially good at shaking things up and are frequently seen as "leading the way". And they provide a great consumer experience (with an average score on experience of 107, compared to 104 for the other 65 brands in the ranking). Communications is another area where the quickest-growing 10 brands beat the average, with an average score of 114 on communications, compared to 108 for other brands in the ranking.
Slice of life
The categories comprising the UK Top 75 represent a cross section of British business, and reflect the brands consumers encounter in their daily lives, both in the physical world and online.
There are now 24 categories in the ranking, some represented by a single brand (Dyson for home appliances and British Airways flying the flag for airlines, for instance), and others include as many as eight brands (this applies to both banks and telecom providers).
The category that has grown in value the fastest in the past year is gambling (up 180 percent), boosted by the arrival of the National Lottery, Bet365, Coral and Ladbrokes. Apparel is up 70 percent this year, thanks to strong growth from Asos and Next, and boosted by the entrance into the ranking of Reebok, Ted Baker and Superdry.
Alcohol was another big riser, with craft beer BrewDog boosting the sector's brand value. It was a mixed picture for the insurance category, with ups and downs for individual brands delivering 51 percent growth in the sector overall as the number of insurance brands featured rose from three to six. Soft drinks were up 18 percent (thanks to growth for Lipton and the arrival of Innocent in the Top 75), and Dulux alone carried the paint category to 18 percent growth in brand value.


text:
Grip Gloves
Browse our range of safety grip gloves available in a range of different designs. Criss Cross, thermal, cut resistant, polka dots to name but a few plus the traditional latex palm coated grip glove ideal for building/construction workers available in six different colours. All of our products are of a high standard and competitively priced. Extra savings can be made by buying by the case.
Grip gloves are used in a wide range of industries. As the name implies, they are just whenever you need to get a better grip on things. You may have employees who are carrying heavy boxes, or dealing with heavy duty tools, and the fabrics used in grip gloves help them to grip items firmly. Not only does it make it easier to do certain jobs, they're also essential for safety.
We offer cheap grip gloves in basic designs, but still use the highest quality material. These have a latex dipped palm, and a back made of breathable materials. This ensures they can be worn comfortably over long periods of time. With large and X-large sizes available, you can ensure the best fit, and we also offer a wide range of colours.
Our range also includes thermal and cold grip gloves, ideal for working in coldstore environments, and cut resistant grip gloves that offer extra protection when working with sharp, difficult to grip objects. Our criss-cross grip gloves have a PVC pattern on both sides, and are great for general handling jobs, and we also offer polka dot grip gloves, which have a pattern of PVC dots, giving you extra grip without sacrificing dexterity.
Many of our safety gloves are available in different sizes, which allows for a superior fit, and some grip gloves are also available in different colours. We always have plenty of gloves in stock, and can dispatch quickly from our UK warehouse, ensuring you get your delivery promptly.
Criss Cross Grip Glove
Cut 3 Latex Grip Glove
Lightweight Polka Dot Grip Glove
Premium Polka Dot Grip Glove
Thermal Grip Glove


text:
Archive for February 2012
Too Close to Home
Those of you who know me know about my surrogate son, Marty. He's a wonderful, very sensitive, sometimes obnoxious 22-year-old. Tonight, I received a panic-laden phone call from him that went like this:
"Ron. I've got a very serious problem, and I don't know what to do. My friend, 'Carol' just told me that she wants to die and that she took 50 sleeping pills. What should I do?"
He gets flustered easily. This time it was warranted. Being as closely involved with this anti-suicide mission as I've been since the onset of this blog paid huge dividends. I knew exactly what needed to be done.
"You need to get off the phone with me and call the police immediately! Tell them exactly what you just told me. Give them all of the information you can about where she is right now."
Reluctantly, he hung up and followed directions to the "t". "Reluctantly" because he didn't know what to expect from his friend. "Reluctantly" because dealing with the authorities makes him nervous. I guess. Whatever the reservations, he got the job done. Shortly thereafter, the police called back and told him that they'd contacted his friend Carol and that she'd told them that she was just fine. This was confusing.
There was also some apprehension on his part because he knows his friend and knows that, well, she's cried wolf before. In fact, he became a bit agitated. I reminded him that "this is not about you; it's about Carol. What if she's telling you the truth? What if she really did take the pills. You cannot chance the possibility that she COULD be telling you the truth this time."
A phone call from her confirmed that she had, indeed, told him the truth. He could hear the grogginess in her voice. He called the police again. This time armed with an address he could give them, they were able to send a squad car to her home.
They reached her before the pills had time to take full affect. Stomach pumped, Carol is now recovering in a local hospital. An exhausted, dazed and confused Marty helped save his friend's life. Of course, never to miss out on a dramatic moment, now he's concerned that she's going to be mad at him when she gets out of the hospital. He's concerned that his actions tonight may have ended their friendship.
For myself, this was a learning experience, given up close and personal. First of all, knowing what to do when you're faced with an in-the-moment crisis is absolutely crucial. If someone has already swallowed a bottle of pills, or is standing in front of you with a gun in their hand pointed at their head, there's no margin for error. Knowing what to do in the heat of the moment is imperative. This is why I repeatedly list resources that can be used if ever faced with that situation:
Suicide Support
STOP Teenage Suicide
Needless to say, there are more resources available. However, having these handy will save lives if used. And, of course, if the urgency is there (as was the case with Carol), dialing 911 is critical.
When do you take a suicide threat as a bluff? Easy answer: never. Even in a case where you know that the person has a history of crying wolf, or is prone to drama, you never know when "this" would be the time when they're telling the truth. Had Marty followed his intuition, and his history of dealing with Carol, chances are pretty good that she'd be gone, now. This wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with someone who raised questions as to whether or not they were being sincere or just having fun at my expense. However, I treated each case as if they had the loaded Glock pointed at their head as we spoke. There is no alternative. We don't have a choice.
People who have suicidal ideation have no intent or desire to wake up in the hospital. I surely didn't. And, I was quite unhappy to wake up in ICU and learn that a.) I was still here; and, b.) that my sister had saved me. Unhappy, yes. Mad at her? No. Conversely, I do know that there are times when the unsuccessful suicide victim becomes very angry towards the person(s) who saved them. They get over it. Eventually, they come to the understanding that life is good and that they're glad that someone intervened. When a person is to the point in their life where the only viable option to them is suicide, they've given up all hope for any semblance of a bright future, of being happy, of things actually getting better. To have someone "ruin" their well-thought out plan of suicide is maddening. The bright side is that, as time goes on, we start putting the pieces of our lives back together. All of a sudden, new opportunities arise and we see hope for a brighter future. We get in touch with things that make us happy…maybe even learn some new things that accomplishes that goal. Little-by-little, things actually do start to get better. And, that's when we realize how happy, and grateful, we are that someone had the courage to risk our relationship for that sake of saving our life.
It probably won't set in with Marty for quite some time the role he played tonight in Carol's life. Without him, her family would most likely be making funeral arrangements right now. Because of him, they've possibly been saved, even if only for now, from a lifetime of debilitating grief. I'm mighty proud of him.
It's feels good to write a happy ending.
Spencer Watson Seupel 1990-2012
Spencer's suicide was the result of binge drinking. Alcohol. That cunning, and quite legal, drug that claims thousands of lives annually. At the root of the suicide, however, was something deeper. I certainly cannot tell the story any better than his own mother. It's a very compelling story, indeed.
In the media, and in the circles of social media, we hear a lot about bullying as it pertains to young people ending their lives. And, make no mistake, bullying is an issue that demands a lot of immediate attention as it truly is playing a large role in many, many teen suicide. However, bullying is not the only reason young people commit suicide. Understanding that is a vital baby step in the right direction. Knowing some of the other issues that leads young people to feel suicide is the only answer is an essential quantum leap in that same direction.
Depression has been named in many teen suicides even since I began this blog in November. In some instances, even if there's been bullying, depression was the actual root. The bullying simply exacerbated an already volatile situation. Understanding depression isn't restricted to just the psychiatric field by any stretch. We can educate ourselves, as well. We can, and we must if we're to save lives. But, the vast majority of us are not professionals in the field of mental health. Therefore, how would we know? How could we spot it? And, better still, what do we do when we do recognize it? That's where educating ourselves comes in.
See, if we're to truly make a difference, if we're really serious about bringing about change, it's going to take so much more than just ranting about how bad it is that all these beautiful young souls are killing themselves or how horrifying it is that these young people are being bullied. And, that's not said in a derogatory manner by any means. I do as much ranting as any two people combined! That said, and beyond the ranting, it's going to take real action if we're to rein this back in. It can be done.
Sometimes, something as simple as a kind word, or an attentive ear can make a difference in a young person's life. Far too many of these young people feel disconnected, a sense of worthlessness even as their families and friends surround and shower them with love and attention. Self-esteem appears to be a major factor. So, giving them positive reinforcements regularly helps bolster their low sense of worth. As non-professionals, we can still help reverse that by reminding them, constantly, of the positives in their lives.
For Spencer, perhaps it was a mixture of all the above. Certainly, the drug we call alcohol delivered the final blow. But, there were already mechanisms in place that created the environment, if only in his own mind, that made Spencer feel suicide was the answer. His loving family is left to attempt to put the pieces of this puzzle together. I hope Spencer can now find the peace that eluded him here on Earth
Stopping Intolerance in Tennessee
As I was preparing to leave the house to go to work, I ran across this post from a girl who regularly posts in one of my favorite facebook communities. It stopped me in my tracks.
I ask everyone to check this out. This is my home state, and I believe this bill will negativly effect the LGBT youth in TN. This will also prevent any LBGT facing discrimination to seek a supportive teacher for information. The bill has already been passed by the senate and the K-12 subcommittee. Give 'em call?
It grabbed my attention because I love the things she posts in this particular community, so I always pay attention when I see her name. It grabbed my attention because I've already written about Stacey Campfield's myopic bill that he's trying to push through legislation in Tennessee. And, I've posted links to a petition put in place to get this bill killed. This particular bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill will have a devastating effect on the LGBT students in their school system, in a state that has already had 2 LGBT teen suicides since early December. So, I will post the link to the petition again and hope that every single person who reads this article will sign it. Remember Power in Numbers? We can change things.
By clicking the link in her post, "check this out", you will see a list of phone numbers to call and voice your complaints and opinions. Wouldn't it be great to find out that their switchboards were overloaded with incoming calls on this matter!? Whatever it takes.
Call it a "Call To Action"; call it "getting involved". Whatever. I called it zero tolerance for intolerance and hatred. This is "bullying" at a high level. We can stop it if we all work together.


text:
This blog is for entertainment purposes only. There lurks in my first aid kit a familiar green can. Full of a yellowish goo of great awesomeness. I don't know what its made of, but its close to being a miracle. As for me, I consider it one of the seven wonders of the world. It softens dry skin, it helps wounds heal better than that neosporin crap, and when my younger brother was a baby and had a bad case of diaper rash that nothing the doctor gave mom to give him worked, it cleared it like a boss. Just a yellowish goo made for cow udders. My friends, I'm talking about the humble bagbalm. Found in animal supply stores and even in supermarkets, this little buddy sells for $6-$7 a can. I have an unknown quantity (OPSEC) of the stuff stashed away in an unknown location.
Bagbalm has many uses, including coating your car door seals in the winter to keep them from freezing. Its part if my first line of defense when it comes to wound care and I've never had an infection spring up out of an injury smeared with it. As always, try a little on a small patch of skin to be sure that you are not allergic to it .
May God grant you all peace!


text:
Shopping. Some of us love it. Some of us hate it. And, some of us really don't think about it at all, we just do it.
The shopping experience is an interesting one, especially if you're on a budget, and you're trying to stretch every dollar to the Nth degree. Take clothes shopping, sometimes you just need a shirt, it doesn't matter what color it is or what style it is, you just need it. So, you go looking through the racks and find one, then another, and another and all of them will fit the bill.
But, sometimes you're looking for something in particular, aren't you? You need a black shirt to go with whatever, and it has to be in a certain style because otherwise it won't match. It's that kind of shopping that is draining because no matter how hard you look, if you can't find that particular shirt, then the whole thing has been a wash.
Then there are times when the opposite is true. You think you have a lot of shopping options. But, no matter how hard you look, you always come back to the same item, over and over, and, over and over again, until at last you just give up and buy it.
Sometimes I do a little shopping when I pray, and I would imagine that you do too. We keep going back to God with a question, problem or issue, hoping He's going to give us a different answer from the one He's already given us, then are surprised when it's the same.
I don't really like leadership positions. I try to avoid them as much as possible, preferring to stay in the Shadowlands, and help out behind the scenes. So, when I was first asked to lead a Bible study group, I wasn't too keen on the idea.
So, I went to God in prayer and got a resounding 'yes.' But, I didn't like that answer, so I let it lay quietly for a couple of days and went back again half hoping He would give me a different answer. He didn't. It was still a firm 'yes.' So, I left it alone for another couple of days, all the while knowing that soon I would be trying to dodge phone calls from the teaching director who needed to know what I was going to do. Again, I went to Him, prayed about it, and again got the same answer. 'Yes."
My shopping did me no good, which isn't surprising at all. After all, God is God, and He doesn't change His mind. But we would still like Him to wouldn't we? We all want a god who is going to behave himself, a god who is going to see we don't want to do something and allow us to dictate what we will or will not do. We want a god who will let us off the hook.
But, He's not like that. He loves us too much to allow us free rein, and He wants a relationship with us too much to allow us to go shopping for an answer that will please us, instead of one that's good for us. In short, there are times when we just have to accept that He is God and He knows what He is doing, and no amount of shopping is going to change that.
"But You are the same and Your years will never end."
Psalm 102:27
Related articles
- Pray Until You Pray (reviewedthought.wordpress.com)


text:
While the Kentucky Derby began as just a horse race, it's evolved (that's the polite word) into a bit more of a celebration. Here's an overview of our coverage of the debauchery and parties. (For analysis of the gala's star power, check out our much-maligned Kentucky Derby celebrity rankings.)
From the track
- Hats, fascinators and feathers: Who wore them best
- Martha Stewart and her gardening hat
- Kentucky Derby 137: Fashionable couples (and duos)
- Kentucky Oaks 137: Pretty in (mostly) pink hats slideshow
- Exclusive: Sasha Grey talks Derby and photography
- Kentucky Derby nights: A cocktail-laden live-music memoir (part 3 of 3)
- Kentucky Derby nights: A cocktail-laden live-music memoir (part 2 of 3)
- Kentucky Derby nights: A cocktail-laden live-music memoir (part 1 of 3)
- My Derby Weekend of Debauchery: A tale of tassels, hot tottys and tattles
Wednesday, May 4
Thursday, May 5
Friday, May 6
- Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala (Nick Lachey giving a big thumbs up, Guy Fieri, Joey Fatone and Wayne Brady and red carpet video)
- Derby Eve Gala
- Derby Hot 100 (preview)
- Hillbilly Outfield (preview)
- Julep Ball
- Maxim Party
- Mint Jubilee
- Playboy Celebrity Lounge
Saturday, May 7
- Derby Debauchery Weekend (preview)
- Grey Goose and Greenhouse NYC Presents The Derby After-Party with DJ IRIE (preview)
- The Hottest Derby Party (preview)
- Night of Silk Derby Party
Photo: Flickr/Bhenak


text:
Series: Royally #2
Author: Emma Chase
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Emma Chase, LLC.
Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Source: Bought
Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap.
He's not handling it well.
Hoping to help her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora agrees to give him "space"—but while the Queen's away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:
Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.
A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince's heart.
While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it's the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.
The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit... and her naughty sense of humor.
But Rome wasn't built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren't reformed overnight.
As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.
Find Royally Matched online
After reading and falling in love with Emma Chase's novel, Sustained, I pretty much auto-buy any new book she releases. I was particularly excited about this one though! I'm a sucked for royal romance story lines and this one was so fun. I even enjoyed it more than I did the first book in the series, Royally Screwed (although I still can't decide which cover I like better!).
What really made this book so exciting was the couple! We saw Henry and Sarah interact a little bit in the first book and I had been shipping them from then on. But watching how their relationship bloomed and grew made me so swoon. They were so different from each other but still complimented and supported each other. While Sarah wasn't the most exciting character to read on her own, Henry brought out a lot of interesting and dynamic characteristics that I had a blast exploring! And, of course, Henry was freaking awesome. He was so fun and free on the outside but seeing him be more vulnerable in this novel was heart warming. I especially loved the way he grew. We saw how low he was in the first book and that story line carried on wonderfully in this one. It's something I always enjoy about Emma Chase's novels - the romance is apart of the story but the characters are dealing with other aspects of their lives and we get to see them resolve and work toward those things as well.
So this novel had another one of my favorite tropes: a bachelor competition! (I recently got into watching the show so reading about the same sort of situation is made even better now). I was super excited to see how this played out but I will say, I was a tad let down by this aspect of the novel. I expected to see more of this story line when reading and I was left feeling a bit mislead because of how little it was actually discussed and seen. But I was still kept engaged throughout the novel.
I'm so loving this series by Emma Chase and I'm excited to see if there's more coming. If there is, I'm anxious to see who will be at the focus. I'm hoping either Sarah's sister or Olivia's sister is the leading lady for the third book in the series (which, I just confirmed, is happening. Yay!). If you're a fan of a good royal romance read, I'd definitely recommend checking out this series!
"You shouldn't be afraid of dying, Sarah—everyone does it. The only thing to be scared of is not living before you do."
Four Teapots


text:
Strict Entrance Criteria
Bruce's Doggy Day Care is an established, award-winning company with a reputation for providing excellent care and facilities. All our staff are fully trained and our dogs receive the highest level of care and attention.
The welfare of our canine charges is paramount. We have many years of experience in how to run a doggy day care environment that is safe for all. This includes strict entry requirements which are essential for good doggy day care dynamics, such as:
- We only accept friendly, social dogs that have a minimum booking of one session per week, as regular attendance ensures all the dogs know one another and become friends.
- We only allow mature male dogs that are neutered and we don't accept female dogs when they are in season.
- We have restrictions on some breeds, sizes, temperaments or dogs that that have a more physical approach to play.
- We have restrictions on puppies that are not vaccinated and dogs with contagious illnesses.
We are mindful that doggy day care is not right for every dog. We're here to make sure your dog's day care experience with us is a safe and happy one. Please get in touch if you'd like to learn more.


text:
"When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call," Russell Brand wrote in a eulogy for Amy Winehouse posted on his website on Sunday.
"The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they've had enough, that they're ready to stop, ready to try something new," said Brand, himself no stranger to the perils of addiction.
"Of course, though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it's too late, she's gone," he continues. "Frustratingly it's not a call you can ever make; it must be received. It is impossible to intervene."
At first, it may sound as though Brand is saying that there's nothing that anyone can do to help an addict. Far from it. That's actually not what he's saying at all.
Despite the fact that Brand calls his piece "To Amy," it's clear that it's not really addressed to Winehouse, but to practically everyone else. Brand offers his friendship with Winehouse, his own substance abuse history, his opinions about the so-called "27 Club," and even his views of the nature of artistic talent, as a way of combating what he sees as the myths that will emerge as a result of the singer's death.
Brand writes that he knew Winehouse for years: "When I first met her around Camden she was just some twit in a pink satin jacket shuffling round bars with mutual friends." It wasn't until he first heard her sing − almost by accident, it appears — that he realized how wrong he'd been to dismiss her.
Filled with "the awe that envelops when witnessing a genius," Brand finally recognized "that voice, a voice that seemed not to come from her but from somewhere beyond even Billie and Ella, from the font of all greatness. A voice that was filled with such power and pain that it was at once entirely human yet laced with the divine."
Brand got to know Winehouse better. He interviewed her on television and radio. He saw how the public viewed the demon, the disease, the two of the shared. "Amy increasingly became defined by her addiction," he writes. "Our media though is more interested in tragedy than talent, so the ink began to defect from praising her gift to chronicling her downfall."
Brand's eulogy is about where this approach has led. Two days after her death, the natural reaction, the sentiment we see in almost every comment about Winehouse, is: how could this happen? Couldn't someone have done something to prevent it?
"Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant," Brand answers sadly. "It is not preventable today." However, Brand believes that her death was unnecessary and that because of her talent she will become mythologized along with the long line of artists "whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised."
There's probably a tendency to believe that talent can act as a salvation, or at least that those with outsized abilities have an extra tool in their arsenal to fight their addictions. But Brand's point appears to be that it's the disease that prevents the talented, like anyone else, from being able to use those tools.
"Not all addicts have Amy's incredible talent. Or Kurt's or Jimi's or Janis's," Brand concludes. "Some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care."Read More