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Daisy Pulls it Off
Charing Cross Theatre
19th June – 30th June
Daisy pulls it off | Review
I have never been to the Charing Cross Theatre before, but my what a lovely little theatre it is – with the exception of the trains running overhead, it is the perfect venue to stage this limited revival of Denise Deegan's 'Daisy Pulls it Off'. Unfortunately, that is about all that can be said is perfect in this ambitious if somewhat misjudged performance. Daisy Pulls it Off, tells the comedic tale of Daisy Meredith (Marina Papadopolos), a young student who arrives at Grangewood School for Young Ladies, making friends (such as the eccentric Trixie, played by Katy Ellis) and enemies (Persia Babayan-Taylor and Gemma Evans really do make a wonderful double act), playing hockey and finding the odd bit of treasure along the way. The plot is hackneyed, it's a bit of a hodge podge, where every single cliché from Enid Blyton's repertoire is used to full effect – it's supposed to, after all 'Daisy Pulls it Off' is firstly a parody of those books. Which I can't help but feel is what ultimately means that this version just doesn't quite hit the mark.
This revival, by the Guildford School of Acting is ambitious, a twelve-piece cast, all of whom trained, who not only act, but perform music and sing throughout the piece. It is the first Actor-Musician performance the school have transferred, and fair play to them all, they are phenomenally talented singers, and wonderful musicians…it's the acting where it all goes a bit awry. Don't get me wrong, I love these kinds of plays; as someone who grew up reading about the exploits of the twins at St Claire's and all about the Mallory Towers girls, dreaming of attending my own private boarding school, I get the appeal, but there is a fine line between a tight pastiche of the English upper-classes and a hammy performance, and whilst I'm not going to single anyone out, on more than one occasion a few performers tripped over a line. It's a difficult one, I understand that, there is no harder genre to perform than comedies and pastiches, but whilst everyone loves to laugh at the cliché and the ridiculous conceits, if the performance doesn't go further than one note, the few emotional moments, and the bits where the text borders on political, simply don't land. The other problem, of course, is if those moments don't land, likewise the comedy doesn't always work. Pastiches should be played as straight as possible, albeit with the odd wink to the audience. The cast of 'Daisy' however, are taking the whole thing a bit too seriously (apart from Katy Ellis, Harry Edwin and Gemma Evans who are clearly having a whale of a time), and that sometimes makes it hard for the audience to really be carried along with the whole jolly hockey sticks vibe the play is going for.
That's not to say the piece is terrible, because it's absolutely not. The performances are sharp, and there are a few stand out moments, such as the hockey game in the second half, which I will admit was a stroke of genius (well done to director Nicholas Scrivens). The music is beautifully performed, and there are some moments of real humour throughout the piece. It just so happens that these moments are rare, and that is a real shame as the second half of the performance in general picked up a lot of pace and was really a lot of fun. There were a few technical issues throughout the night, microphone change over problems, and an odd buzzing that cropped up every so often, and in fairness the cast didn't let any of these throw them off, it but my overall feeling of the piece was that it was an amateur performance masquerading as a professional one.
Which is a shame, because there is real promise to the piece, and hopefully over the next few nights they're there they can iron out any technical issues. Of course, comedy is by its very nature subjective, and whilst I didn't laugh all that much, there were plenty of audience members who did. Perhaps it's just me. Which is a shame, because I really did want to like this performance.
There are good intentions in 'Daisy Pulls it Off', but unfortunately those intentions can't quite make up for what I feel were fairly crucial misunderstandings of the text. A jolly night out, but certainly not one for the year book
Reviewer: Alice Foster
Photo: Robert Workman
Daisy Pulls it Off is currently playing at The Charing Cross Theatre until 30th June.
Director: Nicholas Scrivens
Cast: Persia Babayan-Taylor, Harry Edwin, Katy Ellis, Gemma Evans, Mark Fitzsimmons, Hanna Khogali, Jacob Leeson, Lara Lewis, Sophie Moores, Marina Papadopoulos, Cornelia Todd, Madeline Wilshire


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subset: commoncrawl


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The second Bug Bash has been going on for quite a while now, and Microsoft has been getting a bunch of data from it. As they sort through all of the noise and start hammering down their array of fixes and tweaks, we've got a new Insider build for Windows 10 Mobile to check out.
Build 15031 is available for Fast Ring users right now, so interested users can rush off to their phones and drink in the changes.
As far as new stuff is concerned, this isn't really giving us too much. In fact, we're being given just one new thing – a new Share icon. If you want to read a little bit more about the iconography – the science behind these icons' designs – you can check out the blog post here.
New Share icon: We're introducing a new share icon. For apps that used the "share" font glyph in Segoe MDL2 assets should get the change automatically.
Not too much new here, but it's a change that you might notice more than you'd expect. People have a way of getting used to their icons, and seeing one so prominent shifted around could make a big difference. Whether you're testing the new bug fixes and tweaks or admiring the new share icon, we hope you enjoy build 15031!


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Washington Nationals historic in 21-run demolition of New York Mets
USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale breaks down how players and teams fared at the MLB trade deadline.
The New York Mets were considered one of the losers of MLB's trade deadline day.
And then they played an actual game.
The Mets were obliterated by the Nationals, 25-4, on Tuesday night in Washington.
Steven Matz, a pitcher many thought would be on the move, got the start and proceeded to go just 2/3 of an inning, giving up eight hits and seven runs before giving the ball over to Jacob Rhame.
Things did not go better for him, as he gave up seven hits and an additional six runs in two innings.
Tim Peterson gave up three runs in 1⅓ innings. Tyler Bashlor followed with three more runs allowed in ⅔ of an inning.
The Nationals were not held scoreless until Jerry Blevins' sixth inning, having scored seven runs in the first, three in the second, three in the third, three in the fourth and three in the fifth.


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New to Me: Rotary Connection
A look back at Chess Records' house psychedelic band, led by a pre-stardom Minnie Riperton and featuring Phil Upchurch, Mitch Aliotta, and John Jeremiah, among many others.
My wife is a big fan of Maya Rudolph, so conversation recently turned to her mother, the great Chicago-born-and-raised soul singer Minnie Riperton, who trained with the Lyric and worked as a secretary at Chess Records. Soul music is a big blind spot in my musical education, so I was only passingly familiar with her singular gifts in the whistle register.
But the biggest blind spot in my musical education is the baroque excess of psychedelic rock, which I tend to unfairly associate with the fatal abuse of controlled substances and studio gimmickry. (The sole exception: Sly Stone's seminal bummer There's a Riot Goin' On, which chilled psych's florid preciousness with the fear that represented the era for a lot of the people who lived it.) So I'd definitely never heard of Rotary Connection, one of the more odd acts to come out of Chess Records, and Riperton's pre-stardom act.
It was something of a local supergroup, featuring Phil Upchurch (who's worked with everyone from Curtis Mayfield to Stan Getz to Jimmy Smith to Michael Jackson), Mitch Aliotta and John Jeremiah (of Aliotta-Haynes-Jeremiah), Riperton (formerly of the Gems), members of garage-rockers The Proper Strangers (including Aliotta), Charles Stepney (a producer on The Howlin' Wolf Album and Electric Mud, among others), percussion teacher and exotica cult figure Bobby Christian, neglected soul vocalist Sidney Barnes, and others, not to mention the CSO on strings. They're not exactly obscure; Stepney received a Grammy nomination for his production, and a cover of "I Am the Black Gold Of the Sun" made it onto the popular supergroup recording Nuyorican Soul.
But they're not exactly a household name, either. The only Rotary Connection tracks I can find for purchase online are 13 of the 16 songs on Minnie Riperton: Her Chess Years and a handful on Amazon, mostly Christmas songs. Of them, my favorites are "A-Muse," an impossibly delicate cut that's just Riperton and an acoustic guitar inflected with a British folk invasion sound; and "Stormy Monday Blues," a bluesy rave-up duet between Riperton and Sidney Barnes. Other than that, there's an import best-of and a 1999 re-release of their second album.
As is so often the case with dusties, the best place to find Rotary Connection is YouTube. Their music was all over the place—"Stormy Monday Blues" is basically a straight blues number; "Lady Jane" sounds like soul Fairport Convention; "We're Going Wrong" is a huge, almost amelodic wall-of-sound space dirge; "Respect" applies the lessons of Curtis Mayfield to Otis Redding's standard. Psychedelic soul and rock were always a bit of a grab bag anyway, so whether you find it mindblowing or irritating will be a matter of taste.
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Resident Assistant Motivations to Seek The Position: A Comparison Between Generations X and Y
Bell, Erin Elizabeth
MetadataShow full item record
College administrators have been in the business of employing students as RAs or an equivalent position for many years. Over those many years, the students and the type of students hired for this position changed. Once again, it is time for a generational change. Gen Y students are currently entering at least their second year of college and are now eligible to apply for RA positions. The present study operated on the assumption that student motivations to seek the RA position may have changed over time as new generations of students have entered higher education. The perceived benefits of student employments in positions such as the RA position may shift with the change in the characteristics, needs, motivations, and desires of the students to seek employment. Researching employment motivations periodically to gauge shifts in reasons for seeking employment in the RA position may be helpful. The present study has significance for both future practice and future research in student affairs. In terms of future practice, three constituencies might be interested in the results of the study: Residence Life practitioners (RLPs), RAs, and student affairs practitioners. In the current study, there were several significant findings. First, Gen Y students sought the RA position for the following reasons (by order of importance), Helping Behaviors, Career Development, Financial Obligations, RA Cohesiveness, Personal Growth, and Desire for Power. Second, Gen Y females reported Helping Behaviors as an important reason for seeking the RA position significantly more often than did their male counterparts. Third, the research found no statistically significant differences in the reasons majority and minority Gen Y students sought the RA position. Finally, statistically significant differences were found when the reasons Gen X and Gen Y students sought the RA position were examined. Although the study examined only a limited number of Gen Y students, the results indicate that Residence Life professionals and RA staff selections teams may want to reconsider the way in which RA applicants are recruited.
- Masters Theses [19736]


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Forget Lattes, Get Your Pumpkin Spice From This Shandy Instead
The golden days of pumpkins and cider are upon us, and what better way to fête the start of a new season than with this Pumpkin Shandy recipe from the boys at DrinksMadeEasy? It features all of our favorite, quintessentially autumnal ingredients all in one glass: homemade apple cider, Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale, cinnamon, and crisp, juicy red apples. For all that this beertail takes a mere 10 minutes to make from start to finish, it's insanely delicious. Get excidered.
Pumpkin Shandy
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2
- 2 bottles of Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
- Homemade sparkling cider (4½ ounces frozen apple juice concentrate, 1½ ounce can of seltzer/soda water)
- 1 red apple, sliced
- ¼ cup cinnamon sugar
- Make The Sparkling Cider: Thaw the apple juice concentrate and pour it into a medium-sized, airtight container (we used a glass flask), followed by the can of seltzer. Seal and set aside.
- Toss the red apple slices in cinnamon sugar until lightly and evenly coated.
- Pour Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale into 2 pilsner glasses until each one is roughly ¾ of the way full. Add a float of cider to the rim (don't worry about extra bubbles -- a bit of foam is ideal!), garnish with the apple slices, and serve.
Thrillist Video brings you the best local food stories and trends, from barbecue tips to odd jobs around the world.


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When it comes to your commercial lease expiry, is time your friend or enemy? (+ VIDEO)
A common mistake tenants make with an upcoming commercial lease expiry is not starting the process early enough.
What do we mean by this?
Over and over again, tenants do not leave themselves enough time to explore suitable market alternatives or find comparable market options to use as leverage in negotiations with their current landlord.
How much time should you leave for an upcoming commercial lease expiry?
Calculating the amount of time that you'll need to secure a great space and deal is not an exact science. It comes down to the size of your business, your internal objectives and projected future growth.
At Tenant CS, we advise our clients to start preparing as early as possible. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to your commercial lease expiry, leave at least one year to explore the market and to decide whether it's best to stay put or relocate.
We encourage larger occupiers to start the process at least two years before lease expiry. This is particularly true for mid-to-large-sized global companies where approval processes can be lengthy.
Why is time so valuable?
The importance of leaving yourself enough time to tackle the office leasing process is twofold. Firstly, if you wait until the last minute to find a new commercial space, you may find it hard to source comparable properties that match all your requirements, especially if the market is tight. Your landlord also gains the upper hand because they are aware that you have a deadline and shortage of options.
As a tenant, time is critical to ensuring that you maintain your advantage in negotiations. And, as time diminishes, so too does your leverage to secure the best deal for your company – time is your friend, and it really does pay to start the process early.
Don't have the time or expertise?
Tenant CS is a tenant representation company that acts exclusively for tenants across real estate projects. We are expert negotiators and have extensive experience in identifying real estate solutions that work best different businesses.
Tenant CS takes the hassle out of the project and represents your best interests every step of the way. Get in touch today!


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So, we all remember this list's predecessors, right? How could we forget the posts that, in certain months, drive over 8,000 daily views to my humble abode? We couldn't. It just wouldn't be right.
Well, I've decided to get a headstart this year – and start writing my gift guide in May. Don't look at me like that. It's still going to be published months after I start. That just means it will be better and full of more useful content – which means you will be provided with great, meaningful, unique presents that teens all over the world will love. (Also, if anyone has any ideas they'd like me to add, or areas they'd like me to expand just drop a comment.)
The aim for this year is to present presents (see what I did there?) that teenagers that don't like presents will love, presents that teenagers who don't know what they want, who are emo or tomboyish, who are overly girly or on their phone 24/7, who – well, the point is, it doesn't matter who they are; there's something here for everyone. And I've even arranged it into loads of pretty little categories so you don't have to skim through over 500 lines of text. Aren't I a helpful cookie?
By the way, I actually have my own store (yes, this is shameless self-advertisement for an entire line. I'm terrible. How on earth do I live with myself?) so check it out – http://www.zazzle.co.uk/okaaythen and an little store specifically for teen girls because . . . well, I hand picked everything, which is here: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/okaaythen-21 so head on over.
And, in this new edition, vague presents – clothes, CDs, DVDs – come equipped with a handy mini-store widget. This is basically where I built a personal wishlist for this items that you can peruse and buy. So, instead of just telling you to buy DVDs, I now have a lovely widget telling you exactly what DVDs I would recommend.
So, without further ado, let's get onto the list! (Can you tell I'm writing this at 1am? I feel like you can tell…)
Le Tableu de Content
- Generic Gifts (in increasing value – upto £5, upto £15, upto £25, upto £50, upto £100 and £100+)
- The Jesus-Christ-When-You're-Old-And-Senile-I'll-Make-Sure-Your-Nurses-Are-All-Hot-And-Wear-Short-Tight-Uniforms level gifts that will get you in your teen's good books . . . forever – GIFT BOXES
- Presents on the cheap – this section is a MUST LOOK AT; it can save you so much money without forfeiting any quality and (for those of you that dread it) no DIY. Woo!
- DIY Done Right
- Interesting ways to give money that won't seem like you just forget about getting them a gift
- Gift cards
- Brands teens love
- My Favourite Things – wishlists, favourite stores etc, for a bit of inspiration from a teen to another. (There are also other people's wishlists here too, so there
Generic Gifts
By generic gifts, I don't mean "ugh, so boring and overdone – everyone has heard of these"; I mean generically pleasing. Whether you hate Hula Hoops or love Kit-Kats, (Hula hoops the crisps. Nobody could hate Hula Hoop the toys. If you do, you're probably a terrorist. Then again, how could you hate the crisps? Seriously, stay away from me, you strange and slightly scary person.) these gifts (should) make you a happy duck.
Please still use your common sense though.
I wouldn't want to be responsible for a teen throwing an offensive gift at your head, and it somehow ending in your unfortunate demise. Well, I wouldn't mind – as long as there was no legal proof. So, in very clear grey writing, please try to keep in mind who you're buying for.
Up to £5
I created an aStore specifically for presents under £5 – as we're going to be very familiar with aStores by the end of this post let me quickly explain what they are. They are basically a mini online store that's filled with items I've personally selected off of Amazon and grouped together for quick viewing – so instead of having to read through all my ideas below you can just skip to a selection of over 150 £5 or less items. This option is at the top of all the categories. This year's gift guide is high-tech, bitches. Y'all don't even need to read.
Um, why did you suddenly turn Southern? The moment took me. aStore – Here!
- Sweets. A slight cop out to some – a wise choice for others. I personally love the idea of getting sweets as a gift, because I prefer smaller gifts – mainly because there seems to be a direct correlation between how small a gift is and how well it is wrapped.
Helpful note: if you have a lot of people to buy for, you can buy boxes of sweets in bulk. Let me help you out with some links here.
Cadbury Heroes Carton 350 g (Pack of 3)
Mega Deluxe Chocolate Hamper Gift Box
- Cheap jewellery. As I love you all, I created an aStore specifically dedicated to jewellery (which is essentially where I scrolled through Amazon and selected the best things I could find and arranged them into price ranges) so you can browse a specially chosen selection that are specifically in your price range. And what am I? A teen. So who have I chosen for? Teens! (I tried to include quite a lot for guys too)
- Choker
These choker type necklaces are actually really popular at the moment and at only £1.97 (free P+P) a steal too! Jewellery of Lords Black Vintage Stretch Tattoo Henna Choker Hippy Necklace
- Fake piercings. Fake piercings are such a stylish, useful idea because . . . well, getting piercings is a phase that every teen seems to go through – and instantly regret. (I've included some fake piercings in my jewellery aStore)
- Nail polish
- Key chains! Cheap and adorable – what could be better?
- Posters! Posters are great because . . . well, they're cheap, adorable and what says "I know you!" more than getting someone a giant picture of their favourite band, or something? Even if you don't know them that well, there are loads of generic posters that anyone would love!
- Socks. Okay, look at me like that. But socks are a great stocking filler and . . . they're cheap. Novelty socks are also great gifts because they're cute and useful. Can't go wrong.
- Books! Although, if bought in store, books can be pretty pricey (there are some months I end up spending £15 on a single book . . . I regret nothing.) when bought online they usually cost about £3 – and that's new. As this is another vague answer, guess what I provided you with . . . that's right – an aStore! (Which would be here)
- USB sticks. Okay, yes, I know you're thinking "wow, Mia, isn't that . . . so incredibly boring." … You, my dear reader, would be correct – but USBs are pretty much necessary once you reach high school and some of these are . . . well, really, really cute.
8GB Portable Unique Design Despicable Me Cartoon Character Minions Mark Style USB Flash Memory – Yellow
- Badges! Who doesn't love badges? They're a cute, expressive and . . . inexpensive. Not to mention – cheap.
Ain't No Wifey Beanie (Red)
- BEANIES! (See what I did there?) There are so many different kinds of beanies and they're all adorable. The aStore has a nice variety for you lovely people, just saying.
- Cake pops!
- Chocolate pizza! (Please. Please.) An Entire Store For Chocolate Pizza! (The individually wrapped pizza slices are adorable, let's not lie.)
- Fake nails (if you go instore to somewhere like Boots, these cost like £10, for a pack of 24, but on Amazon it's £2 for a pack of 200. Deals. All included in the aStore.)
- Press on nails
- (An example of press on nails)
Elegant Touch Pre Polished Nails with self adhesive tabs – Jet Black – 301 – £3.62
- Pens! Okay, don't look at me like that. I meant cute pens. Like these.
Etsy set of 6 for £4.96 if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
Etsy set of 6 for £4.96 – if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- Nail decals (essentially stickers or press on designs for your nails) – these are cute and usually cost about 40p per sheet.
- Example 1
- Example 2 – this seller has over 200 designs (with a hell of a lot of variety) and they all go for £0.48 each, free P+P
- Last example, I promise.
- 50 Sheets of 3D Nail Stickers (they look a bit tack in this picture, but if you click on the link and see all the sheets separately, they're great.)
50 Sheets 3D Nail Art Tips Stickers Design Manicure Decals
- Face masks
- Guitar Picks
- Marvel Guitar Picks
Peavey Marvel Universe Classic Pick Pack (Box of 12)
- Adorable bear or cat tights
Women Cute Cat Bear Over Knee Socks Stocking Tight Hosiery Tattoo Pantyhose – £1.11 (I really want that skirt. I'm going to find it.)
- Cute Skeleton Necklace (which I actually own, go me!)
Lingstar(TM) Big Eyes UFO Aliens Little Skull Long Necklace Women Sweater Chain (black) – £0.99
- Leg warmers!
- Fluffly socks! (Great around Christmas especially.)
- Yup.
Ladies Army Camouflage Leg warmers – Khaki Green Rib – One Size – £2.75
- Money Counting Penny Jar. I really need one of these.
Gift House Int Digital UK Coin Counting Money Jar – £5
- Phone cases!
- Bookmarks! (This might go down better, say, with a book)
- Novelty Boxers
- THE BEST NOTEBOOKS EVER. And, no, I am not exaggerating.
I love these. These are my babies. And my lovers. And possibly my mother. And that really weird to type, can we just forget I said anything? Thanks guys, love you all.
These drop in at £3.50 each (so little . . . so many . . .) and are hilarious and adorable – perfect for stockings or just little presents. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/123036993/a6-pocket-notebook-jotter-mini-journal?ref=sr_gallery_34&ga_search_query=notebooks&ga_page=7&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery – – if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- For Your Vampire Lovers – Or Total Twilight Bashers
£3.50 from Etsy – if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- Tiny, cute purses
Women's Cool Backpack Flower Coin Bag Wallet Hand Pouch Purse – £1.49
- Cufflinks
- Iron man 2 cufflinks – £1.37
- Evil Spiderman Cufflinks – £2.99
- Midi Rings!
- 7pcs Skull Bowknot Heart Nail Knuck Band Midi Mid Finger Tip Stacking Rings (7 Pcs) – £0.58
- Cute mug
Star Wars, Starbucks Coffee parody MUG. Ceramic / Dishwasher proof – £5
Upto £15
As aforementioned, the Upto £15 aStore is here.
- CDs. As this is one of those pesky, vague answers I made (another) aStore with a vast selection of recommendations.
- Earphones.
(This pair come in a variety of colours and they're adorable, so I had to..) Fresh Tangle Free Earbuds, Blue – £7
- HUF socks.
These come at £12 a pop, but Huf socks are adored by everyone and come in all kinds of colours and designs – perfect for both boys and girls. http://www.size.co.uk/brand/huf/
- USB Powered Mini Fridge
For only £15 this is a steal – and…I mean, it's a USB powered mini-fridge. What do I even need to say?
GreatGadgets 3072 USB Mini Fridge (Red)
- DVDs.
- Funny T-Shirts. I actually have my own store which has a range of stuff, which includes some funny t-shirts. (like the one below – it's designed on a male shirt so it's big enough to wear as a pyjama top. But I want it.)
"It's Too Early" Pyjama Top – GIRLS T-shirt by Okaaythen
Make custom tee shirts at zazzle.co.uk
- A full pencil case – complete with some nice pens.
- Phone Cases. Phone cases are so cute – and kind of essential too.
- Calendars!
"Be Someone's Shot Of Whiskey" Mug by Okaaythen
Browse more Breakfast Mugs
- Notebooks! I love notebooks..
- The Book Of Lists (a really cool book filled with really cool, really random trivia.)
The Book Of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information – £7.50
- POPCORN MAKER! (There . . . may be an absurd number of food makers further down the gift guide.. Just a brief warning.)
Andrew James Hot Air Popcorn Maker -Includes 500g of Popping Corn Kernels, 4 Popcorn Boxes And 2 Year Warranty
- I'm a Disney Princess top
I'm A Disney Princess T-Shirt (Small) – £6.50
- Craft a doodle book – great for artists or just creative kiddiwinks
Craft-a-Doodle – £10.50
- These fucking amazing notebooks that I swear to God are the top of my Christmas list. (And look great in person, as they are currently sold in Waterstones and they look amazing.)
In My Humble Opinion Journal – £8.36
- My Dysfunctions Journal – £8.36
- Inner Truth Journal: It's Gonna be Ok – £8.36
- Press on nails (with designs) – in the case of the example below, a nice ombre effect.
Elegant Touch Trend Ombre Nails, Tropical Sunset/ Coral/ Peach – £7.25
- Fairy lights! (I'm not joking; these are honestly on my Christmas list)
- Nail polish sets!
- Possibly the cutest (and definitely the cheapest) nail polish set there is
24 x NAIL POLISH VARNISH SET BABY FACE 24 COLOURS WHOLESALE THE BEST GIFT – £9.99
- Guitar Pick Creator
Pickmaster Plectrum Punch-Make Your Own Picks – £16
- Laundry Punch Bag. I'm sorry, but this is so bloody cool. I want one.
SUCK UK Punch Bag Drawstring Laundry Bag – £16
- Money Jars!
- Speak of the devil!
Plastic Coca Cola/Coke Savings Money Bottle/Coke Bottle Money Box/ Novelty Money Box-60 cm height-Official Licensed. – £8.64
- 3-Panel Jewellery Organiser for Hanging Earrings, Bracelets, & Necklaces, Black £15
- Cream sets.
- Good hair conditioners – okay, fine, you might think it's a bit boring, but I guarantee 80% of teen girls (including me) adore hair conditioner. It's a necessity. But it's a bloody expensive one; treat your teen to some quality stuff as a good present.
- "Hi, I'm A Pessimist" T-Shirt
Hi, I'm A Pessimist Shirt by youmustbehighxo
View more Funny T-Shirts
- Victoria's Secret Body Mists. These are amazing. My friends and I trek up to London a few times a year just to go to Victoria's Secret and buy them. Ugh. They're lovely.
- (I included loads in the aStore, so I'll only post one on here)
Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist (Pure Seduction) – £7
- Body Butter
- Soap And Glory Smoothie Star Body Buttercream 300ml – £10.50
- Bath bomb sets!
- Soap sets
- Bomb Cosmetics Little Box of Love Gift Pack – £9.99
- Chocolate sets/Boxes
- Lindt Chocolate Lovers Gift Bag 201 g (Pack of 1) – £7.99
- Speakers! Portable speakers are a bit of a rage right now (pretty much half of my friends have at least one. Usually more in a bunch of really bright colours.) and they're cheap, so why not?
- Expower(R) IPX7 Waterproof Shockproof Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Speaker for Outdoor Exercise and Shower (Black+Red) – £15 It's a speaker. For the shower. How fucking cool is that? Come on
- Ripped jeans
- Ear cuffs
- Skullcandy earphones
Skullcandy is such a popular brand because they're really cute and individual – these are only a few designs, but there really are loads. I also know from experience that they work really well and last for ages. Skullcandy Store
- Cute motivational necklace
£11.36 from Etsy – if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- Purses
- Genuine Ladies LYDC Anna Smith With Ribbon Pattern and Gold Plate and Stud Purse – £11
- New Cufflinks Cuff Links Playstation Controller CL193 – £10
- Watch
Vantasy New Men Design Steel Skeleton LED 7 Backlight Analogue Quartz Sport Wrist Watch LED Watch,Black – £7.49
- Scarves
- Band merchandise – if you know their favourite band, you have the key to their heart. Band merch comes in all shapes and sizes – keyrings, posters, t-shirts, wristbands, phone cases, notebooks . . . the list really does go on. Although, if you don't know their favourite band and play it safe with Nirvana or Guns'N'Roses.
- Ear cuffs (I feel like I've already mentioned these. Sorry.)
- Bundle Monster 6pc Punk Style Ear Wrap Charm Ear Cuff Earring Stud Fashion Accessory for Pierced + Non Pierced Ears £9.99
- Slave chain bracelets – these are adorable and so cheap. And they're basically a ring, with a bracelet.
- Bundle Monster 5pc Gothic Punk Metal Loose Chain Charm Gypsy Ring Bracelet Mix Designs- Silver/Brass/Gold Finish- £9.99
- Art Supplies
- Hobby Guide Books – if you know some of your teen's interests, you can get them hobby books. Or, if you want to get them into something, give them a hobby book.
- Tote bags!
- Pull-up bar
- Hula hoop! Hula hoops are fun and healthy. Good for teens that want to get in shape and inexpensive.
Hoopomania Light Hoop Hula Hoop with Foam 1.2 kg – £11.90
- Chocolate Hamper
Chocolate Lovers Gift Box – £12.50
- Chocolate Pizza
Games for Motion Scrabble with Chocolate Pieces 170 g – £8
Upto £25
The upto £25 aStore is here.
- A hair drier! Especially for teen girls, hair is a big factor. You could buy them some proper styling equipment and they'll love you.
- Continuing on from that, Hair Curlers! (Whether these are tongs or whatever)
- Hair straighteners!
BaByliss 5541CU Pro Speed 2200 W Hair Dryer £20
- Remington S3500 Ceramic Straight 230 Hair Straightener – £20
- BaByliss 2287BU Pro Curl 210 Curling Tong – £18
- A tattooed barbie!
- THE BEST THING IN THE BLOODY UNIVERSE. Cards Against Humanity.
Cards Against Humanity: UK edition – £20 For those of you that don't know, CAH is basically a card game. And that is all I'm going to reveal. Just . . . look it up. It's amazing.
- Novelty boxers.
- Lingerie. (Probably more of a girl-to-girl thing. It would be extremely weird for a second cousin to buy his cousin lacy underwear. I'm just saying.)
- Chalk-board-wall-decal-calendar
£21.68 – https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/66436196/chalkboard-wall-calendar-vinyl-wall?ref=sc_3&sref=sr_40e33f01bb11308234d7b9a6fa62c6bfd81b201a07dfb0c2c3bdc6d6f9da94f2_1409152236_14093939_calendar&sref2=NjY0MzYxOTY.%3AY2FsZW5kYXI.%3AMTQwOTM5Mzk.%3AY2FsZW5kYXI.%3Ady4y%3AMTQwOTE1MjIzNg..%3AMzoxNDA5MTUyMjM2OnF6cGNUR0ZESWdaWjRTMXVJTmVSZFMzM2NfeW46OWViNWUwNTcyMzAwYmJjYjU0YzM3MmU5Mzk1ZGY1NDFhMjMzMmRiNDA0NTIyN2E3YTAzYTE1OTU5MzRiZGUyMw..%3Ade04f7a93824f462b16509e502c3077100c78d01&ga_search_query=calendar&ga_page=5&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- Pyjamas
- A jewellery box
Sophia Vintage Shabby Chic Jewellery Box Ladies Three Drawer Jewellery Box 2668 – £22.99
- Bath sets!
- Mani-pedi sets!
- Luzia New Womens Adult Mens Unisex Aztec Superman Batman Print Ladies Hoody Jumpsuit Onesie – £20
- iBoutique ColourJets USB Dancing Fountain Speakers for PC/Mac/MP3 Players/Mobile Phones/Tablets – Jet Black – £18
- Kimonos!
- Decorative Pillows
"I'm Creative.." Messy Room Pillow by Okaaythen
Browse other pillow designs on Zazzle.
Helpful Grammar Hints Desk Organiser by Okaaythen
Browse other Funny Desk Organisers
- Vans
Vans Unisex Authentic Classic Canvas Trainer VRQZ7IM – £24
- Chocolate Hamper!
Upto £50
- Converses! Who doesn't love converses?
Converse All Star Ox Shoes – White
- TV Box sets! If in doubt, always get someone a box set of their favourite television series!
- Film box sets – I'm thinking Matrix, Twilight etc
- Book box sets
- Hair dryers – okay, yeah, it may not be wildly exciting, but it's kind of a necessity and hair styling is important to well . . . pretty much every girl I know. If you're stuck . . . this may be the way to go.
- Hair straighteners!
- Hair curlers (yes, theme. Sorry.)
Converse Unisex Chuck Taylor Allstar Ox Fabric Trainers
- Waffle makers! I personally love waffles – well, I mean, who doesn't love waffles – and if I ever got a waffle maker I think I would cry. I mean, that is literally the dream. Kind of.
Belgian Waffle Maker with 1kg Luxury Belgian Waffle Mix – £34.90
- Donut maker! (Do you sense a theme here?)
Donut Bakery Kit – £46.50, but isn't it so beautiful?
- Candy floss maker!
Andrew James Candy Floss Maker Machine + Three Candy Floss Flavoured Sugars – Lemon, Orange & Cherry – £30
- Ice cream maker! (Yes, I'll stop soon, but just look at all the possibilites . . . imagine if you bought someone all of them . . . they'd love you forever. Hint hint. Buy the food makers.)
Andrew James Ice Cream, Sorbet and Frozen Yoghurt Maker Machine 1.45 Litre + 128 Page Recipe Book – As voted "Best Buy" Ice Cream Maker By Which Magazine – £26
- Cake Pop Maker!
Andrew James Red Cake Pop Maker With 11 Hole Cake Pop Display Stand, Includes 25 Lollipop Sticks 25 Cake Pop Bags And 25 Twist Ties Ideal For All Family Occasions And Celebrations – £27 (by the way, if you don't know what cake pops are look the delicious little babies up. You'll thank me.)
SNOWCONE / SLUSHIE MAKER WITH 2 X 500 ML SYRUP BOTTLES – a little over at £51, but it's a SLUSHIE MAKER so I couldn't just not include it.
- Duvet covers! These come in so many cool, unique designs and are just adorable. I mean, if you know your teenager you can get them a personal favourite (eg an Adventure Time duvet.)
- Silk/satin covers. These look lovely, but for your curly haired (or beauty obsessed) teens, satin sheets are amazing for your skin and completely de-frizz hair.
- I love Adventure Time. (As does any normal human being and . . . well, most teenagers I know) Adventure Time Jake Double Duvet Cover Set – £32
- Marvel Comics King Size Duvet Set Panel Print – £30
- 3-Piece Notebook Set
£34 – Etsy – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs
- Games! Games, games, games! My personal favourites include anything to do with Mario, Zelda, Tomb Raider, Sims or Animal Crossing. If you want some ideas, there are lots of lists for popular games – just Google it.
(This game looks amazing. I mean, absolutely hilarious. Watch the trailer on the amazon page and be wowed.)Tomodachi Life (Nintendo 3DS) – £30
- I love, love, love animal crossing. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo 3DS) – £25
- Sims 4!
The Sims 4 – Limited Edition (PC DVD) – £33
- Rollerblades!
- A record player! For some reason, everyone is in love with vintage everything at the moment and music is no exception. A lot of albums are released on vinyl now, so why not buy a record player and invest in some record.
- GPO Stylo 3 Speed Stand Alone Turntable with Built In Speakers – Black – £39
- Wireless Aston Martin Mouse
Wireless Car Mouse – Aston Martin – Storm Black – £35
- Adorable Trinket Box
I have a love for all things Oriental or boxy, so this really gets me. Mother of Pearl Peacock Design Music Wooden Black Bird Girls Jewellery Mirror Case Trinket Keepsake Treasure Gift Musical Asian Lacquer Box Case Chest Organizer – £49.95
- Victoria's Secret Set (I can't handle it. It's beautiful.)
Victoria Secret Gift Set Pack Of 6 Boxed 125 ml – £30
- Friends Complete Box Set! Friends is old, but I legitimately don't know a single girl that doesn't love it and, now that e4 doesn't air it anymore (sad face), a box set may be a good idea!
Friends – Season 1-10 Complete Collection (15th Anniversary) [DVD] [2004] – £50
- Wall decals
- Chalkboard Walk Decal Calendar
£39.64 https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/63774260/chalkboard-wall-calendar-with-memo-vinyl?ref=related-3 if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- Healing crystals!
- Healing crystal necklace.
Opalite, Amethyst and Hamsa Chakra Healing crystal Chokers set of 3 – £27 – From Etsy. (I want these. I really, really want these.) – if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1wATIqs – for £5 off your first order.
- Vans
Vans Unisex – Adult U AUTHENTIC (POP) PETIT FOU Low – £27
- Underwater Camera
Compact Underwater Digital Camera Vivitar 8426 Waterproof 8 Megapixel – 3 Metres Underwater – Aqua Blue – £40
- Pillows!
"Today Has Been Cancelled" Pillow by Okaaythen
Browse other throw pillow designs on Zazzle.
Upto £100
- A spa day!
- A hair cut and style!
- Polaroid camera! (Like I said, an increasing adoration for anything retro seems to be popping up. I blame Urban Outfitters. They're amazing.)
Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Instant Camera Gift Bundle with 40 Shots – 5 COLOUR OPTIONS – £80
- Ecosphere. These are fucking cool – essentially what they are is a- I'm just going to copy and paste the description from their site.
This is a very special little gift indeed. The world's first completely enclosed ecosystem. It's a feat created by NASA Scientists – a totally self contained, self sustaining miniature universe wrapped in a clear, glass shell. You really have to see it to believe it.Every single EcoSphere contains a totally sealed ecosystem. There are teeny tiny micro-organisms inside – they're the shrimp and algae you can see in the picture swimming around in the clear 'soup' of filtered sea-water. You don't need to feed the little shrimp or clean the water, all you need to do is provide a safe environment with lots of indirect natural or artificial light. Your ecosphere will last roughly 3 years. But it's really not unusual for them to last much longer, some are still going strong after a whopping 10 years.
Ecosphere- Small Round – £90
- Penny Boards! My best friend Sophie tried to explain these to me, but . . . I'm not a skater, so I honestly have no clue. Penny boards are insanely popular, though! (And they come in such a variety of designs you could probably buy one for a non-skater and they'd keep it just to look at)
Penny 069169 – Skateboard – Multiple Designs – £75+
- Beautiful Trinket Box (That I really, really want)
Mother of Pearl Purple Asian Lacquer Women Wooden Jewellery Trinket Keepsake Treasure Gift Girls Ring Necklace Box Chest Case Storage Organizer with Flower and Crane Design – £64
- Soap and Glory Box Set
- (For artistic teens) A graphics tablet! I personally need one of these – and a scanner. (If you don't know what a graphics tablet is, it's basically a tool to allow you to draw directly onto a computer. It's great if you like digital art.)
- This one is amazing and RRPs at over £200 – if you look at the specs, you'll understand why. However, I managed to find it at . . . £67! Which is great because not only are most graphic tablets only £17 pounds cheaper . . . they're also a lot smaller. Monoprice 12×9-inch Graphic Drawing Tablet – £67
- Magazine Subscriptions! I included a link that actually helps you select which magazine to buy – and iSubscribe is easily the cheapest website I've seen. http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/magazine-gift-finder.cfm
- Concert tickets
- Exercise Bike
Ultrasport Exercise Bike F-Bike -£89.99
- A bike!
- Tour of a football stadium
- Classes – maybe a cooking class, or a poledancing class. Don't you look at me like that.
- A TV! Most teens have a TV, but bigger is always better.
Panasonic TX-50A400B 50-inch Widescreen 1080p Full HD LED TV with Freeview (New for 2014) – £249
- Games consoles!
- xBox One
Xbox One Console with Kinect – £389
Sony PlayStation 4 Console (PS4) – £339
- 3DS – I think 3DS is my favourite console purely because all the games are fucking great; Animal Crossing, Zelda, Mario . . .don't even start me.
Nintendo 3DS Handheld Console – Cosmos Black – £147
- An iPad is always a great way to go.
Apple iPad 4 with Retina Display – Black (16GB, WiFi) – £285
- A tablet.
- An iPhone. I really want an iPhone – well, half because of the cases, but half because iPhones are fucking cool.
Apple iPhone 5, White, 16GB – £399
- Laptop
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-17J 15.6-inch Notebook (White) – (Intel Core i3-3217U 1.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1, Skullcandy Audio) – £359 – laptops are probably the best gift you could get a teen because they are literally everything – fun, useful and . . . well, technology.
- Macbook
Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel Dual Core i5 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, HD Graphics 4000, OS X Lion) – £739 Basically a laptop . . . but taken to the complete next level. No teen would ever complain at a Macbook. My best friend Amber is pining for one.
- Desktop computer
- Mac
Apple iMac 27-inch All-in-One Desktop PC with Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard (Intel Core i5 3.2GHz Processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB HDD, 7200rpm, Face Time HD Camera, OS X Mountain Lion) – £1,200 – Macs are the best.
- A horse
- Exercise Equipment
- Exotic pets
- A puppy!
- A kitten
- A Treadmill
Confidence Power Plus Motorised Treadmill – £129
- A snake
- A canon camera – this is actually a contribution from my best friend Amber, who really wants one.
Canon PowerShot SX520 HS Digital Camera – (16MP, 42x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD – £199
- Timberland Boots
Womens Timberland 6 Inch Premium Wheat Ankle Boots SIZE 3-8 – £139
- This adorable bracelet that I will one day own, I don't even care.
Ultimate Disney Classic Charm Bracelet – £159
- WINNIE THE POOH. I love, love, love Winnie The Pooh, so this makes me ridiculously happy.
Pooh and Friends Swarovski Crystal Charm Bracelet – £109
- Experiences – http://www.redletterdays.co.uk/Home
The Jesus-Christ-When-You're-Old-And-Senile-I'll-Make-Sure-Your-Nurses-Are-All-Hot-And-Wear-Short-Tight-Uniforms level gifts that will get you in your teen's good books . . . forever – GIFT BOXES Included
- I have an entire post dedicated to gift hampers here, for your convenience
- A complete wardrobe revamp. (Please, jesus.)
- A complete room revamp.
- Day trip shopping in Paris with friends. (If you take the Eurostar, you can literally drive into France. It's so cool.) Offer to pay for them and a friend, or offer to take them to Paris for the day. You could go shopping, or Disneyland Paris.
- -Idea/Story Break- So last year this was a present I included – "Winter sleepover in a box". A gift I thought up for my cousin actually, as she lives in Devon and it gets bloody freezing down there. Basically, you get a pretty box and in it you put all the essentials for a winter sleepover – fluffy socks, a movie, popcorn, a blanket, hot chocolate mix, biscuits and a pair of pyjamas. We brits need our ways to battle the cold, after all – and it inspired a range of my favourite things – gift boxes! (There has been way too many italics in this section. I'm just saying.) But, essentially, I created my own gift boxes and stored them in helpful aStores. Okay? Okay.
This isn't The Fault In Our Stars, Mia, stop.
- "Managing Your Money" Gift Box – aStore is here
A gift box for those teens who need a bit of help managing their money.
- "Nail Art Perfection" Gift Box – aStore is here
There are so many cute nail designs – and now you can give your teen the gift of being able to do them all themselves!
- Marvel Madness Gift Box – aStore is here
Since Avengers (and obviously before, but Avengers really made it mainstream) everyone is in love with Marvel. This is fucking great because Marvel merch is 1. awesome and 2. easy to find.
- "Organise Your Life" Gift Box – aStore here
More one for those that love school, or need a bit of help organising themselves for it. A gift box complete with everything you need to get back on track.
- "Tumblr Threw Up On Me" gift box. Let me explain this a little bit; so around 80% of teens have Tumblr. (I made up that statistic. But still, my point remains.) Even those of us that don't have tumblr still kind of use it – because it is literally everywhere. Famous pictures, quotes, T-Shirts, people . . . Tumblr is everywhere. And we love it. So this gift box is all the best things to come out of Tumblr – and any teen girl would love it. – aStore here
- Complete Charm Bracelet; this is an idea that I've had for ages – although I want to get people charms as presents every occasion to build up and have them all really meaningful. But a good present would be a complete charm bracelet with charms that relate to the teen. (Eg. their favourite animal, colour, first letter of their name etc) – aStore here
- A complete makeup giftbox – aStore here
- A complete jewellery box – aStore here
- A kindle filled with books
- A gold iPhone.
Apple iPhone 5S UNLOCKED Space Grey/Gold/Silver 16/32/64GB SIM FREE (16GB, Gold) – £460
- A puppy
- This is more of a DIY gift – have family put money in mason jar throughout year. At Christmas time, give the jar to your teen.
- Chocolate Lovers – aStore
- Hampers! Hampers are . . . ah, God, they're just the best. If you open a present to see its a hamper, it's like another present. If you want to give someone a really great present, get them a hamper – and do it big. Go hard or go home.
- Guylian Hamper (okay, so this one is kind of small, but it's Guylian so allow me.)
Guylian Hamper 800g – £29.95
- An even bigger Guylian hamper.
Chocolate Gift Hamper… Chocolate Sensations – £44.50
- One last chocolate hamper, because I really want to hammer home what a good idea these are (and I'm drooling look at them)
Mega Deluxe Chocolate Hamper Gift Box – £32.90
Presents On The Cheap
Okay, so by presents on the cheap I really am looking at ways to save yourself money at Christmas without having to resort to tack or just generally terrible gift ideas.
So, here a few of my main ideas:
- DIY gift boxes. Don't shake your head at me – I know you're thinking "that means I have to buy the stuff myself", but that's where it comes in handy. For example, last year I raided Primark and Poundland and cheap shops like that and piled all the stuff together, usually mixed in with a good few gifts too.
I'm not very good at explaining.
In Primark, for example, they sell sets of jewellery – so I bought a few sets of necklaces (you all know those tiny, cute, four packs) and rings and bracelets etc – then went to Poundland and bought things like nice mugs, candles, incense, photo frames, big packs of sweets etc and then went to WHSmiths and bought a bunch of books off clearance (they're like 5op-£4 each) and came home with bags of stuff, but only £30 spent.
I then took everything out of the packaging and spread it all out – which is when you really realise how much you have. Once you can see all the stuff you've bought, you can divide it into seperate gift boxes and wa-la! You're done! I know you might be a bit sceptical, so I'm going to include what I managed to salvage last year.
Mum: clearance autobiography of one of her favourite comedians (Dawn French), a set of frangrance oils (she has a burner) – poundland, a box of chocolate – Poundland, a necklace, a bracelet and a ring – Primark, and a mug (part of a couples set) from poundland.
I'm not going to explain what I mean by wholesale, I'm just going to show you.
72 (Yes, 72) aloe vera, assorted colours lipsticks for £14.99
72 x Lipstick with ALOE VERA / VITAMIN E Wholesale JOB LOT UK
12 Eyeliner Pencils (Extra Long) for 99p
12 x BLACK EYELINER LONG PENCILS WATERPROOF WHOLESALE JOB LOT UK
24 Lipglosses (12 different colours) for £10.99
24 x BIG LIP GLOSS FRUITY LUXURY 12 DIFFERENT SHADES LONG LASTING MOISTURISING
20 pairs of earrings for £1.99
20 Pairs Rhinestone Crystal Plastic Round Earrings Studs Pin Jewelry Wholesale New arrival
These are just a few examples, but wholesale is a really cheap idea.
- Amazon Outlet. So most of you know about Outlet stores, right? Basically shops where all the unwanted items from brands go – so if Boohoo or Next doesn't sell all its stock before the new season comes in, they'll go to an Outlet store and you'll be able to buy something that was £100 for £10. Amazon has it's own one of these (usually for over-stock) which is . . . well, pretty damn amazing. Amazon Outlet (Let me include an example actually)
DIY Done Right
Here are a few Artsy Present Ideas – I have a Pinterest board specifically for Artsy Christmas here if you want a lot more. I tried to stick to things that are very much doable – and can be tailored to somebodies specific personality.
- Polaroid Mannequin
- Treat box!
- Sweet Tree
- "In Case Of Emergency…"
- "Necklace in a walnut"
- Gum bouquet!
- Cupcake In A Jar
- Shadow Saving Box
A photoframe money box – stick a photo of whatever the teen is saving up for (toTRAVEL THE WORLD, a certain college etc) and put it in a photoframe, then cut a slit in for money!
Okay, I feel like now is the time for a music break. Let me just insert a song for you beautiful people here.
Interesting Ways To Give Money (I feel like this is an important section.)
- Money Pizza!
- Money balloons! This would be cute in helium balloons too – especially on birthdays, sneak into your teens room with helium balloons filled with money and confetti. Cute.
- Money chocolate box (and then you can eat the chocolate first too. Win.)
- "Open when" letters – "open when", you need a new coat, "open when" you need a pick me up, "open when" you're craving chocolate etc.
- "Rainy day umbrella"
- Money in a sweets jar
Gift Cards
The best gift card (for me at least) is an Amazon gift card because everything – and I do literally mean everything – you could get another gift card for is on Amazon. Then again, I just pretty much adore Amazon (it is my heaven as every site I use redeems using Amazon vouchers), so I may be biased.
Greeting Card Voucher – Amazon.co.uk Gift Card – £10-500 (Other designs available)
Gift Box Voucher – Amazon.co.uk Gift Box – £40-£250
Printable Voucher – Printable Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate – £1-£1,000
Brands That Teens Love
- Soap & Glory
- Beyonce
- Cadbury
- Apple
- Skullcandy
My Favourite Things
- This is an aStore of some of my favourite picks http://astore.amazon.co.uk/miaswishlist-21
- This store! All the best notebooks are here and . . . well, we all know h0w much I love notebooks. https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ZeebenDry?page=6
- Alice in Wonderland locket. I just-I just can't.
We're All Mad Here, Alice In Wonderland Book Locket Pendant – £9.99
- Snow White And The Seven Dwarves Necklace. Okay, so yes I like weird things. My wishlist is pretty much full of crystals. I'd say don't judge me, but it doesn't really matter if you do.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Quirky Necklace (Gift Pouch Included) Cute Kitsch Jewellery (Length 96cm) – £7.50
- Fallen Saint – Shop (this is actually the best shop – they have key necklaces that say the "key to life", "the key to my memories" etc, Alice in Wonderland…and so much more… I just love it)
- This shop – it sells all the jewellery I love. I just . . . I just can't. http://emptycasket.bigcartel.com/
- This jumper… Look at it. Just look at it.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/180760330/im-sorry-its-just-that-i-literally-do?ref=shop_home_active_13 – £18.89 – if you're going to buy on Etsy, sign up here – http://etsy.me/1pH9f6f – for £5 off your first order.
This is an evergrowing list, so if you have anything to add feel free to drop me a comment! Send me wishlists, cool present ideas you've found, things you like, links, pictures, shops . . .
Don't forget to share! (And bookmark!)


text:
Successful Budget Consolidation
An International Comparison
Blame it on the baby boomers. Unless Germany starts making a consistent effort to consolidate its public budgets, the country's already tight financial situation is going to get much worse. As with many Western countries, Germany's upcoming fiscal problems are rooted in demographic trends. Its baby boomer generation is preparing to move from active employment into retirement. Governmental budget planners will soon find themselves confronted with rising payment obligations, just as revenues are declining. Recognizing the urgent need to consolidate Germany's public budgets, Uwe Wagschal examines the factors that have helped determine the effects of budget consolidation in 23 selected OECD countries. His international comparison demonstrates how a combination of budget cuts and increased revenues can lead to successful consolidation.


text:
How to Make Money with Micro Niche Site?
A micro-niche is a small group of people that are sometimes referred to as a community. The people do not know each other personally, but they all have a similar interest which is what makes the niche a niche.
For example, a niche group may be a group of people who study human biology. A micro-niche would be members of that group who study cell mitosis. A micro-niche site is one that appeals to the people who are interested in the micro-niche topic.
Here are a few ways that you may be able to make money by starting a micro-niche site:
Offer services that are difficult to find elsewhere
If the service you offer is truly difficult to find elsewhere, then some people are going to be willing to pay a lot of money to have those services. The harder it is to have those services than the more you may charge. A micro-niche does mean that your target audience, ergo your customer base is small, but that is why you should charge them more money.
Give information that is difficult to find elsewhere
Sometimes even the Internet comes up short when people are searching for very specific information. You may give people that information at a cost. If people are really frustrated and have had no luck trying to find the information elsewhere, then the amount they are willing to pay will go up and up.
Offer tools that other websites do not offer
You may offer these tools on your website, and if they are useful enough for your micro-niche audience, then there is a good chance that they will be willing to pay for them. Try giving people a daily free amount of tries on your tool. People will often come to use your site again and again to the point where the free limited uses are not enough and they will pay to upgrade the service. Giving free but limited usage of your tool will also make online directories more likely to list your tool on their articles.
Sell products that are hard for your micro-niche to find elsewhere
This is going to be a real money spinner if your users are genuinely unable to find your products elsewhere. This is especially good for technological components from companies that are defunct, or components that are hard to find on the consumer market. You may really make a lot of money if you can attract the sort of person who really wants your product. Just a few sales per month may be all you need in order to turn a nice profit.
Charge people for access to your micro-niche site
If the information, tools, forums, how-to articles, etc, are very hard to come by, then some people will pay in order to access your site. This is often a case of they either pay you or go without. If you truly cannot find a micro-niche site like your own then people will probably pay for access to yours. Just make sure that you offer them good value for money.
Charge people for a subscription to your newsletter
If they like your site then there are a lot of things that you may offer them via the newsletter. Ideally, you should offer them tools, information, data or files that they are simply not going to be able to find anywhere else. Your site itself may be the trust builder that gains your subscriptions, since if your site is trustworthy and high quality then your viewers may believe that your newsletter will also be the same.
Offer micro-niche affiliate adverts that do not do well on other domains
There are going to be affiliate adverts out there that match your micro-niche theme. The trouble for the advertiser is that there will be few places where this sort of advert will do well. There will be few places where their adverts are getting few clicks. If you can find these affiliate adverts, then not only will the advertiser be eager to put the adverts on your site, he or she may also be willing to pay more for clicks.
Solicit donations to keep your rare micro-niche site running
If your site serves such a micro-niche that it is hard to make money by conventional means, then asking for donations may serve you well. People may be willing to donate for the simple fact that if your site goes offline then they will have trouble replacing you. They will not mind throwing a few dollars at you to keep the site up and running.
Charge people for asking questions via the online support system
This is done by some websites, and even though it is one of the more seedy/tacky ways of making money, it is still a possibility.
Give people a paid phone number to access further support
If people are going to ask questions of a very technical nature then it may take you a long time to answer online or via email support, which is going to take up your valuable time. If you install a phone system where you receive payments for calls to your number, then you may make money that way.


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Toothrock, East Buttress
United States, Arizona, Vermilion Cliffs (above Lee's Ferry)
On December 29-January 1, Paul Gagner and I finished a 1,500-foot east buttress route (11 pitches, 5.10 A2) started by Glenn Rink et al and never completed. Noebels, Mish and George Bain went up to try the route, but there were "too many people," so Rink and Noebels bailed. They got halfway up the first pillar pitch (sixth pitch overall) on that effort, in 1980, and left water bottles. In 1994, Rink and Jason Keith completed most of the pillar (to the eighth pitch), but then Keith announced he had to be at work the next day and didn't want to finish. He had just done the north face and was sick of the rock. Rink: "I made him promise he'd never bring up trying again, but a year later he was saying we ought to go back." Paul and I added three mostly free pitches and a scrambling pitch and rapped the route. We didn't name the route; just call it the East Buttress.
Dougald MacDonald


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BY DAVID WARING, Africa and Haiti
Mission Field apostolic assistant
Thirty five years ago—baptized less than two years and recently ordained to the office of deacon—I sensed God's call to me. But I struggled how best to respond.
I decided this was a good time for my evangelist blessing. After appropriate preparation, early in the quiet of a Sunday morning, I met with an evangelist and shared in a time of blessing. I remember the experience vividly and have read on many occasions the words of blessing prayed that morning.
Most things prayed are personal, but those words have influenced my life many times. They have reassured me and continued to reassure that it is God who called and God who continues to call me. And, if I remain faithful, I will continue to receive blessings beyond measure.
During the blessing, the evangelist shared that I needed to learn a foreign language. This caused some questions because none of my family had traveled any great distance from home. I certainly never had traveled to a country where I needed another language. As time passed I often thought of the words spoken, but I never acted on them, even though by then I had traveled to many countries.
Almost three years ago, I began to feel restless. I had worked for the church almost nine years and had enjoyed the leadership roles that had come my way. But I was becoming uncomfortable, and I sensed God was calling me to something new. So I spent time trying to discern what this might be.
To cut a long testimony short, in September 2008 I accepted the role of field apostolic assistant for the Africa and Haiti Mission Field. Those who know me know I have a simple faith. When told I would have to learn French to be effective in this new role, the words of my evangelist blessing immediately came to mind as confirmation that I should accept.
Over the last 18 months, the people I have met while traveling in numerous African countries have helped me to remember my simple faith. In my home culture, life has become complicated, as we have become more reliant on material things and less reliant on God.
As I write this, I am traveling in the beautiful country of Malawi. I am meeting people who do not have the materials things on which we rely. I have just seen a sticker on a minibus. It said, "Relax— God Is in Control." What a wonderful and reassuring thought! It does not take away my responsibility, but it challenges me to give a rightful place to God in my life.
The church in Malawi is growing quickly. Can we learn anything from this?
Maybe we should echo their mantra. No matter what happens to them in their lives, their cry is "God is good—all the time."
I continue to be challenged by their simple faith.


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The electric bikes SH series by AVE are not only fast and sportive, their low weight and perfect handling are the best partner for your daily exercise on the way to work. By the way, professionals might want to have a closer look at our SH6s Speed Pedelec. Our engineers managed to integrate the motor in a superlight 3 dimensional motor mount. Fixing the motor in a bucket-like wider bracket increases frame strength dramatically and protects the motor. By rotating this one-piece forging mount in each frame size to its perfect position gives us the strongest connection to downtube and chain stays. And my Dear, does it look good!
The SH series combines minimum weight and a sportive ride with low maintenance and classic comfort. The puncture proof ballontires give ample suspension, the "Big Stiffy" aluminium fork steers you out of any trouble. Once you broke in the ave. true leatherworks saddle made of naturally treated cowhide, you wouldn't want to let the leathergrips go. You don't have to, because the 400 Wh batteries give enough range, under best conditions up to 190 km.
The SH components are made for the daily ride in "downtown madness". All components are solid and premium. No wobbly plastic fenders, no gimmicks. Lightweight slim carriers from Racktime, Premium lighting from Supernova, NuVinci hubgears with automatic or continuously variable, that is the way to catch some respect (and the pole position…)!
By clicking on the pictures, you will see all the photos, technical specifications and price.


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Hapag-Lloyd Cruises To Expand Internationally
07/09/2012 Leave a comment
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has announced that the two pillars of its future development will be luxury cruising and expedition voyages, while at the same time it will be looking to grow these sectors by expanding in the English-speaking market. The newbuilding Europa 2, to be introduced in May 2013, and fleetmate of the existing Europa, will be aimed at the 5-star luxury sector. And, in addition to the existing expedition ships Hanseatic and Bremen, new growth opportunities will be sought in the expedition sector.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is already known in German-speaking countries as one of the leading operators in the luxury and expedition sectors. And at the same time, the proposed expansion into international markets will go hand-in-hand with this focus on luxury cruising in these two sectors. "By consistently focusing on these two pillars, we strive to enhance further our strength and our leading position as regards quality in these segments and at the same time we will address new markets", explains Dr. Wolfgang Flägel, managing director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
Selected cruises aboard all ships in the present fleet except for Columbus 2 are already marketed internationally. But Flägel added that "with Europa 2, we will put into service a ship designed to offer an international flair and address a sophisticated, cosmopolitan target group, planning in future to increase market share in English-speaking countries such as the USA, UK and Benelux." The first English-language Europa 2 brochure is released this week.
As a result of this new strategy, Hapag-Lloyd's charter on Columbus 2, which concentrates on the German-speaking four-star market, will not be extended when it expires in April 2014. Hapag-Lloyd took over Columbus 2 this May and has been operating her under bareboat charter from Oceania Cruises, where she had been operated as Insignia.
It will be interesting to see if these decisions bring Hapag-Lloyd Cruises back into the mainstream of world cruising, where for many years its ships attracted a large English-speaking clientele. Hapag-Lloyd's Bremen (right) and German Atlantic Line's Hanseatic were considered amongst the best ships on the North Atlantic fifty years ago.
Equally, to-day's product is one of the best in the cruise market and its attraction is not only the line's great tradition, but also in its great attention to detail when it comes to service. As well, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is one of the last lines to sell drinks at real duty-free prices and not the landside hotel prices that have been adopted by all other lines except the all-inclusive ones.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offer Relaxed Luxury. For further information and competitive Sterling fares for any Hapag-Lloyd cruise please call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


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700Bike x W - 野狗007 Product Film
When living right is hard, wouldn't you rather be a dog? From the time we are born, we are taught to be a good kid, to study hard, to get into a good college, get a stable job, to make money, get married, have kids - all of which are norms and expectations of the society. "There is something at once sobering and absurd in the extent to which we are lifted by the attentions of others and sunk by their disregard" quoted in Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. When we worry about not being able to meet the terms of success according to society's standards, we lose our sense of self-respect and the respect of others, creating this feeling of shame, neglect and anxiety that our status in society is being lowered. Go where you can even if it's beyond your reach. Do what you can even if you may never become that you desire. 700bike x W agency collaborated to produce the bike "Wild Dog 007", throwing out the question of how deep our desire is. Is wealth more important than dignity? Can fame and success replace morals? For the life that you want, how many obstacles within yourself do you have to overcome and in the real world? For the life that you wish for, what is the price you are willing to pay in order to attain it? JL DESIGN collaborated with Taiwan's new wave director Yuen Hsieh, and together with W agency produced the commercial film - "Be a wild dog". Yuen Hsieh in his signature subculture visual language, challenge the status quo, breaking the mold in expressing what is being "wild" and "daring" in our society. The director's personal experience and keen observation lead to his worldview; his unrestrained show of taboo subjects, and the most naked expression about desire. The story setting sees the protagonist working in a love motel. He observes the comings and goings of the guests, how they live restrained by the rules of the game in today's society, trying to win at "the dog race" online game. In order to fulfil their desire, they are willing to turn into someone's dog. The protagonist having given in to pressure, entered the online game. He won everything but gave it all up after an awakening, surrendering fame and fortune to be a wild dog, returning to his roots, where his true passion lies; to "Go where you can even if it's beyond your reach. Do what you can even if you may never become that you desire." The art direction from settings to costume to online game, has an old school yet futuristic style. Departing from realism, with a strong color scheme and using glitch to create a visual that pops and catches the imagination of the audience, unrestrained in its expression.


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INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Patients seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment from a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care in the greater Indianapolis area.
They can receive care from Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center, which was recently reaccredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). This is a joint accreditation program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
The MBSAQIP Standards ensure bariatric surgical patients receive a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. The accredited center offers preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for their severely obese patients.
Led by Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Directors Jonathan Mandelbaum, MD, and Hazem Shamseddeen, MD, Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center is committed to continuous improvement to bolster the structure, process and outcomes for patients.
To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center met essential criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its processes and outcomes, identifying opportunities for continuous quality improvement.
An estimated 15.5 million Americans suffer from severe obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the numbers continue to increase. Obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks.
Metabolic and bariatric surgical procedures have proven to be effective in the reduction of chronic conditions related to severe obesity.


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Harvick Wins Truck Pole
Kevin Harvick on Saturday morning won the pole for Saturday afternoon's Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway.
He won the pole for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 with a lap in 55.322 seconds, 162.684 mph. This is his second pole in 110 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. His first came at Gateway in July of last season.
Starting next to Harvick on the front row will be his non-friend, Kyle Busch.
Third fastest was Nelson Piquet Jr.
Parker Kligerman was fourth fastest and Mark Martin was fifth.
Points leader Johnny Sauter slapped the wall during qualifying. He will start from the rear of the field.
James Hylton will be the oldest driver to start a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the age of 76 years, 11 months, 11 days.No Comment


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Nonprofit boards have a serious role -- they ultimately ensure the nonprofit is run legally and ethically. As a board member you'll help define the nonprofit's mission, govern its overall leadership, determine how it meets its goals, ensure that the nonprofit has enough resources to accomplish its work and more. The secretary and treasurer are two of the officer, or leadership, roles on a nonprofit board.
Basic Requirements
Although there is some room to tailor job descriptions, nonprofit board members most importantly fulfill requirements set by state laws. According to BoardSource, an organization that provides services to nonprofit boards, board officer titles are most often president or chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. You can typically find state requirements for board member and officer duties with your state's secretary of state's office. Following state laws, the titles, roles and responsibilities of board officers are then defined in an organization's articles of incorporation, which create the nonprofit as a legal entity, and its bylaws, which describe how the nonprofit will be managed.
Board Secretary
A board secretary functions much like a secretary in an office. In general, she takes meeting minutes, ensuring their accuracy; and maintains the board's records and archives for future referral by board members or others, such as the IRS. BoardSource says a customary board secretary will attend all board meetings, serve on the board's executive committee if there is one, ensure the safety and accuracy of all board records, review board minutes, assume responsibilities of the chair in the absence of the board chair and vice chair, and provide notice of meetings when needed.
Other Duties
A secretary's job description might also include more duties. The University of Florida's IFAS Extension, in a sample job description, notes that a board secretary ensures minutes are distributed to members shortly after each meeting. And, she must also be familiar enough with legal documents, such as the organization's articles, by-laws and IRS correspondence, to know when they would be useful during meetings. One job you might not have to do as secretary is take actual minutes, which as a member of the board, could be difficult to do well during meetings when it's important for the secretary to participate in discussions. Instead, a staff member or volunteer might perform this task under the secretary's oversight. In fact, many organizations function without a board secretary, allowing staff to handle the job.
Board Treasurer
A board treasurer, as the name suggests, focuses on finances. She is responsible for coordinating and ensuring the financial oversight and financial health of the organization for the board, according to BoardSource. A customary board treasurer's job description, BoardSource reports, includes that she attends all board meetings, understands accounting for nonprofits, chairs the finance committee, and manages, with the finance committee, the nonprofit's finances. The treasurer also works with the nonprofit's chief executive and chief financial officer to ensure that appropriate financial reports are given to the board on a timely basis, presents the nonprofit's annual budget for board approval, reviews annual audits and answers board members' questions. The Executive Service Corps of Washington notes that, under the board's direction, a treasurer may also sign and deposit checks for the nonprofit, and with the organization's executive director, select an outside auditor for annual audits.
A Treasurer Don't
The Southern Rural Development Center points out that although the role of the treasurer is to ensure the nonprofit's financial integrity, she does this primarily through reviewing independent annual audits performed by a CPA. So the treasurer should never approach any of the nonprofit's staffers for financial information without the direction of the executive director.
Sometimes, a board will have one person act as the both the secretary and treasurer. In that case, the two job descriptions are simply combined.
Video of the Day
- Minnesota Council of Nonprofits: Board Basics
- BoardSource Knowledge Center: Q&As -- What Are the Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards?
- BoardSource Knowledge Center: Board Glossary
- BoardSource Knowledge Center: Q&As -- What Is the Job Description of a Board Secretary
- University of Florida's IFAS Extension: Nonprofit Organizations and Leadership -- Board of Directors --
- BoardSource Knowledge Center: Q&As -- Can Staff take Over the Board Secretary's Role?
- BoardSource Knowledge Center: Q&As -- What Is the Job Description of a Board Treasurer
- Executive Service Corps of Washington: Best Practice Materials for Nonprofit Boards
Photo Credits
- Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images


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Photography Classes in Jamaica Plain MA
Interested in taking photography classes in Jamaica Plain MA? No matter if you are a beginner, hobbyist, or professional, the best way to improve your photography technique is through hands-on training with professional instructors.
There are numerous accredited photography schools in Massachusetts. Photography classes cover topics such as lighting, exposure and composition, posing and unposing, portrait capture, and other photography fundamentals. Being an experienced photographer can lead to a lifelong hobby or a booming professional career.
There are numerous Photography Classes in Jamaica Plain MA:
- Jamaica Plain Studio Photography Classes
- Jamaica Plain Photography 101
- Jamaica Plain Digital Photography Classes
- Jamaica Plain Nature Photography Classes
- Jamaica Plain Editorial Photography Classes
Jamaica Plain MA Photography Classes
The New England Institute of Art
10 Brookline Place West
Brookline, Massachusetts 02445-7295
Phone: (617) 739-1700
1.57 miles away
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
621 Huntington Ave
Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5882
Phone: (617) 879-7000
2.21 miles away
New England School of Photography
537 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Phone: (617) 437-1868
2.98 miles away
Lesley University
29 Everett St
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138-2790
Phone: (617) 868-9600
4.86 miles away
Wellesley College
106 Central St
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481-8203
Phone: (781) 283-1000
9.20 miles away


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Man, these last few weeks have been especially crazy for me. Speaking at funerals, traveling, normal Sunday speaking, and our Man Laws just to start. Add on top of that baseball and Debby's birthday (we're having a surprise party for her tonight, don't tell), really make me scrape every minute out of a day.
I normally am up between 4:30 and 5:00 to spend some time with God before the day starts. When I get as busy as I have been these last weeks, I am tempted to work through those times. I have found that I am so much more effective if I continue to protect that time as best as I can. I'm not perfect at it, but strive to truly hear from God every morning, especially when I am speaking frequently. God has a way of multiplying my time and creativity.
Another place I am tempted to cut corners is my exercise. Then my body feels bad, my brain slows down, and I am more worthless than usual. I try to at least get some minimal exercise, even if it is only running 20-30 miles (smile).
Keep your priorities, spend time with God, your family, and take care of your health. If you don't, then you'll be laid up for a long time.
Don't miss Sunday, as we conclude our Life In Suburbia series. I truly am sad to see this series end!


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An amicable settlement is expected at the end of every summit or meeting. However, this was not the case with the G7 summit. A nasty disagreement marked the end of the summit, which was an annual association held in order to bring the 7 most powerful and industrialized nations together.
Previously, the summit was termed as G8 with 8 nations participating in it but was later termed as G7 with the suspension of Russia from the group from the due to the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Trump had called for readmission of Russia but Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, strictly opposed the decision.
During the G7 summit, Trump had blamed Canada, the host, for not acting as needed in the meetings but of attacking America during a news conference.
The disagreements were primarily dominated by the trade and the tariffs. The tariffs imposed by the US over the aluminum and steel imports have created an immense hubbub in the entire world. However, the Canadian Prime Minister has also decided to impose a vengeful tariff from 1st July against the US. He also stated that the Canadians are rational and polite towards the numerous issues of the world but will not tolerate if they are pushed for no valid reason.
In response to the statement released by the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, Trump clearly stated that the statements were false and Canada had imposed a huge tariff on the US companies, workers, and farmers. Along with it, Trump also stated that the version of the Canadian Prime Minister is highly dishonest. On the contrary, the office of Trudeau has cleared that the Prime Minister has not conveyed any ambiguous statement to the President of the US neither in public nor in private meetings.
This summit had clearly declared a thick line of difference between Trump and Trudeau, which was previously cordial despite the disagreements over the trade.


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Feb. 1
29th Annual May Day Trauma Conference
UNC Tar Heel Trauma is proud to present the 29th Annual May Day Trauma Conference on May 3 - 4, 2018 at the Friday Center in beautiful Chapel Hill, NC. May Day is a two-day conference carefully designed to meet the educational needs of the health care team across the continuum of trauma care.
Terrace Cafe closed Saturday, Feb. 3
During the crane activities on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, the Terrace Café will be closed, and the Corner Café will be open from 6:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. The Terrace Café will resume regular hours on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018.
Crane Onsite Feb. 3 - Limited / Restricted Access to Entering UNC Hospitals
As part of the 5 Children's Protective Environment Construction Project, a 210 ton crane will arrive and will be located at the Front Entrance of UNC Hospitals on Saturday, Feb 3, 2018, from 5 a.m. – 5 p.m. The presence of the crane onsite will have a major impact on access to hospital entrances throughout the day and will also have an impact on vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Please review details at this link.
Provider Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in the Clinic: Strategies for Preventing and Mitigating Symptoms
Please join the UNC Cancer Network for an online telehealth lecture with Samantha Meltzer-Brody MD, MPH. Provider burnout and compassion fatigue can impact both personal health and professional performance. This lecture will multiple strategies at the personal and system level that can be employed to mitigate the symptoms and move toward prevention.
Immunotherapy Advances in Lung Cancer
Please join the UNC Cancer Network for an online telehealth lecture with Chad Pecot, MD. This lecture will describe the rationale behind using immunotherapy in lung cancer, the current standard of care use of immunotherapy, and future directions. Medical and Surgical Oncology lectures offer CNE, ASRT, and CME continuing education credit (upon approval) for eligible participants.
Loving...You: Boosting Self-esteem and Acceptance
Compsych is continuing their series of webinars available to faculty, managers, residents, and staff. There is no limit on attendance. Hospital and university personnel as well as members of their households are welcome to attend.
Tax Preparation Assistance Available
Employees needing help with their tax preparation may qualify for free assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA).
News from HR
Learn more about workshops, representative sessions and webinars from TIAA and Fidelity.
Privacy Quarterly Newsletter now available
The January 2018 edition of Audit, Compliance and Privacy Services' newsletter, the Privacy Quarterly, is now available.
Crane Onsite Feb. 3 - Limited / Restricted Access to Entering UNC Hospitals
As part of the 5 Children's Protective Environment Construction Project, a 210 ton crane will arrive and will be located at the Front Entrance of UNC Hospitals on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, from 5 a.m. – 5 p.m. The presence of the crane onsite will have a major impact on access to hospital entrances throughout the day and will also have an impact on vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Action Requested: Proactively update Citrix Receiver update for PCs, Apple & Android devices
ISD is in the process of updating the Citrix Receiver client software on all computers in preparation for the new MyApps (updated Citrix platform). For your convenience, we recommend that you proactively update Citrix Receiver on your PC - the installation takes 15 minutes and requires two PC reboots. View details at this Intranet link.
DUO two-step verification required starting Feb. 6 for remote access to Webmail
If you use Webmail (https://webmail.unch.unc.edu) to access your email remotely, please ensure that you have downloaded the DUO mobile app and registered your device by Feb. 6 to ensure that you are still able to access Webmail remotely.
Alert Carolina Siren Test - Feb. 7
The University will test the emergency sirens and Alert Carolina System on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018, between noon and 1 p.m. The sirens and messaging system are tested regularly throughout the year to make sure the equipment and notification processes work as planned.
From Mr. Park and Dr. Ewend - Thank you for your response to our winter weather
Please read a note from Gary L. Park, President of UNC Hospitals, and Dr. Matt Ewend, President of UNC Physicians, thanking everyone for your work during our two recent bouts of winter weather.
Planned Epic@UNC Downtime Sunday morning, Feb. 11
There is a planned Epic@UNC downtime scheduled from 1 - 3 a.m. Sunday morning, Feb. 11, as part of a required yearly disaster recovery test.
Ambulatory Providers, Staff: BPA updates coming Feb. 2
Please review changes that are coming Friday, Feb. 2, to improve the view and usability for Best Practice Advisories in Epic@UNC for outpatient providers/staff.
McLendon Labs Memo: New In-House Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)
Effective, Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, UNC Medical Center McLendon Clinical Laboratories will be offering an in-house immunoassay fecal occult blood-screening test (fecal immunochemical test; FIT) for the qualitative detection of human hemoglobin in feces. Read the memo here.
Inpatient Nurses: Server downtimes scheduled Feb. 5 – 8; Vitals will not auto-flow into Epic@UNC during these times
ISD must upgrade multiple servers Monday, Feb. 5, through Thursday, Feb. 8, which will cause several downtimes for Capsule, Philips, Mindray, Spacelabs, and Spot Check monitors. View the schedule below and note that during these downtime periods, vitals will not auto-flow into Epic@UNC - you will need to manually enter vitals into Epic@UNC during this time.