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Must-Have Tools For the Novice Gardener
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With Spring steadily creeping up on us, a lot of people are starting to think about starting a garden. But what tools do you absolutely need in order to get a small garden going this year? Here is my list of must have tools for the novice gardener.
GardenHOME 7 Piece All-In-One Garden Tool Set, Heavy Duty Folding Stool, Detachable Canvas Tool Bag with Gardening Tote and Heavy Duty Sturdy Steel Stainless Tools
Forget buying tools separately, this kit has every hand tool you will need to get started. Included in the canvas tool bag are 1 garden bag, 1 foldable stool, 1 trowel, 1 transplanter, 1 cultivator, 1 weeding fork and 1 weeder. The tools are made of stainless steel with wooden handles. This all in one set makes a perfect gift for those who love spending time working in their garden, you included! Splurge on yourself and purchase this all-in-one set today.
Thick Kneeling Pad – Garden Kneeler for Gardening- EXTRA LARGE 18×11″, THICKEST 1-½", Thicker than other knee pads – Kneel Pad Cushion
Kneeling on the hard ground is a given if you have plants in your garden or your landscape. You can't escape the invasion of weeds, no matter how many products you put down to keep them at bay. Weeds are invasive. That's what they do. So when you have to kneel down to pull them out, make sure to protect your knees and make it more comfortable by using this thick kneeling pad.
Sloggers Chicken Print Collection Women's Garden Shoe
The mud and muck can leave your shoes a disgusting mess. I know there have been many times that the rain has caused my soil to be saturated very deeply… and I have LOST a shoe in the mud! Having designated garden shoes that can be hosed off if necessary can keep a lot of headaches at bay. Why not make sure that they are both functional and fun? These cute Sloggers come in an array of patterns and colors, sure to make your time in the garden more fun.
Women Soft Jersey Garden Gloves
I'm going to just come out and say it… thistle needles are just the WORST. I've had them stab me and then be stuck in my skin for days. They get infected. They hurt. And they make me want to swear like a sailor every time I put pressure on it. I do my best to avoid repeating the pain by making sure that I always have gardening gloves on.
Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade 10 Lb
A must have for any organic gardener, Diatomaceous Earth is a mineral based pesticide that can deter and kill many garden pests without the use of chemicals. Diatomaceous earth works to get rid of insects such as aphids, thrips, ants, mites, earwigs, bedbugs, adult fleas, beetles, cockroaches, snails, and slugs. To the insects, the diatomaceous earth is a lethal dust with microscopic sharp edges that cut through the insect's protective covering, causing them to dry out, thus killing them when they are either dusted with the diatomaceous earth or applied in a wet spray form. One of the benefits of diatomaceous earth for insect control is that the insects it helps to control have no way to build up a resistance to the diatomaceous earth, like with many of the chemical control insecticides. The diatomaceous earth will not harm the worms or any of the beneficial microorganisms in the soil.
Rapitest Soil Test Kit
Do you have clay? Sand? The proper amount of nutrients to feed the plants that you are planting in your garden patch? Don't leave it up to chance. Test your soil before you plant to ensure that you have happy and healthy plants from planting to harvest. This Rapitest Soil kit will help you make sure that you properly amend your soil to accommodate whatever you are planting this year.
Recommended if starting your own seeds. These are only necessary if you are NOT planning to purchase seedlings from your local nursery.
VIVOSUN Durable Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat Warm Hydroponic Heating Pad 10″ x 20.75″
One of the most overlooked aspects of seed starting is the heat necessary for germination. Heating from the bottom and letting it radiate up through the soil is the best way to get seeds to sprout properly indoors. Add in your light source, a good starter greenhouse (to keep heat contained) and you will have strong, healthy seedlings in no time. I personally have these mats to supplement my hydroponic seed starting methods and swear by them. Just the right amount of heat in the cooler room that I have my seeds starting in. I recommend a southern facing window for a natural light source or grow light bulbs if you don't have a window that will work for this method.
Jiffy Professional Greenhouse 25-Plant Starter Kit
A simple, economic starter greenhouse for your first time starting seedlings. Eventually, you will outgrow this small greenhouse. But to learn the best methods within your space and your plant preferences this starter kit is perfect in both price and efficiency.
Must-Have Garden Tools for the Novice Gardener- Country Mouse City Spouse http://wp.me/p6ZMLa-18Z Click To Tweet
1. All-In-One Garden Tool Set 2. Thick Kneeling Pad 3. Sloggers Garden Shoe 4. Women Soft Jersey Garden Gloves 5. Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade 10 Lb 6. Rapitest Soil Test Kit 7. Seedling Heat Mat 8. Jiffy Professional Greenhouse 25-Plant Starter Kit
Must Have Tools For the Novice Gardener- Country Mouse City Spouse


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Below are summaries of recent decisions from Florida's appellate courts on Florida divorce and family law issues. Clicking on the case name allows you to view the appellate opinion described in the analysis below. These summaries are courtesy of Bruce Law Firm, P.A., a law firm limited to representation of clients in the mediation, litigation and appeals of Florida marital and family law matters. The firm also created and maintains the family law focused appellate resources website DivorceCourtAppeals.com.
Case: J.M. v. D.C.F.
Court: Fourth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: J. David Langford.
Attorneys: Antony P. Ryan, Melanie L. Casper, Rosemarie Farrell, Laura J. Lee.
Issues: Dependency.
Holding: Without evidence showing that domestic violence has occurred when a child or children were present, or that they were aware of such violence, a finding of impending harm to the children is unsubstantiated. For purposes of dependency, harm to a child includes extensive, abusive, and chronic use of a controlled substance or alcohol by a parent when the child is demonstrably adversely affected by such usage. In this case, the trial court erred in ordering dependency in the absence of competent substantial evidence that: a. the child was aware of alleged incidents of violence between the Mother and Father, or was affected by such instances; and b. the Mother was under the influence of substances in the presence of the Child, or that any substance abuse adversely affected the Child (despite her being under the influence in the presence of others). The appeals court reversed.
Case: J.B. and D.C.F. v. C.S.
Court: First District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Karen A. Gievers.
Attorneys: Theresa Flury, Kelley Schaeffer, Dwight O. Slater, Thomasina Moore, Ronald Newlin, Lorraine M. Donovan-Lepanto, Mike Donovan, Stephen Johnson.
Issues: Termination, Reunification.
Holding: Where the trial court's findings are supported by competent substantial evidence and the appellate court cannot say that no one could reasonably find such evidence to be clear and convincing, the findings will not be set aside on appellate review. In this case, the trial court did not err as it made its determination that statutory grounds for termination of parental rights existed; that termination promoted the children's best interests; and that termination was the least restrictive means to protect the children from serious harm as competent substantial evidence. The appeals court affirmed.
Case: Children's Home Society of Florida v. V.D.
Court: First District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Karen A. Gievers.
Attorneys: Cheryl R. Eisen-Yeary, Elizabeth W. Willis, James V. Cook.
Issues: Adoption.
Holding: Under Florida Statutes, an adoption agency is not required to serve a notice of intended adoption plan on a putative father unless the mother has first identified a known and locatable unmarried biological father by the date she signs her consent for adoption. . Likewise, the statute does not require the agency to conduct a diligent search for the putative father unless the mother has identified a potential father within the timeframes required by the statute which are identified as the date the mother signs the consent for adoption. In this case, the trial court erred as no putative father was known, or locatable, or identified, by the time the birth mother signed her consent for adoption. Although that is the only time frame relevant under the statute, it is also true that the limited information the birth mother provided later, under questioning from the trial court, likewise did not identify a known or locatable putative father. The Society was not subject to any diligent search requirement beyond what it had already completed prior to the termination of parental rights. The appeals court reversed.
Case: Demmi v. Demmi
Court: First District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: David Rimmer.
Attorneys: Bradley G. Johnson, Bradley G. Fisher.
Issues: Child Support/Expenses.
Holding: In making an order as to non-covered medical expenses, if such expenses are ordered to be separately paid, a trial court must allocate these expenses in the same percentage as the child support allocation unless there is a rationale in the final judgment to the contrary. In this case, the trial court erred in ordering the parties to each be responsible for the payment of 50% of the non-covered medical expenses of the children because such allocation conflicted with the final judgment's allocation of the parties' relative financial responsibility for child support.
Case: Felice v. Felice
Court: Second District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Christine Greider.
Issues: Equitable Distribution, Parenting.
Holding: In this case, the trial court erred by including a portion of the value of the Former Husband's premarital home as a marital asset in the equitable distribution scheme. While the parties' did not specifically refer to any right to the appreciation or enhancement of the Former Husband's premarital home the broad language of the agreement expressly waived the Former Wife's rights and claims in the property and included the appreciated or enhanced value of the property that occurs during the marriage. The court further erred as it failed to incorporate into the amended final judgment the amended parenting plan that the trial court ordered on rehearing from the original final judgment. The appeals court reversed.
Case: R.W. v. D.C.F.
Court: Third District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Jeri B. Cohen.
Attorneys: Albert W. Guffanti, Karla Perkins, Laura J. Lee (Sanford).
Issues: Termination.
Holding: A trial court may properly question witnesses when required by the interests of justice. In this case, the trial court did not err in its participation in the questioning of witnesses at an adjudicatory hearing. Such questioning did not constitute an abandonment of the trial court's role of neutrality and impartiality and did not deprive the appellant of due process. The appellant failed to object to most of the court's questions it now relies upon for this claim. The appeals court affirmed.
Case: Collins v. Collins, Sr.
Court: Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Mark J. Hill.
Attorneys: Brandon M. Tyson, Paul W. Darby, Thomas Holden.
Issues: Parenting.
Holding: In awarding limited or restrictions on parental responsibility, a trial court must make specific findings on point. In this case, although the trial court's factual findings supported its decision, the appeals court remanded because the final judgment failed to include a specific finding that shared parental responsibility would be detrimental to the children.
Case: Nuila v. Stolp
Court: Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Kelly J. McKibben.
Attorneys: Lindsey M. Sharp.
Issues: Injunction Against Domestic Violence.
Holding: An injunction against dating violence is statutorily authorized if a petitioner proved three elements: (1) a dating relationship within the past six months; (2) at least one occasion of dating violence; and (3) reasonable cause to believe that he or she is in imminent danger ofanother act of dating violence. In this case, the trial court erred as, while there was competent substantial evidence on that the parties had dated in the past 6 months and there had been an episode of dating violence, the third statutory element, reasonable cause to believe that the petitioner was in imminent danger of another act of dating violence, was not supported by competent substantial evidence. The appeals court reversed.
Case: G.K. v. D.C.F.
Court: Fourth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: J. David Langford.
Attorneys: Antony P. Ryan, Richard G. Bartmon, Rosemarie Farrell, Laura J. Lee.
Issues: Dependency.
Holding: An order for dependency must be based on competent substantial evidence, avoiding inadmissible hearsay evidence, of risk to the child/children. In this case, the trial court erred in ordering dependency when there was no competent substantial evidence that the children where at risk or witnessed incidents of domestic violence involving the parents, or that the Father posed a current threat to the safety of the children. The trial court also relied upon inadmissible hearsay evidence to support the order of dependency. The appeals court reversed and remanded.
Case: Abramovic v. Abramovic
Court: Fourth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Jeffrey Dana Gillen.
Attorneys: Jamie Billotte Moses.
Issues: Equitable Distribution, Exemption.
Holding: A lump sum equalizing payment to accomplish equitable distribution is properly awarded only when the evidence reflects a justification for such an award and the ability of the paying spouse to make the payment without substantially endangering his or her economic status. The custodial parent presumptively is entitled to the tax exemptions but may release them to the noncustodial parent. A final judgment awarding a dependency tax exemption must require that the exemption be conditional on the paying spouse's being current in his support obligations. In this case, the trial court erred in requiring the Former Wife to make an equalizing payment which the evidence showed she could not afford; giving the Former Husband the dependency exemption without conditioning it on his compliance with his child support obligations, and not alternating the dependency exemption between the parties. The appeals court reversed.
Case: McGlynn v. Tallman-McGlynn
Court: Fourth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Amy L. Smith.
Attorneys: Robert M. Lewis, Catherine S. Eaton, Cash A. Eaton.
Issues: Alimony, Child Support.
Holding: Any error on the part of the trial court may be considered invited error. Matters argued for the first time in a reply brief will not be considered by the reviewing court. In this case, the trial court did not err in computing and applying the Former Husband's net income when determining child support payments. The error raised by the Former Husband regarding calculation of his income was invited error as the court's calculations were based on his affidavit evidence and not raised properly on appeal (he raised it in a reply brief). The Former Husband's arguments regarding calculations were not supported by the record, and the trial court's conclusions that he could to survive economically after making all required payments was supported on the evidence. The appeal court affirmed.
Case: Palmer v. Palmer
Court: Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Trial Judge: Ann Melinda Craggs.
Attorneys: Robert H. McLean, Bureus Wayne Argo.
Issues: Parenting, Time-Sharing.
Holding: In this case, the trial court did not err in allowing the Former Husband to reopen the evidence after the trial had concluded and regarding time-sharing. However, it did err in denying the Former Wife's petition to limit their child's exposure to dogs (due to allergies) in the face of expert evidence supporting a restriction and the Former Husband conceding that a restriction was in the child's best interest. The appeals court reversed and remanded regarding restricting exposure to dogs
About DivorceCourtAppeals.com and Bruce Law Firm, P.A.
The Bruce Law Firm, P.A. is limited to the resolution of marital and family la w matters in Florida's trial and appellate courts. The firm handles divorce litigation in South Florida and accepts referrals for appellate representation in all of Florida's appellate courts. The firm pays referral fees in accordance with Florida Bar Rules for appellate matters, which are handled primarily on a fixed fee basis with a limited money back promise if the brief is not filed within 45 days of the firm receiving the transcript and record on appeal.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Sterling – Euro rate has taken a battering over the last few days. You will not be surprised to hear that uncertainty over Brexit is at the heart of the Pound's problems. That is going to be the standard line in reports for the next couple of years. However, there will be ups as well as downs, and that volatility is going to be the opportunity for both buyers and sellers. Tuesday promises to be a quiet one as far as top tier data is concerned, so the Pound may well meander in tight ranges for now.
We did get some interesting data overnight, though. Australian Retail Sales moderated in November to growth of just 0.2%. That was well below market expectations, although the annual growth rate is 3.3% and that's pretty healthy. In spite of this slightly dulled set of data, most analysts believe the Australian economy is on a good footing for the year ahead and the Aussie Dollar is still strong.
The Australian Dollar didn't advance much, though, because Australia is reliant to a large degree on China's importers and we also received Chinese inflation data for December overnight. That was also worse than expected. The numbers matched the November data but many were expecting more recovery in the Chinese economy.
Aside from these morsels, there isn't a lot to get excited about today. I'll leave you though with the unintended consequences of new technology. The Amazon Echo system is like a voice-activated-personal-assistant-genie-shopping-guru thing. Your wish is its command. However, a San Diego TV station has received complaints after a number of people found their own Echos had ordered a particular dolls' house after the TV station talked about it in language that prompted the machine to order the products. That's a great marketing thing, isn't it. If advertisers use the right words in the right order, they can bypass the consumer and get their gadgets to order more gadgets. I am sure that is where Cyberdyne Systems started in the Terminator movies.
The future
A robot walks into a bar, orders a drink, and lays down some cash.
Bartender says, "Hey, we don't serve robots."
The robot says, "Oh, but someday you will."
Daily Currency Insight by David Johnson
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This is a part-time position working 10-hours per week. This position is open until filled with first review of applications on Monday, July 29, 2019.
The primary mission of the Center for Alcohol & Drug Studies & Services (the Center) Driving Under the Influence Program (DUIP) is to help reduce the incidence and prevalence of driving under the influence and the negative consequences of this behavior for our community and its residents. Our mission is also to assist participants in identifying and seeking solutions of their own alcohol and other drug problems. Under the guidelines established by the State of California and the County of San Diego, DUIP strives to provide the highest quality of counseling services to those who have been convicted of violating the DUI laws.
The DUIP Counselor/Instructor is responsible for but not limited to:
Individual, Group, and Education Counseling 90%
Responsible for facilitating group and education sessions and client interviews in accordance with DUIP philosophy and State/County guidelines. Manages assigned client caseload and progress in accordance with program regulations and State/County requirements. Performs general trauma-informed counseling strategies, including but not limited to, grounding techniques to manage dissociative experiences, cognitive behavior tools to focus on both anxiety reduction, and distress tolerance, and stress management and relaxation tools to reduce hyper arousal. Facilitate collaborative treatment and recovery planning with an emphasis on personal choice and a focus on clients' goals. Maintains clarity of roles and boundaries in the counseling/client relationship. Makes appropriate referrals to clinical team when the needs of clients' are beyond the scope of practice. Identifies strengths, coping resources and resilience of clients and the importance of ensuring the physical and emotional safety of clients.
Other Duties and Responsibilities as Assigned 10%
Attends monthly meetings and provides case management services.
San Diego State University Research Foundation is an EEO/AA/Disability/Vets Employer
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with SDSU Research Foundation
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Sixteen years ago I met a young man who swept me off my feet on the first sight. I was struck like a thirteen year old. Those dark jade eyes full of mystery – or maybe misery – made me melt.
I was twenty at the time, studying English Language and Literature at the University of Constanta, a white building with an open campus close to the deserted beaches of our ghostly town.
I had just gotten out of another relationship, a draining and torturing one, with my ex finally admitting – or simply alleging, as I hoped – that his interest had never been in me, but in the wealth of my father and the advantages that might have resulted from a union with me.
Being the daughter of Tiberius Preda turned out to be quite a stigma.
So I proceeded carefully with my new love interest. The only problem was that I didn't really possess any other means of standing out beside my father's name, not among the tart up beauties with silky hair and perfect eyebrows that looked like J. Lo at her best. On my dry face foundation always ended up looking like unevenly distributed flour and my hair galvanized like copper wire no matter what I did. Sidonia helped sometimes and spent hours on my styling, trying to cheer me up.
"You'll learn, no worries" she would say.
She was wrong. I never did. And she finally gave up with a hopeless shake of her head. "You do have two left hands."
I first saw him in the cafeteria, surrounded by a group of loud laughing, overconfident boys with iron pumped chests. But it was him who drew the attention of me and of most girls there like a magnet.
He was tall and athletic, with waves of dark hair shorn at the level of broad shoulders.
"Damian Novac" Sidonia whispered in my ear, noticing my jaw had dropped. She tossed a strand of dyed blonde hair off her shoulder with a graceful move. "Civil Engineering, final year"
She was smiling in his direction. I didn't dare do the same, but looked around like a fox watching for hunters, making up strategies before dodging out of the bushes. The last thing I needed was getting another 'bullet' through my head.
He didn't see me that day, or the day after. I observed him from afar for weeks. He was aloof, yet his eyes always intent, as if his thoughts were fixed on something way beyond those walls and his cares way more serious than the infatuations of wannabe divas. He wasn't oblivious to their advances, just utterly unimpressed.
His group of friends, nevertheless, was always surrounding him, as if searching for his approval with their every move. Even a manly laugh and a tap on the shoulder were always accompanied by a furtive 'was that all right' glance. So an alpha, I thought.
"No wonder we're all leaving wet traces like snails when he's around" I once whispered to Sidonia. She laughed her wide, sensual laugh, revealing whitened teeth.
"I just love your dirty mouth, Aura…"
"I speak but the truth" I replied smiling back at my best friend.
"You always do, teacher" she bowed before me theatrically.
We went out of the university that evening laughing heartedly. At that age, we were still able to speak with the naked truth, no matter how ugly or… dirty it was. We couldn't care less about 'social acceptability'.
We sat in the confinements of Montana, a nearby wooden pub that served as a haven for furious bikers on Saturday nights, when it reeked of beer and pot. But today it was nice and quiet, we had our peace drinking bad filter coffee, smoking cigarettes and making plans.
Sidonia wanted me to get over the disaster with my ex as soon as possible. So she took her role as image consultant very seriously while I came up with ways of manipulating destiny into 'casual' bumping into Damian at another, 'cleaner' pub – the Bourbon, deep in the heart of the city – or at parties organized by fellow students.
It was at one of those parties that I finally arranged to stumble into his arms with a glass of wine. His pardoning voice sounded like black velvet, deep, strong. It gave me the goose bumps.
His face was youthful and yet some fine, still almost unnoticeable lines of maturity were slowly drawing across his sculpture-like features. I wondered how come he was still single… I offered to wash his shirt – old trick – but trust me, I sounded credible.
He refused at first, but upon my insistences eventually accepted that I try and take out the stain with some Vanish in the bathroom.
"I'm Damian, by the way" he said, his lips drawing in a reserved smile, while I rubbed the red liquid into the tissue of his white shirt instead of out of it. I do have two left hands…
I looked up at him standing like a young warrior in a small bathroom with dirty tiling and clothes hanging from two ropes above the bathtub.
"Aurelia" I replied. My voice trembled. I saved myself with a joke in a cheap Bond tone. "Preda, Aurelia Preda"
He laughed, genuinely. I tried to sheath my crush on him with the veil of jokes and friendship. He acted like he bought it, opened up to me, laughed more.
He began coming to me in the cafeteria each day. Our fellow students, also many of our friends, labeled us as handsome stud getting rich heiress and my female competition found comfort in that thought, as well as in Damian's not being financially attractive. I pretended not to mind. Damian genuinely didn't.
By the end of that month we had our first kiss – in his '94 Golf, in a dark parking lot among big, grey buildings. His lips were hard, their touch reserved. My blood was boiling but I didn't want to scare him off with my impatience.
Within two months we became a couple. We first made love at his place – just one room, small like a matchbox. It smelled of fresh paint and enamel varnish.
I was the one who made the first move. I put my hands against his chest and pushed him slowly on the divan by the wall. A primal fire lit deep in his eyes as he gave in. I pulled the quilt over us.
Damian was a good craftsman but not particularly skilled as a lover. His hands were strong and purposeful on my hips like on a hammer, his mouth went straight for my lips, my breasts, yet his tongue kept shy of my skin. He slipped between my legs and parted them with his hard thighs, then pushed inside of me. I was wet, yet he filled me.
He moved with more instinct than experience, first slowly, then faster as my palms wandered from ropey arms to his shoulders, knotting in his hair, then down his back. It was a dream to hold him in my arms, his skin against mine, feel so small and fragile under his body that could crush me.
His orgasm was quiet and mine didn't come.
I hoped for more success the next time. But it wasn't until two years later, when our body rhythms fully adapted to each other, that I found the crack to this.
It worked if I was on top and he didn't intervene in my moves. Oddly enough, though I was so in love with him, I had to close my eyes and think of other things… things I hadn't thought about since the times I was wandering the town's streets with Sidonia, daydreaming of and portraying our ideal lovers. And when I opened them again, that handsome and so real man was before me, his physical presence awakening me from fantasy. I got to lose myself in his eyes for a few moments before he cut off intimacy and moved on to friendly talk.
Damian succumbed to a comfortable relationship, devoid of problems and emotional outbursts. He rarely made any reference to his family. I met them only once, two people from a nearby village, reserved and unpretentious, they never really became part of our lives. They were cold toward him too, affection wasn't part of the package – his father was too incoherent to give it and his mother too scared. Damian had had to work for a living ever since he was fourteen. That fueled my love for him.
He was a pragmatic man, though with exquisitely deep and sharp insight. Where I needed ten sentences to express something he put it in two words – and went straight to the core of the issue. It astonished me, I fell harder for him every day.
Even though I was all about books and study while he loved steel and glass, that was all right. We kept connection to an agreeable level and we were truly devoted to each other. We had little time to delve into discussions and pleasures anyway, he was a man of action, work and few words.
He was satisfied with his new job at a constructions company and had big dreams. He sometimes voiced them – his own firm, making beautiful, durable things. Even when he became chief engineer he still got his hands into mortar and pipes. I finally understood he loved that and hated offices – or felt he wasn't up to them. If passion for one thing or frustration by the other was the trigger, I didn't know. But since an own company meant a lot of office stuff, we postponed that.
After I finished university I studied day and night for the state exam, real hard, so I could get a good job at a good school. Didn't work that year, but two years later. I got lucky and ended up at the very high school I had once attended – foreign languages specialization. And I was an English teacher at twenty-six.
News travelled fast and at the beginning of every year students would pray 'the young one' would be assigned to them instead of 'the old witch', Mrs. Chivu – a bitter old lady with short perm hair, the color of scotch, long red fingernails, whose trademark were the pearls she wore across her double chin. She was best known for her volatile temper and exigency. She pressured me into giving good grades to kids who were taking tuitions with her. If I'd fail her, she'd make sure I got into trouble with parents, older teachers and the principal. I learned not to oppose her.
In summer of the following year Damian and I got married – proposal on the divan, while watching "Bridezilla" on TV. We had to make some financial efforts but we pulled through a small, private party.
Sidonia missed the bouquet by an inch, it landed in Raluca's hands – who was in a happy relationship already and was indeed the next to marry. As for most of our other attendants, they were divorced by the time I began to write this.
Damian refused my father's offer of financial help to buy a bigger place and we took out a loan from the bank. We would pay it off in twenty-five years, but it was still better than a loan from my dad, who kept out of our business as long as we didn't owe him anything.
Our new three-room apartment close to the House of Culture seemed like a palace at first – it was in a communist block of flats, on the seventh floor and with no balconies, the windows were small, but we didn't care much.
Damian made the furniture and arranged our home with his own, magic hands. Everything that came out of them was wonderful – the walls perfectly neat, the ornaments modern and minimalistic.
For other things such as flat screen, notebook and even clothes we took out another loan, pledging our apartment – we call it 'loan for personal needs' in Romania. Fail to pay the installments for a laptop and a pair of shoes, lose your place.
So in less than a year we had a cozy living room with a brown leather couch, a mahogany coffee table and improvised shelves built in like stairs along the wall, made by my husband. That's where I put some of my dearest books – mostly educational psychology since the kids were starting to get the better of me.
Across from it presided the LG flat screen and an all-surround audio system camouflaged by many plants, which were also in the care of my beloved, since I myself knew nothing of such things – or of anything practical for that matter.
He made the kitchen furniture too – imitation of granite and wood.
There was a desk with two office chairs in the smallest room, which I soon managed to clutter with books and papers as well. Damian never complained, he looked rather satisfied that his work was being appreciated and useful.
The bedroom contained a huge bed, which put king-size to shame, and a long wardrobe with sliding mirror doors – which I secretly liked to peep into on our evening quickies. We didn't get much more than that lately, since we were always beat and Damian had little patience or energy left for my kinky moods.
That time didn't last long anyway, merely for another few years, since my flesh began to lose its firmness and my own reflection started to disturb me.
Looking at Damian's youth pictures I realized there wasn't much left of the young man I used to obsess about either… His hair was now short, earthy and formless. He was thinner, but the huge frame of a once young god, his face melting in the heat of overwork and tiredness, the edges of his eyes were often red, the corners of his mouth drawn downward.
Years flew by like hours and I had no idea where they went… But among my elaborate studies on the psychology of youngsters and attending the courses of Dr. Anton Barbu, the famous and at the same time infamous Dean of the Psychology Department of our city university, I came upon his conclusion that aging causes cognitive processes to slow down and as a consequence we get the feeling that we do much fewer things in one day than we used to as blooming teenagers. Oh, shit…
Money started to flow in for me once I became reputable as an English teacher within those years and more independent from Mrs. Chivu's opinion of me, which was never quite satisfying. Requests for private tuitions – black money – were pouring in.
In order to get closer to my students I even created a Facebook account, where I nevertheless had to watch for Sidonia's posting old pictures of us from our years of glory, wearing generous cleavages, cigarettes and decadent expressions like pouting to kiss the camera. I had no idea where she dug all those out from but I was glad she'd kept them. I'd download them and hide them from my timeline – I was, in the end, a teacher who should act as a model for her pupils.
As for Sidonia, she was still trying to make it as an actress and dancer in Bucharest.
On the 15th of October, as I was sitting in the teacher's lounge with Raluca, who luckily taught French at the same high school, Mrs. Chivu plunged in from the teachers' staircase across from us. She elbowed her way among the other colleagues who stood around, most probably conversing endlessly about the brashness and complete lack of respect of teenagers nowadays.
She burst into the principal's office, slamming the door shut. I'd gotten to see her red cheeks and swollen eyes. She'd been crying.
Raluca stirred. As I turned toward her, there was worry in her noble face. It showed deeper understanding than I was now capable of, probably lacking the info Raluca obviously had.
"What's with her?"
"You didn't hear? She's decided to drop 12 C" she replied, a hidden awareness lighting up in her chocolate eyes.
"She's dropping such a gold mine?" I reacted completely surprised. All the rich seniors were there and she could get at least half of them to come to tuitions.
"There's this new boy, Ivan Grabianko, who's driving her mad"
"Really?" I breathed raising my brows "Well what do you know, after over thirty years she thought she's seen it all…"
"Don't mock, Aura" Raluca interrupted, a little edgy. "I know she's a witch, but this boy's a devil. I teach in his class too and he's given me some trouble as well"
She bent toward me and whispered with a damped outrage.
"And I'm talking dirty looks, bold remarks and she says in her case… even touching. He's got no shame and he's waaaaaaay over the line with her"
I couldn't hold back a laugh.
"He turns her on…" I whispered amused.
"I don't see what's funny" she scolded. "I know you're an arrogant brat, Aura, analyzing the rest of us and stuff, but you're really beside the point here" she paused and glanced briefly aside. "This is harassment" she concluded like a judge.
Now I was getting edgy.
"Harassment? This is like saying that the kid seduced the pedophile"
Heads turned toward us, anger had overfueled my voice. I struggled to tame it.
"Raluca, one plus one is always two, whether you're a teenager or an old ass. She has wet dreams with the boy and she's trying to place the blame on him like an old communist filth"
"I wonder what you would see if someone held a mirror in front of your own ugly demons" she replied in a grave, disapproving tone, then dismissed me with a wave of her hand "And you should stop reading all that psycho shit."
The bell rang, we were headed to class.
"Are you in for a Latte later?" she threw over her shoulder, the friendly tone back in her voice as if by magic.
"Yeah, Damian's working late. See you at six" I replied as I tucked the register for 9 C under my arm.
We went down different hallways, she on the first floor, I on the second.
The next day principal Gheorghe summoned me to his office. I found him in his cozy leather chair, deep in thought, patting his chin with his forefinger. The few strands that he usually combed back to cover his balding head were now tousled, silver in the pale autumn light that flooded the room from a generous window behind him. His face was livid and furrowed with age, stress and definitely too much alcohol.
"Ah, Aura" he greeted in a long practiced soft voice and stood up as I walked in. "Please have a seat"
I gave course to his invitation. He leaned against his mega-desk right in front of me and crossed his legs, eyes down. He chewed on his lower lip as he looked for the words to begin.
"I have some good news" he started. "Mrs. Chivu won't be able to teach in the 12th C anymore. I think people like her and myself have to admit to one thing: we're too old to understand them kids in the senior year, let alone connect to them or tame them…"
I let him finish his speech, but folded my arms across my chest, frowning. Whatever was coming, it was a lie. He was disguising the devil into opportunity.
It took a while until he came to the point. He tried to protect Mrs. Chivu, since they'd been friends for decades. I couldn't know what he covered for, but I could feel curiosity eat me from the inside.
"So I would like you to take over the 12th C" he concluded after a long introduction, expecting enthusiasm and gratitude as if he was offering me his own chair.
"I've never taught in senior classes before" I replied with false modesty and pressed for some more answers. "But if I owe my advancement to Mrs. Chivu's not feeling up to the task of dealing with seniors anymore, then why does she keep 12 A and B?"
He paused, looked at me a little disconcerted.
"Well, Aura, I'll be honest with you" he finally spoke again, legs parted, arms hanging by his lithe body, crooked under years and experience – both good and bad.
"They're a wild pack, the 12th C. And I wouldn't let you walk into that classroom unprepared, I meant to tell you right away" he tried to gloss over his perfidy.
"They've lost control Aura, especially since Ivan Grabianko came. His mere presence there is… problematic"
"Then expel him" I put in with a shrug. "He's over sixteen, you're not obliged by law to have him here…"
"I wish I could do that, but I can't" principal Gheorghe sighed.
"First of all he hasn't done anything. And moreover, his family has offered a greatly generous sponsorship to our high school and could use that against us in the press" his voice was fading and he raised his white eyebrows as he poured his subliminal message into my eyes.
So they bribed you… I suppressed a snort. Every renovation or new equipment brought to our high school was paid for either from the generosity of our outrageously wealthy mayor or financed through European programs. Sponsorship by parents was something that happened on a smaller scale and usually went to the principal's pocket, who made no open truth out of his corruptibility but didn't cover it with sand like a cat's crap either. I didn't know whether to admire or loathe him for it.
"And now honestly, Aura" he continued hunkering down before me and placing a wrinkled hand on mine.
"You have a way with these kids. They like you, they're more docile with you. Mrs. Chivu is really too old to get with them"
"Or maybe Mrs. Chivu just doesn't like them" I replied with a two-faced smile.
"She's tired, my dear, she's sixty-three…"
He got up and sat back at his desk. As expected, he didn't even ask me whether I was willing to take over 12 C or not. And as usual, he'd used his sweet manner to mask his giving me orders.
I took Ivan Grabianko's file home and leafed through it while Damian watched TV. He was resting his feet on the table by two empty cans of beer, one in his hand.
Ivan was the son of Boris Grabianko, one of the most notorious characters in the city, who'd come to Constanta a couple of years before. I remembered my dad'd had a little to do with him when he'd first appeared on the radar, never personally, but soon chose to cut off all contact, referring to him as 'bad news' and finally a 'crook'.
He owned clubs and hotels in Mamaia – a long stripe of land that can rival with the most beautiful beach resorts in summer, flowing between sea and lake, connecting our city with the neighbored town.
Boris was married to a certain Zwetlana, there was no info on Ivan's biological mother.
Ivan was eighteen and had come to our high school at the beginning of that academic year, in September. He'd received his previous education at home, with private teachers, but his father eventually decided he should complete his final year in high school because he needed an accredited degree to go to university. He'd chosen ours because of the boy's inclination for foreign languages.
"He must be a sensitive soul" I commented to Damian, who threw a short, bored glance into the file.
"I'd say pussy" he dismissed with complete lack of interest and took a gulp of beer.
I realized he wasn't referring to the boy's alleged linguistic talents but to his picture. It showed a face smooth as if edited in photo-shop, white like ivory. The eyes were big and dark like his hair, his lips sweet. I imagined a tall, slender elf-like creature. Poor Mrs. Chivu. I laughed.
"Laughing at things you imagine again?" Damian inquired with a friendly smile.
"I suppose you can say that. Mrs. Chivu dropped a class and I suspect it's because she fell for a student…"
"All right" he interrupted and took another gulp of beer. He used to cut me off each time I was delving into 'psycho shit' and I'd learned to suppress the awkwardness. I just held my tongue and went on with the file. There wasn't much more to draw background info from, so I read it over and over again.
"And why is that your problem?" Damian asked after a while, trying to make up for his brusqueness.
"He's problematic and I'm supposed to replace Mrs. Chivu. He's got an… eccentric personality, I guess"
"And what are you trying to do, come up with some theory of why the boy's trouble?" he inquired again, his tone mocking.
"Yes" I said, eyes still on the pages in my hands.
"Then stop squeezing your brain. He's young and likes to make the old disdain themselves. He's a pervert"
"That's it? No roots or reasons for this?" I reacted angrily, shutting the file.
"Yeah, that's it. It's who he is. Roots and reasons don't matter"
He stood up and went to get another beer, while I remained frustrated on the couch, sitting like a small Turk with my feet under my buttocks.
Damian came back and changed the subject to casual gossip on the latest news: the new prime minister, his fight with the president, corruption. It drove me mad, my cheeks burned.
"What is it?" he finally asked, eyes still on the TV.
I took the opportunity to express my frustration.
"I wish you showed more understanding or at least more interest in the issues of human beings"
"I understand enough" he blocked harshly. Gulp of beer. Pause, eyes lost.
"I wish we'd get out of here, Aura. Just leave. Another country, another air, other people. I'm sick and tired…"
All of a sudden, the muscles in my throat started to pulse, choking me. It was a swift and even violent sensation. The eyes seemed to push out of my head with some weird pressure that came from my throat.
"Of what?" I managed to mumble, hoping my state would restrict to a passing moment.
"Of everything. The pointless work, the debts, the… shackles"
Shackles… Shackles of marriage. My pulse quickened. I jumped up from Damian's side and went to make myself some tea, proving a terrible listener for the first time in our years together.
I sneaked a peek at my own reflection in the vestibule mirror. A small, ashen skinned woman was looking furtively at me, with swollen hazel eyes and thick eyebrows. The lines on her meager face were deepening. It's the cigarettes. Hair wiry, the color of rust. The lips were getting thinner. What did he see in me in the first place?
That was a question Damian had refused to answer in the sixteen years we'd been together. Only one evening a long time ago, under the influence of his first beers, he'd told me I 'felt right'. My hands got sweaty – cold sweat.
I got restless on the couch. Tried to come back to the subject but found the gates to his heart closed and sealed, like his lips.
Late in our bed I tossed and turned, my heart was pounding frantically even though I was lying down. Made myself another jasmine tea, finally fell into half-sleep around four in the morning.
Damian insisted that I saw the doctor the next day, who diagnosed hyperventilation and maybe deficit of vitamins. Prescribed calcium, magnesium and D's. Prophesized I might continue feeling like that for a couple of days, my tanks needed time to refill. But the nights got worse, doctor finally put me on beta blockers. Those seemed to work faster, so by the time I had my first class with the 12th C I felt a little more comfortable in my body.
I walked to class wearing my first-impression-outfit – black one button jacket and skirt slightly over knees, classy leather high heels. Under the jacket a white cotton top, no cleavage, long black beads hanging over it. I'd pinned my fleecy hair in a strict bun. Confidence came from the echo of my own steps across the hallway.
Loud bundles of students rushed into their classrooms, clearing the way like rebels would before a panzer. It was indeed not the same as I walked around the corner toward the secluded 12 C.
Some boys hung on the corridor, enjoying the shrill laughs of their female colleagues. Their voices lowered as I approached, gazes aggressive from under their eyebrows. I halted in front of them, back straight, eyes sweeping across their faces. No words. About thirty seconds. No reaction – defiant seniors. They already knew we had no power over them and they had nothing to be afraid of, except maybe a rough attitude and bad grades, which the worst of them couldn't care less about.
I invited them inside more like a gentleman would a bunch of ladies, with a gesture of my arm. Unwillingly, they walked in. I followed.
The classroom looked like all the others but was a little smaller, shaded by grey blocks of flats that engulfed the barren schoolyard like towers of mold-infested concrete.
There were three rows of two people desks, one by the windows – three of them, big and barred – one in the middle and one by the wall.
I threw the register on the desk and took a stiff standing position, the chalk scribbled blackboard behind me.
"Aurelia Novac, your new English teacher" I began in a dull tone, yet with the roughness cigarettes had endowed it with over the last twenty years – an underrated advantage when you're a high school teacher with intimidation as your only weapon.
Stinging looks. Giggles from a girl. My eyes darted in her direction. A blond Barbie sitting in the last desk by the window. She had big blue eyes, dolly nose and – I would say – an abnormally large head. Her eyebrows were perfectly plucked into bad-girl arches, dark brown shadow drawn artistically over them. Many layers of foundation, perfectly distributed, glossy though thin lips. Beige top and a lot of bling bling, large, silver earrings protruding forward from silky strands of rich hair. An exquisite imitation of a Luis Vuitton hung by the rest of her chair.
"Your name?" I inquired, fixing her sternly.
"Loredana" she answered. Her voice trembled a little, despite her mocking smile.
"Loredana who?"
"Loredana Bordei"
I opened the register, found her name, looked at her grades. Decent ones. Really good grades in English.
I had her stand up. She was taller than me despite my high heels. Jeans were tight on long, yet thick legs.
"What are you doing this week end, Loredana?" I asked leaning against my desk, so that the whole class could see me.
She refused me a report insolently, making it none of my business.
"English please" I interrupted before her last word fell. "And feel free to fantasize if you don't wish to share your plans with me"
She babbled a little, lowered her head, searched for words. Her English was gruesome. So one of Mrs. Chivu's protégés, well paying tuition client.
The others looked at her and each other with wicked smiles, some pulled out their smart phones, some whispered in their desks, chatter increased, one threw a ball of paper across the room, obviously aiming at another Barbie – curly headed, long and lithe, sitting in the first desk by the window.
"Loredana, sit down. You, get up" I intervened, pointing with my chin to the paper sniper – a bulky boy with stylishly rumpled hair, wearing prewashed denim, a black T-shirt that wrote 'Hardcore' and a thick golden chain. His English was good enough to tell me that he was doing 'something dirty' with his 'bitch' that weekend, pointing to the curly-headed. Her cheeks turned all red, she sank her head and pressed her lips together in… shame.
Worthless smug. My blood boiled, there was a sharp tingling in my fingers. My neck stiffened, my fists balled behind my back.
"You know what?" I interrupted, my voice as neutral as I could keep it.
"You're free to use what kind of language you wish, yet only with whomever is willing to accept it" I said, walking slowly toward him "Maybe there where you learned it: at home, with your mamma for example, but not in my class"
I pierced into his eyes and he pierced back into mine, his jaw clenched, anger read all over his olive-skinned face. It was an expression that seemed to fit his features, he must have had it on pretty often.
"Whom by the way I would like to see on Thursday evening. You let her know or its bye bye university for you next year, 'cause you won't pass English" I concluded, my tone even.
"Perhaps you'd allow me to tell you about my weekend plans" a soft, manly voice caressed my ears. I turned. A very tall, slender figure rose from beside Loredana.
My eyes fell on a face clear and smooth like porcelain, with prominent but fine bone structure. His skin made such a striking contrast to his pitch black eyes that a chill went down my spine.
In the process of sinking my head in order to avoid looking stupid I couldn't help my gaze brush over a definite, marble chest revealed by the loosened upper buttons of an indigo shirt. His thighs were long and strong under dark jeans.
It was true, he made an astonishing impression. My tongue went numb and refused to move for an instant. Oh poor, poor Mrs. Chivu… I tried to suppress a smile.
"May I?" I heard his luring voice again.
"Please" I replied, shaking off the shock – it's not every day that you get to lay eyes on such a uniquely handsome creature.
He spoke in a beautiful, britishly styled English that flew naturally like a mountain spring. I don't know exactly what he said, but I remember something about a rafting trip and friends around a big campfire. By the time he was finished, I was sitting at the desk, chin in my palm, thinking of Mrs. Chivu and what she must have felt as she watched that boy's lips move. She was probably looking as dumb as his colleagues, the Barbies… and me.
No one let out a mere whisper while he talked.
"What's your name, young man?" I asked as he finished, pretending I didn't know. I couldn't believe the softness and musicality in my own voice, which were all but natural to me. It's incredible what our instincts do with us sometimes.
"Ivan Grabianko" he replied politely.
I opened the register, checked his grades. All great.
"You may sit" I said.
He obeyed.
I cleared my voice, scratched my forehead and had some others tell me about their Christmas plans, to get an idea of where they stood with English. I avoided looking at Ivan again.
I listened to the curly-headed too. Her name was Salma Sevim, she was half Turkish. She stood up, her arms slightly shaking, her cheeks still red with embarrassment, which she soon hid as she let dark curls fall over her face. Her voice was small. I asked her to look at me. She had the gaze of a thief tormented by guilt, thin eyebrows shaping the expression of a begging stray dog. Tears fell silently down a long face.
"Well, Salma" I said softly as she finished "I would like to see you in one of the breaks. Come to the teachers' lounge when you can find the time. Today."
The bell rang. I got up, gathered my things and glared sternly at each of them once more. My gaze rested on Ivan's exquisite face for a second longer than on any other. He looked straight back into my eyes, with nothing more than benevolence. Instinctively, I straightened my back and stalked out.
Evening came, Raluca had her consultation hour Mondays.
Damian wasn't coming home until ten and I didn't want to be alone – loneliness permeated through my skin like some chemical weapon lately. So I waited for her, smoking. We'd agreed to drink a Latte at the corner bar.
Thinking of ways to get Trevor's mother and Salma to come see me served as means to fight away intrusive thoughts of Ivan: sending e-mails alleging urgent matters, threaten with failing, maybe something more sweet-natured like expressing my intention of writing recommendations for universities abroad.
When Raluca was done, around seven, she found me in the position of a 'pondering Freud', veiled in white smoke, with my legs crossed and 'an expression of wisdom' on my face, as she put it. She was clearly amused.
We walked down the dark, hollow corridor to the students' exit. The janitor had already locked ours from the lounge.
Our steps echoed along the obscure tunnel. It was a chilly, desolate place when stripped of the hundreds voices that filled it during the day and darkness crept in. Only the dim, yellowish light of distant street lamps leaked through the windows and fell on the eerie black-and-white pictures of illustrious teachers of the past, pride of our renowned school, framed and hanging on the walls. With every step, my bladder gurgled.
Just as Raluca pushed the door open, I stopped. Mind over matter wouldn't work and it was a ten-minute walk to the Asterix. So I hurried to the students' toilet just by the janitor's storeroom, around the corner – it was closest.
I hit the lights and, out of reflex, first glanced into the mirror. My limbs froze.
It was that same mirror from my dream, frameless and old, fuzzy with the traces of water splashes. Instinctively, I approached it and searched into my own face. A voice crept into my head again. Not the same voice. This time it was hoarse, heavy. I leant my head to the side, as if to catch it better.
Slowly, carefully, I followed the scarce sounds to the jagged door of the last closet. It was scribbled with 'X is a whore' and other similar statements. Ironically, some had drawn hearts around two initials with a plus between them.
There was a groan again. Then another. Though weak, they clearly came from in there.
My senses sharpened the second I pushed the door. It didn't open. I jolted harder and harder, finally launching with my whole body against it.
It ceded brusquely and I stumbled in, my legs instinctively hopping over some unseen obstacles. I finally blocked a frontal collision with the wall, my palms hitting flat against the cracked tiles.
I looked down. My heart stopped. My mind went blank in terror.
Mrs. Chivu was lying on the floor, grunting like a dying pig. Deep slices suppurated along her forearms, her flesh folded outward like butchered meat. They were bleeding into metal buckets on either side. Her mouth was open, her face horrifically twisted in an inhuman expression, as if she was possessed.
Her skirt was rolled up, beefy legs spread and sliced. Her hairy intimate parts were revealed, splattered with blood. That image of festering, mutilated flesh burned into my brain.
I breathed in the stench of torture and let out vibrant, loud screams, again and again, eyes fixed on her fading, numb gaze. I kept inhaling and screaming even as soft arms struggled to pull me out. They failed. With the strength of shock, like red irons running through my limbs, I stood anchored in the floor.
People gathered, it took four arms to pull me away. They dragged me out, back to the lounge, put me on a sofa. I recognized two faces: Raluca – worried, taking my head in her hands – and the janitor. The other two people were known to me as well, but the names or any reference at all didn't come to my mind. There was only the sight of her, present and vivid for minutes, maybe hours, until it began to damp down.
Perception came back slowly. Sirens cried sharply nearby. My body shook violently, wrapped in a blanket. All lights were on, hurting my eyes as if I'd been sitting in the dark for days. The place was swarming with people.
One face emerged from the foggy crowd, drawing nearer like a picture someone brings real close to your nose. His cheeks hung like a bulldog's, lips pouty and wet, as if used to spitting. Thick bags under small, penetrating eyes. He frowned in suspicion and put his hand on my forehead.
"You all right, ma'am?" he asked in a detached tone which sounded not only tired but also unmoved, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
My eyes fell to his dark raincoat, its edges spreading on the floor as he stood down on one knee before me. His figure was big, round.
"I'm inspector Constantin Vlahe"
My lips still refused to move. I just stared at him. Blankly. He continued, a little impatiently.
"Listen, Mrs. Novac, I know you went through a terrible shock, but you're not helping anyone by keeping your mouth shut"
Anger choked me. I gulped.
He rolled his eyes, stood up heavily and strolled back to a cluster of young men in black uniforms. My sight cleared to read 'Police' on their backs and see inspector Vlahe light a cigarette. I opened my mouth to call his name, but no sounds came out. You're not helping. Yes, help. Could I still help her? Was she still alive?
Something stirred beside me. It was Raluca, crouched like a thief in hiding and playing the keys of her phone with feverish fingers. I patted her arm. She turned to me, a smile stretching on her face in relief.
"Oh, honey, are you all right?"
I nodded.
"I called the principal and now I'm writing to our colleagues" she said sweetly and wiped my cheeks with her thumbs. It was then that I realized I was crying.
"I also wrote…"
"Mrs. Voinea" the inspector's call interrupted.
Raluca gave me a compassionate look, whispered she'd be right back and rushed to him.
The top of the phone stood out of her purse. One thought pierced through to the front of my mind. Damian.
My bag wasn't anywhere around me. It had probably stayed in the toilet… with her. I gasped for air and closed my eyes tightly, fighting to keep that image away. I'm not going back there. My legs wouldn't have carried me anyway.
With trembling fingers I reached for the phone. Strength seemed to have completely drained from my body, since I had to press the button twice to light up the display.
It showed a picture of a young family, a smiling man and a woman, holding up a sweet baby with a pink bonnet. I recognized the man: Alec Chivu, Mrs. Chivu's son. I blinked a couple of times, to get my brain back running. What was Raluca doing with Mrs. Chivu's cell?
I ran my finger over the display and unlocked it. It showed Sent Messages. Instinctively, I touched the icon.
The first message was directed to Raluca. The following two as well.
Without a thought, I opened the first one, sent at 6 AM sharp. It was written in capitals. 'HE'LL KILL THEM ALL, INCLUDING YOU, IF YOU TURN INTO THE WHORE OF BABYLON!'
I jerked. Cold sweat. I opened the next one, sent at 5:56 AM.
And then I opened the last message on the list directed to Raluca, the first Mrs. Chivu had sent her at 5:42.
A shadow came over me, blotting out the light. I raised my head to a shocked Raluca, her arms slightly shaking. She bent and snatched the phone.
"What is this?" I babbled weakly.
"Please, Aura" she pleaded, stuffing the cell back into her purse.
"If they see the messages they'll think I had something to do with it"
She spoke quietly, but anxiety emanated from her whole body.
"Where did you get it?"
"Her purse was beside her. Along with a rusted knife. The janitor already identified it as one of his tools"
I stared into her face, my mind still blank.
"Please, understand me, Aura. I have to erase them all"
"She's written more?" I inquired, puzzled.
She fixed her eyes on mine.
"Yes" she confessed.
"Why was she writing to you?"
"Because…" she paused and scouted for prying ears before she continued, bringing her face close to mine.
"Because of Ivan. She knew he had a… weakness for me"
My throat tightened again, strangling my voice and my heart. Flashes of Mrs. Chivu's deep wounds struck me again and again, swift like an attacking cobra.
"Aura, Aura, are you all right?"
She caught my head between her hands again. I realized I was jerking back and forth, heard sighs and moans – my own. An officer rushed to me.
"First aid, fast!" I heard him call. Then all went black.
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text:
ATHENS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank cut emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) for Greek banks on Tuesday, in line with a request from Athens, several sources said, a positive sign that lenders are stabilizing their operations and building cash reserves.
The ECB cut the ELA ceiling to 89.7 billion euros ($98.96 billion) from around 91 billion euros, reflecting a growing liquidity buffer and increasing confidence after Greece wrapped up negotiations with creditors on a bailout package worth around 85 billion euros last week.
"The ELA cap was lowered, in line with a request by the Bank of Greece, due to improving liquidity conditions," one of the sources told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Greece has relied on ELA for months to keep its banks functioning, while also introducing capital controls and limiting cash withdrawals. But banks earlier reported a liquidity buffer of around 5 billion euros, thanks to previous ELA increases, tax and tourism inflows, pension payments and the stabilizing effect of capital controls.
International lenders earmarked 25 billion euros in the rescue package to recapitalize Greek banks but lenders will have to wait for fresh equity until after authorities finish a stress test in October and approve business their business plan.
The capital injection, though not immediate, is expected to happen before the end of the year. The ECB is next expected to review Greek ELA at its Sept. 3 regular policy meeting.
Greece is due make a 3.2 billion euro bond payment to the ECB by Aug 20.
($1 = 0.9065 euros)
Reporting by George Georgiopoulos and Balazs Koranyi; Writing by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Mark Heinrich


text:
CLEVELAND — Playing blocks from the famed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Amar'e Stoudemire stopped the good music wafting over the Knicks. The only thing that looked fresh about Stoudemire Friday night was his cornrows.
Stoudemire, after missing 13 straight games with a bulging disk, was blanketed in rust early. He got better as the game got along, but Carmelo Anthony and his teammates stunk all night long in a 98-90 momentum-killing disgrace to the lowly Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
It's a good thing they avoid the 21-41 Cavaliers in the playoffs, because it was their 10th straight loss in this arena.
Stoudemire's teammates seemed unexcited to see him on the court and interim coach Mike Woodson ripped the team afterward, saying they "didn't compete and that's unacceptable'' and felt they were complacent after clinching a playoff berth the night before.
Stoudemire said he is not concerned about the Knicks regaining their mojo.
"We could've come out with more energy and done a better job,'' Stoudemire said. "We felt complacent. We clinched, we felt we accomplished something. So we got to make sure we keep our focus going into the postseason. We're all veterans. We all understand how to win. There's nothing to worry about.''
As feared, Anthony looked disengaged with the new alignment and finished with a paltry 12 points (5-of-13 from the field) and four turnovers. Woodson didn't play him in the fourth quarter when the Knicks fell behind by 19 points with 9:03 left. The coach said he was resting him for the long haul because the game was out of reach.
Anthony's numbers were jarring considering he had averaged a league-best 30.6 points in the 13 games without Stoudemire as the Knicks went 9-4.
Anthony might have been in denial about last night's adjustment.
"Not at all,'' he said. "It was one of those nights the Cavaliers had it more than we did out there. Wasn't anything anyone had to adjust to. They just outworked us tonight. They were the more physical team. They wanted the win tonight and they went and got it.''
Stoudemire, after a 2 of 7 start, scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half. He finished 5 of 11. But he hauled in just three rebounds, had three turnovers and five fouls in 27:29 and wasn't sharp defensively, letting Samardo Samuels (15 points) and Tristan Thompson (10 points) get the best of him. He had four blocks, but all wound up right back in Cleveland's hands.
Stoudemire said he was "pain-free'' but it was painful to watch.
"Sure there's some rust there,'' Woodson said. "The guy's been out a while. But these next three games is all we have.''
Anthony managed just one rebound in a lethargic outing. The Knicks were butchered 52-32 on the boards, played lax defense and let undrafted shooting guard Manny Harris torch them for 19 points and 12 rebounds in the game of his life as the Cavaliers moved to 21-41. In the night's most ridiculous moment, Harris flung up a 35-foot heave at the shotclock buzzer that banked in.
The Knicks used as an excuse the hangover from clinching a playoff berth the previous night by the Bucks losing, but that might have been to cover up the elephant in the room — that adding Stoudemire to the mix could spoil the stew.
They looked out of rhythm and are running out of time with the playoffs starting next weekend. The Knicks have three games left, including tomorrow's in Atlanta.
"I've seen this happen over the years,'' Woodson said. "You clinch a spot. It's like a sigh of relief. They stop playing and they think they can gear it back up. There's nothing about this game I liked at all.''
Backup point guard Toney Douglas led the club with nine boards.
Asked about Stoudemire's defense, Woodson said: "He played OK, but nobody played well defensively. When you get outrebounded by 20 boards and your leading rebounder is your point guard with nine, you're not competing.''
The Knicks are likely stuck in the seventh or eighth spot. They are in the seventh and lead Philadelphia by one-half game. But they played last night as if they wouldn't mind dropping to No. 8 and meeting Chicago in the first roundinstead of Miami.
Stoudemire had a sloppy, ineffective first half. He was 1 of 4 from the field, finished with five points but missed three of his six free throws. On the game's first possession, Stoudemire got it in the lane by the basket, went up for a stuff and got fouled. He promptly bricked both free throws. Moments later, he plucked an offensive rebound and got fouled and missed 1 of 2.
"As the game went on, I felt more comfortable,'' said Stoudemire, who headed to the bench 5:40 into the game because of his second foul. "It's just muscle memory.''


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|"Hoss Man (JIRA)" <j...@apache.org>
|[jira] Updated: (LUCENE-682) QueryParser with Locale Based Operators (French included)
|Wed, 06 Dec 2006 22:56:23 GMT
[ http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LUCENE-682?page=all ] Hoss Man updated LUCENE-682: ---------------------------- Lucene Fields: [Patch Available] issues has a modest number of notes, and seems to me like it would be very usefull as more language property files are contributed ... does any one have any objections to it being commited? NOTE: there are some negative performance impacts to QueryParser as a result of this patch. > QueryParser with Locale Based Operators (French included) > --------------------------------------------------------- > > Key: LUCENE-682 > URL: http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LUCENE-682 > Project: Lucene - Java > Issue Type: New Feature > Components: QueryParser > Reporter: Patrick Turcotte > Assigned To: Hoss Man > Priority: Minor > Attachments: LocalizedQueryParser.patch, LocalizedQueryParser.patch, LocalizedQueryParser.zip, LocalizedQueryParserDemo.java, LocalizedQueryParserOperatorsMicroBench.java, QueryParser.jj, QueryParser.jj.patch, QueryParser.properties, QueryParser_fr.properties, TestQueryParserLocaleOperators.java > > > Here is a version of the QueryParser that can "understand" the AND, OR and NOT keyword in other languages. > If activated, > - "a ET b" should return the same query as "a AND b", namely: "+a +b" > - "a OU b" should return the same query as "a OR b", namely: "a b" > - "a SAUF b" should return the same query as "a NOT b", namely: "a -b" > Here are its main points : > 1) Patched from revision 454774 of lucene 2.1dev (trunk) (probably could be used with other versions) > 2) The "ant test" target is still successful when the modified QueryParser is used > 3) It doesn't break actual code > 4) The default behavior is the same as before > 5) It has to be deliberately activated > 6) It use ResourceBundle to find the keywords translation > 7) Comes with FRENCH translation > 8) Comes with JUnit testCases > 9) Adds 1 public method to QueryParser > 10) Expands the TOKEN <TERM> > 11) Use TOKEN_MGR_DECLS to set some field for the TokenManager -- This message is automatically generated by JIRA. - If you think it was sent incorrectly contact one of the administrators: http://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/Administrators.jspa - For more information on JIRA, see: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: email@example.com For additional commands, e-mail: email@example.com
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Accom Outfits Mobile HD Production Trucks
Three mobile truck companies contracted by ESPN to cover HD sports have chosen Accom's DVE platform. Four new mobile units from NMT, NEP Supershooters and NCP are equipped with the Abekas Dveous HD multi-format editor.
NMT has 46 mobile trucks, three of which are equipped for HD, and more than two dozen Abekas Dveous systems in its SD trucks. NEP Supershooters used Dveous HD to shoot the Academy Awards and has over 20 dual-twin machines currently in its trucks.
Menlo Park, Calif.-based Accom designs and manufactures a line of digital video production, disk recording and editing tools for the broadcast industry.


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Decision : 27 COM 12.7
Training in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur. Conservation training and organization of a workshop to elaborate a management plan.
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Decides to approveUS$ 35,000 from 2003 funds under the Technical Co-operation budget, the Training budget for cultural heritage being exhausted. Approval is subject to the request being reformulated with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to meet the priority needs of the property. The final reformulated workplan and budget breakdown will be approved by the Chairperson.
DocumentsDecisions Report
Context of DecisionWHC-03/27.COM/12
WHC-03/27.COM/12 Corr
Decision Code: 27 COM 12.7
Themes: International Assistance
Focal Point: APA
States Parties (1): Bangladesh
Properties (1): Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
Year: 2003
State of conservation reports:
2003 Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
2003 Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur


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Thursday, December 31, 2015
#87: Militaries of Star Wars - Commander Gree
Running behind on posting about this one, but Commander Gree is a birthday gift from friend of the blog James. Commander Gree is a 1:6 scale figure from Sideshow. Like most figures in this scale, he comes with a nice assortment of accessories. There is an alternate head for if you want to display Gree without a helmet, macrobinoculars, a stand, a blaster pistol, a blaster, a blaster rifle, and an assortment of hands. There are the usual open and closed hands, as well as hands making signals, with varying numbers of fingers held up. Pretty cool for gesturing options. There are even an extra set of feet, with bent toes for posing.
Posted by Mario! at 5:00 PM
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Have you ever given up?
Stopped striving for what you thought God wanted?
I have.
Last year I quit.
I stopped doing everything I loved and enjoyed. My camera has gone months without seeing the light of day. This blog has more cobwebs than words. My muscles ache to be used to run, lift, squat, and strain. And my creative eye went blind. I was done.
For ten years I had thrown myself into God's process of transformation for my life. Each step I would think, "I'm almost there". But where is there? That is the question I pondered at the end of last year and the answer surprised me.
Since coming to Christ in 2004; I had moved to two different states, made countless acquaintances, racked up months of counseling, and read through the bible at least two times. I gave up my life to follow His, spent 18 months living in a missional environment and always made sure I was volunteering at church. Where had all of this striving taken me? To a state that was literally trying to kill me( allergies ugh), a depression so deep I never thought I would find my way out and a job that made me want to pull my hair out in boredom. I was exhausted, and God was telling me that I was missing the point.
So I quit.
And He took over!
He pushed me out of my comfort zone and into a job that stretches me everyday. With no experience for this position I had to rely on God to give me the focus and character I needed to excel. Everyday I am in awe that I work where I work, do what I do.
Then came the new church. The moment I walked into Grace Chapel my whole body screamed home. After the service I found myself volunteering, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. A small group welcomed me into their midst but I had to wait on God to begin to develop deep friendships. And He taught me that to be loved, I must love first.
Finally, He opened my eyes up to who I am. He taught me to see myself as He does, and to focus on my strengths instead of my weaknesses. And He showed me that His blessings can not be earned. There is nothing I can do to change His heart for me, I already have it all.
Are you striving to earn His love? Do you need to quit?by


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Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone has emerged from eleven years (1991–2002) of a brutal civil war which severely devastated the country's educational system: about 1,270 schools were destroyed; qualified teachers fled and 67% of all school-age children were forced out of school. Because of this, compounded with years of under-funding of the educational sector, literacy rates fell. Current estimates suggest that only about 52% of youths are literate.
Efforts for post-war reconstruction in Sierra Leone recognize the critical role of education in helping citizens develop democratic and transparent government. But in most areas of the country, books are rare and teachers don't have access to the training they need.
We build schools
We believe that the children in underserved communities in Sierra Leone not only have unique God-given gifts to offer, but have an unparalleled drive to go to school. If we equip them with a quality education and a network of support, they will achieve things for their community and country that we never could.
But that takes a group of people committed to their success. Want to join?
100% model
100% of students pass their literacy exams
100% of students graduate
100% of your donation goes to Sierra Leone
What we believe
Education is important, but so is a network. You are probably where you are in life because of the people -- parents, teachers, friends -- who supported you. We are building a network of support for the students at Kabala Christian School; those kids will then support future students, together sustaining peace and alleviating the causes of poverty.
Building peace requires patience. It requires quality schools and deep local relationships. Impactful philanthropy demands bold and relentless dedication. It's not for everyone.
You should be able see the impact of your investment and know that 100% is used toward the mission. With technology and transparency, we will make sure you do.
Kabala School
In a small northern community called Kabala, children are becoming leaders who will drive peace-making, community healing, and community service. Imagine a school where the children who never previously had the chance to step inside a classroom now outperform their peers across the region.
At the Kabala Christian School Campus, 450 children are getting the education of their lifetime, including access to:
12-classroom school campus
50-computer center
1 fully-equipped science lab
1,500-book library
You can sponsor a student or a class with a one-time or monthly donation. Either way, 100% of your gift will go to the children.
Or give by check:
Schools For Sierra Leone
2121 Celebration Drive NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525


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Britain has suspended all arms exports to Russia amid fears there is a "grave danger" of military escalation in Ukraine.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has told the House of Commons that the crisis in Ukraine "is the most serious test of European security in the 21st century so far". Mr Hague said that Russia's actions in Crimea "run roughshod" across the fundamental principles of international law and threatened "the future of Ukraine".
"No amount of sham and perverse democratic process or skewed historical references can make up for the fact that this is an incursion into a sovereign state and a land grab of part of its territory with no respect for the law of that country or for international law," he added.
Mr Hague's speech comes after President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty to incorporate Crimea into Russia.
Source ITN / AP


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EANO Youngsters Articles
To involve young clinicians and scientist in Neuro-Oncology at a very early state in the European Society of Neuro-Oncology (EANO). The young clinicians and scientists should be encouraged to actively participate in the EANO conference and activities become to become active, long lasting members of EANO.
Target group
The EANO Youngsters Initiative targets young clinicians and scientists at the beginning of their career development. The EANO Youngsters Initiative shall provide career development offers and a platform for exchange and networking. To this end, educational activities such as congress sessions and meetings shall be organized to further knowledge and skills in multidisciplinary clinical Neurooncology and research methodology (basic, translational, clinical). EANO members under an age of 35 can participate in the EANO Youngsters Initiative.
EANO Youngsters Committee
All members of the EANO Youngsters Committee have to be active EANO members.
The EANO Youngsters committee consists of up to 10 members and should be composed of representatives from geographic regions and disciplines relevant to Neurooncology. The nomination has to be confirmed by the EANO board.
The committee is represented by a chair and a co-chair, who are appointed by the EANO board. One board member is appointed as mentor of the EANO Youngsters Initiative and shall serve as main contact person for guidance of EANO Youngsters Initiative projects.
The mandates of the chair and co-chair as well as the committee membersare held for two years and are renewable by the board until the age of 35.


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Baker, Ahles & Kaskovich
Chamber honors Bob Simpson for string of building renovations
Already recognized with local, state and national awards, Fort Worth oil and gas magnate Bob Simpson was honored last week for his historic preservation efforts by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber presented Simpson with its 2015 High Impact Legacy Award for his extensive renovations of many historic downtown Fort Worth buildings, most recently the former Star-Telegram building at Seventh and Taylor streets.
He is the third person to receive the award, among the chamber's top honors.
Simpson owns MorningStar Oil & Gas in Fort Worth, a company he founded after selling XTO Energy to Exxon Mobil. He is also a co-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
Simpson said he appreciated the honor.
During his acceptance speech, Simpson also offered a glimpse into the sale to Exxon, which catapulted XTO to become the largest natural gas producer in the world.
"I was a little concerned about them moving [XTO] to Houston," Simpson said. So he asked Exxon to keep the company in Fort Worth, where it could retain its individual corporate culture.
When the company was sold, XTO employed about 1,600, he said. Today, the employee count is about 3,000 and Exxon is "bringing people from Houston to here."
Simpson predicted that Jack Williams, an Exxon executive who ran XTO for three years and who last year was named senior vice president at Irving-based Exxon, will become the next chairman of the company, now headed by Rex Tillerson.
The Legacy Award recognizes a person, group or establishment that has faced challenges, stood the test of time and consistently leveraged opportunities for the betterment of Fort Worth.
In addition to Simpson, the award has been presented to the late House Speaker Jim Wright, the late Fort Worth Mayor Bob Bolen and to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport on its 40th anniversary last year.
"Many of downtown Fort Worth's historic, irreplaceable architectural gems have been brought back to their original grandeur and reclaimed for generations to come, thanks to Bob Simpson," said Bill Thornton, the chamber's president and CEO. "He contributed greatly to revitalizing downtown and highlighted the unique 'sense of place' that is so important to our community."
Simpson began restoring buildings in the mid-1990s with the W.T. Waggoner building at 810 Houston St., where XTO was based.
Others that he has renovated include the Bob R. Simpson Building at 110 W. Houston St., the Transport Life Building at 714 Main St., the Petroleum Building at 210 W. Sixth St., the Montgomery Ward/Tindall Storage building at 810 Grove St., the Bennie G. Kniffen Building at 210 E. 7th St. and the former home of this newspaper, now known as MorningStar Oil & Gas Building, at 400 W. 7th St.
In 2007, Simpson was honored as a Restore America Hero award winner by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and HGTV.
In 2008, he received the Cornerstone Award from the Texas Society of Architects and in 2010, he was honored with a Renaissance Award from Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
Bell looks for more V-22 sales to Japan
Bell Helicopter was happy to discover last week that it would get to sell five V-22 Ospreys to the Japanese government and hopes that there are more sales coming.
The contract, worth $332.5 million, was made through the U.S. Navy and is the first international sale of the multipurpose aircraft. The Osprey has been flown by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This might be only the first shipment of the Osprey to Japanese self-defense forces. The government has requested the possible purchase of 17 Ospreys and the U.S. State Department has estimated the possible price for aircraft and associated equipment to be about $3 billion. — Max B. Baker
Local banks, credit union listed among nation's healthiest
Four Fort Worth-based banks and a credit union have made the 2015 edition of DepositAccounts.com's Top 200 Healthiest Banks/Credit Unions in America.
On the bank list, Southwest Bank ranked No. 62, Trinity Bank ranked No. 90 and Colonial Savings is listed at No. 120. Fort Worth City Credit Union ranked No. 73.
DepositAccounts.com annually evaluates the financial health of more than 13,000 federally insured banks and credit unions in the U.S. Institutions are graded on capitalization, deposit growth and loan-to-service ratios, among other things.
DepositAccounts.com is a consumer online publication focused on banking and savings deposits information, and in particular deposit rates.
Andrea Ahles, 817-390-7631
Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727
Steve Kaskovich, 817-390-7773


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I know there are times when we must have in our mind certain Bible verses that remind us of the way we should go. Memorizing the scriptures is one of the things that would help us most in our time of studying the word. While studying the bible during this month of April, today I share several tips that can help us memorize the scriptures.
7 tips for scripture memorization that will help you
Proverbs 3:3 (AMP) says: Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. And Hebrews 8:10 (AMP) says also:
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will imprint My laws upon their minds [even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding],
And engrave them upon their hearts [effecting their regeneration].
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
Every time I take the time to study the word, I try to memorize verses. I have used several techniques that have helped me greatly in the process. Sometimes I repeat the verses, other times I only write them more than once. No matter the technique or the style, the important thing is that you can allow God and the Spirit to write each verse on the tablet of your heart. Let God "imprint" His law in your mind!
Praying the word is one of my favorites. After studying deeply the verse, I take a time of devotion and prayer in which I include every verse I study. As a supplication or a cry!
Do it daily!
Make a habit of studying, reading and praying each day. There is nothing better than starting your day in the presence of God.
Highlight your text
If you have the bible just like mine, you will surely understand me when I say that you should highlight each verse. Underlining or highlight the verses allows me to find each verse easier and to be able to read it as many times as necessary. You can only use a pen or your favorite highlighter.
Write it!
I have many notebooks and in each of them I have several pages dedicated only to write my favorite verses of the bible. Writing the word is therapeutic and helps you to memorize very easily.
Probably to recite the word you need to be in a place in silence, no noises, interruptions or distractions. I prepared a space in my office where I sit and recite the word as many times as I can. With this exercise I am not just reciting it but I am declaring it over myself, my family and my home. Declaring the word of God is powerful! You must incorporate it into your study time.
Writing a short reflection or what I think about a particular verse helps me to go even deeper. This leads me to have questions and the desire to look deeper into the word. Also, I much enjoy journaling or journaling into my bible as a creative way of expressing myself and studying the word.
Share it!
Finally, after we have studied and prayed in our intimate place. We have been filled with the word of God to share it with those who need a word of life, comfort, encouragement or simply need salvation! – To this we are called by God, to disperse the seed of the word of God in the hearts of men!
We are in Week 2!
Yes! We are in week 2 of our "Freedom" bible study of the month of April. It has been a wonderful time in the presence of God learning that we have been called by Him to be free! – This week we are studying this verse:
who [willingly] gave Himself [to be crucified] on our behalf to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good. Titus 2:14 (AMP)
Don't forget to download the FREE BIBLE STUDY GUIDE to continue this week and the next to come! – The next post will be about BIBLE JOURNALING! YAY! – Don't miss it!


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Direct Attach Cables
Direct Attach Cable (DAC) is widely applied in storage, data, and high-performance computing connectivity. The DAC cables are used to connect one mobility access switch with another when forming a stack. Fiberstore supplies various kinds of high speed interconnect DAC cable assemblies including 10G SFP+ Cables, 40G QSFP+ Cables, 120G CXP Cables and Mini SAS Cables. All of these direct attach cables can meet the ever growing need to cost-effectively deliver more bandwidth, and they can be customized in different length to meet customers' requirements.
Tag cloud
Danh mục sản phẩm
Brand Name
- Cisco Compatible (5)
- Juniper Compatible (1)
Max Data Rate
Max Distance
- 1m-800m (5)


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TTC Course Resources
Inquiry Based Learning in the International Classroom
Web Resources
Concept-Based Curriculum
Graphic Organizers
Inquiry General
Project-Based Curriculum
Resource: Project Based Teaching Rubric
Sample Project: MyParty Election Project
Sample Project: eNABLE 3D Printed Mechanical Hand
Blog: Project Based Learning with Students with Disabilities
Blog: Gold Standard PBL: Design & Plan
Video: Gold Standard PBL: Challenging Problem or Question
Video: Gold Standard PBL: Design & Plan
Sample Units
Teaching Inquiry
Teaching Thinking
Print Resources
Cooper, Hilary & Chapman, Arthur (Eds.) (2009). "Constructing History 11 – 19" Sage.
Erickson, H. Lynn (2008). "Stirring the Head, Heart and Soul: Redefining Curriculum, instruction and Concept-Based Learning" Corwin Press.
Murdoch, Kath (1998). "Classroom Connections" Eleanor Curtain.
Short, Kathy, Harste, Jerome & Burke, Carolyn (1996). "Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers" Heinemann.
Tishman, Shari, Perkins, David & Jay, Eileen (1995). "The Thinking Classroom: Learning and Teaching in a Culture of Thinking" Allyn and Bacon.
Twomey Fosnot, Catherine ( Ed.) (2005). "Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives and Practice" Teachers College Press.
Wiggins, Grant & McTighe, Jay (2005). "Understanding by Design. Expanded Second Edition" ASCD.
Wolfe, Patricia (2001). "Brain Matters: Translating Research into Classroom Practice" ASCD.


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Lamb Finisher Trace Mineral Premix
New! A nutrient dense trace mineral supplement specifically for all stages of lamb development—from starter to finisher. Contains high levels of calcium to properly balance the Ca:P ratio of high concentrate diets.
- Mix 5 lbs of premix with 1 ton of lamb feed
- High levels of zinc and iodine for hoof health, with enhanced selenium
- Nutritionist formulated to exceed NRC requirements
Add Sheep/Goat Vitamin A/D/E Premix for diets low in fresh forage.
California Residents: Proposition 65 Information
The GOLD Formula difference…
Formulated by Premier's small ruminant nutritionist, Dr. Dan Morrical, Ph.D., Lamb Finisher Trace Mineral Premix maximizes your flock's health and immunity. Contains high levels of zinc, iodine and other essential trace minerals.
Zinc, the most commonly deficient micro-mineral in forages, is not added in quantity to most other mixes. So we've increased zinc from 22ppm to 24,000ppm as fed (compared to other mixes) to promote stronger, healthier hooves. (Hoof growth is a long term process so benefits may not be seen for several months.)
Calcium has been increased to properly balance the Ca:P ratio of high concentrate diets.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Calcium (Ca), min 29.00%
- Calcium (Ca), max 34.00%
- Sulfur (S), min 2.9%
- Copper (Cu), min 0 ppm
- Copper (Cu), max 9 ppm
- Cobalt (Co), min 85 ppm
- Molybdenum (Mo), min 200 ppm
- Selenium (Se), min 130 ppm
- Iron (Fe), min 650 ppm
- Iodine (I), min 800 ppm
- Manganese (Mn), min 16,000 ppm
- Zinc (Zn), min 40,000 ppm
Ingredients: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Molybdate, Mineral Oil, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Sulfate.
Limestone is used as a carrier for calcium.
How to Use
Thoroughly mix Lamb Finisher Trace Mineral Premix, Sheep/Goat Vitamin A/D/E Premix, Ammonium Chloride and Deccox with 20–30 lbs of cracked corn. Then add to the remaining ton of lamb feed.
Always provide a source of fresh, clean water.
Download sample rations (see Instructions/Diagrams above). Sample rations also shown on back label.
Read all warnings and cautions on label. Follow mixing and feeding instructions carefully. For livestock use only.
2020 New Products
Calcium Carbonate, 50 lbsItem #780233 -
A feed additive used to increase the calcium content of livestock rations.$38.00
Sheep/Goat ADE Premix, 1 lbItem #780234 -
A vitamin premix for livestock. Contains Vitamin A, D, E, and Calcium. Added to sheep and goat rations to maximize flock health and immunity.$5.00
Ammonium Chloride, 5 lbsItem #780030 -
Add to sheep and goat rations to treat and prevent urinary calculi in male animals. Can be used as an oral treatment.$6.00
Deccox®, 2 lb bagItem #780021 -
Use to control coccidiosis in ruminating calves, cattle, sheep and young goats.$31.00
Sheep Trace Mineral Premix, 5 lbsItem #780232 -
A fortified trace mineral premix for sheep. Provides critical micro-minerals for maximum flock health and immunity.$13.50
Buckets and Troughs
TurboScoop, largeItem #938361 -
Has a front-facing handle so it's uniquely easy to use and kind to wrists. Strong aluminum holds up to years of use without breaking or rusting.$18.00
PortaTrough™ 3Item #938010 -
Portable 3 ft feeder used to provide grain, minerals, salt or water to animals. Stackable for easy movement and storage.$47.00
PortaTrough™ 5Item #938000 -
Portable 5 ft feeder withstands all weather and animal conditions. Stackable for easy movement and storage.$78.00
Buckets and Troughs
Kane Grain FeederItem #938200 -
Though able to serve the needs of many species, our interest in them is their use for indoor feeding of grain, pellets and mineral to sheep and goats.$120.00
Buckets and Troughs
Kane Mineral FeederItem #938201 -
1.5 gallon capacity mineral feeder for providing mineral and nutrient supplementation to sheep and goats.$30.00
Write a Review
You must be logged in to leave a review. Please sign in.
John H from Montana
This is a great economical way to use your own feed to make a great starter feed for bum lambs.
Wayne C from Nebraska
I have been looking for a product to use that met the recommendations of Dr. Morrical after watching the video of his presentation at Premeir 1 sheep field day. I ordered this product and the sheep mineral as soon as I was aware that they were available. This fills the void I had with other premixes.


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My fun 'Ooo la la .....' Handmade Card.
'Ooo la la ...'
I was trying to introduce a French flavour to my cards and this arrived. It has changed from its original look and it has developed into this. The heart is fluid with little hearts and spirals inside, a golden band around the edge with a frilled edge. The gold is a pink gold, the black is sparkly and the pink glitter inside has a blue purple hint, but only in the right light! I love putting interactive colours into my work!
This piece would make an touching personal gift for a Wedding Day, Valentines Day, Anniversary, Birthday Card or for someone special! It looks wonderful when framed and becomes a striking feature in any room or special keepsake. It is blank inside making it ideal for you to customise!
Hammer White Card measuring 14.5 x 14.5cm. Art work measures 9.5 x 9.5cm. Comes with an envelop in a plastic cover for protection.
It will be sent out first class. If you live outside England please email me and I will do my best to accommodate you. If you want more than one item then please email me to discuss grouping the postage.
Whilst I have done my best to photograph this card there may be some variation in colour due to monitor differences.
A French feel!
Shipping & delivery
This item will be posted to you by Seven Hands within 3 days of receiving payment.
|Shipping destination
|Additional items
|United Kingdom
Returns Policy
You have 14 days, from receipt, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item.
Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements; items which deteriorate quickly (e.g. food), personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken.