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Until recently, advertising materials have been restricted to a size that a commercial printer could handle. Smaller size advertisements, though fine for some applications, can really lack the bold appearance and size needed to expand your brand. Being able to fully display your brand and advertisement allows you to reach more customers with a bigger and bolder message. Wide print formatting will allow you to do just this.
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Wide print formatting is a way for people to create very large advertisements. The largest wide print format printer can produce images up to 80 x 120 inches. Wide format printing, though really just another form of digital printing, is perfect to use for detailed graphics or even photographs. The wide format printer will be able to create crisp, detailed images on a large scale. This type of printing can also produce full color imagery. Just like other printing methods, CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key color black) is used to create the best color combinations to make your images come to life.
How can wide format help my brand?
Printing in wide format has endless possibilities. Printers are able to accommodate materials as thin as a piece of paper or on materials up to two inches thick. Often, wide print format is used to screen print banners, wall graphics, or even murals. A mural advertising your brand is a sure way to catch a potential customer's eye.
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Metro-East News
Jefferson County jury awards $3.7 million in medical-malpractice case
It may be the largest medical malpractice award ever given by a Jefferson County jury at $3.7 million.
Belleville lawyers Lloyd Cueto and Michael Gras received the verdict and the award last week after a five-day trial.
"We had a very good jury. I've never had a jury pay such close attention. They took notes. They really gave us their consideration," Cueto said.
Cueto represented Marie Clayton in a wrongful-death and medical malpractice lawsuit involving her husband, retired highway worker Robert Clayton, who died Dec. 16, 2009, against Dr. Manoj Desai, a urologist.
Desai's attorney, Tim Richards, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Robert Clayton underwent a laser treatment for an enlarged prostrate performed by Desai. About a month later, Robert Clayton found blood in his urine and was instructed by Desai to go to the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon. Clayton was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 14, 2009.
Two days later, Robert Clayton was being moved from his bed to a stretcher to go into surgery when he suffered a massive pulmonary embolism and died, Cueto said.
A pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the lung's main artery by a blood clot that has typically formed in a leg then breaks off and travels to the lung. One of the risk factors is being sedentary.
Drugs can be used to treat blood clots, but Cueto said in Clayton's case, giving anticoagulant drugs probably wasn't appropriate because he faced surgery. The blood clot could have been prevented by making Clayton get up and walk down the hall or using anti-thrombosis stockings, support hose.
Marie Clayton maintained Desai failed to consider the hospital's recommendation that Robert Clayton was at high risk for deep-vein thrombosis, a blood clot, and didn't prescribe preventative actions be taken.
"It's pretty simple, but even Michael Jordan missed a layup once in a while," Cueto said.
Robert Clayton retired the month before his death, Cueto said. The couple had just purchased a new home to accommodate their grandchildren. Marie Clayton, a retired nurse, suffered health problems and truly relied on her husband to help her. The couple had been married 39 years.
"This was never about the money. Nobody cared for her husband in his time of need," Cueto said. "Nobody came to say they were sorry. Nobody said they did anything wrong."
Desai has retired, Cueto said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lima Memorial eHealth Careers Ways to Give
> Medical Services
> Family Birth Center
> BabyNet
Medical Services
View photos of the newest bundles of joy at Lima Memorial Hospital.
Click to visit
Cancer Institute
Heart and Vascular Institute
Walk-In Care
Lima Memorial Physicians
You will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader to view PDF documents. Download
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Welcome to the Just Libby Designs website. I have been creating needlepoint canvases for almost 40 years. You can see all my designs by clicking on the Galleries Button above. The canvases range from whimsical santas and halloween characters to art deco style florals and fantasy teapots. All are available through your local retailer. If your favorite shop doesn't have the design you want, have them contact me or my sales representatives. All the information is available by clicking on Contact Libby. Enjoy your visit.
All images on my website are copyrighted and the express property of Just Libby Designs. Please do not copy or reproduce the images without express written permission. Thank you for your cooperation.
September 22, 2016


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Thank you for your interest in attending Kansas City Comic Con as an independent member of the press, or on behalf of a news outlet. If you would like to receive complimentary press passes, we ask that the following requirements be met:
All applicants must be affiliated with a valid press outlet. These include:
- Podcasts, public access, college, and other online review (or news) programs.
- Major print and broadcast media (newspaper, magazine, television, and radio).
- Online review (or news) sites.
All applicants must provide some form of coverage at the time of your application as well as in the week leading up to the show in November.
All applicants must be engaged in social media.
All applicants must agree to adhere to the following Code of Conduct:
- Requests for free autographs are strictly prohibited. If a guest offers one of their own volition, you may accept it, but under no circumstances are you to ask for one.
- Requests for guest's personal contact information is strictly prohibited. If a guest (or their agent/manager) voluntarily provides you with this information, you may accept it at that time.
- Press passes do not guarantee guest interviews; no means no.
- Above all else, you must agree to act in a professional manner at all times.
- Credentials may be revoked at any time should it be found that you have violated any of the aforementioned rules, or at the discretion of the KCCC staff.
If you agree to this arrangement, please fill out the application below, and you will be contacted no later than 30 days prior to the show.
All questions should be directed to Cindi Rogers at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Mike was right. No way in hell Toro the cat was going to make it to the US as DLC for LittleBigPlanet. Poor guy just doesn't have the following in the West that he does in Japan. But as for all those other animal suits we showed you the other day? They are, as expected, going to be coming to the US PlayStation Store this Thursday. Along with a suitable replacement for Toro: MotorStorm dude. Or, as they're calling him, MotorStormer. Prices for the costumes will vary, with the "sack-eating plant" (which was designed by a fan via competition) free, the animal suits going for 99c (get all four for $2.99) and MotorStormer going for the "really?" price of $1.99.
LittleBigPlanet Gets MotorStorm DLC


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He issued a statement about the ongoing flap over Trump University and Judge Gonzalo Curiel, saying that it was "unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage." However, he remained steadfast in his belief that he was "justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial." He said it was a "fair question" whether Curiel, who is of Mexican ancestry, could oversee his case impartially, given his "unique circumstances as nominee of the Republican Party and the core issues of my campaign that focus on illegal immigration, jobs, and unfair trade." He concluded, "I do not intend to comment on this matter any further."
Good luck with that. It's hard to see what the point of this statement is, other than to half-heartedly recast the controversy as a debate about media bias. Dave Weigel predicted that Trump would attempt to "move on from his Curiel obsession," and that the GOP would be happy to follow, but for it to work Trump has to actually move on. Instead, he stuck to his position, which has become radioactive to his fellow Republicans. Mark Kirk, the senator from Illinois, became the first Republican to un-endorse Trump, saying Trump's beliefs are "not only dead wrong," but "un-American." Ted Cruz, meanwhile, says he is still "assessing" whether to vote for Trump, another sign that it is starting to become more politically beneficial to oppose Trump than to endorse him.


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Sunday, May 16, 2010
Why Are Liberals Defending Helena Guergis
I guess he's more worried about his personal reputation than he is about where the Liberal Party is going. Do me a favour Mr. Donolo, get this guy off television before we're at 20% in the polls.
8 comments:
- Kim Leaman said...
Your blog fails to mention anyone's name, but after following the links I managed to figure out that you are alluding to Alfred Apps. You accuse him of defending Guergis and say that He is damaging the Liberals by doing so!
Although it is true that he usually stays out of such debate, his name was mentioned repeatedly by PI Snowdy,(a Conservative party member)during the Jaffer inquiry, as Gillani's "get away driver". That was an absurd contention, to say the very least. Only a fool would have expected him (Apps) to remain silent about it, especially as the retainer paid by Gillani was returned to him nine short days later, after it was decided that Apps' lawfirm wanted nothing to do with Nazim Gillani.
As to your other contention, that being that Apps was defending Helena Guergis, that too is flawed.
No one from the Liberal party has defended any of her actions, and all any of them have said, and quite rightly, is that she, like all Canadians, has the Right to know what it was that she was being accused of.
This somehow baffles you?
In that case please do not make matters any worse. before the Liberals drop even further in the polls. Something that you accuse Apps of also.
Your blog and your very odd reading of Apps' role in this affair is doing damage. I think you know that. Luckily most of us will see the gaping holes in your ascertions.
Harper still needs to give Guergis the information that he is using against her.
Luckily Apps' accuser was more open and he was able to defend himself from it. Hopefully he will also be aware of this blog and have the opportunity to thank you directly.
- May 16, 2010, 7:40:00 PM
- Annie... said...
Couldn't have said it any better, Kim!
- May 16, 2010, 7:53:00 PM
- James Curran said...
Sure Kim. Sure Annie. Let's start asking for people to feel bad for Helena now.
Ignatieff was not buying her explanation, however, He said outside the House of Commons that she had lied.
CBC - March 31, 2010
"Stephen Harper needs to hold his Ministers to a higher standard and go beyond insincere apologies and childish excuses," said Ms. Neville. "He needs to ask her to step down. Ms. Guergis' behaviour is completely unacceptable of any citizen, let alone a Minister of the Crown."
Liberal.ca -February 26, 2010
"I just think this is not good enough. Canadians don't get to say they're sorry and get off. If I pick up my shoes going through an airport and throw them around, I don't fly and I might get booked," Ignatieff said.
"And if they have someone make up little letters, in my book that's lying. And then pretending that you didn't really have anything to do with it, it was all the staff, that's lying a second time. I don't think a person like that is worthy of the confidence of Canadians, I don't think that person is worthy of remaining in the cabinet of Canada."
Star Phoenix April 1, 2010.
"Michael Ignatieff calls Helena Guergis a liar"
Jane Taber's Title March 31, 2010
As he has been for several Question Period sessions now, PEI Liberal MP Wayne Easter was up on his feet demanding the minister's resignation for her airport behaviour during which she characterized the island as a "hell hole."
"The facts are well established. How can the Prime Minister continue to condone the conduct of a senior minister, who, 1. insulted a province; 2. berated, belittled and bullied airport personnel and security staff?" he asked. "The list of Conservative insiders calling on the Prime Minister to fire this minister continues to grow daily."
The Globe - March 16, 2010
Harper's handling of the issue raises questions about his judgment, to the point where "even the Conservative Party might be writhing at what's going on," said Ignatieff.
"From the moment of Mr. Jaffer's arrest, warning bells should have sounded both about his business activities, about her relation to those business activities, and when she kept making misstep after misstep, I think the prime minister should have acted, a long time ago," he said.
CBC News - May 11, 2010
- May 16, 2010, 8:12:00 PM
- Big Winnie said...
Simply put, the whole issue surrounding Mr. Apps was a diversion.
Are the Libs defending Guergis? No! What they are doing is showing how Harper's judgement was flawed in booting her out of caucus. I would have to extend that to the PMO/Chief of Staff since it was under their advice that she got canned.
If I follow the timelines correctly, Snowdy's info was passed to the lawyer, then the chief of staff and then to the PM. The PM acted upon that info.
After that, CON MPs started releasing docs. (Prentice knew about Jaffer's meetings on the Tues night but didn't mention anything to parliament until the Fri morning which was 2 days after Jaffer testified).
At the committee hearings, Snowdy was led by Brown to make suppositions about Apps and his relationship with Gillani. How could this have happened unless there was complicity (in my opinion)? The letter should have laid any doubts to rest.
Next we learned that it as under Snowdy's advice that Guergis was "fired". The government then claims that it had other sources. Yet all they could say is that Jaffer used Guergis' office for doing business which was brought out after she was "fired".
Therefore, in my opinion and based on a lack of info from the govt, the "serious allegations" brought forward by the government were a sham. Moreover, if the government had other "credible" information it could only have come from within the party or if the RCMP was already investigating.
- May 16, 2010, 9:15:00 PM
- James Curran said...
Which is all well and good. Save for the fact that the Liberal President dealt with Mr. Gallani 4 years ago.
Should have disclosed it before it was about to be revealed in a Parliamentary committee.
His firm issued a statement. He issued an email to the faithful expressing he doesn't do TV or interviews. And, suddenly, the guy's on TV everyday. he should of left it at steps one and two.
And NOW he's speaking about the whole affair. Shut the hell up. Speak about your part and leave the rest to the elected members.
- May 16, 2010, 9:22:00 PM
James, sadly, the Liberals will always trail the Connies with the dumb moves they have been doing.
- May 16, 2010, 10:32:00 PM
In B.C. the skuttlebutt is Harper was having an affair with Geurgis. Oh My. Laureen moved out months ago.
Maybe that explains it. Like anyone knows the truth, like anyone will ever know. *sigh*
- May 16, 2010, 11:48:00 PM
- LeDaro said...
I lost interest in Liberal Party after Iggy became leader and continued to put his foot in his mouth. However, on this issue I do agree with Big Winnie. I even feel sorry for Guergis as she was fired as a Minister and then kicked out of the caucus and we still don't know the reasons.
- May 17, 2010, 12:35:00 PM


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I'll be speaking at the upcoming GV Expo conference in Washington, DC – Specifically in the Digital Media DC event.
I'll be teaching the following classes:
- Successful Site Surveys: Getting Your Project Off on the Right Foot
- What's New in Photoshop CS5
- Green Screen Secrets: Practical Tips for Great Keying
- Motion Control 3D: Creating Movement within Photos
- Tweet! Tweet!: Making Sense of Twitter
- Producing HDSLR Video Shoots - Essential Planning and Preproduction
- Rotoscoping and Keying with Adobe After Effects
- Producing Podcasts and Web Video: Creating Web Video
- Transcoding DSLR Footage for Post Production
I hope to see some of you there.
CONFERENCES: NOV 30 - Dec 2, 2010
Walter E Washington DC Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW | Washington DC 20001


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Why I Cheered for the Eagles
I lived in Boston for six years, then in the suburbs for another six, and I used to love the Patriots. (Still love Bill Belichick; man knows the proper way to make PB&J. I don't love raisin bread or crunchy peanut butter, but he's 100% right about making a pocket of peanut butter for the jelly.) So why was I hoping for the Panthers to win, and when that didn't happen, for the Eagles to best the Pats?
Well, it seemed to me that with every win, Tom Brady [and many of the team's fans] became increasingly arrogant and smug and insufferable. And that felt like bad sportsmanship.
This isn't sour grapes. I liked the team. But the more they won, the less likable they became.
We moved to California, and I quit watching football as much. I think I would have watched more if I could have formed a connection with a team here, or if the team I'd left behind hadn't left a bitter taste in my mouth.
That said, if the Pats—and Brady—could show a little humility, and if their fans could stop with the "they hate us cuz they ain't us," that would go a long way to winning me back. (Not that they care whether I like them or not.)
As for Bill, I'd cheer for any team he coached. Except, at the moment, this one.


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Super 14
Eaton misdemeanour bites 'Canes
February 18, 2010
The Hurricanes will have to make do without Jason Eaton © Getty Images
All Black lock Jason Eaton will miss at least one match for the Hurricanes after a mystery breach of team protocol put coach Colin Cooper in a sour mood on Thursday.
The Hurricanes will play the Western Force in Wellington without their 15-test All Black on Saturday, and while team management would not reveal the nature of the incident, Cooper hinted Eaton could spend longer on the sidelines if others play well in his place.
A clearly unimpressed Cooper said Eaton had no cause for complaint as the rule he broke was well known to players.
"No new policy, it's always been in, that's why it's disappointing," Cooper said. "The policy's been broken, that's the consequence, it costs you your jersey."
Cooper said the 27-year-old will only miss this week's game "at this stage" but had put his future starting place in jeopardy. "He'll have to sit and wait now. He's given someone else an opportunity."
That someone is Canterbury draft selections James Broadhurst, who will make his Super 14 debut in a new-look locking combination. Michael Paterson, who played lock in last week's 34-20 defeat of the Blues, moves to the blindside flank in place of Nick Crosswell, creating room in the second row for Bryn Evans.
The match has significance for Evans, 25, who hasn't started a match for seven months since undergoing surgery to relieve a disc prolapse to his back. The timing of the injury was disastrous for the Hawke's Bay leaper, who was a surprise All Blacks selection in June and made two test appearances off the reserve bench against France.
"It's been a long road back with all the rehab. The physios have done a great job and I'm feeling nearly back to full fitness," Evans said. "I had a lot of pain down the side of my leg so that's gone away. It's a pretty positive outcome."
Evans took a philosophical attitude to the injury and said he would simply do his utmost to impress, whether it's in a starting role for the Hurricanes or off the bench, where he spent ample time last season behind Eaton and Jeremy Thrush.
"You're playing a contact sport, injury is just one of those things that happens that you put down to bad luck. It was unfortunate, the timing of the thing. The trainers have been pushing me hard and I'm just happy to be back in the team environment."
The team's other change comes out wide, where David Smith comes onto the left wing for gamebreaking Hosea Gear, who is sidelined for at least a month after undergoing surgery this morning on a knee cartilage tear.
Cooper said Gear, who scored his team's only try against the Blues, was very disappointed after a knee injury ruled him out of the second half of last year's campaign.
A newcomer to the reserve bench is veteran All Blacks No 8 Rodney So'oialo, who missed selection last week while still undergoing a weight-gain regime. Centre Conrad Smith will play his 50th match for the Hurricanes.
© Scrum.com
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General info
It is hard to find a more naturally diverse part of Estonia than Hiiumaa. The landscape types and scenery alternate with dizzying speed. Both attractive and miniature, they intertwine and are precisely what makes Hiiumaa Hiiumaa. In the summers, no one can remain unmoved by the kilometres of lovely sandy beaches on Tahkuna and Kõpu peninsulas… Thanks to the sea that surrounds it, Hiiumaa's climate is a bit different from that of mainland Estonia – there is more sunny weather and less rain. You will not be alone on Hiiumaa – the forests and the sea will speak to you, the golden sands and hot sun will embrace you, the winds and spring water cool you. Past and future surround you at the same time...
Island and County
Hiiumaa is a wonderful place to work, live, to rest, find business partners and invest.
Education and Culture
Local municipalities: Hiiu Vald, Käina Municipality, Emmaste Municipality, Pühalepa Municipality


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I had a big post planned for you this week on the importance of improvisation. But then the week turned into an insomnia-induced shitshow that saw me stumbling through my days like a member of the walking dead. So it turns out I'm improvising this post on improvisation. Ta-da!
Is that meta? Karma? The Universe calling my bluff?
I'm not entirely sure. And I'm too sleep deprived to untangle the metaphysical ramifications just now.
But here's what I do know: Last fall we were staying with our friends Cecilia and Michel in Brussels (who, on a side note, are two of the coolest people I know. I mean he's an actual physicist. And she's an art historian. And they live in this gorgeous old house full of flea market finds and photographs and friendly cats. We're talking major #goals here people.) Anyhoo, when we were staying with our way-cooler-than-us friends Cecilia and Michel, Beau and I ended up at the local market trying to figure out what to cook for dinner that would allow us to appear half as cool as they are.
As we wandered around the store cramming our cart full of exotic European ingredients like sheep's milk yogurt and rye crispbreads and chestnut paste, I spied a bin full of pruney, sad looking passion fruit. Real talk: I had never actually laid hands on a passion fruit before. But I had a vague notion that they were supposed to be wrinkly. The wrinklier, the better even. Also, they were cheap. I tossed the whole binful in my cart and rolled on, triumphant.
When it came time to actually do something with my prize produce (as opposed to just feeling like a superstar for snagging a bushel of cheap but potentially rotten passion fruit), I was at a loss. I crossed my fingers and cut into one.
The papery shell revealed a center full of black seeds suspended in a neon orange jelly. Sort of like radioactive tadpoles. But it smelled amazing. Not rotten or overripe at all. I gingerly slipped one of the tadpoles into my mouth.
It was like I'd stepped into a tropical jungle. All musky and floral and fruity. More sour and intense than the passion fruit macarons and eclairs and jellies I'd tasted. I bit down on the seed and it shattered between my teeth. It was a crisp, brittle crunchiness that immediately gave way to a flavor explosion. Like the sexiest Pop Rocks you've ever tasted. I was hooked.
I rummaged around the kitchen and was able to unearth some stray containers of coconut yogurt, a jar of honey and a half bag of pistachios. After five minutes of chopping and layering and artful swirling, these passion fruit parfaits were born. They were the hit of the evening.
I've since made these for guests of our retreats. For dinner parties. For Beau and I to take down on the couch while binge watching The Office. These parfaits are easy, delicious and come together in less time than it will take you to read this blog post. Making them ideal for almost any occasion.
And they started with a willingness to take a risk on a pile of shriveled discount passion fruit. (Ok, if we're being honest, a deep love of bargain-basement prices and the desire to impress our friends might have played a part as well.).
But the point is, this is where my big, philosophical post on the beauty of improvisation was headed anyway: You can't control everything and when you try, you lose out on some of life's sweeter moments.
Which is a lesson I, personally, need to be reminded of daily. So if you need me, I'll be over here eating passion fruit parfaits and trying to remember that a spur-of-the-moment improvisation is sometimes the surest move.
Passion Fruit Parfaits
- 8-12 ripe passion fruit (this should be enough for 3-4 parfaits)
- Coconut yogurt
- Honey
- Pistachios, roughly chopped
- Pinch flaky salt
*Notes: Since this is a post on improvising and since this parfait is super flexible, I'm not going to give you specific quantities. Just taste and sweeten to your liking depending on how sour your passion fruit and yogurt are. Use as much yogurt and pistachios as makes you happy.
- Counterintuitively, the sweetest passion fruit look like they've gone bad. They are wrinkled and shriveled but they will smell sweet and fragrant. If you can't find ripe passion fruit, buy them when their skins are smooth and leave them out on the counter for a week or so to ripen. Here's a guide to choosing and using passion fruit in case you need a little help.
- If you're in Seattle, you can buy passion fruit at Uwajimaya. Be forewarned, they are expensive.
- I make homemade coconut yogurt using this recipe, but any coconut yogurt will work. If I'm using store bought, I like Coyo (available at most Whole Foods). You can also use dairy yogurt or a mix of the two. I sometimes use half greek yogurt + half coconut yogurt.
- A few coconut flakes would not be amiss here. And a layer of not-too-sweet granola turns this into a healthy breakfast in my book.
Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop the seeds into a small bowl. You can add the honey to the seeds a little bit at a time and stir to combine until you get the sweetness you like. But I'm usually too lazy for that. I just layer my ingredients together and then stir it all together as I eat.
I do think it looks nice to have a layer of yogurt on topped with a few pistachios, a drizzle of honey and a pinch of salt. But that's just me. There really is no way to go wrong here.
If you want to get fancy, you can do 2 (or more) layers of each ingredient.


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It all happened so fast. I was walking home from school with a few friends of mine who was my age as we frequently did. It's weird that this particular day, we talked about sex. I was the only one who was still a virgin. I admitted it proudly, saying my virginity is something special that my future husband deserves. Call me old fashion, but it's what I believe. Everyone except my two best friends, Tyler and Amber laughed. They assured me that if it's what I wanted, that's what should happen. Finally, we passed everyone's house, and I was walking home alone. I passed by an alleyway, and I thought I heard someone calling for help. I looked, and by the dumpster, there was a woman in her late 20's to early 30's calling for help. I ran over to see if I could help. She said she broke her ankle. She was wearing heels, so she could have.
As I knelt down to help her up, I felt someone grab me from behind. One hand covered my mouth, the other arm around my neck. I couldn't breath, and I started to pass out. The last thing I saw was the "injured" woman stand up. I woke up a little later in a van. I looked around, but I couldn't tell where we were. I stood up and tried to get my head straight, but the back doors opened. The woman and I assume the man who grabbed me were standing there, smiling at me. The man got in and took off his pants. I flailed my arms and legs, kicking, swinging, anything to get him away. But he over powered me. He ripped my school uniform off. I knew I was going to have sex if I didn't run. He threw me down on the van floor. That was my chance.
I ran, but the woman was in the outside. "You're not running, sweetheart. We want you, now." She threw me back in the van and closed the door. The man forced himself on too of me and ripped the rest of my clothes until I was naked. I cried, blushed, was scared, and everything. He took off his boxers, showing his huge cock. I tried to run again, but he started choking me. I was a skinny virgin who could barely fit one finger in my pussy, this was going to hurt. He kissed me, and grabbed my boobs. He was my first kiss. He then, forcibly shoved his throbbing cock inside. I screamed as loud as I could, it hurt so much. I heard him laughing. "Babe, we just caught a virgin!" He laughed. I looked down. Blood was on his penis from tearing through my hymen. I cried and screamed the whole time. It didn't take long for him to cum. And he did it inside me. He took me in a few positions, and he came in me a lot. Finally, he was on top again. I don't know why, but I wrapped my arms and legs around him.
He laughed. "She's turned into a complete slut!" My mind was blank. He came twice more. Once in my defiled pussy and again on my face and chest. Finally he was done. It went on for hours. I could barely speak. I couldn't stand, or move. "That was for someone special." I cried to mussel over and over. They drove me back to the city and dumped my limp and broken naked body in the streets. I was surrounded by people. They asked if I needed a doctor. I just said "I want to go home…" One kind soul took me home. He wrapped a blanket around me and took me to my house in his car. I told my parents what happened. A few days later, I could go to school. My friends asked me where I was and I told them I had sex and they cheered. I told them it wasn't like that, that it was rape, but they still cheered like "Now you know what you've been missing out on."
Not long after, my belly got bigger. I was pregnant. I didn't want a rape baby, so I had my mom take me to get an abortion. I now suffer PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) because of this. I have had many relationships, but I still believe I should sleep with my future husband, so I've been heart broken a lot too because I don't want sex from a boyfriend. I left all by friends except Tyler and Amber who helped me and are still helping me through this.
- Name: Tiffany
- Gender: Female
- Age of Virginity Loss: 14
- Current Age: 17
- How would you categorize your story?: Against my will
- Country: California, USA


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A better way to train for triathlons
Whether you're training for your first triathlon or your fiftieth, a Better Triathlon membership can help you get in top shape ahead of your next big event. With our Triathlon membership you'll enjoy access to all swimming pools, group cycle fitness classes and alethic tracks at every Better leisure centre, across the country. So whether you're at home, on the go, or at work, you'll be able to keep up with your training schedule.
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*Triathlon membership does not include access to venues located at Colombo Centre, Better Gym North Greenwich or Better Facilities in Manchester and Belfast. Use of Stoke Newington West Reservoir subject to a swimming test and induction


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From now on, accreditation applications for media and film industry professionals are available at our website. Please, take into account that the deadline for applications is November 20.
Film Professionals' Accreditation
Media Accreditation
On December 3-9, the 19th Tbilisi International Film Festival will be held which will present new Georgian, European and Asian films. Focus country of this year's festival is Italy. And latest Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian films will be screened in the section "Baltic-100".
The theme for this year's festival is "Literature and Cinema", where we will offer interesting films based on books and biographies made about writers.
Besides, in cooperation with Swedish Embassy and Swedish Film Institute, a special programme "Bergman-100" will be held where the audience will have the opportunity to see the films of Swedish filmmaker, including, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Autumn Sonata etc.
"The Prometheus" of Honor will be awarded to Giorgi Shengelaia and we will offer the retrospective of his films to the audience.
Traditionally, the festival will be visited by cinematographers invited from different countries, interesting meetings, workshops and master classes will be held during the industrial days.
კინოფესტივალი მედიაში
Contact164, David Aghmashenebeli ave. 0112 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel.: (+995 32) 2 35 67 60E-mail: email@example.com


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Have you ever looked at a map in a mall? The first thing you do is look for the "You Are Here" arrow. That is the inspiration for my approach to teaching yoga… You Are Here.
You Are Here in the mall map orients you to where you are located relative to everything else. It gives you key indicators as to where the stores, washrooms and coffee shops are. You can set out on your shopping journey with assurance that you will get to your destination. When you arrived at your destination you may want to go somewhere else. You consult the closest mall map – and behold- "You Are Here" appears again. You are in a different place – a new Here.
This is a metaphor for life. You Are Here because you cannot be anywhere else. You can plan a journey towards a destination. Hopefully you get there and that becomes your new You Are Here. Even if you take a tangent and do not arrive at your originally planned spot, You Are Here. This is the essence of the yoga concept of Mindfulness – of living in the present. It is an awareness of where you are. By doing so you are not living in the past or the future, but engaged in the moment of today.
You Are Here in four states; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The whole of these states define Who You Are. As with most examples in nature, each state has a duality aspect – a Yin and Yang – a positive and negative side.
At any time, You Are Here in various aspects of your states. Each state aspect affects your other states since we are an integral whole. The key is to be aware of which aspects of the states you are in and decide where you would like to do – continue, stop it or start moving to another.
Let me explain, you may feel emotionally angry. If you are aware of your anger, you may see how it affects your mental state because your judgement may be off. It affects your physical state by increasing your stress hormones. It may affect your spiritual state because you are disconnected. No matter what your state aspects though – You Are Here with Who You Are.
Practicing yoga is one way to achieve awareness of your states and which aspect your are in. Yoga brings you into the present where You Are Here. Then you can decide where you want to go.
My approach to teaching yoga follows this principle. Yoga practice starts with focus on your physical state. I use the S4 Variables approach to each practice. I ensure that each session addresses:
- Strength,
- Stretching,
- Stability, and
- Stamina
Combined, the S4 Variables are needed for overall good health. In any one class, I add focus on one S-variable for emphasis.
With the physical practice, you become aware of where you are. Now that You Are Here, you can choose to become aware of where you are in your other states. Since all the states are connected – you become aware as a whole – in other words, Who You Are.
When I teach a yoga class, I look upon each student in their You Are Here state – it is where you are today. We begin Here. It is up to you to choose a journey to a new state of Who You Are and a different place… a new Here.


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Brandt Works Silver Lined Floor Mirror BM7SKINNY 15.5"x70.5"
This nickel silver color frame decorated with faint pin strips and a charcoal aging detail on the inner edge, offers various silver hues to complement countless decorating styles. The 3 inch frame includes a recessed lip which catches light nicely adding a dash of luxury and style. This large size is perfect to lean against the wall for a full body view or hardware is included for both vertical or horizontal hanging making it a functional and stylish decorating tool.
Hand crafted in the United States
Hanging hardware for both vertical and horizontal wall installation is included, or perfect leaning size.
Quality, strength, and durability proven and backed by a manufacturer warranty


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Whenever I play GTA, I always wonder what it would be like to play as a cop for a change, so L.A. Noire scratches that itch. Playing as a detective based in the 1940s is a heck of a lot of fun.
Now, the reason behind all the new facial tech within the game is to assist you when you interrogate folks. By watching the persons facial animations and using your own knowledge about how people react in various situations you should be able to work out whether or not that person is lying or telling the truth.
Now, I thought I was good at this. And after the first proper case I thought I had interrogations nailed. So why is it I suddenly can't seem to select the right response? What does this say about me?
Perhaps I'm a little naive.I'd probably say it's the latter of those 3 statements. I'm not the worlds most observant guy (as many friends, family and work colleagues would agree with). I've had no issues with finding all the clues/evidence, so I guess that means I'm quite patient and leave no pixel unturned. However, perhaps I don't read between the lines enough when I ask people questions, both in real life and in L.A. Noire, or in the back of my mind have come to expect people to tell me the truth.
Maybe I'm over-thinking about the statements they are giving.
Could it be possible that the facial tech just isn't as good as people say it is.
Or..I'm just terrible at reading people.
I'm going to keep working my way through the game regardless (as it's nearly impossible to fail even if you constantly ask the wrong questions), and perhaps during the course of the rest of the story I'll develop my face-reading skills to the point where it helps me out in the real world.
Or not, as the case may be.


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UAV Full Service Package
We are a manufacturer-independent company that can call upon long-standing experience in the field of commercial unmanned flight and its applications. This makes us an ideal partner when negotiating the jungle of countless vendors and players that have recently entered the market.
As part of our UAV Full Service support, we undertake:
Development and definition of the customer-specific requirements
Based on our many years of expertise in dealing with drones, we know what is important. We provide support during the definition of the required performance and for the development of the requirement profile. This ensures, later on, that you only purchase what you actually need.
Search and selection of suitable UAV and sensor providers
As manufacturer-independent experts, we select those providers that are exactly matched to your requirements and hence the best possible benefit for you as user of the technology.
Execution of flight Performance
We do not just have experienced and certified pilots in our team, but, thanks our wide network, we also have access to the widest range of UAV types. Not just the usual VTOL (Vertical Take off and Landing) UAV, i.e. Helicopters, but also to Fixed-wing drones and "hybrid forms" (VTOL fixed wing). Thus an excellent basis for both our flight performance and collection of data in the necessary, highest quality and precision.
Data analysis and evaluation using scientific tools
Probably the most significant step on the way to the desired result.
Our team includes specialists in the field of remote sensing, geodesy, agriculture and viticulture. Proven experts from universities provide professional support for the evaluation and interpretation of the data. This ensures that the customer will get from us state-of-the-art recommendations on what action to take.
Documentation & Datawarehousing
A corresponding valuable documentation through to Datawarehousing / Big Data Management round out the range of services in the context of a One-Stop-Shop.
Special design
Greater detail on the topic of development, design and production of custom and special designs can be found here.


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Was doing my usual youtube f1 watching when i came across this. I must admit i dont distinctly remember this incident, but supposedly its one of the "best" overtaking manoeuvres ever in formula one. I guess the white car caught in the middle is Ricardo Zonta.
Mika Hakkinen doesn't let Michael Schumacher place the back-marker in the middle , instead takes the inside like and overtakes Michael Schumacher.
If you see the Hakkinen view in the video, it shows that Mika was pretty lucky that Zonta decided to give him way too. Infact Michael had to move off the racing line while Mika was able to continue. When Zonta saw Michael and Mika, he should have moved off the racing line and not played a role on the outcome of the battle, instead he did factor a lot in the battle.
Fail to see how its the "awesomest" overtaking move ever in formula one.
P.S. Spelling mistakes in the video ! Its Michael Schumacher not Micheal Schumacher


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Award-winning "Hollywood's Magical Island – Catalina" recounts why it became a mecca for film stars, music greats, and the thousands who arrived by boat each day
LOS ANGELES – November1, 2005 – Today, Catalina Island is a picturesque getaway that Southern Californians might visit once or twice in their lifetimes. In its heyday, thousands flocked to this once world-famous mecca in a single day – lured there by such attractions as the Big Band swing music of such legends as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Les Brown; the world premieres of the first talkie motion pictures; underwater kelp gardens found nowhere else in the world; and endless other man-made and natural wonders.
What you don't know about this quaint, 22-mile long, eight-mile wide oasis – located just 26 miles (or a one-hour boat ride) off the coast of Los Angeles – has been captured in an award-winning documentary that will premiere on the PBS affiliate, KOCE, on March 8 at 7:30 pm.
Narrated by Emmy-winning actor Peter Coyote, "Hollywood's Magical Island – Catalina" presents the fascinating history of California's own paradise isle through rare 16 mm footage, never-before-seen vintage photographs, and interviews with celebrities, island historians, and a Wrigley heir.
"Hollywood's Magical Island" received The Audience Award from the 2004 Temecula Film Festival. The film has also been showcased in the Marco Island (FL), Ojai, Big Bear Lake, Wine Country (Napa Valley), Pacific Palisades, and Newport Beach Film Festivals.
Filmed over a period of several years by first-time director Greg Reitman, who maxed out his credit cards to get the documentary made, "Hollywood's Magical Island" takes viewers on a first-time journey through its unparalleled history – beginning in 1919, when self-made chewing-gum magnet William Wrigley, Jr., purchased a portion of the island sight-unseen in 1919, then bought up the rest for $2 million soon after arriving.
Among those featured on-camera are:
"Hollywood's Magical Island" takes viewers on an intimate journey through such history-making developments and moments as:
"Hollywood's Magical Island" marks the directorial debut of Greg Reitman, who also wrote and co-produced the Blue Water Entertainment Production with well-known casting director Mike Fenton.
Reitman, now 33 years old, grew up outside New York City, and was headed to Emerson Film School when his father – owner of an executive search firm in the publishing industry – objected, insisting his son pick a more respectable profession.
So he enrolled in international studies, graduated from the University of Massachusetts, then spent a year working in the sales department of the trade division at Oxford University Press – followed by a year in England as the multi-media manager for Simon & Schuster International.
Ready for a new challenge, he moved to Australia and became a vice president of sales for META Group, selling information technology research to Fortune 500 companies. At the same time, he got his first hands-on experience in filmmaking from Tina Dalton, the award-winning wildlife documentary filmmaker whose work is frequently featured on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.
It was enough to inspire Reitman to transfer to META Group's Los Angeles office, where he was put in charge of their Southern California operation. At the same time, he embarked on an intensive training program to learning filmmaking, A to Z. Besides reading every book published on the subject, he enrolled in UCLA's Extension certificate program – or which he attended classes five days a week for two years.
After graduating, Reitman started planning his exit from META. He had made a lot of money, put away as much as he could, and now just wanted to bury himself in celluloid.
As fate would have it, Reitman was on the verge of leaving META when he happened into a Malibu dive shop, where he saw a book on Catalina's indigenous underwater kelp forests. A scuba diver since college, he had explored the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Florida Keys, Hawaii and Israel, yet never seen anything like this unique natural wonder.
Intrigued, he hired a Harvard-educated researcher and paid her $500 to tell him more. She returned two weeks later with a 10-page report that included the history of the island. "I said, 'Wow,' this is a fascinating place!'" he recalls.
Buoyed by the fact that no one had ever captured Catalina's history on film before, Reitman resigned META, formed Blue Water Entertainment and visited Catalina for the first time.
Fortunately, he fell madly in love with the island the moment he saw it – because he would spend the next several years racking up $50,000 in credit card debt, supplemented by a free Panavision package, film from Kodak and post-production services from Modern Video Film.
"Documentaries are wonderful, but you do not make a living making documentaries," Reitman says with a laugh. Even so, he's hard at work on his next one.
Lyla Foggia
Public Relations
(661) 259-6561
[email protected]


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The recent Rendez-Vous with French Cinema festival at Lincoln Center in New York City showed a wide range of recent French films, including several nominees and recipients of the César, the French Oscar.
My top film was "See You Up There" ("Au Revoir La-Haut"), terrific storytelling, which received the César for Best Director and several Césars for its expansive recreation of a harrowing WWI battlefield and the vibrant post-War Paris. Two veterans, one portrayed by director Albert Dupontel, and another disfigured during the War concoct an elaborate scam taking advantage of memories of the war. More on this and other films in future blogs.
The most audacious, if not the most successful, selection was "Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc". Director Bruno Dumont, known for raw realism, combines the childhood of the 15-century female warrior with heavy metal music.
Several films had a contemporary resonance. "The Workshop" ("L'atelier") was a fascinating and tense thriller directed and co-written by Laurent Cantet who received the top prize at Cannes for "The Class" (2008). With thought-provoking results, a writing workshop in a distressed area exposes the divisions between students and the instructor Olivia (César nominee Marina Fois), a novelist.
The setting is La Ciotat, a once prosperous shipping town, now with high unemployment, where the main jobs are servicing yachts of wealthy owners. The assignment for her teenage students is a murder mystery set in their home town.
Other students are frightened by the violence expressed in the early writing submission from Antoine (Matthieu Lucci) who is seen playing violent computer games and listening to the tirades of right-wing politicians. Arguments break out between Antoine and his fellow students and prejudices are exposed The instructor considers Antoine's writing a promising first draft. The riveting "Workshop" dramatizes how decay incites prejudices.
Antoine's endless provocation is described as exhausting. As more and more of Antoine's thoughts are revealed, Olivia becomes increasingly frightened from potential threats of violence. "I scare you", Antoine says. Cantet skillfully builds tension between student and teacher.
After the film, Laurent Cantet participated in an intriguing discussion.
He said that after finishing "Human Resources" (1999), he had a desire to explore working class culture further. Since the Charlie Hebdo killings, he wanted to make a film on what is like to be 20 in France today. In regard to his character of Antoine, Cantet said "Boredom is killing him". He added that Antoine has a "thirst for violence" with the border between real life and literary fiction blurred.
He described a long casting process where finding the right young personalities could take up to six months. Cantet's daughter was involved in the casting. Matthieu Lucci who plays Antoine was found the first day.
Cantet co-wrote a precise script with dialog as literary as possible. He checked the script with people closer in age to the characters to make certain his writing was not off-track. In rehearsal, days were spent talking about film, lives and issues which turned into new improvisation scenes, to verify "The Workshop" was not an "old fool's view of what's going on."
Cantet said he wanted to explore how boredom can become fertile ground for extremism to gain a foothold, attracting the extreme right and jihadism.


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Jooma 1.5 website, with a customised template including a showcase to present Kim's talents as a dressmaker.
Jooma 1.5 website, with a customised template including an SSL secured client area. The client area includes a file submission form to enable clients to upload data to LK Payroll.
Offering on-line training in data security, E-Security Exchange deliver training products prepared by leading experts in security and e-learning. Training is delivered through a number of technologies including Webex Webinars.The MD at E-Security Exchange asked Xact IT to look at their website as their "current web developer has made a bit of a dogs dinner with my web-site..." and recommend improvements to enable the business to deliver its products more effectively and allow the company to update the site regularly.
The new website was developed using Joomla, the open source content management system as the framework with a customised template design created to give a strong visual identity to the business. In addition to the standard features of a Joomla based website the site incorporates a bespoke training enquiry form, webinar booking and sample video of training material.


text: Beginning in March of 2017, OmniGen-AF® will be available in a new, free-flowing and easy to handle form. Our technical, engineering and quality assurance teams have worked together to design a new manufacturing process to produce OmniGen-AF as a fine granule. The end result is OmniGen-AF in a form that flows well and mixes easily and uniformly. With the change to our new granular form we're also changing the packaging. We'll be transitioning this product into a watertight, poly-woven bag with a paper overwrap. It will be more durable and resistant to normal handling and transit damage. To accommodate the granular form, the bag will be smaller. It will fit in a 5-tie pattern on regular pallets without any overhanging edges. None of these changes will impact the efficacy of OmniGen-AF. The granular form meets our stringent evaluations and proprietary validation testing through our Dynamic Quality Assurance®program.


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More retailers are pulling Bravo Farms cheeses from their shelves, now the Whole Foods Chain has joined the recall. Costco informed their members of a recall for Bravo Farms Dutch Style Raw Milk Gouda Cheese on Nov 4.
On Sunday, Whole Foods informed customers it would be removing Sage Cheddar, Silver Mountain Cheddar, Chipotle Cheddar, Premium Block Cheddar, Premium White Chunk Cheddar, Chipotle Chunk Cheddar and White Black Wax Cheddar from its shelves.
The cheeses were sold at stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The cheeses, packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with a "Distributed by Whole Foods Market" sticker, are part of a recall announced by Bravo Farms.
The company canceled all of its shipments after state officials found listeria at its plant in Traver.
Bravo Farms also recalled its Dutch Style Gouda after it was linked to an outbreak of E. coli bacteria.
Since mid-October, 38 people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico have been sickened by E. coli linked to the cheese.


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Engineered wood products like hardwood plywood continue to gain strength in the marketplace. Their stability, ease of use, and in some cases, weather resistance make them ideal for cabinetry, doors, and all manner of marine applications. J. Gibson McIlvain supplies only the finest quality 1/4, 1/2, 3/8, and 3/4″ thick veneer core, combination core, or MDF core plywood in the species and grain pattern of your choice. All of our plywood is available in multiple grades and saw faces like plain sliced, rotary cut, quartersawn, or sequence matched and numbered. We even offer some sheets that are pre-finished on 1 or 2 faces.
J. Gibson McIlvain is also an exclusive North American distributor of Bruynzeel Marine Grade Plywood (view spec sheet) which is a top of the line, BS1088 panel perfect for boat building. We carry both Okoume and Sapele marine grade plywood. We carry also decorative Teak and Holly marine panels and can lay up custom marine panels based on our Bruynzeel platforms using a face veneer of your choice.
We buy our plywood with the same strict quality standards we use for our solid wood lumber so you can expect that even our B and C grade faces will be beautiful. The real advantage to our customers is that we supply both solid wood and plywood so when placing an order for one or the other we can easily add sheets of plywood to the truck already scheduled to deliver to your job site.
Marine Grade
Okoume and Douglas Fir plywood are rated as marine grade and are sold to the nautical industry for a variety of applications, including, among other, fiberglass forms, cabinetry, and utility uses on board fishing vessels.
We carry a full spectrum of marine grade plywood, which includes a full spectrum of qualities, from utility species to top-of-the-line Bruynzeel BS 1088 Okoume Gaboon plywood.
Learn more about our marine grade plywood.
Hardwood Plywood
A wide variety of woods are available in both exotic and domestic species including the following:
- African Mahogany
- Sapele
- Cherry
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- Teak
Learn more about our hardwood plywood.
Did You Know?
Although veneer core is more traditional, MDF (medium density fiberboard) core plywood is quickly gaining popularity because of its superior flatness, stability, and great holding power with screws and nails.
Not convinced? Try combination core for the best of both worlds with solid wood holding power and MDF flatness and stability.
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• 1/4, 1/2, 3/8, 3/4, Thicknesses Available in all Species
• MDF core, Veneer Core, Combi Core available in all species
• Face Grades: A, B, C with 1-4 second faces
• Plain Sliced, Rotary Cut, Quartered, Sequence Matched


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So these are some of the books I read and reviewed as part of my job in 2012 and that were posted on the blogger website.
10 Futures by Michael Pryor
I think that this might be the best book I have read so far this year.
It was just so funny and clever and a little bit scary at the same time. I mean you are laughing because some of the scenarios seem so absurd, but you are also laughing in order to stave off the fear that the world might actually turn out like that. It really capture what I think is the best form of science fiction – something close to what we have to make it realistic, but different enough to make us worry. It is disturbingly prophetic.
The book is about two friends, Sam and Tara, and places them in different futures ranging from 2100 to 2020. They face different challenges in each setting. And it isn't all doom and gloom, some is utopic and seems to be a future we could all enjoy.
I think the most amazing thing about the book is the insight you get into the characters. Even though they are slightly different in each scenario you get a sense of their friendship every story and, personally, I really came to like them as characters.
I think the thing I dislike most about the book is when each story ends. Many end mid crisis and I would have liked to know what happens next. Though I guess I could use my imagination.
And I suppose that is the whole point – the future is what you make it.
Black Spring by Alison Croggon
I am going to start this by saying that I have never read Wuthering Heights. I have tried numerous times to get through it, but I just can't.
I don't like Heathcliff and Catherine just annoys me. It is a mean book and I only ever tried to read it because I thought I should. Not because I wanted to.
I picked up Black Spring because I like Alison Croggon. She writes great fantasy novels and has not written anything in a while, so I was really excited to see this book.
Then I turned it over and on the back it says it is "inspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights".
I almost put it down there and then.
But I am glad I read it.
It was well written and interesting and had the fantasy bent that I was looking for.
However, I don't know that 'inspired by' is the right term.
It is Wuthering Heights.
Which is good for me, because now I feel like I have read it and I am not going to have to try and read the classic one ever again.
Creepy and Maud by Dianna Touchell
Well here is another book that I have not finished. I have read to about half way through.
I guess you may be starting to think I never finish any of the books I read. Well that is not true, I just don't finish the ones I don't like.
and this time I think I was misled by one of those review quotes they put on books to entice you to read them.
This one said it was a "brilliantly written, dazzling dark Y.A debut."
The problem with Creepy and Maud is that is just creepy. I am interested to know what happens at the end, but not interested enough to actually finish reading the book.
The action is very slow, and I don't think there are enough chapters from Maud's point of view.
Another problem is that I don't actually like either of the characters.
I like the voice of Maud, but as a character she grosses me out. She has a condition where she pulls out her hair when she is stressed. And it is so well described that I have to skip over those bits as it gives me the creeps.
The boy is worse as he is telling most of the story and I don't really like his voice. He is just plain odd.
And you can tell that there is just something sinister lurking underneath and while I think I have figured it out, I don't care enough about it to actually read on to find out if I'm right.
So if you do end up reading this book can you let me know what does end up happening at the end?
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Was it predictable and passé or was it intriguing and new? Today that is THE question.
About half way through this horror/thriller I had figured out what was going on.
The links between the what and the why are tenuous at best. And the maniacal kidnapper – well you have to read it to believe it.
But does predictability make a book bad? Did I stop reading because the events were so laughable? No I did not.
Because it is a thriller. It has all the right elements. It is enjoyable and intriguing, I wanted to find out the truth. And it is young adult fiction, and I didn't really want it to be some Hannibal type serial killer that would keep me awake at night.
I also liked that the love story had a very Bella/Jacob feel, without the vampires and werewolves, but with other supernatural elements. A lot more believable which is nice.
I think the other thing that is good about this book is that it also highlights how a mental illness is not always a bad thing.
So read it, and enjoy. Just don't expect too much of it.
And don't laugh too hard when you find out who the perpetrator is.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
I don't know what to make of this book.
It was very interesting and very well written, but I don't think I really like it.
Mostly because I did not like the ending. I kind of wish it hadn't turned out the way it did. That bit was predictable and a bit of a let down.
I guess I just feel like it could have been more than it was.
It was nice to read about London, having been there this year, and to think to myself 'oh I know where that is'.
Even though it is quite a long book I think I would have liked there to be more.
The explanation of the secret was swift and perfunctory.
Like I said I don't really know what to make of it.
I would recommend it to others, but I don't think it has made me want to read her other book.
Into that Forest by Louis Nowra
I read this book yesterday.
It is another one of those books that are based on true events in Australian history like the novel Girl Like Me.
I don't really like Australian history. It's kind of boring.
This book was not boring.
It was in fact very interesting. It's the whole thing of children being raised by animals. Made cooler by the fact that these girls are living with Tasmanian Tigers.
A good little read if you have an afternoon to fill.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
You know when you have to read a book, not because you want to, but for external reasons, for a class or assignment or whatever.
Those are the worst times of reading. You force yourself on even though you don't like it. Or you skim passages only to have to go back and reread them because you know you will be asked a question about it later.
That is what it was like reading Julius Caesar, in fact that is what it is like reading all Shakespeare's works.
Drama is meant to be performed, to be viewed, and maybe even enjoyed in that form. But to read it, to sit down and read a script, is just torture. In your head there are no different voices for each character, no facial expression or body language to give clue as to the meaning of the speech. Just your monotonous voice, droning on and on. And Shakespeare doesn't even give you any stage directions to add a bit of excitement.
I get the play, though more because I have some basic understanding of Roman history, that and I have seen the movie Cleopatra. But did I enjoy reading it? Not really.
If you ask me Antony is just a little upstart who causes all the problems and if they had killed him instead of Caesar things might have turned out better.
Love Notes from Vinegar House by Karen Tayleur
This is an easy and an interesting read, though not as scary as I thought it was going to be.
I picked it up because I wanted to read a ghost story and something a little bit mysterious. And while it is a ghost story, and a little bit mysterious, it didn't keep me awake at night.
Love notes is a story about a girl who has to spend the holidays at her grandmother's house. There is a boy love interest, a nasty cousin and a mysterious set of noises from the attic.
It could have been much scarier. If I was writing it the handyman would have been a lot sinister and the housekeeper would have had a deep dark secret.
As it was, I did enjoy reading it. Something to lose myself in over the long weekend.
What it has done though is whetted my appetite for horror and mystery – I am now thinking I should read The Woman in Black before I watch the movie. I have a feeling I won't be sleeping after that one though…
Metro Winds by Isobelle Carmody
This is a book of short stories.
The short stories are set in our world, but not.
They contain fantastical elements that are sort of fantasy genre.
On the back cover it says that "in these stories, anything is possible."
But I will never find out.
I don't know why I bother picking up Carmody's works for older teens. I can never get into them. I feel like I should be reading her books, that I should in fact like them because fantasy is a genre I enjoy and she apparently is 'the queen' of fantasy.
But I don't like them. And I don't end up reading them. With the exception of The Red Wind, which I both enjoyed and wanted to read more of. Perhaps this was because it was a children's book, or because it had pictures, or because the little animal characters were so cute (though I don't really like reading animal stories either). I just don't know. But I didn't finish reading it.
Of the stories I did read, I liked The Dove Game best. Though it could have been better. It had such an interesting concept. Sure I didn't want it to go all midday movie, but I didn't want it to be so abstract either.
Oh well.
Mist by Kathryn James
The fact that I had forgotten that I had read this book should tell you a little something about its quality.
Granted I went overseas after I read it so my head was filled with London and Paris and Rome, so unfortunately a plot about the faerie land just didn't stick in my mind.
It's an ok book. The plot is fairly fast paced but predictable.
You don't really like any of the main characters though.
And it does the thing I hate most in fantasy which is blend the real and fantasy worlds.
If I wanted to read about the real world I would choose to read realistic fiction, but I don't.
The reason I picked this book up is because the blurb sounded awesome. I thought it was going to be another horror/thriller like the ones I had been reading last term.
I guess what this reading experience has taught/reinforced for me is:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
This used to be my favourite Jane Austen novel.
It is fun and frivolous and nobody gets hurt.
It is also a hilarious parody of some of the gothic fiction that was being published during Austen's time.
It is then also her great defence of novels as a valid form of reading/literature. Would you believe that in her time people thought novels were trashy and that girls who read them must be air-headed?
While the heroine Catherine does not do much to dispel this myth early on in the novel, by the end she has shown us and herself how naivety can lead to folly. And that just because you are good does not mean everyone around you is good too.
No doubt, like me, you will be yelling at Catherine by the end of two or three chapters because you won't be able to believe just how daft she is. Sometimes I wonder if she can even see the nose on her own face!
But you will like her. She is charming and lovely and very young. And so you can forgive her her youthful misunderstanding.
And yet, Northanger Abbey is no longer my favourite Austen novel.
I like to think it is because I have matured beyond Catherine's years and can now appreciate the more subtle and serious aspects of my other favourite Austen novel.
Really it is probably because now I am old and Catherine is not.
One hundred candles by Mara Purnhagen
Sometimes I forget that I like reading. Often it is easier to sit in front of the TV and just veg, or read a magazine or newspaper. It's light and it's easy.
Last Thursday I decided to pick up this book. Actually I decided that I didn't feel like doing my 'real' work and that I just wanted something fun and easy to do.
one hundred candles has been sitting on my desk for months, just waiting for me to get bored enough to read it.
And I am so glad I did. I finished it the day I picked it up.
It is a horror story, with mystery and romance.
It has characters I like and an ending that… I won't spoil it for you.
It is not so scary that I couldn't have read it at night, but it did send tingles down my spine every so often, enough to make me realise that I was happy to be reading it in the day.
If you don't really love fantasy novels, but like realistic stories with a small supernatural twist then this one is for you.
Only ever always by Penni Russon
I feel pretty jipped by this book. All the reviews I have read, and even the blurb on the back, suggested that this was going to be an interesting dystopic parallel universe kind of text.
I can tell you it was not.
It was much more juvenile than I thought it was going to be. I wasn't moved or inspired. Really I was just disappointed.
There was so much potential. Two girls, both dealing with loss, somehow connect between two similar but very different worlds.
Like I said – endless potential.
But nothing really happens.
My only respite is that it was a short book and did not take me very long to read.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
I told you all I was inspired to read a lot of Jane Austen while I was in Bath!
This is now my favourite Austen novel, yes even more than Pride and Prejudice!
And you know why that is?
It's because Anne is so pleasant and unassuming. Like Elizabeth she has a horrid family, but, unluckily for her, she doesn't have an awesome sister like Jane to rely on. It's just her.
And, like Catherine in Northanger Abbey, in her youth Anne was foolish. But things didn't work out at the for her like they do for Catherine.
Oh no. Poor old Anne is now an old maid at 27, sitting forlornly on the shelf.
Her cousin takes an interest in her, which would be a good match, she would be just like her beloved mother then.
But do we really know him?
And Captain Wentworth, the love of her youth, whom she threw away is back on the scene.
I think I love him even more than I love Darcy! And that is saying a lot!
Read it.
You might still be too young for it yet, but in time I think it will be your favourite Austen too!
Return to the Library of Doom Series by Michael Dahl
I can't believe that I didn't know that these books existed. And these are ones from the second series, so there are ten others I could read too!!
These books are a cross between a quick read and graphic novel, they are not very long and there are lots of images and graphics within the text to help explain the meaning.
They are short and funny, and well worth the five minutes they take to read.
Also they show how awesome and dangerous libraries can be, so watch out!!
Blood in the Library
This one I thought was a little odd, and The Eraser was drawn really scarily. I didn't like how he looked and tried not to look at the pages he was on.
Dictionary of 1000 Rooms
The best thing about this one is because it is set in a dictionary there are so many puns and in almost each sentence there is one word for which there are numerous synonyms given.
Killer App
This one reminded me so much of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but the Edgar Allen Poe tie in made me laugh out loud. I just love the literary humour.
Ruby Moonlight by Ali Cobby Eckermann
My grandmother is always telling me that I should read poetry.
In Year 12 my English teacher gave me a book of sonnets to try and get me hooked.
But I have never really been into it.
I don't really know why, they are shorter after all, but I think in many ways they are harder to read. In my mind poetry just doesn't seem as worthy as other forms of literature. I too can write five lines down a page pressing enter in between instead of leaving them as the one sentence that they are.
I guess the only poetry I really like is that which tells a story. I can't remember the correct term for it, something like poetic novel I think. Anyway, it is the type of writing that Steven Herrick does, and it is the type of writing that this book is.
Ruby Moonlight is based on a true story apparently, and tells the story of a young Aboriginal girl.
I thought it was a bit short. Not a lot happens, but a lot happens at the same time. I was left wanting more. Not that there are any holes in the story, you know what happens, but I felt I could have had more details, more meat.
On the back cover it says that it is set in South Australia but you can't tell that from the poems, maybe if I had an understanding of country I might. I don't know whether this is important or not.
It was really interesting to read, but as I said before I wanted more.
But maybe that is what my problem is with poetry. You only get a sense of things and not the whole story.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I forgot how upsetting this book is.
You know that it cannot turn out well, when does any story set in Nazi Germany turn out well? And yet there is always the hope that somehow history can be changed.
From the outset you know it is going to be grim because Death is the narrator, however, the whole spectrum of life is covered and there are funny, heart-warming moments as well.
The main character Leisel learns to read and it is her journey we follow.
She uses books to support herself during times of crisis and shows how a good story can bring people together.
But be warned, by the end tears will be rolling down your cheeks.
The Boy who grew into a Tree by Gary Crew and Ross Watkins
This is a very odd book.
I fear I say that about many of the books that I read, but this one truly is very odd.
It is small and square and made on beautiful paper.
From the outside it looks like it is going to be a picture book. In fact, that is what I thought it was until I opened it up. There are pictures, but not as many or as beautiful as I thought they would be.
The story is broken up into any sections, and though it seems fast paced and is short, it covers many years.
I think what has confused me most is the ending.
It is rather abrupt and I don't know if I am supposed to be sad, or if I am being scolded, or really what the point is.
All in all, the book is too quick for its subject matter. Unless that is the point of it? Actually, now that I have written that sentence/thought down I think that may be the point of the whole thing.
God things take time, life takes time. Don't let consumerism and greed and capitalism take what is good from you.
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
I really liked this book. I seem to be starting a lot of my reviews like that lately. The problem is, I really do like this book.
For me it is a bit of nostalgia. I know I am not really that old, and I don't want to make myself sound like a geriatric by saying 'I remember when…', but I do remember lots of the things that this book talks about. Dial-up Internet, AOL. It is funny to think how far we have come technologically, but perhaps how we have stayed the same in terms of our core human nature at the same time. and perhaps that is the point of the book.
We are always going to be us, online or in the future, at our core.
In terms of the book itself, its owner put it pretty perfectly by describing it as 'predictable.' The characters were fine, I liked them, but they weren't really inspiring. The plot was like any other teenage novel with love, relationship problems, parental issues and peer pressure.
But still I liked it.
Because it provides a new way of looking at social media – or perhaps an old one, made more palatable to the young audience.
One question I did have at the end was why did the authors thank Mark Zuckerberg? Is it because they had too, is he so powerful that you can't even write the word Facebook without paying him royalties? (in which case I don't think I want to be a part of that and I am going to cancel my Facebook right now). Or is it because without Facebook this book and its concept wouldn't exist? Either way I am not really sure, and I don't think that Mark Zuckerberg has done anything so fantastic that he needs to be thanked.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
These holidays I began to reread a few books for a Year 11 student I am tutoring.
And I am really glad I had to reread them because I forgot how much I liked them the first time.
I think that Margaret Atwood is almost my favourite author of all time. I like everything of hers that I have read. And The Handmaid's tale is no exception.
A dystopic tale about life in the future, like all of Atwood's work, The Handmaid's tale looks at the roles of women in society. It will make you cross, it will intrigue you, and unfortunately (or maybe even on purpose) it will leave you wondering 'what really happened'.
It is possibly a little old for some students, but I say the sooner you start reading Margaret Atwood the cleverer you will be (and I know that has not come out sounding very clever, but you get what I mean).
Even if you don't read this book, try and read any Atwood you can.
The Innocents by Nette Hilton
Okay, so an admission first.
I started reading this book at the beginning of January. I took it home for the holidays, and then forgot it was on my bedside table.
There isn't anything wrong with it, or at least I don't think there is. I never got around to finishing it.
I picked up other things and now my reading headspace is completely off, it's at 90 degree angles from where it was when I first started to want to read this.
I picked it up because it seemed to be in a similar vein to the novel, Girl Like Me. I was feeling all into historical drama and real crime. Now, though, I am not. At the moment my reading headspace is into mystery and horror and witticisms.
Maybe I will go back to this book, but I doubt it.
If I don't read a book the whole way through the first time I don't usually pick it up again.
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore
I am kind of disappointed with this book. I feel like each book in this series is just getting worse and worse.
And yet I still read to the end.
The last chapter did turn it around a little, and I will read the next one, but that doesn't really assuage my disappointment.
The thing that really gets me about these books is the appalling use of multiple perspectives.
Don't get me wrong, I like books that show us different perspectives on the same subject like The Slap, but only when it is done well.
Changing font does not automatically mean a change in voice. It might be a good visual indicator of that, but you actually need to use a different writing style if you want me to believe that another character is speaking.
There is one font in this book that I cannot really attribute to any character even though I know it must belong to one of them.
Good action is not enough to make a good book.
Nor is good mystery.
A novel is more than just good ideas strung together in prose form.
You need to actually be able to write well too.
The Staring Owl by Luke Edwards
This book is very cute and very funny.
The pictures are absolutely adorable.
When reading almost every page I laughed out loud.
I think my favourite lines from the book are "You'd be amazed how many companies refuse to hire folk that won't break eye contact and aren't Homo Sapiens."
It makes you think about owls in a whole new way.
And it will only take you five minutes to read.
The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller
I have decided that I am not going to finish this book. I have been slaving away at for a few months and feel like I am getting nowhere. In addition, every time I read it I end up feeling depressed and agitated because nothing ever happens.
I thought this book was going to be really interesting. It has a nifty premise – a girl moves to a new town and discovers her school has some creepy secret society and there are interesting things about the girl whose room she now lives in. But I don't like any of the characters, none of them are nice, or that interesting, and because it takes so long to find out anything about them i really don't end up caring.
Maybe I would be better off reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Then again, maybe I just don't like the creepy high school psychological psychobabble genre.
So if you do borrow this and read it, can you please tell me what happens at the end?
Water by Geoff Havel
I was a bit shocked by how quickly things went wrong in this novel. Not three pages in and the main character has been kidnapped, and both her and I don't know why.
This is cracking little mystery that blends science fiction and realistic fiction and mystery in one neat package.
If you don't like science it doesn't matter, as really at its core it is a survival story and right and wrong and building realtionships.
The blurb though is completely off. I thought I was picking a story about a small town with some deep dark secret, when really what I ended up reading was a conspiracy thriller.
Not that I didn't enjoy it.
I guess it just proves the old adage 'Don't judge a book by its cover'.
"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" : All the Wrong Questions 1 by Lemony Snicket
I think my favourite thing about Lemony Snicket is the way he defines words on his own terms.
Yes his stories are interesting.
Yes they are mysterious and leave you wondering what will happen next.
Yes they are funny and entertaining.
But I never laugh more than when I read the words "which in this case means…"
The way the he uses language fascinates me and tickles my funny bone.
This new series seems as interesting as The Series of Unfortunate Events and, to my great relief, a little less sad for the main character. In TSUE I was always hoping for something nice to happen to the children but it just never did. And while it seems there will be some unhappy circumstances and misunderstood messages in this series, it seems like they will be fewer.
What is odd, to me at least, about this new series is that Snicket is the main character. He is writing about his thirteen year old self. I am not sure if I like it.
He is supposed to be mysterious, an unknown entity, separate from his stories. But I do think finding out more about him may be fun.
I guess my only fear is that I am becoming a little too old for Snicket, however, whenever I read his wordplay I always put that fear aside.


text:
Shocking video: Vancouver bike theft in broad daylight
CTV British Columbia
Published Thursday, September 5, 2013 4:10PM PDT
Last Updated Thursday, September 5, 2013 7:53PM PDT
A Vancouver man says he's lost some faith in humanity after brazen thieves used an axe to steal his expensive bike in broad daylight – while several people walked right by.
Raymond Lemieux, 66, said he locked up his high-end electric bicycle on Columbia Street in the city's Downtown Eastside when he went to a dentist appointment at the Portland Community Clinic earlier this month. When he returned, it was gone.
"I mean, the lock's broken lying on the ground, there's a two by four, and I've got no bike now," he said.
Lemieux didn't have to wait too long to find out what happened – a nearby CCTV camera captured the entire dramatic theft.
He obtained the video, which shows three men smashing an axe against his bicycle U-lock for about two minutes until it breaks off. The men then quickly make off with the bike.
In the video, CTV News counted seven pedestrians who can be seen walking right past the theft-in-progress.
Nobody stopped or called authorities to report the incident, which Vancouver police later confirmed and called concerning.
"If someone's not only stealing a bike, but using an axe to do so, obviously 911 is appropriate at that time and we want that phone call," said Const. Brian Montague.
He said the bike has not yet been found and police have not taken a suspect into custody.
Needless to say, the experience has left Lemieux out a large sum of money – and utterly disheartened.
"I'm speechless to try and understand why it is that so many people could've walked by here and watched this occur, and not respond by either going into the nearby building…or even trying to call an officer," he said.
"If I'd have seen it happening, obviously I'm not going to confront the individual…but I'd definitely be running to the street corner and screaming that somebody's bike is being stolen, let's do something."
Admitting it's unlikely the $1,400 bike will be found, Lemieux has bought another one.
He's now urging anyone who sees a similar theft happening to put away their complacency and pick up a phone.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Scott Roberts