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Okay, so we know 2 things at this point – 1) I love Game of Thrones and 2) I love travelling (travel blog – duh).
So far I've pretty much been to all the main countries that Game of Thrones has been filmed in and am lucky enough to live in the main filming location, Belfast! You can barely throw a stone without seeing reference to the world's biggest TV show, be it the murals in Custom House Square, the door from the famous 'Doors of Thrones' campaign in the Dark Horse or the beautiful Game of Thrones Tapestry at the Ulster Museum.
I've also visited Iceland where many a White Walker and Wildling scene has been filmed, Croatia the filming location of Kings Landing, Seville, home of Dorne, Malta for the Red Keep scenes and (unbeknownst to me until doing some research) Girona where Old Town Bravos was filmed. There's many more but these are the main filming locations around the world.
Game of Thrones Filming Locations Northern Ireland
Now you're sure to be aware that most filming locations for Game of Thrones are in Northern Ireland. We celebrate this with wonderful tours including Lesiure Tours NI Game of Thrones Tour departing from Ballygally Castle, home to door No 9 of 12 of the Game of Thrones Doors, another wonderful attraction taking visitors all over Northern Ireland to soak in the cities and towns most associated with the series, celebrating episodes of Season 6 with carved doors made from the fallen trees of The Dark Hedges. You'll find a blog I wrote explaining each door and location here. Some filming locations even host experiences such as Castle Ward which doubles as Winterfell. You can find a blog on experiences all over Northern Ireland here.
Top 5 Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Northern Ireland
- The Dark Hedges
Possibly the most recognised of the Game of Thrones locations, The Dark Hedges is certainly the most popular with tourists. Getting a photo without a person or car in the background is near impossible. It's also a little surreal because it is just a normal road about 10 minutes outside Ballycastle.
2. Cushendun Caves
Take a drive to The Cushendun Caves in County Antrim,where Melisandre gave birth to the Shadow baby that killed Renly in season 2.
3. Ballintoy Harbour
Visit beautiful Ballintoy Harbour to get a feel for the Iron Islands. Wrap up warm and take a stroll down the harbour and the beach that precedes it and walk in the footsteps of Theon and Yara Greyjoy.
4. Castle Ward
Castle Ward is of course Winterfell and home to the Stark family . With lots of activities including tours, archery and dire wolves this is a great spot for a day out of family fun with lots to do. Yes this is me being decapitated by my other half. Cheers.
5. Downhill Beach
Downhill Beach in Portrush is used for several scenes depicting Dorne, the vast stretch of sand dunes, grass and reeds on Downhill Beach goes on for as long as the eye can see. This is a great beach to stretch your legs on though I don't believe it is a stop for most coach tours.
Top 5 Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Croatia
- The Spanish Steps in Dubrovnik
The Spanish Steps or SHAME stairs are in the heart of Dubrovnik. I don't really need to explain what they're used for as they're almost as recognisable as The Dark Hedges. SHAAAAAAAMMMEEE.
2. Pile Port
Also in Dubrovnik is Pile Port which doubles as the pier from which you see Little Finger discussing his plans of escape with Sansa and where Myrcella bids her parents farewell before leaving for Dorne.
3. Fort Lovrijenac
Fort Lovrijenac in Dubrovnik doubles as the Red Keep in King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms and is used for filming many a conversation, Joffrey's tournament and views out across the water.
4. Fortress of Kliss
The Fortress of Klis in Split, otherwise known as the walls of Mereen is where Daenerys famously crucified 163 Slave Masters in retribution for their crucifixion of the same number of children to warn her away from the city.
5. Diocletain's Palace
The most famous of Split's filming locations is in the very walls of Diocletain's Palace – the gateway into the Old Town. You'll find several Game of Thrones filming locations in here including where Daenerys keeps her dragons and most famously her Throne Room in the Great Pyramid. You'll have to use your imagination here as the steps and her throne are props / CGI but you have to admit the room is pretty cool.
Top… 1 Game of Thrones Filming Location in Seville, Spain
OK so I haven't visited Girona (well I have but only flown into it on the way to Barcelona) or any other area of Spain that plays host to Game of Thrones filming but I have visited Seville twice and as one of my favourite cities in the world you're about to see why Dorne was filmed here….
Beautiful isn't it? Spend the day walking through the gardens, visit the palace and play hide and seek with the peacocks in the orchards.
Top 5 Filming Locations in Iceland
When we visited Iceland we only saw a couple of the Game of Thrones filming locations, they're very off track and we didn't have time to add in an extra tour. That said, Iceland is beautiful and I would recommend anyone goes, especially if you're a Game of Thrones fan.
- Grjótagjá is the most famous is the cave featured in Jon and Ygritte's love scene. Unsurprisingly most of this scene was actually filmed in Belfast's Painthall studio where it was slightly less nippy.
- Dimmuborgir is a frozen lava field again near Lake Mývatn where the Wildling camp was set in season.
- Skaftafell is the setting for most of the 'beyond the wall' scenes and in particular the Svínafellsjökull glacier.
- Thingvellir National Park plays host to the Eyrie pass and the filming location of Brienne and the Hound's fight scene. We visited here and can 100% confirm this place is pretty baron but beautiful and a great spot to see the Northern Lights.
- Gulfoss was used in primary filming but never actually used in the series.It's well worth a visit however as a stunning location


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Actress Joely Fisher has been left "inconsolable" following the deaths of her sister and her father's ex-wife.
Fisher was still mourning the loss of Carrie Fisher, who died on Tuesday (27Dec16), when the Star Wars icon's mother, Debbie Reynolds, suffered a stroke and died on Wednesday (28Dec16).
"Some of the magic people have left the tribe... for the moment I am inconsolable..." Joely, who shares a father with Carrie, posted on Twitter.
After learning Debbie had been rushed to a local hospital after falling ill at her son Todd Fisher's home, Joely was among the first people to offer her prayers and hopes on social media, writing "God speed mama" beneath a photograph of herself and Debbie.
Joely also shared her heartbreak with followers after learning of Carrie's death the day before, tweeting: "Breaking my silence with a broken heart... the Unfathomable loss... the earth is off its axis today... how dare you take her away from us."
Carrie died four days after suffering a massive heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the former child star who played Reynolds' granddaughter in the 1998 movie Halloweentown has added her tribute to those pouring in for the 84-year-old.
Kimberly J. Brown, who is now 32, has taken to Facebook, writing: "What do you say about a woman who had such an impact on your life both professionally and personally?
"Debbie lived her life like all of us should, to the fullest. She was bold, funny, and had the biggest heart. Her sparkly smile warmed every room she was in, and her jokes about her amazing career and life would make your stomach hurt with laughter. Making people happy through her performing was her favorite thing to do, and she showed me at a young age what a gift it is to be able to do that for people."
Recalling her time on set with the veteran, Brown added: "She'd try to move huge ladders on set just to help the crew, and looked out for every actor no matter the size (of) their role. Her humility, grace, and care for others inspired me so much as a teen and is something that will always stay with me... Her generosity, talent, and loving spirit made her anything but normal. Thanks for the magic, Debbie. Rest in peace."
I'll admit to watching the early 1980s' Inspector Gadget cartoon, and probably far too late...
Disney has made a habit lately of leading funny TV shows to the slaughter by...

subset: commoncrawl


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Date Posted... Jun 5th 2017
The Winchester Junior Open took place at the Winchester Racquets and Fitness Club on Sunday the 28th of May. On the previous weekend Louis had played the Gloucestershire Junior Open at Wycliffe College, but had to withdraw at the semi-final stage with a pulled muscle in his back.
Luckily, the injury did not reappear and Louis won the Winchester tournament without losing a game. In the final he beat the 27th ranked England player 11-6, 11-5.
Louis is now training hard for an England Squash Silver Tournament in Lee-on-the-Solent in in a fortnights time and the Dutch Junior Open from the 12th to the 16th of July in Amsterdam.


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My goodbye's
My goodbye's
Goodbye spending time reading all these forum threads.
What, you won't log on from your car to be helpful and gloat? ;(
Goodby traffic? Does your model fly?
He might be referring to the EV-accessible HOV lane that unfortunately doesn't exist in MA.
We should start a new thread: "current owners thoughts and cogitation"
I too thought I may stop reading these And writing but this is really sort of mandatory in m perception.
and hello $400 electricity bills...
this is the only downside I can think of, frankly.
that, and the waiting time to get your HOV stickers (about 2 months).
Just got my HOV stickers, eight weeks after delivery and about 5 weeks after my license plates (which is when Tesla submits your form and $8 check.)
Haven't been on a freeway yet.
Ok, please explain good bye paid parking. We could use that in Chicago!
Goodbye fumes
Goodbye CO2
Goodbye ICE
Goodbye "i'll go warm the car up"
How has this one been missed:
Goodbye car dealers and salesmen.
No $400 electric bills if you put up solar and drive on sunlight. Then you can also say goodbye to all emissions.
SInce with an EV the rate I pay for electricity at night will be half what I pay now and I use electricity to heat the house (geothermal), I actually expect my electricity bills to go down or negative as I'll still get the big bucks for electricity generated by our solar panels during the day.
Goodbye auto gas pump shutoff
Goodbye crappy Shell gift cards (school scrip program)
Goodbye standing in the cold listening to some TV they set up at the pump to further annoy you
working on solar, just takes forever, everybody is backlogged for several months...
Goodbye to driving into gas station to discover gas pumps are all out of service!
Goodbye to long Costco lines
Goodbye to drive thru car washes :-(?? - no flaming please. I did enjoy the occasional convenience of the quick drive thru car washes :-{
Goodbye to: "Please Pay inside" paper taped to the pump because their pump credit card system is down.
I visited a gas station for the last time yesterday. I squeegeed my windows and sunroof and thought about how I'll need to buy myself a squeegee and glass cleaner.
Say goodbye to your marriage, as your spouse divorces you for cheating with your new love.
Goodbye to gas lines when "more" natural disasters occur.
Hello to - I need to go buy a generator
During the aftermath of hurricane sandy, I hand plenty of opportunity to charge. There was a one MW generator at the office and plenty of charging stations on Manhattan island. I was dreading having to wait on a gas line. It is a good thing all three of my cars were full and by the time I got to the last car Nj had implemented even and odd number days so my wait was only 20 minutes.
I drove by an auto emissions testing place today....
Endless shifting gears in LA traffic.
@EcLectric - +1 on the annoying TVs at the pumps!
Goobye to petroleum fuels - I'm not buying them any longer.
So long to smelly gasoline hands
So long to worrying about gas prices
So long to Tesla envy
Good bye to multi-colored fluid stains on the garage floor.
Goodbye $100k. Lol.
Goodbye to Ferrari envy.
@lightly: too funny
@Brian H: I don't have my S yet, but I think the same thing, even now, as I pass (or as they pass me) all the high end cars out there.
Generators run on gas.


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If you are like me, you love shopping at op shops, get a kick out of selling your old clothes, and would rather hire a dress than buy one, then you might be well on your way to becoming a sustainable shopper without even knowing it. Give yourself a pat on the back because not only are you saving money but you are also (pause for dramatic effect and insert drumroll) SAVING THE WORLD. I wasn't kidding about that pat on the back, saving the world is no mean feat.
I have heard people talking about sustainable fashion for a long time but thought that it meant sacrificing my style and adopting an organic hemp harem pant wearing lifestyle. A lifestyle that I cannot afford and let's face it, even if I could afford it I definitely couldn't pull it off. That was until I stumbled across a blog post by Anita Vandyke about the benefits of embracing a 'no logo' life. It was unlike anything that I had ever read about sustainable fashion. Rather than suggesting we ditch all of our favourite clothes and abandon our style, Anita refreshingly explains how we can embrace creativity to develop our own sense of style even further.
Anita is a waste warrior, with a stunning blog dedicated to 'A Zero Waste Life', an Instagram account with over 17,000 followers and a book due out in July this year. Oh, and in her spare time, she likes to dabble in a bit of Aeronautical Space because she is an actual rocket scientist. You can go ahead and add her to your #wcw rotation right now because she is one inspirational woman.
Anita was kind enough to take some time out of blogging/winning the war on waste/rocket scientist-ing, to answer some of our questions about how to make more mindful fashion choices and become a sustainable shopper.
Alex: What does sustainable fashion mean to you?
Anita: Sustainable fashion to me is about leaving a gentler footprint on the planet using style as the tool. It is about transparency from the start of the supply chain from the way materials are chosen to the labour conditions in which the workers are subjected to. Transparency is the key!
Alex: Where is the best place to start for someone who is wanting to make more mindful fashion purchases?
Anita: Start by shopping your own wardrobe. Before you begin, you should always consider what you already have. Streamline your style and wardrobe before you buy anything new. Nine times out of ten you'll find that you are more creative with what you have because you have less choice. In a world of excess, start with minimising your clothing items to curate your style. Trust me, people will notice how stylish you are because you are making more effort with less items!
Alex: Is there anything specific to look out for when purchasing clothes? Are there certain words on the tags to look out for, brands to avoid, preferable fabrics?
Anita: My only rule is to never buy plastic materials – this includes polyester, nylon etc. Microfibres from washing these plastic materials is one of the biggest micropollutants in our waterways. These particles are ingested by marine life (mistaking it for plankton) and then enter the food chain. Always buy natural materials such as cotton, silk, wool. They feel better on your skin and much better for the planet in the long run!
Alex: I read on your blog that you haven't bought new clothes in 3 years, which is amazing, but if people aren't in an area where they have access to amazing op shops or great buy swap sell groups, are there any retailers that you would recommend for new clothes?
Anita: I haven't bought anything new for over three years, however, my favourite ethical brands include Everlane, Patagonia and People Tree. These brands are vocal about transparency, environmental issues and social issues. For shopping secondhand, I suggest you go to your local markets, try eBay or Gumtree or even organise your own clothes swap with friends!
Anita's book 'A Zero Waste Life' is available to pre-order now from Penguin.
Find Out How Sustainable Your Favourite Brands Are In Seconds
I decided to google some of my go-to brands and was surprised to find that a few of them were anything but sustainable and had some questionable labour conditions. I also found an app that makes finding this information a breeze. The Good On You App rates brands based on the way they impact people, animals and the planet. They can even suggest better brands with a similar style and budget!
How To Find The Most Stylish Vintage Clothes
Buy Swap Sell
As I mentioned in all of the How To Sell Your Stuff posts (because I am obsessed) Buy Swap Sell (BSS) is one of my favourite ways to shop. Do yourself a favour, go and search your favourite brand on Facebook. Almost every brand has a BSS group, I am a member of Witchery, Spellbound, Seed, and Country Road! People post amazing clothes in near new condition at a fraction of the retail price. It's also a really great way to find out about garage sales.
As Anita mentioned, markets are a great way to shop sustainably. My favourite vintage market is Suitcase Rummage, I like to go towards the end of the day when people tend to drop their prices in order to get rid of whatever they've got left. For super stylish new clothes head to your local Young Designer Markets. Not only will you find quality, one-off pieces but you'll also be supporting local talent.
Vintage Stores & Op Shops
I have two favourite vintage shops, Camp Hill Antique Centre and Little Sister Cafe. I always look out for things like denim jackets, overalls and leather skirts, quality items that are durable and can stand the test of time. When it comes to op shopping I head straight to Instagram. There are so many awesome 'Op Shop Insta Gurus', my favourite is @nevereverpayretail by Hannah Klose. Hannah has amazing style and posts daily about her op shop finds. To find all the best op shops near you head to her blog and check out some of her local lists. If you have absolutely no idea where to start then her post '10 Commandments Of Opshopping' is the perfect beginner guide!
Want more like this? Like, subscribe and leave a comment below.


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NEW YORK — Executives at Fox News have confirmed they successfully recruited Trevor Noah, just hours after it was revealed that the South African comic has been authoring racist and misogynistic tweets since as early as 2009.
"We're always looking for a fresh bigoted face to join 'Fox and Friends,' whether the bigot is homegrown or from a faraway country like Africa," said Brian McVoy, who leads Fox's recruitment office. "So when we found out that Mr. Noah was not only racist, but enjoys making crude jokes that are really demeaning to women as well, we swore we would spare no expense to get him on our team."
Executives at Comedy Central, who on Monday announced that Noah was going to replace Jon Stewart on the "Daily Show," have since retracted their statements, saying that the confusion was due to a typographical error.
"We had meant to say that we were considering Noah Trevor, the witty but unknown 54-year-old retail clerk from London, and not Trevor Noah, the 31-year-old South African comic who specializes in offensive low-brow humor that's totally unsuitable for the educated types who make up the bulk of the 'Daily Show' viewership," said producer Rachel Tulipe. "Our bad."
Noah has not yet responded to request for an interview, but his publicist said that in any case he refuses to grant interviews to Jews — or anyone smelling like one.
Below are some of the offending tweets. They have been analyzed by our in-house outrage expert Richard Omega, who said that in the Official Outrage Scale of 0-10, most only merit a paltry 3 or 4.
A hot white woman with ass is like a unicorn. Even if you do see one, you'll probably never get to ride it.
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) November 28, 2011
I'm watching Olympic women's hockey. It's like lesbian porn. Without the porn. #InLove
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 31, 2012
Messi gets the ball and the real players try foul him, but Messi doesn't go down easy, just like jewish chicks. #ElClasico
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) January 25, 2012
"Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk & think that I'm sexy!" – fat chicks everywhere.
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) October 14, 2011


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In the early 1930s, the United States suffered through the Great Depression. People needed work, and 21,000 men found it through the construction project of Hoover Dam. The dam was constructed on the Colorado River. One of its purposes is to control flood; another is to store water, as can be seen from the water levels in Lake Mead, a popular place for water activities. Hoover dam is not only essential in maintaining fish and wildlife habitat, but it also provides hydroelectric power for a huge population in the United States.
Hoover Dam visitors can experience the dam in a few different ways. You may drive across it in your vehicle or park in the parking garage (for a fee of $10) and stroll across it by foot. (No foot traffic is allowed at dark.) You may not want to do this if you are afraid of heights, as the distance from the dam's base to the road is over 700 feet! The Visitor Center is opened every day from 9 am to 5 pm, but it is closed on Thanksgiving and December 25. Tour the Powerplant for $15 or the Dam for $30.
When you plan your visit to Hoover Dam, be sure to arrive by 2 pm to beat the crowds. The months of January and February are the best months to go to the dam to avoid crowds, and the weather can be quite pleasant at that time too. If you go during the summer prepare for extremely hot weather and a lot of sun. (It usually seems to be hotter at Hoover Dam than in the city of Las Vegas.) If you suffer from claustrophobia, you may want to skip the Dam tour and Powerplant tour. If you have a pacemaker or defibrillator, do not go on the Powerplant tour; the generators emit electromagnetic fields that can disrupt some medical devices.


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Moving from auditing and codes to business integration and long-term relationships.
September 2013 | Sean Ansett
Supply chain human rights issues continue to make the headlines. Even in industries like apparel, it seems we are far from solutions despite significant investments to address systemic supply chain human rights issues since the 1990s.
Technological trends suggest that in the next several years we will enter an age of "hyper-transparency" in upstream and downstream supply chains with lower cost technologies like smart phones creating new communication platforms for workers and communities in the global south.
This brave new world is empowering to some stakeholders and creates much needed transparency and thus accountability. However, it may be of concern others. New engagement processes will be required as information loops exponentially picks up pace and brands lose control of their message and engagement strategies. In response to this evolution, every corporate apparel executive should be asking themselves the following questions:
1. What is the story behind our product or service?
2. Are we proud of that story?
3. Would my customer be proud of that story?
4. Do we own the story or do others own it for us?
Addressing supply chain human rights issues is not easy and in fairness there is still a large number of "free riders" in the industry that invest little or nothing in ethical trade. However, there is much to be learned from the mistakes of the past and opportunities to leverage that learning.
The industry's approach to addressing these issues has come in a number of "acts" in what might be seen as an evolving play. With each act comes learning about what has not worked and understanding for how the script should be developed. Companies need to keep evolving along with the unfolding narrative.
Brands have been at the auditing cat and mouse game for the past fifteen years and some brands like Levi's even longer. In 1991, Levi's was the first company to establish comprehensive Global Sourcing & Operating Guidelines.
While these efforts are welcome, their impact on the factory floors, farms and mines of global supply chains has largely been ineffective, while creating duplication. | See our report on company experiences going "beyond auditing"
Numerous studies have highlighted the limited effectiveness of code implementation and social auditing. Most studies looking at the first tier of supply chains in the garment industry agree that basic health and safety has generally improved and child labor is no longer an issue. Sadly, very little progress has been achieved on issues like non-discrimination, freedom of association/collective bargaining and excessive working hours.
And in some cases working conditions may have actually worsened over time. Bangladesh is a case in point, where there are over 4,500 garment-producing factories that employ 3.4 million mainly young female workers, and where most of the major Western brands source product, attracted by low labor costs.
Since November 2012, 28 factory fires have been reported in Bangladesh. In the last five years, there have been over 600 worker deaths related to fire safety and structural collapses - a system failure. In some of the recent fire-related tragedies social auditors overlooked basic fire safety problems, including too few emergency exits and lack of automatic fire prevention systems.
There have been attempts to improve ethical trade practice including additional skills training for social auditors, code of conduct alignment, and sharing audits to reduce audit fatigue and free up resources for other interventions. However, the harsh reality is they are all dependent upon a largely broken monitoring system.
Some brands realized over time that individual efforts and monitoring were ineffective and that in order to drive scalable, effective change to complex and seemingly intractable challenges there was a need for new approaches including strategic collaboration and engagement.
As a result, membership in multistakeholder initiatives grew in order to leverage the expertise, experience and resources of multiple stakeholders. This has produced some positive outcomes, such as UK legislation protecting vulnerable workers, and increased engagement with local NGOs and trade unions in developing countries. However, the jury is still out on the cumulative impact that these initiatives will have in the coming years.
Brands also learned that training at the supplier level was important. Brands either independently or in partnership with other stakeholders launched training programs in various areas including worker rights and responsibilities, labor law, health and safety, management systems development, supervisory skills training, worker and management dialogue and productivity enhancements.
While these trainings do target key needs in suppliers they have largely failed to reach scale and sustain themselves over time. Like the code fatigue mentioned earlier, the industry is beginning to face "training fatigue."
While still an emerging area, there is a tremendous opportunity for brands to engage collectively with governments and/or international organizations on expectations related to human rights. They have a shared interest in a level playing field, rule of law, remedy processes and developing competent and resourced labor inspectorates.
Many governments feel if they enforce all their labor and environmental laws then the brands will leave due to the increased costs of compliance. Yet price is not the only consideration in sourcing decisions. Brands also factor into the equation supply chain stability, good infrastructure, quality, skills and innovation. Some have taken the step of making clear that they welcome the effective enforcement of labor and environmental standards, as this provides greater predictability and less risk for their business.
However, while there have been some admirable one-off efforts to develop responsible lobby platforms these have generally not gained traction. A couple of examples include:
Brands can play an important role in sending a clear, unified message to national governments about their concerns regarding human rights protections, leveraging the role they play in providing employment opportunities and economic development.
A positive development that defines the responsibility of brands and their suppliers in relation to human rights are the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
In June 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the Guiding Principles. The principles enjoy wide support from business, civil society and governments.
Former Special Representative to the Secretary-General, Professor Ruggie proclaimed, "The UN Guiding Principles will not bring all human rights challenges to an end, but their endorsement marks the end of the beginning. The principles provide a solid and practical foundation on which more learning and good practice can be built."
The principles outline the corporate responsibility to respect human rights. In order to meet their responsibility to respect human rights, business enterprises should have in place policies and processes appropriate to their size and circumstances, including:
The Guiding Principles can play an important role in reducing duplication, framing responsibility boundaries and roles, and setting expectations for business, including both brands and their suppliers by:
Any solution to supply chain human rights issues will be multifaceted and require brands to look into the mirror to assess how their own purchasing practices may be a part of the problem. The Guiding Principles require that a company looks at how their own activities may contribute to human rights impacts through their business relationships as part of their responsibility to respect human rights.
Brands should therefore determine if their own purchasing practices are undermining the monitoring efforts of their internal compliance teams or their external auditors.
They should consider making a "deep-dive" assessment of their product pricing, supplier capacity, product lead times, ship dates, product changes and critical path management to determine ways to improve in order to take unnecessary pressure off suppliers and the workers they employ.
There are no silver bullets, but there are some practical steps that can be taken to address the pressures that underlie purchasing practices.
Until apparel brands take responsibility for their own purchasing practices, monitoring and auditing will continue to be a cat and mouse game with little or no positive impact and a great deal of wasted resources.
Brands and suppliers need to take a hard look at current buyer purchasing models and take mutual responsibility to ensure that workers making their products are treated with dignity and respect as part of their responsibility under the Guiding Principles.
So ask yourself again:
1. What is the story behind your product or service?
2. Are you proud of that story?
3. Would your customer be proud of the story?
4. Do you own the story or do others own it for you?
Sean Ansett is the Founder of At Stake Advisors, a supply chain sustainability and strategy consulting group based in London. He has over 15 years working on supply chain human rights issues and was formally the Director of Global Partnerships at Gap Inc., and the Director of Corporate Responsibility at Burberry.


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A mystery solved
I am a big fan of Queen Victoria, and I read everything I can about her reign. She will appear frequently in this blog, I think.
One thing I always was puzzled about was the bad reception Prince Albert had in the United Kingdom at the time of their marriage. Granted, he was a foreigner… but the German nobility was so large at the time that it would be extremely difficult, I think, to find a suitable candidate who didn't have German ancestry. Queen Victoria herself was genetically German, up to all her great-great-grandparents, and for four generations, the British throne had been held by a German-origined dinasty.
There was a popular mocking rhyme at the time:
He comes the bridegroom of Victoria's choice
The nominee of Lehzen's voice; (1)
He comes to take 'for better or for worse'
England's fat Queen and England's fatter purse. (2)
A bit mean, right?! The power of this bad opinion about Prince Albert's financial matters was so great that Parliament refused to grant him the same £50.000/year that had been granted to Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (3), who had married Charlotte (4), Princess of Wales, some 20 years before. Albert only got £30.000, which aggravated him extremely.
But after finding this picture… some light begins to dawn!
This is Schloss Rosenau, the seat of Albert's family, in Thuringia, Germany. He was born here in 1819 (this picture was taken in 1900). Now, calling this a schloss is very eulogizing, because this is really quite a biggish cottage. Look in Wikicommons for images of schlosses and you will see fairy-tale buildings, on top of imposing hills… not a modest house in the middle of a pretty garden. Compare this also to Britain's nobility's great seats… it's quite possible he may have been perceived as a minor princeling intent on a financially advantageous marriage.
But actually this is interesting, because it may explain why Prince Albert had such a distaste for the large palaces in England where he had to live. He hated Buckingham Palace, which had been Victoria's favourite palace before her marriage. He preferred Windsor Castle, but he insisted in building the more secluded Osborne House, in the Isle of Wight, and Balmoral Castle, in Scotland. These two were also rather smallish residences compared to the former, and their attendants used to moan about the inconvenience of these houses: far away from London, small, cold, and the general opinion at their building was also that they were hideous (though this opinion tends to disappear as the Victorian taste grows stronger as the century progresses).
Victoria herself was enchanted when visiting Rosenau for the first time. Quite curiously, she wrote: 'If I was not who I am, this would have been my real home, but I shall always consider it my second one.' (2)
So the need for seclusion, for the living of a private life, which is one of the new domestic paradigms brought by the Victorian Age, maybe was born too here in this Schloss Rosenau.
(1) Baroness Lehzen had been the governess of Victoria, and enjoyed her outmost trust, being at the time one of the most important persons in the Household. She too was a polemical figure due to her percepted influence on the Queen.
(2) Quoted in Hibbert, Christopher, Queen Victoria – A Personal History, Harper Collins, 2001, ISBN 0-00-638843-4. A very good book!
(3) Leopold was later Leopold I, King of the Belgians. He was an uncle to both Victoria and Albert.
(4) Charlotte had been an heir-presumptive to the crown, so Leopold could have been Prince Consort if she had lived. She died very tragically in labour, and this event led to ultimately Victoria becoming Queen.


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Toronto is packed with exciting options for your wedding venue and there's no better city to get married in!
Here are some of the most popular choices that you should consider. Each is unique and Toronto is packed with one-of-a-kind venue offerings (we share more here!)
1. The Berkeley Church is one of the most gorgeous wedding venues in Toronto.
Picture a gothic-style wedding surrounded by dramatic 17-foot stained glass windows, hardwood floors, and soaring high ceilings. Just imagine how utterly amazing this space could look and the dramatic photos you'll have to remember your day by if you choose this kind of venue!
2. Graydon Manor Hall is full of old-world sophistication.
This is a great choice if you want to add some old-world sophistication to your big day. Picture sprawling gardens, ornate moldings, and big bay windows, plus the warm glow of a wood-burning fireplace to set the mood.
3. Steam Whistle Brewery is historic and hip!
If you want to host your wedding in a hip setting, you can't go wrong with the award-winning historic roundhouse that's known as the Steam Whistle Brewery. Picture exposed wood beams, rich red brick, massive windows, and high ceilings. An added bonus is that wedding guests can even go on a tour of the brewery!
4. Casa Loma is perfect if you have a love of castles.
Canada isn't known for castles, so you can be forgiven if you shelved your dream of getting married in one locally. However, if getting married in a castle appeals to you, consider Casa Loma. Built in 1914 for 3.5 million dollars, it's one of the only castles in North America. Not only will you enjoy the dramatic 60-foot ceilings of the interior, but the impeccably manicured gardens are wonderful in the warm summer months.
5. Evergreen Brickworks can accommodate almost all sizes of guest lists for your Toronto wedding.
This location is wonderful whether you're having a more intimate wedding with as few as 70 guests, or a lavish affair for 2000! With their mission of adopting sustainable, eco-friendly practices, they are the perfect choice if you want to minimize your wedding's impact on the environment.
6. The Toronto Wedding Chapel will save you money.
This is a great space for a very small guest list – they can accommodate up to 25 people. And since the space is pre-decorated, you can save a bundle on your decorating budget by booking here too!
7. Palais Royale is a classy choice.
If you love the idea of enjoying views of the water, book their large outdoor double patio. This place has a classy old-world urban vibe and makes for a memorable venue for hosting your wedding.
Great Choices for your Toronto Wedding Venue!
After you've finalized your choice of wedding venue – there are so many options that you're bound to find one that you like – it's time to move on to other details like favors, gifts, and wedding supplies all available in Toronto!
Online shopping is easy and In Casa Gifts ships daily to Toronto and carries a larger selection of favors, gifts, wedding supplies and decorations than any local store. It's totally Canadian with most items shipping from Canada!


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3 Pednolver Terrace
3 Pednolver Terrace, St Ives, Cornwall, UK,
- Overview
Set in a plumb location overlooking the blue bay of St Ives, Pednolver has been flawlessly refurbished to present one of the most stylish townhouses in West Cornwall. The house has been completely renovated, interior styled and refurbished for the season ahead with 5 beautiful bedrooms offering unique accommodation for up to 10 guests and 3 cool contemporary bathrooms completing the luxury ambiance. The considered layout ensures ample room for larger families or enjoy the luxury of space for small parties. Pendolver offers a large cinema room, private parking for 4 cars and is just a short walk into the cosmopolitan coastal town of St Ives, West Cornwall.


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Supporting Retail & Fast Food Workers
There is a great deal of work involved in establishing a new union for retail and fast food workers and we welcome supporters of all shapes and sizes.
Of course, financial support is essential and we encourage all individuals who aren't eligible to be members and all organisations to sign up as Solidarity Supporters by clicking here or by contributing to our dedicated Pozible campaign here.
Organisations that can provide on the ground support should contact us directly at email@example.com or call us on 1300 RAFFWU (1300 723 398).
We also need other types of help. If you can assist as a volunteer:
- Recruiting
- Organising
- Assisting and supporting members at disciplinary meetings
- Representing members at other meetings
- Industrial advocacy
- Other specialised skills (such as photography, design, etc)
We need to hear from you! Complete the form below and we'll be in touch.
For those without recent experience undertaking recruitment activity, we will provide training and group activities so don't be shy – put your hand up and help us grow together!


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Sometimes we feel sad or lonely. Sometimes we feel happy and excited.Sometimes we feel peaceful and contented.Sometimes we feel angry. Everyone feels angry sometimes.
Have you ever felt really angry about something?
Do you remember why you felt so angry?
There are lots of times when we feel angry about something.
Anger releases chemicals in your brain, which then cause the changes in your body that you can feel. These changes give you extra strength and alertness so that you are ready to protect yourself from danger, stand up for your rights or run away to keep yourself safe, a sort of mini ''super hero'' change - but don't try flying. It doesn't work!
Many good changes in the world have been made because people got angry about something and used that anger to work together to change things in a positive way. Because a lot of women got angry enough they won the right to vote in many countries.
Maybe you could ask the adults you know to tell you how they have used anger to make life better for others.
Anger can be a positive feeling if it is used properly and is controlled.
Anger can lead to all sorts of problems if it is allowed to rage out of control.
To learn how to control or use your anger in a positive way, have a look at this topic Anger - being the boss of your anger.
Have you ever seen a small child having a tantrum (a fit of anger)? He or she will shout, scream, cry, hit out and destroy things and continue until he or she is exhausted. Most people grow out of this stage and learn to deal with anger.
It's okay to feel angry about something but it's NEVER okay to hurt someone because you feel angry.
Learn to control or use your anger in a positive way.
CLICK HERE to go to the exercise
I'm so angry I couldstamp, scream and shout!Jump up and downKick and hit out!But, I'll just walk awaycount to 10, breathe deep,work my body hardand have a good sleep.Anger can help you to get things done.Don't use anger to hurt anyone.BH
We've provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. However, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown-up.
Related Topics
Last updated: Thursday 2 August 2018


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Master Tech RV is now the oldest in the industry, most highly respected independent RV repair facility in the country located in Elkhart, Indiana. We specialize in Insurance and Warranty claims of all types, full RV renovation and remodeling, customization, and upgrades. We have a customer satisfaction level second to none, just ask our customers. Many of our "regulars" just plan a stop at Master Tech as part of their trip. At Master Tech RV, we ensure complete satisfaction, no matter what you need, we will make it happen. The experts at Master Tech RV are passionate about making your RV dreams a reality. Master Tech RV helps RVers uncover a better, more rewarding RV life by continually striving to provide the perfect RV services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get in Touch
We always love to hear from our customers. Feel free to drop in or contact us during our business hours.
Monday – Friday 7am – 5pm
Saturday By Appointment Only
Address 4800 Beck Drive Elkhart, Indiana 46516
Phone 866-895-4556
Sales: [email protected]
Service: [email protected]
Parts: [email protected]
Human Resources: [email protected]


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Sold out
Design It Simple Decorative Fruit 15/Pkg-Mini Green Apple
by Floracraft
Current price $4.89 Sale
Original price $5.99
Save $1.10 (18% off)
FLORACRAFT-Design It Simple Style: Decorative Fruit. This imitation fruit looks real enough to eat! Unlike real fruit however this plastic alternative will never go bad. Use it to create interesting floral displays; centerpieces; and home decor items. It is also great for an artist composing a still life; a realtor staging a display home; or a student putting together a school project. A wide variety of fruit types are available and each comes in its realistic 'natural' size. This package contains fifteen Mini Green Apples (each approximately 1-1/2x1-3/4 inches). Not edible; for decorative purposes only. Imported.


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post7896358811863112491..comments2020-04-02T00:13:59.340+02:00Comments on MLP Merch: Comicbook reveals NEW Equestria Girls Dolls!Ilonahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-19145965088166858622018-01-12T09:30:35.524+01:002018-01-12T09:30:35.524+01:00I really like them too.I really like them too.Eviehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-726635482575703942018-01-12T09:20:43.860+01:002018-01-12T09:20:43.860+01:00I agreeI email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-89921460800622898462018-01-12T09:19:11.485+01:002018-01-12T09:19:11.485+01:00I like them. Especially Fluttershy.I like them. Especially Fluttershy.Eviehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-58474661411591707782018-01-12T09:16:39.507+01:002018-01-12T09:16:39.507+01:00I agree��I agree��firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-23774529184606408762017-11-25T05:53:05.295+01:002017-11-25T05:53:05.295+01:00I really don't care what the people that say they ...I really don't care what the people that say they hate the new looks of these new EG dolls. Hasbro tooka step up meanwhile Mattel's fracking doll and detail quality just gets flipping worse. I mean... look at some of the new Monster High Reboot dolls! Some of them might look decent but their not scary as they used to be! So it's like the more better Hasbro gets on the dolls, the worse Mattel is getting on their well known dolls. And look at some of the new Barbie dolls! GOOD LORD MATTELY!!! Mattel doesn't do anymore good dolls besides the Wonder Woman dolls. That's it. Monster High and the fairy tale MH rip off are slowly dying. Eyyyy. I mean at least Hasbro upgraded those spaghetti legs to more realistic and cute legs. And (more at least) the hair is more styled and thank god it's not season 3 (2013) anymore. I love their new looks. It's an bucking improvement to be honest. Say whatever you want but these are my opinions and at last, there are no more cutie marks on their faces. Darn good thing so we can have an Applejack doll with visible and more known of those adorable freckles of hers. Let's hope the next time Hasbro makes another EG brushabke doll of AJ, that she gets an hat. Wish they would make more movies but at least we have the YouTube series. AND YES HASBRO, I love the new dolls! I get one of each character the more lines you come out for this EG reboot doll series based on the new YT shorts! :)Anonymoushttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-62622564512769798182017-10-05T16:50:12.990+02:002017-10-05T16:50:12.990+02:00If the Equestria girls couldn't get uglier ;-;...If the Equestria girls couldn't get uglier ;-;. At least some of the clothes are nice.AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-78843198277658547592017-09-11T02:02:43.606+02:002017-09-11T02:02:43.606+02:00I mentioned before, I will repeat again; probably ...I mentioned before, I will repeat again; probably if those nose were more small and the eyes more big, they could look as in the cartoon/anime series; really I see that fix some interesting; well.Sakura Harukahttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-19012268571950210822017-09-10T22:07:06.206+02:002017-09-10T22:07:06.206+02:00The clothes look ok, but everything else is just a...The clothes look ok, but everything else is just awful. I really like Equestria Girls dolls, too bad they look hideous now. Well, at least we still have minis...Larjushttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-30297528975842121912017-09-10T21:45:16.134+02:002017-09-10T21:45:16.134+02:00 think its the way they did their nose, everything... think its the way they did their nose, everything else looks fine but the noses Unixorn Princehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-29610644471483660402017-09-10T21:41:43.774+02:002017-09-10T21:41:43.774+02:00name one word to describe them. mine is ugly name one word to describe them. mine is ugly Unixorn Princehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-32087938631833024002017-09-10T01:11:25.631+02:002017-09-10T01:11:25.631+02:00Not to be a hater but in my opinion I kind of don&...Not to be a hater but in my opinion I kind of don't like them very much... I guess I would maybe get twilight or sunset. :(firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-58280964263257401532017-09-09T23:56:38.217+02:002017-09-09T23:56:38.217+02:00Well, I think they look WAAYYY better than the old...Well, I think they look WAAYYY better than the old "Betty Spaghetti"-esque EG dolls that I found quite ugly. I like how the outfits look (especially Sunset's, Dash's, AJ's, and Pinkie's.) Never been much of a doll fan (they don't even stand on their own, and then all their little accessories fall off or the hair gets messed up--never really saw the point), and I like EG okay...the molded plastic minis are probably the best representations of them, though I've rarely seen them for a fair price. Wish there was a set of blind bag-sized EG minis. The ones I'd like most are Sunset, Starlight, and basically the others who aren't the mane six, since they've been all over everything from the beginning in all their forms...Michellehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-10146001265606789642017-09-09T17:19:19.063+02:002017-09-09T17:19:19.063+02:00I think that the only one I'll buy is pinkie o...I think that the only one I'll buy is pinkie or sunset shimmer.Anonymoushttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-39272393648028696022017-09-09T05:28:02.068+02:002017-09-09T05:28:02.068+02:00Exactly, As I mentioned, if their nose were more l...Exactly, As I mentioned, if their nose were more little as the old ones and minis, and the eyes as in the series (as you mentioned), very probably they could look almost exactly to the series.Sakura Harukahttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-69637749023909238292017-09-09T03:58:29.458+02:002017-09-09T03:58:29.458+02:00They look too human in my opinion. Applejack is th...They look too human in my opinion. Applejack is the only one growing on me, probably because she has a more human-reminiscent color scheme. I would've just preferred that they took the old ones, gave them the articulated elbows, gave them show accurate eye designs, and removed the lipstick, replacing it with a more animated smile, like on the minis.

TBH, they are cute, but to me, they look even less accurate than the originals. When i buy something, I base it on how accurate it is to the animated show. These are too far off for me to want to purchase, but I know others do enjoy the softer look, and I respect their opinions.Anonymoushttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-78975417447238498032017-09-09T03:58:11.096+02:002017-09-09T03:58:11.096+02:00i showed the photo to my daughter and she just gig...i showed the photo to my daughter and she just giggled and said they look silly, i then asked her would you like one and she said no and walked of lol.Anonymoushttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-14979765632394465362017-09-09T02:23:53.600+02:002017-09-09T02:23:53.600+02:00Soooo I'm guessing I'm one of the few who ...Soooo I'm guessing I'm one of the few who absolutely adores these dolls? I really love the new clothes and how expressive they look. I never liked the how the old dolls looked (they look so uncanny to me) so this is a welcome change for me.Anonymoushttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-59602651333898485602017-09-09T01:27:50.119+02:002017-09-09T01:27:50.119+02:00I'd say there's potential. With the more r...I'd say there's potential. With the more realistic features and fashion it's almost like these are halfway between the old dolls and Integrity dolls. Still a bit perplexed by the lack of knees...Anonymoushttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-91206320364167420782017-09-08T23:44:22.933+02:002017-09-08T23:44:22.933+02:00Yeah.... not a fan :( Disappointing because I love...Yeah.... not a fan :( Disappointing because I love my Equestria Girls and was looking forward to a new line. I will say that I like the clothes. They are well designed. But I will not be purchasing these dolls :( Their faces are just firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-5655171372292282852017-09-08T23:30:02.820+02:002017-09-08T23:30:02.820+02:00Oh wow, well, still I like them (well, always I li...Oh wow, well, still I like them (well, always I like them), but, only 2 things for change:
first: that "big" nose for some more little, "peak style", not realistic; and second, the eyes, a little more big, but well, no problem.

In fact, with a small nose and bigger eyes, could look as of the anime/cartoon!!Sakura Harukahttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-45213658885168090312017-09-08T23:01:32.312+02:002017-09-08T23:01:32.312+02:00This is gross. Ugh. Absolutely disgusting. The old...This is gross. Ugh. Absolutely disgusting. The old ones look so better and now I'm just gonna stick here to the EQG minis. Hasbro you can do better. Oh my God. I can never unsee this.Juliana Ahttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-13551046112412248582017-09-08T21:59:51.229+02:002017-09-08T21:59:51.229+02:00They would look better without the pony earsThey would look better without the pony firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-58738019103074262432017-09-08T21:17:00.102+02:002017-09-08T21:17:00.102+02:00i think they're kinda gorgeous!! they may not ...i think they're kinda gorgeous!! they may not be a perfect representation but better than the old ones and most dolls on the market screening alone. i'm so glad they've stepped up the design of ponies and EG dolls.

here's hoping they release some fully articulated dolls down the email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-72034925654256311022017-09-08T20:50:51.955+02:002017-09-08T20:50:51.955+02:00Hasbro needs Jesus. this is horrible. I though EG ...Hasbro needs Jesus. this is horrible. I though EG dolls can't be any worse. I was wrong. is it too hard to use MINIES mold and rooted hair? they look so accurate and pretty. burn this with fire before it moves. JOrjehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5670051005803498800.post-4429124438371361152017-09-08T20:48:29.110+02:002017-09-08T20:48:29.110+02:00Totally uglyTotally firstname.lastname@example.com


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ItÆs often claimed that a particular artist is ōborn to singö, but rarely is it so literally true as in the case of Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva. Her future as an opera singer was foretold the moment she arrived in the world in December 1989, in a hospital on the Russian island of Sakhalin.
ōApparently when I was delivered, I shouted out so suddenly that the doctor almost dropped me and he said to my mum æsheÆs a born opera singer!Æ Imagine that! ItÆs such an amazing thing.ö
Anyone who witnessed Ms LezhnevaÆs ravishing performance of RossiniÆs Fra il padre at 2010Æs Classical Brits, or has heard her early recordings on the Naive label such as her award-winning disc of Rossini ariasĀor VivaldiÆs Ottone in Villa, will need no convincing of the 23-year-oldÆs already awesome abilities. Her debut CD for Decca, a collection of motets byĀVivaldi, Handel, Porpora and Mozart, looks set to become one of the musical events of 2013.
ōI recorded the CD in Barcelona with Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico,ö she reports. ōThe idea of doing motets came from MozartÆs Exsultate Jubilate, which is a special piece for me because IÆve been singing it for many years.
At first we thought of recording an all-Mozart album but, having further explored sacred motets with Giovanni Antonini, I completely fell in love with the idea of taking one motet from four of the great composers across the 18th century and showing the stylistic development of this genre: Vivaldi and Handel from the Baroque linked to Mozart by PorporaÆs contrasting ægalantÆ style.ö
Despite her Russian background, itÆs the music of the European Baroque and classical periods that has always held the strongest allure for her. Partly she attributes it to hearing Cecilia BartoliÆs The Vivaldi Album when she was very young ¢ ōit made a really huge impression on me because IÆd never heard any coloratura beforeö ? but also she has found that ōmy voice somehow always showed me that Russian music is not ideal for it, but itÆs effortless for me to sing Baroque repertoire.ö
Whatever the style or period, it seems that she was predestined to sing. Her parents, Alfiya and Mikhail, were both eminent geophysicists ? geologists who study the earthÆs physical properties ? and wanted her to follow in their own professional footsteps, but Julia understood instinctively that her future would be in arts and music.
ōIt was difficult for me to do simple mathematical things at school,ö she recalls. ōMy mother is very theoretical, and she had to really work with me so I could learn how to do them. Also, because I was so energetic and couldnÆt sit still for a minute, it was difficult for me to concentrate on learning these things. But I had a natural feel for writing and an interest in poetry and literature.ö
Fortunately, her parents were also enthusiastic classical music fans, so Julia was bombarded with it from her earliest days. ōI believe when youÆre pregnant and you listen to a lot of music the child hears it and learns musicality,ö she reflects, ōso when I was born my mother knew which music I liked to wake up to or go to sleep to. We used to have a lot of those old things like huge CDs which you put on the old equipment.ö
LPs, you mean? On the Russian Melodiya label, perhaps?
ōYes! Melodiya, exactly. I listened to a lot of them when I was a child and I was very sensitive to music. One of my favourites was the ōDance of the Snowflakesö, from TchaikovskyÆs Nutcracker.ö
Her musical gifts were initially channelled into learning the piano, but again her childhood hyperactivity caused problems.
ōIÆm getting a little bit more relaxed now IÆm older,ö she laughs, ōbut when I was a child I was always over-active. I was always crushing my fingers or banging my head, and my mother realised that I cannot be a pianist because it would be too stressful for both of us. By then I had discovered I had a voice and felt I should work on it.ö
Even on the exotic but remote island of Sakhalin, which has had a long and complicated history of being struggled over by the Russians and the Japanese, Julia was able to get a first taste of a solid Russian musical education. But everything changed when she was seven, because the family moved to Moscow, where theyÆre still based. After finishing her school studies at 14, she entered college and continued learning piano while starting to work at singing too. Her voice had matured unusually early, and as early as age 11 she had a sense that an operatic future lay ahead of her. She remembers how one day she amazed her mother by standing in the bathroom and doing impersonations of famous opera singers (ōshe said æI thought it was someone on the TV, how did you do that?Æö).
One of her college music teachers recommended that she should audition for a specialist vocal professor, and despite not yet having reached the official minimum age of 15, she was enrolled on a full-time singing course. She instantly began to blossom, and caught the attention of some influential musical opinion-formers. At 16 she entered the singing competition held by renowned Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Obraztsova (where the judges included such legends of the operatic stage as Christa Ludwig, Renata Scotto and the bass-baritone Bruno Pratico), andĀObraztsovaĀtold her ōyou have such agility, you have to sing Rossini, you are a Rossinian voiceö.
The following year she entered the competition again and won it, which earned her an invitation to appear at the Rossini festival in Pesaro, Italy. Doors were suddenly swinging open for her, and ōthey offered me everything to sing, but I agreed just two pieces, the Rossini Stabat Mater and the opening gala with Juan Diego Fl¾rez. What I remember is that I knew nothing about how to do it! I was only 18 and I just had to trust my impulses about how to perform the music. I was not strong enough even to sustain a big duet scene from La donna del lago, although itÆs fantastic for my voice. But Fl¾rez was very sweet, and completely respectful of my age, and I never felt pressured with him.ö
She gained an honours degree from theĀMoscow State Conservatory Academic Music CollegeĀin 2008. Then, to give herself a more international outlook, Julia came to the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, where she studied under the tutelage of veteran Welsh tenor Dennis OÆNeill supported by the generousĀKempinski Arts Support Programme.
ōI was so shy and IÆd never lived abroad before,ö she remembers. ōIt was quite a big step in my life. But working with Dennis was one of the best experiences IÆve had. HeÆs a great person, his heart and soulĀare full of generosity and he is fantastic teacher, whoÆs still singing beautifully. I am so happy I had this chance to meet and study with him.ö But when she planned to spend a third year at Cardiff,Āshe was aghast to learn that courses were being suspended owing to financial problems. By now sheÆd met Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and appealed to her for help.
ōShe has a reputation for helping young talent, and I asked her æwould you please help me find a place maybe in London, perhaps the Guildhall or the Royal College of Music?Æ She said of course, and she called both colleges. I went to auditions for each of them and finally chose Guildhall.ö
It was Dame Kiri, too, who would recommend Julia for an appearance at the Classical Brits, and it was through her that Julia would first make contact with Decca. But it was inevitable that so prolific a talent as JuliaÆs should find itself in demand from many directions, and already she has performed with some of the leading names in the classical and Baroque fields.ĀShe worked with Fabio BiondiÆs Europa Galante on VivaldiÆs LÆOracolo,Āperformed with Philippe Jaroussky under Diego Fasolis and I Barrochisti,Āgave recitals with J. C. Spinosi and his Ensemble Matheus, sang with the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Moest and performed with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra under Louis Langrķe. She toured and recorded VivaldiÆs Ottone in Villa with Il Giardino Armonico with great acclaim, and is planning concerts for 2013 withĀRenķ Jacobs, Sir Roger Norrington and Giovanni Antonini.
She has found a particular champion in Marc Minkowski. It was he who introduced Julia to the international stage and invited her to make her first recordings: BachÆs B-minor Mass when she was only 18 and, two years later, her first solo album of Rossini arias. Minkowsi has subsequently invited Julia to SalzburgÆs Mozartwoche and Festspiele as well as offering her leading roles ¢ such as Fiordiligi in CosĒ fan tutte ¢ and, perhaps most memorably, the part of Urbain in Les Huguenots in Olivier PyÆs production at La Monnaie in Brussels. This gained Julia one of operaÆs most prestigious awards: OpernweltÆs ōNachwuchssõngerin des Jahresö 2011. Marc persuaded Julia to sing the role of Asteria in HandelÆs Tamerlano in Salzburg in 2012, opposite Plßcido Domingo singing Bajazet. Julia was worried that she wasnÆt ready for the role, but looking back, sheÆs delighted she did it and has been particularly praised by the exceptional press.
ōIt was Plßcido Domingo who made us a real team. He was like a father for all of us, and he was generous and kind to everyone as if we were all his children or his relatives. I was very impressed by him, and I think it made a big impact on my quality in this role. I think sometimes you have to take a risk when you see itÆs the right time to do it.ö
We can take it for granted that plenty more risks and rewards lie ahead of her.Ā


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Fuck. PLUTOCRACY was in a league (and often a world) all their own. Death metal weaned on powerviolence and genuine disenfranchisement, perhaps no band personified a scene the way that PLUTO did. Redwood City...fuck. Inadvertently self relegated to mere cult status, these dudes have influenced countless bands, blown countless minds and smoked a little bit of weed in the process. Most of their vinyl releases and plenty of other West Bay Coalition artifacts can be found on the Doomryderz blog, but here is 1990's Progress? demo - a steamroller.
Vinnie called me yesterday to let me know that Kindred aka Stinkweed passed away. Few lived life at maximum volume the way he did - and virtually no one riffed harder. PLUTOCRACY, KALMEX & THE RIFFMERCHANTS, SHADOW PEOPLE, GO LIKE THIS, TORTURE UNIT, BULLSHIT EXCUSE, SHADOW PEOPLE and many others. People come and go, but this one is irreplaceable.


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Anterior Cruciate Ligaments
It comes unexpectedly and when it's least convenient. Really, there's no good time for it. It's challenging to deal with in every way: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It's the bane of every athlete's existence and passion. Injury.
Injuries have the power to end an athletic career at worst and inhibit an athlete's capabilities at best. As most of us have seen in professional sports, they span the whole body, from brain concussions to sprained ankles.
Here, I'd like to discuss one injury in particular: ACL tears. Growing up, I was a slalom and giant slalom ski racer, and in my early teens, I began to participate in more competitive races. In 2013, when I was 14, I tore my right ACL training for a ski race. This resulted in an immediate removal surgery and a later reconstruction surgery within one year, the loss of the rest of that ski season and the next, and the end of my competitive racing career. However, it led me to find a new passion: race coaching.
I started working with the younger kids on my team as their coach rather than as their teammate. I sought to share my own passion for the sport and instill safe, strong skills in my athletes. But 3 years later, when I was 17, I tore my left ACL and meniscus on my day off from work. One of my younger athletes saw it happen, and unfortunately heard the stream of profanities I couldn't help but spew as I felt it tear. ACL tears hurt.
In professional athletes, they used to mean the end of a career, but with modern technology, they can opt for an arthroscopic surgery combined with a team of physical therapists dedicated to their recovery. Procedures and teams like this allow for athletes like Lindsey Vonn and Tom Brady to return to pro skiing and football within a season. When a person's income depends on a sport, it is imperative that they recover quickly, and they will usually be more driven to recover in the least amount of time possible.This is what often happens with star athletes.
Competition in most sports bottlenecks during the early teens, separating the star athletes with the potential to go pro from the recreational athletes. For this reason, such injuries often force developing athletes to quit their sports — which was the case for me. During the consultation process with my surgeon in 2013, I learned that ACL injuries in particular affect more women (especially between the ages of 12 and 18) than men in the ACL tear-prone sports. Such a statistic put me in the target demographic for the injury so I'd like to ask why. Why are teenage females more likely to tear their ACLs in ACL tear-prone sports than other demographics?
I should begin by defining ACL tear-prone sports and describing the demographic to which I will be referring. First, the anterior cruciate ligament, more casually known as the ACL. This ligament is one of four vital ligaments in the knee. Physically it's the smallest, but carries the greatest load. The ACL is responsible for knee stabilization during rotational motion (Souryal).
This means that during twisting and lateral motions, this ligament is put under the most stress and bears the most responsibility. Dr. Tarek O. Souryal, head team physician of the Dallas Mavericks, diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, and assistant clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center explains that, "The most common sports in which we see ACL tears include soccer, basketball, football, and tennis," because, "The most common mechanism of injury is non-contact and caused by cutting."
This cutting can occur when someone plants their foot but their body's momentum carries them forward or sideways. Planting, kicking, jumping, stopping and twisting motions all contribute to this detrimental motion in non-contact instances. When they occur, the lower part of the leg stops with the foot while the upper part continues with the body, causing a laceration at the knee joint.
Sports with rotation (like soccer, basketball, volleyball, skiing, etc.) thus become the "ACL tearprone" sports because their common motions lend themselves to ACL tears. The demographic to which I will be referring includes female athletes between 12 and 18 who participate in these ACL tear-prone sports.
The logical next step is to question why this particular demographic is at a heightened risk. Anatomical geometry plays a large role. In the knee exists the femoral intercondylar notch and in the notch exists the ACL. The Sports Health Journal article Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury, co-authored by Helen C. Smith and other doctors, explores several subsequent studies looking at ACL tears and compiles their findings. In general, the conclusion has been drawn about the relationship between the notch and the ligament on the basis that, "As intercondylar notch width decreases, an increase in ACL injury risk is observed" (Smith et al.). This occurs because as the ligament's home narrows, it has less room to move around when the rest of the body moves. With this decreased internal flexibility comes the increased chance that the ACL will tear when it moves. Dr. Souryal's study was one of those compiled in the Sports
Health Journal analysis; his study finds that people whose notches are particularly narrow have 26x greater risk of tearing their ACL. Furthermore — and this is where our why begins to find an answer — females' anatomy includes, "…a proportionally narrower notch…" than their male counterparts (Souryal). This finding was consistent with my surgeon's analysis of the causes of my own injury as well. During the first reconstruction surgery, she widened my notch, but the other one remained narrow, which contributed to the second tear. Both notches were widened during reconstruction to allow for more ligament flexibility, reducing the risk of future tears.
While this is not mentioned in Souryal's or Smith's studies, another anatomical difference discussed prior to my operations increases this injury's prevalence in our target demographic. Teenage girls have developing bodies, and at this age, their hips are usually more developed than their legs. The combination of pressure from athletic activity and pressure from wider hips on the knee joints can often be too much for not-quite-developed legs, especially if the athlete is not at super-peak strength. Since males don't have such exaggerated hip development, teenage boys are less at risk for this factor; they don't need to worry about the added pressure on their knees that comes from wider hips.
Further exacerbating this issue is one particular notion our society instills in young kids. From a young age, boys experience more encouragement to participate in sports than girls. Most people who grew up in an athletic environment can attest to this phenomena. Regardless of the reasons why, young girls tend to focus on other things during their childhood (like dolls, coloring, and painting their nails — this was definitely the case for me). This causes girls to have less muscle mass in their legs and less neuromuscular coordination, simply because they don't have as much exposure to playing sports than boys. In fact, Dr. Souryal considers this issue in his analysis by explaining that boys, "may develop better neuromuscular coordination and therefore are somewhat protected as they get into high school and college," because they are encouraged to play sports at a younger age. This means that when girls begin sports in their late youth, then, they have a higher risk for injury because they have had less exposure.
These factors culminate to increase the risk of ACL tears in females between the ages of 12 and 18 in ACL tear-prone sports. Of course, there are other factors that must be considered, like the level of competition. Athletes who play varsity basketball in high school are obviously going to be more at risk for this injury that people who shoot hoops for half an hour on Saturdays, almost regardless of demographic. All else being equal, though, the female anatomy lends itself to more ACL tears in teenagers.
I'd now like to ask, why does this even matter? Who does this affect? Perhaps the clearest answer to this question is athletes. Digging deeper reveals that knowledge about these kinds of issues can allow women to make more informed decisions about their own bodies. Most people can agree that injuries are bad. Knowing this kind of information lets women decide whether they want to train differently to avoid ACL tears, whether they want to take preventative measures, or whether they want to compete in the sports that increase their risk. The recovery process is difficult and painful. It takes a long time and tests a person in ways they didn't know they could be challenged. If there is any way a person can avoid an ACL tear, they should. Armed with the information that they are more vulnerable and what exactly makes them more vulnerable can give women the power to prevent these injuries and others in their bodies. One preventative measure that may be possible in the future is the surgical enlargement of the intercondylar notch in individuals who are otherwise healthy. This would allow for more knee flexibility so when an athlete twisted, less force would be placed on their ACL.
Here, we've explored the reasons why ACL tears are particularly prevalent in teenage girls in tear-prone sports, why it matters, who it helps, and what we can do. Hopefully an increased awareness helps prevent the future proliferation of ACL tears in athletes.
Works Cited
Smith, Helen C. et al. "Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Review of the Literature — Part 1: Neuromuscular and Anatomic Risk." Sports Health 4.1 (2012): 69–78.
PMC. Web. 16 May 2017.
Souryal, Tarek O., M.D. "ACL Injury, ACL Tear, ACL Surgery." ESPN Feature on ACL Injuries,
ACL Tear, ACL Surgery, ACL Injury, Dallas Texas Sports Medicine, Dallas Mavericks.
Texas Sports Medicine, n.d. Web. 16 May 2017.


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More on browser caches
Refreshing cached pages and templates is a PITA. But I've found a great Google Chrome's DevTools "Disable cache" option.
Also, when using remote debugging of Chrome on Android, one have to use Android's settings to reset browser caches, "reset cache" command from DevTools didn't work for me.
Adding a login page inevitably lead to the need to navigate through the app, so I need to add routing support.
I've tried can.route from CanJS - but it doesn't support HTML5 history API yet. So I'm going to use this simple routing library instead.
Given that I have a single-page app, with different URLs which actually point to the same index.html file, I have to patch NGinx configuration to redirect all pages to /index.html internally. To do this, I used information from this post.
For actual login, I had to add CORS support to the Checkvist site. After that, AJAX requests to Checkvist API work nicely.
At some point, I understood that I want to have I18N in the app. So I went with a very simple custom solution: create a separate JSON file with mapping between messages and message codes + simple utility function which does the actual mapping in EJS templates. No need for external library :)
Time to add tests. Because it is a right thing, and right now I want to make sure that such thing as token expiration is handled correctly.
So, I added QUnit support for Javascript testing, JQuery.mockajax for mocking AJAX requests, added service messages extension for TeamCity continuous integration.
Automated testing task in the Rakefile, to run tests for every test_*.html file under "tests" directory:
task :test do Dir.foreach("test") do |name| if name =~ /test_.*.html$/ system("cd test && phantomjs run.qunit.js ./#{name}") end end end
Feel on a safe side.
AJAX loading of view templates
To allow AJAX loading of local files (in tests), start Chrome on Mac with this command:
open -a "Google Chrome" --args --allow-file-access-from-files
Loading lists from the server
Using CanJS can.Model to implement lists model for the Checkvist. The model is cached locally, into IndexedDB and updated from the server. To interact with IndexedDB so far I use DB.js + IndexedDBShim to emulate IndexedDB over WebSQL when native support is not available.


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Throughout history and even in today's world, people's fundamental beliefs often clash with others', perpetuating a disharmony of relations. Humans become so absorbed in their own individualistic opinions and goals that they forget about humanity as a whole.
Ohio University is no exception to this reality. The campus is home to tens of thousands of students with diverse cultural backgrounds and various personal beliefs, and oftentimes ignorance of peoples' values disrupts the Bobcat family.
Fortunately, there is an OU group that aims to challenge this disharmony and unite people of various religious and moral beliefs for a greater purpose. Better Together is a campaign conducted through the Interfaith Youth Core, an organization whose mission is to connect people with different beliefs through a relatable, greater cause. Colleges across the nation, including OU, have IFYC chapters that choose different causes usually connected to a local issue.
Considering that Athens is Ohio's most impoverished county, OU's chapter has chosen to fight hunger.
"We focus on creating an interfaith dialogue through establishing food security for Athens," said Krista Mobley, a senior majoring in Global Studies with a focus on War and Peace. Mobley also works as Co-President of the OU organization STAND Against Genocide and her internship through the United Campus Ministry (UCM).
UCM is an organization that encompasses the same interfaith message that IFYC promotes. Through her internship with UCM, Mobley was given the task of becoming the campus coordinator for Better Together. As campus coordinator, she plans meetings for the organization and meets with its supervisors.
"We're all about inclusivity. A lot of people who aren't part of a religion are confused as to what Better Together is about," Mobley said. "We include everyone regardless of whether they believe in something or not."
Better Together meets on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the UCM lounge at 18 North College St.
The campaign hosted the Interfaith Peace Walk last semester that marched through the streets of Athens to deliver a message of acceptance and cooperation between people of various backgrounds and beliefs. At the end of this week, the organization is hosting their final event, Better Together Day, to celebrate the organization's accomplishments of fundraising for the community and to further engage participants in their message of an interfaith dialogue. It will be the second largest Better Together Day and the campaign's third year at OU.
The campaign has raised $500 throughout the past school year and will also offer donation opportunities at the event. The funds the group raised has gone to the Community Food Initiatives (CFI), an organization that offers easier access to healthy foods for Athens residents and also provides workshops for locals to learn how to grow their own produce.
The event will feature the area's different faith communities, including groups such as Hillel, the Muslim Student Association, Christ Lutheran Church and STAND, who will represent their messages and what they are doing in the community, Mobley said. The event will also have local food options, a DJ and speakers CFI Executive Director Mary Nally and OU's Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Shari Clarke.
The event lasts from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday in the Bobcat Student Lounge in Baker Center. Anyone who is interested in coming together with people from different backgrounds and beliefs and promoting an interfaith dialogue for a better cause is welcome to attend. Those who decide to go are encouraged to wear blue and use social media to promote the event by tagging #BEBLUE in any posts.
For more information about Better Together, contact the group at 740-593-7301 or email@example.com.


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The Complete Combatant's Proactive Mindset 3 Hour Class $60
Friday, April 27th, 2018 Men & women invited. This PM class is SPONSORED by ChitoRhino! Since we have a class SPONSOR it is only $25 per person. Registration open
Friday, Sept. 14th, 2018 Men & women invited. This PM class is SPONSORED by Sparks/King/Watts/Reddick Law! Since we have a class SPONSOR it is only $25 per person.
Registration will be open on April 28th, 2018
Friday, November 30th, 2018 Men & Women invited. SPONSOR NEEDED!
Proactive Mindset ALUMNI are FREE to all future Proactive Mindset classes when you bring a friend that pays advertised price.
Guys, in this day and time, we need to start THINKING AHEAD and DESELECTING ourselves from the "bad guys". This class is NOT about fear. It is about being aware of your environment and making good decisions NOW...before you are forced to make bad ones later.
In the PROACTIVE MINDSET class we will be covering the nature of predators and violence, and how to deal, with your response to violent encounters. This well rounded class will focus on CURRENT EVENTS and PROACTIVE MINDSET for both men and women. We will discuss CRITICAL THINKING and DESELECTION, making DEFENSIVE decisions in advance and listening to your instincts. We will discuss THINKING AHEAD, understanding the "law of self defense" and honing in on pre-assault cues.
Criminal Mindset Self-defense Options
The Importance of Preparation Safety Protocols
Listening to your Instincts Layering your Protection
Signs of Danger Getting HELP!
Andrew Branca's The Law of Self Defense
Each class will have "MINDSET" and "hands on" drills that will make you think like a predator, a victim and even the law!
PROACTIVE MINDSET is specifically built to compliment our The Complete Combatant layered approach to proper strategy, escalation of force and employment of tools. We believe this is one complete subject.
Licensed Real Estate Agents will received 3 CE Credits! FULL Not Me...Not EVER! Proactive Mindset details HERE
Proactive Mindset classes are usually scheduled 4 times per year. You can REGISTER for this "Mindset" class here.
You can schedule a PRIVATE group with a minimum of 16 participants and a maximum of 30 at Fusion MMA OR The Complete Combatant can travel to you (within reason).
These classes can also be geared to focus on a specific profession, Holiday awareness, age group or other requirements. If you would like to discuss these options please contact The Complete Combatant via email or phone at 678-290-0282
We offer group and company discounts.
Good to Know.....


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RENO, Nev. - A U.S. Navy sailor has married his high school sweetheart in Reno-Tahoe International Airport, just moments after returning from an 11-month deployment off the coast of war-torn Syria.
U.S. Navy sailor Dylan Ruffer and Madison Meinhardt tied the knot about midnight Tuesday under a tulle-covered arch in front of the arrivals escalators. Both are 19.
Airport spokesman Brian Kulpin says about 200 people watched the spectacle, including strangers and surprised passengers.
The bride had inquired about an airport wedding about three weeks earlier, saying Ruffer wanted to marry her the moment he saw her after returning from his Navy assignment.
Reno-area businesses provided the cake, honeymoon suite and a DJ for the reception in the baggage claim area.


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|Publication Date
|Trim Size / Pages
|8.6 x 5.9 in / 320
An introspective journey into the glamorous world—and temptations—of Japanese nightlife, by former model Chelsea Haywood.
The hard-drinking, drug-taking, all-night culture that dominates Tokyo's Roppongi district can be a surreal place. Overworked Japanese business men will pay handsomely for the services of a hostess—someone to talk to, someone to provide hot towels and drinks, and sometimes just a companion with whom to sing karaoke with all night. Intrigued by rumors of this strange subculture and armed with her 90-day work visa and new husband, Matt, Chelsea throws herself into the lion's den. Yet what she discovers about herself and about the inhabitants of this nocturnal life far exceeds her expectations.
Hostessing, she comes to find, has "very little to do with sex, quite a lot to do with psychology, and nothing to do with prostitution." Her personality and conversation skills are her top commodity, and Chelsea quickly finds herself charmed by these billionaire men, many of whom are funny, intelligent, even kind, and often, very lonely. But as she becomes more and more attached to her clients, Chelsea soon finds herself getting burned at her own game, as the endless presents, compliments, and destructive atmosphere of alcohol and drugs threaten to take both her marriage, and her sanity, to the edge.
Chelsea Haywood was born in British Columbia and has traveled independently and as a fashion model since she was 16 years old, and has been featured in magazines, on catwalks, and television throughout Asia. She splits her time between London and Vancouver.
Buy it now in print: Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound
Buy it now in ebook: Amazon Barnes & Noble Apple Kobo
"Starred Review. Like Karin Muller's Japanland and Lea Jacobson's Bar Flower, Haywood's candid, lively debut celebrates the cultural complexities of modern-day Japan." Booklist
"An extremely entertaining debut book. She neatly hooks the reader, teasing us through her adventures in the oh-so-different cultures of urban Japan. Chelsea is wise beyond her years." The Independent [Australia]
"Hilarious and fast-paced, this is a book you never want to end." Famous Magazine [Australia]


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How to Introduce a Bottle to Your Breastfed Baby
By choice or necessity, most breastfeeding moms these days will express their milk, either occasionally or regularly. If your baby ever needs to drink your expressed breast milk, she most likely will take it from a bottle. Young babies (under about seven months of age) require liberal sucking, both for emotional gratification and for proper development of their palate, jaw, and the muscles of their face, lips, and tongue.
Authored by Marianne Neifert, MD, MTS – Dr. Mom®
Professional Speaker on Topics such as Positive Parenting, Work Life Balance, Breastfeeding Promotion and Support, Personal Growth, and Family Spirituality
If you expect to be separated from your baby (for example, due to work or school) and plan to feed your expressed breast milk by bottle, you should begin to introduce your baby to bottle-feeding once breastfeeding is going well. Some breastfed babies accept a bottle easily, while others are very resistant to a new method of feeding. The following suggestions may be helpful in encouraging your baby to accept a bottle:
- Plan a time when you can devote ten to fifteen uninterrupted minutes to bottle-feeding. Your baby will feel pressured if you are rushed.
- Choose a time when your baby is alert and slightly hungry so she will be motivated to learn a new way to receive milk. On the other hand, avoid offering a bottle when your baby is ravenous. An upset, frantically hungry baby will be in no mood to try something new.
- Offer your freshly expressed milk, so the taste will be familiar to your baby. Sometimes expressed milk acquires an unpleasant taste during freezing. If your milk has been refrigerated, warm the bottle first, taking care not to overheat the milk.
- There is no particular bottle-nipple combo that works best for every baby. Generally, a slow-flow nipple is preferred so that your baby does not guzzle her milk. If she uses a pacifier, she might prefer a nipple with a similar shape. Stick with one type of nipple for several days. Trying numerous different nipples may just confuse your baby.
- Your baby may accept a bottle more readily if an alternate caregiver (such as your husband or partner) offers it to her. If you try to feed her with a bottle, your baby may protest and turn toward your breast to nurse. On the other hand, she may actually accept the bottle more willingly when she is in your arms and is reassured by your voice. There is no single position that works for every baby. Some babies prefer to be facing you, while others prefer to face away from you, and some like to sit in the crook of your arm. It may even depend on who is giving the bottle.
- Stay calm when offering a bottle to your baby. At first she may resist your efforts by turning away, grimacing or making a face, or pushing the nipple away with her tongue. Don't force the bottle at any time, and discontinue your efforts if your baby starts to get upset.
- Go slowly and gently, first touching your baby's top lip with the nipple and watching her reaction. Do not force the nipple past her lips. Instead, let her draw the nipple into her mouth at her own pace.
- Drip a little milk from the nipple onto your baby's lips or tongue. Remove the nipple before she protests. Keep a smile on your face and keep talking in a reassuring tone the whole time. Babies are keen observers of their mothers' and caretakers' facial expressions and take their cues from them.
- Patiently wait for your baby to explore or draw the nipple into her mouth. Slowly guide the nipple toward the roof of her mouth, being careful not to go straight back, as this may cause her to gag. Keep smiling and offer reassuring words in a calming voice.
- If your baby starts to get upset, try to calm her by talking in a soothing voice. Wait until she starts to settle before you remove the nipple from her lips. Avoid letting her get very upset and then immediately taking the nipple away. This will teach her that if she protests enough, you will remove the nipple. It is better to withdraw the nipple before she becomes upset or to try to calm her with your voice before you remove the nipple.
- Don't spend more than ten to fifteen minutes on this process and stop sooner if you or your baby becomes frustrated. It is better to end the session on a positive note and try again tomorrow.
- Most importantly, don't be discouraged. You can take comfort in knowing that countless women have managed to entice their breastfed babies to accept a bottle. While the same techniques are not necessarily effective for every mother and baby, something always works. You will find a solution too!
Copyright © 2012 Marianne Neifert, MD, MTS


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Budai Torpe
- Grown, sold, and described by Muddy Bucket Farm
- Plant growth: determinate, dwarf
- Leaf type: regular rugose leaf
- Time to maturity: Early/Mid season
- Approx. number of seeds per pack: 20
- Vendor's seed source: A. Schmid – Germany
Budai Torpe – It's a nice compact healthy dwarf with prolific round red saladette size fruit. This dwarf was used in several of the crosses that led to released dwarfs from the Cross-Hemisphere Dwarf Project. By itself, it is a small tomato machine that delivers
3 oz (average size) red fruit with an old fashioned taste that is slightly sweet in the finish.
32 in stock


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Ukraine Seeks to Simplify Gas Trade
- By Anatoly Medetsky
- Feb. 04 2008 00:00
Some of the contracts with RosUkrEnergo, UkrGazEnergo and other intermediaries "bear the signs of corruption" and are "destructive" for the state, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said at a news conference in Kiev.
The country's National Security and Defense Council, chaired by President Viktor Yushchenko, decided to cut out the middlemen Friday, Tymoshenko said.
Ukraine will seek to conclude direct contracts with supplying countries, Tymoshenko, a long-time critic of the intermediaries, said without naming the countries. Current top suppliers are Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while Gazprom delivers the fuel.
"The president supported the start of government talks with countries that in one way or another deal with Ukraine in terms of supplying gas," Tymoshenko said. "I cannot tell you now how long this will take."
Tymoshenko is due in Moscow on Feb. 21 for talks that are expected to encompass gas trade.
The government will ensure stable supplies to the domestic market and uninterrupted transit on to Europe during the talks with suppliers, she said.
RosUkrEnergo appeared as a key middleman after Russia halted Ukraine's gas supply -- which disrupted flows to European customers -- for several days in January 2006 amid a politically tinged pricing dispute. The company buys Central Asian gas from Gazprom and resells it to another intermediary, UkrGazEnergo. That company sells the gas to Ukrainian industrial consumers and Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz, which supplies households and other consumers.
Gazprom and two Ukrainian businessmen -- Dmytro Firtash and Ivan Fursin -- own equal halves of RosUkrEnergo, which shares ownership of UkrGazEnergo with Naftogaz.
Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov could not be reached for comment Sunday. But Gazprom chairman and First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is the front-runner in the presidential race, has said the proposal to work through RosUkrEnergo had come from Kiev and signaled Moscow's readiness to shed intermediaries. "We will next year probably ... move away from the intermediary structures that are not fully understandable," Medvedev said in an October interview with German television broadcaster ARD.
There is no reason to hope that Ukraine's gas prices will drop drastically without the intermediaries, said Vladimir Vedeneyev, a gas analyst at the Bank of Moscow. Gazprom and RosUkrEnergo draw most revenues on sales to Europe, while they keep their margins small for the Ukraine trade, he said.
"Dropping any intermediary would be a plus for Gazprom, but price conditions for Ukraine would not change much," Vedeneyev said.
Ukraine could hope for $5 off every 1,000 cubic meters of gas as the largest discount, if any, from the current price of $179.50, said Timur Khairullin, an analyst at Antanta Capital.
Gazprom considers RosUkrEnergo as a buffer against political risks on the Ukrainian market and could raise its own commission if the intermediary is gone, Khairullin said.
Tymoshenko said that, in addition to making some money as an intermediary, RosUkrEnergo in its contracts with Naftogaz was able to win suspiciously low rates for gas storage in Ukraine and transit on to Europe. German gas storage facilities charge 4.9 times as much, while Czech facilities charge 6.2 times as much, she said.
"We believe that these contracts bear the signs of corruption. They are anti-market and destructive to the interests of Naftogaz and the state," Tymoshenko said, Interfax reported.
Calls to RosUkrEnergo spokesman Andrei Knutov went unanswered Sunday as did calls to Leonid Fink, a spokesman for Group DF that incorporates RosUkrEnergo.
Tymoshenko urged law enforcement officials to hold responsible the "gray" owner of both Naftogaz and RosUkrEnergo. She did not give a name.
The contracts in question, which run until 2030, took effect in 2005, a year before Moscow and Kiev fell out over gas price, Tymoshenko said.
Tymoshenko also accused RosUkrEnergo and UkrGazEnergo of sidelining Naftogaz in sales on the Ukrainian market. The state company "doesn't have a cash flow because it's UkrGazEnergo that controls all cash flow from sales," she said.


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There is no simpler, easier and more effective way to repair a tyre puncture - and to continue your journey after only 4 minutes.
While tyre repair kits have been common for a while in passenger cars, they are starting to find more and more usage for transporters, campers and SUV.
Daimler has equipped their transporter-model "Sprinter" and Volkswagen their transporter-modell "Crafter" with PREMIUM-SEAL for the first time as original equipment.
Systems using a compressor are at a disadvantage: filling a transporter tyre can take up to 17 minutes. The new PREMIUM-SEAL AIO Comfort Plus System does the job in only 4 minutes.
There is no simpler, faster and more effective way to repair a tyre puncture - and allow you to continue your journey after only 4 minutes.
Using the valve insert remover (patents pending) a closed cycle between the tyre and the sealant bottle is created. The valve insert is protected from loss while removed from the valve.
The aerosol can is directly connected to the sealant bottle. When pushing the button, the sealant is pumped into the tyre and an initial tyre pressure is established. A second aerosol bottle allows for the required minimum tyre pressure. The tyre pressure is further increased by the warming of the tyre while driving.
The tyre sealant is newly developed and it prevents chemical reactions when used with aerosols. The construction of the aerosol can offers a safety margin that surpasses legal requirements.
For vehicles with twin wheels a special valve insert remover has been defeloped, so that removing the outer twin-tyre is no longer necessary. With this tool both wheels are easily accessible for the repair.
Especially for forwarding companies two items are essential:
The PREMIUM-SEAL AIO Comfort Plus System is the ideal solution.