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MOSCOW – A Russian provincial lawmaker who, in a rare show of defiance, accused the Kremlin of lying about whether it sent its forces to fight in Ukraine was stripped of his seat in the local parliament on Thursday.
Lev Shlosberg was beaten up last year by unknown assailants days after he alleged that paratroopers buried at a cemetery in his hometown of Pskov had been killed in a clandestine operation in eastern Ukraine.
He said he had now been stripped of his seat in the Pskov regional assembly as punishment for, among other things, challenging the official Kremlin position that no serving Russian troops are fighting in eastern Ukraine.
"This is the authorities' revenge," Shlosberg, 52, told Reuters by telephone after his fellow lawmakers in the assembly voted to eject him.
"For opening my mouth, for not being silent, for setting out in public what is happening, for calling a spade a spade," said Shlosberg, a teacher who became a political activist after the fall of communism 25 years ago.
Sergei Makarchenko, one of the local legislators who voted for Shlosberg to be kicked out, said there was no political agenda behind his expulsion. He said Shlosberg had to be removed because he broke a law on the status of lawmakers.
But he acknowledged Shlosberg's stance on the Pskov paratroopers had made him enemies.
"I stopped shaking his hand or talking to him a year back, when he stared kicking up a fuss about the huge losses among the paratroop division, which wasn't true," Makarchenko said.
The motion to strip Shlosberg of his seat was based on allegations that he broke a rule barring lawmakers from representing parties to a court case.
He had appeared in court to challenge the government's decision to declare that a non-governmental organization he founded was a "foreign agent" — a designation often attached to groups seen by the authorities as troublesome.
Shlosberg and his party, the opposition Yabloko grouping, denied he had broken any rules.
Asked about Shlosberg's expulsion on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment, saying it was "not really a question for the Kremlin."
Soldiers' graves
For a brief period last August, Shlosberg prized open a crack in the Kremlin's denials about the Russian military's role in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels have been fighting Kiev's forces.
The tiny local newspaper that he runs matched identity documents found on dead combatants in Ukraine to the fresh graves in Pskov of two paratroopers, Leonid Kichatkin and Alexander Osipov, who were killed earlier that month in unexplained circumstances.
Hours after Shlosberg went public, the inscriptions were removed from the graves, and young men in track suits chased reporters out of the cemetery. Days later, Shlosberg was hospitalized after he was beaten unconscious near his home.
His case is unusual because, 15 years into Vladimir Putin's tenure as Russia's paramount leader, it is rare for anyone to stand up to the Kremlin publicly.
Many Russians admire Putin for restoring Russian national pride, while those who don't usually stay quiet, especially in the provinces where people willing to voice dissent are few and vulnerable to pressure from local authorities.
Shlosberg, a small, trim man with graying hair, said he was not afraid to stand out.
He travels around Pskov on a bicycle — in contrast to most local officials who see government saloon cars as an important status symbol — and works out of two tiny rooms, one of which doubles as the headquarters of his newspaper.
A friend of his, Konstantin Gorozhanko, said Shlosberg often had no money, and even went without food, because he used cash from his own pocket to keep his newspaper running. "He's like a hermit," Gorozhanko said.
Shlosberg said he got involved in politics in the 1990s because he saw an opportunity to build a new state out of the ruins of Communism.
"Instead of a new state, a monster grew up, which destroys people," he said. "Everybody has to decide for themselves what to do with a state like that."


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Meet the Olympic Boxing Athlete Ambassadors
Following the formation of an Olympic Boxing Task Force (BTF) in June 2019 to ensure the delivery of the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, ten Athlete Ambassadors have been selected ahead of the qualification events, to give a global athlete voice, serve as athlete representatives and a liaison between the BTF and boxers hoping to compete at the Games.
- Athlete Ambassadors will act as the voice for boxers ahead of Tokyo 2020, helping to ensure their input is reflected in each step of the planning for the qualifiers and the Games.
- These ten selected athletes provide gender equality and global representation, with one man and one woman from each of the five regions.
- Athlete365 will continue to support boxers in the build-up to Tokyo 2020 through our dedicated boxing website, In Your Corner.
The Olympic Boxing Task Force has selected a diverse and inspirational group of Athlete Ambassadors as representatives for boxers on the road to Tokyo 2020. The selected Athlete Ambassadors are:
- Jianguan HU (China)
- Mary KOM (India)
- Lukmon LAWAL (Nigeria)
- Julio Cesar LA CRUZ PERAZA (Cuba)
- Vasyl LOMACHENKO (Ukraine)
- Khadija MARDI (Morocco)
- Mikaela MAYER (USA)
- David NYIKA (New Zealand)
- Sarah OURAHMOUNE (France)
- Shelley WATTS (Australia)
The ten ambassadors are all either active or recently retired boxers and cover a wide spectrum of the boxing world. The group is made up of several world champions and Olympic medallists such as two-time Olympic gold medallist Vasyl Lomachenko and six-time world champion Mary Kom along with youthful athletes like David Nyika also part of the team.
The ambassadors were selected following a nomination process involving their NOC, its Athletes' Commission and their National Federation. All of them have strong experience of international tournaments and will lend their expert knowledge to the BTF in order to create a smooth qualification process to Tokyo and a successful final tournament.
As part of their role, they will be available to athletes within their region for discussion both face-to-face at the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events, and digitally through social media and other online channels. The goal of the ambassadors is to promote the athlete voice and provide vital feedback to the BTF. This will ensure that boxing remains centred around the athletes and that their best interests are promoted.
Athlete-centred approach
The Olympic BTF is chaired by IOC Member Morinari Watanabe, who has been very active since it was created in June 2019 by the IOC Executive Board.
"[That] decision was taken in the interest of the athletes and the sport of boxing," said IOC President Thomas Bach at the time. "We want to ensure that the athletes can live their dream and participate in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020."
"In all of the work of the Boxing Task Force we want to put boxers first," said Mr Watanabe. "We are delighted with this group of diverse and inspiration athletes who make up the Athlete Ambassadors, and look forward to working closely with them in all areas of our decisions and event planning to make sure the athletes are not only at the centre of our work but actively engaged in it."
Along with Mr Watanabe, the Olympic BTF is composed of four other members including IOC Athletes' Commission member Aya Medani, who has represented the athletes' interests in the BTF planning since its' launch.
"The role of the athletes is more important than ever in sport and having a truly global and gender equal group of incredible boxers puts the athletes at the centre of our work on the Boxing Road to Tokyo," said Ms. Medani. "This athlete voice needs to be promoted in boxing, not only for our Olympic project for Tokyo 2020 but all areas of the sport. I am looking forward to working with them and engaging with boxers from around the world each step of the way to Tokyo."
Throughout the process, boxers have been supported by the Athletes' Rights and Responsibilities Declaration, the document that protects athletes' rights and promises to promote the ability and opportunity of all, regardless of background.
In particular, there has been an emphasis from the BTF, in line with the Athletes' Declaration, to prioritise the opportunity for boxers to appear at the Games while maintaining fair, balanced tournaments. An increase in female competitors, up to 100 from 36 at Rio 2016, is evidence of this, as is the introduction of a robust anti-doping programme.
Part of this effort to protect the athletes' right to a transparent, fair and clean sporting environment – as outlined in the Athletes' Declaration – will see PwC independently review the process for selecting and evaluating boxing judges and referees. This assessment will happen both before and during all qualification events and at the Olympic tournament in Tokyo.
Since August a dedicated portal on Athlete365 (Boxing), In Your Corner, has been available in five languages to provide extra support. Now, Athlete365 and the BTF will work together with the ten ambassadors to engage with boxers digitally and in-person at the five continental qualification tournaments.
For the official IOC press release see here.
For further information about the athlete ambassadors and what they can do to help you, head to In Your Corner.


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Women's Stretchy 4 Pocket Black Skinny Jeggings
Regular price $ 24.99
$ 0.00
SKU#:#BlackJeggings-002 These skinny jeggings are the most comfortable jeggings a girl can have. You can wear these cuties all season long. The 4 pockets are usable which is a big bonus. Fabric is very stretchy, soft and comfy. Great pair of basic jeggings to wear with any type of shirt, sweater, blouse or vest.
These are really good jeggings, we have washed several pairs that our models wear, just to see how the quality holds up and they still look great and fit great after several washes. We do recommend hand washing or use delicate cycle on washer and air dry.
Model's Details
Miranda is 5'4, wearing a small. Size 5)
Keisha is 5"5, wearing a medium. Size 9)
Small 3/5) Medium 7/9) Large 11,13,15)
Item Details
•True In Size
•Made In China
• 5% Spandex, 27% Polyester, 68%Cotton


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About us / Our members
Un unico grande team
Da noi le competenze di ognuno vengono condivise per un obiettivo comune
Laurenne Hemily – Figus
Senior Manager of Finance sector
Carpe Diem
Laurenne has worked in Washington, London, Chicago and Milan in international finance for almost 20 years at the world's most renowned business banks. He then decided to embark on an entrepreneurial path launching products that safeguard the environment. From there he was inspired to do a research doctorate at King's College in London where he obtained a Ph.D in Environmental Sciences. During this same period he also found time to buy and manage various properties in 3 different countries and on 2 continents and try his hand at the business angels world.
Torna all'elenco dei nostri soci


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We deliver to more than 40 countries!
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Bubble suspensions, with various spherical shapes, bring a touch of softness and diffuse luminosity. Designed in 1952 by George Nelson, these elegant lamps rest on a sturdy and light steel frame while forming an airy and delicate ensemble. Nelson was inspired by a set of Swedish silk-covered hanging lamps he wanted to acquire for his office. Unfortunately, the price seemed unaffordable to him. Nelson being a clever and resourceful designer, he created the first set of Bubble lamps by spraying a white, translucent resin, a technique developed at the time by the U.S. military. Nelson drew his inspiration from a variety of simple and natural forms to design these suspensions. --------------------------------------
- Materials : Polymer sprayed on a steel frame - Dimensions :Small : Ø 44 cm x h 19 cm Medium : Ø 62 cm x h 24 cm Large : Ø 90 cm x h 35 cm - Weight : Small : 1,3 kg Medium : 2,2 kg Large : 3,1 kg - Packaging : Medium : W 66 cm x D 66 cm x H 33 cm Large : W 100 cm x D 100 cm x H 43 cm - Accessories : Cord of 183 cm maximum and ceiling plate in brushed nickel - Bulb E27 60 watt not included - Maintenance Soft cloth
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We invite you to visit our international website to find out more about our universe.


text: London Remembers searching for clues about mystery girl painted onto wall in Belsize Park (@LondonRemembers)This entry was posted in Individual Signs Related Work and tagged Belsize Park London London Remembers Mystery on May 11, 2012 by Sam Roberts Click here for more information and to add any leads to the case. (London Remembers' homepage is here.) Related PostsPaper & Bags: Spitalfields MysteryLancell Road's Mystery Ghost SignOwl Cigars ghostsign mystery in San FranciscoTime Travel with Google Streetview


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Arts Unbound Program at SAGE
Sydney Pretto of Berkeley Heights and Barbara (Bobbi) Minoff of West Orange are shown with their finished artwork. Starting this fall, Arts Unbound of Orange is conducting a monthly participatory arts program for seniors at SAGE Eldercare's Spend-A-Day adult day program through a grant from the Grotta Fund for Senior Care. (courtesy photo)
Starting this fall, Arts Unbound of Orange is conducting a monthly participatory arts program for seniors at SAGE Eldercare's adult day program. The Spend-A-Day participants in the program are receiving individual fine art lessons as a result of a grant from the Grotta Fund for Senior Care.
"Each month, an artist arrives with quality art supplies and works with approximately ten older adults for about an hour to take a plain piece of paper and turn it into a piece of art," noted Deanna Butters, Director of SAGE Eldercare's Spend-A-Day program. "On a regular basis, we incorporate a variety of activities into our adult day program calendar, including arts and crafts, musical entertainment, games, discussions, and celebrations, so it is a real treat when our attendees have a special class to use their hidden talents."
SAGE's adult day program, Spend-A-Day, is offered Monday to Friday, with an option for extended hours of care, and is staffed by caring, experienced interdisciplinary professionals, including a full-time registered nurse and licensed geriatric social worker. The program is most helpful to families who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, dementia, or is post-stroke or post-surgery. The program provides valuable respite for caregivers who work outside the home or need time to tend to other responsibilities.
"We are most grateful to the Grotta Fund for Senior Care for their generous grant in providing the funds to make this program possible for some of our clients," added Fred Jenny, Executive Director of SAGE. "Like our mission, the Grotta Fund for Senior Care aims to benefit older adults living in northern New Jersey so that they can age in place in the comfort of their own homes and communities with dignity and grace."
Arts Unbound offers many types of in-studio art classes, including printmaking, digital photography, graphic design, drawing fundamentals, drink and draw, painting and pinot, and paper mache. Additionally, artists who are seniors or have a disability can contact the studio to have their artwork considered for an upcoming gallery exhibit.
The Arts Unbound program is also available to the public as an individual in-home class or at the Arts Unbound Studio and Gallery in Orange. More information on these individual two-hour fine and traditional art classes can be obtained by calling Armisey Smith, Director of Arts Education for Arts Unbound, at 973-675-2787.
To learn more about SAGE Eldercare's adult day program, call 908-598-5520 or visit www.sageeldercare.org.


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Better Oats Think & Hearty Blueberry Muffin Instant Oatmeal 10 Count
15.1 ozUPC: 0088392117029
Purchase Options
Located in Aisle 13 in Your Store
Discover What Makes Better Oats® Better.
Thick & HeartyThey say the stomach is the best way to one's heart, and we couldn't agree more. This hearty, thick-cut oatmeal will satisfy any sweet tooth. In addition to whole grain oats, each bowl contains real blueberries, flax for added ALA Omega-3 and is fortified with antioxidant vitamins A and E. One bite and you'll fall in love.
- Made with real blueberries
- Made with whole grain & flax seed


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LamiXteel Weathering Steel
LamiXteel EX25 is the latest high-performance outdoor steel product of Lienchy Metal....Read More
Color coating steel coil of continuous production by Lienchy Laminated Metal is used the newest modified polyester coating(PE). We can choose different material substrates(PPGI / PPGL / PPAL) to pre-coated the same PE coating. No matter what kind of the steel coil that have good roll formability, weather resistance and outdoor stability, as well as a variety of bright colors. If you have needs of partial coating, please don't be nervous to contact us. We have application experience form our customer.
Colored pre-coated steel coil of continuous production by Lienchy Laminated Metal has more advantages inclouded eco-friendliness, uniform coating, especially on partial coating. We research and develope coating with insulated for custemer. Use our partial coating technology on stainless steel to make machine elements. We solve the problem for our customer successfully.
Suggested use:
Usually in light industrial district, commercial district, residential areas, suburbs, villages, etc.
In general outdoor use of buildings such as roofs, wall panels, garages, rolling doors, fences, storage rooms, etc.
For indoor use which like window rails, partition boards, ceilings, etc.
When do we need for partial coating?
The functions of mechanical parts may be required to be conductive and insulated. For the reason to save the space, the fixing parts of the case could be a wire in some mechanism design.
Due to Lienchy Laminated Metal is continuous production, partial coating can save the cost on raw metirial and post-processing. Partial coating compared favourably with screen printing and laser engraving can save more cost and more making your products competitive advantage.
Based in Taiwan, LIENCHY LAMINATED METAL CO., LTD., since 1992, is a coated steel product supplier and manufacturer. The main products include pre-coated steel, anti-fingerprint coating stainless steel and painted steel coil, which is suitable for electronics, elevator interiors, door panels, cold storage panels, modular panels, prefabricated interior fittings, automotive interiors, etc
We are capable of manufacturing 1.6mm-thick laminated panel with total production capacity that exceeds 50,000MT per year, is ISO 9001 certified, and meets SGS, RoHS and GREENGUARD standards. We are also capable of entering new sectors and supply to manufacturers of 3C devices, appliances, elevators, building materials, prefabricated unit bathrooms, marine/offshore accommodations.
Lienchy Laminated Metal has been offering customers high-quality anti-fingerprint coating stainless steel, painted steel coil and pre-coated steel, both with advanced technology and 26 years of experience, Lienchy Laminated Metal ensures each customer's demands are met.
LamiXteel EX25 is the latest high-performance outdoor steel product of Lienchy Metal....Read More
The anti-fingerprint sus product adopts the anti-fingerprint coating developed by LCM completely....Read More
The PVC laminated metal produced by LCM is also called a pre-coated steel plate and a pre-finished...Read More


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IHSD alumna-now-staff, Porchea Fort, remembers her #FavoritePreschoolMemory.
In 2016, I started my journey working for IHSD as a teacher at the Fair Oaks site. After working for a couple of months I found out the preschool I had attended when I was younger was affiliated with IHSD!
Who would've thought years down the line I would work for the company where I attended preschool? While I don't remember much about preschool two specific moments stand out for me.
One was making green eggs and ham after we read Dr. Sesuss's Green Eggs and Ham. To this day it is one of my favorite books. To my preschool self, making green eggs and ham was such a big deal, because it was like we were making the story come to life. As I write this post, I just had an ah-ha moment and realized why "WOW experiences" are important for children. It gives them a hands-on approach and leaves a lasting impact, but I digress.
As I write this post, I just had an ah-ha moment and realized why "WOW experiences" are important for children.
The second moment I remembered from preschool was collecting ladybugs with my friend Corey. It was nostalgic when one spring day, while working at the Fair Oaks site, I was passing out cups to children, so they could go look for ladybugs. I think my 4-year-old self never thought, at 27 years old, I'd be doing the same thing only the roles are reversed.
If I do nothing else for those children, I want them to feel they were loved.
My preschool Teacher Jose stands out as well. The impact he left on me is the reason why I work so hard to build relationships with the children. When my students are 29 years old, I want them to look back and reflect on how I made them feel. If I do nothing else for those children, I want them to feel they were loved. That's the way I felt when I attended preschool, and I just want to return the favor.
– Porchea Fort, IHSD alumni 1993 and Laurel Head Start Site Supervisor


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Oil with white truffle 100 ml. - Ranise
Pizza oil 100 ml. - Ranise
>> dettaglio
Table Parmesan - an original Italian Stravecchio. The cheese is compact in his structure with little punching, like the Grana (Parmesan). With increasing maturity this cheese tends to become emery and fragile.
BERNARDI-Speck - die Zeit zur Reife ist es uns wert!
The Pustertaler Salamini Villgrater are produced of beef and pork in the physical white frost procedure, are mildly spiced, with light red wine taste and afterwards dried in home mountain air.


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Chocolate Egg
I bring you a chocolate Easter egg in the form of a cocktail! This little number is what we made for our chocolate lovers, bunny owners and all round calorie lovers. With a combination of vanilla and chocolate I can say this one if for those of a sweet tooth.
- 30 ML Vanilla Vodka
- 20 ML Mozart Dark Chocolate Liqueur
- 30 ML Chocolate Milk
- 15 ML Vanilla Syrup
- 1 Whole Egg White
- Put all the ingredients into a shaker, dry shake first to aerate the egg white and build up the foam.
- Add cubed ice and shake again, till cold to touch.
- Strain into coupe and garnish with mini chocolate eggs.


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We are experiencing shipping delays of 1 week due to high order volume, thank you for your patience!
Regular price
Our Piper necklace is one of our classic choker styles. It's the perfect length for every day wear making it easy to throw on and wear on it's own or with other pieces.
16" + 1" extender
14kt gold-filled findings


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We seem to be moving into a new politics. For decades, politics has been dominated by the debate between left and right. Now there is a new debate between populist nationalism and liberal international. That was seen very clearly in the French Presidential elections in which both centre-left and centre-right parties collapsed, leaving a contest between Macron and Le Pen.
Something similar happened in the recent European elections, in the UK, and some other countries as well (though not right across Europe). In understanding this new development it is important to recognise that this is not solely a UK phone phenomenon. It is not, therefore, solely a result of the UK anguish about Brexit. There is something broader going on.
It seems to me that the new debate reflects, even more than the left-the right debate, differences in personality and psychological orientation. Long ago, Hans Eysenck collected some interesting evidence that centrists are more introverted than extremes of either left or right.
However, it seems to me that the new debate between liberal internationalism and populist nationalism is, strongly related to cognitive complexity. Liberal internationalists like to see both sides of the question, can entertain different points of view, and can see many shades of grey. Populist nationalism sees things in starker terms, with a stronger polarisation between black and white, between ingroup and outgroup.
There are also issues about identity. Most research investigating why people are supporting populist nationalism finds that it is primarily due to a search for a sense of identity. The left-right debate was largely about who could deliver economic prosperity most effectively, and we got used to people 'voting with their wallets'. Now, it seems, issues of identity are stronger for many people than the issues of economic prosperity.
It is important for religion to engage with these new high-profile issues about identity. It seems the different strands of religion can go both ways in the debate. National identity is often intertwined with religious identity, and religion tends to flourish best when it is a salient aspect of national identity. Then it becomes a matter of fierce tribal loyalty.
However, there is also an element in religious thinking that wants to assert that all people, across the globe, have their same origin in the same creator. Religious leaders, such as Jesus, often want to transcend national identity. Jesus' attitude to Samaritans exemplifies his wish to transcend a purely Jewish identity. Early Christians became convinced that Christianity was for Gentiles as well as Jews. St. Paul sees the work of Christ as bringing in a new 'Adam', a new humanity, something that transcends all national boundaries.
For many of us there is a long way to go in understanding the new politics which has broken upon us rather suddenly. This blog is a small pointer towards the work that needs to be done to understand what politics are about now.


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by Naoko Takeuchi
To see reviews of previous books in the Sailor Moon series, click here.
This review contains spoilers for the previous volumes in the series.
Mamoru is moving to the United States for a year, and Chibi-Usa is returning to her parents in the future. Usagi can't help but feel lonely, but at least life is normal again. But normal never lasts for long in Tokyo, does it? First, a girl calling herself Sailor Iron Mouse attacks a pop concert, demanding "sailor crystals". She is quickly defeated by a trio of women clad in leather bikinis, but others follow and manage to kill several Sailor Guardians. Sailor Moon is determined to get her friends back, but until she figures out the identities of these strange "Star Warriors" and the leader of the enemy, she can't move forward. And who is this new pink-haired child living claiming to be Usagi's little sister?
I know that some people are very fond of the Sailor Stars story arc, but while there are elements of it that I like I think the series jumps the shark when this kicks off. The story is as complex as ever, but it is infinitely weirder. The most obvious oddity is the Sailor Starlights, who masquerade as male pop stars but transform into bikini-clad women. I can't remember if they're anatomically male or carefully disguised women while in their "human" form – one of the villains, Sailor Tin Nyanko, suggests they only "dress up and act like boys" but unless it's stated in the next book, Takeuchi left it ambiguous (as she is wont to do). Sailor Star Maker wins the prize for the most bizarrely named power in any comic book franchise when she attacks the enemy while shouting "Star Gentle Uterus". I have no idea what "Star Gentle Uterus" does, but if someone was running at me while yelling about their reproductive organs I'd be so confused her partner could easily hit me with something else. Chibi-Usa, Usagi's daughter from the future, is sent back to the 30th century, so all seems well and good…but then she is replaced with a tinier, cuter mini-Moon child called Chibi-Chibi, and all I can say is, Why??? Was one sugary sweet character not enough? If we must have this story element, just keep Chibi-Usa around!
Random aside: Is Chibi-Usa from the future or an alternate universe? In a scene where future Sailor Pluto talks to Neo Queen Serenity, she's wearing her "super" Sailor uniform – but a few pages later, the present's Pluto wears her "eternal" Sailor uniform, which was the upgrade of the super version. She also notes that there is a disturbance in "space-time", not "in the past". Combining this with the fact that the future Guardians never seem to remember events from the 20th century really makes me think it's not the future that Chibi-Usa comes from…
I also find it interesting that in this book Rei and Minako both confess that they no longer look for love. Minako's obsession with boys and pop stars is, it seems, just an act. There's a definitely Sapphic subtext to the declaration, as Minako coolly informs Seiya and his brothers that she's devoted her life to her "one and only" while Rei adds they have "no need for menfolk". I'm curious what the root of this attitude is. Are they lesbians? That seems too obvious. Are they simply too focused on their work defending the planet to worry about relationships? If so, do they turn their back on relationships because their Moon Kingdom romances ended poorly, or is it not much of a sacrifice anyway to forswear romance? The final season of the Sailor Moon anime was never brought over to the US, so I don't know how this was treated in the anime, but I really don't remember mentally equating Sailor Guardians with cosmic warrior nuns...but that seems to be what they are. I can't decide if I think it's tragic that they have closed the door on relationships or awesome that they've found someone to devote themselves to so completely.
As always, I suspect I'm overthinking things.
It's hard to believe this series is almost over!
4 out of 5 stars
To read more about Sailor Moon Vol. 11, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2012: Bibliomat: Book Vending Machine
2011: Another little break for school…
2010: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
2009: Doodle of the Day: Twilight
2008: The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson


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Introduction: CNC Laser - Full Set of Plans for a Box of 4 Mini Drawers.
This site has provided me with so much inspiration, this is my effort to throw something in the ring. I don't intend to pad this 'ibble out with an image of glueing two pieces of wood together... :)
Step 1: JDI! or Just Do It!
In the spirit of Open Source (Inkscape being a wonderful example - perfect for this machine) I'd much rather go to bed with a self satisfied smile on my face and give these images for free, than to sell them on fleabay for folding beer tokens as a lot of other guys are doing. Just credit me with them when asked, is all. And if you come up with something you think others might like, post 'em! Yeee haar!
It measures 100mm wide, 148mm tall, 140mm deep. This iteration has a set of feet to act as locating pegs for stacking one on top of the other. Feel free to ditch them! This is a complete set of parts to make a set of mini drawers in Inkscape. It was cut with a 'nese 40W laser cutter engraver (photo) cutting 3.2mm (1/8") liteply/lasersafe ply out of A4 sheet. The basic box shape was made with the aid of that wonderful site, Box designer. Thanks, guys!
If you're using the same machine as me, that blasted stupid board will only let you use their LaserDrw. So... save the images one by one in .wmf format. When you import them into LaserDrw, keep inkscape open, and ensure the size of the images are identical. I'm currently in the process of trying to nest them more efficiently but it's a bit late, now, I've got what I want. Use the minimum power possible (dhuh!) to ensure a nice cut. This machine uses a stupid assembly as a burning bed as is, but! If you rip the guts out, you can get around 320x220!
I really doubt that anyone who would want to use these plans would have difficulty in assembly :)
I glued it all together with a thin layer of wood glue. It assembles quite squarely, but some clamping is necessary, as the joints are a bit of an interference fit.
Common sense applies to this 'ibble - if you burn your finger off, or blind yourself, it's YOUR problem! Oh. And if you're new to laser... you WILL have a fire at some point. Don't leave it running unattended! Have a damp rag to hand, don't try to put it out with your hand (don't ask!)
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That's really pretty :)
Thanks. Much better than the cheap plastic ones from China.


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Thu 13.1220:00 - 21:50DOMZAAL
Fri 14.1217:00 - 18:50DOMZAAL
Fri 14.1220:00 - 21:50DOMZAAL
Sat 15.1217:00 - 18:50DOMZAAL
Sat 15.1220:00 - 21:50DOMZAAL
Is it 'lies' or 'eyes'? Or pound, yen, euro and dollar? One thing's for sure: there's big bucks on the table in this production from Ontroerend Goed. Imagine you could step into the shoes of the wealthy elite, the super-rich 1%. The ones who run the show, the fat cats who perpetuate inequality and who brought about the banking crisis with their economic games. You'd do it all differently, no doubt?
Ontroerend Goed is giving you the chance to prove it: for one night only you're invited to draw up a chair at the big boys' table. You'll be a serious player in our economic system, making the rules and calling the shots. Will you play an honest hand? Will you make the world a better place? Or will you have dollar signs in your eyes?
After the great success of the first run of '£¥€$' at Vooruit in 2017, we're delighted to bring it back for the Festival van de Gelijkheid. Make sure to bring some cash. Don't worry, you'll get it back.
"Ontroerend Goed back at its remarkable best, a show that simultaneously reinvents what theatre can be and triggers our emotions in exactly the way the best theatre can do."
in collaboration with: Curieus vzw - director: Alexander Devriendt - with: Joeri Smet, Angelo Tijssens, Karolien De Bleser, Samir Veen, Hannah Boer, Aurélie Lannoy, Joeri Heegstra, Britt Bakker, Charlotte De Bruyne, Bastiaan Vandendriessche, Eleonore Van Godtsenhoven, Robin Keyaert, Max Wind, Sjef van Schie & Aaron Gordon - producer: David Bauwens - co-production: Vooruit, Theatre Royal Plymouth & Richard Jordan Productions - with support of: Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen & Stad Gent
tickets: €16 / 14 / 12 / 8
in English


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round up of sewing 2
Remember this fabric? Well before it was this - it was a skirt (ok, well actually its both, this was made with scraps left over!)
Its a velvet fabric with a bright pink lining. I really like the pattern and again its from global fabrics.
This was one of the first things I made by myself (that is mostly outside of the night classes). Its a simple A line skirt and the same pattern as the one above. I even lined it myself which wasn't part of the pattern (particularly proud of that achievement). I love how the serger manages to finish the garment and give it a less 'homemade' look.


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Dusty Baker: 'The coolest manager in the big leagues'
Dusty Baker advocated for Armando Ríos, an undrafted corner outfielder who made his way onto the San Francisco Giants radar.
Baker had all of his players' backs, but those who worked from the sport's bottom held a special spot in his heart. Ríos signed with San Francisco as an amateur free agent in 1994 and played a career-high 115 games in 2000, when the Giants moved into their brand-new ballpark.
Pressure for Baker to deliver wins was immense during Pac Bell Park's inaugural season. The Giants' seven-game season-opening road trip only furthered excitement. San Francisco arrived at its new home on April 11 and looked horrid. The Dodgers swept the first three-game series. The Diamondbacks took the fourth game, too. Baker's patience grew thin.
Still, Ríos continued an inspired start to his season. A sixth-inning single on April 15 scored Jeff Kent and prompted a Diamondbacks pitching change. While the reliever warmed up, Ríos fraternized with Arizona shortstop Tony Womack. The conversation was lighthearted and innocuous, one that occurs almost every night during the six-month season.
Baker gestured from the dugout. Ríos did not see the commotion. After the inning, Baker asked to see him after the game, a fifth straight loss at home.
"He let me have it," Ríos said. "Just, like, it hurt my feelings. Everything that he said. (Because) he really knew who I was. I was a prospect who worked my butt off to get to the big leagues."
Ríos cried for his entire ride home. During the next day's road trip, Ríos ignored Baker on the airplane. He rejected his manager's greeting on the bus, too. Finally, when the entire team decided to go out for dinner, Baker sought out his outfielder.
"Dude," Baker said, "what's up?"
Somewhat stunned, Ríos referenced the prior night's events. Had Baker somehow forgotten it? How could the two reconcile so quickly?
"You're my son," Baker told Ríos before wrapping him in a hug. "I love you."
"It taught me a lesson that he goes through stuff, but he has your back," Ríos said this week. "I've seen instances where that would happen and that would be the end of the relationship. Something builds up and the team breaks up. He made sure to come up to me and say 'Dude, this is part of any relationship.'
"He taught me a lot about the importance of when you're going through a bad time, you don't want to show that you don't care or whatever."
The Astros are battling much more than a bad time. The fallout from the electronic sign-stealing scandal required Baker's expertise. To Ríos, Baker is a "baller," a bilingual black man who will relate to Virginia-born $33 million man Justin Verlander as easily as 22-year-old Cuban designated hitter Yordan Alvarez.
"He treats you like a human being," Ríos said. "Not just a guy who is supposed to produce because he gets paid."
The 70-year-old manager was not hired for his baseball acumen — though anyone who doubts it is unwise. Owner Jim Crane sought a man who would invigorate a clubhouse braced for seven months of malice, full of players many now label cheaters. Baker's foremost goal is to galvanize, centering this team on one goal amid the inundation of outside scorn.
"The baseball stuff is like breathing; that'll take care of itself," former Reds utilityman Paul Janish said. "I think the thing he's best suited for is all the other (expletive), if you know what I mean."
Now an assistant coach at Rice, Janish played his first four major league seasons under Baker. The two texted frequently while Baker was in his interview process with the Astros, the franchise Janish rooted for growing up. Now, his hometown team needs Baker's deft hand.
"When you have a guy like that that can kind of galvanize 25 men on the team, you get everyone playing for him, playing hard for him," said Drew Stubbs, who played for Baker in Cincinnati. "That kind of creates a special atmosphere with winning, and I think he's proven that through the course of his career."
Playing for Baker is something of a privilege. Those who've experienced it now cherish the memories under this "chameleon," a man Ryan Theriot recalled showing up one day dressed in cowboy boots. The next day, Baker boasted the newest Jordans.
And in the offseason? Baker called Theriot to take him duck hunting in the Louisiana swamps.
"Dusty is the coolest manager in the big leagues," Theriot said.
"He can communicate with the Latin guys. He's going to bring in some rap star that all the guys love, and then the next day he's going to have Jamie Foxx in there in the office. He's got the toothpick and the wristbands. He's just cool, bro. Hell, and then he's going to go hunting with the country boys in the offseason. He's a man's man and a player's coach."
Baker's trust is sacred, his former players say. There's a perpetual feeling that the skipper "has your back," a trite term to some, but in the grind of a baseball season, it represents everything in the world.
"He's like your dad that has your back but also expects for you to give your all," Ríos said.
For almost every background, Baker can draw on past experience. He was a Marine Corps reservist from 1969 to 1975 and played in Atlanta during the Civil Rights movement. He shepherded the Giants through Barry Bonds' home run record chase and incessant steroid speculation. Sammy Sosa drew similar scrutiny during Baker's time in Chicago, too.
"He has experienced such a wide range of things as a person that he can relate to just about anyone. And not many guys can do or say that they can do that," Stubbs said. "Dusty truly can."
As a player, Baker was a two-time All-Star, won two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove, and was the MVP of the 1977 National League Championship Series. That kind of success helps him reach a team's most prized players.
"You can say whatever you want about the new age and analytics, I get that's where baseball is, but there's an element of credibility amongst players that's very difficult to accomplish without having been a player," Janish said.
For the fringe players without the lucrative contracts or entrenched spots, Baker requests maximum effort and attention. Ríos says Baker has "eyes in the back of his head" and is adept at spotting lackadaisical effort.
"Once he sees that you're trying and giving your best effort and taking care of yourself, he'll have your back," Ríos said. "Don't get me wrong, I've seen guys who don't get along with him, but those are usually the lazy guys or guys who don't want to be teammates or part of the group."
Stubbs, a University of Texas product, played alongside Janish for three seasons in Cincinnati. Before each road trip to Arlington or Houston, Baker sought out Stubbs on the team plane, cognizant his family would get to see him play.
"Do it for the homies," Baker said, before ensuring Stubbs would start or appear in every Texas-based game.
"If we'd go to Miami and there was a Cuban guy on the team, he would make sure that that guy — if he wasn't an everyday player — he would play those few games there," Stubbs said. "He was kind of looking out for you the player, and ultimately I think that he realized it gave you some extra motivation and inspiration to give that extra effort to help the team win that day."
Baker's insistence on involvement with his players traces back to a California basketball court, where he suddenly was missing routine layups and bricking free throws.
Few knew that Baker's parents were getting divorced. His high school coach finally pried it out of him, and Baker was overcome with relief. Someone listened, the only thing Baker ever wanted.
Fifty-four years later, that conversation remains Baker's impetus. He likewise saw famed 49ers coach Bill Walsh send flowers to his players' wives for birthdays and celebrate anniversaries, and he wanted to be that kind of manager.
"It's still a people business," Baker said. "And people like to know you genuinely care about them."
His acclimation to the Astros will not be instant. Baker is careful not to pry into players' lives, and he hardly knows any of them to begin with.
Meanwhile, Crane has commissioned a "strong statement" in spring training about the team's involvement in electronic sign stealing, and he believes Baker is the right man to deliver that message.
"He's just good at weathering the storm," Ríos said.
Janish said Baker's ability to relate to his players will help him guide the Astros through what will be a difficult season.
"He's just a good people person," Janish said. "And what that translates to on the field is it just makes everybody feel like he has your back. It's to the point to where I don't think he's necessarily tricking people — he really does have people's backs."


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Harrison's Cave: Caving in Barbados
Unlike most islands in the Caribbean that are volcanic in origin, Barbados is atop a mass of limestone rock formed by ancient coral reefs. Our headlamps caught fossilized coral heads here and there inside this geologic wonder, which served as a hideout for escapees during the slave-trade era. It would have been a dank place to take shelter.
"If you don't get wet and muddy, you're not having fun!" exclaimed Jason, one of our guides, as a dozen of us donned knee and elbow pads and hard hats.
Harrison's Cave is part of the island's natural water-purification system. When it rains, which is almost every afternoon in this island paradise, the water that's absorbed into the earth works its way deeper and deeper. After about 300 days, it reaches the cave. In other words, the water saturating us from the moment we waded through the first waist-deep pool hit the ground almost a year ago.
Story and photos by Lisa Ballard


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Cypress 100% Pure Essential Oil
Regular price
Cupressus sempervirens
Our cypress essential oil is steam distilled from cones, leaves, and twigs of the evergreen cypress tree growing wild in the hills and mountains of France.
The brightly aromatic cones, leaves, and twigs of the Cupressus sempervirens tree create a smoky, balsamic, resinous, woodsy essential oil. Along with helping to encourage healthy circulation, cypress essential oil is a lovely choice when looking to ease unwanted muscle spasms, reduce the presence of unwelcome bacteria, and help promote proper lung function. Many aromatherapists will use cypress essential oil in blends formulated to bring ease and relief in the instance of spasmodic coughing, or to help open the airways in the early onset moments of a minor asthma attack. It is also commonly used when one is experiencing restless leg syndrome. Cypress essential oil can help calm excessive worrying and usher in peace when one is feeling overwhelmed.


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Just like any business, mortgage brokers have expenses to run their
business. For reverse mortgage brokers, we have to cover loan
officers, staff salaries, administrative costs, office space, utilities, taxes, health insurance,
marketing expenses, processing, underwriting, etc. (Note that
processing and underwriting fees are generally additional fees on
conventional loans but have to be included in the origination fee on
FHA reverse mortgage loans.)
HUD regulates the fees that can be charged on the reverse mortgage including the origination fee. The guidelines are 2% on the first $200,000, 1% on the balance thereafter with a maximum of $6,000 and a minimum of $2,500.
For many years the origination fee was the only way reverse mortgage
brokers received funds to cover their business expenses. In the last
few years lenders started offering reverse mortgage brokers a Yield
Spread Premium (YSP) or broker compensation, the fee lenders pay
brokers/originating lenders for submitting loans to their company.
Forward or conventional brokers have historically received the YSP.
On the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) all the fees need to be disclosed
including the origination fee and the YSP. However mortgage brokers
are not on the same page as the FDIC banks because the FDIC retail banks do not have to disclose the YSP on the GFE even though they are receiving the same compensation.
When borrowers are comparing fees between a mortgage broker and the
FDIC retail banks, it looks like the FDIC banks are offering a better deal
even though the compensation is the same. This confuses borrowers.
The mortgage brokers offer more personal service than the large FDIC retail
banks. The large bank lenders often mail the application package and
all the details are not even discussed with the senior borrowers.
After the loan is closed seniors often have questions but when they
have done their loan with the large banks, they can't get the answers
they need or want. We as reverse mortgage brokers often receive calls
from borrowers who did their reverse mortgage with the large bank
asking for explanations stating that they can't reach their original
loan officer and the bank's customer service won't/can't answer their
Mortgage brokers have the option of working with many lenders which
means they have more options to offer our senior clients rather than
just offering the bank's options. Knowledge, experience, and customer
service have a high value – it's not always just about price. Don't
you consider quality and service when you are purchasing any product?
Recently lenders have been offering an option of 'no origination
fee' on the HECM fixed rate reverse mortgage program. This sounds good
on the surface but let's look at the real implications.
Origination fees are the norm on forward loans. Borrowers are used to having to pay an origination fee to lenders. I
have found that when the purpose of the origination fee and what it
covers is explained to borrowers, they accept that we need to be paid
for our services. In fact, at the application or at
the closing they often want to ensure that I am being paid and don't
question the amount of the origination fee. It is a matter of communication so borrowers understand the fees and what they cover.
The 'no origination fee' is only available on the HECM fixed rate
not on the adjustable rate program. With the reverse mortgage, the
adjustable rate may often be the best option for a senior. To
understand the differences between these options read "Which Is Best… A Fixed Rate or Adjustable Rate Reverse Mortgage?"
So borrowers, if shown a comparison of fees between the fixed rate and
the adjustable rate may choose the fixed rate 'no origination fee' even
though the option may not be the best decision for their
circumstances. Or they will question why they have to pay the
origination fee on the HECM adjustable rate but not the HECM fixed
rate. Or will seniors think that loan officers are hiding something
because of the differences. In any case they are likely to be more confused.
The fixed rate reverse mortgage offers a much higher YSP than the
adjustable rate. I have heard of some reverse mortgage loan officers
pushing borrowers into the fixed rate so they can receive a higher
commission/YSP. The 'no origination fee' option may have the same
affect, loan officers pushing the fixed rate over the adjustable rate
even though the adjustable rate may be the best option for a senior's
Generally the YSP is lower when the full HUD allowable origination
fee is charged. Although at this time the secondary market is
favorable so lenders can pay a higher YSP to the brokers meaning
brokers will be compensated even if they offer no origination fees.
However, this is only temporary and as we have seen
in the past, this can change rather quickly. This could mean that if
an origination fee was not initially quoted on the GFE, brokers are at
risk of not being compensated through an origination or through the
YSP. Where does this leave the reverse mortgage industry and/or the
Besides the 'origination fee' or 'no origination fee' being
confusing to borrowers this could impact the service seniors receive.
Additionally, borrowers will come to expect the 'no origination fee'
option even when the market changes and doesn't allow for the higher
YSP/'no origination fee' option.
There is talk of outlawing the YSP and actually this has already been done in some states. With
no origination fee when the YSP goes away it could leave the brokers
broke and out of business, only leaving the FDIC banks to control
and/or offer the loans. Is this really the best for the reverse
mortgage industry and/or the seniors?
believe the industry will be better served if the closing cost
structure is left the same and the favorable secondary market is passed
along to borrowers with a lower interest rate. While I understand the
borrower won't receive the benefit up front, in the long term they will
receive savings through a lower interest rate. This is will keep
things simpler, less complicated and less confusing.
Seniors and their families can already be confused by the details of
the reverse mortgage especially when the program has not been explained
to them in detail. In the future the confusion will increase. When
borrowers who did a reverse mortgage with no origination fee tell their
friends that they didn't pay an origination fee, the new reverse
borrower who will have to pay the origination fee due to market
circumstances and/or the outlawing of the YSP, will likely not
understand why they have to pay the origination fee.
Reverse mortgage borrowers are required to receive independent
counseling. The counselors are to explain the details of the loan and
the HUD allowable fees. Counselors are not to steer to lenders.
However if the counselors don't understand the secondary market (and my
experience with the counselors says they don't understand this aspect
of the loans) in their explanation of fees they could be adding to the
confusion of the seniors as well as they will be steering borrowers to
lenders who don't charge the origination fee.
While in the short run
the 'no origination' fee may look like it's good for the industry, all
of the changes that are happening are adding to the fear of reverse
mortgages and the stalemate of the industry. The 'no origination fee'
is just one more change contributing to this. When
seniors are too afraid to do the reverse mortgage that could benefit
them, it is not good for seniors and not good for the reverse mortgage
And as we have seen in the past with the one-percent margin, what
looks good today can turn out to be a disaster tomorrow both to the
reverse mortgage industry and to the seniors themselves.
Editorial Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed here are those of the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, editor or the editorial staff of Mortgage News Daily.
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Janice K Mandel Blog - CarsquareAutos, Cvent and Less than Six Degrees of Separation from Steve Case
It isn't always apparent when the ripple effect of a local success story like AOL enriches a startup community. If you panned the crowd of the DC Chapter of Startup Grind fireside chat at iStrategy Labs in March, you might have missed one. Khurrum Shakir is founder of CarsquareAutos, a search engine similar to Kayak.com, that gathers information on car listings from multiple portals. Type in your information once and search them all. He recently caught up with Cvent CEO and founder, Reggie Aggarwal, at a fireside chat he learned of the day before at a Tech Breakfast and decided to attend with long-time friends and now, colleagues, Phil Howard, Director of Operations and Sales and Ronald Fraser, Chief Engineer. Though Khurrum and Reggie both have Asian roots what binds them is closer to home: northern Virginia and less than six degrees of separation from Steve Case.
During his "chat," which he commandeered by bringing a slideshow, Reggie smiles wryly when he tells the group that as the son of two Indian engineers, his choice was to be an engineer or a doctor. Instead, he unsettled his parents by going to law school and then by becoming a bootstrapping entrepreneur right before the dot.com bubble and 9/11. They've come around now that Cvent is on the way to becoming the largest event management software company in the U.S., with 1,100 employees and used by 150,000 event and marketing professionals in 100 countries plus $136 in venture funding from an impressive list of business leaders, including Steve Case. But not before Reggie says he hit bottom as a 33-year-old nearly bankrupt entrepreneur who owed nearly every top executive in town and lived in his parent's basement. It's a darkest-before-the-dawn sound byte that captures at least as many headlines as Cvent's growing success
Read More


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Author: Johnathan Appel
Johnathan Appel is a comedian, writer, and actor based in New York City. He performs regularly at venues all around the city. His writing has been featured in McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Little Old Lady Comedy, and his college newspaper. He is often confused with the "Jonathan Apple" which is a fruit based out of Woodstock, NY.


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WASHINGTON, May 4, 2018: In my last article, I discussed how to sharpen your influencing skills. I noted as well Robert Cialdini's HBR article, Harnessing the Science of Persuasion. Today's article focuses on building effective relationships and your emotional intelligence.
An effective influencer builds strong relationship foundations by taking the time and cultivating those relationships. As an effective influencer, you have to make the effort to grow the relationship and build trust as you go along. By doing so, you will exponentially improve your ability to influence others. If you don't take this step, more than likely your influence techniques will be ineffective.
For example, I tell my clients who plan to attend networking functions to avoid making the event just about collecting business cards. Instead, I tell them to talk to several people and start to build relationships. While you are getting to know each other better, you are building trust. As the relationship grows, you naturally enhance your influencing skills.
Understanding Emotional Intelligence (EI) helps you achieve your goal to become an influencer. In fact, the skills learned through Emotional Intelligence are being used more and more today. While IQ measures verbal fluency, Daniel Goleman's work with EI leads to important elements of success. EI taps into people's emotional and social skills. It is the dimension of intelligence that is responsible for managing ourselves and our relationships with others.
According to Goleman,
"[P]eople adept at influence are able to sense or even anticipate people's reactions to their message and can effectively carry everyone along to their intended goal. While personal influence is the ability to inspire others through example, work, and deeds, it is also the ability to confront issues that are important to relationships, goals, missions, or visions.
"When I was recently coaching a group of leaders, several of the group expressed more interest in the hard skills such as 'show me results' and 'give me the bottom line.' While the hard skills are of course necessary, it is clear that if you don't blend them with the softer skills you won't have anyone to lead! This applies to both professional and personal situations."
Great results and outcomes in influencing others incorporate the softer skills of empathy, compassion, and self-awareness. These skills are adept at getting desirable responses in others such as influence building bonds, collaboration and cooperation. EI elements, or the soft skills, cannot only get the results you want in the present, they can pave the way for future successful results.
Emotional Intelligence leads to Emotional Competence
The Emotional Competence Framework is made up of the following.
- Personal Competence: How We Manage Ourselves including Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation; and
- Social Competence: How We Manage Relationships including Empathy and Social Skills.
Goleman believes empathy is a crucial ingredient supporting influence. He says
"It is difficult to have a positive impact on others without first sensing how they feel and understanding their position."
Final thoughts
In conclusion, here are a few tips for the next time you are looking to influence others:
- Use an influence strategy that is best for the situation at hand
- Inspire interest
- Build a coalition or get 'buy-in'
- Have a positive impact on those you want to influence
For more Information Contact:
Susan Commander Samakow, PCC, CPCC
Certified Professional Coach Focusing on Confidence & Resilience Strategies and Transition
Certified Mediator
301-706-7226 & 703-574-0039
[email protected]
Twitter: @SelfTalkCoach
Ask Susan about her coaching packages and the Stress Reducing techniques she teaches: EFT (Tapping) and Breathing Exercises.


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Board Secretary - full-time flexible working options
- Recruiter
- Aviva
- Location
- London (Greater)
- Salary
- competitive salary depending on skills, experience and qualifications
- Posted
- 09 Oct 2019
- Closes
- 09 Nov 2019
- Ref
- Category
- Legal
- Function
- Finance / Accounting
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
Aviva now has an external opportunity to bring in a Broad Secretary in our board and committee support team. The role report directly to our Senior Chartered Secretary in the London office.
The role is varied with lots of engagement with Independent Non-Executive Directors (INED) and an emphasis on communication and professional integrity to regulated boards – representing the best of Aviva and it's legal and co-sec teams.
The main purpose of this role is to provide support in respect of the company secretarial services provided across Aviva Investors, with a focus on key entities including Aviva Investors Holdings Limited and Aviva Investors Global Services Limited as well as assisting with ad hoc project work.
Key responsibilities will be around Board & Committee Support, INED Support and Fees, year-end declarations, and project work (small-scale projects and well-defined major projects). Some of these responsibilities include:
* Setting specific board/committee meeting dates on an annual basis, recording these in our Company Secretarial diary and communicating dates to relevant attendees via meeting invites as well as booking/managing meeting rooms and refreshment requirements in advance
* Ensuring that all relevant AI board/committee minutes are signed/scanned and saved
* Collating/reviewing and uploading (via Diligent) board & committee papers
* Setting reporting deadlines and monitoring/chasing the submission of reports in a timely manner
* Coordinating travel arrangements
* Undertaking factual research for more senior team members
* Assisting with the onboarding of new INEDs from an administrative point of view
* Coordinating the year-end/half year declarations process, with the provision of the Fitness & Propriety (F&P) packs
* Assist the Senior Chartered Company Secretary with the coordination of Director Training and Inductions
We are looking for someone with robust commercial experience in these areas who is interested in taking the step to cement a Company Secretary career in the insurance industry, and Aviva fully supports trainee pathways. Also, there are a variety of company secretary roles available in Aviva now, so please see if there are other roles that appeal to you.
What will you get for this role?
* A competitive salary depending on skills, experience and qualifications
* Generous defined contribution pension scheme
* Annual performance related bonus and pay review
* Holiday allowance of 29 days plus bank holidays and the option to buy/sell up to 5 additional days
* Up to 40% discount for some Aviva products through "My Aviva Extras" plus discounts for Friends and Family (some exclusions apply)
* Excellent range of flexible benefits to include a matching share save scheme
We care about the well-being of our employees!
How you feel at home, work and all aspects of life are important to us. Our programme – 'Be Healthy', 'Be Mindful', 'Be Secure' and 'Be Awesome' supports your physical, mental, financial and social well-being.
Here are just a few highlights:
* The ability to download Aviva Digital GP - a 24/7 personal GP service that enables a video consultation with a GP and pharmacy service at the touch of a button
* We offer all UK employees subscriptions to Headspace for FREE!
* We have subsidised 70% off the normal gym membership prices, meaning for a reduced monthly fee you will have access to a wide range of fitness venues
Additional Information and Equal Opportunity
One of Aviva's core values is Care More, and this is brought to life through the flexible ways we love to work. This may include working from home some of the time, or flexible work schedules to accommodate parent and carer responsibilities, further studies and hobbies.
Our diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives are crafting an environment where everyone feels welcome regardless of age, disability, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, culture, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, pregnancy, maternity or those with other caring responsibilities. Our approach helps to ensure that Aviva is a place which values difference and provides equal opportunities for all.
As a disability confident employer, we guarantee to interview anyone with a disability (as defined in The Equality Act 2010) whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. (By 'minimum criteria' we mean that you should provide us with evidence which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence required, as well as meeting any of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential).
Please apply through the website.


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What does a woman do when she wants a commitment but he wont commit? She has optuons here.
Option 1: Set a time line and stick to it. Know your worth and know your limits. Set the boundary. It's okay. Be true to yourself.
Option 2: Leave. I know, its easier said than done. Havent you heard the mantra though: Never make someone a priority when youre only just an option to them. Besides, one mans waiting game is another mans fierce urgency of now.
Option 3: Play the game. Get a DD. Not a designated driver, but a dude distractor. Start seeing more of your distraction and suprisingly, the cream just may rise to the top.
Option 4: Tune in to the Queen of hearts tonight at 7pm PST and get a few more gems that shes about to drop on www.thecaffeineradio.com
Deuces Wild,


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By: Louisa Miller, Carlsbad, CA – July 24, 2018 "There are victims at both ends of the gun." You could hear a pin drop as a group of approximately forty-five Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans listened to Azim Khamisa describe his epiphany and subsequent journey to forgiveness after his son, Tariq, was murdered by Tony Hicks.Continue reading San Diego Hands Listen to Azim Khamisa's Story of Forgiveness
Hunger Van Project
By: Jordan Derbas Carlsbad, Calif – July 23, 2018 – While the participants spend time learning about peace and leadership through dialogue, they also get an incredible chance to broaden that concept on a larger scale by applying the skills they learn to help those in the community. This Monday, the participants teamed up withContinue reading Hunger Van Project
Together As One
By: Sofia Islas, La Jolla, CA – July 15, 2018 After only a few dialogue sessions, the Hands of Peace participants loaded the bus to head to UCSD and participate in their popular ropes course program. The participants arrived feeling anxious for the day ahead of them, knowing that they would be asked to faceContinue reading Together As One
All Family Beach Bonfire
By: Jordan Derbas, Oceanside, CA – July 13, 2018 The Hands of Peace program is back in session for 2018! After the second day of dialogue and getting to know each other a little better, the participants needed some time to relax. This Friday evening, the participants, along with the staff and host family members,Continue reading All Family Beach Bonfire
Arrival Day 2018
By: Seth Frankel, Carlsbad, CA – July 11, 2018 Outside of Pacific Ridge School (PRS), a crowd of people had gathered. As day turned to night, the eager and curious group awaiting a bus grew and signs appeared among them, as might be usual for when a winning sports team returns home, or when exuberantContinue reading Arrival Day 2018


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› Description
Metallic leather high heel pump with pointed toe.
- Gold
- Leather Upper, Leather Lining, Leather Sole and Rubber Heel Tap
- 9cm Heel
- Made in Italy
› Size and Fit
Italian sizing, see size guide
› Shipping and Returns
- Available to purchase in Australia and New Zealand only.
- Shipping within Australia arrives within 1-3 business days, $15.
- Shipping to New Zealand arrives within 2-3 business days, $25.
- Includes tracking.
- Returns accepted within 7 days if in original condition, excludes sale items, underwear and swimwear. In line with our policy.


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The volume of digital payments worldwide is soaring and will reach $5 trillion by 2020. This growth is fuelled by new payment systems that are designed to work seamlessly with mobiles, in-app methods or via browsers. There has been huge innovation in this area by the banks, software giants like Apple, and fintechs. This growth creates new opportunities and risks for the retail banks. Continue reading "Digital Payments – Opportunity or Threat"
Move to Digital Needs Simpler IT
There is a myth that if an organisation begins takes steps to use digital technologies, the problem of IT complexity will resolve itself. In the digital age, organisations expect to connect with customers and partners in new ways; give greater access to information and services via new channels; and quickly launch new products and services.
Is Your IT Ready to Support Transformation?
In the digital age, technology role in business transformation is becoming more and more significant. Many transformation initiatives are heavily dependent on technology enablement. In order to support the business transformation agenda, IT leaders have two challenges; readying the operations and developing the needed IT capability. Continue reading "Is Your IT Ready to Support Transformation?"
Mobile Technology Boosts Ecomony
Mobile technologies have become the most rapidly adopted technology in the history. Mobile technologies are changing lives everywhere. Globally, the mobile technologies have become a main engine of economic growth. High R&D, declining costs and explosion in available applications is driving this growth.
"Mobile penetration is increasing, the costs of access and devices are coming down, and more and more people in both developed and developing economies are using the mobile Internet as their first—and often their only—means of going online."
Why Change Programs fail?
Most of the IT projects impact the way work is being done in the organisation. In order to get value or benefits from these changes, it is necessary that these system or process improvements are actually utilised and become part of the new way of doing work. This requires change management.
Transformation projects such as core systems replacement or even major outsourcing have a significant impact on the way business operates in an organisation. Here, change management becomes integral to the project success. While most IT and other senior executives understand the need for effective change management, in reality many projects fail to deliver the full potential due to the mistakes in change management. Continue reading "Why Change Programs fail?"
Six simple rules to manage complexity
In a recent TED talk by BCGs Yves Morieux suggested six simple rules to manage complexity and improve agility and effectiveness. These rules are worth sharing. The world is getting increasingly complex. There are more demands from customers, shareholders and regulators. There is ever-increasing competition. The change is occurring faster and it is getting difficult to create value. Organisations typically respond by adding more rules, structures and scorecards. This, in, turn just increases complexity and makes it harder for the staff to actually do the work. Managers often spend 40% of time writing reports and the remaining time in coordination meeting of one type or another. They often have several performance criteria to meet. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) complexity index has gone sixfold since 1955. Continue reading "Six simple rules to manage complexity"


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JAG-K Prepares for State by Getting Donations from Community Businesses
April 1, 2019
In order to prepare for the state Career Development Conference in mid-April, the Jobs for America's Graduates in Kansas (JAG-K) students are contacting hotels and other organizations to further their involvement in the Love Doesn't Hurt Campaign. The JAG-K class has been in communication with local domestic violence shelters to find ones that are in need.
"To further our project we are presenting to the students at Glenwood Ridge Elementary School during an assembly. We are also raising money to donate to a domestic violence shelter in our community." sophomore Brooklyn Fondaw said.
The Alliance Against Family Violence shelter is currently closed due to the fact that the organization doesn't have enough money to keep it open to those in need. JAG-K's project-based learning group is working towards opening the shelter which is located in Leavenworth. Since the AAFV is currently closed, Fondaw and her team are trying to get donations to reopen the shelter.
"To prepare for the state competition, I'm practicing my speech almost every day and we are currently preparing for an assembly at Glenwood Ridge Elementary School (GRE)," Fondaw said.
Fondaw and her team brainstormed ideas on how to help shelters in the community and after they came across AAFV, they have been trying to figure out a way to raise money to reopen the shelter. After Fondaw talked to many influential people she came across the idea to reach out and get other schools involved. Her team came across the idea of making it a competition between the elementary schools to see who can raise the most money.
"The idea came up when we were thinking about how to raise awareness within our community. Our goal as a team is to impact the maximum amount of people in our community," said Fondaw.


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There are some new box art images of some more winter 2017 LEGO Star Wars sets coming out of Eurobricks. We've already had some of these sets before in the past but the upcoming ones are slightly updated with new minifigures.
Luke's Landspeeder (75173) – 149 pieces – Includes Ben Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, Tusken Raider
Desert Skiff Escape (75174) – 277 pieces – Boba Fett, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Skiff Guard
A-Wing Starfighter (75175) – 358 pieces – A-Wing Pilot, Rebel Ground Crew, Lando Calrissian.


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Making your Home Smarter with Lyric Honeywell
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser Honeywell. All opinions are mine alone. #ConnectYourHome #CollectiveBias If you are local to where I'm from, then you would know about the all-mighty hail storm that tore our little town to pieces. I'm not talking about little pea-sized stuff too – these bad … Continue Reading


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Underground Cafe hosts: Lemonade Wars
April 9, 2018
On April 5 in the Convocation Center clubs and organizations showed off their best lemonade recipes for the Center for Volunteer Programs and Service Learning annual Lemonade Wars benefiting Alex's Lemonade Stand and hosted by Underground Cafe.
A non-alcoholic mixed drink competition, the event features drinks made from lemonade and follow a set theme. This year drinks revolved around childhood nursery rhymes, books and stories with awards given to the best tasting drink to Phi Sigma Sigma, best display to the Paranormal Society and crowd favorite going to Alpha Sigma Alpha.
Lemonade Wars is a free event for students to try different lemonade drinks but also an opportunity to contribute to a nonprofit organization.
The charity Alex's Lemonade Stand was created by a young girl named Alexander Scott and aims to raise money that benefits finding a cure for childhood cancer. VPSL collected donations at the door and held a Chinese auction with ticket proceeds benefiting the philanthropy.
The event saw childhood throwbacks like Student Activities Board's rainbow fish themed drink and several organizations such as choosing Dr. Seuss each with a twist like Cal U Equestrian Team's "Green Eggs & Lemonade" as an ode to his work.
Students in attendance voted for their favorite drinks, had a chance to win Pirates tickets and were encouraged to sing karaoke provided by Underground Cafe.


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A techno-utopian AI-assisted future for what?
Silicon Valley technology is for technology's sake.
The New York Times recently featured a fascinating puff piece for Google's recent AI efforts. It centered on an interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who expounded at length on the transformative potential that AI advances were beginning to unlock.
The advances in neural networks are indeed amazing and powerful, but the article struck me for another reason. Pichai talks about automating away our human relationships in the same way you might automate a production line.
The following passage in particular stood out.
Imagine if you could tell Google Maps, "I'd like to go to the airport, but I need to stop off on the way to buy a present for my nephew." A more generally intelligent version of that service... would know all sorts of things that, say, a close friend or an earnest intern might know: your nephew's age, and how much you ordinarily like to spend on gifts for children, and where to find an open store. But a truly intelligent Maps could also conceivably know all sorts of things a close friend wouldn't, like what has only recently come into fashion among preschoolers in your nephew's school — or more important, what its users actually want. If an intelligent machine were able to discern some intricate if murky regularity in data about what we have done in the past, it might be able to extrapolate about our subsequent desires, even if we don't entirely know them ourselves.
Putting aside the obvious flaw in the scenario, that in any serious futurist's techno-utopian world none of us would go to actual physical shops, there's a part of me that thinks yes, that would be really convenient. I don't like having to rush to get things done. I like to choose good gifts based on relevant information. Having an assistant at my fingertips to abstract away the hassle of buying gifts sounds excellent. But the story is a tragedy.
A jet-setting executive is dashing for yet another plane. He's been in back-to-back meetings with investors. He's had a New York Times journalist interviewing him for a profile. He didn't get a chance to catch up on those board papers. This plane will take him to his family home for one night. It's his nephew's birthday. His sister will be home with her family. He hasn't seen them since last year.
How old is the kid now? 8, 10 maybe? For a moment he tries to remember what he would have liked when he was ten. How did it feel to be ten? But he is exhausted. He has no idea what kind of present to buy.
"OK, Google. I need to pick up a present for my nephew on the way to the airport."
"Sure, I'll take you to the store."
He goes back to his inbox and works through a couple of replies then catches up on a report summary before they arrive. The car opens the passenger door. He walks into the shop and collects the parcel. It is already paid for, neatly wrapped and labelled. He takes it back to the car.
"OK, Google. What did I get?"
"It's a Vector VR drone."
His watch buzzes. Something's on fire at work. He opens his inbox and starts to respond.
Correct me, but this isn't a utopia. This isn't technology enriching our lives, it is abstracting our lives away. Imagine instead that the objective of the technology was for him to spend more time with his family.
He is at the lake with his nephew. They are fishing. His phone buzzes. Something's on fire at work. End of year revenue is down in the far east and it's going to impact his department.
"OK, Google. I need our Q2 growth projections re-drafted to reflect the results from Japan. And we need to bring forward my call with the team in Berlin. Maybe for tomorrow morning?"
"Certainly, I'll send two proposed re-writes to your inbox. The Berlin team can do 8am, your calendar looks good then."
"8am is good. Thank you."
He turns his attention back to the water. There's not much biting but he thinks he's got his nephew hooked.
In the first instance the executive must do a lot of working while Google automates his life. In the second Google is largely doing his job. Drafting reports and responses to things for him, coming to him for decisions and direction.
The problems aren't of equal size. It's far easier to automate the selection of a child's birthday present than it is to automate business. They aren't mutually exclusive either. However the fact that the CEO of Google gives the example from the side of someone too busy to know what his own nephew likes, and doesn't have time to go to the store, does tells us a lot about the perceptions and priorities of the tech world.
Silicon Valley is apprently dominated by workaholics. It is a fetishised culture. People are expected to live for the industry. Corporations provide gilded cages for their employees. It is even possible that it is what some people really want. Work to replace religion. Work to be religion.
I don't think that's something new. We have a strong urge to be subordinate, to have a framework to live within, to be given meaning and context. The urge to be subordinate is strong enough that we can't help but create entities to be subject to. Why shouldn't technology be the complete answer, for it's own sake?
There can't not be an answer. We must be doing all of this for a reason.


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Think of it as rainbow-coloured, liquid gold.
A regular refill container of ink contains around 10-25 millilitres of liquid. That translates into a cost of $1,500 to $2,000 per litre at your local stationery store for a basic printer, more for premium models.
Printer companies suggest that research and development costs figure into the sticker price of a cartridge. Modern printers push tens of thousands of drops of ink through a razor-fine nozzle at speeds of up to nearly 50 km/hr.
Something to think about the next time you set your print quality for that 100-page document.
Bottles of highly prized scotch have in recent years sent bidding paddles flying at auctions around the globe.
In 2007, a bottle of whisky aged for 157 years fetched $67,000 US.
The price of scotch is determined by a number of factors including how it is aged, the type of cask in which it has been stored and the distilling process.
A survey of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario lists bottles ranging in price from about $15 to $26,000 - the equivalent of about $70 to $37,000 per litre.
Blame the splashy marketing campaigns and crisp packaging for the high cost of smelling pretty.
Some analysts suggest that product development and marketing account for 99 per cent of a bottle's cost.
The raw materials that go into making perfume are humble oil extractions and alcohol, although some companies will tout rare and prized essences.
As for cost: A 50-ml bottle of Chanel No. 5, for example, rings in at a little more than $79 - or $1,597 per litre.
Relaxing with an ice-cold beverage: it's a rite of a Canadian summer.
But as any beer drinker can tell you, the price tag for that simple pleasure varies depending on your brew brand of choice.
A 24-bottle case of Lakeport Ale costs $28.95 - or $3.53 a litre - at the Ontario Beer Store.
On the higher end of the scale, imports, such as a four-can pack of Boddingtons Pub Ale from the U.K. can cost $6 per litre or more.
Ready for a jolt? The average price of coffee beans has skyrocketed to a 34-year high.
It's up about 78 per cent higher than last year, and more than 362 per cent from a decade ago, according to the International Coffee Organization.
Price changes have been less frequent at the coffee counter than at the gas pumps, but those hikes have not escaped public notice.
A grande-size Starbucks coffee goes for $2, which translates into $4.22 per litre. That's a little more than at Tim Hortons where a large goes for $1.57, roughly $3.85 per litre.
The bottles may seem tiny and inexpensive, since a little lacquer goes a long way.
But a 14.7 ml bottle of brand-name nail polish, priced at $5.99 at your local drug store, translates into a whopping $407.32 per litre. Prices can run cheaper and more expensive, depending on the brand.
Never fear - it's a little less costly to take the polish off. Regular nail polish remover runs about $10 to $15 per litre.
The market for this kitchen staple has become a lot like the one for wine in recent years. The quality of what you buy is limited only by your tastes - and your pocketbook.
An everyday one-litre bottle at your grocery store can run anywhere from $6 or less to more than $10.
But for those with more exclusive tastes, there are boutique options for $20, $30 or $40 a litre and up. The size of the producer, quality of the olives and methods of pressing the olives account for much of the price difference.


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A Service-Training Marcom [STM] Agency not only provides marketing services to challenged clients, including advertising, branding, and public relations, but also trains the next and current generation of creative professionals. An STM Agency works closely with agencies, corporate brands and trade organizations to develop 21st Century curriculums and hands-on experiences that teach necessary soft-skills and create unified teams to better serve clients. Our STM Agency also fosters fair recruitment and retention by implementing diversity,
inclusion, and equity strategies across levels [Junior, Mid, & Managing Director]. This means the creative workforce will receive the best training and are up-to-date on best practices that optimize innovation.
We hire and train entry-level professionals of color, who are coached by mid-level professionals by mid-level professionals of color, to develop creative marketing solutions for minority- and women-owned businesses, while training existing managing directors on 21st Century Leadership skills.
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Mid-level professionals of color and their managing directors get the training and experiences they need to advance their careers, unify teams, and foster retention.
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Featured in MFC Podcast 'Off Air' – Available HERE
From working on a building site to leading Motherwell out in a Champions League qualifier – it's been quite the journey for Steelmen skipper Keith Lasley.
It's an experience that he describes as 'beyond his wildest dreams'.
The midfielder has amassed over 400 appearances in claret and amber, but is still hungry to achieve more in the game and insists he's enjoying his football more than ever before.
"It's been beyond my wildest dreams how things have worked out for me, particularly given the circumstances in which I got into football. I was working on a building site and felt like the chance to have a career in football may have passed me by," Lasley told the MFC Podcast 'Off-Air'.
"By that point football was certainly secondary to work for me and I did have serious doubts. Billy Davies spotted me at my boys' club training a few weeks before he took over at Motherwell and must have saw something in me – I played in a few reserve games and actually scored a few goals.
"There were a lot of things to consider, I was leaving steady employment in a trade for the uncertainty of football. Financially I signed a contract on less money than I was earning as a fourth-year apprentice.
"It took a bit of getting used to, I was used to working with big characters but this was a different ball game – I had watched many of these guys in the pub just a few weeks earlier. I think it took me a wee while to feel like I belonged.
"As I hadn't come through the academy, I found getting to the required fitness level the most challenging element, I believe that's the reason for me being a better player later on in my career."
Keith made his 'Well debut in a 2-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox in December 2000 and managed to establish himself as a regular in the first-team.
Following the club being placed into administration in 2002, Lasley and a number of other young players including Steven Hammell and James McFadden were handed first-team opportunities, an opportunity which he believes the youngsters may not have been given if it were not for the financial difficulties at the club.
"Administration was a big part in many of the younger guys getting their chance. So many teams were operating with 20-25 senior professionals along with a number of young players who struggled to get many opportunities," he explained.
"It's a bit different now as, with the Well Society, I feel like I have more appreciation for budgets – back then we only really knew what we were reading in the papers. It was a difficult time, there was a lot of uncertainty and it came at a time where we were just making our way in the game.
"There was a list of names posted on the dressing room wall and we had all been allocated a time-slot to see an administrator and find out whether we would still be in a job.
"I don't think there's any doubt that it was a difficult time for everyone involved. It did, however, open the door for the younger guys, the majority of the guys who got their opportunity wouldn't have had that chance if it wasn't for administration.
"Of course it helps you appreciate the better times. However, many years down the line you think of playing in Europe, cup finals and finishing in second-spot – we had to work very hard to reach that level.
"It's amazing how moments build up, there's been so many fantastic moments here."
By 2006, Lasley's consistency brought him to the attention of a number of clubs on either side of the border.
In the end, he would depart for Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer, which presented him with the chance to play in the English Championship.
"Thinking back it's the first time I remember there being transfer interest in me. My form was consistent and I think I'd got to the stage where I had a reputation," explained the 37-year-old.
"I had a great time at Plymouth, made good friends and experienced playing in a different country. When I heard of the chance to go to Plymouth I felt it was too good to turn down, it wasn't as much to play for Argyle but the chance to play in the Championship.
"Initially I was playing regularly against the likes of Norwich and Sunderland, fantastic stadiums and a very high calibre.
"When the manager changed I wasn't playing as regularly and as a footballer you don't want to be sitting on the bench and so in that respect it ultimately didn't work out for me, but I did come back a more rounded player for sure."
Just like with his chance meeting with Billy Davies in 2000, Lasley's return to Fir Park came as a bolt from the blue.
After two weeks training with Kilmarnock, he looked set to put pen-to-paper with the Rugby Park club, before receiving a call from Motherwell boss Maurice Malpas.
"It was out of the blue for certain, I had been training with Killie for a few weeks and the day before I was due to sign I got a call from Maurice Malpas," he said.
"As soon as the call came in the decision was made. I phoned Jim Jefferies and explained my decision, he was fantastic with me and understood why I had chosen to return to Motherwell."
With over 400 games and 15 seasons to look back on, Keith isn't short of fond memories.
Despite that he does admit to feeling some frustration at not having had the chance to sample cup success with the club and revealed it looked like his time at the club was going to come to an end for a second time under Jim Gannon.
"I think it's frustrating that we haven't won a trophy, I think I speak for every Motherwell fan when I say that," the midfielder said.
"It's not been without its successes though. I was speaking to Alan Burrows the other day and he was mentioning that I've played 20 European games – I think it'll be a period that's looked back upon fondly.
"I could rhyme off a number of great memories and it's been incredible to be a part of. Motherwell Football Club has brought a great deal of joy not just to me but to my family as well.
"Between coming back in 2006 and 2008 I had some good times – especially in the first six months after Mark McGhee took over.
"The next season was a bit up and down and then Jim Gannon took over and it looked like it was time up.
"Under Gannon I didn't feel I got the respect that I deserved and it wasn't just myself that happened to. It looked like I was going to go out on loan to Queen of the South, but after he left and Craig
Brown took over I was given a fresh chance – I enjoyed some of my best times in the next two or three years."
Another real high for Keith was being rewarded for his fantastic service to the club with his testimonial against Bolton in 2015.
The match ended with a Lasley goal, but not for Keith – instead it was his son Alfie (who was then just three-years-old) getting on the score-sheet.
"Having my testimonial last year was a very humbling experience, to have people go out their way to support you was just amazing. I'll never forget how special the day was," he smiled.
"The only strips on my wall are the one from my debut and mine and my son Alfie's from the testimonial. He was a bit like his old man in the way he started to cry when he saw the goal – it'll be a video that I dig out for his 16th birthday!"
Lasley put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal with the club in the summer, ensuring his time at Fir Park will be extended until at least 2017.
In what seemed to be a rather drawn out process, there was some uncertainty as to whether he would remain at the club, although he insists he had no intention of leaving.
"It wasn't as smooth as I thought it would be, but we got there in the end. I one-hundred-per-cent wanted to stay and I'm delighted that it's the case," said the ex-Plymouth man.
"Everyone knows my feelings for the football club, it's a huge part of my life and I'm delighted to continue on again. I'm enjoying my football more so than ever and feel so thankful for the opportunity I have.
"I cherish every game, I know it sounds soppy and romantic but it's true – I get more excited now about playing football than I did 15-years ago."
While Lasley has yet to lift a cup in a playing capacity for Motherwell, he played a role in helping to the club's under-20s side to the Youth Cup last season.
Working alongside Stephen Craigan, the youngsters enjoyed a sensational run to the Hampden final and on the big stage swept aside Hearts 5-2.
"It was brilliant to be involved in, the boys were absolutely brilliant and the final was just the icing on the cake," Keith recalled.
"It meant as much as some of the successes I've had as a player, it was a different experience but a very enjoyable one – to see how many Motherwell fans made it along and the support they gave the lads was superb.
"I will complete my pro-licence in December, but I want to continue playing as long as I feel I can make a difference to the team."
Words – Andy Ross
Images – Ally Reilly, Motherwell F.C.