text:
Collecting accurate information on sexual behavior is vital for monitoring HIV and other STI risk and for evaluating interventions to reduce disease transmission. The use of audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI) provides more privacy than interviewer-administered questionnaires, and therefore may offer a means of improving measurement of sensitive or stigmatized behaviors. Numerous U.S. studies have found that significantly higher levels of sensitive and, in some cases, illegal behaviors (e.g., obtaining an abortion, engaging in same-gender sex, injection drug use or violent behavior) were reported using audio-CASI than in face-to-face interviews or paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaires.1–5
Studies using audio-CASI have been conducted in a number of developing countries, including Kenya,6,7 Malawi,8 Zimbabwe,9 Thailand,10,11 India,12 Vietnam,13 Brazil14,15 and Mexico.16 While computerized interviewing generally yielded higher reporting of risky behaviors than did standard face-to-face interviews in these studies, the findings were not always as compelling as those from studies conducted in the United States. In the developing world, effective use of computers for reporting sensitive behavior appears to depend in part on the types of questions asked, the setting and the study population.
In addition to the many studies that have examined the effect of interview mode on reporting of sensitive behavior, a substantial body of research has assessed the consistency of self-reports in U.S. surveys, both within a single interview and, more commonly, across interviews in longitudinal surveys. These analyses revealed that discrepancies in reporting were not random. Rates of inconsistency varied by respondent characteristics, such as gender, race, education and cognitive ability, as well as by the sensitivity of, or stigma associated with, the activity being reported;17–20 that is, more stigmatized behaviors were associated with higher rates of inconsistency.19,21–23 Few studies have been conducted on the consistency of self- reports in developing countries,23,24 and we are aware of only one that has explored the effect of interview mode on consistency of reporting.6
We conducted a randomized study of audio-CASI versus face-to-face interview reporting of reproductive behavior, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, prior STI infection, and alcohol and drug use among women in São Paulo, Brazil. In a previous analysis, we found that audio-CASI produced higher reporting of risky sexual behavior than did face-to-face interviews at the enrollment visit. Moreover, stronger associations between risky behavior and STI infection were observed in data collected via the audio-CASI mode, with STI-positive women being more likely to underreport risky behavior in the face-to-face interview.25,26 The present study compares the consistency of reporting of sensitive behavior within the enrollment interview and the six-week follow-up interview, as well as consistency between the enrollment and follow-up interviews, by interview mode group.
The current analysis—an ancillary experiment to a randomized study that evaluated home- versus clinic-based screening and rapid diagnosis for STIs among women in a low- income neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil27—assessed whether the use of computerized interviewing yielded more accurate reporting of sexual and other sensitive behaviors.
From April to November 2004, 818 women were enrolled in the study at the Centro de Saúde Escola Dr. Alexandre Vranjac, Barra Funda, a health center run by the Santa Casa Faculty of Medical Sciences. Women participating in the clinic's family planning, cervical cancer screening, mother's group, pediatric care and general services were invited to attend study recruitment sessions, as were women from the clinic catchment area who were approached at community businesses and samba schools (clubs that rehearse and produce presentations for Carnaval parades).
The sampling strategy was dictated in part by the main objective of the parent study, which was to investigate whether women were more likely to be screened for STIs when they were given a home kit versus a clinic appointment. We wanted to ensure that a substantial proportion of participants were not habitual clinic attendees, as those who visit the clinic regularly are likely to adhere to clinic appointments, whereas the goal of home sampling was to increase the number of women screened for STIs by reaching those who did not normally come to the clinic. As a result of our sampling strategy, approximately one-third of all participants had not been previously enrolled at the health center. Recruitment sessions at the clinic included discussion of STI diagnosis and prevention, as well as a discussion of study procedures. To be eligible for the study, women had to be aged 18–40, self-identify as literate (to ensure they would be able to follow instructions for self-collection and testing procedures for the main study),* and not require immediate care for a gynecologic problem.
At enrollment, women were randomly assigned to either a face-to-face interview or audio-CASI. Stratification and block randomization methods ensured that equal numbers of respondents using each interview mode were included in the experimental (home) and control (clinic) groups. After providing informed consent, participants assigned to the face-to-face mode were interviewed by trained research staff in a private room of the clinic. Respondents randomized to audio-CASI were assigned to use one of three computers that were isolated from each other and the main clinic room by protective screens. Both the audio-CASI and face-to-face interviews were conducted in Portuguese.
Audio-CASI respondents received instructions on how to enter responses using a mini-keypad connected to a laptop computer. Although some keys were color-coded to simplify tasks (e.g., moving to the next question, replaying the audio and repeating the previous question), respondents were also required to enter numeric responses to answer questions (e.g., 1 for yes, 2 for no). Respondents listened to instructions and questions through headphones, while reading corresponding text on the computer screen. The audio-CASI program did not enforce logical consistency in the respondent's answers either within or between interviews, that is, there were no data checks (e.g., women who reported never having had sex could report having had at least one sex partner). The interviewing software, developed by the Population Council using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 and Access 97, was pretested among 13 women, and the speed with which the text was read was increased as a result of the pretest.
The enrollment interview asked basic questions about participants' background (age, education, family income, work aspects, marital status, skin color, home ownership, and housing and daily living attributes), reproductive behavior (number of births and pregnancies, any abortions), sexual behavior (number of partners, oral or anal sex, transactional sex), condom use, STI infections, experience of intimate partner violence (physical abuse or coerced sex), and alcohol and drug use. It also included questions about sexual activity and condom use for participants' last three sexual partners. EPI Info 6.0 was used to double-enter data from the face-to-face interview, and all study data were then analyzed using STATA 8.0.
The six-week follow-up interview, which was conducted using audio-CASI for all women, included many of the same questions on sexual behavior, partners, condom use, births, pregnancies and induced abortion. Women received up to three reminders (by phone or letter) to encourage them to return for the six-week visit. This interval gave women sufficient time to either visit the clinic (clinic group) or return their home testing kits (home group), as well as time for the laboratory to process the specimens.
To assess women's consistency in reporting within each of the two interviews, we compared answers to logically related questions about sexual behavior and contraceptive use asked at different points during the same interview. Consistency between the enrollment interview and the six-week interview was assessed using a subset of questions asked at both interviews. For the latter comparison, the analyses differed by whether the behaviors examined could have changed over the six-week interval. Thus, for women whose pregnancy status did not change over this period, we examined consistency in their reports of the number of children ever born, the number of pregnancies and whether they had ever had an induced abortion. Because we did not ask about risky behaviors in the interval between interviews, for those behaviors that might have changed (e.g., drug and alcohol use in the last six months), we looked at the percentage of women who altered their responses in the direction of increased risk behavior. Because of the stratification and randomization methods used, we expected reported changes in behavior over time to be equal across the two interview mode groups, assuming no reporting biases.
Differences in demographic characteristics and reporting by interview mode were assessed using t tests for proportions or means for two independently drawn samples; tests were two-tailed for demographic characteristics because the assignment to group was random, and one-tailed for reporting because we assumed that audio-CASI would generate greater reporting of sensitive behavior. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for inconsistent outcomes in three analyses: inconsistency in reporting within the enrollment and six-week interviews, inconsistency between the two interviews and changes in behavior reported across the interviews. In addition to interview mode, we included the background characteristics measured at enrollment to adjust for differences between interview groups, because prior research in the United States has suggested that socioeconomic status and minority group membership frequently affect the reliability of reporting on sensitive behaviors.17–20
Sample Characteristics
Women in the two interview groups were similar in mean age (27–28 years), family income, marital status, rate of home ownership, and level of computer and ATM use, and also had an average of nine years of schooling (Table 1), equivalent to completing one year of high school (about 10% had 0–4 years of school and another 10% had more than 11 years—not shown). About 40% of participants self-identified as white, and the same proportion said they were of mixed race. Despite randomization to interview mode, the two groups differed significantly on several characteristics (although not enough to affect our conclusions): Women in the face-to-face interview group were more likely than those in the audio-CASI group to work for cash (73% vs. 51%) and to have internal plumbing in their homes (90% vs. 84%), but less likely to live in houses made of brick or cement (11% vs. 18%). Twenty women in each of the interview groups dropped out of the study before the six-week interview, leaving 778 women for the analysis of reporting consistency at enrollment and follow-up. Women who dropped out were not significantly different from those who completed both interviews.
Reporting of sensitive behaviors at enrollment was generally higher in the group that used audio-CASI than in the group that used face-to-face interviews. For example, one-third of the audio-CASI group reported having had anal sex in the last six months, compared with one-quarter of the face-to-face interview group (Table 2, page 170). Furthermore, higher proportions of women in the audio-CASI group reported ever having had an abortion (27% vs. 17%, among those who had ever been pregnant), alcohol use in the last month (64% vs. 56%) and transactional sex (9% vs. 3%). In addition, Table 2 indicates the percentage of missing responses for each measure; while the percentage missing is higher with audio-CASI than with face-to-face interviews, the proportion is still extremely low. (A prior interview mode experiment conducted in Kenya also found that women who were interviewed by computer were more likely to fail to answer all questions; in that study, 15% of audio-CASI respondents refused to answer at least one question, whereas all face-to-face respondents answered all the questions.6)
Consistency Within and Between Interviews
Overall, the proportion of women giving internally inconsistent responses at enrollment or at the six-week follow-up was low for both groups, yet the proportion of inconsistent answers was slightly higher in the audio-CASI than in the face-to-face interview group for all seven conditions at enrollment and all three conditions examined at follow-up; five of the seven differences at enrollment were significant (Table 3, page 171).
Among women whose pregnancy status did not change between the two interviews, the levels of inconsistent reporting of their pregnancies and births across the two interviews were not significantly different by study group (Table 4). However, women who interviewed face-to-face at enrollment had a higher level of inconsistency across interviews than those interviewed via audio-CASI when asked whether they had ever had an induced abortion (11% vs. 5%), which is legal in Brazil only in the case of rape or if a woman's life is in danger. Moreover, the direction of change among women who provided different responses at the two interviews was as expected: Only 2% of those initially interviewed via audio-CASI changed their responses from "no" to "yes," compared with 10% of those initially interviewed face-to-face.
Because participants were randomly assigned to interview groups, we would expect equal percentages of women in each group to report changes in behavior across the two interviews if there were no association between interview mode and reported behaviors. However, in 15 of the 16 reported behaviors, greater levels of inconsistency were found among women initially interviewed face-to-face, and five of these were significant; this suggests that switching from a less confidential interview method to a more confidential one elicits higher reporting of sensitive or stigmatized behaviors. The greatest difference was in women's reporting ever having had coerced sex: Nine percent of those interviewed face-to-face at enrollment changed their response from "no" to "yes" at the six-week interview, while only 3% of those interviewed via audio-CASI at enrollment did so. In addition, significantly more women in the face-to-face group than in the audio-CASI group changed their responses from "no" to "yes" for ever having had transactional sex (6% vs. 3%), having used marijuana in the last six months (4% vs. 2%) and having had a partner who was drunk in the past month (22% vs. 17%). Women initially interviewed face-to-face were also more likely than those initially interviewed by audio-CASI to report an increased number of lifetime sexual partners at the six-week follow-up (22% vs. 16%).
Multivariate Analysis
Logistic regression analyses were conducted for six of the 10 outcomes in Table 3† and for all 21 outcomes in Table 4 (not shown). The five outcomes presented in Table 5 were selected because they are examples of the different forms of reporting inconsistency, and because interview mode was a strong and significant predictor of inconsistent reporting when social and demographic covariates were included in these models.‡
At the enrollment interview, women in the audio-CASI group were more than six times as likely as those in the face-to-face interview group to say that they had had no sexual partners in the last six months but that they had had sex in that period (odds ratio, 6.4); while consistent with the Table 3 finding, this result was only marginally significant. Findings on the other outcome variables were consistent with results given in Table 4, and indicated that women who used audio-CASI at both interviews were less likely to be inconsistent or to report changes in behavior than those who were initially interviewed face-to-face. For example, women in the audio-CASI group had lower odds than women in the face-to-face group of giving inconsistent responses about abortion (0.2–0.4), reporting transactional sex after initially denying such behavior at enrollment (0.3) and reporting a greater number of lifetime sex partners (0.6), presumably because they had reported truthfully when first interviewed using audio-CASI.
While none of the social or demographic covariates were significant in all five analyses, some patterns emerged in both these and the other 22 models that were estimated. For example, between the enrollment and follow-up interviews, mixed-race or indigenous women were more likely than white women to change their responses and report that they had engaged in transactional sex (odds ratios, 2.8 and 10.5, respectively), while women who lived in households with more durable assets were less inclined to change their responses on such behavior (0.7). Women's age was also important: Older women were more likely to provide inconsistent responses regarding three sensitive behaviors (1.1–1.2), independent of interview mode.
Our results indicate that the type of interview—face-to-face or audio-CASI—affected the consistency of reporting both at enrollment and between enrollment and the six-week follow-up. Although overall consistency was quite high in both groups, consistency at enrollment was higher within face-to-face interviews than within audio-CASI interviews, which we suspect resulted from interviewers reconciling discrepant responses even though they had been instructed not to. Furthermore, because participants may sometimes have faulty recall or misunderstand questions, in the absence of consistency checks within the computer program, audio-CASI is likely to generate more inconsistent data than face-to-face interviews. A study of response inconsistency within a single interview among unmarried Kenyan adolescent girls revealed that while audio-CASI produced higher reporting of the most stigmatized behaviors, reporting of sexual activity was more inconsistent in computerized interviews than in face-to-face interviews.6 To the extent that we could explore consistency at the six-week interview, it did not vary significantly between the two groups, which is not surprising since all women were interviewed using audio-CASI at the follow-up.
While the overall level of missing responses was quite low at the enrollment interview, it was higher in the audio-CASI group than in the face-to-face group. Although missing data are clearly not desirable from an analytic point of view, the fact that levels were lower in the face-to-face interviews suggests that respondents may have felt pressure to answer questions, despite informed consent processes that emphasized the voluntary nature of participation. An alternative interpretation is that respondents might have been more inclined to skip tough questions in the absence of an interviewer, who would have encouraged them to answer.
Even in this sample of women, who provided fairly reliable responses to questions about sensitive behaviors, our results suggest that the more confidential the interview process, the more inclined women were to disclose illegal, embarrassing or stigmatized behaviors. For example, consistency in reporting on abortions between enrollment and the follow-up was higher in the audio-CASI group. Similarly, increases in reporting of sexual behavior and drug use between the two interviews were greater in the face-to-face interview group, presumably because of greater willingness to report sensitive behaviors when using audio-CASI at the follow-up.
Several studies have investigated the extent to which reporting inconsistency is affected by familiarity with the interviewer and by mode of interview. In longitudinal studies of drug use, repeated contact with the same interviewer decreased the reporting of sensitive behaviors and encouraged reporting of such behaviors to be withdrawn in a subsequent interview, likely because of an unwillingness to report socially undesirable activities to someone whom the respondent had gotten to know.19,28 This finding, as well as our current findings, is consistent with the conventional notion in survey research that the more anonymous the interview process, the more likely the respondent is to divulge stigmatized or embarrassing behaviors. However, a consensus on this issue does not exist in the public health literature. A small study of black and Latina teenagers attributed the high reliability of sexual reports among adolescents to the interviewers' recruitment of participants and development of close rapport.29 Moreover, an analysis of response consistency in a longitudinal household survey in rural Kenya revealed that answers were more consistent when the interviewer was familiar, a finding that challenges the view that respondents in all settings will be more honest with interviewers who are unknown to them.30
Despite our sample being fairly homogeneous, we observed that the level of reporting inconsistency between enrollment and the six-week follow-up was inversely related to respondents' number of household assets, although this was significant only for transactional sex. These results are consistent with research on the reporting of sensitive behavior in the United States, which suggests that individuals of lower socioeconomic or minority status are more suspicious of the interview process.17,19,20,28 If such respondents feel less apprehensive with audio-CASI, then replacing face-to-face interviews with this method may improve our ability to monitor the health of those who are most in need.
This study has several limitations. First, one of the eligibility criteria for the parent study was that participants be literate, and though the audio-CASI program did not require that women be able to read, they did have to be able to recognize numbers. Second, although women were randomized at enrollment, it is possible that some of the differences in reporting between the interview groups may reflect true differences in behavior rather than differences influenced by interview mode. Because the two groups were similar in makeup, however, it is difficult to imagine that all the differences observed could be attributed to actual behavioral differences. Additionally, although higher rates of reporting of sensitive behaviors suggest more honest reporting, it is possible that some respondents over- reported certain behaviors. Yet a previous analysis of these data showed that audio-CASI reports were better predictors of STI prevalence than face-to-face reports, suggesting that increased reporting of sensitive behaviors is in fact more accurate reporting.26 Finally, because we did not ask about changes in behavior in the interval between interviews, we cannot distinguish between actual changes in behaviors and inconsistency in reporting. However, as noted above, because participants were randomly assigned to the interview groups, we would expect the degree of change in behavior to be similar in the two groups.
This research contributes to a growing literature on the effect of interview mode on the reporting of sensitive behaviors in developing countries. Although our analysis of internal consistency at enrollment suggests that, in the absence of data checks, computerized interviewing might increase random measurement error, particularly in populations unfamiliar with the technology, the results from this study in Brazil—as well as those from other studies in the developing world—demonstrate that it significantly reduces social desirability bias and improves the overall reliability and validity of the data.


text:
Gowanstown Postal Codes
Gowanstown city is located in Ontario, Canada
You can search for the Gowanstown ON postal codes by its streets and block numbers
Gowanstown Area Code is 905/289 and Time Zone is Eastern (GMT -05:00).
Gowanstown is also known as Kurtzville
Gowanstown Postal Code - Ontario
Gowanstown Postal Code is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Canada. Like British and Dutch postcodes, Gowanstown - ON postal codes are alphanumeric.
The first three characters (alpha-numeric-alpha) of the postal code which represent a geographic area in Gowanstown.
The last three characters denote a Gowanstown local delivery unit (LDU). An LDU denotes a specific single Gowanstown address or range of addresses, which can correspond to an entire small town, a significant part of a medium-sized town, a single side of a city block in larger cities, a single large building or a portion of a very large one, a single (large) institution in Gowanstown, Ontario, such as a university or a hospital, or a business that receives large volumes of mail on a regular basis
If you want to send a mail to Gowanstown City, you should use the corresponding Postal Code.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Influence of drugs, I-77: A mother called police at 8:06 a.m. April 9 to report her daughter, driving a white Saab, was under the influence of heroin and driving erratically.
The mother was worried her daughter would hurt someone or herself. An off-duty officer found the car traveling on Oakes Road. Eventually a police officer pulled over the swerving North Royalton driver, 29, on the on-ramp to I-77.
While talking to the woman, the officer said she made slow movements and was unable to find her driver's license or recite her social security number. After failing a field sobriety test, the woman was asked about her mother's claim she used heroin.
The woman not only admitted to using but said she had used the previous night. She also said she had a syringe in her purse. The woman was arrested for driving while under the influence of drugs.
She was also charged with not driving in continuous lanes of traffic and drug abuse.
Receiving stolen property, Wallings Road: An alert officer at 3:06 a.m. April 14 checked the plates of a Ford Ranger. The North Royalton driver, 26, had an active felony arrest warrant. The man was arrested. Also in the car was a Cleveland passenger, 43.
When police searched the truck they found a GPS unit, radar detector and girl's calculator underneath the front seat. Also found were two flashlights and screwdrivers.
Neither of the men could tell the officer how the items ended up in the truck. The officer plugged in the GPS unit, which had a home address in Brecksville. He then called Brecksville police, who showed up at the home to find a Chrysler Sebring parked in the driveway with its door slightly ajar.
The car's owner said the GPS unit and radar detector were missing. However, the resident wasn't missing a calculator. Both men were charged with receiving stolen property.
Theft from auto, Bears Den Lane: Police were called at 3:16 a.m. April 13 to a Bears Den Lane home regarding a theft from a resident's car. An officer talked to a woman, 21, who said she returned home around midnight leaving the car unlocked.
When she went back out to the car two hours later she found items from the center console spread out all over the front seats. Also missing was her wallet, $700, a credit card, passport, cigarettes and the car air freshener.
Police are investigating. There are no suspects.
Criminal mischief, Seneca Boulevard: A woman, 26, called police at 11:18 p.m. April 13 regarding her Berea resident boyfriend, 25, who earlier in the evening kicked the door and broke the apartment's door frame.
He was mad because she wouldn't let him use her car. Police talked to the man, who was charged with criminal mischief. The woman was worried about being responsible for the damaged door with apartment management.


text:
Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Second Breath
Script Analysis of Second Breath
Click on a plot link to find similar books!
Plot & ThemesTime/era of movie: - 1960's-1970's Crime & Scandal - Yes Story of - criminals killing each other Escape/Rescue? - escape/rescue from prison/confinement
Main CharacterIdentity: - Male Profession/status: - thief/con artist Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality - Italian
SettingEurope - Yes European country: - France Forest? - Yes Misc setting - prison - moving train - bar
Writing StyleAccounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths Sex/nudity in movie? - Yes What kind of sex: - kissing Is this movie based on a - book
Movies with storylines, themes & endings like Second Breath
|An American Crime starring Ellen Page, Hayley McFarland, Nick Searcy
|La Carapate starring Pierre Richard, Victor Lanoux, Raymond Bussi�res, Jean-Pierre Darras
|Escape From Alcatraz starring Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan
|The Killers (1964) starring Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Angie Dickinson, Clu Gulager, Ronald Reagan, Claude Akins, Norman Fell
|Le Samourai starring Alain Delon, Fran�ois P�rier, Nathalie Delon


text:
LAS VEGAS — Adult Source Media has announced the release of the latest erotica film from X-Art.com, "Bound by Desire," available this week at retailers and distributors worldwide.
Aubrey Star plays a seductive secretary who works for a wealthy young businessman (James Deen). One morning, as usual, he is so entrenched in work that he barley notices her. Star decides to seek out punishment and pleasure from her dominating boss.
The "Red Fox" later engages in rope play before taking on Keira and her husband, who are looking for a ménage à trois with her. Keira gets tied up, ankles to wrists.
Featuring six scenes, "Bound by Desire" emphasizes aesthetic beauty and the raw intensity of tied-up fantasy play. For more information on "Bound by Desire," visit AdultSourceMedia.com.
For domestic and international DVD sales, contact firstname.lastname@example.com. All licensing and broadcasting opportunities can be referred to Jim Crawford at email@example.com.


text:
DRAFT PAGE update
Providing information on organic food and farming in Wales
Information for schools
Information for schools
Organic Centre Wales is actively involved in education in Wales, working with the Welsh Assembly Government, providers of food and farming education, teachers, farmers and schools. Please contact us to find out more.
Organic farming in WalesOrganic farming is an important part of the Welsh landscape. There are over 1000 organic farms in Wales, ranging from smallholdings to large estates, and 8% of the total land area is managed organically.
Organic farms in WalesThe majority of Welsh organic farmers, around 80%, keep cows and sheep for meat production. Dairying is also important especially in the southwest and northeast, and there are smaller number of farms producing poultry, pigs, cereals, vegetables and fruit. Some sell directly to the public, offer holiday accommodation or welcome school visits, so you can get in touch with them direct. Many have their own websites.
The organic food chainSome farms have farm shops or sell direct to the public through box schemes or on the Internet. Most farmers though sell their produce to organic processing businesses, such as butchers and meat retailers, dairies, egg packers and vegetable wholesalers. These processors are certified organically and have to keep careful records so that they can be sure that food in the shops really is organic.
The Welsh GovernmentThe first Welsh Organic Action Plan was launched in 1999, and the Welsh Government has been supporting the organic sector ever since. It funds an advisory service for farmers who are thinking of going organic and it makes payments to organic farmers under the Organic Farming Scheme. It also provides information for the whole sector through Organic Centre Wales. For more information see the policy page.
Further informationIf you want to find out more about organic food and farming in Wales, the UK and beyond, here are some useful links.
Soil Association
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
Organic Centre Wales, IBERS, Gogerddan Campus
Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB
T:01970 622248 E: email@example.com


text:
The town of Ucluelet is your gateway to Barkley Sound. The world famous Wild Pacific Trail traces the rocky outer coastline of the peninsula, from Amphitrite Point lighthouse toward Pacific Rim National Park. See migrating whales, massive winter surf, ocean vistas, stunning sunsets and tidepools galore. Just 40 km southeast of Tofino, Ucluelet provides easy access to Bamfield, the Broken Group Islands and the West Coast Trail.
Tofino Bus offers express bus service from Ucluelet to Tofino on its northbound route and to Port Alberni, Nanaimo and Victoria on its southbound route. Tofino Bus leaves Ucluelet from Murray's Groceries at 1738 Peninsula Road.
Check our bus schedule for information about arrivals and departures in Ucluelet.
Ucluelet Trails and Attractions
Wild Pacific Trail
The pride of the Pacific Rim, three trail heads offer cliff-top views of the coastline. Choose from section 1 (2.7 km 'lighthouse' loop), or section 2 and 3 (a 4 km one-way trail between Big Beach and the bike path at the edge of Ucluelet). All sections have stunning ocean views, private beach discoveries and forest trails.
Pacific Rim National Park
Willowbrae Trail
The secret trail to the back end of Florencia Bay, one of the warmer beaches, lay in the sun at either Halfmoon or Florencia Bay.
Bog Trail
An easy fascinating trail through a stunted shore pine bog. Wheel chair accessible boardwalk.
Nuu-chah-nulth Trail
Links Florencia Bay and the Wickaninnish Centre. Signs explore the history and culture of the First Nations people who settled this coast thousands of years ago.
South Beach Trail
1.5 km round trip leaving from the Wickaninnish Centre.
Wickaninnish Centre
Tthe interpretive trail for the Pacific Rim National Park and the trail head for many hikes.
Rainforest Interpretive Trail
Old-Growth forest with two 1 km interpretive boardwalk trails.
Combers Beach to Wick Centre
An amazing beach walk that is often uncrowded.
Long Beach
The name speaks for itself. The largest attraction in the area.
Schooner Trail to Long Beach
A forest/beach combo that is the most popular trail in the park.
Ucluelet's proximity to amazing surf beaches of Long Beach and Cox Bay, makes it a great spot to experience the Canadian surf paradise.
The Beach Bus works with the surf schools and surf rental stores in both Tofino and Ucluelet to get you and your gear to the best location.
Whale and Bear Watching
Ucluelet and Tofino offer endless opportunities for nature cruises in both Barkley and Clayoquot Sound. A day on the ocean is a must-do to fully enjoy this marine environment.
Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet offer excellent charters for both saltwater and freshwater angling. Salmon are the most famous fish on the coast, but halibut and bottom fish are also plentiful.


text:
A group of professionals who have gained many skills and experiences that will help you discern what goals make sense for you and to help you chart a path of attaining them. Drawing on a lengthy career in the corporate sector ranging from international commodity marketing, the IT industry, oil field services and the non profit sector, we bring valuable insights and experiences to help you move forward in your path.
Goal setting is generally easy but finding the ways to achieve your goals can be challenging. By making sure your goals align with your values and by breaking things down into manageable actions (the old walk before you run thing), you can see real difference in your life.
Please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com or call at (587) 897.2880 and we can get started today.


text:
Standard III – Cult of Death is the third installment in the suspense/thriller series featuring MI6 agent William Shanahan and operative Jack Gawain. It picks up where Standard II leaves off, with Jack Gawain and his new sweetheart Lucretia Carcosa enjoying a hiatus in Greenwich Village. Only the CIA have determined their whereabouts and bring them in for a briefing. They are given the option of deploying to Iraq in a search-and-destroy mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Under threat of prosecuting Lucretia as the Black Queen of the Citadel, the couple reluctantly agree.
On the European front, William Shanahan's turbulent marriage with Morgana Mc Laren results in his enrollment in Operation Death Cult. He is teamed with MI6 assassin Jessica Anderson and deployed to Iraq in an investigation of reported chemical weapons being stockpiled by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and ash Sham). They are assigned to work alongside Glenn Frantz and Debbie Cantor, American expatriates working for the Mossad. Shanahan and Frantz pose as American Muslims volunteering to join the jihadist forces in the region. Debbie and Jessica work undercover beneath Islamic veils, negotiating the misogynistic society in trying to infiltrate the infrastructure. It is not long before Jack and Lucretia make contact, and it results in a powerhouse team going head-to-head with the vanguard of a global caliphate.
Once again the focus is the heart and soul of Western civilization as New York, London and Tel Aviv are the targets of ISIS' biological attack. Grand Ayatollah Qom Diabolus has assembled a death squad of foreign mercenaries who have been charged with masterminding the terror operation. Lucretia counters by reuniting the members of her disbanded Citadel in taking on the Hammer of Allah. Yet the women are as much in danger of death as their male counterparts, who are faced with the possibility of discovery and a grisly execution at every corner.
The series continues to explore the geopolitical ramifications of mainstream issues as the United States remains the target of extremists determined to undermine the core of Western civilization. We see how the United Kingdom is drawn into these conflicts as America's most important ally. Israel becomes the ultimate objective as the terrorists are sworn to capturing Jerusalem and annihilating the Jewish state. There is also the narrative discussing the conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims as well as the Kurdish tribes who populate the region defining Syria and Iraq as well as neighboring Iran. The agents deal with the problem of interacting between the factions while not alienating any of the parties involved. Only they, like the native population, realize that to get caught on the wrong side can result in sudden death.
The precarious partnership between Shanahan and Gawain is rekindled as they realize how effective they are as a team. Yet they are forced to make room for Glenn, who fits somewhere in between by-the-book Shanahan and the chaotic Gawain. This is mirrored by their female counterparts as the ruthless Lucretia and the volatile Jessica find balance in the presence of the cerebral, calculating Debbie. Both threesomes join forces in an all-out effort to end the extremist threat before it can paralyze the world entire.
This is a non-stop rollercoaster ride careening out of tomorrow's headlines. For suspense fans and thriller fans alike, Standard III – Cult of Death is one you won't forget.


text:
One of the few sporty composite sailing yachts on the market today, Bliss is the ideal Bucket racer or performance world cruiser. Featuring a contemporary Design Unlimited interior with accommodation for up to 8 guests in 3 cabins.
The Peak
Southeast Asia based superyacht chefs take a crack at local delicacies while entertaining high net worth guests from around the world.
Launched in 2010 by Yachting Developments, New Zealand and hailing from the design boards of Dubois Naval Architects, the award-winning 36.8m (120ft) BLISS has outstanding sailing performance.
* Prix converti dans la devise choisie dans un but comparatif selon le taux de change actuel.
Tous les détails sont considérés corrects mais ne peuvent être garantis


text:
ESADE (Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas) was founded in 1958 as an independent non-profit institution. It became part of Ramon Llull University in 1995, and today operates on campuses in Barcelona and Madrid. Its MBA programs have occupied its Barcelona Sant Cugat Campus since 2009. The school is regularly ranked among the top international business schools, and was among the first to earn the three most prestigious accreditations: AACSB International, EQUIS, and AMBA. ESADE focuses on three core academic areas—education, research, and social dialogue—all with a global perspective. Its nearly 60,000 alumni are considered school ambassadors of these values in more than one hundred countries.
Get all of this info to read on the go! Download the ESADE School School Snapshot PDF.


text:
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Those Two boys
9 comments:
- "meg"ha punater said...
Love those two boys and those lilies and that cat.
You have been a great inspiration, thank you.
- October 27, 2011 at 4:15 PM
- Perfect Witch said...
- October 27, 2011 at 9:00 PM
- pRiyA said...
Megha: thank you dear! you too have been an inspiration to me through your work and your thoughtful gestures.
Perfect Witch: thank you very much!!!
- October 27, 2011 at 9:11 PM
- Lemon said...
I like your drawings, really.
- October 27, 2011 at 10:44 PM
- pRiyA said...
Thank you, really.
- October 27, 2011 at 11:24 PM
Awww... this is beautiful.. the drawing of those 2 boys. You gave them the gift of paper and pens and in return they gave you the gift of an experience that inspired you to capture it!
This is such a beautiful story.. love it!
And I will second Lemon, I too like your drawings, really. :-) They have a certain raw energy to them...
- October 29, 2011 at 9:20 AM
- pRiyA said...
Thanks a lot Pallavi! The 'raw energy' compliment is much appreciated :-)
- October 29, 2011 at 10:02 AM
- Sound Horn Please said...
Priya- I must confess, so great was my desire to wear a saree.. That my 1st year here, I actually wore it around the house a whole evening! Hahahaha! I absolutely love the cat sketch- how you've managed to capture the laziness..
- October 29, 2011 at 11:57 PM
- pRiyA said...
Sound Horn: I must loll around home in my sarees again : )
- October 30, 2011 at 10:41 AM


text:
Decision Support Systems (MIS)
Decisions cannot always be intuitive and less so in businesses that are large and spread across geographies. Decisions have to be backed by accurate data and astute analysis. We build Management Information Systems that help organizations take proactive decisions. We are experts in transforming an 'Excel-Worksheet' based system to a sophisticated yet easy to use automated solution.
Maintenance & Facility Management
The Middle East is the hub of innovation and the grandeur of its buildings and monuments is hard to rival. The region's climate, its multi-national population and emerging aspirations put a great demand on companies offering maintenance and facility management services. emQube empowers these companies with a suite of software solutions that help them to offer service excellence at competitive prices. The software enables service providers to attain higher level of customer satisfaction and meet service level goals.
UAE is an emerging retail destination with the largest retail space in the Middle East and is competing with global cities for retail supremacy. Retail technology helps companies increase footfall and keep the cash registers ringing. emQube develops solutions that help retail shops attract more customers and reward them for their loyalty. Using interactive display technology and wireless solutions we enable retail shops to learn more about their customers and tailor offers suited to different customer profiles.
The global trend for online-commerce is catching up in the region as witnessed by the increasing numbers of customers willing to buy online or conduct online business transactions. emQube offers solutions built on proven open source platforms like Magento and Open Cart. We can web-enable a host of popular segments such as tourism, flowers, entertainment, apparels, cosmetics and electronics. We can also develop bespoke solutions for online payment and financial transactions.
Salesmen Performance
Salespersons are regarded as the breadwinners of any organization whether it sells a service or a product. The marketing efforts have to culminate into sales and organization try various methods and tools to boost sales performance. Traditional Lead Generation, Sales Tracking and CRM systems are either too complicated or deliver very little effective results. emQube develops simple and effective solutions that expect very little input but provide deep insights into salesmen performance that help organizations to gain maximum sales.
Food & Beverages (Restaurants)
Our partnership with Titbit Inc, enables us to offer solutions for restaurants, clubs, stadiums, self-serve chains. The digital menu solution integrated with the Kitchen Order Systems (KOT), and POS adds a new dimension to technology assisted customer experiences in the F&B industry.


text:
Source: Admiral Markets MT5 with MT5SE Add-on
The Gold made a huge push to the upside reaching 1356 zone before it dropped to 61.8 fibonacci and W L4 confluence. At this point the Gold is at crossroads. There are two possible scenarios. The price could spike from the POC zone 1323-1326 towards 1335 and 1342. In that case a clear 4h close above 1342 is needed for a further push towards 1356. The second scenario is the breakout and close below W L4 -1323. The drop could target 78.6 and 88.6 fibs at 1317.76 and 1312.81 respectively.
W L3 - Weekly Camarilla Pivot (Weekly Interim Support)
W H3 - Weekly Camarilla Pivot (Weekly Interim Resistance)
W H4 - Weekly Camarilla Pivot (Strong Weekly Resistance)
D H4 - Daily Camarilla Pivot (Very Strong Daily Resistance)
D L3 – Daily Camarilla Pivot (Daily Support)
D L4 – Daily H4 Camarilla (Very Strong Daily Support)
POC - Point Of Confluence (The zone where we expect price to react aka entry zone)
Best wishes,
Follow Admiral Markets on Facebook – @AdmiralMarkets on Twitter – for the latest market updates.


text:
Cruising Down the Avenue
I guess motor cycles were my first motorized love. But as I moved along in life I just liked fast, great handling cars. I tried many, moving from English then Italian, German and then back to English. I found Jaguar in about 1974, namely a 3.8 liter straight six; what was called a MK II "S" sedan. Without going into all the details I became convinced this car was for me. Great handling, all around comfortable cruising car. A car you never get tired of driving. Given the name "The Lead Sled" because of its tendency of sliding around a turn under power. Needless to say I have driven these cars all my life, now having the last of its breed 1986 XJ-6 4.2 liter sedan. The car took many models but was the same car for over 25 years.
I sit back light a nice cigar put in some good tunes and cruise down the road. I find this very enjoyable, don't known, don't care, it makes me feel good. Almost a form of meditation, a simple task to do while I'm thinking about whatever. Life passes by sometimes too fast and to have something to enjoy and make you feel good is actually a blessing, no matter how simple it is.
Cruising Down the Avenue
©W.F. Horton 11/10/2012
©Multipoint Publishing Inc. 2012
The sky is bright, the air is sweet, my woman is by my side,
And I'm cruising down the Avenue
As we pass on by my cat growls, as I shift into overdrive,
Cruising, cruising down the Avenue,
Down the hi-way the wind is by my side, a sea of solitude,
If the wind could talk it would whisper what I wanted to hear,
We ooze on down the lane
Cruising, cruising down the Avenue,
We travel by day and into the night guided by a distant light,
Our given green destination, high on a hill, and we will see it tonight,
Cruising, cruising down the avenue.
Much to Do
©2012 W.F. Horton / Multipoint Publishing Inc.
The morning ___ peaks in ___to see me ____ say __ __ hello ;
Day __ by __ day __ I __ face what's ___ before me
Good or bad __ whatever __ needs __ to __ be __ done
So __ shine __ on __ me__ shine _ on _ me ____ till __ it's __ done
Work __ your __ magic __ on ___ my __ soul
Much __ to __ do ___ much __ to ___ do ___ Today 2X
Turn and turn ___ the __ seasons __ pass
Time __ and __ place __ a__ path __ will __ set__ you __ free
A __ journey __of__ the__ mind for __ you __ and me
The __ best __ things __ in __ life, __really __ are __ free
The__ blessings __ of __ a __ loving ____ heart
A __ spiritual __ companion __ from __ the __ start
Love and __ compassion __ set __ the __ stage
A bond of __ spirit __ to fend off __ the __ material __ world
So __ let __ it be __ you __ me
A Call in the Distance
By W.F. Horton
©2015 Multipoint Publishing Inc
Echo's___ ram__dom__ly __ slip into the __the __ tide__
Ripples__ of__ loni_ness __in_ a __place __ they __ hide
Call in the_distance__ a __ spaceless and __ soundless void
Long __distance__ call__ to my __heart
Emotions _evade __the__ wims__ of __time
Fighting __the__ distance __for what __is __mine
Till __the_ end _of days__ in the _final- point ___of _the haze
I will never__ give up__ the gift__ of my__ days
Call __in_ the__ distance __Long distance call to my heart
Time __slips __ away__ but__ not _to__ fade__ away
Day __ by __day __ keep_ the___ watch
Always ___keep__ the watch__ of_ the_ approaching__ time
For __what__ I do___ I __keep __ and it ___is_ mine
Sounds __in _the__ distance__ cry __out __to be __heard
A__ journey__ of__ existence__ till_ the__ end
Till __ the end ___of_ days
When__I __can __see __beyond___ the__ haze
repeat and fade
Your Love takes me higher
By W.F. Horton 4/17/2005
©Multipoint Publishing Inc.
Higher ___ Higher ___ :|| Take me higher ||:
You take me higher___ with your love
Across the night sky___ A shadow __ of milk and blue,
The goddess of the night sky ___ light ___ of desire,
Take my hand and dance___ take me higher,__
:|| Take me higher||:
You take me higher___ with your love,
You're the wind in my hair___the whispering muse __ of the mist,
Pounding heart of desire___ rising__ in the passions you sire,
:|| Take me higher||:
You take me higher ___ with your love,
Gazing__ I fall into your eyes___ they welcome my soul,
A journey we begin ___ sets the rhythm __ of delight,
The ying and yang of life___ the gift__ of your love,
:|| Take me higher||:
You take me higher___ with your love,
Hand in hand __ we travel___ the wims __ of time
Culmination of truth __ and love,__ the destination of souls_ __ locked __in desire, __ take me higher
Take me higher ___ with your love,
Oh My Darling
W.F. Horton 6/9/2013 ©Multipoint Publishing Inc.
Oh __my _ Darling,__Walking__ my__ way
Casting __ your __ spell __ in__ a __ physical __ Ballet
Step __ by __ step __ the __ hi-lite __ of __ day
The __ natural __ rhythm __ of __ your __ sway
Really __ makes __ my __ Day
Take __ my __ hand __ as __ we __ journey __ into __ dance
Guitar chorus
Hand __ in __ hand __ we __ embrace __ the __ dance
The __ burning __ joy __ of __ our __ romance __
Heart __ to __ heart __ the __ beat __ we __ share
An __ intimate __ embrace __ of __ a __ love __ affair
Our __ souls __ float __ as __ we __ drift __ away
By __ the __ thoughts __ of __ another __ day.
Guitar chorus
Background story for Endless Glide
©2009 W.F. Horton, Multipoint Publishing Inc.
I started with motor cycles in the late sixties, working in all places a motorcycle shop; not many bikes on the road back then just bikers and the police who road the same Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It was very liberating to fly down the road with the wind in your face and endless enthusiasm for riding. I ended up with what is known as a chopper, a motorcycle composed of many parts from different years. The bike started out as a 1936 flat head 80 Harley Davidson delivery bike found in an old tobacco barn under a hay pile. It had been set up for hill climming (Really) Rebuilt the engine using ford truck parts (intake and exhaust valves) and forged pistons out of a Porsche engine, assembled the bike with the motor and transmission in a 1946 knuckle head rigid frame ( no suspension) 1950's vintage wide glide front end with ten inches over standard fork length, eight inch risers and "Z" handle bars (see picture) The bike was a mixture of many parts but it was a pleasure to drive, very comfortable even on long rides. A real mutt but very dependable and fast. In fact it was the bane of many a pan head and late model shovel heads, after riding with me they brought their bikes in for a rebuild. Being out done by an engine that didn't quite look right and was able to keep up with their bikes.
A motorcycle comes very close to having a great horse that loves running it's heart out first thing in the morning.
In the late sixties things were a little different on the road. Trucks paid little attention to other cars on the road let alone motorcycles. If you didn't move out of the way they would just about run you over, so with this situation between people in cars not seeing you and the truckers attitude you learned to ride very defensively just to stay alive.
Luckily I was tutored by a retired motorcycle cop from the thirties so the style and defensive moves he taught us seemed simple at the time but when the occasion came up to use these techniques they literally saved my life many times. I only rode in the winter it was just my favorite time to ride early in the morning when it was cold, bright and clean. At the right speed it felt like you where in the wind and floated on the currents. I had the misfortune one time to go down a patch of black ice I didn't see, as the bike went down I somehow stood on the side of the bike while holding on to the handle bars, as the bike slide down the road, I jerked the handle bars back as I was told to do, the bike stood right back up I sat down and continued down the road. This was one of the many experiences of riding that slowly formed your riding habits. You slowly learned the physical nature of the beast so to speak and what it took to glide down the road.
Thoughts on an Endless Glide ©2009 W.F. Horton, Multipoint Publishing Inc.
The living force of the early morning sun, as it slaps your face. A blissful ride on a ribbon of solitude out into the morning brightness. The greeting of the morning dew as it sits on your face and fades into the burn of the first sunlight. A Baptism of experience in what will become of the day, till the sun sets. Reflections of light that only glistens in the early morning. The sound of the wind against the growl of a two cylinder motor that is still waking up to the winter chill. The mechanical heart pumps the sound, the tune echoes into the mist, the perfect sound. The vibrations set a path both physically and spiritually as you glide into an unknown experience. A simple thought who knows but the ability to use simple actions as means of meditation, feeding your spirit is a different matter. A path opens as you sit into the glide, whether its mystic or not is up to your own musings. The opportunity is there in all the physical characteristics of riding and the solitude of your soul in the wind. The actions seem to give you wings as you ride, thoughts rise and meander as currents carry your spirit, and under a blue sky, time seems to stand still. Emotions flood your thoughts as if you use them as a compass and strike out to a point of uncertainty. Life can seem like the weight of a stone when the illusions of existence sometimes make no sense with the actions you are faced with. Like the steel you ride, you forge your life by the actions you take, the mark you leave on your surroundings, your family, your honor. Acting with the right intentions comes with a great deal of anxiety, its unbelievable that such a simple action as a morning ride can refresh your soul. The moments spent in positive thought reinforce your attitude on the actions you take, and as you fade into the sunset your ride continues into the next level, the ribbon of endless time.


text:
Marriage is an amazing, wonderful roller coaster. Seriously, we can't express enough just how awesome it is, or how many myriad benefits it offers — so we're letting our married readers do it for us. Here, eight married men and women get real about what they love most about being married.
I love all the little things.
"The little things are in reality the big things, such as holding hands, sharing our stories and thoughts about each day, having breakfast and dinner together, taking trips, and going out for coffee or a movie. I don't take these things for granted, and try to appreciate the great life we have built together." — Paige
I love the independence marriage gives me.
"Most people would say that marriage takes away your independence, but they're not looking at it correctly. A happy marriage allows you to be yourself and keeps you from having to put on a show for others, like you did when you were dating. My feeling is that the independence that marriage gives you far out weights the independence that most people feel you lose with marriage." — Rob
I love the consistency.
"It's nice to be able to keep building a relationship with the same person where you keep gradually growing closer together. You become better friends, have more inside jokes, build trust, and know that no one else understands you better than they do. I remember when I was still dating being so frustrated every time a relationship would end and I would have to start over." — Britt
See More: 9 Things All Healthy Marriages Have in Common
I love that I married my best friend.
"I love being married because I get to hang out with my best friend all the time. My wife loves sports, dogs, road trips, has the same slightly immature and dirty sense of humor as I do, and is constructively supportive of me in every way imaginable. We really make a great team, even down to chores." — Jesse
I love that we complete each other.
"For as different as we are, we complete each other. We have even grown to be a little bit more like the other person over the years. We work together like a well oiled machine, and it's bliss." — Eve
I love that it makes me a better person.
"I have had someone by my side to rub against me like soft, ever-so-gentle sandpaper for 22 years. This constant rubbing has helped to smooth out some of my roughness, and has left me a more compassionate person. Marriage can make you a better person if you allow yourself to mature and become more introspective." — Stephanie
I love that marriage made me a parent.
"Being parents to our daughter has made our bond even closer. We have a common vision of how are daughter is being raised and it allows us to strike up conversation about activities, trips and ideas that bring our vision to life. Parenting is an investment that we gladly make together, and the rewards are abundant for our marriage and our daughter." — Rob
I love the security.
"I love the security in partnership. My husband is my true partner and he stands by my side or carries me through anything that life has thrown at us. We have lost a child, moved states, and are currently going through a high risk pregnancy. Not once have I felt alone or overwhelmed. We step up when needed and never keep score. Nothing is impossible with him by my side." — Shreeda


text:
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Sentmental Saturday: Aunt Elizabeth "Bessie" Williams
Aunt Elizabeth "Bessie" Williams was born in about 1882 to Hannah Moore (1863) and Andrew Jackson Jr. (1863) in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. According to testimony given by her mother, Hannah, in the Civil War pension file of her step-father Benjamin Thompson; Bessie was born when she was about 19 years old and at the time of the testimony Bessie was living in the Delta region of Mississippi. Based on family oral history Bessie joined the Great Migration and moved to Indiana where she lived until she passed away.
1 comments:
- Afrozen said...
Congratulations on The Family Griot blog. It is wonderfully inspiration for others who are researching their family histories.
Please consider posting information about another wonderful resource for African American families.
The National Black Genealogy Summit will take place October 20 - 22, 2011 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fort Wayne is home to one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of genealogy records, and an excellent source of documents pertaining to Black genealogy in particular.
The three-day conference will feature a number of nationally-known genealogy and research experts, and a wide variety of workshops for everyone from beginners to experienced family researchers.
For more information, please visit http://www.blackgenealogyconference.info
Thank you for your consideration.
- October 3, 2011 at 10:07 AM


text:
The Hacker's Diet
So over Christmas I noticed that I had become more "cuddly" than normal and decided I needed to lose some weight as part of a general get healthy policy. At the same time colmmacc posted this article on losing weight with gnuplot. He brought to my attention The Hacker's Diet which is a great reference written by an Engineer and so it builds a systems model for the body and weight gain / loss.
So just by cutting out junk food and making sure I only had one dinner per day I have dropped 5Kg (11lbs) during January which is pretty good going. The January chart is below. I expect to do better in February as I have joined the company running team and so expect to be training a few times a week from now on.


text:
Following Yonder Star
It must be challenging for a pastor to preach about Christmas. The story is so familiar—what could he say that is new or fresh? How can he make the story compelling to those of us who have heard it all of our lives?
Thankfully, the power of the Christmas story doesn't lie with the messenger. The news of Jesus' birth is inspiring without any embellishment.
Our pastor, Pastor Lance, preached a mighty fine Christmas sermon last Sunday focusing on the three wise men. (Though, as he pointed out, we're not told how many wise men there were. We just assume there were three because three gifts are mentioned.) He described their journey, comparing it to the travels many of us make at Christmas time. I had to smile when he pointed out that the wise men stopped and asked for directions.
But the comment that really hit home with me was when he described the magi's destination: "Their destination wasn't a place," Pastor said, "it was a person."
What is my "destination" this Christmas, where do I hope to end up? Beside a perfectly decorated tree? At the register with the ideal gift? At the dining room table, serving the quintessential Christmas dinner? If any of these are my destination, then I need to reset my compass. I need to end up at the feet of Jesus on Christmas morning.
I hope you, too, find yourself at the right destination this Christmas Day. Merry Christmas.


text:
We already knew Kylian Mbappe was fast. But until today, perhaps we didn't realize just how fast the France winger is. Seriously this guy is fast! We saw the full range of Mbappe's superhuman pace on display in the 11th minute of France's World Cup Round of 16 clash with Argentina.
The 19-year-old Paris Saint Germain player was lurking in France's defensive half when he pounced on an errant pass in the middle of the park and turned on the afterburners.
Check it out.
Reminder: Mbappé is fast. pic.twitter.com/oyZr8vdNZf
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 30, 2018
Mbappe effectively leaves half the Argentine team in his dust before he bursts into the opposition box and gets bowled over by Marcos Rojo, winning a penalty for France. Antoine Griezmann stepped up to the mark and blasted a shot past Argentina keeper Franco Armani to give France the lead.
Griezmann puts France ahead!
Mbappé draws a penalty for Les Bleus and Griezmann puts it away to make it 1-0. pic.twitter.com/pzj63fhQi0
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 30, 2018
Argentina pulled level before the end of the half, thanks to a rocket from well outside the box courtesy of Angel Di Maria.
The Argentinian unleashes a rocket from outside of the box to pull them level just before the half. pic.twitter.com/pWbSsYR1eN
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 30, 2018
More World Cup on Yahoo Sports:
• Bushnell: Power ranking the Round of 16
• MVPs and LVPs of the group stage
• Dates, kickoff times for the Round of 16
• What could replace yellow cards as FIFA's last-ditch tiebreaker?


text:
I really try to write every day. These days, most of that writing is not in my novel, however. I keep up with my blogs, and the forums that I'm a member of, and writing on email lists I'm a member of. Then I'm all worn out and have no energy left for working on my novel!
Doesn't seem quite fair sometimes.
But writing is writing, and I do believe it all counts.
I have almost finished Bird By Bird, the book by Anne Lamott. Excellent read and I highly recommend it to anyone trying to write. She is very upfront about what you can expect from your writing, that you will likely not get rich, and how to avoid some of the pitfalls of your own internal editor and feelings of persecution so that you can really write well. I will probably finish it today, and hopefully use some of the techniques to get my novel back on track. One thing I have read with interest in the book is about how to develop characters. This is something I'm having a very hard time with right now; my main male character is about as flat as a piece of paper. I haven't yet figured out how to make him reveal himself to me, and some of Anne's techniques might do the trick.
Now, to carve out some writing time...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Writing Every Day
I really try to write every day. These days, most of that writing is not in my novel, however. I keep up with my blogs, and the forums that I'm a member of, and writing on email lists I'm a member of. Then I'm all worn out and have no energy left for working on my novel!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Twenty-Dollar Words
When I was in college and learnng all kinds of things on my way to getting my English degree with a Certificate to teach (which I never finished and instead ended up with something totally different - but that's another story), I loved using big new words on my family. When I'd use a particularly big word, my dad would say it was a twenty dollar word.
Well, I've brought it down a notch, and I don't use all the big words I can. But I still love words. I have a book called the Grand Pajundrum, which I adore because it gives you all kinds of little-known words with their meanings. And my latest purchase, from the Barnes and Noble $2 "last chance" clearance table no less, is a book called I Always Look Up the Word Egregious. The subtitle is "a vocabulary book for people who don't need one."
Yup, that's me. I don't really NEED a vocabulary book, but I like them. I like to find new words, even if I won't use them any time soon. It's fun to just randomly open a page and find a word that you've never heard before. Today's word is:
"Supporters of the tax credit brush aside the distinction, noting that only a modest amount of it would go to the truly affluent. but that is sophistry; the only reason few rich people would be helped by the tax credit is that there aren't very many rich people."
Sophistry has an unfavorable connotation and means arguing deceitfully, attempting to turn a poor case into a good one by means of clever but specious reasoning.
Hmm. I think I can use the technique, even if I can't use the word.
Friday, January 19, 2007
RIP Moxie
This is also cross-posted in my Momilies Blog.
Moxie while we were feeding all three elephants special treats.
We received word yesterday that one of Doug Terranova's elephants died this past Tuesday. The suspected cause was Encephalomyocarditis, a disease that strikes suddenly and causes death within hours. Moxie was 23 years old, quite young.
We know that Doug, and his assistant Adam, who worked with Moxie on a daily basis, are heartbroken. We are too. It is hard to know what to say; Moxie was a member of Doug's family. By association, he was a part of ours, too.
Moxie (right) and Congo playing kissyface.
The Baraboo News Republic had a comprehensive and heartbreaking article about the loss of Moxie. We're going to miss him.
Moxie (left) and the girls coming back from a bath in the Baraboo River (picture courtesy of Adam Johns, Animal Encounters, Texas)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Peace and Quiet, I need Peace and Quiet!!
Getting my Circus acts set up in the right order and understanding their characters has been more complex than I wish it was. But without it I'm having trouble moving my story forward. I have too many conflicting characters/occupations to go on without getting this part of the novel set in cement.
I worked most of Monday on the second half of the show. Despite having sat at my computer and worked pretty much five or six hours, I only managed to finish that second half. Part of it was that I needed to actually do some more research and understand the acts better, but part of it was that I could not get enough peace and quiet to actually work. Despite the fact that I had my headphones on, I was interrupted over and over again by the kids, by hubby, by the phone, by the TV being too loud, to really get a good amount of work done.
I am getting frustrated at how slowly this is moving. I really thought I'd have this finished by now. I am nowhere close to finished. I still don't know my characters well enough to get this story moving; some key characters are developing nicely, but the main clown character is still ethereal and ghost-like. No substance, just smoke and clouds. Something somewhere is not clicking for me.
Hopefully before this weekend, I'll have the first half of the show completely written so at least I have a complete show. Then maybe I need to sit and just brainstorm about my main male character. He needs substance. I need to know who he is, what he's about, what drives him, what will make him overwhelmingly attracted to my female main character, and what will make him irresistible to her. I think I'm having much more fun writing about the relationship between Emma (FMC) and Robbie (the gay wardrobe/makeup guy), and that is distracting me.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Big White Sheet
One thing I noticed when I was reading through what I'd already writte was how big the plot holes are. Sometimes we Nano-ers make reference to "plot holes you could drive a semi through." Well, mine are so big and chopped up that I feel like a semi truck MADE them in the first place.
I almost feel like I need to cover my novel with a big white sheet and declare it dead. LOL
But I won't. Because despite the plot holes, it's a really good story. Or it will be if I ever get it fixed up. Right now, no amount of duct tape and hot glue are gonna do the trick. It's a crappy first draft.
But without the crappy first draft, you can't do a great second draft, and an even greater third draft. You can't ever have a great novel unless you bother to write that crappy first draft. I'm forever thankful to Nano for allowing me to write, for giving me permission to write, that first big crappy draft.
So today I'm going to try to match my characters up to their occupations; I wrote that first crappy draft in such fits and starts that I made one guy a trapeze artist in the first chapter, but by the last chapter he was riding bareback horses. My performers are good, but they aren't THAT good. I also need to match the kids the school teacher is working with to their appropriate parents and the parents' occupations.
Hubby says, "just leave it blank and fill it in later." It doesn't work that way. Determining these occupations and places early in the beginning is critical to getting them where they need to be at the end of the book. So I have my work cut out for me.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Bird by Bird
I've just recently started reading Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. It was recommended to me by another Nano-er, and I bought it last year, but had not gotten around to reading it. I've finished the introduction and first chapter, and it's a good read. Anne is blunt, but pleasant about it, and I find that kind of refreshing.
Her attitude is that just because you don't write well, or may write well but will never be published because of the tight market, doesn't mean you shouldn't write. I've been writing for years, with nary a hope for publication for the most part. But it hasn't stopped me from writing.
And I don't think it should stop anyone else either!
"Wanna write? Then write, right now!" as Erma Bombeck would say.
And that's exactly what I'm doing, for publication or pay or not, I'm still writing. If I don't, my head will asplode!
Monday, January 08, 2007
A New Year
Well, after dutifully letting my novel sit for a month, I drug it out of the mothballs and started looking at it. What is there isn't bad. There are some major inconsistencies and plot holes you could drive a B59 through, but all-in-all the story reflects what I was attempting.
Of course, there's the problem of not having finished the story...I need to get going on that, for sure. There is very much to complete, right in the middle, and a bunch at the end, before the ending that I did write before I stopped writing in November.
That made absolutely no sense. I started the story at the beginning but had an inspiration about something about 2/3 of the way through so I skipped ahead and wrote that. Then I had an inspiration about the end, so I skipped ahead and wrote that. Then I went back and kept writing from where I'd left off at the beginning of the story. That B52 I was talking about? Well, I think I have a whole Air Force full of them blowing through my story.
So, limbering up my fingers, I'm going to get back to work. I really want to write this story. Wherever it takes me, I want to write it. I'd love to have it done before the next Circus season starts. I may not make it, but I'm going to try.


text:
|You are in: World: Europe
Wednesday, 13 February, 2002, 16:25 GMT
Italian police swoop on Mafia suspects
Anti-Mafia police in Italy have arrested more than 30 people, including two government officials and a top lawyer, on charges of corruption and illegal profiteering.
The 32 who have been detained are suspected members of a gang linked to Mafia leader Bernardo Provenzano, and police believe they are now one step closer to catching the heavyweight.
"This was a carefully constructed criminal organisation carrying out illegal business in various fronts," said a statement from the country's anti-mafia force, the DIA.
Underground boss
The ring is suspected of bribing officials to win lucrative public contracts, supplying illegal immigrant labour and manipulating markets, including the meat industry.
Those arrested including a prominent Rome lawyer, a surveyor at the Ministry of Public Works and the director of a prison near Rome.
Another detainee, a high profile construction millionaire, had been taken into custody in the early 1990s for suspected involvement in the Tangentopoli affair, Italy's largest corruption scandal.
Police say the ring was headed by Piddu Madonia, described as one of Mr Provenzano's deputies.
Mr Provenzano has been a fugitive for nearly 40 years, and has received multiple life sentences from Italian courts in his absence.
He is thought to have taken over the leadership of the Sicilian Mafia in 1993 after the arrest of Salvatore Riina.
Police have just one photograph of him, taken in 1959. It features a clean-cut man in his 20s who would bear little to resemblance to a man who is now 70.
See also:
07 Aug 01 | Europe
Italian police seize Mafia boss
30 Jan 01 | Europe
Sicilian mafia boss arrested
14 Mar 01 | Europe
Banker held as Mafia net closes
06 Jan 01 | From Our Own Correspondent
Mafia - past and present
24 Dec 00 | Europe
'Mob queen' found in cupboard
12 Dec 00 | Europe
UN tackles organised crime
12 Dec 00 | Europe
Mafia comeback mars UN conference
11 Dec 00 | Europe
Dark days for not so secret society
14 Nov 00 | Europe
Mafia 'gripping Italian economy'
Internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Top Europe stories now:
Links to more Europe stories are at the foot of the page.
Links to more Europe stories
|^^ Back to top
News Front Page | World | UK | UK Politics | Business | Sci/Tech | Health | Education | Entertainment | Talking Point | In Depth | AudioVideo
To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>>
© MMIII | News Sources | Privacy


text:
British number one Andy Murray has secured a place in the last eight of the China Open after overcoming opponent Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-2 6-2.
The current world number ten has also boosted his chances to appear at the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London, in the season-ending finale in November.
Related articles
- Andy Murray unlikely to renew sponsorship deal with adidas
- Stanislas Wawrinka angry after Japan Open exit
- Andy Murray will take new mentality into the China Open
Only the world's top eight are awarded a place in the tournament so if Murray can win the China Open, it will increase the number of points he has and potentially climb him up the world rankings.
Straight sets
The 27-year-old outclassed his opponent ranked 35th from start to finish, breaking his serve five times and winning the match in just one hour and 19 minutes.
The Briton will now face US Open champion Marin Cilic in the quarter finals, after the Croat disposed of Joao Sousa 6-3 6-3.
Murray raced into a 4-0 lead and saved two break points in the seventh game before closing out the set.
And the second set started the same as the first, Murray taking a 4-0 lead having produced a stunning forehand to break his opponent early on.
The Scot wrapped up a comfortable win, breaking Cuevas once more after the Croatian had broken back and briefly threatened a comeback.
Back to his best?
Murray now has 3,405 points, needing to overcome at least the eight and ninth seeds, Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic, who have 3,510 and 3,440 respectively if he has any chance of making it to the tour finals.
After the China Open, he has three more tournaments to try and gain more points - Beijing - 500 points (to the winner); Shanghai - 1,000 and Paris - 1,000.
After winning the Shenzhen Open on Sunday, Murray is looking for back-to-back titles.
His tournament started off with a shaky start however, having to come from a set down to defeat Poland's Jerzy Janowicz in round one.
Difficult opponents
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Grigor Dimitrov all still remain in the competition though, so winning it may be easier said than done for the 2012 Olympic gold medallist.
This is Nadal's first tournament since recovering from a wrist injury that kept him out of Wimbledon and despite not convincingly seeing off his opponents, he is still doing well enough to get through the rounds, so it's impossible to write him off.
The Spaniard faces Martin Klizan in the last eight.
Elsewhere, Dimitrov and Djokovic go head-to-head while Berdych faces USA's John Isner for a place in the semi-finals.


text:
Venture 25 Cooler
Day-Trip CoolerSKU:
Venture 25
- Polypropylene inside and outside shells
- Silicone seal and latches
- Polycarbonate/ABS latches
- Nylon drain plug
- Two-part polyurethane insulation
- Stainless steel pins
- TPE feet
- Keeps ice up to 10 days
- Certified bear-resistant by Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) (when secured with Locking Kit)
- Backed by OtterBox Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Designed in Colorado, made in the good ol' USA
- Capacity: inside capacity is exactly 25 quarts
- Mounting system: attach accessories for every adventure
- Tough latches: lock in contents, keep critters out and drop down out of the way
- Included accessories: Bottle Opener
- Anti-slide rubber feet: keep Venture where you put it
- Durable integrated handles: we hate those awkward rope handles too
- Slanted interior bottom: slight angle makes for easy draining
- Nesting grooves: cutting board and storage tray rest on inner rim even when fully loaded
Common Uses
- Boating, Kayak, Canoe
- Hunting
- Camping
- Fishing
- Tailgating
- Car Cooler
Venture 25 Dimensions
- Internal Dimensions (Top): 13.89" L x 11.67" W x 10.56" H
- Internal Dimensions (Bottom): 12.73" L x 10.60" W x 10.56" H
- Weight: 16.79lb
"Not only does this nearly indestructible cooler offer some very thoughtful and useful design touches, it also outlasted all of the other models in our insulation torture test."
"The OtterBox Venture Coolers are in a class of their own."
"They are made in Detroit, which is pretty cool. They're designed in Colorado. Made in the USA."
Secure your Venture Cooler with the Locking Kit to frustrate bears. They can't get in and your salmon stays yours.Shop Locking Kits
Venture's built sturdy to pack along in your truck, boat and four-wheeler. The rugged structure keeps your contents safe and its rubber feet keep it in the exact spot you put it.
Attach accessories to the exterior mounting points and integrated rails to configure your Venture for the task at hand. A bottle opener, a drybox, a double cup holder, side table and more slide on and off easily.
Set up the vast interior of your Venture how you like. Keep dry and soft items separate. And, create compartments that keep your meat, veggies and beverages apart.
Venture Coolers are made to true size. Each is exactly the number of quarts it claims. And that makes a difference when you're packing up for getting away. Here are a few examples of how to load up each Venture so you can pick your right size.
ALL THE STUFF THAT FITS IN VENTURE 2529 Pounds of Bagged Ice 14 12-Ounce Cans* 25 Juice Boxes*
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Covers defects in manufacturing, material and/or workmanship under normal use and service for the lifetime of the product.
American Made
Designed in Fort Collins, CO. Made in Detroit, MI. You know this is one tough cooler.
Every cooler we make ships free every day — saving you valuable time and money.


text:
A photo booth, the cheaper option find out why
Photo booths are fun, they're great for events, gatherings, reunions, celebration, weddings and much more. The best thing about a photo booth is not just the actual photo booth, but also because of the price, photo booths are cheap versus getting an extra professional photographer.
A cheap photo booth is even good at enticing people to come to your event. If you have a little event or a little gathering for 2 hours and you hire 2 professional photographers, most of the time what photographer 1 will do is shoot the "ready to shoot" the people that smiled and looked at the camera to have their photos taken while photographer 2 roams around, picturing candid photos where in 99% isn't even going to be added to your company's profile page because it's candid and it's not formal.
Wasted money: You just wasted good money for a good photographer, which you never got to use the photos being taken by him. He's happy coz he got your payment but you, you got left with maybe/roughly 100-200 digital copies of candid photos in which you can sadly only choose only 1-3 of it and the rest are junk. Professional photographers are expensive, it won't be them to tell you that you made a bad decision; it's only going to be you in the end.
Save money: What if you knew how cheap a photo booth is? Pricier photo booths charge only a half of what a professional photographer gets, and you already got a good platform for a photo booth, you got props, it's fun, adequate lighting and all people go there to take not just formal but also wacky and pretend candid photos. Plus they get to bring their photo as a souvenir. That's just even the pricier ones the cheaper ones even cost way cheaper and with that alone, you could save a lot of money.
Why photo booth: the reason behind its success because we are already well adapted to technology, our smartphones have great cameras that can take great pictures and we accidentally and unknowingly developed a knack for taking pictures with our cameras. It's actually a practice to better project to a camera and have a good angle every time. We may not all be models but if we nail even just one good angle, its game over. It will be one heck of a photo and you don't need a professional photographer for that, all you need is the cheaper option.
Perfect for any events: If you have a photographer you get to hire a person that walks around and takes pictures, not all people will like that. But with a photo booth, it's already located in a corner that doesn't affect the program. And the camera that has a photo booth business uses SLRs as well, so you can be sure that you will get amazing results. And because many people will come to it, you can maximize its potential and there's no waste there.
This is why photo booths became very popular because it's easy; it's cheap and perfect for any events. The next time you got an event, get a photo booth, you won't regret it.


text:
The United States, like most countries in the world, bans political campaign donations by non-citizens. Since the Supreme Court case of Citizens United v. FEC, however, foreigners—including even foreign governments—have been able to evade the law by donating to trade associations. Unlike other campaign committees, including labor unions and Super PACs, which must disclose the names of their contributors on a monthly or quarterly basis, trade associations face no such rules, and thus are able to influence elections using corporate and foreign money. As a result, in 2010, trade associations and related issue-advocacy groups outspent Super PACs $141 million to $65 million, according to the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Responsive Politics.
Read the rest here
Judy Morris,
Blogger, THL
Articles | Website


text:
On Writing: I got a lot accomplished yesterday. Seriously, I worked all day long and checked more than a few things off my writing "to-do" list. And staying busy is helping me get through the loss of the Belladog. So, I've got that going for me.
I'm happy with the longer version of Bringing Delaney Home. I'm going to set her aside after I do one last thing. I was reading it for typos on my husband's IPad two nights ago, and found a missing word. I put a mental bookmark in so I could go back to fix it when I finished reading that night, but guess what? Yeah, I forgot to go back. Then a day passed while I worked on something else, and you can see where this is going, right? I have no clue what section has the missing word. Or is that "doesn't have" since it's missing? I'm going to start looking through the new chapters first and hope I see it again. Wish me luck.
Yesterday I tackled revising Why Can't This Be Love? I've blogged before about my heroine in this book. Poor Avery has been causing trouble since the very first Beta readers met her. I think I was totally off track writing Avery and most readers wanted to smack her. Sorry, Avery. That's not your fault; that's all on me. So, yesterday I had an intervention for Avery. Today I'll reread yesterday's revisions and hope I'm heading in the right direction. If so, then I need to see how all those changes ripple throughout the rest of the book. But since I love the challenge of revising, I'm actually looking forward to it.
On Getting Ready for San Antonio and RWA: Okay, I'm going to seriously look in my closet and see what I have and what I need. Today. So I can shop tomorrow. I know I've said this before, but I really mean it this time. Really. I can't procrastinate on this anymore. Because yoga pants just don't scream "serious writer." Okay, actually they do. But I need the other kind of serious. Are you ready for Nationals? What's left on your "to-do" list?
And because it makes me happy…Gene Kelly singing George Gershwin's "I've Got Rhythm." Happy Sunday!


text:
Ever heard the names Andrew and John Murray?
Their father, Rev Andrew Murray was one of several Scottish ministers who came to the Cape of Good Hope in the 19th century and became ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church.
Why was a seminary established at Stellenbosch in 1859?
Andrew and John Murray, who studied in both Aberdeen, Scotland and Utrecht, Holland saw the need for an evangelical and reformed seminary in light of the devastating liberalism in Holland at the time. The latter under the leadership of the likes of the young W.C. Opzoomer from Utrecht, rejected things like Jesus' virgin birth, his miracles, bodily resurrection and uniqueness. Jesus was followed for being a good moral example. Also, God had to be stripped of his personal and supernatural attributes, and became the panentheist god constructed by Karl C.F. Krause, whom Opzoomer followed.
It is always special for me when a British journal publishes good and interesting theological stuff from South Africa. Recently, the reformed Baptist journal Reformation Today (available here at Tyndale House, Cambridge) published an article by Rev Erroll Hulse in which he reflects on the 19th century revival in South Africa in which the Murrays played an important part. Two excerpts:
"Some pinpoint the beginning of the 1860 revival in the
Cape to a prayer by Dr Andrew
Murray Junior. It was so powerful and moving that it lit fires in the hearts of
those present. They took these strong convictions home to share with others.
It is important to note that gifted-pastor preachers were given to the churches in the
The best known of these was Andrew Murray Senior. For over thirty years he had
prayed specifically every Saturday night for revival. He had two sons, Andrew
and John, both of whom became well-known pastors".
The discussion of the 1902 revival in the Prisoner of War Camps is absolutely amazing:
"After the Boer War (1899-1902) the Afrikaners found themselves in a depressed and poverty-stricken state. They had lost their farms and suffered terrible loss of life in the notorious prisoner of war camps. 26,400 women and children died in those camps through starvation and epidemics.
During the Boer War which eventually consisted of 400,000 British soldiers seeking to overcome about 80,000 farmers who were skilled marksmen. Captured Boer soldiers were exiled to prisoner of war camps in Ceylon, India, St Helena and Bermuda. It was there that they experienced very remarkable and powerful spiritual revivals.
They did not enjoy telephone or e-mail communication. Research needs to be done to establish the details of these revivals. We do however know how the revival began in Ceylon. Two prisoners engaged in a quarrel. The British encouraged chaplains to minister to the prisoners and so it was that the resident minister exhorted the two unhappy prisoners to go out to the field that they used for rugby football and there pray together. They heeded this exhortation and came back later with the testimony that the Holy Spirit had fallen on them. The next evening four returned to that spot to pray together. They came back with the same report. This proved to be the beginning of the revival with an ever increasing nightly prayer meeting. When the war ended, it was calculated that 2,000 out of the 5,000 were committed to Christ".
So what happened after the war?
"After the war the seminaries were filled with men who dedicated themselves to the ministry and to missions. A mighty missionary movement spread across Africa. Throughout her history a battle with liberalism has taken place in the NG Kerk. Since the 1950s a downgrade has taken place. The spiritual decline has been catastrophic. Unregenerate liberal professors have been allowed to destroy the faith of the seminary students.
We must pray that the Lord will give the gift of faithful leaders again. And we must pray that the Afrikaans believers will study their history and again be blessed with spiritual awakening".


text:
[Photo by Ernst Moeksis.]
Princess Kitten finished her daily FreeRice and multiplication drill games and started exploring my computer. I peeked over her shoulder, and the two of us had a blast browsing my old bookmarks...
We enjoyed ourselves so much, it inspired me to share a few of our other old family favorites with you. Most of these were discovered via StumbleUpon. (If you are not familiar with Stumbling, you should check it out. It's a fantastic way to waste hours on the web.)
Interactive play
- Singing Horses
Our very first Stumble bookmark, and still a favorite.
- Dog
Move your mouse to see him in action.
- Jackson Pollock by Miltos Manetas
Move your mouse, and click it every so often, to create your own Pollock-style masterpiece.
- The Shirt
How cute!
- Gift Box
"This box made from two bills. The bills/box can be the gift itself, but it is also just about the right size for a ring box. (Perhaps a dollar-bill ring?)"
Princess Kitten has already written about her all-time favorite video. I'm sure she would love to have you visit her blog and check it out:
[If the player doesn't work, go to Amazing Juggling Finale.]
Don't want to miss a single tip? Subscribe to the Frugal Homeschooling RSS Feed!
Related Posts:


text:
Huawei Ascend P2 full review
The Ascend P2 is arguably a nice looking smartphone, even if it's shown up in the looks department by Huawei's own Huawei Ascend P6. It's certainly thin and light at 8.4 mm and 122 g. The Google Android handset sits nicely in the hand with its flat back and rounded edges. However, for a UK audience it has nothing to make it really stand out from the crowd – and that includes Huawei's claims to be the fastest. See also Group test: What's the best smartphone?
Huawei Ascend P2: Design and build
A design element we particularly like is the arrangement of touch-sensitive buttons, sitting below the screen rather than taking up precious estate from the display. Good on Huawei for bucking a popular trend among Android phone makers here. Our review sample was provided by Phones 4U.
The design is minimalist but a little on the plastic side. Build quality is good and despite the plastic (yet unremovable) rear cover, the P2 does feel solid in the hand.
Huawei Ascend P2: Hardware and performance
The main issue to tackle here is the 'fastest 4G smartphone' claim which Huawei attaches to its P2 phone. Huawei has fitted the device with a HiSilicon Balong 710 (V7R1) cellular chipset; it's probably the first smartphone to use a Category 4 chip for faster speeds.
In simple terms it means that it should deliver faster download speeds than existing Cat 3 LTE handsets like the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4.
The nominal difference is an extra 50 percent, from a theoretical 100 Mb/s to 150 Mb/s. Coming back down to reality, it's important to remember that these are notional maximums and never what you will see in real use.
Furthermore, the Ascend P2 needs a 4G network that itself has been upgraded to Cat 4 LTE before we can start thinking about these higher speeds.
There are only a few 150 Mb/s 4G networks around the world and currently none in the UK. Importantly, in the UK we only have 100 Mb/s network making the faster cellular data speeds of the Ascend P2 entirely moot.
Cellular data prowess aside, the Ascend P2 sits at the lower end of the high-end smartphone market. It features a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 1 GB of memory and 16 GB of internal storage; but no microSD card slot for expansion.
For what it's worth, the Geekbench 2 score of 1666 points looked good, even beating the newer Ascend P6; and subjective performance was slick when easing around the home screens. But there were a few niggles.
Firstly, although the Huawei keyboard has the neat option to swipe downwards for punctuation and numbers, it's unresponsive and we quickly switched to Google's keyboard.
The P2 only managed a poor 8.3 fps in GLBenchmark 2.5 – that's not a pleasing result. And although the pre-loaded Riptide game ran pretty well, the handset is no powerhouse when it comes to graphics and gaming. See also: Group test: what's the best Android phone?
At 4.7in the screen is large for a smartphone, but since 5-inch-plus phablets seem to be the new Android thing this year, it's small by that trend's standards. The screen looks decent enough, with a 720 x 1280-pixel resolution. That gives it retina-class 312 ppi pixel density. But for spec-chasers it may look like it's behind the competition; the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z have full-HD displays.
Huawei Ascend P2: Cameras
The stand-out specification after an LTE chip that's over-specified for UK networks is a 13 Mp BSI (back-side illuminated) camera.
It took consistently great looking photos at its default of 10 megapixels and video, and includes features such as 'HDR video'. There's also a range of silly effects to distort your face, and filters if you like creating a different look to reality.
The inclusion of a dedicated camera shutter button is always a plus point. But here it can only be used to launch the camera app if the device is already unlocked.
Huawei Ascend P2: Software
Software is an area Huawei has largely got right, although the P2 runs Google Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) which is out-of-date by over a year now. Notable missing features include Google Now and lockscreen widgets.
If you like your Android experience untroubled by the phone maker's own additions – or subtractions – then the Ascend P2 probably isn't the smartphone for you. Huawei has made some significant changes to the OS with its Emotion UI. For starters there's no app menu, which we find frankly bizarre.
Instead, UniHome combines homescreen panels with the main menu (essentially copying the iPhone interface, with widgets) while the Me Widget merges different information and functions into one customisable widget which is quite cool; it's like live tiles on Windows Phone 8.
If you don't like the look of the interface, Huawei has provided more than 100 different themes to choose from. And you can customise the interface on a more detailed level, tweaking the icons, lockscreen and even screen transitions. It's great to be able to make the P2 feel unique.
Huawei Ascend P2: Battery life
The Ascend P2 doesn't excel when it comes to battery life despite its large 8.7 Wh battery. The smartphone lasted us a day of typical usage but no longer. It's Android's usual charge-it-every-night situation which we're all too familiar with.
Clever use of the Profiles feature might allow you get more out of the P2. For example, remembering to put the phone into the 'Sleep' profile at night to save juice and creating your own profiles for different situations.
We did find the phone difficult to charge when it was flat. Only the supplied charging plug was able to recharge this phone, which is a major handicap.
Follow Chris Martin and @PCAdvisor on Twitter.
Huawei Ascend P2: Specs
- 4.7in LCD touchscreen (720 x 1280, 312 ppi)
- 1.5 GHz ARM (unnamed) quad-core processor
- Google Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system
- 16 GB internal storage (12 GB available)
- 13 Mp rear camera with LED flash (1080p video)
- 1.3 Mp front camera (720p video)
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Micro-USB
- GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
- HSDPA 900/2100MHz 4G LTE (Cat 4)
- Micro-SIM
- 8.7 Wh non-removable battery
- 67 x 136 x 8.4 mm
- 122 g
Best prices today
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide