text:
" Type: Brushes / Brand: Avon / Subcategory: Styling Brush "
* Prices may differ from that shown
Avon Pop Up Brush
What is a pop up brush - one o the good things to come from the 1980s,
they are a folding hair brush with a built in mirror, but the thing is you can't use the brush and the mirror at the same time.
=Price and Availability=
This is an Avon product and is available from Avon, either on-line or from your local Avon rep, I paid about £2 for mine it was part of a promotion, but the normal price id £3.95 for it.
=Design of the brush=
The fold of this brush is down the middle, of the product, with the top half being the brush head, and the lower half a mirror.
Mine was a promotional / limited edition brush, as it was pink with a white flower blossom detail on it.
=To Use=
You open up the brush, at this point the bristles are folded on themselves, you gently push them through from the underside, and this brings them to a usable position, brudh your hair, and when you have finished, you push the bristles back in on themselves and fold the brush up.
=Little Space=
These brushes take up little room, and they fit in a make up bag, handbag, basically anywhere,
=Alternative retailers=
These pop up brushes can be purchased from most retailers, from Superdrug, to £1 shops as well as souveniers.
=At home=
I purchased a 2nd one of these brushes and I leave it in my daughters school bag for when she goes swimming.
=Highly Recommend=
I would highly recommend these brushes, in total i have about 5 of them, 2 are Avon, the others different suppliers, but they are valuable items to have,
=Only Niggle=
The mirror, as you can't use it the same time as your using the brush, but it is good for checking your hair or applying make up,
This is a 4/5 just lost one star for not being able to use the mirror when your brushing your haor.
I purchased a Pop up brush from avon thinking I could..well...pop it in my hand bag to have handy when I needed to brush my hair whilst out and about.
The fold away brush is great to look at, a brilliant idea..it fits neatly in your handbag only slightly longer than a credit card and about an inch and a half wide. The brush folds in half, when opened at the hinge it is ore like an ordinary if not smallish hairbrush. The rubber section where the bristles sit curves out and the handle has a mirror set in it. This is all brilliant....
However once I came to use the hairbrush on my fine straight hair, the brush section came unplugged from the handle, it was easy to fix but every time it caught the slightest snag on my hair it fell apart again, now I do not have very thick hair at all it is straight and rarely knots, this brush was totally useless to me.
It cost £3.50 which at the time I thought was pretty cheap but I am not impressed with this item at all! Not a good buy!
**What is it?**
I think everyone has seen a pop up hairbrush though they seemed to be more popular in the 80s when I was growing up (well, to me, anyway). They're folding travel hairbrushes usually equipped with mirrors, great for handbags and holidays.
**Price and Availability**
The Avon Pop Up Brush is available exclusively from Avon, either via your local representative (we have a lady at work who gives out the catalogues and then brings the things into work, very handy!) or via the Avon website (a P&P charge usually applies to online purchases however).
I paid £3.95 for the Avon Pop Up Brush, possibly a bit more than you'd pay elsewhere as I've seen these in chemists around £2.99 and occasionally even in the pound shop but this one is a special edition, white with pink flowers so I was happy to pay that bit extra. I still think it's a fair price for a handy product.
**Looks & How to Use**
The Avon Pop Up Brush is folded in two down the middle, half the brush head and half the handle. Mine is pink with white blossom over it, very attractive, but they are available in plain colours too. The handle has a long thin mirror on it - very handy for doing your hair on the go and for make-up too.
The head of the brush is black and is folded inwards, to use you open out the brush handle and head, then with your finger push the bristles out (like you'd push an orange inside out to eat it) to splay them out so you can brush your hair. Then, when you want to put it away you push the bristles back in on themselves and fold it up.
It looks very cute, neat and takes up hardly any space. Another excellent benefit of it closing up is that it can't snag on other things in your bag or get full of fluff and sweet wrappers (talking of my own rather messy at times bag, this is).
**In Use**
I find the Avon Pop Up Brush is great for brushing on the go, and the curved profile of the popped out head means it's quite effective for blow drying when you're in a hotel for example. Certainly I've survived a week abroad with this brush and this brush alone and not really felt like I'm missing out not having my large vented brush which is not suitable for travel.
I generally keep it in my handbag and there's been many times when it's been windy and I've needed to give it a quick brush in the office or stick it into an up-do, I also use it to neaten up my daughter's wild curls when we are out and about, so it's certainly come in handy over and over again.
The mirror is decent and though thin does allow you to put on eye make up and lipstick and so on, good for quick touch ups but obviously not something I'd use as a first choice over a larger mirror.
I do recommend the Avon Pop Up Brush, it's easy to get hold of and it's very nice looking, and I've used it countless times so it represents great value for money. It's well made, and it will last, so yes, I'd recommend it 100% as a great handbag, or travel, or both brush for all. Five out of five from me, I think I'll buy some more as stocking fillers this year :)
I have crazy hair. Not only is it insanely thick and dark (thanks to the Chinese side of my family), but it has natural ginger streaks (thanks dad!), natural kinks, and a tendency to frizz and puff up at the merest hint of a rain shower. For this reason, I find it handy to keep a brush in my handbag, and with space being at something of a premium the brush ideally needs to be fairly compact - enter the Avon Pop Up Brush, available, surprisingly enough, from Avon.
Mine is a different shape and colour to the one pictured above, which I suspect is an older design. Mine is a round little compact, which when closed has one solid side and one cushioned side. When you open the hinged lid, the hard part contains a small mirror, and the soft side contains the brush that needs to be pushed out from underneath. The plastic casing is bright pink, and is a hard material which seems sturdy and hardwearing. The brush is a good size for a small handbag or evening bag, and can even fit into a coat pocket.
The brush bristles have plastic nodules on the end to stop scratching the scalp, and the brush itself does a decent job of tidying up the hair. I don't think this brush is sufficient for me to use early in the morning when my hair is all tangled and slept on, it doesn't feel substantial enough, and I can't pull it through hard enough or fast enough to deal with the stubborn knots that seem to appear when I sleep,but it's certainly sufficient for a quick tidy up when out and about, and the mirror is handy not only for checking your hair is tidy, but also for reapplying makeup.
The brush retails at £3.25 when at full price, but Avon regularly have offers and promotions on, and this can currently be purchased at £1.65 on the avon website.
Overall, it's a handy little brush for hair touch ups when out and about, light and portable to fit into a handbag. Not suitable for the main morning detangling and styling session for me, as it's not quite substantial enough to handle my thick knotty hair, but it does the job I purchased it for. 3 stars.
===The Product===
Comes sealed ina clear plastic bag.
Made in China.
Mine comes in matt cerise.
'Advance Techniques' is written in silver on the li.
Hinged brush with oval mirror in lid.
The pop up brush has rubber/plastic bristles with little pink balls on the ends.
Press up from base for bristles to emerge.
Closed size is 3.5 x 2.25 x 0.75 inches. When open it is just over 6.5 inches.
Full pirce £3.25 - currently selling for £2.25.
===My Opinion===
Avon have been selling these little pop up brushes for many years and every so often they change the colour or shape slightly.
Currently the brush is an oval shape and is bright pink, previously they did a grey one with sparkles in it and there was also an oblong one in maroon (shown above). The current brush is on sale with Avon but the older designs and shapes can still be found on ebay.
They fold up neatly into a little small shape and fit nicely into your pocket or bag.
These are very useful for people who prefer to use a brush rather than a comb. The previous style as shown above was suitable for males to use as well but the current vivid pink one is definitely aimed at females.
When you open the brush push up the bristle section from the underside and it is then ready to use.
The mirror in the top section is a decent size considering how compact the brush is - but the one downside is that you cannot use the mirror and brush you hair at the same time.
The bobbles on the ends of the rubber bristles prevents them from being sharp and digging into your scalp and personally I like the bright cerise colour. If you have one of these at the bottom of your handbag you will always be able to tidy up your hair or have a mirror to apply your lipstick. It is lightweight ad has not sharp edges or corners.
For my thinnish hair I find it works well but it you had very thick or curly hair you might find that it struggles.
They also make a nice little gift or stocking filler as most people will use a brush at one time or other.
My brush is lasting well and shows no sign of wear - so for the price they are a good investment.
===Star Rating===
5 stars.
===Would I Recommend?===
According to everyone I know when I excitedly waved this brush in front of them as if it were some new magic trick I was particularly proud of, these pop-out brushes have 'been around since the 1980s' (or earlier) and 'everyone used to have one at school'- both boys and girls. Not me. I seem to have completely missed out of this whole 'brush revolution' that I am led to believe, happened at some point in the 1990's. Still, it is 'never too late to have a happy childhood' and so my relationship with this brush began.
When I saw this pop out brush in an Avon brochure I had to buy one immediately as I had been making-do with a very sad and worn out looking snapped round hair brush (the handle had snapped off so I only had the round head part and most of the bristles on that had come off) so I really really needed a new brush. As I liked the size of the 'snapped' old brush, this appealed to me as it is half the size of a standard round brush when folded and it is almost flat (1 inch high x 4.5 inches long x 1 inch wide when closed).
You get a plastic handle half made of solid plastic and a flexible rubber part that has pop up bristles on the other side that forms the brush. When open, the hard plastic side has a mirror (see picture) so you can check your hair (handy!). The brush is activated by a gentle push, 'thus popping' the brush up to use as you would a normal hair brush.
This is easy to use. Since this product arrived and I flipped it open and figured out that you push the rubber part and 'whoop' you have a brush I have been like a child with a new toy. I must admit for the first few uses, I did find the flexible brush part folding back in on itself when I used it. My hair is very thick so any brush with a flexible section is going to struggle. I found by placing my fingers underneath the rubber part of the brush when using it it prevents the brush from folding in on itself- this is just a matter of how you hold the brush when you use it to make it more sturdy. This is only an issue when I am using the brush on the back of my hair as my fringe is not so thick so the brush copes fine.
Mine cost me 99p but these can be bought for 69p in Wilkinson's and for 70p plus postage on Amazon. I think this is really cheap for the convenience this product provides.
**Does it Work?**
Yes, it does. I carry this everywhere with me- it is smaller than any brush I have had so fits really well in a small clutch bag or handbag or even a coat pocket. As I have quite a 'new' fringe that is supposed to look even and 1920's style and I walk to and from work- any hint of a breeze and my hair is all over the place. So, a discrete brush to hand that I can just pop, swoosh, brush and fold back up in a flash is perfect for me.
**Would I recommend it?**
YES. Yes I would. The only drawbacks to the product I have found it that it is not actually stuck together as you may expect. I have had this for 6 months now and use it several times a day and on two occasions (only two) the tiny bits holding the flexible rubber brush part have flown off and I thought the brush had broken. It was easy to fix, but this does raise the issue of if you have small children who like to pull at and chew on things- keep this away from them.
In time I do expect the flexible rubber part (that you push on to form the brush bit) to tear or perish/ deteriorate in some way, but for 99p, this is a bargain. I've already had more than what I would consider 99p's worth of use from this and I will definitely be buying 'spares' (one to leave in my drawer at work, one for home...).
If you like to carry a brush around with you or have a hair style that suffers in the wind/rain then this is perfect for keeping in the car or your bag or desk drawer etc., It is a cheap and convenient product so bear this in mind, and i'm sure at some point it will break or fall apart where I lose a bit but for the price it is awesome.
Avon pop -up brush
I have no Avon rep and so buy all my Avon products on line and this is something that I bought some time ago to keep in my bag as it is light, takes up little room but is a brush rather than a comb. I do not own any other brushes from Avon so can only comment on my experiences with this one.
I bought this brush when it was on offer and because it was so cheap I thought it was worth the risk of buying it unseen online. The brush is supposed to be £3.50 but I bought it at half price so only paid £1.75. I am not sure I would have paid full price as I was not in any great need of the brush it just struck me that I might find it handy for when we traveled.
I have brush this in black but it does sometimes come in other colours, I am happy with it in black as it is not offensive and I really am not bothered about what colour I have. It is hard to describe the brush in that when folded one half folds onto the other with the brush's bristles folding inwards so that it is flatter than you might imagine. When folded it is about 2 cm thick and about 12 cm long. The back of the brush part is made from soft plastic and you have to push it so that the brush sort of 'pops out' to become a usable brush. I do like the fact that the bristles fold inwards and the entire folded up brush is neat small and has not bits sticking out that would get tangles in other things in my bag.
When open the brush handle has a mirror inside and the bristles then pop out so that you end up with a pretty basic plastic bristled brush with a short handle. It is then about 21cm long so again not huge and it is pretty light too for anyone who has problems lifting heavier brushes above their head to brush their hair.
The five rows of plastic bristles are quite rounded and soft so not scratchy at all on my head and even my little granddaughter will allow me to tidy her hair up with this. She is also fascinated by the fact it folds away and pops up so I am not sure how long it will last with all her attention! My hair is short but thick and my granddaughter's is thin but long. I do brush hers carefully to avoid pulling as she hates that but I am not sure how well the brush would fair with thick adult long hair as it isn't that robust
I also find that when brushing my hair I have to sort of put my fingers along the full length of the bvrush otherwise the bristles pop back in which is not very useful. My granddaughter cannot use the brush herself as it sort of folds back in with her little hands.
I can't actually see why they have put the mirror in the handle as you cannot possible see the mirror while brushing your hair. It is handy for checking and putting on lipstick and makeup I suppose. My mirror has fallen out and I can't say I am that worried by its loss. It is pretty small and I find that a compact mirror is handier or even the mirror of the sun shield in the car is more useful than this one was.
I do find that it is very easy to clean as the bristles do not hang on to the hairs and I can just pull any loose hairs out. I just wash mine with soap or shampoo and dry it a bit with a towel then leave it open to dry before putting it back in my handbag.
To fold it you just sort of push the outer edges of the bristles together or poke the middle and the bristles then pop in and the brush handle then folds over easily.
Has lasted me about 18 months now and does get used for dolls and my hair as well as tidying my granddaughter's hair and it is still fine as a brush despite the mirror falling out. I can't say this is the finest brush I have owned but for my short hair it works well as an emergency brush when out and about.
Yes, for an emergency handbag brush it does a good job. I would be happy to buy it again or one similar as I don't feel especially excited by this one. If I had to pay full price I might think twice but at half price it is not a bad buy at all.
Thank for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name.
A hair brush from Avon that folds up on itself when you are not using it.
The brush is plastic and it has got plastic bristles. When you use it you flip the handle out and push the other end upwards so that the bristles pop out for you to brush your hair. You fold it up the same way by pressing down on the bristles.
This is a nice hair brush to keep in your handbag because it does not take up very much room so you can even put it into a clutch without it making the bag bulky. It is good when I just need to brush a small knot out of my hair or to touch my style up while I am out. It is stronger than it looks but is not suitable for giving my hair a proper brushing because the bristles are quite flimsy and will break or bend if you try to brush out large knots.
My brush is black all over with a sparkle diamond pattern on the back but Avon change the colours and even the shape of the brushes very regularly. I like that when I have unfolded the brush it is a proper size and not a mini one like a lot of fold up brushes, the handle is also very comfortable to hold and feels smooth in my hand. The bristles are smooth and do not pull my hair very much, each bristle has a small ball at the end and that helps the brush to grip my hair. It opens and folds easily and I do not think it would be easy to damage the hair brush by doing this a few times a day, but one day the plastic will split and that's what always happens to me when I use these pop up brushes from Avon. This takes a long time though and my last brush lasted for nearly a year of using it every day, I bought my daughters one each for Christmas for their school bags so that they can keep themselves nice and tidy after sports or play time.
The Avon pop up brush costs £2 or £3 because it is on special offer a lot. I would pay full price because it is a nice light hair brush but usually buy one when I see them reduced so that I have got a spare for when I need it. You can only buy them from the Avon catalogue or online.
4 Dooyoo Stars.
In the mornings my hair is not the most sleekest barnets to look at, and usually resembles something of a birds nest lol. As I tend to wear hair extensions more often than not, they can occasionally get a bit frizzy and lose their body so a handy brush to carry in my handbag is a necessity, and whilst I have a brush or 2 from primark and boots etc I like this one the best at the moment and helps me look like a decent human being when I am out and about!
The brush is like a metallic red colour, and it says it all in the name - a discreet little pop up brush that, bends in two to folds neatly and can fit in handbags and clutchbags for an easy travel hair styling device! It really is rather small when compacted and even despite the size, it is still effective to get the job done. The brush is really easy and flexible to bend and fold away and also open up popping out the bristles to get to work on my hair.
The brush, for a cheap travel brush is actually really effective as I have rather thick, curly and sometimes greasy hair, even thicker with wearing hair extensions for the brush to battle through, and yetu this brush is great for combatting this and leaving my hair well managed with ease and not pulling my roots too much. The bristles to the brush are thin, black plastic bits which have on the end red plastic spongey small balls (matching the theme of the brush) which are ideal as is means the bristle ends of the brush are not sharp, and when they are in contact with my scalp they almost feel like massaging my scalp gently.
It detangles easily, without having to use rough effort to drag the brush through even when it can be really knotty. The handle is easy to hold and is really durable as I have had brushes in the past where when brushing my hair very rigorously the handle has snapped and so this has passed the test as it is thick and sturdy and can withhold the fight my hair and brush sometimes have!
The small mirror is good, although kind of defeats the purpose since I can hardly look in the mirror and brush my hair simultaneously! However, it makes for good use when I want to apply my lipgloss and since the brush is red, it's always easy to spot and find in my bag.
Overall this is a handy brush, and I think at the time I paid about £2 for this item which it really is worth the money. It's a handy little handbag sized brush, that is great for detangling and that gets through my hair quite easily making me look decent when gusts of wind try to prevent me from doing so. The mirror in the handle is a nice touch, although I really don't use it too often but to sum up I'd definitely recommend this and it may be nice as a stocking item for Christmas!
I am a fan of Avon. Not all their products are worth buying but in general, they are good value and worth buying. I have had a few of these brushes over the years; the last two I purchased were from Avon. I have two purple ones and a red one. I love these brushes; I have shoulder length hair so this brush is about the right size for brushing my hair on the go. My daughter has waist length hair, so using this sized brush can be a bit of a long task; she normally uses a paddle brush which makes it easier.
The main advantage with this brush is the way it folds up, because the brush folds in on itself, it stops the brush collecting fluff and tissues etc from the bottom of my handbag. They are handy also due to being such a small package when folded up. I can't say I often use the mirror as it is quite small, I check my parting in it occasionally. I bought one of these brushes from Boots as few years ago and it split due to being folded inside out, this hasn't happened to any of the three brushes I have bought from Avon. I have three of these due receiving one as a gift, and buying one for my daughter and I. They are handy if she stays over at a friend's, although as her hair can get quite knotty. If she pushes a little too hard on the bristles the whole brush can fold in on itself, this can get annoying but doesn't stop us using the brush. I paid £3 for each brush which is a good price; I have had them a while and they are still in good condition, no splits or cracks in the brush itself. The mirror is still attached and intact.
~*~*~ Avon Pop Up Brush ~*~*~
~ What is it? ~
The pop up brush is simply that, a versatile little brush that folds away and be kept handily in your handbag without taking up very much room at all. When folded it has a rounded rectanglular shape.
~ Why did I buy it? ~
I bought it for no reason other than it was on offer for around £2 a good few months ago. It's handy to have a brush to hand especially when I wear my hair down and it's a bit blustery outside.
I remebered these brushes from when I was younger and remember them being quite popular back then, if you didn't have one you simply weren't cool enough for skool! haha! I actually had a few of these and would often pick them up from discount shops whilst on holiday and they would be emblazened with the place name on the back.
This one isn't much different!
~ How to use it ~
This is a very simple easy brush to use, you unfold it and then push against the back to pop the bristles out, it is then ready to go.
Then you push on the bristle part to pop the brush back out and then fold it back up and pop it back in your bag.
Very easy!
~ What does it look like? ~
My brush is a cherry red colour and when folded looks like a red rectangle in the bottom of my bag, the back of the handle part has ' Advanced Techniques ' written on it in silver lettering, and when open the handle part houses a small mirror.
~ Is it any good? ~
Yes it does the job just fine, when I said handle above, it isn't really much of a handle due to the hinge which makes it flop back down when brush with a bit of force, so I hold around the brush part and then I find I can brush my hair just fine.
If I get to a particularly knotty part the brush does sometimes flip inwards so I will then need to pop it back out again but other than that it is just fine.
The ends of the bristles are covered by a little red plastic ball which makes brushing rather comfortable, so far none of these have come off.
~ Overall Opinion ~
It's a handy little handbag sized brush that gets through my hair quite easily.
~ Availibility & Price ~
This can be found in Avon brochures that may be delievered to you by a local Avon rep or can be bought online at www.avonshop.co.uk.
It has a usual price of £4 but can often be found on offer for less.
You may also find this brush on sites such as ebay or amazon.
Thanks for reading :o) x
==Avon Pop Up Bush==
My mum used to be an Avon lady and because of that fact she used to get all her make up and smellies from the catalogue. She would work it right so that when people would buy items that need several buying to get the free gift but didn't she might buy a few extra items which she knew she would sell later on in order to get the free gift. These would either be handed out for birthday or Christmas presents but she would store them up in her "gift cupboard".
She hasn't been an Avon Representative for many years now but she is very friendly with the lady who delivers the Avon in her area and will still order a fair few bits from each brochure (making sure she picks up all the bargains). This is why I still end up getting a lot of Avon items at either my birthday or as stocking fillers at Christmas.
A few years back she gifted me this Pop up Brush, because of course this is something every woman needs. It has been in one of my many handbags ever since moving from bag to bag and occasionally getting the bag dust cleaned off it.
I must say that it doesn't take up too much room in there and of course it is pretty lightweight. The brush consists of a oblong shaped mirror which doubles up as the handle for the brush which needs to be pushed through fron the back. The bristles on the brush are plastic and not entirely that sturdy because of the fact that you have to push them out.
I can't say its the most comfortable brush to use and to be fair because I wear my hair curly most of the time I don't really need to brush my hair throughout the day. I do however use the mirror more than the brush and this has come in handy on more than a few occasions.
All in all I can't say that the brush is a fantastic one. The bristles are not overly strong or comfortable to brush through the hair but as an emergency brush is it okay. Having the mirror combined does make it a worth while item to keep in my handbag which is why I still keep transferring it from bag to bag.
I think it is worthy of a 3 out of 5 star rating and a recommendation of sorts. I wouldn't want to pay more than a couple of pound for it and I am sure mum wouldn't have paid excessively for it. I think it is in the Avon book for around the £3 and I do know that items like this can be bought for £1 or less from cheap shops and really that's all its worth.
I do hope that this has been of some help/interest to you
Many thanks for taking the time to read.
I'll be honest i'm not a big fan of pop-up brushes I find them fiddly and they break easily but my friend recently became an Avon rep so i bought a quite a few things to help her get started, this was one of them as it was only £1.00 in the summer sale catalogue, when it arrived i popped it in my handbag and forgot about it.
A few weeks later it surprisingly came in handy, there i was moaning about needing a hairbrush and not having one when i remembered i had this beauty in my bag! It has a smooth red casing, it's very easy to use just open it and poke the back of the bristles so they pop up, it also has a little mirror inside, you can't see much in it but it is clear and slightly magnified so it does the trick!
The bristles aren't very strong so don't expect to be able to plough through knots and tangles but it's such a handy size to be able to just have in your handbag and for that price you really can't go wrong!
My Husband Mark always says I carry far too much in my handbag and that may be true of some things but one thing I always have with me in my bag is a hairbrush and I personally prefer pop up brushes that are nicely folded away and have a mirror with them. I've had several of these over time and my latest one is from Avon. I don't often buy Avon products but I had a book through my door and browsing through spotted the Advance Techniques Pop Up Brush, I paid roughly £3.00 for mine but they are currently reduced to £1.50.
The pop-up brush is made from red coloured plastic with red and black bristles, although Avon now do a pink one, it looks like a powder compact and measures approximately 8 x 5 cm's so nice and small for handbags or gym bags, its basically a small brush one side and a mirror the other, there is a small hinge in the middle so the whole things folds flat. The brush is on a flexible bed so when you open it up the bristles pop out allowing you to brush your hair and when you fold the whole thing up again the bristles pop back allowing the brush and mirror to fold flat together.
The bristles are reasonably strong and brush through my hair, which is thick and long, easily removing snaffles without any problems. I love the fact that there is a mirror with this pop up brush and it seems well attached, I have had brushes like these in the past where the mirror has fallen off. I can confidently carry this around in the bottom of my bag and know when I go to use it the mirror wont drop out. The mirror is ideal for checking or touching up make up and also checking my hair after I've brushed it. I also like the way the brush and mirror fold up keeping the bristles tucked away, I carried a regular hairbrush in my bag once and I found all the bits of rubbish got caught in the bristles, with a the pop up brush everything is all neatly closed away.
I am really pleased with my Avon Pop Up Brush, it is just so useful and takes hardly any room in my bag, even if we go out in the evening and I change my bag for a small clutch bag the pop up brush folds nice and flat so fitting it in is no problem. The brush works well and goes through any tangles easily, the mirror is ideal for both hair and make up.
This little mirror and brush would be ideal for holidays or travelling or even if you go to the gym or swimming it would be ideal to pop in a bag, they would also make nice little stocking fillers. Right now Avon have this at a reduced price so I have ordered another one to keep in my sports bag.
The only thing that is slightly negative about this is sometimes when brushing my hair if I press too hard the bristles fold up and pop back as if its been folded up, however this doesn't happen often and it certainly wouldn't stop me using the brush or recommending it to others.
Going through all my boxes the other day as I am currently having a major clear out of stuff that has never seen the light of day since I moved into this flat last year I found this pop up brush I had never used within everything and grabbed it out and popped it in my handbag. I usually have a comb of some description in a bag if I am going out somewhere but this being so compact and with a mirror within it I thought it was simply time to upgrade!
Now my brush is exactly the same in appearance as the one shown on the review photograph at the top of this page though now the one on sale in the Avon catalogue is round in shape and it is available in both bright pink and the deep red options which usually cost about £3.50 a brush however they are on half price offers at the time of writing this review.
The Brush Itself:
Well its a good couple of inches long is this and mine is oblong in shape (Google if you want this particular brush or get the rounded one from Avon if you prefer) and its folding and nicely compact. Mine is a dark, robust shiny plastic in deep red to which half of it has black bristles within a piece of black plastic with dark red rounded bits of plastic on it to stop the bristles dragging through the hair and the other half is a nice long mirror. Course the design of this means that you can't brush your hair whilst looking in the mirror but I guess the idea is to brush your hair and then to check your appearance out! This has no handle so you simply grab the back of it and use it that way. I do find occasionally when I have a knot of a lot of product in my hair that the brush sort of pops inside out and I have to push it back into place but thankfully that isn't a big issue, just a tad annoying at times but usually its fine.
This all folds away neatly, it is easy to use and looks and feels great and not cheap and nasty.This is no good when I have my hair curly as it tends to brush my curls out and make my hair go frizzy but its perfectly fine when I have my hair straight and I like the way this glides through my hair rather easily with no drag as I mentioned earlier.
All in all for about £3.50 a brush these are a handy little item to own and worth the money in my opinion as are most of the brushes from Avon that I have tried and own so far.
Available from Avon.co.uk for the round version of this as this one isn't on sale at the moment though this is still easily found online in places like Ebay.
This review is also posted on Ciao under this same username.


text:
If you have problems with a seller in the classified section, or would like to recommend them, you may do so by finding the classified add, and under member info, clicking on the sellers name. This brings you to their classifieds profile page. On the left hand side there is a Feedback Info box with Submit Feedback For:NAME at the bottom. Click on name of seller and provide your feedback.
Login or Sign Up
- Log in with Facebook

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
LIVE OAK--Film students at American University in Washington, D.C., exchanged fun in the big city to camp in the wilds of Florida for a week over spring break. Classroom in the Wild – an alternative spring break program – gave about a dozen students an opportunity to explore life on the banks of the Suwannee River while learning to film nature.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Chiefland Citizen, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Chiefland Citizen and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text:
Mail: Southern statutes symbolize suppession
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
More opinion
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
Goat Expo set first October weekend
More Ag News
The Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society invites farmers and ranchers, consumers, university researchers, agricultural professionals and others to Join the Sustainable Agriculture Conversation at the 2014 Healthy Farms Conference in Kearney on Feb. 14-15.
The Healthy Farms Conference provides a foundation for farmers and aspiring farmers to go back to their farms and communities and provide a quality of life for their families and communities, said William Powers, Executive Director of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS), based in Ceresco.
The 2014 Healthy Farms Conference will feature four keynote addresses:
Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States (www.humanesociety.org) based in Washington, D.C., will open the conversation on animal welfare within agricultural production.
In a state where livestock animal welfare is fraught with controversy, Pacelle will dispel myths and misunderstandings of what his organization is trying to do. Conference attendees can take this opportunity to discuss agricultures role in the statewide animal welfare discussion, including finding local market solutions.
Leigh Adcock, Executive Director of the Women, Food and Ag Network (www.wfan.org) based in Ames, Iowa, will speak on the importance of supporting women farmers and ranchers. Women are the largest demographic within sustainable farming, and the demographicand therefore support needs of womenare only expected to grow as local foods opportunities become more established.
Lindsey Shute, Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition (www.youngfarmers.org) based in Tivoli, N.Y., will emphasize the value in supporting young, beginning and transitioning farmers in establishing independent family farms utilizing sustainable farming practices. In order to reach these goals, Shutes organization advocates furthermore for affordable farmland, fair labor practices, equal opportunity, farmer-to-farmer training, and cooperation and friendship between all farmers regardless of production philosophies.
Paul Rohrbaugh, owner of Pawnee Pride Meats in Steinauer and former NSAS executive director, will lead a panel discussion defining sustainable agriculture, which farming practices enhance sustainability and more.
Breakout sessions will cover additional topics such as cooking with local foods, cover crops, forages for cattle, organic fly management, food truck innovations, growing citrus in Nebraska, high tunnels, Holistic Management, food desserts, pollinators, smoking and curing meats, starting a CSA, telling your farm story and more.
A youth track will feature interactive presentations on sustainable agricultural topics for school-agers through high schoolers. Younger children may attend with a parent.
The 2014 Healthy Farms Conference continues the tradition of the all-Nebraska dinner on Friday, Feb. 14, starting at 5:30 p.m., a meal featuring foods grown in Nebraska, a live auction, entertainment and recognition of the NSAS Farm Family of the Year Award.
It's always great to see old friends and meet new people at the conference, said Krista Dittman, NSAS president and co-owner of Branched Oak Farm near Raymond. Talking over new ideas and revisiting old ones gives me things to think about for the next year! It's also one of the few conferences I go to where I can count on really good food.
Other conference events include roundtable discussions, exhibitors hall and more NSAS Annual Awards recognizing a beginning farmer and agricultural educator. New this year is a movie room showing films focusing on sustainable farming and local foods, including Food Inc. There will also be opportunity to join pre-conference tours of Kearney-area attractions.
Lodging for the 2014 Healthy Farms Conference will be located at the Wingate Inn, which is part of the Younes Conference Center. Rates are $89.95 per night for a single, double, triple or quad. Call 308-237-4400 and reserve a room under the Healthy Farms Conference.
More information, including registration costs and instructions, can be found at www.nebsusag.org/conference.shtml.
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


text:
Northern Rail passengers among least satisfied in UK
12:00pm Monday 27th January 2014
By Alex Bysouth
12:00pm Monday 27th January 2014
By Alex Bysouth
PASSENGERS using Northwich and Greenbank stations are among the least satisfied in the country, according to a recent survey.
In the National Rail Passenger Survey, train provider Northern Rail ranked second lowest for overall customer satisfaction.
From a sample of 1,200 passengers using the provider, 78 per cent said they were satisfied with the service – Heathrow Express top scored with 96 per cent.
The survey, conducted by independent passenger watchdog Passenger Focus, showed a 2 per cent decrease in passengers' satisfaction since autumn 2012, but an increase of three per cent since the spring.
"We're disappointed to hear that our passengers' overall satisfaction with Northern has declined slightly since this time last year," said managing director Alex Hynes.
"But it is encouraging that overall satisfaction has improved since spring 2013 and the improvement in many individual scores reflects the work we have been doing.
"Our on-going investment in train cleaning, refreshing our train interiors and strong focus on delivering an on-time railway is reflected in these scores.
"We are listening and responding to customers and have more plans in the pipeline for this year."
However, Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association chairman John Oates explained Northern's service is limited by the trains provided to them from Department for Transport.
"We're not surprised to see this," he said. "We think Northern are trying hard under difficult circumstances.
"The average age of trains in the UK is 22 years. This side of the Pennines, Northern's youngest trains are 22 and Northern also have the bulk of the oldest diesel trains in the UK.
"This is all decided by DfT in London, not by Northern who are contractors to DfT and can do next to nothing about it.
"Customers are far more likely to say nice things about travelling on nice new trains than on much older trains that have been passed on from other parts of the country."
Combined, Northwich and Greenbank stations provide 450,000 passengers-a-year and Mr Oates it is time for the Government to invest in schemes like the Northern Hub and North West Triangle Electrification.
"This part of the country has much poorer facilities at railway stations than most of the rest of the UK," he said.
"It's time Government started investing serious money in this part of England, rather than putting the bulk of the investment into London and the South East.
"Much more needs to happen to support growth in our local economy, rather than strangling it with clogged up roads and train services that would be considered woefully inadequate in South East England."
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group


text:
Did you think the sovereign debt crisis was over? The Euro-area has been relatively quiet for a few months but the crisis came roaring back to the world stage in Italy's elections this week. On Monday as the results were posted, the world was shocked and the stock market worried as a fringe movement gained power amid mostly inconclusive results.
The various political parties in Italy all have different ideas about austerity and how to get out of the sovereign debt crisis that has plagued governments and banks in Europe since 2009.
Financial Times reported on the election results on Tuesday:
Italy's political class was left reeling after the upstart anti-establishment Five Star Movement, founded only three years ago by the comedian-blogger Beppe Grillo, garnered 25.55 per cent of the votes, the largest share for any single party.
But the nation was torn three ways between Mr. Grillo and his band of political novices, Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left coalition and Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right alliance, raising the prospect of a second election within months.
"Remember, Italy was going through this severe austerity program. Misery was significant: Unemployment is up and (gross domestic product) is down. In such a period, it's challenging for the government to keep its place and (former interim prime minister Mario) Monti was the leader of austerity and technocrat and trying to bring the economy back to health," says Werner Bonadurer, a clinical professor of finance at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
"It's bitter medicine. To bring Italy back to a healthy financial state -- that takes 10 years rather than two," he says. "In a democracy, there is a tendency for the suffering to vote in the extremes."
Why do US markets care?
Italy is the third-largest economy in Europe, and it also boasts the third-largest bond market in the world, right behind the U.S. and Japan, according to David Nice, associate economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago. If Italy stumbles, the repercussions would be greater than those of the Greek meltdown from last year.
"The Italian elections don't directly affect the U.S., but right now, there is no majority in the Italian Parliament -- they don't really have an operating government. The issues you see are basically rekindling the sovereign debt issues. Italy has a lot of debt, so if you see a spike in their yields, that might cause some issues like we saw last year in Greece and Spain," Nice says.
According to a note from economic consulting firm High Frequency Economics, the impact of the quagmire could be quite serious, including bank losses if Italian bond yields spike, and credit could contract. As well, the reforms put in place by Monti -- who finished fourth in the election -- could be imperiled.
With the prospect of prolonged political uncertainty and deadlock facing Italy, stock markets wilted. In the U.S., equities dropped off on Monday; the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 1.83 percent. Treasury yields were down as well, with the 10-year falling 9 basis points. A basis point is one-hundredth of 1 percentage point.
Italian bond yields spiked in the days leading up to the election and rose again on Monday. On Feb. 1, Bloomberg reports, the 10-year Italian government bond gross yield clocked in at 4.32 percent. At the close yesterday, the yield was 4.49 percent, and as of this writing, it has climbed to 4.9 percent.
Bond yields move in the opposite direction of price -- when yields are going up, price is going down as investors sell -- in this case due to the heightened perception of risk.
With no easy political path to reducing Italy's debt, eurozone woes could continue to drag on the U.S. economy -- which has plenty of political problems of its own. The big-picture view is that investors have to deal with sovereign debt issues from major Western powers, and that could cause some anxiety.
"Being unable to reach a solid political outcome diminishes Italy's chances of dealing with its financial problems in any reasonable time frame. We could be looking at several months of political bantering within Italy on nearly every major issue -- in particular, their debt. Given that Italy's economy is much bigger than Greece, U.S. investor nerves are likely to become even more frayed," says John Stewart, managing director of Vantage Economics in Washington, D.C.
On Friday, credit rating agency Moody's downgraded Britain from AAA to AA1 -- an unprecedented event. Combined with the sequestration issue being hashed out in Congress and the issues in Italy, "it's basically piling on itself," says Nice. "It's three strikes almost -- without being too negative about it -- but it's all over sovereign debt issues."
Are you concerned about Europe, or are America's problems more pressing right now?
Follow me on Twitter: @SheynaSteiner.


text:
Toxicology Brief: Baclofen overdose in dogs
May 01, 2004
Baclofen (Lioresal—Novartis) is a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant. It is used to control spasticity and pain in people with multiple sclerosis and spinal disorders. Baclofen has also been used extralabel in dogs (1 to 2 mg/kg orally t.i.d.) to treat urinary retention by reducing urethral resistance.1 It is available in 10- and 20-mg tablets and as a parenteral injection.
Mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics
Baclofen mimics γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) within the spinal cord and works by depressing monosynaptic and polysynaptic afferent reflex activity at the spinal cord level, thereby reducing skeletal muscle spasm caused by upper motor neuron lesions.2 The overall effect is a flaccid paralysis of skeletal muscles. When administered intrathecally, baclofen also inhibits substance P, a stimulatory compound within the brainstem, and it reduces myocardial epinephrine and norepinephrine content.2,3 At oral therapeutic concentrations, baclofen has virtually no central nervous system effects because of its poor ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, but in overdose situations, central nervous system effects are common.4Baclofen is rapidly and completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and reaches peak blood concentrations in two or three hours in people; however, in an overdose situation, absorption may be prolonged over several hours.2,5 The onset of clinical signs after acute oral exposure may be rapid (within 30 to 60 minutes) or may be delayed for several hours.2 In a survey of 40 dogs with baclofen toxicosis, the onset of signs occurred as early as 15 minutes after exposure and as late as seven hours after exposure (average of 1.9 hr) (ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center [APCC] Database: Unpublished data, 1994-2004).
The half-life of baclofen in people is two and a half to four hours, but in overdose situations the half-life has been reported to increase to as much as 34 hours because of saturation of metabolic and elimination mechanisms.5 The duration of clinical signs in animals with baclofen intoxication has varied from several hours to several days.4 Signs can continue long after serum baclofen concentrations have returned to normal because of the slow clearance from the central nervous system (ASPCA APCC Database: Unpublished data, 1994-2004). Baclofen has low protein-binding (30%) and a wide volume of distribution. About 80% of the drug is eliminated unchanged in the urine, with 15% to 20% undergoing hepatic metabolism and biliary excretion.4,6 Baclofen is principally metabolized by deamination in the liver, but there is also some deamination in the renal tubules.6
Clinical signs and toxicity
The oral LD50 in rats and mice is high (145 and 200 mg/kg, respectively),6 but dogs appear to be more sensitive. Doses as low as 1.3 mg/kg caused vomiting, depression, and vocalizing in a 3-month-old rottweiler (ASPCA APCC Database: Unpublished data, 1994-2004). There are no established lethal doses in dogs, but per the ASPCA APCC database, deaths in dogs have occurred at doses estimated to be between 8 and 16 mg/kg.


text:
'"We got an offer (from Buffalo) and my agency made a counter-offer," Paille said. "They offered something and my agent countered with something. Who knows from there. The main thing is to be patient. I've been patient for two years now so I'm sure one more week won't hurt. I can't do anything now to improve (the offer), the season is over."'
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / Daniel Paille patiently waiting for contract with Sabres to get done


text: Spacenet to upgrade and manage Cumberland Farms' network at retail locations. Cumberland Farms Inc. has selected Spacenet Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., and provider of managed network services, to upgrade and manage its communications infrastructure at more than 600 stores across 11 states. The upgraded network solution will utilize DSL


text:
Hello. I hope I am not creating a post which already exists but I cannot find a recent post for this
At the present I am travelling in Asia for a while and during this I am hoping to stay at some monasteries to gain insights into how they live and their way of practice.
Two places which I especially would like to go are Wat Pah Nanachat and also Wat Pa Ban Tat. Reading the information online for Wat Pah Nanachat it asks that a letter be sent to the guest monk ahead of any stay. The problem I have with this I don't have an address to receive a response as I reside in hotels for at maximum two weeks at a time and I have seen in other posts how it can take up to two months for the reply to be received also with it being quite a way to travel I would be uneasy about just arriving in the hope that it would be okay in case they are busy. If anyone has any ideas how I could get around this problem I would very much like to hear. I have thought of perhaps purchasing a virtual mailing address in Bangkok although they seem quite expensive per month.
I have some free time beginning in January so its from this time on wards I am looking to do this and I was not sure if this is a bad time of year. Any advice about visiting those two places I would very much appreciate
Thanks greatly


text: I view the colts defense alot like a 3-4 but they are missing a key component, a guy to eat up blocks and keep those linebackers shirts clean, which would allow for freeney and Mathis to Rush the qb one on one regularly. They require a defensive tackle who can hold a double team. Tommie Harris isn't that guy.


text:
YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: GET THE SILLIES OUT! Comes to Bass Concert Hall, 3/17
The sillies are crazy little creatures that live inside of us and need to be shaken out! DJ Lance Rock and everyone's favorite cast of colorful characters are calling all fans in AUSTIN to get ready to jump, shake, and shimmy them out at the new live tour Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out!. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out! tour will visit Bass Concert Hall on Sunday, March 17, 2013 for 2 shows; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets for both shows go on sale Monday, December 3, 2012 at 10 am thru www.C3Concerts.com, www.TexasPerformingArts.org, all Texas Box Office outlets, or call 1.800.928.BEVO to charge by phone. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! is touring in support of their first national beverage launch, a new line of toys, a new line of kids sportswear, and a DVD/ CD collectors edition.
Yo Gabba Gabba! is an award-winning, live-action television series and live stage show whose unconventional formula has created a triple stacked fan base, making it one of the most popular entertainment properties among preschoolers, parents and indie music lovers alike. The television show, now in its fourth season, airs several times a day on Nick Jr.
Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! marks the third tour for the successful Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! concert series. The first tour, Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: There's a Party in My City!, launched with a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a performance at the White House in 2010. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 2010 tour played to sold out venues in 60 cities. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: It's Time to Dance! enjoyed repeat success in 2011, energizing audiences across North America at over 120 shows.
Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! is a state-of-the-art production and an interactive experience that offers audiences of all ages the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life when DJ Lance Rock and fans say the magic words, "Yo Gabba Gabba!". Hip-hop legend Biz Markie will join the cast on stage for Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! with Biz's Beat of the Day. The show will also feature Super Music Friends and Dancey Dance guest performances. Past Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! guest performances have included Devenda Banhart, Cold War Kids, Matt Costa, Kid Koala, Moby, DMC (Run DMC), Shaggy, Snoop Dogg, Dave Grohl, Jon Heder, Talib Kweli, Mix Master Mike, Nicole Richie, Kid Sister, Keri Russell, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jason Reitman, Zac Brown and the Drive By Truckers, and more, while Christina Aguilera, Jessica Alba, Jason Bateman, Travis Barker, Brendan Fraser, Heidi Klum, Chris Noth, Gwen Stefani, Brooke Shields, Dennis Quaid, and others attended with their families.


text:
I didn't like it excessively when I was younger but now that I am older I've found that I really really like chocolate.
Today is the 1st of November. Over the next couple weeks I will stealthily decimate my kids post-halloween stashes. Eventually they will ask- "Dad, are you eating our candy?" at which point I will say in a super Zen like fashion "Yes". But, it will be too late for them and their precious horde.


text:
Feedback archive → Feedback 2012
Does CMI misrepresent evolution?
Published: 25 March 2012 (GMT+10)
Ryan K. writes in response to 'Keep religion out of science classes'. CMI—UK/Europe speaker and writer Dominic Statham responds in black.
For the most part, CMI writers seem to be in agreement with this statement [that we should keep religion out of science classes].
Although some creationists advocate something different altogether: separation of school and state.
They claim, however, that evolutionary theory does not qualify as 'science' and therefore should also be ousted from the public, secular school curriculum.
Since the theory of evolution exists and is believed by many people, it would seem inappropriate for students to leave school without knowing about it. Moreover, we have no problem with the teaching of natural selection and speciation in science classes, as these are well supported by observational evidence. Since there is no evidence that ordinary chemicals can evolve into living organisms or that apes can evolve into people, my view is that the theory of evolution should be taught in religious education or general studies classes.
If it is taught in science classes, it should be discussed in a balanced way. This would require that the students be allowed to hear of the considerable scientific problems with evolution theory as well as the evidence that supposedly supports it. Moreover, alternative views of origins, together with the scientific evidence for and against them, should also be presented.
The late Professor G.A. Kerkut, an evolutionist and physiologist of Southampton University, challenged students to try to come up with scientific arguments against evolution. Most could not, and Kerkut argued that this is a deficiency, because if you "really understand an argument you will be able to indicate to me not only the points in favour of the argument but also the most telling points against it." Conversely, a student who "repeats parrot fashion the views of the current Archbishop of Evolution" is really "behaving like certain of those religious students he affects to despise."1
It's notable that evolutionary immunologist Scott Todd of Kansas State University agrees:
Additionally, one must question the interpretations of the observed phenomena and discuss the weaknesses of the model. Honest scientists are far more inspiring than defensive ones who scoff arrogantly at the masses and fear that discussing the problems of macro-evolutionary theory will weaken general acceptance of it. On the other hand, free debate is more likely to encourage the curious to seek solutions.2
But most evolutionists, of course, would fight tooth and nail to prevent this as it would cause many students to reject evolution as they realize how poorly the data fit the theory. The leading American advocate of evolution-only teaching (and now global-warming-alarmism–only teaching), atheist Eugenie Scott, admitted:
In my opinion, using creation and evolution as topics for critical-thinking exercises in primary and secondary schools is virtually guaranteed to confuse students about evolution and may lead them to reject one of the major themes in science.
It seems to me that writers here all have this vision of hardcore atheist science teachers indoctrinating eighth graders with their views on an infallible theory of evolution. In my experience, however, lectures on evolution (excluding those in University) were always preceded by a comment along the lines of: "this is one theory that some people adopt, but there are many others".
Your own educational experiences may well have been balanced as you say. However, this is often not the case. Moreover, why should it be any different in universities? Of all places, these should encourage critical thinking—and, as many articles on our website make clear, there's plenty to be critical about when it comes to theories of evolution!
I fail to see how creationists can expect much more than this within the confines of the science classroom. Obviously, the content on this website makes the theory of evolution seem to be rife with suppositions, shoddy 'science' and, in the extreme case, simple lies. However, is this really the case?
Yes it is. Have you ever asked yourself why prominent evolutionists like Richard Dawkins now refuse to publicly debate creationists (see World atheist convention rejects Australian creationist debate challenge)? Why, if the science so clearly supports their view, do evolutionists not jump at the opportunity to demonstrate the superiority of their position and the alleged pseudoscience of their opponents?
The amount of supporting evidence for evolution that is omitted in many articles is shocking.
I would be very grateful if you could provide an example. I have come to the conclusion that the theory of evolution is like the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. Everyone was telling everyone else that the emperor was finely dressed when, in fact, he had no fine clothes on at all. Similarly everyone is telling everyone else that Darwin's theory is well supported by science; but none of the people I speak to seems to know what that science is.
One example that comes to mind is the great expert on ancient birds, Alan Feduccia, now Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, and an insightful skeptic of the dino-to-bird dogma. When given a chance to present evidence for evolution, he didn't choose his own field, but corn changing into corn!
If one used CMI as their only source of information on evolution, I believe that they would only have a fractional idea of what the theory actually entails. The outrage that many readers express towards the teaching of evolution in science classes is very understandable considering the way it's portrayed here.
We deliberately look for the best arguments for evolution so as to be able to address these in our publications. For example, we responded point by point to the National Academy of Sciences educator's guidebook here, to a major PBS TV series here, and to leading evolutionist Richard Dawkins here. Conversely, many of our opponents knock down straw man versions of creation, rather than address arguments presented by informed creation scientists.
By doing some checks, however, I've noticed that many secular scientific publications are twisted and misquoted by CMI's scientists so that they may be seen to support creation.
Again, could you please provide some examples? Please also note that the fallacy of quoting out-of-context lies not in taking parts from a whole, but in removing parts in such a way that the whole is misrepresented by the extracted parts.
In many cases, the conclusions that CMI writers draw from a particular scientific journal or article are completely opposite to those drawn by the scientist or scientists who actually completed the experiment.
Usually, where this is the case, it will be because we disagree with how the data have been interpreted. Data do not speak for themselves. At other times, we make clear that the scientists quoted believe in evolution and we are using them as 'hostile witnesses' against one particular evolutionary 'proof'.
In some cases, particularly those pertaining to genetics and astrophysics, it seems that CMI writers are purposely conveying information in the most complex and convoluted method possible. I hate to think that the purpose of this might be to intentionally 'lose' the average reader, thus making it easier for them to accept the often bizarre conclusions that are, very simply, stated. I hope that this isn't the case.
Most of our articles are written for the layman—see, for example, our Creation magazine. Many of these can be viewed a year or so later as web articles too. In my experience, these articles often go to considerable lengths to explain the basics clearly. After all, we want our work to be understood, so our readers can pass this information on; trying to lose our readers would be counter-productive. However, we also have a technical publication, Journal of Creation, which is written for people with a higher level of scientific knowledge. It appears that you've only viewed the more technical articles.
As things stand already, I'd like to see CMI writers being more responsible with their assertions. I realize that this is a creation oriented website, but I can't seem to think that CMI articles simultaneously claim to be presenting solid science while ignoring the foundations of the scientific method.
Actually, the biblical Christian world view was foundational to the scientific method!
Moreover, it is surely the evolutionists who have abandoned the normal scientific method. Generally, scientists are encouraged to make clear, testable statements—indeed it might be argued that, unless a statement can be tested, it is doubtful whether it has a place in science at all. Testability, however, is hard to detect in evolution theory. Distinguished chemist, the late Professor Philip Skell argued,
'… Darwinian explanations … are often too supple: Natural selection makes humans self-centered and aggressive—except when it makes them altruistic and peaceable. Or natural selection produces virile men who eagerly spread their seed—except when it prefers men who are faithful protectors and providers. When an explanation is so supple that it can explain any behavior, it is difficult to test it experimentally, much less use it as a catalyst for scientific discovery.'3
This disregard for the need for testability has reduced the theory of evolution to a series of just-so stories rather than a scientific discipline. See also here.
Ideally, these articles should be vetted by other scientists outside of CMI before publication
I am not aware of evolutionists asking non-evolutionists for reviews of their articles; perhaps for the sake of consistency, you should write to them advocating this.
(as is the case with standard peer-reviewed scientific articles).
See also Creationism, science and peer review.
Science is fallible. Error and revision is one of the cornerstones of the scientific method. Classical Newtonian mechanics gave way to relativity and quantum dynamics, etc. As this is the case, any scientific theory can and should be reviewed with scepticism. I think, then, that the holes that CMI poke in evolution could equally be poked in any other scientific theory. Indeed, I think they would have been if other areas were as counter-creation in their conclusions. Does this mean we should disregard all science?
As we've argued many times, and as I wrote here, it is important to distinguish between operational (or experimental) science and historical (or forensic) science. Operational science, essentially, relates to knowledge of how the world works, and is gained by observation in the present. Hypotheses are proposed to explain data and then tested, often in a laboratory. Only those hypotheses that are shown to fit the data when rigorously tested, again and again, are deemed to be scientific. Historical (or forensic) science is very different. Beliefs about how Earth formed or how life began cannot be tested in a laboratory. This kind of 'science' is much more like that practised by a detective who collects clues in order to solve a crime—although it is much more difficult than this. The detective is dealing with events that occurred recently and often receives help from eye-witnesses; there are no human eye-witnesses to testify to the events surrounding the origin of the earth and its plants and animals.
Pythagoras' equation for calculating the lengths of right-angled triangles has been taught in schools now for many years. Similarly, Boyle's law describing the behaviour of gases is the same today as when he first stated it, as are Newton's laws of motion. They have not changed because they were right or required only qualification when they were originally formulated. (Newton's laws, for example, work well at the scales and speeds of everyday life.) This is one of the characteristics of operational science, the sort of science which employs a rigorous scientific methodology, and is based on repeatable experiments. When theories change significantly from one decade to another, as is the case with evolution, this indicates that they were never based upon that sort of science or that type of scientific methodology in the first place.
The geologist Professor Derek Ager remarked,
"It must be significant that nearly all the evolutionary stories I learned as a student … have now been 'debunked'."4
Similarly, the biologist Professor William Provine wrote,
"Most of what I learned of the field [of evolutionary biology] in graduate (1964–68) school is either wrong or significantly changed."5
Evolution is a pillar of biology; can it really be excluded from a science classroom?
This is a statement that we hear repeatedly. It is, however, always unsubstantiated and contrary to the facts. Dr. Marc Kirschner, founding chair of the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, remarked,
"In fact, over the last 100 years, almost all of biology has proceeded independent of evolution, except evolutionary biology itself. Molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, have not taken evolution into account at all."6
Similarly, the editor of the Journal, BioEssays, wrote
"The subject of evolution occupies a special, and paradoxical, place within biology as a whole. While the great majority [of] biologists would probably agree with Theodosius Dobzhansky's dictum that 'nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution', most can conduct their work quite happily without particular reference to evolutionary ideas. 'Evolution' would appear to be the indispensible unifying idea and, at the same time, a highly superfluous one."7
Should we disregard geology since striations and rock layers suggest tens of thousands of years?
Striations are often attributed to ancient glaciations, where glaciers trap rocks and tear grooves in the underlying rock as they move slowly, like giant sandpaper. But during the eruption of Mt St Helens in Washington State, USA, 1980, "Grooves and striations were formed on solid bedrock by avalanche and 'blast clouds' that tore loose boulders and dragged them with great force across the exposed rock."
Nor do rock layers necessary indicate tens of thousands of years. See, for example, here and here. (Other helpful articles can be found here.) Interestingly, the lack of erosion between rock strata provides strong evidence that the sedimentary rocks are not millions of years old—see here.
Should chemistry be disbanded since radiometric dating suggests millions?
There are many serious problems with radiometric dating. Moreover, some 'radiometric dating' indicates that the earth is very young. See here.
Should astronomy be revised since galactic radii are on the order of hundreds of thousands of light years, and appear even further from earth yet are still visible?
There are some very plausible explanations as to how we can see distant starlight despite the earth being young. See, for example, here.
Should the mathematics be ignored that show how, as the number of dynamic particles approach infinity, the collision geometry that forms biological molecules becomes a probable occurrence?
If there are many water molecules around, then the big biomolecules will be broken up by hydrolysis, a huge problem for chemical evolution.
Should physics be altered since quantum dynamics demonstrates how particles can simply pop into existence through a combination of imaginary pairs and an event horizon?
As my colleague, Dr Jonathan Sarfati points out, this 'Hawking radiation' is not creating something from nothing. Rather, the uncertainty principle prevents us knowing energy and time totally precisely (ΔEΔt ≥ h/4π). So it allows a pair of particles to pop into existence briefly, but the more massive the particle, the less time it can appear. (In a recent article in our Creation magazine—and on our website—we explained that, if a universe did pop into existence by quantum fluctuation, nobody would notice as the lifetime of a quantum event the size of our universe would be less than 10–103 seconds.8 In the case you mentioned, if this particle/antiparticle pair appeared near a black hole's event horizon, one might escape while the other has negative energy (as measured by an outside observer) and falls in. Thus the outsider sees that the black hole has emitted a particle, but it's not free—the black hole has lost that same amount of mass. This was actually one of Hawking's main contributions to theoretical physics: that a black hole was not totally 'black' and thus not indefinitely stable.
Should theoretical physics be contraband within a science classroom since it states that time diverges with regard to singularities, and hence, a compressed universe does not necessarily have a beginning?
See If God created the universe, then who created God?
These are heavy questions, and I don't know the answers. All the bases for these queries are uncertain and up for debate, as is evolution.
We agree!
But that's what science is after all. Calling for evolution to be omitted from a science classroom because it's a position of faith is ridiculous since science is, by definition, a position of faith. True, science must be backed up by a significant amount of evidence, but in the end nothing can be absolutely proven. One must make the jump to their beliefs through faith. This is true of all things I think.
I don't think many scientists would say that they accept Newton's laws of motion or Ohm's law of electricity or Boyle's law of gasses by faith. They accept them because every time an experiment is done to verify them, they are found to be true. In stark contrast to this, evolutionary ideas, such as abiogenesis (chemical evolution), require a great deal of (blind) faith because they are contrary to known science—every time experiments are done in this field, they indicate that the molecules needed for life would never form.
Since society is a mix of both atheist and religious people, I think that religious studies should be introduced into the curriculum alongside science.
My preference would be to remove all discussion of origins from science classes. There's so much useful science that the students can learn, it seems a pity to waste their time on speculative ideas that will probably be totally different in twenty years time. Views about origins could be dealt with in religious education or general studies classes.
Of course, it would have to be a general study course, and not focus on Christianity in particular.
This sounds like another secularist attempt to marginalise Christianity. It seems reasonable to me that, in your country (Canada), it would be very appropriate to focus on the biblical view of origins, as Christianity is the historic/majority faith.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read through this. It grew far more long-winded than I would have hoped, for your sake.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us.
Related Articles
Further Reading
- Kerkut, G.A., Implications of evolution, Pergamon, Oxford, UK, 1960. Return to text.
- Todd, S.C., correspondence to Nature 401(6752):423, 30 Sept. 1999. Return to text.
- Skell, P., 'Why Do We Invoke Darwin? Evolutionary theory contributes little to experimental biology', The Scientist 19(16):10, 29 August 2005. Return to text.
- Ager, D.V, The Nature of the Fossil Record, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 87(2):131–160, 1976. Return to text.
- Provine, W.B., A Review of Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science, National Academy of Sciences, 18 Feb 1999; http://web.archive.org/web/20040709130607/fp.bio.utk.edu/darwin/NAS_guidebook/provine_1.html, last accessed 12 March, 2012. Return to text.
- Dizikes, P., Missing Links, Boston Globe, 23 October 2005. Emphasis added. www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2005/10/23/missing_links/?page=1, last accessed 7 February, 2011. Return to text.
- Wilkins, A.S., Evolutionary processes: a special issue, BioEssays 22:1051–1052, 2000. Emphasis added. Return to text.
- Grigg, R., Curiosity: Did God create the universe?, Creation 34(2):44–46, 2012. Return to text.
Ryan wrote: 'In my experience, however, lectures on evolution (excluding those in University) were always preceded by a comment along the lines of: "this is one theory that some people adopt, but there are many others".'
My sons in Science class at high school in Griffith in 2008 had a similar statement made, along with a statement that evolution couldn't be proven. And then in the same lesson, they were given an assignment, "Give 5 proofs of evolution." It seems to me that such a statement is just pro forma, and then contradicted at every turn. Among the "proofs" they were taught were Haeckel's "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" fraud, and the Peppered Moths fraud. I investigated, and was informed that what was taught is what is in the NSW state science curriculum for Years 9 and 10.
"If one used CMI as their only source of information on evolution, I believe that they would only have a fractional idea of what the theory actually entails."
Of course it is true that anyone but an expert in evolutionary science cannot possibly digest all of the information orbitting this theory. But from a layman's point of view, I find that I know a lot more about the theory of evolution from reading CMI than a comparable believer in evolution knows from evolutionary sources. I can argue against a young Earth using evolutionary science far better than they can.
"The outrage that many readers express towards the teaching of evolution in science classes is very understandable considering the way it's portrayed here."
Does it not perchance occur to Mr. K that readers who express outrage have actually been in those classrooms and do not need to rely on how CMI portrays them?
John C,
Evolutionists are just as passionate about evolution indoctrination. Eugenie Scott's quote, mentioned in this very article, is more than enough evidence for this, "In my opinion, using creation and evolution as topics for critical-thinking exercises in primary and secondary schools is virtually guaranteed to confuse students about evolution and may lead them to reject one of the major themes in science."
It seems that E. Scott believes that anything other than the exclusivity of evolution teaching in schools will marginalize evolution. But what is more revealing is that she seems to know that if both creation and evolution models were taught fairly, then students would see how weak the evolutionist's model is.
I agree with CMI's position. Schools don't necessarily have to teach creation, but it would be nice if they taught more evolution than is currently taught. If evolution is the only model of origins that will be taught in schools, then the flaws of the model should be revealed as well. Many students graduate from high school and even college, without ever realizing the flaws of evolution until they attend a creation seminar. That's not education; that's indoctrination.
"In some cases, particularly those pertaining to genetics and astrophysics, it seems that CMI writers are purposely conveying information in the most complex and convoluted method possible. I hate to think that the purpose of this might be to intentionally 'lose' the average reader..."
I've seen many times when critics have accused CMI of scientific inaccuracy, when the reality was that the information was simplified for the layman, but not inaccurate. But this is the first time I have seen a critic complain that some of CMI's articles are too complex; it's really a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" scenario.
For the record, astrophysics and genetics are two highly complex subjects. There is only so much simplification one can do when it comes to these types of subjects and still get the point across.
Ryan argues whether we should reject geology, chemistry, asrology, physics etc. on the same grounds that we reject evolution, but the comparison is unfair. Evolution is just one aspect of biology, just as some of the other conclusions he cited are just one aspect of those disciplines. This is just one more example of how the adamant defense of evolution leads to illogical and irrational arguments.
'This sounds like another secularist attempt to marginalise Christianity.' Its not, you just believe that any viewpoint which does not put christianity at the forefront is marginalizing it.
"The science whose modern marvels we all admire succeeds by incessantly adding to its data. In all practical inventions, in most natural discoveries, it can always increase evidence by experiment. But it cannot experiment in making men; or even in watching to see what the first men make. An inventor can advance step by step in the construction of an aeroplane, even if he is only experimenting with sticks and scraps of metal in his own back-yard. But he cannot watch the Missing Link evolving in his own back-yard. If he has made a mistake in his calculations, the aeroplane will correct it by crashing to the ground. But if he has made a mistake about the arboreal habitat of his ancestor, he cannot see his arboreal ancestor falling off the tree."
G.K. Chesterton
The Everlasting Man
Evolution is not like the science that gives us computers and cars and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Thank you for this well written and lucid article, even though you must become weary sometimes of responding to the same old arguments. At least Ryan K seems to be a thoughtful kind of evolutionist, who attempts a reasoned discussion rather than the vitriolic rant that you probably too often get.
I was amazed at Ryan's comment: 'It seems to me that writers here all have this vision of hardcore atheist science teachers indoctrinating eighth graders with their views on an infallible theory of evolution. In my experience, however, lectures on evolution (excluding those in University) were always preceded by a comment along the lines of: "this is one theory that some people adopt, but there are many others". '
He must have gone to a good school if they were open minded enough to admit that Evolution wasn't the only possible theory!
I have no idea if any of my teachers were "hardcore atheists". Probably they had simply been subjected to Evolutionary indoctrination from childhood – as I was – and unthinkingly passed it on. Until university I never knew that other scientific views of origins even existed. Evolution was simply treated as a self-evident fact of the same order as "The sky is blue!
It wasn't until another more mature Christian challenged me at university that my own furious reaction led to the conclusion that I had been brainwashed and I began to think for myself for the first time. It quickly became obvious that Evolution was an extremely poor and unlikely hypothesis.
That was in 1967, and the exciting discoveries in modern science (especially in biochemistry, such as the breathtaking complexity of how DNA operates) have made it more and more obvious that Evolution is scientifically impossible, as well as being opposed to God's account of events recorded in the Bible!
At least it would be a big achievement if it would be clearly stated for students that the evolution theory is a model, an interpretation, not a fact. So far even it is mentioned that it is a theory, it is taught in a manner like it is a fact.
Indeed - although evolutionists generally claim that evolution is a theory in the same sense that gravity is a theory. However the theory of gravity is supported by observational evidence, whereas the theory of evolution is accepted by many despite the evidence. (See http://creation.com/refuting-evolution-2-chapter-3-argument-evolution-is-true-science-not-just-a-theory.)
The guy said, "Should the mathematics be ignored that show how, as the number of dynamic particles approach infinity, the collision geometry that forms biological molecules becomes a probable occurrence?"
Whose work is he specifically appealing to here? Or is he just rehashing the old argument that given enough time etc, anything will happen?
A good question. See also here: http://creation.com/hawking-aliens-life-by-chance.
This was a very well written article. Dominic answers all Ryan's questions very adequately. Ryan, unfortunately, is a prime example of how the education system has brainwashed students into believing things that make no sense whatsoever. I believe that students should be told both sides of the origin issue (in a totally balanced way of course) and be allowed to make up their minds as to which makes more sense.
You are so right, the subject of origins does not belong in the [science] classroom as it cannot, by it's very nature, be proven. It is frustrating to know that people who seem to have a good mind and sincere interest in the scientific explanation of origins will not accept the fact that ultimately all aspects of "origin" is a philosophical exercise that cannot be proven - and certainly one that is not proven by evolutionary science! Thank you for your continued work, God bless you!