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Delay with a new electricity connection cause financial loss and inconvenience for Mr F (June 2017)
The Issue
In September 2016, Mr F requested a new electricity connection for a unit he was building. The request was cancelled for a reason unknown to Mr F, so he contacted his electricity distributor to ask why the electricity was not successfully connected and it was unable to explain why. Mr F lodged another request to have the electricity connected in December 2016. However, this was not completed either, so Mr F contacted EWOV for assistance on 10 January 2017 and an Assisted Referral was raised.
Mr F's electricity distributor called him to discuss the issue and assured him that the connection would be completed by 8 February 2017. However, this did not occur and on 13 February 2017, Mr F received another phone call from the distributor in which it asked him for a convenient time for its crew to attend to install the new connection. Due to the delay with the electricity connection, Mr F had to pay for diesel generators and associated costs that totalled over $3,000. Mr F re-contacted EWOV to advise that he was not satisfied with the outcome to the Assisted Referral, so we raised an Investigation.
The Investigation
As part of EWOV's Investigation, we requested all of the contact notes, details of the service orders for the new electricity connection requested, and information about why the connection was delayed. EWOV created a timeline of events from the first connection request through to the time Mr F contacted our office for assistance. This timeline, along with the information provided by the distributor, established that a combination of errors led to the long delay.
EWOV also reviewed relevant laws and codes, specifically clauses 2.2 of Electricity Distribution Code[1], which stipulates that distributors need to use their best endeavours to complete new electricity connections within 10 business days after the request. We also noted that clause 6.2 of the same code stated that where a distributor does not connect electricity within 10 business days, it must pay customers $70 for each day the connection is delayed, up to a maximum of $350.
Lastly, as Mr F was claiming for expenses incurred as a result of the delayed electricity connection, we asked him to substantiate those losses by providing documentation to us. This showed that Mr F had to rent a diesel generator for nearly nine weeks at a total cost of $3,614.
[1] Available at the Essential Services Commission's website: http://www.esc.vic.gov.au/document/energy/30475-electricity-distribution...
The Outcome
The distributor apologised to Mr F for the inconvenience and the delay with the connection. The distributor agreed to pay $3,614 to Mr F, which he was satisfied with and the case was closed.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Saint Germain des Prés, Paris
25 m2
Bar & Restaurant
Shop Share
Both locally popular – for its great restaurants and high fashion – and packed with tourists, Saint-Germain-des-Prés defies expectations. Once the heart of cultural life on the Left Bank, today its café culture draws tourists in – while rows of fashion boutiques hint to the direction the neighbourhood is heading.
This boutique has a traditional shopfront and is a bijou space inside – narrow at the front but stretching back once you step inside. The décor folllows a romantic mood: with stone walls, tiled flooring and pale pastel colours. Behind a curtain at the back is a small storage area and toilet. Be careful not to clutter the space, but curate an exclusive product selection instead.
Tourists will pass by your front door on the way to and from Church Saint-Germain and the Musée Delacroix. Trendy boutique Lab and in-demand restaurant Le Germain Paris are both found nearby.
This space is compact so be careful not to over-clutter it.


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Metro Detroit Award Winning Wedding Planners creating fabulous wedding experiences for busy and stressed couples. We handle the details bringing your dreams to fruition. Farmington, MI 248.408.4602 ~ email@example.com ~ www.yourethebride.com Michigan Event Planner Romantic, Simple Elegant, Traditional Weddings, Detroit Day of Coordinator, Detroit Michigan Weddings, Wedding Management ~ Brand Influencer ~ Weddings, Events, Home Decor, Beauty + Style
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Can't believe it has already been over 2 mos. since my pal @jessicamac18 of @flourish_photography moved to California. 😢 #friend #weddingphotographer #missyou #california #michigan
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Moved to tier 3 access.
Now what's with raffle 2.
Sounds like ya'll should help him move it with another reverse auction.$25K anyone?
Wasn't raffle 2 the single berth?
The winners bought a second and upgraded.
But why?
Bought a second to end up selling? But why?
I think that's what @Something Fishy has been trying to figure out
Thank you Something Fishy, Dan, and JJ for all the assistance in helping us run a raffle the last few weeks!


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The museum offers docent-guided tours for groups of ten to sixty visitors. Docent tours are by appointment only. The museum recommends that you book your tour two weeks in advance to reserve the date and time that works best for you and your group. If you expect to arrive late for your scheduled tour, please contact the museum front desk at 949.494.8971 x200.
Public Tours with Docents
Public tours led by experienced docents feature highlights from the museum's current exhibitions. These tours begin at 11:00 a.m. every day the museum is open, beginning one week after an exhibition opens. No reservations are necessary, but please contact us if you are bringing a group of ten or more. Tours are free for museum members and free for non-members with museum admission.
School Tours
Laguna Art Museum offers interactive school tours for all grade levels free of charge. Tours are facilitated by highly-trained docents and are designed to let students be active participants in the process of looking at, learning about, and enjoying art. The education department consults closely with teachers to ensure that thematic tours enhance classroom learning and support curriculum objectives. Whenever possible, the museum also offers an art-making activity in conjunction with a tour.
Self-Guided Tours
Self-guided groups are welcome, but please make a reservation in advance for groups of ten or more. Self-guided groups must provide one chaperone for every ten children and are required to stay together at all times. For ideas on preparing your group for museum visits, please contact education associate Kristen Anthony. For groups of ten or more, reservations are required at least one week in advance.
Summer Camp Tours
Laguna Art Museum is a summer camp destination!
As a popular field trip location, LAM welcomes summer camp groups for 2019. The program will last two hours and includes a docent-led tour, an art-making activity, and students will enjoy a summer treat while overlooking the sea. The museum can accommodate groups as large as 75 participants. The cost is $10 per student. Summer camp tours are available from June 24 through September 22.
How to Schedule a Tour
Please complete the tour application form below, email Kristen Anthony, or call 949.494.8971 x207. Please note that the museum is closed on Wednesdays. Reservations are required three weeks in advance.
Schedule a Tour
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Receive news about collections, exhibitions, events, and more.


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LIFE: Out into Eastern Oregon, part 2
…Continuing our travelogue of last weekend's Eastern Oregon adventures at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. We left off Saturday, where we continued our trek east to the final section of the John Day Monument, Sheep Rock. They had an excellent visitors center there full of paleontological goodness. Couldn't linger too long with a fidgety toddler who wanted nothing more than to touch all the "dinosaurs," though.
Sheep Rock, right, is a really cool eroded mountain that looks nothing at all like a sheep.
You get some really beautiful close-up views of the rock formations out there. Each layer of rock had a completely different color. Mighty purty.
I particularly liked this overlook of much of the monument – the mesas in the background look like they were cleanly sliced off at the hands of some giant's axe, don't they?
We spent the night at a campground near John Day, which is a town of about 2,000 people that's the biggest town in a 100-mile radius or so I think. Very podunk but kinda quaint place, it's hard to imagine living so far from any major cities. It makes rural Roseburg feel like downtown Tokyo.
We drove on all the way down south from John Day to Burns, basically a town-slash-truck stop on Oregon's Highway ... It's a beautiful drive south, across high alpine plains that reminded me somewhat of Alaska. We saw a ton of wildlife in general on this trip – deer, elk, hawks, rabbits, snakes and coyote, plus about a zillion chipmunks. They swarm over the road like dust at some points; you can seem them scurrying out of the way as you hurtle down the empty highways (and it's almost impossible to avoid running over a few of the fuzzballs).
Once you're at Burns, you hit the highway west toward Bend. The scenery here is pretty much what I expected all of Eastern Oregon to look like – two-plus hours of this:
But we stopped in civilized Bend, ate takeout Indian food and basked at their lovely riverside park before taking the final lap homeward. If you look on a map of Oregon, we basically drove in a gigantic loop over the Cascades to the East and back. And how did Peter feel about his 937-mile trek of a weekend?


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Watching for the Morning of November 3, 2019
Year C
All Saints Sunday
(I'm returning from a sabbatical this week, driving home from my Father's into a state I know is aflame. This reflection from 2013 fits the texts for Sunday even though, at first blush, it seems perhaps a little too cheerful. Or simplistic. But there is nothing simplistic about biblical faith. It knows we live in a broken world, sometimes stumbling but generally fleeing its maker. Biblical faith is not surprised by famine or flame. It is not surprised by marching armies or hateful speech. It is not surprised when religious leaders defend the king against God. Biblical faith understands the fallen world. But still it sings – for it also understands the faithfulness of God.)
There is a thread running through the readings this Sunday: a line in Daniel that the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom; a line in the psalm that God adorns the humble with victory; a portion of the Ephesians reading ending with the hymnic declaration that God has put all things under Christ's feet; and the promise of God's blessing upon the poor, the hungry and the grieving. The texts, as diverse as they are, share a confidence in the purpose of God to rescue God's fallen world and restore all things.
But there are troubling things in these texts, too: notes of judgment, sounds of vengeance, reflecting a world divided between a wealthy few and a powerless and hungry many, a world of mighty empires and suffering peasants. In the case of Daniel, it is an empire determined to rid Israel of traditional faith and practice. People were put to death for circumcising their children, or not eating pork, or keeping Sabbath.
The feast day of All Saints started out like a tomb of the unknown soldier, a day to remember the nameless martyrs tortured and killed by Rome for holding to a faith that claimed there was some other Lord than Caesar. It would become a day to honor all those saints who did not have their own feast day on the Christian calendar. Ultimately, for Reformation churches, it became a day to remember all the faithful who had passed into glory, all those who had held fast to a hope in a God who comes to the aid of those in need and sets right the world.
All Saints looks blinkingly on the bright vision of God's ultimate triumph over sin and death and echoes with the joy of heaven. It sustains those still engaged in the struggle to bear faithful witness to the way of God in our broken and troubled world. And it reminds us all that we are not alone: "we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness." Like the crowd cheering runners in a great race, the saints above cheer us on.
The Prayer for All Saints Sunday, November 3, 2019
You are our beginning, O God, and you are our end;
You are our hope and you are our path.
Sustain us in your grace that we may live as children of your kingdom
until that day when all heaven and earth are joined
in a single song of praise.
The texts for All Saints Sunday, November 3, 2019 (assigned for All Saints Day, November 1)
First Reading: Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
"Four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever." – Writing to the time of the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the author uses the Daniel traditions to call the community to faithfulness. Four terrible beasts represent four beastly empires, but these will be judged and "one like a son of man," a humane empire, God's empire, will dawn.
Psalmody: Psalm 149
"Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King." – A hymn celebrating God as king, freeing God's "humble" people and vanquishing the kings of earth.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23
"That…you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints." – The author's prayer for the fledgling believers near Ephesus celebrating the work of God in Christ.
Gospel: Luke 6:20-31
"Blessed are you who are poor… woe to you who are rich." – Jesus declares the poor honored in God's sight and the wealthy elite shameful and calls on his followers to live out the values of God's reign: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you."
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Image: dkbonde: Desert light, Stansbury Mountains, Utah


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Video Interview: The Label of the Future
When our electronic ((rfid))-Parking Permit won first place in the "Innovation" category of the 2017 FINAT Label Competition this summer our colleague
Dr. Joseph Adelsberger, Team Leader R+D Base Technologies at Schreiner Group, talked about the label of the future on the occasion of the awards ceremony at the European Label Forum in Berlin – the video is now online.
In a nutshell, he describes the future prospects for our innovative labels: "The label of the future will perform an increasingly large number of functions. Schreiner Group is well-positioned to develop and deliver these customized marking and functional labels. More than 100 developers are constantly working on new and application-specific solutions. The performance portfolio ranges from sophisticated solutions for adhesion to difficult substrates to integrated counterfeiting and tampering protection through to high-tech labels with RFID or other electronic functions. A recently established Competence Center Digital Solutions is working on novel value-adding solutions focused on digital data and integration in networks."
The FINAT Award recognizes the best adhesive labels and related products every year. Some 300 printed products were entered in this year's competition. The ((rfid))-Park Permit developed by the Schreiner PrinTrust business unit convinced the jury with reliable technology and a large number of user benefits. Since September 2016, it has been used for on-street parking throughout Vienna. It significantly reduces the administrative effort for the city as well for inspectors and drivers. Users stick the high-tech label to the inside of the windshield once, where it can remain for years – even if authorizations should change, for instance following a move within the city limits or sale of the car. Even annual extensions of the parking permit are handled with greater efficiency and economy because the "parking sticker" no longer has to be replaced.
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My munchkin is four months old. I can't believe Nathaniel is that old already. The last sixteen weeks, particularly since I have been back to work, have really been a blur. Over the last eight weeks, he really has become a little man and is making great strides developmentally. It really is amazing all that he can do now. He grasps at things with his hands, can "accidentally" transfer things from one hand to the other, puts things into his mouth, sits up well with support and lifts his head when laying on his tummy. His legs are also very strong and when on his stomach he can lift up his bottom and almost scoots his face across the floor. He gets kind of frustrated that his back end is ready to go, but his front end just isn't quite strong enough. It really has been fun to watch him grow. The only bad developmental issue that I think we are running into now is that I am pretty sure that his teeth are starting to bud. A lot of people think I am crazy when I say that, but in the last ten days, the volume of drool he produces has multiplied a hundred fold and he chews on anything he can get in his mouth. In addition he is definitely less smiley and giggly than he was a week ago due to the discomfort. We will find out what the pediatrician thinks on April 8 when we go for his four month appointment. And as you look at the following pictures, yes he is a chunker. Last I weighed him he was a little over 17 pounds. I love all his rolls:)
Here he is "watching TV" in his crib
And here he is sleeping.
Her he is with Opa wearing the Hershey Park hat he got for easter.
And lifting his head…
Unfortunately, in other areas, it has been a bad week for me. Right before heading back to work, I started to have really bad insomnia and developed mild anxiety symptoms similar to what I had experienced when I was in college. I figured it was just nerves regarding leaving Nathaniel in day care and heading back to work after three months, but things haven't gotten better over the last month. Despite the lack of improvement, I kept telling myself I could handle it on my own. When Allen and I decided to try to get pregnant, I was so proud that I was finally able to stop taking the teeny tiny dose of anxiety meds I had been taking since then end of college. After Nathaniel was born I knew that I would be a little more susceptible to postpartum depression/anxiety than your average new mommy, but I was determined to do it on my own. On Thursday the anxiety got to be so paralyzing and physically painful I gave in and headed out to the doctor. It was just too much to not sleep and have the discomfort of having my muscles sit in a tensed position all day. Three days of a teeny dose of anti-anxiety meds later, I am worrying less about stupid stuff and I can finally feel my muscles relax a bit. Typing this at the end of the day is a bit uncomfortable, but it is better than where I was a few days ago. I was totally spent after a day at work and the little energy I had left of course went to caring for and playing with my munchkin. Today was the first time in a while that I had the physical energy to stitch. I pulled out Deb's RR and worked a bit more on it. Here is what I have so far.
It is a really pretty house from The Workbasket Morbid Pities series. I had a great time working on it today.


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Game of Thrones has been very influential in the baby name game. In 2012, after the show debuted, 160 girls worldwide were named Khaleesi.
15. Does a Girl Have a Name?
In England, Arya and Khaleesi are more popular than ever, followed by Tyrion, Sansa, Daenerys and Brienne. More than 300 girls were named for Arya Stark in 2017.
14. Jon Snow's Mother
Before entrusting his beloved series to show creators Weiss and Benioff, Martin threw them a curveball by asking them to identify Jon Snow's real mother. Although Snow's mother's identity had not yet been revealed by the books, Martin wanted to see if Weiss and Benioff had read enough of the books to make an intelligent guess. Weiss said "We had already discussed it. We'd had like a two-hour conversation about it. It was pretty well-trammeled territory for us." They passed the test.
13. Queen Elizabeth II Declined the Throne
Queen Elizabeth II visited the Game of Thrones set but declined to take a seat on the Iron Throne. Elizabeth follows royal protocols about never sitting on anything but the English throne, even in the fantasy realm. Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited filming sets in Northern Ireland, which have pumped $149 million into the local economy.
12. Three Dragon Eggs
Daenerys was given three dragon eggs as a wedding gift when she married Khal Drogo. The producers later gave one of the eggs to George R.R. Martin when he married Parris McBride. As Martin revealed, thankfully no one was killed. "The hearth is Lannister red, but the bride wore Tyrell colors. Unlike most Westerosi weddings, no one was killed and only tears of joy were shed."
11. King Joffrey's Inspiration
Jack Gleeson's King Joffrey is one of the most hated television characters of all time. His sneering, egomaniacal man-child terrorizes the Stark family until he meets his end. Gleeson based his portrayal in part on Joaquin Phoenix's version of Commodus in the movie Gladiator.
The character also resembles real-life sadistic tyrant Caligula.
10. You Know Nothing Jon Snow
Jon Snow had instant chemistry with one of the Free Folk, Ygritte, during the show's first season. That chemistry carried over into real life, with Kit Harrington marrying the actress, Rose Leslie, in June of 2018 at her family's Scotland castle.
9. A Bad Breakup
Actors Jerome Flynn (Bronn) and Lena Headey (Cersei) were romantically involved, but they had a bad breakup. A source from the crew say the two must be kept apart during filming. "Jerome and Lena aren't on speaking terms anymore and they are never in the same room at the same time," a member of the crew informs me. "It's a pity because they appeared to have patched things up for a while, but now the word is they should be kept apart at all costs."
8. Gregor is Three Different Actors
If you've ever watched GoT and thought "huh, the Mountain looks a little different," it's not just because the show hasn't been on for a while. Gregor The Mountain Clegane has been played by three different actors. Conan Stevens was on board for season one, but he was replaced by Ian Whyte in the second season. The character was played by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson for the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons.
7. You've Never Seen the Real Pilot
There is an unaired first pilot that was shelved by the network. "We got everything wrong on a very basic level with the writing of it," said show co-creator David Benioff. Catelyn Stark and Daenerys Stormborn were played by Jennifer Ehle and Tamzin Merchant, respectively. Ehle is a Tony and BAFTA-winning actress. Merchant is best known for her role as Georgiana Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. They were replaced by Michelle Fairley and Emilia Clarke.
6. Might Have Beens
Several well-known actors actually turned down roles in the show, most notably Gillian Anderson. (No one knows which role, but it could have been Cersei.) Dominic West turned down the role of Mance Raydar. Meanwhile, Outlander star Sam Heughan auditioned seven times for various roles, including Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell, but was never cast.
5. Dothraki is Real
Well, as real as other made-up languages from literature. Famous linguist David J. Peterson worked with HBO and Martin to fully flesh out the language, which was released as a Living Language course in 2014.
4. Peter Dinklage the Only Option
Martin said he imagined Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister long before the show as ever made. When it was time to cast for the role, Dinklage was the only person considered for what turned out to be the role of a lifetime.
3. Monty Python Connection
The Game of Thrones pilot was actually filmed in one of the castles where Monty Python and the Holy Grail had been filmed. Three years later, one of the Meereenese warriors makes a reference to the famous farce by yelling "Your mother was a hamster," "Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person," and "I blow my nose at you." All three are Python taunts. However, the character spoke in Low Valyrian, so most of us missed it.
2. An Actual Dead Stag
Game of Thrones pays lots of attention to authenticity. When Twin Lannister is introduced in season 1, he is shown skinning a stag. (The stag is the sigil of House Baratheon, so it is a sign of how the Lannisters are coming for them.) In reality, actor Charles Dance was actually skinning a dead stag with a knife.
1. The End is Known
Although the last GoT book has yet to be completed, Martin has told the showrunners what they can expect. Weiss and Benioff said "Last year we went out to Santa Fe for a week to sit down with [Martin] and just talk through where things are going, because we don't know if we are going to catch up and where exactly that would be," Benioff told Vanity Fair. "If you know the ending, then you can lay the groundwork for it. And so we want to know how everything ends. We want to be able to set things up. So, we just sat down with him and literally went through every character." Fans are on the edge of their seat waiting for the outcome of the series!


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Established in 1978, Taste is women-owned and operated and has provided the very best in catering and event planning services for private and corporate clients in the San Francisco Bay Area for almost 30 years. From an elaborate and very private rock-star wedding in Napa to a Fortune 500 company picnic for 4,000 in Silicon Valley to an elegant, high security sit-down dinner for the President of the United States, our client list speaks for itself. Taste is committed to making your unique event the best that you or your guests have ever attended.
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From the Great Wall to city buses, contactless is finding a home in China
By Andy Williams, Contributing Editor, AVISIAN Publishing
With the Olympics coming to China in two years, the country is in the middle of upgrading many of its programs and much of its infrastructure, including access control, transit systems, and more. This – coupled with ongoing demands that occur as the world's most populous country rapidly modernizes – has the worldwide smart card industry scrambling to grab a piece of this potentially huge market opportunity.
Frost & Sullivan, a research company that provides growth consulting and corporate training solutions, has estimated the Asian and Pacific contactless smart card market to grow from 57.6 million units in 2003 to 453 million units in 2009 for a compounded annual growth rate of 41%.
One of the largest contactless chip providers in China is Philips. Its MIFARE technology is used primarily in transport in a wide range of Chinese cities, but it is also in use for access control at the Great Wall of China and a number of other locations.
Jason Hitipeuw, MIFARE marketing manager with Philips' contactless headquarters in Graz, Austria, estimates Philips has about an 80% share of the chip market in China.
"Philips has a dedicated market segment for automatic fare collections (AFC) and transportation because it's a perfect fit for our MIFARE portfolio," he said. "China is a big focus right now and is one of the most promising regions for contactless. China is simply a huge market for us."
MIFARE is used in more than 80 cities in China. The chips are sold to card manufacturers, which are then delivered to the system integrators who implement them in the system. Interestingly, said Mr. Hitipeuw, many of the cities are using local system integrators rather than the big international ones.
"The Chinese are definitely fast movers when it comes to contactless," he said.
"Philips has been in China since 1995 contactlessly," says Mr. Hitipeuw. "(Getting) contactless technology into the transport AFC systems (in China) was a lot easier than say Europe where you had older legacy magnetic stripe tickets and an existing infrastructure to deal with."
As far as multi-applications go, a few cities are combining their contactless transport cards with student ID cards and loyalty cards, "but not too much is being done on the payment side (because the) total infrastructure just isn't there yet," said Mr. Hitipeuw. He stresses that he believes contactless payment will be an important opportunity for Philips in the future, "the cities (using contactless) have a current view of adding more features, such as contactless payment."
The top 80 cities in China currently using MIFARE have at least a million residents or more. Mr. Hitipeuw estimates the number of chips that were issued in China in 2005 at 120 million.
Larger chips and multiple applications
The Beijing One Card, an automatic fare collection card, "is now using MIFARE 4k because it provides a little more functionality and can handle multi-applications easier," says Mr. Hitipeuu. There are now "up to eight million cards, mainly good on buses and the metro," he adds, suggesting that some 15 million cards are expected to be issued by 2007.
The latest city to use MIFARE is Nanjing. "It's the first city in China to go with our MIFARE DESFire chip, which is the next generation of MIFARE. It has an open triple-DES cryptology, it's faster and has 4k of memory," said the MIFARE marketing manager. As more cities migrate to contactless, or upgrade, he expects more projects in the Chinese market will move towards the newer, more secure chip.
What changes are the Olympics initiating? The country is aware "of how usable and convenient the public transport in Beijing is and how the transport operators make travel and mobility more comfortable and secure with the current MIFARE system," He said. "Any new infrastructure or new subway lines that are put in will also run on the MIFARE chip." China, he said, is also considering the prospect of using contactless tickets to control access to the Olympic events.
Contactless at the Great Wall
That's what the Great Wall of China, which attracts about four million visitors a year, is doing. It started using an e-ticketing system powered by MIFARE in 2004. "They were interested in what they could do to track visitors, how many visitors came to the Great Wall, etc," said Mr. Hitipeuw. The ticket could also serve as a souvenir. Chinese officials wanted to make access to the Great Wall more secure. "MIFARE was really a good choice," he added. Visitors take the one-time use paper ticket, touch it to the gate and walk in, he explained.
The e-ticketing system, which uses Philips' MIFARE UltraLight, was installed by the Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card Co. Ltd., which also handles the city's Beijing's One Card. That makes it compatible with Beijing's existing ticketing system.
Another up and coming application, geared for cell phones, is near field communication (NFC). "We're definitely in discussions with different mobile operators to introduce NFC as an add-on to the infrastructure that's already there," he said. "It's a great lead-in to contactless ticketing and is definitely the next push for us in China." While there are currently no China NFC projects that he could discuss, "I think you can expect to see some interesting news coming in the near future," he added.
Others seek opportunities as well
Philips is by no means the only international company that sees great opportunities in the world's most populous country. Many of the leading players in smart card and identity protection-related industries have established offices or joint ventures in the country. At the same time, Chinese smart card manufacturers such as EastCom Peace and Watchdata are working to capture the business in their own backyard. With so much at stake, the two short until the Beijing Olympics should be quite interesting to watch.
Explore more developments dealing with the implementation of Near Field Communications, a short-range wireless technology that promises to revolutionize contactless identification, payment, access, and more. Click to visit NFCNews.


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This Throwback Thursday, explore our list of 6 retro fashion styles that have made a comeback recently, including bell sleeves, velvet, and band tees, and get inspired!
While some new makeup trends fizzle quickly, others stand the test of time! Join us for a walk down memory lane as we look at some of the top makeup trends of the past few decades!
This Throwback Thursday, join us for a cringe-worthy walk down memory lane as we take a look back at some of the worst celebrity makeup mistakes of the 2000s!
Some makeup looks have truly stood the test of time, such as Marilyn Monroe's red pout and Kate Moss's effortless glow! Join us for a trip down memory lane as we list 5 iconic beauty looks with serious staying power!
Slay your holiday events this season with these top retro holiday fashion trends!
Let history repeat itself with these top vintage beauty hacks that work wonders for your style! Learn the best secrets from the past and add them to your beauty routine.
Feeling nostalgic? Have a blast from the past with the best beauty products from your high school days!
#TBT Halloween style! Check out these SFX classics.
Think today's hairstyles are high maintenance? Have you seen Marie Antoinette's voluminous 'do?
For this TBT we go back to our awkward high school days! Bring on the mismatched foundation….


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Choosing the right ticket platform for your event can be the difference between success and failure. With a fair few different platforms to pick between, it can be difficult to know what's best for your brand. In this blog, I'll be discussing the pros and cons of the most popular ticket platforms to allow you to make the right decision for your event.
How will you direct people to your ticket platform?
Start by considering the different avenues you will use to direct people to your ticket page, depending on how established your brand, the effect of your launch will vary.
Direct to consumer
The first avenue of traffic will be direct to consumers as you actively seek out potential attendees via marketing campaigns. This will mainly be via your socials and in the form of ticket link click-throughs via your Facebook event and any link clicks via Instagram. If you have over 10,000 followers on Instagram, you have the swipe-up ability on stories. If you have a mailing list and regularly use a service such as MailChimp, then you can also mail out for the launch of your event.
As you run marketing campaigns in the lead up to your event you will be directing people to either your Facebook event, your website or direct to the ticket page. This depends on the nature of the ad. You could run an event response, video or photo ad via Facebook to direct users to the event. Any response will result in their 5-10 closest friends seeing the event and is free advertising. Directing straight to your ticket platform via Instagram, Snapchat or an email can result in sales but you miss the free advertising and electronic word of mouth that Facebook provides.
Consumer actively seeking
The second avenue of traffic comes when the consumer is actively searching for an event. This will be during the weeks leading up to the event but with around 80% of traffic coming on the day of the event. These are the spontaneous groups who hadn't planned a night out until the last minute. This is where event discovery is important. You have to understand that everybody is different in their event discovery habits. Depending on age, location and previous experiences, these habits will vary greatly.
Ask yourself this, how do you find out about events? The main demographic for those frequenting nightclubs falls between the ages 18-24 with a majority also being students. Let's say you've just turned 18. You will have little knowledge of the nightlife scene in your nearest city and you're likely to rely on a friends recommendation or a Google search for 'Nightclubs in {city}' or 'Events in {city}'. Compare this to a 24-year-old graduate and the process is entirely different. The 24-year-old will already have an idea for the best venues in the city and will more than likely have the Resident Advisor, Skiddle and Fatsoma apps on their phone from previous events.
To appeal to a wide audience you have to put your event on the right platforms and make sure that it can be found easily. A bit of advice for this is to leave your tickets on sale till at least 12:30am, even later if your event finishes past 5am. The default time to stop selling tickets on Skiddle is 1 hour before the event starts. Make sure to change this when creating your tickets. There's no worse feeling in the morning when you see that there are tickets in the waiting queue.
Choosing the right ticket platform
Now that we've identified the different ways to direct people to your ticket page, it's time to look at the different platforms and establish the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Resident Advisor
I'll kick things off with Resident Advisor. If you're booking an artist in the house/techno scene, you'll be wanting to list your event on Resident Advisor. It functions as both an events listing website and a ticket platform, meaning you can list your event and link to another platform for tickets, although opting to sell your tickets through RA will move you up the ranking for events that day.
RA is for the music lovers, with each artist having their own taggable page. You can also create your own promoter page, of which you can build a following through. Their platform offers discount codes, the ability to set up rep links, pre-registration, detailed entry breakdowns and if they like your line up, they may even do an editorial piece. Their SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) has improved in recent months and they regularly rank in the top 2 pages on Google for queries such as 'Events in {city}'. They will also rank highly for a query of any artist listed on their website.
There's not much to fault for RA, it serves its purpose as a hub, mainly for underground events. Due to its resident focus, it often has the highest calibre of events for each city. There's no obvious way to implement the Facebook pixel although a comment on a forum makes me believe this is possible by contacting your account manager.
Next up is Skiddle. They've been in the game for a long time, acting as a what's on guide for each city. I currently opt for Skiddle as my primary ticket outlet for Trippy Visions, mainly due to the exposure it brings.
Skiddle dominates when it comes to SEO, regularly on page 1 for queries such as 'Events in {city}' or 'Nights out in {city}' and always ranking highly for specific occasions such as 'Freshers week events in {city}' or 'NYE events in {city}'. Their platform offers detailed statistics such as age and gender breakdown, pinpoint locations, customer marketing reports, entry time and Rapidscan breakdowns.
You can also create unique links for campaign tracking, adding a parameter such as '?skcampaign=fbevent' to the end of your event URL to track sales from different referrals. Artists can be tagged resulting in artist alerts been sent out to those who have opted for notifications and you can create groups for your events.
Your listings don't have to be just text either, as well as the event flyer you can choose to display a YouTube video and can embed images straight into your listing using an HTML image tag like the example below:
<img src="{your image URL here}">
Skiddle also gives you the ability to sell your tickets via a Facebook shop or on your own website with simple integrations. You can build and manage a rep network with their rep system allowing you to track sales, incentivise with prizes and email all your reps easily. Finally, you are able to pay for some of Skiddles internal marketing packages, which includes event features and eflyers via email.
Compared to some of its competitors both the Skiddle website and mobile app is somewhat outdated with the user interface needing a refresh. There is no social functionality or promoter page that you can create and therefore no way to build a following via Skiddle. Any customer data acquired through Skiddle belongs to them, which they will regularly use in campaigns for other promoters. Since GDPR you have access to a fraction of the data you had previously, seriously limiting your ability to readvertise to your own customers.
There is no easy Facebook pixel integration, although Skiddle do run their own retargeting campaigns, there's no metric to see how successful these are.
Next up is Fatsoma, a ticket platform that puts the promoter first. Their focus is on helping promoters build a brand as opposed to being just a what's on guide.
With the promoter in mind, Fatsoma have built a platform that's future ready. Promoters and venues can create their own page, allowing users to follow them and request to rep. When somebody buys a ticket to your event through Fatsoma, they automatically follow you. Your data is your own, with the ability to export it if needed. When creating new events, you can choose to announce, sending a push notification to all users who follow your brand.
Any customer data you have permission to use can be imported and added to your following. Their rep network is fantastic, with incentivised sharing encouraging attendees to share the event link via their socials to earn extra cash. Co-promotions are made easy, with multiple pages having the ability to host the same event. Although there's no built-in analytics, they give you the option to add your Google Analytics tracking code, gaining insights that way. Their Facebook pixel integration is simple, allowing you to create audiences via Facebook Ads Manager for such events as page view, add to cart, purchase.
Their latest UX update has improved what was already a visual pleasing platform. The layout is modern and well-thought out. You can add a widget to your website to sell tickets through it and if you don't have a website, they'll set you one up for a small fee. You also have the ability to embed photos and videos into the event description, making your listings more appealing.
Unfortunately, Fatsoma lacks in the SEO department in terms of event discovery. Don't expect your event to be discovered via a Google search for 'Events in {city}' although the SEO for single event searches provides relevant results. Its purpose is more of a landing page for traffic directed via a Facebook event or social network advertisement. Their listings can sometimes be scarce depending on the city and any organic reach will come mostly from those who have the app installed.
Being one of the largest event listings websites that exist, Eventbrite is leading the way in terms of integration. Although I haven't used Eventbrite myself there's some pros and cons to consider.
Eventbrite's main advantage is the integration with Facebook and Instagram that allows tickets to be purchased without leaving the social networks. It has much of the expected functionality of a ticket platform and allows you to customise your event page. Eventbrite has good SEO, appearing high for queries such as 'Events in {city}'.
Although there is a music category, Eventbrite is not your first thought when looking for nightlife events. There is also no rep network to utilise.
Three new players – Fixr, Native FM & Ticket Tannoy
Three fairly new entries to the nightlife ticketing scene and that of Fixr and Ticket Tannoy.
Focussing mainly on the student market, Fixr is a fairly new ticketing platform. From first glance, it appears to have much of the functionality similar to Fatsoma, however, they appear to have a small user base and will find it difficult to convert promoters in the bigger cities to list on their platform.
Native FM
Native FM claims to be 'The most comprehensive guide to music and events, in your pocket". I think Resident Advisor would have something to say about that. Another student focussed platform with the aim of listing only the best events. A limited selection and nothing that makes it unique.
Ticket Tannoy
"By promoters, for promoters". Used widely in London by the likes of Tobacco Dock, LWE, Printworks, Arcadia, Junction 2 and Elrow, Ticket Tannoy provides promoters with their own custom pages and even subdomains to sell their tickets through. Plenty of useful features such as pixel implementation, post-event reporting and statistics. Suited more towards the established brands wanting a more personalised ticketing experience.
Other ticket platforms
There are still many other ticket platforms and I haven't covered most of the live music focussed ones. Here's a list for you to do your own research if necessary.
Where else can you list your event?
Whichever ticket platform you choose, there are a few more options to consider to increase your exposure. One of these is the I'm In app which acts as a what's on guide and gives users the chance to win free and discounted tickets. Event listing on the app cost around £50 per event.
Another avenue to consider are localised event listing websites. You can find these via Google with a search for, let's say "Events in Manchester". Scroll through a few of the pages to find relevant websites to list on and submit your event. Websites like The List are worth submitting to if they haven't imported your event already.
The verdict – which platform to use?
The answer to this is not a straightforward suggestion as there are many things to consider before choosing your platform. It's worth researching your competitors to understand which platforms your target audience will already have an account with. The location and music genre will have a big impact on your choice.
For Trippy Visions, I use a combination of Skiddle and Fatsoma. Skiddle is my primary outlet providing much organic traffic on the days leading up to the events. Trippy Visions also has a large following on Fatsoma, and the announcement features are useful when launching a new tour.
I would suggest listing your event on ALL of these platforms, apart from Resident Advisor if you have not booked a resident. Listing your event is free and even if you only sell one ticket on each non-primary ticket platform, it's sales you perhaps wouldn't have made. Each of these platforms has their own user base, and whether there are 10,000 or 10 people using it on the day of your event, it's free exposure that can result in extra ticket sales.
Make sure to weigh up which platform to use as your primary as selling the most tickets via this platform will move your event up the ranking for that day. If you want your event to be near the top of Resident Advisor for that day, use RA as the primary.
If you are opting for the multiple ticket platform route, you will want to do some research on Qflow. It's a third party scanning app which you can import barcodes from different ticket platforms and scan in attendees with ease.
One final thing to consider is getting an exclusivity deal with a ticket platform. If you're holding events regularly, signing one of these deals can give you a kickback percentage on the booking fee, meaning extra revenue per event. Talk to your account manager about this to find out more.


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The effects of hard water are detrimental to the life of any hot water heater. In this article we've broken down what hard water is, and its effects on your home's water heater. Is Rainwater Considered Hard or Soft Water? … Read More
Spokane Aquifer System
The source of drinking water for over 500,000 people, the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) Aquifer is a natural treasure of North Idaho and Eastern Washington. The Spokane Valley – Rathdrum Prarie Aquifer The Spokane Valley – Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer was … Read More
PCBs & The Clean Water Act
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of man-made chemicals found throughout the environment. Because any human consumption of this contaminant is unhealthy, the EPA and the Clean Water Act work to enforce regulations to protect people from exposure. The Clean … Read More


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GTA Connects College with Gorge Tech Businesses
The Gorge Tech Alliance (GTA) is an industry association to grow the tech businesses along both sides of the Gorge. CGCC and the GTA work together regularly to address workforce and training needs for this key industry in the region. CGCC is a sponsor of the GTA in support of its work, which means that all students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend GTA events for free. You can sign up for the GTA newsletter to learn more about the organization and its regular networking and educational events with those in the Gorge's tech community. Just email Jessica Metta (firstname.lastname@example.com) to get signed up today!


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Mellow Mark feat. Gentleman – Revolution (Bushhouse Remix)
Revolution featuring Gentleman – 15 years of Mellow Mark
In 2002 the world was worrying about globalization, 9-11 and the war on terror in Afghanistan and later in Iraq. At this time Mellow Mark was a newcomer and was touring Germany together with the rising reggae superstar Gentleman on his "Journey to Jah." On this tour, the two artists recorded this "Revolution feat. Gentleman (Bushhouse Remix)".The message of this song is a cosmopolitan and classic: Soul Revolution. A revolution of the heart and an evolution of the spirit. Mahatma Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world"; Mellow Mark and Gentleman advertising the same idea, that everyone should start with changing themselves and then will change the whole world. This is a strong utopia, driven by the hope of a better tomorrow and the survival of mankind in peace and equity.
Mellow Mark and his crew shot the video clip for the original version of "Revolution" as a road trip to places with a revolutionary past in European history: Berlin, Paris, Genua, Madrid, Barcelona. The police in Monaco forced him to leave the country and by visiting La Mancha, Mellow Mark is giving a reference to Don Quixote's "Tilting at windmills." Additional pictures are original footage from the 1967 student revolts. A great video clip, who got the Newcomer Echo Award (the biggest music award in Germany) in 2003, the same year that Gentleman got his Echo Award for his album "Journey to Jah."
Danakil meets Ondubground – EchoSysDub
One year after their last album release "La Rue Raisonne" (October 2016) Danakil is back with a brand-new project which will please all bass music and sound system fans. From this unique meeting between Ondubground and Danakil is emerging a very special project mixing trap music, dub, dubstep and revisiting "La Rue Raisonne's" tracks. Danakil's French reggae takes on a different scale. Balik's engaged lyrics are spread on powerful and modern beats finding a new resonance.
"EchoSysDub" is the first in a row of singles from this wonderful album.
Tóke – Movements
Tóke has just released his brand new single together with Bassplate Records (Italy) titled "Movements" as the last single of his debut album "Wake Up Inna Kingston."
"I'm setting sail casting off today, sharpen my thoughts try not to be afraid. And though I know it's a stormy way I make this step 'cause I feel it's the right one." (Tóke "Movements")
"I'm setting sail casting off today, sharpen my thoughts try not to be afraid. And though I know it's a stormy way I make this step 'cause I feel it's the right one." (Tóke "Movements")
"Movements" is a touching folk-reggae ballad that gives an insight into the Reggae/ Singer-Songwriter's deepest thoughts and fears as he finally decided to embark on his journey to the rough and tough seas of a musician's life. The tune shows Tóke in his most natural setting: him alone with his guitar.
Tóke on 'Movements': "I was so clouded by what people might think for so long it really took me a while to finally accept the fact that I am a musician and I want to do this full time as a profession, knowing it would be hard. I hope this song can inspire other youths out there to follow their passion and jump when they're on the verge of this decision. Because no matter how hard it is – it's liberating."
Felix Rühling – Tondernstr. 14 26127 Oldenburg Germany
Felix Rühling – Tondernstr. 14 26127 Oldenburg Germany
La Redazione


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It's Star Wars Day Indian Country - May the Fourth Be With You Native Style!
Vincent Schilling
Today is May the 4th. To those of us Native Nerds out there who follow the world of the Star Wars movie franchise, May 4th has become a day well worthy of #MayThe4thBeWithYou trending on social media.
So that said, my fellow Native Nerds - May the 4th Be With You, Native style!
This article was originally published in 2017... but a lot has happened for Star Wars since then - thus I made a few adjustments. That said, have you seen the latest trailer Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?
As a self-respecting Native Nerd, I am exceptionally proud of the fact that I have seen every single Star Wars movie more than a few times, and own a plethora of Star Wars paraphernalia (including the original Hans Solo figure - sans lightsabre) and once owned the original Star Wars comic book.
Sadly, like many comic book enthusiasts, a few boxes of my comics, complete with plastic covers and acid-free cardboard backings, made their way to a thrift store because they took up too much space in my parents' garage. I still, to this day, occasionally feel the stomach-ache of that loss.
Before I go too far, RIP Peter Mayhew - The original one and only Chewbacca
Peter Mayhew died last week and had portrayed Chewbacca in every film from 1977 to the 2015 film The Force Awakens - he was a consultant due to ailing health in his last role. He died amidst family and friends at age 74. He was 7 feet 3 inches tall, and for his last role, fought back against being in a wheelchair, to get himself prepared to portray Chewbacca one last time. Blessings to you Peter.
For me, May 4th is the beginning of an awesome few days. We celebrate Star Wars on the fourth, the celebration of our Mexican Indigenous brothers and sisters on the Fifth, aka Cinco De Mayo, and my birthday is on May 6th.
Please also join Indian Country in promoting the awareness of MMIW
Also in the one year since I first wrote this article, we can now all work together to generate awareness for MMIW on National Awareness Day May 5th.
So how do we celebrate May Fourth in Indian Country? Simple...pretty much like everyone else. Perhaps we watch the movies (who doesn't have at least one DVD of one of the Star Wars movies - or even VHS tapes?)
I remember watching the first Star Wars movie in the theatre. I remember those huge yellow letters scrolling away from me in my pre-teen years as the now all too familiar Star Wars theme played through massive speakers. I remember the blasts of the x-wing fighters and the pure beauty of the scenes fought on the Death Star. The ominous flowing black cape of Darth Vader, his explosive voice and sounds of his breathing through his mask.
As kids, we replayed these scenes ad infinitum.
One exciting memory for me was when I was in my mid-twenties and I was working on a movie set as a video assistant and began speaking with one of the x-wing fighter pilots who appeared in the original Star Wars. He explained how all of the pilots shot their scenes in the same x-wing cockpit and they collectively stated they needed something to occupy their hands to shoot the scenes. The film crew installed - of all things, a normal calculator with buttons on the side of the cockpit to occupy the actors' hands.
I was aghast and thrilled. I had found out some insider information. Few in life could ever receive such a precious gift.
Here's a quick story about a previous article I posted in Indian Country Today.
In 2016, I worked with a former correspondent to post a Native Humor piece entitled: Native Humor: The Rez Force Awakens – You Might Be a Star Wars NDN Jedi If.
I created the feature image of the article by combining a Darth Vader / Stormtroopers image, with an overlay of eagle feathers. On the ICT Facebook page, there was a comment similar to "Native people can just throw a feather on something and call it Native?"
I understand the sentiment. But the idea goes much deeper than people might expect - and in my view underlies the importance of regalia, feathers, ornamentation, etc.
You see, I didn't just throw any feather onto the helmet of Darth Vader.
The eagle feather I used was a photograph I took of an eagle feather that was presented to me by a close family friend.
This family friend has just lost their son, Summer Sky. He was a beautiful young man with so much to give this world, but as a result of a very sad accident, he died. I helped the family as much as I could - as a result of my support in their time of loss, I was given one of the eagle feathers that had lain across Summer Sky's chest before he was laid to rest.
I used this eagle feather as the image for Darth Vader's feathers.
Everything in Indian Country in terms of regalia, ornamentation, decoration and more - has meaning. That is why we as Native care so much about appropriation.
So how is this connected to Star Wars?
Because Star Wars is so much more than just a bunch of robots, aliens and the dark or light side of the Force. It is about the beauty of imagination. It is evident that no matter how far your mind can go, it can be re-created for the benefit of accelerating the imaginations of other people in life.
Star Wars taught me that it was ok to dream big. I laughed, cried, and applauded like crazy during these movies. I have loved Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia (RIP Carrie Fisher) and so many others.
I have read the comics, listened to the records, watched the movies and have always dreamed with tremendous expectations and intrigue about the place that took place 'a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."
May the Fourth Be With You, Indian Country.


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This photograph shows an interior page of the 1940 Yucca. To view the entire yearbook on The Portal to Texas History, click "Learn More" beneath the image.
North Texas State Teacher's College. The Yucca, Yearbook of North Texas State Teacher's College, 1940, Arthur Evans, editor, Yearbook, 1940; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61014/ : accessed July 31, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections, Denton, Texas.


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Introduction: Pumpkin Pepita Caramels
Do you want the perfect fall-time treat?
Something soft and chewy?
With toasted, nutty pepitas?
Full of pumpkin and warm autumn spices?
You're in the right place!
By the way, these go perfectly with a cup of coffee...
Ingredient List for Pumpkin Pepita Caramels:
½ cup raw pepitas
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup warm water
4 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Step 1: Toast the Pepitas & Prepare the Pan
In a dry skillet over medium heat, cook the pepitas until they just start to turn brown and start to pop; remove to a plate and set aside.
Line an 8X8 square pan with parchment paper. I always find this a little awkward, but it's necessary. I cut two pieces of parchment paper, both a hair less than 8" so they fit in the pan perfectly. I put the first piece in and crease it where the pan bends and then at the top. I place the second piece in the opposite direction and do the same.
Step 2: Heat the Sugar & Prepare the Pumpkin
In a heavy-bottom, medium-sized pan combine the sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup and water. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar and then let it cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches "soft ball" stage, or 244 degrees F. Do not stir after the mixture has begun to heat (this could cause crystallization).
Meanwhile, in a second saucepan combine the heavy cream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sea salt. Heat over low and allow to warm, but do not let it boil.
Step 3: Combine the Hot Sugar & Spiced Pumpkin
When the sugar mixture has reached 244 degrees F, add the warmed cream and pumpkin mixture and bring the temperature back up to 240 degrees F (this will take about 20-30 minutes). Stir gently and frequently to prevent burning.
Prepare the butter by cutting it into small pieces. Scrape the seeds from vanilla bean pod and set them aside. When 240 degrees F is reached, turn off the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla beans seeds.
Step 4: Pour Into the Pan & Add the Pepitas
Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle the toasted pepitas over the entire surface of the caramel. Don't touch the caramel with your hands, it is very hot!
Allow the caramel to cool for at least three hours, or until set. Remove the whole block of caramel from the pan (using the parchment as handles) and place it on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut the caramel into 1" squares and wrap each one in wax paper or place into paper candy cups.
Store in an airtight container.
Participated in the
Pumpkin Contest
Be the First to Share
Oh I cannot wait to get I to the kitchen!!


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Reduced intracortical inhibition and facilitation in the primary motor tongue representation of adults who stutter
In persistent stuttering intracortical excitability of the primary motor tongue representation is altered with a deviant time course for inhibitory activity in the right hemisphere and reduced paired-pulse facilitation.
Posted on August 4, 2011, in Research and tagged Intrahemispheric facilitation, Intrahemispheric inhibition, MEP input–output curve, Primary motor tongue representation, stuttering, Trancranial magnetic stimulation. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


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I fucking love my boss. She's the best boss I've ever had: she's understanding and supportive, she doesn't buy into the corporatization of education and does so much to protect us from all the bullshit our admin tries to implement at our school (The nursing professors have to clock in when they get to work! Are you fucking kidding me?!).
She's smart and kind without playing favorites. I love her and I will miss her. This is my first post-grad job and it's been challenging and amazing, in large part because of all the things she does and all the things she allows us to do.
What are we going to do without her?!
Tell me everything's going to be ok, GT—help me imagine a world in which an equally awesome boss comes along.


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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Realist or Nominalist: Choose
A Calvinist TA said to me last night : "But the Roman Church has so much from Paganism, how can you stand it?" I replied "The Reformed Church has so much from Nominalism how can you stand it?" he granted me the point and said "I guess you have to pick your poison". While I see Nominalism as the poison of all modern philosophy leading to Nietzsche, Thomism/Neo-Aristotelianism is the only other realistic option. You must choose. Either be a post-modern perspectivist (like Rob Bell and N.T. Wright) or a Catholic Thomist and recant the Reformation.
7 comments:
A couple points of apologia:ReplyDelete
(1) Reformed Protestantism (i.e. Reformed Catholicism) is not nominalistic. We confess that the moral law of God is based on and reflective of the immutable charater of God.
(2) Reformed Protestantism understands that recognizing books as inspired is not the same as making them so. In other words, Scripture attests its own authority.
I would have to disagree with the claim that Reformed Protestantism is innocent of nominalism in terms of moral law. Look at the issue of merit. By only viewing God's sovereign freedom and denying any universal objective standard of holiness Calvin even had to agree with Ockham that "apart from God's good pleasure, Christ could not merit anything'"ReplyDelete
This seems to be a complete denial of an objective morality and real human holiness.
But I freely admit that I just stole that quote from the article I cited, and am wading into much deeper waters than is probably safe.
What you have said is only necessarily true ifReplyDelete
(1) Calvin teaching is the sum of Reformed theology.
(2)Calvin's view on this point is representative of Reformed theology.
All respectable historical theologians should deny (1). While Calvin's teaching is very important to Reformed theology, it is not the sum of it. And on (2) Calvin's view on this point is neither required by Reformed theology nor the majority view.
I tend to think that meanings have words, not the other way around. Does that make me a Nominalist?ReplyDelete
At any rate, I feel I've been moving in the Realist direction as a result of my reflections on the Eucharist. Would believing in the Real Presence lead to a more Realist philosophy?
I'm also thinking that this distinction has a strong impact on biblical translation. For example, compare treatments of Revelation 19:8.
- AnonymousFebruary 2, 2010 at 6:39 AM


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Debates on my Facebook Page: The Rules
So, earlier this week I asked you whether you enjoyed the debates on my Facebook page. Thing is, I asked you for a reason. It's because at the start of this year there was a little skirmish on my page when three people name-called other commenters on a thread about feminism. Now, I very rarely hit the 'block' button (because it's the Defcon 1 of shutting down debate) but on this occasion my repeated requests for civilised chat were ignored so hit it I did.
Thing is, 99 per cent of the time debates on my Facebook page are gorgeous: insightful, funny, intelligent, respectful, enlightening and stuffed with nuance. Yet seeing others barge in to start barking at my customers made me realise that I need to point out a few things. If we are to continue the debate for which Kraken Kreations is known and loved I gotta draw lines in le sand. Believe me when I say my scorched earth policy is primed and ready for action. And if I sound furious, it's because that's exactly how I feel. Here's what you need to know…
No name calling
When I say this it's not because I'm on the side of the people at whom the slur is aimed. If you call someone a potato-faced arsebasket and I object, it's not because I have a deep and abiding affinity to potato-faced arsebaskets. It's because it is nasty, childish, disrespectful and stops discussion in its tracks. And why do I believe this? BECAUSE I AM NOT A FUCKING FIVE YEAR OLD.
It's not about disagreement
If I do remove people from my page it's not because I disagree with them. They would be the actions of a West African dictator and I didn't get that job the last time I applied for it. I remove them because they are rude. There's a difference. Name-callers would do well to learn it. *she says adjusting the military uniform it's assumed that she wears*
It's a happy place!
No really. Kraken Kreations IS a happy place. It brightens the lives of many (or so they have told me), offers hand stitched solutions to really annoying problems, waves a magic wand over periods and offers emotional support to those with mental health problems.
Understand all of this, before you wade into debates on my Facebook page with the assumption that I'm a rampaging fascist pigdog. I'm a 47 year old life-long socialist who sews in a shed because she wants women to have equality. In short, put down your close-to-the surface indignation and read before you shout.
Fetch me my pen!
My business journal has a page that reads, "Come the revolution". Call names and I will put YOUR name on it and attach it to your head with my upholstery stapler.
Both sides now
It is OK to not be on any one side during debates on my Facebook page. You know that trend we've been forced into? The one where you have to be for or against something with no in-between? Don't fall for that horseshit. Instead allow the rational part of your brain to trump the one that's foaming and twitching. It IS possible to understand and support two opinions at once.
For example when I say that I believe feminism is about women that doesn't automatically mean I want to put everyone else to death. Equally, when I say I believe in the power of textile art it doesn't mean I'm about to round up the planet's woodworkers and shove their chisels up their arses. This isn't an either/ or situation. There really are colours between the black and the white.
All in the head
We routinely discuss mental health issues over on my Kraken Kreations Facebook page. You'd be amazed at how many of us struggle with all manner of noggin-ruining conditions. Well, that's when name-calling becomes dangerous as well as infantile. When I was at the lowest point of my breakdown, a stranger hollering names at me would have pushed me into the abyss via my nearest kitchen knife. That won't be happening to anyone else on my stitchy watch so back the fuck off.
All ears
The Kraken Kreations page is a community of amazing people from all sorts of backgrounds, ethnicities and nations. Listen and you might find they're a good bunch with something valuable to offer. Unless, of course, they're calling you a potato-faced arsebasket in which case let me know and I'll put them on that list in my journal.
Go thataway…
You don't like the debates on my Facebook page? Just. Move. On. You do know how big the internet is don't you? That its entirety doesn't consist of Kraken Kreations, Piers Morgan and cats in vases? It means that if you don't like what you see you can find something that you do. You won't hurt my feelings. In fact it'll be a relief because I won't be forced to find the link to this blog post and send it to you while also running up an embroidery of the spleen.
All mouth
If you want to get shouty, go over there. There's loads of shoutiness over there *waves randomly to the right*. Twitter will probably bestow you with a royal title for your involvement, especially if you can provide evidence of how you've offered to ruin someone's life because they, say, like pork pies.
I'm stabby. I work with needles. If you make an ugly comment and immediately feel a pain in your left arse cheek, that's me poking your effigy with a sharpened bodkin. Consequences, people! CONSEQUENCES!
Mama Ru
The whole point of Kraken Kreations is to make life better through gorgeous things, emotional support and the ability to discuss issues enough to move the world forward an inch. As RuPaul would say, "DON'T fuck it up!".
Turning tail
What stuns me about some thankfully rare debates on my Facebook page is this: you can be followed for years by someone who loves your work, chats every day, buys items off you, recommends you to friends, sends you love and Crimbo cards and then… calls you a cowbitch WHO MUST DIE because you clumsily typed a sentence or they don't agree utterly and in perpetuity with your last comment. These people are where intellectual thought goes to die. Don't be one of them.
Good folk
Do you know how kind people are on my page? My customers will buy and send items anonymously to each other when one of them is in need of support even when they've never spoken. Then someone barges in with a nasty name and the nuance of a housebrick falling from 40 feet. I therefore refer you to the scorched earth policy I mentioned some moments ago.
You do you
As I mentioned in the above point, it's MY page. If I want to flood it with photos of otters in pyjamas then that's what I'll do. You want a page where it's the wild west of name-calling? Feel free to start your own.
And another thing…
I can hold a grudge. And did I yet mention that I work with needles?
So, does this persuade you why there'll be no name calling now or ever during debates on my Facebook page? If so, then please come back over. Every day there's bags (literally and metaphorically) of creativity and merriment as well as serious chat about anything from unequal pay to the use of plastic. It's a joy. But if you're not persuaded? If those ugly names are still lingering tantalisingly on your lips? Then I am so far out of welcomes that you should start stockpiling them in your post-Brexit cupboard. The Kraken Kreations page is a good place and I'm fucking keeping it that way. Now, can I interest any of you in a hoop? I think you'll find that the one below has been rather popular…


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Are you looking for free curriculum for Preschoolers? I truly believe that every mom should have the option to teach their preschoolers at home if they truly want to. I've known many moms that have questioned their ability to teach homeschool preschool or if they even have the patience to. God has gifted us all the tools we need to… View Post
Huge List of Free Homeschooling Curriculum
In this post: Huge Homeschool Curriculum List with links: free online programs, online curriculum, homeschool curriculum by subject, preschool curriculum and so much more! Every mom should have the option to homeschool if she really wants to. The cost of curriculum should not hold us back from that. You can teach your kids without going into debt or stressing out… View Post
List of Free Homeschool Curriculum
Homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive…in fact you can almost do it for free. I have compiled a list of some free homeschool curriculum that may help you. Most of these can be used as a supplement resource or for everything. UPDATE: here is The Ultimate Homeschool For FREE List – 150+ links Free Homeschool links Easy Peasy… View Post


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2021 Toyota Tacoma Preview – Toyota has a credibility for launching very qualified tool responsibility pickup. Among their most preferred versions in this group is the Toyota Tacoma. It has actually verified prominent amongst customers throughout the turbulent background of the tool obligation pickup. The Tacoma has actually maintained its allure with the traditional layout as well as ensured ability. Its newest variation is the 2021 Toyota Tacoma. Below is much more concerning it.
2021 Toyota Tacoma Exterior
The 2021 Toyota Tacoma has a hostile, average responsibility outside designing. Its front fascia regulates a durable and also qualified look. The front bumper is very formed to fit pentagonal haze light scoops on both ends of the bumper. The waistline includes a black grille with straight splitters. Right over it is a huge grille. It is made from chrome and also cleaned lightweight aluminum.
With a hexagonal form, the grille is one of the most noticeable areas of the brand-new Tacoma's outside. It protrudes onward and also rests fairly high. This might be a trip to the vehicle's wading abilities. The grille is flanked by a set of LED fronts lights. They contour around the sides of the vehicle in addition to contemporary pickup designing fads.
The hood is greatly formed so regarding suit the huge engine inside as well as additionally include some the rules of aerodynamics to the pickup. The brand-new Tacoma has some fender flares that shield the wheel well. They additionally make the pickup appearance hard as well as qualified. Its side mirrors are chrome layered. They boost the visual look of the vehicle and also supply less complicated exposure.
The brand-new Tacoma has a double-cabin configuration. Its doors are shaped and also approve the vehicle a stylish look. Its back area is equally as strongly styled as the front. The brand-new pickup's backlights additionally have actually LED modern technology.
Its back bumper is remarkably tiny in dimension. It likewise executes the double feature of enhancing grip elevation as well as providing a stylish look to the vehicle. Under the vehicle's backside is a set tow drawback. This brand-new pickup rests on huge 18-inch alloy wheels that produce an enforcing position for the vehicle.
2021 Toyota Tacoma Interior
The brand-new 2021 Toyota Tacoma has actually obtained some updates on the inside too. It has a newly-designed 4 talked guiding wheel that is outfitted with responsive controls on the main area. They permit the motorist to control the auto's systems such as navigating, home entertainment, signs and also fronts lights conveniently. This pick-up has a set of analog dials for the tachometer as well as rev counter.
They are divided by a 3 inch LED display screen that provides even more info concerning the truck. This is a technical touch which provides the brand-new pickup a modern-day look. Located high up on the main pile is an 8-inch touchscreen display screen. It supplies the pickup's residents with very easy accessibility to the infomercial system, cooling setups and also navigating. Owners can additionally communicate with modern technologies such as Apple CarPlay as well as Android Vehicle for songs as well as video clip material.
The screen is sandwiched in between a set of air consumption vents. Beneath it are some handles as well as switches that offer additional control over the car's numerous systems. Its equipment shifter is located short on the mid-section and also 2 mug owners lie behind it. The brand-new Tacoma get is draped in natural leather. You can have it in shades such as brownish, black, grey, navy as well as tan. It can seat 5 travelers pleasantly on 2 rows. Its cabin has adequate headspace and also offers everybody a bird's-eye view of the environments whatsoever times.
2021 Toyota Tacoma Power
This brand-new pickup from Toyota is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine. This powerplant creates 163 horsepower. The engine supplies power to the wheels via a 6-speed transmission system. Additionally, the 2021 Toyota Tacoma includes the part-time 4-wheel drive. The pickup provides 18 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city, 22 mpg on the freeway and also an ordinary gas mileage of 20 mpg.
You May Like To Read: 2020 Toyota Highlander Redesign, Specs, and Price
Release Date & Price of 2021 Toyota Tacoma
The brand-new 2021 Toyota Tacoma will be launched in 2021. Its base trim will have a cost of $24,730. With some extra choices, this cost can increase to $41,473.


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- Recruitment liaison field is now stored differently, so leaders and 2ic can remove themselves as liaisons without being readded. Faction recruitment liaison is set from the dedicated faction screen.
- The autocomplete box on privilege page was fixed to only autocomplete within faction (when character has appropriate privs to view memberlist)
- Cockpit and Travel planner now show sector when in deep space (this is purely cosmetic)
- Fixed alazhi refining pile selecting ownership issue
- Skill point category minimums are enforced when allocating character skill points
- Added link to NPC Inventory skill points icon
- a target="_blank" is allowed on forum html now.
- Fixed issue where repair was granting XP twice in transaction log, and repair now generates better events and error messages.
- Fixed combat hooks not being fired correctly (affecting force quest)


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Fueling the Discovery of a Cure
DALLAS, Texas, November 8, 2014' The DFW Brain Tumor Walk commenced this past weekend to raise awareness and essential resources to fund brain tumor programs and improve the lives of those affected. The walk gives individuals and teams the opportunity to honor and remember loved ones, and to educate the community on the diverse needs of the brain tumor community.VLK Architects joined in on the walk to raise money for the organization and to support fellow employee, Niki Schoessow, Project Designer.
'My VLK family has been such a fantastic support system for me and my husband,' said Shoessow. 'We wanted to help others in our situation. Then the whole office started getting involved and they went far beyond our expectations. It feels good to have such a great group of people who are supporting and rallying for us.'
Today, nearly 700,000 Americans are affected by brain tumors, and many more are diagnosed each year. More than 3,000 people participated in the walk and approximately $170,000 has beenraised in support of the organization. All funds raised will advance strategic research and public policy to improve the availability of new and better treatments. VLK is proud to support the community and contribute to the National Brain Tumor Society in their fight for a cure.


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As part of the German FastCharge research project for which they are associated, Porsche and BMW have successfully tested two fast charging stations for electric vehicles, whose power can reach 450 kW. The fast kiosks currently deployed provide 120 kW.
A Porsche prototype with an elevated Panamera look (close to the future Cayenne coupé ?), With a 90 kWh battery and a cooling system designed for the occasion, was able to be loaded with a power of over 400 kW.
Porsche announces that the experimental terminal allows it to offer a range of 100km with only 3 min of charge on empty battery. On a BMW i3 With a special 57 kWh battery, going from 10% to 80% charge took 15 min.
The connection between the station and the machine is via a CCS 2 port, a format that most manufacturers adopt in Europe.
The system is intended to be compatible with vehicles whose powertrain electric displays a current ranging from 400V to 800V. The experimental station is located in Germany on the A8 between Ulm and Augsburg; it can be used for free.
In addition, BMW and Porsche (for the Volkswagen Group ) are also partners, with Daimler and Ford in the Ionity project to install 350 kW kiosks throughout Europe.


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Rumor Mill Spinning Over Samsung's "Project Zero"
The rumor mill is spinning around Samsung's "Project Zero", which is thought to be its Galaxy S6 smartphone, according to an International Business Times article by Fionna Agomuoh. The level of chatter is indicative of the high anticipation for the device, which most likely won't be released until the spring of 2015.
The most exciting rumor, as Agomuoh notes, is that the device will feature a "dual edge display", meaning it will have a screen curving around the edge of each of its faces. There are also rumors of the implementation of a new design material, in addition to the usual speculation about improved processing power, camera function, etc.
It's also fair to speculate that the device will incorporate biometric technology of some kind. Fingerprint scanners are quickly becoming standard features on even low-end smartphones – which are cutting into Samsung's market share and causing some of its recent business strategy changes – while premium mobile devices like Apple's iPhone are now using other biometric sensors to collect health data. So whatever else Samsung's new device may offer, it will almost certainly be a part of the ongoing biometrics revolution.


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Phone number: 0413 66....
Email: Click to view
URL: http://www.gailbrownephotography.com.au
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Specialising in Lifestyle, Corporate and Event photography. With 8 years experience, a diploma in Multimedia & Photography, and a background in the arts, Gail brings a fresh creative approach.
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Tuesday, 23 March 2010
The reckoning
A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and started to write a pedantically detailed list of everything that still had to be done in order to be ready to present Grillou to guests in mid June as planned. After 11 pages of A4, and with at least as much more to go, I gave up: without even trying I could see that it was as impossible as trying to find the square root of minus one.
We've been working at this now for just over a year, seven days a week, anything up to 14 hours a day. With the best will in the world, I don't think we can up that. And to be honest, I think there's a limit to how long we - anyone? - can go on working at that level. We were doing okay when we were working mainly on L'Atelier d'Artiste - although it's by no means finished, the work there went much more according to timetable, probably because it was effectively a brand new conversion and so was like painting on a blank canvas. But La P'tite Maison has stymied - and continues to stymie - us. Everything we've done there - and that's a lot - has taken three times as long as I'd calculated it would. And it's not just us - The Perfectionist has been working in the dining-room-to-be for what feels now like most of his life, but still has a good couple of weeks to go (and that's with everything going to plan - ha! - and a following wind ...). In moments of despair we've all wondered if La P'tite Maison is jinxed (and in really bad moments, whether it's haunted), but rationally I know it's because the whole area was never really finished in its previous existence and so we're dealing with all the aftermath of, for example, walls that had been plastered but never primed or painted, other walls that never made it beyond the rendering stage, radiator pipes that crossed a room hanging off a beam, and lighting either non-existent or in the most bizarre places (none of which were useful, or even functional). And all the rest, too boring to mention.
To realise that meeting the deadline I've been holding for two years looks nigh on impossible was depressing, to say the least. The other thing it did was make me realise just how tired I was. I was still doing all right physically, but mentally I was exhausted, mainly from holding all those blasted spinning plates up in the air for so long. Another couple of months pushing on at the same rate seemed do-able; another six distinctly not.
And so as those who bore the brunt of my miserable git-ness will testify, I spent a not too pleasant week or so trying to find my way through the whole dilemma. When could we expect to be ready? What would it take? Could anything be simplified or dropped? (No!) Could anything more be contracted out ? (No!) How to let down those people who've already expressed an interest in booking for early summer? How to stop the grass and the weeds from growing? And so on. Round, and round, and round.
Today was a beautiful day - blue skies, early 20s in the shade, birds singing their hearts out - and this afternoon I - radically - took some time out from La P'tite Maison to hoe the potager. And it's funny how going back to the earth puts everything into perspective and makes life seem simpler. Yes, we could choose to up the ante, work 18 hours a day, forget all the stuff about enjoying the process and just get our heads down and do the necessary. That way, we might possibly make ourselves beautiful enough by July. Possibly. That would mean no potager, doing nothing more outside than keeping the grounds under control, no apéros in the garden, no time away from Grillou, no time with friends, no festivals, no swims and probably no sleep. By the time you got here for your Slow Holiday we'd be foutus (look it up!). Now what on earth would be the point of that, either for us or for you? Call it corny if you like, but hospitality for us has always been about the joy of sharing our home and our food with others, not about 'being a business'. Or, we could choose to drop the deadline, breathe, carry on taking pleasure in what we're doing, still work hard but live something of an ordinary life at the same time. Which, of course, is what we came here for. (And I have a sneaking suspicion that in the contrary way of the universe, letting go of the deadline will actually free up the stuckness and let things start to flow again ...).
Eh bien. There's no contest, really, is there? I'm off to sow some carrots.
4 comments:
- the devolutionary said...
We are in exactly the same place (Her Outdoors, who I've just read your post to, says to say she's impressed you're sowing carrots already). Tired. Weary. Exhausted. And giving up the fight to be open for 'business' I've even been wandering around this morning thinking we need a holiday!
It's good to know we're not alone. Have a great summer.
- 25 March 2010 at 11:17
- Kalba Meadows said...
Thanks for that, Alex. You're not alone, and it helps to hear that someone else is there too ...
Sorry to hear that you're giving up the 'fight' but totally understand why - when you have to fight that hard for something it ends up losing the point, somehow - or it takes over your life - don't know which is worse. But it's not easy, is it????
A holiday ... now that sounds wonderful. Sigh. Hang on in there and keep in touch!
- 25 March 2010 at 12:47
- Blog at Bardies said...
Wise words, as ever, Kalba. I just know you'll get there! Bien fait. A bientot, Lola
- 18 April 2010 at 12:54
- Kalba Meadows said...
Thanks, Lola. We WILL get there. I know it too. Mostly.
- 19 April 2010 at 19:43