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Can I learn English in 24 months?
Stop asking. This is the wrong question.
And it's wrong on so many levels:
1. First, what do you mean by "Learn English?" (a) Speak Fluently? If so, how do you define fluency, anyway? (b) Have a good, near-CAE operational command of the language? (c) Reach a B1ish sort of "I can get by" level?
2. 18 months. Fine. How many hours are we talking about? 100? 150? 300? If you enroll in a super intensive course, in 18 months you might average 300 – 350 contact hours, which means early B1 (low intermediate) in CEF terms. So, if your answered (c) above, yes, you can theoretically learn some English in 18 months.
3. "Theoretically", of course, is the key word here. You'll need time. Time to let the new stuff sink in, to digest it, to play with it, to get it wrong before you get it right. You'll need time to stumble upon the new stuff on billboards, on TV and on internet memes before it's finally "yours." There are certain processes that you just can't seem to rush and learning a language is one of them. After all, how long did it take you to master your mother tongue?
4. So, to reach C1, which to all intents and purposes is as close to "looks like I've made it" as you can get, you'll need about 800 contact hours. About 8 years if you study English twice a week, 90 minutes per class. If you double that amount, about 4 years. But remember: you'll need enough time to read for pleasure, do your homework, watch movies and interact with other speakers.
5. Still, I can't guarantee you'll "learn English." There are so many variables at play: your attitude, your aptitude and the amount of out-of-class exposure you'll have. So it all depends, really. You can't quantify learning or set time frames like that. Sorry.
I bet these are some of the thoughts that cross our minds whenever a student or potential student says (s)he needs to learn English fast and unearths the dreaded "How long will it take me to learn English?" question, which, as educators who know a thing or two about how languages are learned, we refuse to take seriously. Plus, if you're a non-native speaker, you probably went through some of the same learning processes yourself and you're acutely aware of the fact that learning a language is a lifelong enterprise, which simply can't be macdonaldized like that. And don't even google this term – I've just coined it. 🙂
So, from our perspective, "Can I learn English in 18 months?" is not a question that can be legitimately asked, let alone answered.
But from students' perspective, it is.
And this is where things begin to get complicated. Let me try to address the flipside of this issue.
First, I'd like to narrow things down a bit. By "students" I mean adult students – not young learners or teens. And I am specifically referring to Brazilian students. "Does that matter?," you may be wondering. Yes, I think it does. Let me explain why.
Last year, The Guardian ran an article which helps to explain, I think, the recent mushrooming of interest in Brazil's new middle class. Here's an extract:
"…the rise of a formerly poor social group that is now in the most powerful consumer stratum in the country. Brazil's "C-class" – as they are categorised – have grown rapidly in size and influence over the past decade thanks to the growth of the Brazilian economy, widening credit lines and the government's efforts to address income inequality. Since 2004, the government says, 32 million Brazilians have been lifted out of poverty. Last year, this helped the C-class – defined as those earning between 1,000 and 4,500 reals (£300-£1,400) a month – to constitute for the first time a majority of Brazil's population of 196 million."
The fact that in a global economy more and more people need to speak English is nothing new, of course. What is new, I believe, is the kind of student that has emerged because of the economic boom The Guardian described. At the risk of oversimplifying matters, I would describe these new middle class adult students as people who:
1. Are in their early-20s to mid-30s.
2. Need English to become or remain employable. Travel, culture and fun are secondary interests.
3. Need to learn English more than they might want to learn it. And they need to learn it fast.
4. May have never been to an English-speaking country.
5. May be relatively impervious to American / British culture.
6. Are mostly A1 / A2 when they start a new course, since they didn't learn enough English as kids / teens and grew up with limited exposure to English – partly because of item 5 above.
7. May have limited literacy in L1 and a very feeble grasp of learning strategies and study skills.
8. Tend to be very career-oriented. They have no time to – in their words – "waste" on topics, situations, words, functions and grammar that they don't perceive as directly relevant to their career goals.
9. Tend to gauge their progress by the degree to which they are able to "get stuff done" at work. Fast.
10. Are not willing, for the most part, to spend more than 2 years in a language school. (By the way, I have actually had access to a fair amount of data to back this up.)
Not to mention the amount of pressure these students live under:
Us: Listen, you've missed four classes this month. I'm a bit worried about your progress.
Them: Sorry, I had to work overtime. I just couldn't leave the office.
Us: Please try to be more punctual. You were 45 minutes late last class.
Them: I'm sorry. I was stuck in traffic. It took me nearly two hours to get here.
Us: You haven't been doing your homework.
Them: When I get home from work, all I want to do is spend some quality time with my daughter. I'm sorry. She's growing up so fast. I don't want to miss that.
Us: You haven't been doing your homework.
Them: I'm sorry. It's this post-graduate course that I'm doing that's driving me crazy.
Us: You haven't been doing your homework.
Them: I'm sorry. The doctor told me I should avoid skipping lunch and that's when I usually find the time to squeeze in my homework.
Us: Why are you quitting the course? You were doing so well!
Them: I took this proficiency test at work and the minimum score was 60. I got 57, so they stopped paying for this course.
Us: Why are you quitting the course?
Them: I made a fool of myself at a meeting and my manager gave me six months to improve. I love your classes, but I don't think the work we're doing here will help me get there fast enough.
These are all real-life snapshots that we can't simply ignore. We're not teaching English in a vacuum. As teachers, teacher educators and policy makers, part of our job is to look beyond the confines of mainstream ELT and understand how the country's socioeconomic idiosyncrasies bear on what we do.
So, back to the question I posed at the beginning of the post:
Student: Can I learn English in 18 months?
Teacher: No, I'm afraid not.
Student: How about 2 years? That's as long as I'm willing to invest in an English course.
Teacher: Listen, you'll need at least 5 years, maybe more, plus the time for extra study.
Student: I can't. I need to start learning Spanish in 2016.
Teacher: Well, _____.
So how do we fill in the gaps?
The easy way out, of course, is to say:
"I'm sorry. Learning takes time. We can't work miracles."
Sure it does. Sure we can't.
But is there a middle ground?
Is there anything we can do in terms of content selection, course delivery and classroom processes that might accelerate students' learning in any significant and academically responsible way? Or to use the late Dave Willis' words, is there anything schools can do to offer programs with more surrender value?
Could the 18-month conversation perhaps end like this:
"Listen, you can't become fluent in 18 months or 24 months. Period. But if two years is all you have, then my job is to help you make the most out of those two years."
Which begs the question:
This, I think, is a question worth asking, even if the answer proves to lie outside our comfort zones. Fortunately, there are a still a number of responsible educators and language institutes out there asking themselves this very question as I write.
Thanks for reading.


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Adopt Your Own MVP on Super Bowl Sunday!
Super Bowl Sunday! Before the big game, come visit us at Petco and adopt your own MVP!
Come meet some of our wonderful kitties, like Zoe, Blacky, Smoke, Dr M and Tiger visiting from Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary, on Sunday, February 1, 2015!
There will also be a special canine guest!
We will be at the Cheyenne Petco from 11am to 2pm
1782 Dell Range Blvd, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009
All cat adoption fees are $25! Kindness Ranch has a average of 19 cats at any given time awaiting their forever homes! Visit our Meet our Cats Page for more info!

subset: commoncrawl


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IAF Strikes Gaza After 24-hour Break as Rockets Rain Down on Southern Israel
Israel had waited 24 hours to give the situation a chance to calm; Grad rocket hits school in Be'er Sheva; Egyptian official says temporary cease fire will come into effect on Sunday night.
Israel Air Force warplanes hit the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, in Israel's first military response in 24 hours to sustained rocket fire on its southern communities.
Click here for timeline of violence in Israel's south
According to Palestinian reports, seven people were hurt during one of the attacks on military headquarters in the northern Gaza Strip. Despite renewed attacks, an Egyptian official told the Palestinian news agency Maan that efforts to restore calm have succeeded, and that a temporary cease fire will come into effect on Sunday night.
The latest round of violence began Thursday, when nine people were killed in southern Israel during a series of terror attacks whose perpetrators Israel believes entered viwa Sinai but originated in the Gaza Strip.
Israel had implemented a 24-hour break in strikes on Gaza, the source of the rocket fire, in order to give the tense situation a chance to calm, and to allow the political echelon a chance to coordinate with Egypt.
Nine rockets and a barrage of mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel over the course of Saturday night and Sunday morning. The Iron Dome ballistic missile defense system successfully shot down one rocket aimed at Be'er Sheva and another three targeting the city of Ashkelon.
At least three rockets were fired at Be'er Sheva on Sunday morning, one of which struck a school building in the city. There were no casualties in that attack, as students are currently on summer break. Another six rockets were fired at Ashkelon, and a barrage of mortar shells were launched toward other communities along the Gaza border.
Members of Knesset from Israel's leading opposition party, Kadima, urged the cabinet on Sunday to launch a military campaign in the Gaza Strip, in light of the ongoing barrage of rockets.
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7.875x2" Push'd Float AVA RL
Will fit a Blur Classic, 4x, or Medium and Large XC.
Trail tuned for a 185lb rider with adjustable air volume sleeve.
Excellent condition, ridden for about a month and a half before it was replaced with a Push'd Vanilla RC.
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Sherry Magill, president of the Jacksonville-based Jessie Ball duPont Fund, has been elected board chair of the Council on Foundations, the nation's largest membership organization for philanthropic foundations and corporate giving programs.
Magill was elected to the three-year term as chair by the members of the board at the Council's annual meeting this week in Washington, D.C., according to a news release from the duPont Fund.
"The bulk of my career has been devoted to philanthropy and I care deeply about the role of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations in today's democratic society," Magill said. "It is an honor and a great opportunity to serve the Council and the field for the next three years. I am eager to begin."
The Council on Foundations has about 1,600 members -- independent, operating, community, public and company-sponsored foundations and corporate giving programs in the United States and abroad. The Council "provides the leadership and tools to help them advance the common good," according to the release.
Magill joined the Jessie Ball duPont Fund as a program officer in 1991 and was named executive director in 1993 and president in 2000. She is a founder of the Florida Philanthropic Network and a past member of the boards of the Southeastern Council of Foundations and the Southern Education Foundation.
Locally, she chaired the Jacksonville Community Council's 1998 study on the nonprofit sector in North Florida and was a founder of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.
She also has served on the board of the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence in Richmond, Va., and the Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies in Wilmington.
She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Alabama and a doctorate in American Studies from Syracuse University, according to the release.
The Jessie Ball duPont Fund works to expand access and create opportunity through grants to more than 330 eligible organizations identified by Mrs. duPont in her will. The Fund has assets of more than $290 million and has awarded more than $340 million in grants since 1977.
For more information, go to dupontfund.org.


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Brandon Jennings got what he wished for, but his Milwaukee Bucks teammates aren't sure why he wished for it in the first place.
In March, the Bucks' guard told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "If you ask me, that's who I would want to play first round, Miami." The Bucks went 1-3 against the Heat this season, but Jennings said at the time, "We matched up well against them."
This weekend, the Heat and Bucks open up their first round playoff series, with the defending-champion Heat holding the top seed in the playoffs.
On Tuesday, Jennings' teammates distanced themselves from his comments. "Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for," forward Mike Dunleavy told the Miami Herald.
"No one in the league sees the Heat as a favorable matchup. It's a monumental task."
Point guard JJ Redick was more blunt. "I'm not sure why Brandon would say that," he said.
The Heat have played Milwaukee twice since Jennings' comments, winning both times. The most recent win, on April 9, did not feature a full-strength Heat squad. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade sat out with injuries, and the Heat won 94-83.
But few people outside of Milwaukee give the Bucks any chance, and they themselves know why. "Their support players are All-Stars," Bucks coach Jim Boylan told the Herald.
"I don't see any weak spots," Dunleavy said. "They're even better this year. LeBron [James] is on a different planet. He's got complete control of the game whenever he wants it."
Not that the Bucks won't try to find any advantage they can. "When they go small, we can hurt them on the glass," forward Luc Mbah A Moute said. Dunleavy added, "Any team can spread them out and shoot threes."
Still, the Bucks have shaken off any notion that they have an advantage against the Heat. It takes a huge gap in talent for professional athletes to give themselves little to no chance of winning. That the Bucks are downplaying their chances this much, even if it is hopes of sapping the Heat's motivation, is not the kind of thing that happens very often.


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Intimacy and autonomy are independent dimensions, and it is their combination that counts.
The qualities in each category, imperfectly summarized by a single word, characterize both types of individuals and, more importantly, states of mind we all transit:
Intimacy and autonomy are channels for expressing your natural goodness. For example, being kind toward someone naturally involves both an affinity with that person and a certain autonomy for the kindness to be genuine.
Besides its obvious rewards in everyday life, intimacy supports personal growth and spiritual practice through bringing you into relationship with things. Into relationship with your innermost experience and that of the people around you: the joys and sorrows, the suffering and its causes and what leads to its ending. Into compassion, kindness, and service: Love thy neighbor as thyself. Into relationship with a supportive community. And – if it's meaningful to you – into relationship with God. Autonomy, too, supports personal … Read more »
The truth is: without a genuine willingness to let in the suffering of others, our spiritual practice remains empty.
Father Theophane, a Christian mystic, writes about an incident that happened when he took some time off from his secular duties for spiritual renewal at a remote monastery. Having heard of a monk there who was widely respected for his wisdom, he sought him out. Theophane had been forewarned that this wise man gave advice only in the form of questions. Eager to receive his own special contemplation, Theophane approached the monk: "I am a parish priest and am here on retreat. Could you give me a question to meditate on?"
"Ah, yes." The wise man … Read more »
Merlyn Seeley, examiner.com: It is one of the debates that has been around for decades, maybe longer. Sometimes it rears its ugly head and other times it lies dormant waiting on it's next moment to shine. Referring to the debate of whether Buddhism is a religion or not, we take a look at recent news articles. According to the Gaurdian, in an article dated October 7, Michael McGhee, a renowned Gaurdian.com philosopher, talks about his views as to whether or not Buddhism should be referred to as a religion or a spiritual practice.
Although, I do not know if McGhee is a Buddhist or not…
Here is a list of 12 benchmarks of spiritual practice (Saskia Davis's Symptoms of Inner Peace) with examples of how I work with them. This list is also a way to know that our spiritual practice is bearing fruit.
1. An increased tendency to allow things happen rather than make them happen
As a mom of two children I spent many years trying to make things happen. I wanted my children to act in certain ways, eat certain foods, choose certain clothing, etc. etc. As they got older and I watched myself trying to be "in control", I realized I could trust them to be themselves. I realized I could allow them to make … Read more »


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PITTSBURGH - LaMarr Woodley returned Brett Favre's fumble 77 yards for a touchdown and Keyaron Fox ran back an interception 82 yards for another score during the closing minutes, and the Pittsburgh Steelers turned three major defensive stands into a 27-17 victory on Sunday to hand the Minnesota Vikings their first loss.
Two goal-line stands helped turned the anticipated quarterback showdown between Favre and Ben Roethlisberger into a defensive duel. And the Super Bowl champion Steelers (5-2) are tough to beat in any game that's decided by defense. The Vikings (6-1) had a first down inside the Steelers 1 during the third quarter but settled for a field goal.
► SAINTS 46, DOLPHINS 34: At Miami, the unbeaten Saints overcame an early 21-point deficit, mounting touchdown drives of 82, 79 and 60 yards on successive possessions in the second half to overtake the Dolphins.
NFL passing leader Drew Brees had his worst day of the season, with three interceptions and five sacks.
► BENGALS 45, BEARS 10: At Cincinnati, Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes - four of them in a dominant first half - and Cedric Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that let him go.
► TEXANS 24, NINERS 21: At Houston, Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and the Texans built a big lead then held on for the win.
► PATRIOTS 35, BUCCANEERS 7: At Wembley, England, Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as the Patriots (5-2) beat the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in the NFL's third regular-season game at the iconic London venue.
► JETS 38, RAIDERS 0: At Oakland, Calif., Mark Sanchez shook off the worst start of his young career by running for one touchdown and throwing for another, fellow rookie Shonn Greene ran for 144 yards and two scores and the Jets snapped a three-game losing streak.
► PACKERS 31, BROWNS 3: At Cleveland, Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, Ryan Grant rushed for 148 yards and Green Bay warmed up for Brett Favre's first visit back to Lambeau Field next week.
► CHARGERS 37, CHIEFS 7: At Kansas City, Mo., Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns passes and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 71 yards.
► BILLS 20, PANTHERS 9: At Charlotte, N.C., Jairus Byrd had two more interceptions, Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't make a big mistake in his first start at quarterback and the Bills took advantage of Carolina's miscues.
► CARDINALS 24, GIANTS 27: At East Rutherford, N.J., Arizona bewildered Eli Manning with blitzes, forced four turnovers and used timely plays by its veterans to beat New York.
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Annual Security Report
Campus Crime Prevention Guide
This information is provided persuant to the Student-Right-To-Know Act.
Southern University-Baton Rouge's (SUBR) annual security report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crime that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings owned or controlled by SUBR; and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Deputy Administrator of the SUBR Police Department @ 225-771-2770.
Sex Offender Statement
The Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2000 (CSCPA), signed into Law October 28, 2000, amends the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act.
CSCPA provides special requirements relating to registration and community notification for sex offenders who are enrolled in or work at institutions of higher education. In addition to Wetterling, the Act also amended the Clery Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
As provided in the Wetterling Act, any person required to register under a state sex offender registration program must notify the state as to whether the person is a student, or works at, an institution of higher education, identify each institution of higher education in that State at which the person is employed, carries on a vocation, or is a student and must also alert the state of any change in enrollment or employment status.
The Louisiana State Police maintain the Louisiana Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry (SOCPR) for the State of Louisiana and are responsible for the enforcement of the applicable sections of law cited above. Information about any individual affliated with Southern Univeristy in regards to this matter may be found at the public SOCPR website: www.lasocpr.lsp.org/socpr.
SUBR has taken steps to ensure the safety of its campus community.
Although SUBR does not experience serious crimes often, it is a large, urban university campus on which serious crimes do occur. In any given semester, SUBR has some 7,000 students and 1,000 full and part-time employees on campus - more than the size of many Louisiana towns. In addition, SUBR is surrounded on three sides by the city of Baton Rouge- the capital of Louisiana and a leading petrochemical, financial and industrial city with a metropolitan area population of more than 500,000.
Safety Policies
The University makes every effort to ensure that the campus facilities, buildings and grounds are designed and maintained in such a way as to promote safety and reduce criminal opportunity. Particular attention is paid to the design of landscaping and exterior lighting.
Use of University Facilities
With the exception of events that are open to the general public and advertised as such, the University's facilities and programs are generally reserved for accomplishing the objectives and programs of the University. Visitors and non-University affiliated groups seeking to utilize University facilities are expected to make prior arrangements with the appropriate University office. Authorization to use the SUBR facilities is determined by University regulations then in effect. Visitors and guests to SUBR residence halls must be registered by their hosts while in residence halls.
Residence Halls
Procedures for guest visitation are established by the residents of each building in accordance with rules printed in Southern Living, available at hall desks. Residence halls are equipped with fire safety equipment that includes smoke detectors. In the residence halls, emergency exits are equipped with alarms that sound whenever opened. Residence hall staff are trained to maintain security and to summon police, fire, medical and maintenance assistance when needed. Criminal activity observed within or in the vicinity of buildings is reported to the SUBR Police Department. Firearms, explosives, fireworks, or other hazardous materials are not permitted in or around residence halls.
Southern University Policy for missing student notification
Southern University as a residential campus ask each resident to complete the statement of notification of a contact person in the event that a student is reported missing for a period of 24 hours. The Office of Residential Life provides notification of a missing student to the University Police Department, and the Office of Student Life through use of the missing student report form. If the student does not register a contact person with the Office of Residential Life they are advised that Law Enforcement will be notified that the student is missing. Automatic notification of parents will occur if a student is under the age of 18. The Missing Student Report Form is primarily housed and initiated in the residence hall, but additional forms are housed in the Office of Residence Life. The form is completed and signed by the initiator, the person bringing forth the report, followed by the signature of the Hall Director who insures the timeframe is at least 24 hours and the Area Director who has the responsibility of insuring the validity of the report to include contacting the confidential contact person. The final signature required is that of the Director of Residential Life who transmits the report simultaneously to University Police and Director of Student Life. The timeframe is a maximum of two hours from point of initiation of the report to its final destination at University Police. The stated procedure does not preclude implementing this process in less than 24 hours if circumstances warrant a faster implementation.
Academic and Administrative Buildings
Academic and administrative buildings are secured by Facility Services personnel. Hours of security may vary from building to building, depending on use. Like the residence halls, these buildings are equipped with fire safety equipment that includes smoke detectors and/or heat sensors that activate the central fire alarm system.
Weapons Policy
The use of weapons by University police personnel is governed by state law and departmental regulation. The use or possession of firearms or other weapons by students, employees or visitors while on campus is prohibited.
Sales or Use of Illegal Drugs
SUBR complies with all federal and state laws which prohibit the use, possession and sale of illegal drugs. The University is a drug-free zone under Louisiana law and will not shield any student, employee or visitor from action by civil authorities.
Sales or Use of Alcoholic Beverages
SUBR complies with all federal and state laws which regulate the sale and use of alcohol. The University neither condones nor shields from prosecution any individual found in violation of the Louisiana Alcoholic Beverage Control laws. Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by those under 21 years of age is prohibited by law.
Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures
- The SU Police Department will notify the senior administrative officer available beginning with the Chancellor, the Executive Vice Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration and other such administrative personnel as is appropriate to confirm that there is a significant emergency.
The most senior administrative officer available will determine the content of the notification and will initiate the notification system.
- Once a response has been determined, a message will be formulated to be released to the University community.
- That message will be disseminated to the University community without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless the notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist victims or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.
- Southern University will communicate vital information as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to provide the greatest safety to the University community. One or more of the following communication tools will be used to notify students, faculty, and staff:
- Web site: Notice posted on the University home page www.subr.edu
- E-mail: Broadcast message to campus e-mail addresses
- Media: Press releases distributed to all area print and media representatives
- Text Messaging: Messages will be sent to all users enrolled in the FirstCall Emergency Notification System (please sign up on the University home page www.subr.edu))
- The titles of the persons responsible for carrying out this process are:
Chancellor, SUBR
Executive Vice Chancellor, SUBR
Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, SUBR
Chief of Southern University Police
- Emergency information will be disseminated to the larger community through press releases to the television, radio and print media Issued by the Office of Media Relations.
- The University will test the emergency response and evacuation procedures on at least an annual basis per calendar year, and document a description of the exercise as well as the date and time of the exercise and whether it was announced or unannounced.
Sexual Assault Policy
On college campuses, acquaintance and date rape are more apt to occur than rape by strangers. Research on college women indicates as many as 20 percent of the female population may at some time be sexually coerced by acquaintances. While some students may not think of forced sexual relations as rape, such action constitutes a serious crime and is a felony under Section 14:42 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.
If You Are the Victim of Sexual Assault
Contact a friend to help you collect your thoughts and focus on your needs. If the assault occurred on campus, call the SU Police Department at 771-2770 (3-2770 from a campus telephone). If the assault occurred off campus, call the Baton Rouge Police Department or the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office by dialing 911, or the Rape Crisis Center at 389-3456 or the Crisis Hotline 383-7273.
Obtain Medical Care
Quickly obtain medical care from the SU Student Health Center or from a hospital emergency roo. Do not bathe, shower, douche, or change clothes before seeking medical attention. The treatment for rape may require an examination at a designated hospital, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, medication to prevent pregnancy and documenting evidence of the crime.
Assist in the Investigation
It is a personal decision whether to report a rape or sexual assault to police, but you are strongly encouraged to do so. The primary concern of the police is your safety and well-being; Their second and third concerns are apprehending the assailant and preserving the evidence of the crime.
If you decide not to report an assault, you are encouraged to call or to have a friend call the police, The Rape Crisis Center, or the Office of the Director of Student Life to report the crime anonymously. The information provided will be helpful in tracking the number and nature of assaults on campus, but it is not helpful in furthering an investigation or apprehension.
Seek Counseling
Whether or not you report the assault or pursue prosecution, you should consult a trained counselor for help in dealing with the emotional aftermath of a rape. Trained counselors are available at the SU Counseling Center (771-2480 or 3-2480 from any campus telephone) or the Rape Crisis Center (383-7273). Talking with a counselor or psychologist in no way compels a victim to take further action.
Important Options/Student Health Services
The Student Health Center is available to victims of sexual assault. A victim may be examined by a physician for injuries, tested and treated for sexually transmitted diseases and tested for pregnancy. Victims desiring to pursue a criminal case will be referred to the Rape Crisis Center and the approprite law enforcement agency in accordance with established procedures.
The Student Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All services are confidential. Call 771-4770 (3-4770 from any campus telephone).
Campus Judicial System
A victim may choose to pursue action through the campus judicial system if the assault was committed by another student. The Office of the Director of Student Life 771-3920 (3-3920 from any campus telephone) is available to advise victims of their rights under the Code of Student Conduct. Even if you choose not to pursue disciplinary action, you are encouraged to report your experience to the Director of Student Life.
In any campus disciplinary action, the accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have others present during the proceedings. Both the accuser and the accused shall be informed of the outcome of any campus disciplinary proceeding alleging a sexual assault.
Jag Watch
Patterned after Baton Rouge Crime Stoppers and similar nationwide programs, SUBR Jag Watch serves the community as an informant interaction system whereby the public is invited and encouraged to provide valuable information that might lead to the arrest and possible conviction of criminals. Participants who call the SUBR Jag Watch hotline at 771-3784 (3-3784 from any Campus phone) remain anonymous.
Campus Transit
To help protect students who need to reach a particular destination on campus after dark, SUBR established the Evening Shuttle Service, which is run and staffed by the SUBR University Police Department. Carefully selected staff members offer free rides, on campus only, from 5 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., Mondays through Fridays, when school is in session. Call 771-6222 (3-6222 from any Campus phone).
A group of administrators examine the campus several times a year and determines which areas require lighting repairs and which areas need additional illumination.
Emergency Call Boxes
SU has a system of 6 Emergency Call Boxes located around the campus. These call boxes are designed to be used for emergency purposes only. The call boxes are connnected directly to the SU Police Department, which mans the system around the clock. All you have to do is push the button for instant contact with a member of the SU Police.
If you are involved in an emergency situation, are the victim of a crime, or witness any criminal activity, you are urged to notify the SUBR Police Department as soon as possible by dialing 771-2770 (3-2770 from any Campus phone) or using one of the emergency call boxes. Off-campus crimes may be reported to the Baton Rouge Police Department or the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's office. Both of these law enforcement agencies can be reached by dialing 911.
The SUBR Police Department is located in William L. Pass Station on B.A. Little Drive. The department operates 24 hours a day and employs commissioned police officers along with non-sworn support staff. Police officers must successfully complete 280 hours of basic training at an approved police academy. The training curriculum is as mandated by the Louisiana Police Officer Standards and Training Commission and includes such topics as criminal law and procedures, patrol and investigation practices and techniques, firearms, first aid and physical training. An array of in-service training programs are presented to update and enhance the professional skills of the officers.
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The family of a Banbury man killed in a freak fire at his workplace said an inquest into his death yesterday (Wednesday) left several questions unanswered.
John Houghton, 59, of Boxhedge Road, West Banbury, died of 85 per cent burns on June 27 last year, three months after injuring himself during a shift at Towcester firm Smith's Palettes, based at Jacks Hill.
On March 27, 2013, he had been working outside in the cold and, as was occasional practice, lit a fire in the courtyard to warm his hands.
But the inquest heard that no-one saw the fire 'explode', leaving Mr Houghton with horrific burns to his body.
A jury of eight men and two women returned a verdict of accidental death at an inquest at County Hall in Northampton yesterday.
His closest family – brother and sister Albert Houghton and Maureen Townsend – say they may now never know how their brother died.
Maureen said: "There was a lack of witnesses – we didn't know what happended at the time and we are probably never going to know now are we? How did someone go from just warming their hands up by a fire to being caught in an explosion just like that?"
Albert said: "We are having the headstone done this week and we still do not know what to put on it."
Following the incident early in the afternoon of March 27, 2013, his boss Steven Smith, of Abingodon, Oxford, drove Mr Houghton to Milton Keynes Hospital, arriving there at around 2pm.
Mr Houghton initially told nursing staff on arrival that he had received the burns warming his hands on a fire 'in a lay-by', which exploded in his face and burned him
He claimed he was on his way to a funeral with a friend when the two of them stopped in the lay-by to urinate.
Mr Smith told the inquest that Mr Houghton lied to the nursing staff because he was claiming out-of-work benefits and did not want officials to know he had received the injuries while working.
After being initially assessed in Milton Keynes Mr Houghton was taken to the St Andrew Centre for Burns at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, where he was kept in intensive care until his eventual death that June.
Mr Smith said that staff at his firm would 'occasionally' have fires in the courtyard with 'bits of wood and paper' to keep warm on cold days.
He said the firm had a fire extinguisher on site and Mr Houghton would often light such fires on his own.
But Mr Smith said he had no idea 'to this day' how the routine fire killed Mr Houghton. He told the inquest: "I assume he started the fire to keep warm because he said his hands were cold. There were no actual witnesses there ."
Coroner Anne Pember then asked the company boss: "So you are saying there were no witnesses as to how he started the fire and what materials he used to start the fire?
Mr Smith replied: "No."
The coroner said it was not known if Mr Houghton was claiming benefits or not.


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Hechingen, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies in the Swabian Alp, southwest of Tübingen. From the 13th century it was the seat of the counts of Zollern (after 1623, princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen); it passed to Prussia in 1850. Hechingen is a rail junction and manufactures machinery, textiles, and wood products. The Hohenzollern Castle on Hohenzollern Mountain (2,782 feet [848 metres]) was destroyed in 1423 and rebuilt by Frederick William IV, king of Prussia, in 1850–56. It houses the Prussian crown jewels, and Frederick II the Great and his father, Frederick William I, are buried in its Christ Chapel. Notable buildings are the former abbey church of St. Lutzen (1586–89), the classical Collegiate Church of St. Jacob (1779–83), and Villa Eugenia (1786–1833), former residence of the prince. Nearby are Lindich Castle (1742) and the Stetten Abbey church (1280). Pop. (2011) 18,544.
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Walking In The Spirit – Kenneth Berding
This little book is a look at Romans 8 and how to base life on the Holy Spirit. The author sprinkles in many of his own personal stories throughout the book and with that shows how the spirit-ual walk really looks.
In Chapter 1 Berding says we are to walk in the spirit. Sounds like a simple starting place for this concept, but he goes deeper into what that really means. Walking in the Spirit really means that we are abiding in the Spirit. Further it means that we are setting our mind on things of the Spirit, hoping in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, and being discipled by the Spirit. In fact this is the starting place for all spiritual growth. When we walk in the spirit we grow in fullness of the Spirit and our desire to sin gets shoved out by the Spirit.
Berding, in chapter 2, uses an illustration of getting a song stuck in your head to show what setting our minds on the things of Spirit really means. However setting our mind on things above is more than just focusing intently on those things. We have to train our minds to stay on the things of the Spirit. We do this through constant prayer, songs of worship, meditation of scripture and by living the words of Philippians 4:8 by thinking upon whatever is true, noble, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
Chapter 3 is all about putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. The reality is we cannot get rid of our sin on our own. We are incapable of it, if this were not so then Jesus would not have had to come and die in our place. We need help in dealing with our sin that is where the Holy Spirit comes in to play. The Spirit frees us from condemnation and makes it possible to live lives pleasing to God instead of defined by the flesh.
Chapter 4 is where Berding tells us what it means to be led by the Spirit. This is more than just being led by broad Biblical wisdom. Although that is one aspect of how the Spirit leads, being led by the Spirit refers to a deeper more specific leading. It is where there Spirit actually leads us to go and do and say certain things. This type of leading is sadly foreign to the experience of many Evangelicals but why? Sometimes it is because we don't want to be labeled a mystic or charismatic. But isn't it better to remain Biblical and that is the point Berding is making here. We are told repeatedly by Paul to be led by the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit we have to be walking in the spirit, setting our minds on things above, and putting to death our old self. Otherwise we are not in a place to always clearly hear the Spirit's lead.
Knowing God as Father is the fifth way of walking in spirit and the topic of chapter 5. The Holy Spirit teaches us to know God as our Father. Last night I was up in the middle of the night feeding my three month old son. After he finished eating I was trying to get him back to sleep and starting talking to him in what was really more of a prayer. One of the things I said to him was that I prayed he would know that his daddys arms were always a place of love and trust for him. I want him to know that dad is a safe place where he will always be loved and that I will always seek the best for him. Sadly many of us come from backgrounds and experiences where this is not what we think of when we think of fathers. The Spirit knows this and knows that we all have varying issues with trust and intimacy because of our former slavery to sin. So the Spirit disciples us and teaches us what it means that God is our Father.
The final two chapters address what it means to both hope in and pray in the Spirit. Hoping in the Spirit takes our minds from whatever suffering or hardship we might experience here and reminds us of our eternal security in the presence of the Glory of God. When we pray in the Spirit, our prayers turn from being focused on ourselves and somewhat selfish to being about the Glory and advancement of the Kingdom of God. Praying in the Spirit takes the focus off ourselves and rightly places it upon God.
The review questions at the end of each chapter alone make this book worth whatever price it might cost you. I highly recommend this book to all Christians. It has helped me to learn to understand more of the Holy Spirit's role in my life and I know it will do the same for you.


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|Reference : The occurrence of multicolored ladybird, Harmonia axyridis Pallas, a biological contr...
|Scientific congresses and symposiums : Unpublished conference/Abstract
|Life sciences : Entomology & pest control
|The occurrence of multicolored ladybird, Harmonia axyridis Pallas, a biological control agent in agroecosystems in Wallonia
|Vandereycken, Axel [Université de Liège - ULg > Sciences agronomiques > Entomologie fonctionnelle et évolutive >]
|Durieux, Delphine [Université de Liège - ULg > Sciences agronomiques > Entomologie fonctionnelle et évolutive >]
|Haubruge, Eric [Université de Liège - ULg > Services administratifs généraux > Vice-Recteur de Gembloux Agro Bio Tech - Entomologie fonctionnelle et évolutive >]
|Verheggen, François [Université de Liège - ULg > Sciences agronomiques > Entomologie fonctionnelle et évolutive >]
|62nd International Symposium on Crop Protection
|18 mai 2010
|Université de Gand
|[en] Harmonia axyridis ; Invasive species ; Agro-ecosystems ; Intraguild predation ; Aphids
|[en] The Asian ladybird, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), was imported in 1997 in Belgium to control aphid populations in greenhouses. It took only few years to the insect to get adapted to temperate climate conditions and to spread out all over Europe. Now, H. axyridis is one of the coccinellid with the biggest size in Belgium, causing damages to the ecosystems through e.g. intraguild predation (IGP).
We are still lacking information about the consequences of the introduction of this superpredator in our agro-ecosystems. This work focuses on the potential impacts of H. axyridis on the entomofauna associated with several crops (potatos, corn, wheat, broad bean). We evaluated in 2009 the occurrence as well as the interactions between aphids and their natural enemies (hoverflies, coccinellids and lacewings) in several agro-ecosystem sites in northern Wallonia.
After one year of field observations, were found thirteen coccinellid species, most of the catched individuals being H. axyridis with 64% of the coccinellids, Propylea 14-punctata, 15%, or Coccinella 7-punctata, 14%. This invasive ladybird dominates the group of coccinellids generally in all crops in north Wallonia.
The results with the sticky traps show that the maximum occurrence of H. axyridis in crops is observed in chicory, sugar beet and potatoes.
The relationship aphid-ladybird in wheat for example, brings out that increase of density of Asian ladybird in mid-July follow the increase of aphids (Sitobion avenae, Sitobion fragariae, Metopolophium dirhodum, Aphis fabae) in the end of June.
We also observe that, in most agro-ecosystems, hoverflies and lacewings are the dominant aphid natural enemies. In all crops investigate, the multicolored ladybird occurs with 5% of the aphidophagous after the Chrysopidae, 12% and the Syrphidae, 76%. In 2009, the agro-ecosystems with the most aphidophagous species are carrot and broad bean and these habitats are dominated by hoverflies.
|Région wallonne : Direction générale de l'Agriculture - DGA
|Évaluation de l'impact des invasions de coccinelles asiatiques sur l'agriculture wallonne et prise en considération dans les programmes de lutte intégrée
|Researchers ; Professionals ; Students ; General public
|File(s) associated to this reference
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We made this 21 day trip starting in late May. We had been to Istanbul on three previous trips and enjoy it, but everything else was totally new to us. We found It interesting but frankly not as beautiful as the pictures my DH took during it. He is a master at filtering out the crumbling stuff that sometimes surrounds the basic beauty that exists in so many places. The economic conditions in the Ukraine challenged his skill but he rose to the occasion. Rather than spend a lot of time typing a long trip report, I'll let his pictures (with my captions and a few of my own pix) tell the story.
If the links aren't clickable, please just copy and paste them into your browser.
This first album is of Istanbul. We flew there on Delta and stayed two nights before taking a Turkish Air flight to Odessa (Delta doesn't fly to Odessa) to board a Viking ship for a cruise on the Black Sea and up the Dneiper River. Thank goodness we were there just ahead of the riots that later broke out in Istanbul.
This next album covers our time on the Viking Cruise called Footsteps of the Cossacks which went from Odessa to Kiev in the Ukraine with stops in the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea and ended in Kiev.
The next album is just of Kiev, the city where the cruise ended and our independent travel began.
And this final album is of our 5 days in Moscow to which we flew on Aeroflot from Kiev.
Happy to try to answer any questions you may pose.
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Istanbul, Crimea/Dneiper Black Sea Cruise, Kiev and Moscow - a trip report in pictures
We made this 21 day trip starting in late May. We had been to Istanbul on three previous trips and enjoy it, but everything else was totally new to us. We found It interesting but frankly not as beautiful as the pictures my DH took during it. He is a master at filtering out the crumbling stuff that sometimes surrounds the basic beauty that exists in so many places. The economic conditions in the Ukraine challenged his skill but he rose to the occasion. Rather than spend a lot of time typing a long trip report, I'll let his pictures (with my captions and a few of my own pix) tell the story.
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Welcome back. Great photos. I'm thinking of combining Moscow and St. Petersburg with a trip to Lithuania next summer. We'll have a 14 year old with us. Do you think 5 days was a good amount of time for Moscow? Was it much more expensive than Paris or Rome? Have you been to St. Petersburg? Does it deserve more time than Moscow?
Where to next? Thanks for any advice.
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Yes, great pictures. Tell your DH "great job."
But I would like to read more about your impressions of these various cities and your independent travel.
One question I have in general about visiting places that use the Cyrillic alphabet: how hard is it to navigate, say, trains and buses? I've never worried about the language barrier when visiting places like Poland or Slovenia, but at least they use the same alphabet I know - and I can read a train schedule without knowing the language. The Cyrillic alphabet makes me nervous.
Did you take any trains or buses?
How was the Aeroflot flight?
Did you feel safe walking around Kiev?
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And how was the food? What did you eat and where?
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Hi Marija, Thanks. Glad you liked the photos.
We had a guide for the Kremlin and a guide and driver for a trip through the city which saved a lot of time. So I would say that the real highlights of inner Moscow could be done in 3 days, certainly 4. We have been to St. Petersburg, also with a guide and driver for 2 days during a cruise, and saw a lot in that time. In general I think many people think that however many days you decide to spend in Moscow, St. Petersburg deserves a bit more, probably at least another day. Keep in mind, however, that in Moscow we did not venture outside the city. If you would decide to do a day trip to the Sergeiv (sp?) Monastery which looks very worthwhile, you could certainly add more time to Moscow. It really depends on how much time you have. You can certainly use up 5 days in Moscow, especially if you do a day trip. I'd say, let your available time and budget dictate how long you spend because....
Yes, Moscow was very expensive, especially if you want to drink wine with meals. Never found a bottle under $100 on a menu. There are lots of ways to spend/flaunt a lot of money since SOME of the people there are very wealthy--while others are decidedly not. I will admit to being a bit intimidated by the place, not knowing the alphabet, having been raised during "Soviet Times", etc. and we opted to travel more luxuriously than we normally do to prevent any problems. It worked, but it made it one of our most costly trips ever. Certainly more costly than any of our trips to Rome and Paris.
I think dividing your time between St. Petersburg, Moscow and Lithuania sounds like a good trip. Enjoy.
We're next off for Provence where our level of comfort and the available beauty should make me happier than the stretch we needed to make to travel on this trip.
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Julie...as usual, outstdanding pics...brought back many memories of my Russian travels, during and after the so-called cold war ("faux" war in my opinion)...things are mighty different. Last there in 2008 on a Viking cruise, Moscow to St. Pete..and later independently to Belarus and Ukraine. Looks like you had some good weather, also. Your foodie pics are tantalizing. Where to next?
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Julie, were there long lines to get into the Harem at Topkapi Palace?
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Thanks for the photos Julie. Recognized the two guys with the globe from Odessa! Pity you didn't get to Lviv, which was my favorite stop in Ukraine.
Marija - unlike a lot of posters I preferred Moscow to St. Petersburg - but I'm not a fan of baroque and St. Petersburg is all baroque. I thought there was a lot more variety in Moscow. Also, I'd recommend not just the Golden Ring towns, but stopping off in Novgorod between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and adding Riga in Latvia to Lithuania. (Pix of Novgorod: http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/Round-the-World-2004-5/Novgorod-Russia )
Andrew - I'm lousy at languages but I found the Cyrillic alphabet quite easy to learn, and knowing it does make a big difference.
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Andrew, We were wimps in the matter of really going off to take public transport to get from place to place. We got sort of spooked when we read an English language newspaper story about an electrical fire in the metro--at the station just immediately by our hotel the morning of the day we arrived which caused little old Babushka ladies to have to climb 3 flights of metro stairs, and really didn't take public transport from that point on. Embarrassing but true. I'm sure it can be done, especially if you have a good map of the metro with stops listed in cyrillic and English.
Overall because our "independent" travel wasn't so independent, we really didn't have any problem with the alphabet difference. We stayed near the center, walked when we were not in the care of a guide, stayed on main streets, went to places we found in guidebooks, and did fine on our own--mostly in Arbat and area between Kremlin and Pushkin square. Don't know what would have happened if we'd have tried to go to Gorky Park on our own for instance.
The Aeroflot flight OTOH was fine. We had intended to travel with a friend who had been in Moscow 7 or 8 years ago and thought flying Aeroflot would be dreadful. it was not. In fact, on a 1 and 1/2 hour flight, they gave passengers in coach a decent sandwich which would not have been the case on Delta. Believe me. No problems at all. I also found the flight kind of fun. It was from Kiev to Moscow and the stewardesses (they were all female) were attired totally in orange (as in orange revolution) from dress to hat to shoes and even the barf bags were orange.
We felt fine walking about Kiev--both during the day and at night. But we stayed at the Radisson Blu which probably meant it was in an ok part of town. What we didn't like was going to the market which coud have been a fantastic experience and finding babushka ladies more or less "guarding" their produce against anyone taking pictures--for no reasonable purpose. Old habits die hard.
Maybe it was us. Maybe it was them, but the experience was different, very different, from being in France, Italy, or even Croatia or Tallin in Estonia, for instance.
DH is from Latvia and I have a Swedish heritage, so the food was wonderful to us. He had pickled vegatables everywhere. I had meat dumplings in sour cream and everything in between. We loved it. Folks raised on Big Macs would probably find it abhorrent. See the pictures at the end of each album (I'm the food photographer.) To us it was beautiful, tasty--but never cheap.
Stu Tower, Glad you liked the pix and especially the food pix. I thought of you as we traversed so many areas. We leave for Marseille and Provence on Tuesday. It will be much "easier,I know."
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I did travel independently in Ukraine, aside from hotel reservations and train tickets, and once I established that in the Crimea they spoke Russian not Ukrainian I didn't have too much touble. I also mostly traveled independently in Russia, again aside from accommodation (home stays) and train tickets, plus transfers. If I had been staying in hotels I wouldn't have needed the transfers. But I definitely needed Cyrillic.
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We did not go to the Topkapi palace but have on previous trips. Did not have difficulty getting in. With only a day and a half enroute to Odessa, we just sort of enjoyed whatever came along. Which is a wonderful way to travel.
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Thanks Julie (and thursdaysd). Someday maybe I'll finally do a trip with a few of these places - if I can get over my fear of Cyrillic letters!
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Very lovely pictures.
Since I too have been to many of those places it was a nice memorable review of a past trip.
Thank you very much for posting
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Bookmarking. This is a trip I've wanted to do, so want to make time to read and look.
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I really enjoyed the photos, did you see us waving to you in your photos in Sultanhamet? Just joking, our ship docked the morning the riots started so we were just after you.
From our balcony on Celebrity Reflection we saw tracers, helicopters with search beams, whiff of pepper gas, lots of noise, whistles, etc. Certainly didn't feel personally threatened but very concerned for the people.
I would love to sail into the Black Sea and to see Yalta and want to get to Moscow. I have only been to St Petersburg which I enjoyed. We had a former Intourist guide, car and driver for 3 days, saw and learned so much more than we would have on our own.
What did you think of the river cruise?
When are you headed to Provence?
Thanks again to you both.
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Julie, thanks ever so much. We'll be in Odessa and Sevastopol but not Yalta which is unfortunate. I'm looking forward to a different experience. Cyrillic alphabet, here I come.
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Cathinjoetown, We enjoyed the cruise but it is one of the more "estoeric" of the Viking offerings and I assume from my experience anyway taken by folks who have done a lot of travel (overheard conversations at dinner with snatches of "when we were in Dar Es Salaam" and "well we really enjoyed Luxur", etc. These were blue haired people (myself among them) for whom this may have been the only remaining notch to put on their travel belts. The food was wonderful--small portions for the older appetite, so nothing was wasted, with an emphasis on the local cuisine. Nice crew with great service. Our tour guide was outstanding.
We leave tomorrow for Provence. I have just learned that Marseille is putting 40,000 lavendar plants around their old harbor where our hotel will be for their status as European Culture Capitol for 2013. I am ecstatic.
Treesa, I may have enjoyed Sevastopol more than Yalta--at least the city itself if not the surrounding options. Have dinner overlooking Artillery Bay. Try to take in a concert by the combined Russian and Ukranian navy chorus. quite fun.
I've read lots of posts by people who found it quite easy to learn the cyrillic alphabet. I've never been good at languages so I gave up quickly. Good luck.
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Your photos are simply lovely! I feel as though I went on the trip with you. well done, and thanks for the journey. Most interesting all the way.
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Thanks for the info--can't get my husband interested in river cruises but thought he might like the cruise on the Black Sea. Not sure, but we both enjoy cruises which have interesting ports. Not bothered about the blue hairs, I haven't seen my natural color since age 35, am sure it's 100% white by now. We would fit in.
Really looking forward to your photos of Provence and the lavender field in the middle of Marseille! Our plants are probably two weeks from blooming but we had a terrible, terrible spring (SW of Toulouse). Have a wonderful time!
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Cathinjoetown, We have plans to do the lavendar drives that Stu Dudley and Fodors recommend in the Luberon and east of there and I'm afraid we might be just a bit ahead of full bloom too. Tough when you plan a trip around something like this and then the timing is off. Friends of ours went on a river cruise in Holland expecting to see tulips everywhere and could only see them in greenhouses. I guess it's been unseasonably cool over much of Europe this year.
BTW if your husband is any kind of history buff, he might really enjoy the Black Sea cruise. Mine is and I think he enjoyed it more than I did for that reason. I'm not one for cruising in general though DH is--I think because he's the driver otherwise and he gets to relax a lot more on a cruise. Anyway, if I had to pick it would always be a river cruise over a big ship cruise. so much easier, smaller and more personal.
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taconictraveler, thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed. Certainly makes the work of cropping, sorting, straightening, captioning, etc, seem more worthwhile.
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Depends on the variety of lavender, we drove up to St Girons today to do some shopping and the lavender on two roundabouts was gorgeous. They're sprucing up for the Tour de France in a few days.
Some by our pool may be out sooner than two weeks but the plants we have in a flower bed are way behind.
I think you'll be all right. The Marseille installation should be fun.
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Thanks. I feel better already. We leave in about an hour.
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Julie did you have much difficulty in obtaining your Russian Visa
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"What we didn't like was going to the market which coud have been a fantastic experience and finding babushka ladies more or less "guarding" their produce against anyone taking pictures--for no reasonable purpose. Old habits die hard." There is a law in Ukraine which says that people can't be photographed unless they agree to it. If you keep showing your camera into their faces when they refuse, you can be arrested. It's a relatively new law, so it has nothing to do with "old habits". Reading this post, I understood for whose benefit it was created. Those boorish Americans who flash their cameras into people's faces like they are not people but lampposts or buildings, and then depart to do who knows what with these photos and to post them who knows where.
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Percy, we had a couple of problems with Russian visas. Since we travel a lot we needed our passports and could not have them gone for the usual amount of time it takes to get a Russian visa "standard" and had to go for expedited service. That cost us over $900 for the two visas working through an expediting company. Husband who was born in Riga Latvia and left at the end of the war was asked to supply proof of his exit which, of course, he does not have. They finally accepted copies of his US citizenship papers showing he had become a citizen when he was 7 years old and showing his birthdates in Riga, etc. After that everything went well. Cannot imagine how tough it must be to try to do all this on your own.
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Though, of course, what to expect from a hard core racist, who posted numerous posts with "The Ukraine" spiel. Note, it's Russia, Italy, France, but always "zier Ukraine", like Ukraine is not a county, but some soty of a cheap province.
I am amazed that the admin allowed the racist rants to last for that long.
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In "zer Ukraine", bad evil "zer Ukrainians" do not pose willingly for a superior American, for her to make fun and sport of. Can you imagine the cheek? It's like they believed they were real human beings, and not from some "zer Ukraine", posing there for superior American tourists. Old habits die hard, these lowly beings from "zer Ukraine" still did not grasp the fact that if a superior American (how many trillions in debt to Chinese?) wants a photo, they must bend backward and pose for the cameras.
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altiva, I apologize for offending you. To defend myself, let me say that I was photgraphing the produce not the people. And I ask for permission and do not take pictures if refused. I did, however, find it interesting that the vendors in Kiev, for instance, often refused while those in markets in other countries in my experience have responded positively and even invitingly showing pride in their products--as I would if I had such beautiful and interesting things to display. I take your point on the issue of using the country name. In this case it is definitely my old habit which dies hard. Having always heard my mother refer to Ukraine as "the Ukraine" it was indeed a bias that passed from generation to generation and I must plead guilty to having not adjusted my thinking in tune with the times and the sensivities of the people. Thank you for pointing this out. I assure you that I will address the country correctly from now on. For your part I would appreciate your not assuming that I possess feelings of superiority as an American simply because I wanted to take pictures of beautiful vegetables in a market nor that I would ever make fun or sport of the people who display those beautiful vegetables.
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"hard core racist" for referring to Ukraine as The Ukraine????
Someone needs to get a grip and it certainly isn't Julie!
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Hi Cathinjoetown, We're back from Marseille and Provence and I'm hoping to do a brief report soon. While everything was beautiful, the lavender wasn't at its peak so I guess I'll just have to go again sometime. The lavender display in Marseille was nice but I oversold myself, adding a zero to the number of lavendar plants in he display--it was 4000 not 40,000, so it wasn't quite as spectacular as I was expecting. Marseille itself, however, was even better than I had hoped. It could become a favorite.
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altiva - Really? Only "Those boorish Americans who flash their cameras into people's faces" Not boorish Brits or boorish Japanese?
thursdaysd - I too preferred Moscow to St. Pete's. Perhaps because the architecture was so different from other places in Europe. However, I would go back to either place in a minute.
I too learned the Cyrillic alphabet before we left. Took a little doing but it was fun. Great to be able to read signs even if it was just a transliteration and didn't know what the word meant. However, some words when you pronounce them correctly can sound like English- as in the word restaurant ("pectopah" in cyrillic spelling but pronounced "restoran"). Definitely helped on the metro.
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I would love to see your photos. We'd like to get over to Marseille later in the year.
We have two varieties of lavender in our little garden--one was a vivid purple this year and the other, while never as bright, was very washed out. Very unpredictable and unusual summer here in THE Southwest. Hope I can say that without sounding racist!
We also need to chastise the person who wrote, "Salmom Fishing in THE Yemen.."
I promise I'll stop now.
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London - (Ass Mess): Police have uncovered half a tonne of stolen gold bullion from a safety deposit box belonging to Cherie Blair.
The ingots are part of the October 1983 Brinks-Mat heist which had deluded police into countless false recovery trails.
Mrs Blair had always denied involvement in the robbery despite being unable to explain an overnight rise to riches, the settlement of crippling gambling debts, bankruptcy orders and irate creditors' lawsuits.
Police say the ingots were found stuffed into six suitcases along with countless art treasures last seen adorning 10 Downing Street and the Prime Ministerial country retreat of Chequers.
Only one third of the deposit boxes and vaults have been prised open so far because of an earlier discovery of a nuclear warhead hard-wired into the concrete and tungsten flooring.
The device was located after Mrs Thatcher's wedding certificate to KBG/Mossad mobster Robert Maxwell RIP was discovered along with their daughter's birth documents, criminal records and Opus Dei numbered bank accounts.
David Cameron is under sedation.


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text: Looking for tips and tricks to get the most out of your fridge? Welcome to Save-myFridge. com Learn how to make the most of the coolest investment you'll make for your kitchen. Whether you're here because you're planning to buy one, you've just bought one or are having trouble with yours, this is the place that has all the answers. So what brings you here?


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ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
Cosplayer FantasyNinja > Costume of Bayonetta (Bayonetta)
- Most Recent Photo
- 01-27-2015
- Series
- Bayonetta
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- Bayonetta
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- Butterfly wings
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I call this "budgetnetta", since my goal was to make this using really inexpensive materials, being very resourceful, and spending very little money. Not too shabby for $35! (I still have a few things to finish until the costume is 100% done)
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text: On April 29, 2014, ANDREE (nee LeRoch), beloved wife of the late Isaac Levys; devoted mother of Shirley (Douglas) Gaston, Carol (David) Shear and Allen Levys; cherished grandmother of Lisa Gaston, Michael Gaston, Allyson Shear, Johanna (Kevin) Swanson and Caitlin Levys; adored great-grandmother of Isabelle Swanson. Services at SOL LEVINSON & BROS., INC., 8900 Reisterstown Road, at Mount Wilson Lane, on Friday, May 2 at 10 a.m. Interment at Arlington Cemetery, Chizuk Amuno Congregation, North Rogers Avenue. Please omit flowers. Contributions in her memory may be sent to Beth Am Synagogue, 2501 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217. In mourning at 3801 Canterbury Road, Apt. 401 (The Colonnade), Baltimore, MD 21218.


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The first in a new series fighting (or at least discussing) foodie fads, Mhairi MacLeod wonders whether the deep fried Mars bar still holds its own in a market newly flooded with supersized American snacks.
Once upon a time in 1995, a town just south of Aberdeen gave birth to a true Scottish legend - the deep fried Mars Bar.
But times are a-changing and as the trend for bizarre, extreme and controversial food balloons like a bariatric surgeon's waiting list, could the humble deep fried Mars be at risk of relegation to little more than a modern day aperitif?
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Quite possibly. Today, placing your signature against a legally binding contract is both par for the course and a tantalising extra that's got a new wave of foodie extremists and competitive eaters wielding Biros in one hand and napkins in the other.
The Fallout Challenge - aptly named because one might assume it predicts contestants' bowel movements for the next three days - is Bristol-based Atomic Burger's answer to the rise and rise of 'disclaimer dinners'.
Here, after signing a waiver, participants are equipped with protective latex gloves and given 45 minutes to devour a triple burger monster covered in XXX Fallout sauce.
The prize? A congratulatory T-shirt.
The wooden spoon? Having to pay a £30 surcharge should you find yourself vomiting on the premises.
As you might imagine, the UK's growing appetite for extreme eating has its roots in America. Las Vegas' Heart Attack Grill arguably takes the biscuit with its lurid line-up of self-proclaimed 'nutritional pornography'.
On the menu is the world's most calorific burger, the Quadruple Bypass, which includes 4 ½ pounds of beef, 20 bacon rashers and almost 10,000 calories. A series of butterfat shakes purporting to have the highest butterfat content in the world enable visitors who are less familiar with their jaw muscles to drink liquefied family-sized bars of chocolate. Think deep fried Mars…but on steroids.
With waiting staff dressed as nurses, diners required to wear hospital gowns and anyone who doesn't finish their meal subjected to an 'administered spanking', Heart Attack Grill and its kin are designed to create a salacious, salivating spectacle; both of the food and its patrons.
Back across the Atlantic, it's difficult to imagine the good people of Stonehaven dishing out Heart Attack Grill-style spankings to anyone who doesn't possess the wherewithal to finish their Mars bar supper.
The deep fried Mars might even seem a little amateurish compared to its calorie-laden brethren and the surge in extreme food experiences.
Yet despite being touted as the poster boy for 'all that's wrong with the Scottish diet', it's a moot point whether XXX hot sauce or butterfat shakes can claim to be as much a part of their country's national identity as the deep fried Mars bar.
A draw for natives and visitors alike, pop sensation Jessie J has even professed that she'll be hunting down her own slice of deep fried goodness ahead of her gig at Edinburgh Castle this week. That's got to mean something, right?
Now on the cusp of celebrating its 20th birthday, the deep fried Mars may no longer be the most extreme option on the menu, but as an accessible urban icon, there's no denying it defends its place.


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Java Draw Created Mar 04, 2009 338 x 470px Unless noted Copyright 2009 SPIDER 08.
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I love her dress!!! 5/5/5/5/5 a million times!!!
so cool fashion 5/5
is there anything more beautiful than a stylish woman in a long gown ??
pretty!! 5/5
You are the style guru! She's lovely. :D 5 ♥s
she looks happy with herself. 5♥
this is a Cool design Spider.love the pose.5♥s
Lovely, very stylish. 5♥s
This is very elegant and pretty. 5/5


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|I'm not sure there is a wrong way.
Obviously, there are a number of negative ways I could choose to look at this. It would probably be very easy to sit back and let the bad news occupy my mind and bring down my mood. But I'm not going to do that. I've been here before. Since I left school in 2011, I've been unemployed 3 times, the longest time for 6 months (most of that by choice). The work I've done since I left school only vaguely relates to the work I am doing since I finished my degree.
Mostly, the reason I'm not worrying about new ventures is that things are going REALLY well in my life overall. Despite this looming potential unemployment, my life is mostly looking way up, which is something I'm really happy about. I just got married to the girl of my friggen dreams, I've lost almost 20 pounds since the beginning of July, I've got a large number of very satisfying hobby projects, and I have an amazing network of friends who have been incredibly supportive of everything I do.
I was very briefly hesitant to talk about my soon-to-be unemployment as publicly as I have, but in the many years since I basically became an open book to the world socially, my life has only gotten way better. And the reaction and help I've gotten from friends, colleagues, family and many other people is really quite touching. Once you tweet your weight to the world, directing them to a website where anybody can see what you've weighed for the last 30 days, there's really no reason to keep anything too secret.
Oddly (though maybe I shouldn't be surprised), the main question I get when people want to help me look for a job is "What kind of work are you looking for?". I think this is a weird question mainly because I don't really think too much about it. I want to work, I want to make a living and I want to do something I love. I really like media (video, audio and writing), the internet, technology, and science. I'm getting to the point where work I do in those fields can be put on my resume as real experience, something I definitely didn't see happening just a couple of years ago.
I've talked before about how wonderful if would be if Canada instituted a basic income for its citizens, because more than anything what I want to be able to do is to be creative. I want to share my experiences and knowledge with people who want to learn and try new things. I want to open minds. I've been thinking for a very long time about doing a big project where I get to do things like this on a regular basis, but for that today I really do need a day job where I make enough to support what I'd like to do for the other big part of my life.
However, even considering all of this, the biggest priority for me, and the reason why I'm so keen to get a new job as soon as possible, is that I want to start a family. I'm not in a rush to do that, but I do want to start sooner rather than later. And, seeing as how my wife and I are responsible and financially prudent, we'd rather wait until there are two sources of secure income in our lives before moving forward with that. And that is the most frustrating part of all of this. I just want to express my ideas and thoughts in a positive, constructive way and make the world a better place, and pass those traits along to the next generation of humans. But first, I need someone to take a chance on me.
It's worth it.
If you know of any job openings or places that might be hiring, especially those looking for young people who are ready to learn and looking to make a difference in the world, please let me know. You can send me email at email@example.com.


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Your Price: $17.95
In this third Maxx volume, a red-haired Julie returns from her separation from Maxx--and various erotic-indulgent obsessions--"ready to pop." During one of her morning sickness trips, Julie is visited by the soiled head of Mr. Gone, which flies out of the toilet, splats on the ceiling and proceeds to dispense wisdom.
Even better, with Sarah's help Maxx at last discovers his mysterious origin. How does he become the Maxx? What role did Julie play? Why is the rabbit Julie's spirit animal? Why does Maxx's mask look like a lampshade? What's up with the big feet? Will the jungle queen ever find peace?
What the heck does "Chung! Chung! Chung!" mean?! This volume will answer all your questions. . .or leave you more confused than ever. Or both.
This book collects:
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