text:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Northward we go!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It has been concluded that before the extra oxygen, Nathan was doing everything he could to just survive. Breathing is difficult for him...it tires him out and sucks up all of his energy. Since giving him some help in this area, he is a totally different child on the energy front, the happiness front, the cognitive front. He is thriving! For the first time in his life, I do not wake up worried about his health because he is doing so good right now. He seems to be healthier today than he has ever been, and we are indeed thankful for that. So sure, having him on O2 continuously is a pain in the bodunkadunk, but it is completely and totally worth it to see the change in our little guy.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Soccer 101
Abby scored 2 goals in the first half, and I am proud to say that there were no tears this time around. When we were over-eager parents of a first-born 3 year old and enrolled her in soccer way back when, she cried during every single game. She cried because other kids were kicking the ball away from her, because she stole the ball away from another kid, because we were cheering for her as she ran down the field and scored goals...you name it, she cried over it. I'm thinking we started her a little too early...so we took a 2 year hiatus.It's so much fun seeing your child participate in sports. Abby really loves soccer this year and is pretty good...says the parent. But the best part is that she is having fun...and being on a winning team definitely does help the fun factor at some point.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week: myths about mito
Here are some myths and facts about mitochondrial disease, taken from the mitochondrial specialists at the Cleveland Clinic:
All mitochondrial diseases are known by acronym abbreviations (e.g., MELAS, MERRF, NARP, LHON).
Fact - Acronyms were commonly used when these disorders were first described. Today, the naming of mitochondrial disorders is evolving. Mitochondrial disorders are currently named by any of the following methods:
- By acronym descriptions (still in use although most people with a mitochondrial disorder do not have an "acronymic-named" disorder)
- By a name based on a person who described the disease
- By a name based on a specific genetic mutation
- By a name based on a microscopic description of tissue, or
- By a name based on the deficient enzyme
It is important to note that the labels given this disorder do not, in and of themselves, predict the long-term outcome or alter treatment.
Mitochondrial diseases are inherited only from your mother.
Fact - The current thinking is that most mitochondrial diseases are the result of one or more complex inheritance patterns. Most mitochondrial diseases are the result of mutations (changes) in DNA located in the nucleus of the cell. Only mitochondrial disorders caused by mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (a specific structure in living cells, located outside the nucleus) are inherited exclusively from mothers.
Another source of mitochondrial disorders that affects a large percentage of patients is poorly functioning mitochondria that become that way because of:
- another disease process (including other chromosomal disorders)
- exposure to toxins or viruses
- other inherited genetic mutations that are not disease-causing until "triggered" by some other genetic factor
Mitochondrial disease is a childhood disease.
Fact - Although mitochondrial disorders are commonly seen in infants and children, they can occur at any age.
An individual with mitochondrial disease has mental retardation, growth problems, and/or seizures.
Fact - Only some individuals have these developmental problems. Patients' symptoms can range from extremely mild to severe, can involve one or more body systems, and can emerge at any age. The brain, muscles, heart, liver, nerves, eyes, ears, and kidneys are the organs and tissues most affected. Most patients' symptoms fluctuate over the course of their illness -- patients at some times experience no or few symptoms, and at other times hav
e many and/or severe symptoms. Even family members with the same disorder can experience vastly different symptoms.
Since mitochondrial diseases are incurable, no treatments can be given to these patients.
Fact - Even though these disorders are long term and incurable, treatments are available. Early treatment of symptoms can reduce their impact and limit further disability. Avoiding certain medications and stressful situations that worsen symptoms is also helpful. Certain medications and supplements may improve mitochondrial disease-related symptoms -- just as they do for other incurable diseases -- such as diabetes and emphysema.
Patients with mitochondrial disease all have elevated lactic acid levels in their blood.
Fact - An elevated lactic acid level, along with other symptoms, typically does indicate a mitochondrial problem and requires further investigation. However, elevated lactic acid levels are not seen in all types of mitochondrial diseases. In making the diagnosis, your doctor will look for other signs of mitochondrial disorders in blood, urine, and spinal fluid samples.
A muscle biopsy is the "gold standard" for diagnosis of mitochondrial disease.
Fact - Although the muscle biopsy is a powerful diagnostic tool, it should not be considered a "gold standard." Examination of a biopsy includes microscopic evaluation, enzyme testing, and genetic testing. Although all U.S. labs that offer muscle biopsy meet
strict laboratory guidelines, there is no agreed-upon standard approach for enzyme testing. Furthermore, a muscle biopsy with full analysis costs well over $10,000 and poses both surgical and anesthetic risks. In some patients, the diagnosis can be made based on clinical symptoms and a positive blood test (identifying a genetic mutatio
n) or a combination of clinical findings and other non-invasive testing -- in either case, a muscle biopsy is not necessary. Finally, since biopsy results usually do not alter the long-term outcome or treatment considerations, some specialists and patients choose to treat without the need for a muscle biopsy.
A muscle biopsy is a muscle biopsy no matter where and how it is done.
Fact - Muscle removed for biopsy can be tested in many ways. For example, enzyme testing can be done on either ground-up muscle or on mitochondria extracted from muscle. Testing on extracted mitochondria is performed in only a few medical center laboratories and must be performed immediately. This procedure is known as a "fresh biopsy." In an alternative procedure, called a "frozen biopsy," the muscle is quickly cooled and stored at -80 degrees Celsius for testing at an outside facility. The scientific community is currently debating the advantages of testing "fresh vs. frozen" mitochondria. Some evidence indicates that the "fresh biopsy" may be the superior method. Other types of mitochondrial testing
of the muscle biopsy may need to be conducted; a limited number of laboratories offer such testing.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week: the invisible disease
Here is a very informative video about another family's struggle with mitochondrial disease:
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week: what mito doesn't do
Emma: Mom! I had some yellow stuff in my ear and it was really really stinky!
Me: Yeah hun, that's called ear wax.
Emma: Oh. I got it out of my ear and put it in Nathan's hair.
(And do notice Nathan's hair...his very first big boy haircut. sniff, sniff. He looks so old now.)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week...facts about mito
The second time I was introduced to the term "Mitochondrial Myopathy" was on July 3rd, 2008...at a neurology appt for my 4 month old son. This disease was at the top of the differential diagnosis for our little Nathan, and after months of further testing, it proved to be the exact diagnosis for him. Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy (or Cytopathy or Disease...whatever your flavor) was the disease Nathan was diagnosed with on February 2, 2009 after a fresh muscle biopsy showed a defect in Complexes I and III in his mitochondria.
But what is Mitochondrial Disease?
"Mitochondria are organelles in almost every cell (with the exception of red blood cells) of the body that are responsible for creating 90% of the energy needed to sustain life and support growth. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow. If this process is repeated throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail, and the life of the person in whom this is happening is severely compromised. The disease primarily affects children, but adult onset is becoming more and more common.
Diseases of the mitochondria appear to cause the most damage to cells of the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, kidney and the endocrine and respiratory systems.
Depending on which cells are affected, symptoms may include loss of motor control, muscle weakness and pain, gastro-intestinal disorders and swallowing difficulties, poor growth, cardiac disease, liver disease, diabetes, respiratory complications, seizures, visual/hearing problems, lactic acidosis, developmental delays and susceptibility to infection.
As more research dollars are raised to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure, some of the affected children and adults are living fairly normal lives with mitochondrial disease. At the opposite end of the spectrum, many are severely affected, and some children do not live past their teenage years.
When is someone with Mitochondrial Disease at highest risk?
The child or adult is at risk for neurological or organ damage during and for the two weeks following an illness. Therefore even a simple flu or cold virus can have devastating effects on the patient, even death. Any illness must be treated immediately with medical interventions, like IV fluids and IV antibiotics.
How many individuals are affected?
Every 30 minutes, a child is born who will develop a mitochondrial disease. Each year, 1000 to 4000 children in the United States are born with a mitochondrial disease. While exact numbers of children and adults suffering from mitochondrial disease are hard to determine because many are misdiagnosed with atypical cerebral palsy, various seizure disorders, childhood diseases and diseases of aging, we now know that the disease is approaching the frequency of childhood cancers."
The answers to the questions above were taken from the United Mitochondrial Disease Website: www.umdf.org. Please visit this site for more information on mito and how it affects its patients.
Stay tuned throughout the week for more information about mitochondrial disease. Because raising awareness will help raise funds for the research and treatment of this awful disease.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Contacts are for wimps
In a pickle with 3 unruly munchkins and even greater frustration, the dear mother had 2 choices: pack up everyone and trek to the boonies (seriously, who chooses to go to an eye doctor who is located in the section of town where you make sure you lock your doors...while you are driving?) or fix the dang suckers herself.
Enter in super glue. It must have been invented by a mother...right along with the hot glue gun.
Super glue fixer-upper #1: worked like a charm. The mother was able to see once again and made sure she no longer took her frustrations out of her poor plastic framed glasses. A month passed by...the glasses continued to progressively get looser and looser, falling down every instant she so much as looked sideways. Too embarrassed at this point to take them to the eye center in the boonies, she continued to gingerly tighten them with miniature squeezes. Crack.
Super glue fixer-upper #2: The first glue job was such a success that it had glued the lens to the frame. Unfortunately, the lens was not strong enough and had cracked an eensy bit. No problem for a fixer-upper housewife who was clearly skilled in art of the glue process, though obviously was not skilled in the art of tightening spectacles.
One evening, the mother went shopping for a dress for her sister's wedding and had a wild hair and decided to try on a dress that may or may not be horribly too small for her. As the poor woman tried to shimmy her rather large bodunkadunk into the dress, her arm got stuck beside her face (don't ask me how). In attempt to break free of the clothing's tight-hold on the larger than anticipated mother, her arm inadvertently smacked her in her own delicate face. CRACK! Once the dress released its grip from the visibly shaken woman, she looked rather defeated into the dressing mirror and caught her glasses as they crumbled into her hands. Really broken this time...the super glue had done its job and held the lens in place...the lens had not done its job and had broken right down the middle. Not capable of seeing without help, the larger than expected, dumber than expected, sillier-looking than expected mother made the walk of shame through the mall and drove home with cracked vision.
The next morning, she kicked one kid out at the front of the school and made the drive (with locked doors) to the spectacle store in the boonies. 100 bucks later, and she had a new frame and new lens ordered and plans to do one last glue job while she had to wait the week until the new glasses arrived.
Super glue fixer-upper #3: the glue was now getting low, so she made quick dabs here and there...just enough to hold it together for the last remaining days. Good as new...until the wee one of the family thought it was rather strange that mom had a crack down the middle of her glasses and decided to take a swipe at them for a closer look. Crack.
Super glue fixer-upper #4: the last of the glue. It was a shotty job this time, as the poor mother squeezed with all her might to get the very last drops of super glue around the frame. The glue was becoming quite stringy and messy. She left the frames to dry for a few minutes...she had learned that if she put the frames on too quickly after the super glue job, the fumes would meander to her eyeball and cause her to run screaming to the bathroom for a full blown eye ball flush. It weren't a purdy scene.
Upon putting the glasses to her face once again, the mother realized that there was a very distracting line in her vision on the other lens. Super glue. Somehow, the glue had meandered to the other frame and left a gluey skid mark. Mother then curses her mother for giving her bad eyesight and contemplates taking a hammer and the glasses out on a walk.
Morale of the story: Don't use super glue when duct tape will work just fine.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Hear ye, Hear ye!
Photos for Mito
Date: November 7, 2009
Place: Trinity Methodist Church
Gainesville, Florida
times vary through the day
email: email@example.com to reserve your spot today
The logistics: I will do 10 mini sessions throughout the day on November 7th. These sessions will last about 20 minutes long, and you will receive 5-10 edited images from your session on a CD with full printing rights. The price for participating in this fundraiser is $50, but we encourage you to give as much as you desire. All money received will go directly the the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, a non-profit foundation whose mission is to "promote research and education for the diagnosis, treatment and cure of mitochondrial disorders and to provide support to affected individuals and families." (umdf.org)
Please email me at firstname.lastname@example.com to reserve your spot today. There are only 10 spots this year, so send your request in quickly. The location is at a church on a gorgeous lot of land. They have been very generous to allow us access to their property for the full day and have even given me tips on good shooting locations around the land. Thanks to everyone at Trinity UMC! The address of the church is 4000 NW 53rd Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32653 and click here for directions. All photos will be taken using natural light in the outdoor setting, so please pray for no rain on that day. :)
We hope to see you at our first Photos for Mito fundraiser!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
We thought that Nathan was getting enough O2 from the air we breathe since his saturations were staying okay for a majority of the time, but we were obviously mistaken. We should have known that his constant retractions and belly breathing were a clue that something was amiss. Within a few days of starting oxygen therapy, we seem to have a different child in a lot of ways...
The little guy is just so happy now. He runs through the house with a big ole' grin on his face and jibber jabbers through almost every waking minute...change #2: the amount he is talking. He is babbling...finally. Most 9 month olds pick up this skill with ease, so it is a blast to see him babble almost constantly in his waking moments. He is also picking up actual words better and repeating them from time to time. This is such a fun time indeed. Sleeping...my, oh my, it is so good to see my little guy sleep until after 7am each day. And better yet, it is so nice that he is quiet throughout the night. From the time he was a wee wittle lad, I could hear him through the baby monitor rumbling around in his crib every few minutes throughout the night. This cycle was evident on his last sleep study where he had a total of 160+ arousals during the night. I am ecstatic to say that he seems to be sleeping infinitely better through the night now and waking up excited and refreshed. What a difference a good night's sleep is to a body! But one of the biggest differences we have seen since Nathan has started on oxygen is sheer contentment. He will sit and play with a toy for 15 minutes. He will watch an entire Dora episode. He will read books over and over by himself. He will sit...still...for minutes at a time. And he does not have nearly as many "crashes" throughout the day. He just seems like he feels 10 times better. It's amazing to witness.And we have realized that having him on continuous O2 has been a very easy adjustment...probably because we see how much it helps him. I took Nate and Em grocery shopping this morning with no problem...just chucked the tank in the cart. Then I took them all for a Lillipops photoshoot this afternoon with no problem. In all actuality, having Nate on O2 was actually a good thing for the photo shoot because he couldn't venture more than 25 feet away from me (that was all the tubing I brought with me today). It served as a good little leash for today's adventure...as well as last night's soccer practice. It's not bad once you get used to it all. Sure, people stare and give you the sympathetic look and ask if he has gotten the flu or has asthma, but we really don't mind the inquiries. It's all totally worth the fact that out little man is doing outstanding right now.
Monday, September 14, 2009
When I grow up...
Emma: Is she drinking milk from your booby? That is SO AWESOME! I've never done that before. I bet it tickles.
I'm seeing a bright future in the La Leche league for the gal...probably wearing a little button that reads "Boobies are our friends" and hosting sit-ins at all of the anti-nursing zones around the public arena. But don't mess with her on a bad day...she may be little, but she's feisty.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Me: Whuuuuuuuutttt?
Abby: Did you hear it? Did you hear me crap?
Me: (perplexed, yet laughing almost hysterically) Huh?
Abby: When I jumped, my body made a huge crap!
Me: Ohhhhh, CRACK! Honey, those are your joints popping...cracking. Make sure you put the "CCCKKK" on the end. Cracking is completely different from crapping.
Notice anything different about the little miss in the picture above? That's right, she lost her very first tooth tonight. We realized that the tooth was merely holding on by a thread at dinner when eating was a bit painful for her, so we decided to congregate as a family around the sink in our bathroom as we coaxed the baby tooth out of her head. It worked, and she is so dang cute sticking her little tongue in and out of that teeny tiny hole.
I volunteered to be a helper in Abby's classroom this morning for their "center time" and had a complete blast. I was taken back a few years and realized why I had majored in Elementary Ed in college for the one year I was enrolled (before I got married)...I love these kids. I love seeing their little minds work and try to figure out life and learning. I love seeing their little personalities blossom. I love their little hands and zeal for everything in front of them. This is such a fun age. That being said, I am so glad that I can be the mom who volunteers to help in the classroom for a couple of hours once every couple of weeks instead of being with them every single day. I have high respect for kindy teachers! HIGH, I tell ya. These kids are a handful, yet they are so full of love and energy. I had so much fun today, and I really can't wait to do it again.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A fall fashion statement
Little did I know that once everything was set up, it wasn't that big of a deal. It's amazing how big we chalk some things up in life to be when we don't understand them fully. We have a good relationship with our home health nurses stemming back to the apnea monitor days we had when Nate was a wee wittle lad. They are familiar and comfortable with our family and are always so helpful on these sometimes daunting changes in our lives.
We have a concentrator for our house and about 50 feet of tubing. Nathan can run around the house like usual with periodic primal screams that reveal that his tubing has gotten stuck somewhere and the cannula is trying to drill another hole into his head. But for the most part, he gets around with ease. I saw him actually pulling the tubing behind him at times throughout the day to help it along or get it unstuck. He's a quick learner, the little dude. He cried when we put the cannula on him the first time...and well, the first day he cried anytime we had to adjust it or retape it or whatevertheheckelse. But he didn't try to take it off or mess with it at all. He just accepted it. We were obviously shocked at this, but we really shouldn't be because it was something I specifically prayed for...his acceptance of this new change. Today, it hasn't bothered him hardly at all. At one point, the tubing was stuck and pulled the nasal prongs into his mouth. He just walked up to me with a sheepish smile on his face because of his funny problem and let me fix it without even a whine. And by this afternoon, he was wearing the cannula without having to have it taped to his face. He just doesn't mess with it at all, and it stays put easily on him. His sisters have responded really well to this new equipment as well. They both tried wearing it for a couple of minutes and thought it was pretty cool. But they have both asked if he will have to wear it forever...to which I reply, "Well, I hope not." And really, we don't know. We don't know what to do from here, and that was one of my main hesitancies on starting it to begin with. The what ifs... But, we prayed for guidance and a clear answer, and I believe God showed us what we should be doing right now. Sure, it is a pain in the bodunkadunk to have all this equipment and somewhat sad and frustrating to get the looks and questions we get when we take him out, but I feel like God showed us a path to take, so I don't want to complain about this path.
I do know as a matter of fact that as of a little under 24 hours on O2, Nathan's breathing showed a dramatic change. The retractions have lessened to where we rarely see them, his breathing rate has slowed some, and his chronic belly breathing is mostly absent. For the first time in Nathan's life, he looks like a normal kid breathing. In fact, there are times where I have to look really closely to see if he is actually taking a breath...that has never happened, as we have always seen retractions in his ribs and a large ballooning of his belly with each and every breath he takes when he is awake. It is simply amazing to see him take breaths so effortlessly. We can not deny in the least that this is helping him, and I can't wait to inform his doctors of this change in him. So we don't know how long Nathan will be on oxygen, but we do know that it has been a fairly easy transition to this new way of life...and we also know that we will continue to pray for guidance and strength along this journey.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Labor Day
I am fully aware that I will be beat up one side and down the other for posting this picture, but I just can't help it. I'll take the beating. This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it. Love that woman...love her dearly!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Good night manerva!
Every afternoon, I hear story after story about her new friend. She and this girl are seemingly inseparable. All I hear during all of our afternoon talks is "I just loooooove Erin. I'm going to draw her another picture." While it was neat hearing about her new budding friendships, I was a little concerned about all the attention Abby was paying to her new friend...you know, hoping that it was mutual and that I hadn't created some sort of stalker kid or something. So, I was quite relieved when I met Erin's mom at last night's open house and she said that Erin has been talking about Abby all the time as well. Phew, so my kid isn't that strange then. Good thing. However, she did come from half of my gene pool, and I distinctly remember writing all over Cami Grebel's face in our kindergarten yearbook "I LOVE CAMI!!" Gotta love that kindergarten joy.
Emma has had a really good week. I was telling someone the other day that I have always loved Emma. I mean seriously...she's my kid and all. I love her. Right? But I have just realized how much I really like the kid. She's fun and hilarious and sweet and just such a joy to be around. She and I have been able to spend some really good quality time over the past couple of weeks since Abby has been in school, and it has been great for both of us. She's a smart little thing. I know this sounds completely awful, but I really didn't realize how smart she was until I was able to spend some good one-on-one time with just her. And she catches just about everything that you say...even when you don't think she is listening...The other day, the girls were inquiring about someone that they saw smoking...what the affectionately refer to as "blowing smoke". They asked why we don't blow smoke, so I just non-chalantly told them it was because we cared about our lungs and didn't want to hurt them. Sounds safe to tell little-uns, right? As we walked around the hospital grounds this morning, we passed through the smoking area outside the doors of the hospital. Emma took one look around and proclaimed "Ugh! Why these people not care about they lungs?" As I was trying to hurry her along and shushing her at the same time, she immediately switched the subject to "I need to go pee-pee. Can I go over there in the grass?"
Nathan had a really full week as well. He was cranky and just off the first part of the week, but he turned it around and has just been a delight this second half. He is becoming so expressive and hilarious in his psuedo-conversations. Yesterday was his regular neurology appt, and it was a really good one. I talked with his neuro for probably almost an hour about aspects and theories and treatments and whatnot with mito. His neuro is extremely interested in this disease and said that if he wasn't specializing in epilepsy, he would probably want to specialize in mito. I am still trying to recruit him to the mito world, as there are so very few who do specialize in it. However, in the words of Nate's neurologist "It's a very muddy disease". Indeedio, it is. There are no absolutes in mito; no set course; no two kids with this disease who look the same...not even in the same family with the same genetic mutations. You just never know what to expect around each corner. And to top that off, you never really know what to do for treatment...sometimes you don't even know how to treat the symptoms. Indeed, it is a very muddy disease.
He was glad that we are heading to Houston to see the mito specialist out there. In the mean time, we were told to treat every infection like it is Nathan's worst...according to our neuro, the next few years are extremely critical in this manner. Insert a rolling eyes emoticon here at the sheer fact that the piggy flu is lurking around every palm tree in this state just about now. All in all, it was a very easy and fun appt, as we just sat and talked about so much. I really like our neuro and his nurse practitioners. We have definitely been blessed with wonderful doctors along this journey.
The little guy had to make the trek back up to the hospital this morning for the immunology bloodwork he has to have done every 6 months. It was a LOT of blood, and he reacted rather harshly to the phlebotomist, but I don't blame him after last Friday's ABGs. He definitely knows what the equipment for drawing blood looks like now and started screaming the instant he looked over and saw the blue rubber bands they use for tourniquets. I really felt bad for the fella. His blood draws aren't too bad...he stopped crying just a few seconds after she stuck the needle in, but I can definitely tell that he is scared about everything now. That breaks my heart. The great news is that it looks like we have a break from doctors appts and blood draws for a while. I'll hear more on the O2 schtuff within a week or so, but no doc appts for 3 weeks! Woohoo!!


text:
Curious Meredith: Top 10 Belgian bands
Rock out to Meredith's top 10 selection of the greatest Belgian bands.
This top 10 list of Belgian bands covers a few different genres, featuring songs from the past and the present. For me, discovering the great music of a culture is one of the biggest pleasures of travelling. So here goes my personal selection of the top 10 bands in Belgium!
Steak Number Eight
Young dudes rocking a mature sound with their own take on 'Stoner Rock' genre. Great to see live, headbanging all around!
I've been loving the older 90s era Deus stuff recently. The album to check out would be No More Loud Music.
Black Box Revelation
Up and coming rock'n'roll band, who do a great live show.
Arsenal has been one of my favourite 'chill' bands for the past year. Absolutely love both their albums Lotuk and Outsides.
Absynthe Minded
Described as 'Europe's best kept secret'… you can be the judge.
Admiral Freebee
I always feel so good listening to Admiral Freebee! I recommend checking out all his albums, but to start, try his self-titled album.
Toots Thielemans
Legendary blues musician and the greatest harmonica player in the 20th century.
A little taste of some Belgian electronic music, that doesn't fall into the annoying drum and bass our ears have been accosted with on the radio sometimes.
Check out his album Euphoric for some über funky jams.
El Fish
Having won some Zamu Music Awards, an annual awards show in Flanders for outstanding Flemish and international musicians, El Fish is worth checking out.
Oddly enough, when I finished this list I found that it is devoid of women. I could have put Selah Sue, but I'm over her and her poofy hair. She's a great performer (as seen below with Triggerfinger), but there has to be more Belgian songstresses out there!
I would love to see everyone's suggestions – who would make your top 10 list of Belgian bands?
Reprinted with permission from Curious Meredith
Meredith was bit by the travel bug in 2009 and has been on the move since. Her adventures started in the Finnish Laplands, trailed across western Europe, and landed her in Kenya. She later took up residence in Belgium, where she finally learned to cook, soaked up European culture and discovered the finer aspects of beer and wine. She now works as a freelance writer and communications specialist. Follow her adventures and discoveries on curiousmeredith, get your tweet on, or connect via her Facebook page.
Photo credit: Feliciano Guimarães (guitar)
Whether you've lived here for days, months or years, you won't regret attending the Expat Fair for Internationals. Sunday 8 October 2017, Amsterdam.
Get your FREE tickets and discover more about expat life in the Netherlands.
Comment here on the article, or if you have a suggestion to improve this article, please click here.
If you believe any of the information on this page is incorrect or out-of-date, please let us know. Expatica makes every effort to ensure its articles are as comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date as possible, but we're also grateful for any help! (If you want to contact Expatica for any other reason, please follow the instructions on this website's contact page.)The details you provide on this page will not be used to send any unsolicited e-mail, and will not be sold to a third party. Privacy policy .

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Best Buy Black Friday 2010 Ads, Blackfriday2010.com
November 20, 2010 by staff
Best Buy Black Friday 2010 Ads, Blackfriday2010.com , Best Buy Black Friday 2010 announcement was published in 2010. Items that will be very popular include AA Panasonic Viera 50 "1080p Plasma HDTV for 699.99 and Nintendo Wii Console Bundle for and 169.99, and a Toshiba BDX1100 Blu-ray Disc Player, 59.99. The rest of the Best Buy Black Friday ad has other offers on HDTVs, electronics, video games, and much more.
For years, Sony has been considered one of the major electronics manufacturers in the world, so we thought some of you would like to see some of the most attractive Sony Black Friday 2010 ads.
Best Buy has 12 Sony Black Friday ads you watch; the products include camcorders, digital cameras, a laptop, a home theater system, game console and some other electronics Uncategorized all of which can be seen here.
If I had to choose three objects, it would be Sony BRAVIA DAV-DZ170 1000 Watt Home Theater System for $ 177.99 (adanlysis here), the Sony DCR-SR68 80 GB HDD Handycam Camcorder for $ 229.99 (Ad scan here) Internet connectable Sony Blu-ray Disc Player with Google TV for $ 299.99 (adanlysis here).
The target was a single Sony product on offer (we know) is the Sony BDP-S370 Blu-ray for only $ 99.99 (in general, and 179.99); you can see the ad scan showing this offer here.
Walmart finally has 7 Sony products on offer, it is the Handycam for SX44 and 189.00 (adanlysis here), the Cyber-shot W330 digital camera and 119.00 (adanlysis here), BDP-S270 Blu-ray $ 94.00 (adanlysis here), Sony BDP-S570 Blu-Ray with WiFi, a USB port and control for iPhone $ 158.00 (adanlysis here), the ICF-C1IPMK2BLK Clock Radio / Docking Station for the President and 59.00 (adanlysis here), the Sony Reader PRS-300 Pocket Edition $ 99.00 (Ad scan here) and the 46-inch Sony Bravia HDTV for 698.00 and
Please feel free to send if you have any questions regarding this post , you can contact on
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of U.S.S.POST.


text:
|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|[jira] Closed: (GERONIMO-179) Support for CMRs
|Sat, 16 Oct 2004 03:42:51 GMT
Message: The following issue has been closed. Resolver: Gianny DAMOUR Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 8:42 PM Close one more time with the correct list of affected versions. --------------------------------------------------------------------- View the issue: http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GERONIMO-179 Here is an overview of the issue: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Key: GERONIMO-179 Summary: Support for CMRs Type: Task Status: Closed Priority: Major Resolution: FIXED Project: Apache Geronimo Components: OpenEJB Fix Fors: 1.0-M3 Versions: 1.0-M1 1.0-M2 Assignee: Gianny DAMOUR Reporter: Dain Sundstrom Created: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 4:54 PM Updated: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 8:42 PM Description: OpenEJB 2.0M1 does not support container managed relationships. --------------------------------------------------------------------- JIRA INFORMATION: This message is automatically generated by JIRA. If you think it was sent incorrectly contact one of the administrators: http://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/Administrators.jspa If you want more information on JIRA, or have a bug to report see: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
|View raw message


text:
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
Help with the Luminary vocation quest?
Where can l find a Moai Minstrel?
QuackOutLoud - 6 years ago
Accepted Answer
Moai Minstrels can only be found in mid-to-high level grottos. The Grotto's name gives you an indication of the type of grotto that it is and what type of monsters might dwell within it. It's not a very easy formula to explain, but here's some general information:
Grotto names are constructed as such: [Mineral] [Environment] of [Emotion] Lv. XX
The Mineral tells you how strong the monsters within the grotto are going to be. For Moai Minstrels, we are looking for the following minerals; Copper, Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, and Diamond.
The Environment tells you what type of landscape the grotto will contain. For Moai Minstrels, we are looking for Nature/Cave or Water grottos. Those types of grottos are described as; Cave, Mine, Lair, Path, Crypt, Nest, World, Abyss, Marshe, Lake, Moor, Waterway, and Chasm.
The Emotion tells you what type of boss monster lies at the grotto's bottom. This information is not essential in finding Moai Minstrels, so I will skip this.
The Level is assigned to the grotto based on the various factors that I've already mentioned. This formula is also quite difficult to explain, but Moai Minstrels will most likely be found between levels 50 and 99. It might be possible to find them at levels lower than 50, but there's really no guarantee.
Tekkaman_James (Expert) - 6 years ago
Other Answers
A Moai Minsterl is found in grottos. It has a face of a clown and the right lvl grotto should be 50-70 I atleast saw a couple. That should help.
mudkipchow - 6 years ago
This question has been successfully answered and closed.


text:
Sole E 20 Elliptical Review
treadmill Doctor Note :
The E20 packs a lot of value with traditional Sole quality. Our 1st Runner Up in the Best New Elliptical Category.
The Sole E20 is a new machine by Sole at a lower price point than anything Sole has attempted before, excluding the failed Fuel brand. While feature poor in comparison to offerings available from Proform or NordicTrack, Sole offers up a lot of quality in a affordable package.


text:
Posted by Katie smith / 10/15/2010 / 1 Comment / downloads
Today is a Download Day!
Hey Hey! I made this cute little owl print using my wacom tablet.
I printed out about 8 of these, laminated them and used them as placemats for a potluck we had with some friends. But you could frame it for fall decoration etc. I would LOVE to see if you use this!
tags downloads
1 comment:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
British woman held in Spain on suspicion of killing two sons: police
Spanish police on Tuesday detained a British woman they suspect of having murdered her two young sons while on holiday in the coastal resort of Lloret de Mar, a local police spokesman said.
"The mother, a British national, was arrested on suspicion of being responsible for the murder of the two children. The two children were found dead in a hotel," he told AFP.
Police found the bodies of the children, aged one and three, inside their hotel room after receiving a call from the mother, the online edition of daily newspaper El Mundo reported.


text:
It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our simple sign up form and login to the website.
This step is elective but will greatly boost your chances of getting interest from other over 50s members on the site. Type a little about yourself, your pasttimes and upload your best photo.
Use our website's advanced search to locate over 50s members who satisfy your criteria. Or just browse through listings and locate members that pique your interest.
Identified someone who you like the look of? Send them a few words or just a wink and see what happens next. With a little luck you'll be on your way to finding that special someone for you.
It's quick and easy


text:
Welcome to my page.
Im a sixteen year old boy.
Passion for making mashup music.
Go follow me on twitter
Thats it~~
Listen to all music and sounds of K R A K O Z and follow this user by signing in for free.
You can listen to 0 tracks and mixes and follow this user as 32 did before.
This artist liked 2 tracks, followed 32 others and reshared 1 tracks and mixes. 2 other people are following this page too.
youtube.co...SmJTVRvstg soundcloud...com/krakoz twitter.com/Kra_koz legitmix.c...672/Krakoz


text:
Read a Book
New Release! Munchy Media has created this music video for the Deca Dance song "Read a Book"!
No Comments
New Release! Munchy Media has created this music video for the Deca Dance song "Read a Book"!
No Comments
We've wrapped up filming for Deca Dance Music's new video for their song "Read a Book"! Expect it in the next week or two.
Eric has a brilliant idea.
A new web series produced by Munchy Media is coming soon! Expect it in a few weeks!
Are you in need a video of you or your loved one's graduation? We are currently filming graduation ceremonies, such as the University of Colorado at Denver graduation ceremony (pictured). We have competitive rates and quick turn around time for DVDs! Contact us today at adammunchymedia.com if you are interested!
Looking for someone to film your next local school choir or band concert? Perhaps a play or musical? We are currently offering a grand opening special of $50 per show, with a $1 per DVD copy charge on top. This deal is hard to beat! If you have a show anywhere in the Denver / Aurora, CO area then please use the Contact Page for inquiries!
Munchy Media has undergone its latest overhaul, and is now completed to emphasize our vision in bringing stunning videography to the Denver area! Please feel free to browse the video types we can offer you at the top, including events, documentaries, and more. If you're interested in our services, feel free to use the Contact page with any inquiries.
The NewGrounds Annual Tournament of Animation has begun! The Open Round's deadline is May 10, and we've received 4 entries so far.
To see constant updates on the tournament, head over to facebook.com/NGTournament and click Like!
Munchy Media is proud to host the NewGrounds Annual Tournament of Animation! (NATA)
The tournament has been held yearly by Munchy Media since 2007, previously known as The Tournament of Flash Artists. The new name comes with such a rise in popularity that the competition has split into two contests on separate websites with different hosts. We are continuing the original contest under its new name on NewGrounds.
You can find information on contest dates, themes, rules, previous winners, and more on the NATA Website. The contest is sponsored by Adobe and NewGrounds. 32 entrants from the current Open Round will make it into the bracketed tournament, with prizes awarded for each round a contestant passes.
I recently picked up an internship with the Colorado Center for Community Development, which has been quite the experience. Along with helping with graphic design work including posters, booklets, maps and reports, I have been working with their website, and will likely be doing a promotional video for them as well!
- Adam


text:
Dudley Reynolds delivered the keynote address at the Society of Pakistan English Language Teacher's 32nd International ELT Conference last week. More than 1,000 language educators attended the conference in Karachi, with overflow rooms set up to accommodate the large audience.
Reynolds spoke about the need for adaptability and specialized knowledge when teaching language: "Professional English language teachers must think and solve problems, they learn and innovate as they teach." To tackle language learning, teachers of English language must "get into thinking mode and consider teaching skills, learner-focused teaching, specialized cognitive skills, language proficiency, content knowledge and contextual knowledge."
Reynolds, teaching professor of English at CMU-Q, was named 51st president of TESOL International Association in 2016. Throughout his year-long term, Reynolds will be speaking at conferences on four continents, promoting professional development, English competency, multilingualism, and research. TESOL International Association, which stands for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, is an organization with 13,000 members in more than 150 countries.
Reynolds will deliver a keynote address at the National Geographic Learning Educational Forum in Doha on November 5 on the topic of the future of education in global societies.


text:
The Autism News | English By WILLIAM REVILLE | The Irish Times UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: ALTHOUGH SAVANT syndrome is not an officially recognised medical diagnosis, Darold Treffert, an American research psychiatrist, who was a consultant for the film Rain Man , defines the savant syndrome as "a rare condition in which persons with developmental disorders have one or more areas of expertise, ability or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations". John Langdon Down (1828-1896) was the first to describe the savant syndrome (he is also known for his description of Down syndrome). Down used the term "idiot savant" to describe the condition and this terminology was used until well into the 20th century.
Continued here:
What autism tells us about development of savant skills


text:
Thursday 16 December 1971
It was Thursday, under the sign of Sagittarius. The US president was Richard Nixon (Republican).
Famous people born on this day include Kristen Kane in Jacksonville and Catherine "Cathy" Symon in Washington DC.
In that special week of December people in US were listening to Family Affair by Sly & The Family Stone.
In UK Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) by Benny Hill was in the top 5 hits.
Dirty Harry, directed by Don Siegel, was one of the most viewed movies released in 1971
while The Day Of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth was one of the best selling books.
On TV people were watching The View from Daniel Pike.
If you liked videogames you were probably playing Computer Space or Galaxy Game.
But much more happened that day: find out below..
You can also have a look at the whole 1971 or at December 16 across the years.
Old Newspapers
Have a look at the old newspapers from 16 December 1971 and get them!
Which were the most popular movies released this week ?
TV Series
Which were the most popular TV series released in the last months ?
Find out your future
Get a FREE Numerology report based on the digits of 16 December 1971!
Wish him/her..
Historical Events
Which were the important events of 16 December 1971 ?
- R.C. Saints - O Sapientia ; Adelaide of Italy
- South Africa - Day of Reconciliation
- Nepal - Constitution Day (To be confirmed)
- Kazakhstan - Independence Day
- Bahrain - National Day
- Bangladesh - Victory Day
Famous Birthdays:
- Kristen Kane in Jacksonville: Florida, USA; diver (Olympics-1996).
- Catherine "Cathy" Symon in Washington DC: USA; rower (Olympics-1996).
- Michael S McCary [Boss] in Philadelphia: Pennsylvania, USA; rapper (Boyz II Men).
- Stéphane Plantin: French handball player, a right winger, world champion with the French team in 2001.
- Kim Porter: Family Member.
- Shigeki Hosokawa: Japanese model and actor
- Seyhan Kurt: French-Turkish poet and sociologist
- Michael McCary: American singer-songwriter (Boyz II Men)
- Paul van Dyk: German DJ and producer
- Bangladesh War of Independence and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The surrender of the Pakistan army brings an end to both conflicts.
- ''National Day'' of the Kingdom of Bahrain is celebrated. Not to be confused with Bahrain Independence Day which took place on August 15, 1971.
- ''Victory Day of Bangladesh'': The Pakistan Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) surrenders to the Indian Armed Forces, ending the Bangladesh Liberation War.
- The U.S. dollar is devalued for the second time in history.
- The world's largest hydroelectric plant in Krasnoyarsk, Soviet Union, begins operations.
- The Clube Atletico Mineiro wins the Brazil Football Championship.
- Intelsat IV (F3) is launched it enters commercial service over the Atlantic Ocean February 18, 1972.
- Giovanni Leone is elected President of the Italian Republic.
- Juliane Koepcke survives a fall of 10,000 feet following disintegration of LANSA Flight 508.
- In the longest game in NFL history, the Miami Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Fire at a 22-story hotel in Seoul, South Korea kills 158 people.
Music Charts
Which were the top hits in that special week of December 1971 ?
Top #10 songs in the USA
- Sly & The Family Stone - Family Affair
- Melanie - Brand New Key
- The Chi-Lites - Have You Seen Her
- Three Dog Night - An Old Fashioned Love Song
- Michael Jackson - Got To Be There
- Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft
- Bread - Baby I'm-A Want You
- Sonny & Cher - All I Ever Need Is You
- Don McLean - American Pie (Parts 1 and 2)
- David Cassidy - Cherish
Search For Your Ancestors
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Don't miss our monthly news, no spam guarantee Click here to Subscribe
...and if 16 December 1971 was your Birth Date then Join our Birthday Club!
Make this date unforgettable
Genealogy: find out your family heritage
Magazine Covers
What news were making the headlines those days in December 1971?
- Time: The search for extraterrestrial life
- SportsIllustrated: Sports Illustrated: no.8259
- Life: Cybill Shepherd
Which were the most popular books released in the last weeks ?
Remember when
What videogames would you be playing back in the days ?


text:
Spadea NS-273; ca. 1960s; A dress of softness and fluidity by Biki has wide sleeves and unusual detail. A narrow panel, inserted to the underside of each sleeve, extends down the sides of the dress. The back is fitted, the front gathered above and below the wide inserted waistband. Hidden pockets.
Links to reviews/blog postsEdit
Add a photo to the gallery by clicking the "modify" button below.
[insert your username, and make sure your preferences allow for people to contact you via e-mail. Do not list your email address here!]


text:
My husband talked me out of getting a rounded corner shower, but I think it would have given us a little more space inside the shower. I bought this to replace an existing neo-angle shower when we renovated our small bathroom. We had a very experienced contractor do the work and he said it was a very difficult door to install. Once installed, the plastic sealing strips are quite visible making the doors look like they have a frame. The doors are quite sturdy and thicker than others I had researched which was why I decided on this product. This is not my main bath so I can live with it not looking totally frameless. If you have a good contractor and don't mind the way the frame looks, then I can recommend this product.Read More
difficult to install, took hours. looks great in the corner, but is small. Water runs out onto floor, you can not turn on shower unless you are in the shower. we have a leak and are working on getting it resolved.Read More
Very disappointed in the color of the glass. I have white subway tiles in the shower and now they are green looking through the glass. Also, the door does not line up with the hinges and is extremely difficult to install.Read More
This shower is excellent. The frameless aspect of the glass makes it look a lot more stylish and contemporary than the framed versions. Not sure if it is mentioned on the description on this site, but I downloaded the installation instructions before I ordered and verified that the door can open either way-- just flip it around. The 36x36 with the neo-angle IS tight, so you want to really think about what fixtures you use so you can maximize space-- we opted for a rainfall showerhead so we could have the water coming straight down instead of at a forward angle like most showerheads. If you use a traditional head, you might have to press yourself right up against the glass. We do have body sprayers and at first I was concerned it would shoot out the "seams" but it seems pretty watertight and haven't had any problems yet. Really glad I cought this shower and with the shipping, you really can't find a better deal IMHO.Read More
It took my contractor and two of his guys to put together the shower enclosure in about 5 hours. It looks beautiful! However, I was warned by the contractor that frameless shower enclosure is known to have minor leak of water during shower. And it did. First, the seal strip for bottom of the glass door doesn't really seal tight and water can seep through easily and water gets trapped in the seal strip. I actually had to remove it once to dump the water trapped in the seal strip at the bottom of the glass door. And no, I didn't spray water directly onto the seal strip; I even had my shower head pointing towards the tiled wall to minimize the amount of water spreading to the gap where the door seal strips are located. It helped but water still leaked. It leaked but not enough to flood the bathroom floor; it's, however, enough to wet the corner of a rug I placed it immediatly by the shower door. I am seriously worrying about the mold problem in the long run. I don't know what I can do to prevent it. I am also worrying that if I remove the bottom seal strip out to dry and clean too often, the plastic clip part of the strip may wear out. I don't know if Vigo sells these seal strips separately; may be I could check and stock up a few just in case. Well, it's beautiful, contemporary, and makes my bathroom looks great, but I need some tips to see if I could avoid mold and minor leaking problem....Read More
I had been wanting to make a change in my bathroom for a while, I just wasn't sure what to do and a friend suggested a new shower and referred me to overstock. This has been a wonderful shopping experience. The site is easy to navigate. The entire shower arrived just 4 days after my initial order. It arrived in perfect condition. My contractor had no problems installing it. I am amazed at the end result. This looks so nice in my bathroom. It is very cool, and it is good quality. I haven't had any water drip out. I am so, so happy with this.Read More
I would recommend this to anyone! Excellent price and this is one sturdy shower. Looks great!Read More
VIGO 36 x 36 Frameless Neo-angle Clear Shower Enclosure and White Base
Today $1,106.49


text:
Aleksander Kwasniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski was Poland's president from 1995 to 2005.
Some complain that the EU lacks a "worldview." In fact, the EU 's problem is that it has too many of them: shared histories are an insufficient basis for shared policies.
The agreement by the American and Russian presidents to renew strategic arms reductions has revived hope for the global abolition of nuclear arms. The urgency can hardly be exaggerated: nuclear weapon… read more


text:
Member since May 19, 2011
Right now, I'm reading:
The computer screen.
My favorite story of all time is:
V for Vendetta.
In bed I like to read:
Besides SMITH, I read stories at:
Ponychan, Equestria Daily.
If you were to throw up your hands in exasperation and yell "it's the story of my life," what would you be talking about?
March of the Penguins.
©2005 - 2017 Six Words, LLC


text:
"Two night stay!"
Posted by gill
My husband came to This hospital needing an emergency bed.although it is a 50minute drive from our home,I am very glad he came there. The staff could not have been more helpful and the general atmosphere was totally friendly. Because of the journey time we wanted him nearer home but we really should have left him in this lovely place,as our own hospital certainly did not live up to Fowey in the slightest. All in all would have no hesitation in recommending this hospital to anyone.In fact you would be lucky to get a bed there!
Response from Fowey Hospital 2 years ago
Dear Gill Thank you for your lovely comments about your husband's stay you have written on NHS Choices. We strive to provide excellent patient care and also to support their families. We will ensure your comments are passed onto the hospital. Once again, many thanks.
- {{helpful}} of {{total()}} people think this response is helpful
- Was this response helpful? Yes | No
Thank you for your feedback.
See more responses from Fowey Hospital


text:
What is JotForm?
JotForm is a free online form builder which helps you create online forms without writing a single line of code. No sign-up required.
At JotForm, we want to make sure that you're getting the online form builder help that you need. Our friendly customer support team is available 24/7.
We believe that if one user has a question, there could be more users who may have the same question. This is why many of our support forum threads are public and available to be searched and viewed. If you'd like help immediately, feel free to search for a similar question, or submit your question or concern.
Problem with Facebook IntegrationAsked by kpl_39 on October 17, 2013 at 08:25 AM
I am trying to integrate a jotform on my website's registration page with Facebok.
I referenced http://www.jotform.com/answers/226442-My-Facebook-integration-doesnt-work-on-my-website-
and tried domain: jotform.com,jotform.co, jotform.us
URL: http://form.jotform.com, http://form.jotform.co, http://form.jotform.us (respectively)
I got the same error message as the OP.
I looked in my facebook embed code and came up with
http://form.jotform.us/form/31645199901156"</strong> frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:2714px; border:none;" scrolling="no">
I also tried putting that into the url form with no luck.
Thanks in advance!
JotForm Support
Could you share with us the link to your facebook page in order to make further investigations? it would be helpful to if you tell us which method did you used in order to show the form at your page.
Please check this guide:
Sorry, I'm not trying to put a form on my facebook page, I am using the Facebook Integration on a form on my website.
I want them to use their facebook credentials when registering.
I get this message when I click Log In on the facebook login
Given URL is not allowed by the Application configuration.: One or more of the given URLs is not allowed by the App's settings. It must match the Website URL or Canvas URL, or the domain must be a subdomain of one of the App's domains.
JotForm Support
Could you try by re embeding your form using the iframe code method:
http://support.jotform.com/help/148-Getting-the-Form-iFrame-Code i'm quite sure that it will work after this, if you check the standalone version of your form you will see that the FB integration is working fine
Hope it helps
please let us know if you need further assistance
That worked!
Thanks for the help.
JotForm Support
You are welcome!
Thank you for using JotForm


text:
Women's new arrivals - shirts & tops - Palmera ruffle cami - J.Crew
I love this little lilac shirt!
Really nice spring style will go great under a sweater or sweatshirt.
Such a great green color!
Great men's plaid shirt.
LOVE this for a winter flannel.
Great quality, great colors. Holds up over time.
LOVE preppy pastel plaids for spring!
LOVE preppy pastel plaids for spring!
LOVE preppy pastel plaids for spring!
Pretty for a day or night look.
Would love to pair these with some pretty olive or khaki chino shorts this summer!
Simple, classy, elegant. Classic pearl studs are a perfect gift for any occasion.
J.Crew has an AMAZING selection of ballet flats this winter season. If you want to be comfortable and chic at work and then go party in the evening....one, or two, or three of their ballet flats oughta do the trick.
The look-at-me sparkly stones are spectacular. The lone curb chain adds a tough-girl touch that grounds the glamorous parade of glistening stones.
I want one of these in every color, but this heirloom pink shade has me tickled. It is so feminine and gorgeous. It is sure to add just the right amount of luxe to any ensemble.
Established in 1891 and considered the first luxury sport shoe, Tretorn sneakers—synonymous with good taste and practicality - hit the nail on the head with these amazingly lightweight vintage style sneaker.Tags: shoes, sneakers, style, vintage, tennis shoes, lightweight, gray, white, FootwearAdded 7 Years Ago from J.Crew
I'm absolutely obsessing over this ruffled vest...I can see all the possibilities in my head! The ONLY major issue have with it is it is a cotton/poly blend and I'm not a huge fan of those in knits...But at 62 bucks, I can justi... I'm absolutely obsessing over this ruffled vest...I can see all the possibilities in my head! The ONLY major issue have with it is it is a cotton/poly blend and I'm not a huge fan of those in knits...But at 62 bucks, I can justify it.
Madewell finally opened up an e-store and I couldn't be more psyched! I can finally purchase everything I have been coveting in magazines. I love this easy cross-body mini bag and white goes with everything!
cute shorts with a buckle detail that makes them more a little more dressy
perfect for those cool summer nights without any extra bulkiness. it's a color that will match whatever you are wearing.
I love this dress. I am thinking of it for my wedding. What do you think? Please comment and let me know.
famed MacAlister boot, now with fringe—and like the original, these are made from the finest Italian suede!
a true American original and a favorite since 1935—is back and better than ever..
stunning, vintage-inspired shades, a take on the chunky styles rocked by Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison in the '50s. timeless and elegant, indeed.Tags: fashion, sunglasses, style, accessories, tortoise, J CrewAdded 7 Years Ago from J.Crew
love to wear this like the girl in the model. so chic and summery sexy.
brings me lovely memories of my lovely pair of '90s floral jacket schoolboy blazer. 'a schoolboy blazer, refashioned in a fabulous floral pattern.. with a touch of ruching at the back for a sleeker, more feminine silhouette.'
long, loose and elegantly unstructured in (almost weightless) silk georgette
Nothing screams SIREN like fire-red polished nails delicately clutching a martini...
Grey and orange paisley printed shorts MIGHT even get worn to the office....
I am mesmerized by the baubles... must... have...


text:
Learn more about WELNEN INVESTMENTS LIMITED. Check the company's details for free and view the Companies House information, company documents and list of directors.
Know about every new company document that is added!
Take advantage of our watch this company feature free of charge and have notifications sent directly to your inbox. Whenever a new document appears on this website, or if their particulars change, you will be immediately informed about such changes. To monitor these changes, all you need to do is click on watch this company.
|Fixed Assets
|£ 2,165,271
|Tangible Fixed Assets
|£ 2,164,826
|Current Assets
|£ 1,050,041
|Tangible Fixed Assets Depreciation
|£ 6,866
|Provisions For Liabilities Charges
|£ 59
|£ 497,199
|Shareholder Funds
|£ 3,142,484
|Profit Loss Account Reserve
|£ 2,691,346
|Revaluation Reserve
|£ 451,038
|Called Up Share Capital
|£ 87
|Net Assets Liabilities Including Pension Asset Liability
|£ 3,142,484
|Total Assets Less Current Liabilities
|£ 3,142,543
|Net Current Assets Liabilities
|£ 977,272
|Creditors Due Within One Year
|£ 72,769
|Cash Bank In Hand
|£ 552,842
|Share Capital Allotted Called Up Paid
|£ 87
|Number Shares Allotted
|£ 87
|Tangible Fixed Assets Disposals
|£ 225,000
|Tangible Fixed Assets Cost Or Valuation
|£ 1,939,826
|Tangible Fixed Assets Depreciation Charged In Period
|£ 79
|Capital Redemption Reserve
|£ 13
Information about the Private Limited Company WELNEN INVESTMENTS LIMITED has been prepared for information purposes only. It is not intended to be nor does it constitute legal advice. This is public information provided by the official company register.


text:
Remember Ahmed Mohamed, a.k.a. Clock Boy? He made national news when he was arrested last year for bringing what was mistaken as a bomb to his high school, sparking a dialogue on racial profiling and Islamophobia in America. Anyone who actually took a look at the "clock" (that he didn't even make, by the way) quickly realized that the police were called because what he brought to school actually looked like a bomb. Don't just take my word for it, have a peak at the "clock" below.
What percent of the population would "reasonably" identify that as a clock? The reasonable response is to view it as anything but! Is a teacher really supposed to think to themselves "well it looks like he's carrying a clock, but he's a Muslim and I don't want to racially profile!" Neighbors of the San Bernardino terrorists reported being suspicious of the killers, but didn't report them because they didn't want to be seen as "racist." It doesn't hurt to err on the side of caution with the jihadist threat we face today.
Back to Clock Boy. After studying in Qatar for a year, Ahmed returned back to the U.S. in June. Since then, he's kept a relatively low profile, remaining accessible to the public through Twitter. On the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the United States yesterday, he posted a message there that was less than tasteful.
As Fury News reported:
Ahmed is back and he is using his "fame" to get more attention than he has already garnered in his brief little blip on our screens. This time, he took to Twitter, on the day that marks the largest tragedy in our recent American history, to spew hatred and encourage more division among our already torn and divided country.
RIP the 2977 americans who died in 9/11 and RIP the 2 million innocent muslims who died during the US invasion for something they didnt do.
— Ahmed Mohamed (@IStandWithAhmed) September 11, 2016
If you're going to be a D-bag, at least get your facts straight… Just a mere five minutes of research will show that the total estimated civilian death toll from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is between 141,868-153,436. I mean, yeah, it's a high number, but its NOWHERE near 2 MILLION! Luckily enough, Twitter wasn't in the mood for his BS, and they responded accordingly.
What the hell is wrong with these people? They seem to think that a tragedy isn't worth remembering if they can't make it all about themselves.
Speaking of people wanting to make tragedy all about themselves, don't do a Google search to see how Black Lives Matter "honored" the dead if you're watching your blood pressure.
Why do liberals pretend this putz is a genius? Get the word out – share this post on Facebook and Twitter.


text:
Montgomery Technology Systems, LLC is pleased to announce that we are officially entering the Detention Equipment Contractor space with a fully qualified and experienced staff. Through Providential circumstances, MTS has employed the core project management and installation group from CCC Group's Detention division. This includes Paul Looney, who will serve as the Detention Division Manager, […]
About Us
Find out who we are and what we have to offer
Find out more about the products we supply.
Get the help you need, when you need it. Find out about our services and support.


text:
- Description
- Tags
- Reviews
Acme Fairfax Living Room Set in Magenta Finish
The Fairfax Magenta Sofa Collection will romantize any room. It makes a statement with its detailed carved rich cherry wood and elegant traditional fabric. Comfort and relaxation is heighted with sweeping rolled padded arms and fringed looped pillows.
Fairfax Living Room Set Offer:
1 x Fairfax Sofa
1 x Fairfax Loveseat
1 x Fairfax Chaise
1 x Fairfax Coffee Table
1 x Fairfax End Table
Color/Finish: Magenta
Material: Fabric
Wood Frame
Loose Seat Cushion
Accent Pillows Included
Sofa: 93"L x 38"D x 40"H
Loveseat: 71"L x 38"D x 40"H
Chaise: 60"L x 35"D x 35"H
Coffee Table: 48" x 24" x 18"H
End Table: 23" x 21" x 20"H


text:
Kukla's Korner Hockey
Gauthier Marooned
by Alanah McGinley on 03/15/08 at 02:46 PM ET
Comments (0)
From Scott Cruickshank at the Calgary Herald,
"I still feel that I can play in the NHL, that I can help a team," says Gauthier, a six-foot-three, 224-pounder. "This is not the end. I'll be back. I just want to play in the NHL. It's tough to be told that you're an NHL defenceman, but you can't play in the NHL." Out of training camp, the Philadelphia Flyers, flush with high-priced personnel (including his Drummondville junior teammate Daniel Briere), needed cap relief. So they shoved Gauthier and his salary—$2.1 million US—across the parking lot, to the Spectrum, headquarters of the Philadelphia Phantoms.
Which marooned Gauthier in the minors for the first time in a decade.
more… *a detailed look at Denis Gauthier's 'greatest hits'
Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: ahl, denis+gauthier, philadelphia+phantoms
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Bad In Colorado And Getting Good In Edmonton
A Two-Year Contract For Zemgus Girgensons And The Buffalo Sabres
Big Loss For The New Jersey Devils, Travis Zajac Out 4-6 Months
Afternoon Line- Joe Sakic On Matt Duchene
The Future Is Now The Present In Edmonton
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla's Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the 'net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at email@example.com


text:
Save on all First Watch Security products
Collections A - D
Collections M - P
Collections Q - T
Return to TopLearn more about First Watch Security
Lowe's Canada is the best place to shop for First Watch Security products
First Watch Security, a division of Belwith Products, has been designing, manufacturing, and delivering home security products since 1959. Today, First Watch Security is one of the most recognized brands in the home security market. Its products include home, office, and door security offerings, and controlled access door products. First Watch Security has added new, trendy finishes and style to an otherwise bland category. From cabinet and mailbox locks to slide bolts to window door locks to door reinforcers and beyond, make First Watch Security your first stop for home security.
Related Products


text:
Ad hoc training
In addition to our fixed date training courses, we also run training on an ad hoc basis.
Our current ad hoc training includes practical necropsy, micro computed tomography (micro-CT) and phenotyping, with the possibility that other courses may be developed in the future. Our ad hoc courses are dependent upon sufficient numbers of people showing interest, and are run for small groups on a date that suits the availability of both the training course leaders and participants. These training courses are provided free of charge.
If you are interesting in taking part in one of our ad hoc training courses, please email email@example.com. Please specify your name, job title and institution, and include the training course you are interested in, any relevant experience that you have and your reasons for wanting to attend.


text:
First Commando 2
First Commando 2 is a free Commando Games. First Commando 2 is a great shooting game. You are a special unit soldier on the undercover mission. your mission is to use your weapon aim skills to shoot the enemy terrorist and survive in this shooter game. Terrorists have stolen US Army uniforms and attack some civil locations. Your target is to eliminate all terrorists on three different location. Good Luck!
We hope you had fun with this great Action games. Find the best Commando Games among our games below.
Published: 6-10-2016
463 Users Played
How to play First Commando 2 game?
Detailed instructions can be found in the game or in description or use Mouse/keyboard to interactive.
Why Can't We Play This Game?
First Commando 2 is an online Commando Games which you can play for free here at ChipGames.net - It has tag(s) Commando Games, Shooting Games. It has been played 463 times. First Commando 2 is one of the many Action games that we feature. If you want to play more games, check out Commando 2 game or Mars Commando game or Battle of Britain: Commando game or Mechanical Commando 2 game or Commando Strike game or Mission Commando game or Commando Attack game or Commando Defense game or Mini Commando game or Cycle Commando game or Uber Commando game or Strike Force Commando game. To play even more games, head over to the Commando Games page, the Shooting Games page or just check out the all time best games page.


text:
Redstar Fall
It looks like you have an ad blocker on. Please disable your ad blocker and refresh to fully enjoy our games.
Thank you.
Don't let Red Star fall! Put it on the platform as fast as you can, and prove your skill.
Use your left mouse click to remove shapes. But be careful! Don't let the Redstar fall down from the platform!
Use "Spacebar" or "R" keys to restart level.


text:
Yes, this is a random oneshot. I don't own pokemon. Neither do I own the name Perfect Storm, it's from a film. However, I do own Verena.
Perfect Storm
"Welcome to the Hearthome city pokemon Ultra contest!" The voice came from a smiling, jolly man. He was standing in the centre of the Hearthome Contest Hall. Behind him were seven coordinators, and next to him stood a woman and a man. "This contest shall be judged on Coolness and Beauty. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and extra participants, we will have to shorten our rounds. I am Dexter, and these are Jordan and Keira. We will be your judges for today. And these are our contestants!" He swept his arm round to point at the trainers behind him. He introduced them one by one. First, there was a tall boy with sandy brown hair. "Firstly we have Damien!" The crowd applauded politely. Next, was a girl with long brown hair. "Alicia!" More applause. The next trainer was a shorter, stockier boy.
"David!" Among the applause, a voice rang out.
"Good luck dear!" David just rolled his eyes. The fourth trainer was a young girl with black hair swept backwards. She looked slightly apprehensive, as Dexter continued on to her.
"Megan!" Next an older man stood, with grey hair swept back in a knot.
"Greg!" As the audience applauded him, the next participant was announced. It was a woman with blonde hair.
"Nancy!" Finally, Dexter moved on to the final member of the contest. It was a girl, about twelve. She has long purple hair, and wore much more formal clothes than any others.
"Verena!" The audience applauded once more and, the introduction finished, Dexter continued onwards with his speech.
"Firstly, we have the visual contest. All contestants move backstage and dress up your pokemon!" They did so.
About half an hour later, the contest continued. The audience was larger this time, more viewers having arrived to see the actual contest. Dexter stood forwards again.
"And here they are! First, Damien and his Infernape, Storm!" The tall boy moved forwards with his Infernape. The fiery pokemon was wearing metal gauntlets on each hand, and a helmet with a spike on top over his head. Mystical flames danced around him, probably created by the Infernape himself. Damien and his pokemon moved to the side. Dexter continued.
"Alicia and her Sandslash, Samur!" As the girl walked forwards, the Sandslash followed. He wore a great crown upon his head, and royal golden feathers were laced into his coat at intervals.
"David and his Pidgeot, Queen!" The boy walked proudly alongside his Bird pokemon. Though unadorned except for a ring on each claw, it was beautiful. The Pidgeot's wings were of a beautiful gold. She was a so-called 'shiny'. The audience, as one, gave out a loud 'Ooh' at the sight of such a rare pokemon.
"Megan and her Ninjask, Bolt!" The young girl walked up, the Ninjask darting around her head. It wore several glowing blue rings around it, so it left trails of light in the air.
"Greg and his Luxray, Brith!" The man walked forwards, standing proud next to the scarred Luxray. The Luxray wore a golden hoop around each paw, and a necklace of red stones around his neck.
"Nancy and her Furret, Boom!" As the girl moved forwards, the Furret darted around her feet, wearing a line of tiny jewels along its back.
"And finally, Verena and her Swellow!" As the trainer walked out purposely, her Swellow flew over her head, settling down on her shoulder. It wore red and blue feathers blended seamlessly into its own, and a pair of sunglasses. The audience applauded one more time, and then the noise died down.
"And now," Said Dexter, "Now, for the Dancing competition."
The pokemon lined up, their trainers off to the side. As the beat began to move the pokemon began to dance, following the lead of each of the pokemon in turn. Storm the Infernape went first, with a twirling, twisting dance that only Bolt managed to copy. Then Samur, the Sandslash, who performed a simple dance ending in a great leap and a crash landing. Brith was the only one to fail in this simpler dance. Queen the Pidgeot did her dance in the air, a fast dance with many spins, turns and fast movements. Both Samur and Swellow failed to duplicate, due to the fast movement, though Swellow only failed because their wasn't enough room for him to spin on the ground. Bolt the Ninjask was up next, and he moved so quickly no-one could follow his movements. Only the glowing bands betrayed his pattern. Only Queen, Boom and Swellow succeeded in this due to the lightning quick reflexes necessary.
Next was Brith, and the old Luxray unleashed a fast sequence of movements going in all directions and ending with a ferocious leap forwards. Both Swellow and Queen failed to duplicate the leap. Then Boom took a turn, and stretched his body through horrible positions like liquid gold. Only Bolt was capable of moving this fast, everyone else failed. Lastly, Swellow performed, flying upwards, and spinning and moving at terrible speeds and stopping in seconds. Only the other flying pokemon, Queen and Bolt succeeded in this hairpin routine.
With that, the Dancing competition was over, and the pokemon and their trainers moved into the arena. Dexter took his place in the Judges Podium, and Storm begun. Damien thought for a few seconds, and yelled out
"Storm, use Obliterate!" The Infernape smiled, and its fists crackled with energy. Then it rushed at incredible speed to the target and sped past it repeatedly, striking a blow each time with a huge crackling noise.. Dexter called out through the microphone.
"There's a Thunderpunch combined with Quick Attack!" The Infernape ended at the edge of the arena closest to the target. Then it burst into flames, and sped towards the target.
"This is a Flare Blitz, very well executed!" Shouted Dexter, as Infernape struck the Target and sent it flying into the air, quickly following up with a blast of flamed that melted the target.
"And finished off with a Heat Wave! Wonderful!" The crowd went wild as the other two judges nodded with appreciation. An official quickly had his Kadabra replace the target, and Alicia began with her Sandslash Samur. She didn't hesitate and immediately commanded
"Duel!" The Sandslash ran toward the target, Claws outstretched and struck it repeatedly, almost faster than the eye could follow. Dexter called out excitedly.
"There's a Metal Claw, a Night Slash, an X-Scissor and a good old fashioned Slash! Very impressive!" as he finished speaking the target fell into many tiny pieces. The audience exploded with applause, and Alicia hugged the pokemon before moving off to the side.
David and Queen were next. The shiny Bird pokemon was hovering in mid air, as David gave out a command.
"Use Bombardment!" The Pidgeot spiralled upwards, and then started blasting the ground repeatedly, with blasts of fire and ice.
"That's some nice Flamethrowers and Ice Beams!" The Pidgeot then pointed directly upwards and blasted out a stream of ice then flame. The tower of water stood for seconds, then Pidgeot powered through it straight up, sending the water flying in all directions. The water struck the roof of the hall evenly as the pitter-patter of rain. There was thunderous applause as Dexter announced.
"An ice beam, flamethrower and Giga Impact combo creating an artificial Rain Dance! Truly outstanding!" David walked proudly to the side as Queen dived down to stand next to him.
Megan and Bolt were next.
"Bladestorm!" The Ninjask shot around in a beautiful symbol, the blue trail burned into everyone's mind. Seconds later, the once clear day rumbled with thunder and rain cascaded down.
"Rain Dance! A real rarity!" Bolt began to spin slowly, at first and then faster, until he was almost invisible, and then suddenly he flashed around the arena, cutting raindrops as they fell. The water was splashed into the ceiling in an unending storm of water. There was silence as it ended suddenly, and the sky cleared.
"Finished with a Swords Dance!" Yelled out Dexter, as the silence exploded into cheers.
Next, Greg walked forwards with Brith, his Luxray.
"Use Storm Pulsar!"
The Luxray moved forwards, and sat, closing its eyes. Within moments, the sky was covered with black storm clouds for the second time that day. Then suddenly, thunderbolts started striking the ground repeatedly. Then Luxray shot towards an open space, just as it was struck by lightning. The electricity flew off of his fur at all angles. He quickly sot to the next bolt, and the energy radiated from him again. He did this repeatedly, until his fur shone brightly.
"A Discharge created with a…" Dexter quickly checked a computer screen next to him. "A Thunderstorm!" His voice was almost frowned out by the reaction to this display, as everyone screamed, yelled and applauded the display.
as the old man walked to the side with his shining lion pokemon, Nancy and Boom took the stage. Nancy immediately commanded
"Shatterstorm!" Boom sped forwards and concentrated. From nowhere, a rock appeared above her head, and then exploded, fragments flying everywhere.
"Rock Throw and Psychic!" Another rock appeared, then another, then another, each appearing for seconds then exploding.
"No, Rock Slide and Psychic!" Then a huge rock appeared directly over Boom's head. It exploded with a huge BOOM, shattering into smaller rocks, which exploded into smaller rocks, which shattered one last time. There was silence, and then a huge rumble of applause.
Boom Sped back to Nancy, and curled up on her shoulder, as she walked proudly off to the side.
Vernea, and her Swellow entered last, and Verena calmly commanded
"Jungle Storm."
Swellow darted upwards, and as he did, leaves began to appear, shooting upwards even faster than him, until they formed a ring of leaves gently floating downwards. Swellow sped right past them, and suddenly stopped.
"That's some fancy flying and… a Leaf Storm?!"
Then he blasted downwards, and a boom cracked through the air. All the leaves were blasted forwards, striking the roof and leaving a ring of leaves embedded, visible to the opposite side. Then Swellow struck the ground blasting dust and sand everywhere.
"Giga Impact!" The audience howled its appreciation. As Verena took her Swellow and walked to the side. Dexter spoke again.
"And this is the second, and, unfortunately, final, appeal round. Damien, can you and Storm come forwards again? Thank you." Damien cleared his throat.
"Storm, use Firestorm and then Wildfire!" The Infernape quickly pointed itself at the target and held out its hands as dozens of tiny firebolts blasted towards the target. Some hit, charring it and others blasted past. Then, as his trainer quickly walked off, Infernape screeched, and Plumes of fire came out of the ground in random places, bursting up through the sand in devastating blasts. When the flames died down, the audience's applause was thunderous.
"Alicia and Samur, can you please come forward." They did, and Alicia, looking determined said.
"Spherespin!" Samur rolled up, and stormed around the arena, spiralling slowly towards the centre.
"There's a Rollout!" There was a sudden glint of silver.
"And a Gyro Ball!" Samur crashed directly through the new target, leaving it crumpled on the sandy floor. When Samur's circle was tiny, barely even a metre across, he leapt out of his curl and crashed into the ground. You could see the ground ripple.
"And an Earthquake! A very impressive display there from Samur and Alicia. Next, David and Queen!" The boy immediately commanded
"Starstorm!" Queen flew high into the sky, and started to blast tiny stars downwards. Each one left a tiny burnt patch in the shape of a star were it fell.
"A Swift attack!" They came down faster and faster and then, with a huge blast of noise, a huge star came, striking the centre of the arena. When the dust cleared, There was a huge burnt patch, surrounded by the smaller ones caused by the Swift attack.
"And a Starburst! Wonderful, we're getting some really rare attacks today! Next, Megan and Bolt!" They walked forwards, Megan commanding
"Lightning fall!"
And Bolt darted around once more, with the same blue outlined symbol as before. Just like then, there was a rumble of thunder, and rain began to fall. Seconds later, a blue bolt of lightning emanated from Bolt. It struck the rain, and conducted round in a great loop, forming the same symbol once more. He did it again, facing the symbol in another direction. When the lightning fell from sight, the rain stopped.
"Rain Dance and Thunderbolt!" Yelled Dexter, as the audience applauded again. "Next, Greg and Brith." The man walked forwards with his Luxray. He thought for a few seconds, before saying
"Ultimate Surge!" Brith leapt out and started to tear around the arena in huge circles at an incredible speed, each circle slightly smaller, and he began to glow brightly.
"An Extremespeed!" Said Dexter, as Brith reached the centre of the arena, and stopped instantly. He looked up and Howled. A huge fork of lightning blasted out of his mouth and into the sky, creating a huge rent in the air itself. The light was blinding, and for a moment there was silence.
"Power Surge!" shouted Dexter, as the audience went wild. "This is one of the best contests we have ever had! Next, Nancy and Boom." The two stepped forwards. Quickly, Nancy said
Furret's eyes began to glow, as did the target on the other side of the arena. It hovered, and floated into the centre of the arena. Then, without warning it exploded in an incandescent ball of fire.
"Psychic and Exploder! Wonderful!" There was huge applause as the two left the stage.
"Now, will Verena and Swellow please do their final piece, and then we can tell you the results."
Verena walked forwards, and said calmly and quietly, though it was clear in the silence,
"Perfect Storm."
Swellow looked up, and blasted hundreds of tiny sharp leaves up, until they created a circle. Then he blasted upwards.
"Leaf Storm!" said Dexter.
Swellow reached the leaves and stopped, and the instant he began to fall he burst into flames, turning it into a dive. The shockwave was almost visible, and the leaves all burst into flames striking the ground quickly and burning there. Seconds later, Swellow struck with a huge crashing noise and a burst of dust. When it cleared, there was a large crater, ringed perfectly on the edges by the still burning leaves. Swellow was standing upright, unharmed. The crowd went wild, and Dexter's voice was drowned out. When the audience finally died down. Dexter said
"All contestants, and their pokemon, to the awards stand."
"Every single one of you has done incredibly well. You all scored over 300 points!" There was shocked silence. Some master rank co-ordinators couldn't manage that. Dexter continued. "But someone has to win. In seventh place, with 315 points, Samur and Alicia! Please come up and collect your ribbon." They walked up, proud of that lofty score. She pinned the ribbon onto Samurs spike. And walked off to the side. Jordan stepped forwards.
"In sixth place, with 340 points," He said, "Damien and Storm! Come and collect your ribbon." The boy walked up, slightly annoyed, and took the ribbon. He tied it to Storm's arm, and walked to the side. Keira stepped forwards.
"In fifth place, with 345 points, Greg and Brith!" She said. Greg walked upwards with his Luxray, and he put the ribbon on one ear. He then walked to the side. Dexter stood forwards again.
"In fourth place, with 370 points, Nancy and Boom!" There was even more applause, as the girl walked forwards holding her Furret, took the ribbon and put it on Boom's ear. She walked to the side. As Jordan said.
"In third place, with 390 points, Megan and Bolt!" There was applause and even cheers, but when they died down it was totally silent as Megan collected her ribbon and tied it to Bolt's claw. Then she stepped to the right. Keira stepped forwards.
"In second place with 405 points," She stopped. And then said "David and Queen!" There was huge applause as the two moved forwards, collected the ribbon and stood to the left.
Dexter continued.
"Which means that today's winners, with 430 points, are Verena and Swellow!" The applause was incredible and lasted well past the time when Verena tied the ribbon round Swellow's neck.
"Thank you for watching this contest, we hope to see you again. Who knows, maybe we might see one of these stars again."
Thunderstorm-Electric Type, Power 70, Accuracy 75, PP 5, Hits all pokemon in battle including user 2-4 times. May paralyze, special
Firestorm-Fire Type, Power 50, Accuracy 70, PP 10, 2-5 hits, may burn
Wildfire-Fire Type, Power 70, Accuracy 75, PP 5, Hits all pokemon in battle including user 2-4 times. May burn, special
Starburst-Flying Type, Power 1HitKO/50, Accuracy 90, PP 1, 1 Hit KO to target, Power 50 attack to each pokemon on field other than user. 50 recoil of damage dealt to target. Special
Power Surge-Electric Type, Power 140, Accuracy 85, PP 5, May raise special attack, 25 recoil. Special.
Exploder-Normal Type, Power 140, Accuracy 90, PP5, Sharply lowers special attack. Special.
Public service announcement- Neither dark types nor people called Damien are necessarily evil. Neither do people called Damien always like dark pokemon. Thank you for reading this Public Service announcement. Now heed it, or I'll set my Espeon on you. And I'll get my friend Damien to set his team of Lvl 100s on you. Got it? Good.