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If You're not Livin' in Love, You're not Livin'
"Almost from the start of my professional storytelling career, I've been telling love stories"
All you need is love, The Beatles wrote some years ago. Some maintain that all there is is love Older people claim that all there are two emotions…love and fear. And Regina Ress, professional storyteller, says she would much rather live in love than fear any day. Ress will be storytelling at Hillside Market on February 7 and then flying into New York City for her annual Valentine's Day concert in Greenwich Village.
"It's all about love, honey. If you're not livin' in love, you're not livin'. What else is there? The Beatles wrote 'All you need is love.' but I say, All there is is love." Edna waved a bag of jewel-red dried cranberries in the air. "These cranberries are love." She gestured toward the Hudson River…
"Look at the sun on that water. Definitely love. You know….the old folks say that there are only two emotions…love and fear. I'd rather live in love than fear any day!"
That's what my fictional friend Edna says. She arrived in my life when she started talking to me from the page as I wrote a story for my annual concert of love stories for a small theater in Greenwich Village, New York City a few years ago. She has been advising me on love ever since, a funky, wise old voice in my ear when I forget. "If you are not livin' in love, you're not livin."
Almost from the start of my professional storytelling career, I've been telling love stories. From the gorgeous description of the wedding night of the Hindu god Siva and his beloved Sati to the Celtic tale of a bride rescuing her betrothed Tam Lin from the Fairy Queen's curse; from the Mexican "Romeo and Juliet" tale of the origin of the two volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl to the original stories I've written about lovers in New York, I've been exploring love for a long time. And I say, Long Live Love!
February is, of course, named for love. Or, to be more precise, for the "Fevre/Fever" of sexual attraction and it's patron goddess, Juno Februata. The Romans knew a thing or two about the metaphoric rising of the sap which is triggered by the lengthening days and anticipation of the rites of spring. February 14th became a day to exchange love notes. But the whole month is named for it. Fever!
And don't believe that Cupid started out as a cute baby in a diaper. The origin of the god of love is a Hindu story about Kama, whose arrows are powerful enough to cause the chaos of sensual desire even among the gods. "You shall be more powerful than any of us," he was told upon his arrival. And he was.
And there is an Egyptian myth of the destructive lioness Sekhmet who was transformed into Hathor, the Lady of Love. In one version, to mollify her, Ra, the Shining One tells her, "Love is more powerful than hate. All shall love. All shall be in your power."
Did you know that according to legend the vanilla orchid is a product of a thwarted romance?
Or that Agave (and therefore tequila) is also a product of thwarted love? Such delicious stories!
Such a delicious topic. There is a Cherokee love story about the origin of strawberries.
I wonder if there is an origin myth for those ruby-red cranberries Edna was munching. Given the color, I'd bet love is involved.
And who doesn't enjoy a good love story? Love can be happy, sad, physical, spiritual, ironic or just plain fun. I was telling some stories at a bookstore in Santa Barbara one time and when I finished, a woman sighed that she wished her friends could hear the stories. I replied, "Have a party. Pass a hat." And two nights later we were in a gorgeous home in the mountains, drinking wine, eating brie and fresh figs (which are very sexy!). I told how Siva unknotted Sati's clothes and then knotted them up again so he could unknot them yet again. I described the fisherman's mute wife as she plunged down through the nine layers of the sea to rescue her husband from the tongue-less mermaid. And how Sir Gawain instinctively knew how to give his Loathly Lady bride Ragnell what she most wanted and freed her to be beautiful both by day and by night. (much to their mutual joy!)
I will be facilitating a "Valentine Show-and-Tell Story Swap" (like an open mic) on February 7t from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Santa Fe Hillside Market (next to Harry's Roadhouse on Old Las Vegas Highway). Folks are invited to come and tell a story about a favorite object. Then I'm flying to New York City to share some original stories about Love in New York for my 10th annual Valentine's Day concert in Greenwich Village. Here is a very brief love story I wrote as part of my series Village Vignettes:
Her kitchen window overlooked a small concrete playground with a basketball court and benches and a continual downtown movie of kids, old people, dog owners, even occasional guys taking leak against the building.
On one particular spring day, it was raining, raining, raining…soft but steady. Puddles had formed on the cement of the court below. She looked out her window and there was a young woman dancing barefoot in of the puddles...doing a kind of stationary ballet. She wore loose dark blue pants and a dark blue top. She had straight brown hair that hung free to her shoulders. She was fluid, a vision of grace, dancing in the rain.
"I'm in love." Thought the woman in the window. "And I can't even see her face." There was a certain way she moved her arms, though, that pulled the woman from her window, down the stairs and out in to the rain. Shoeless, they danced in the puddles together for an hour. And moved in together almost immediately. Happy Valentine's Day.
Long Live Love!


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The majority whips at Green Car Congress have more information on the military's Hybrid First Class, the General Dynamics RST-V. The US Marines has reportedly earmarked an additional $5.9 million to the company for "continued operational evaluation of the [RST-V] as a utility carrier, prime mover and electrical generator." It's not confirmed, but we hear Ace Hunter and Dallas are psyched.
Power Export Upgrade for the Diesel Hybrid RST-V [Green Car Congress]
Diesel-Hybrid Military Vehicle Poised to Replace the Humvee [internal]

subset: commoncrawl


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And, of course, the fine print:
Get free shipping on your next order when you spend over $100. The discount will be automatically applied to your purchase; no promo code required. The subtotal of your purchase must be $100.01 or greater after any promotional discounts have been applied. Additional fees such as tax or shipping and handling do not apply toward your minimum subtotal requirement of $100.01. Offer applies to standard shipping only. Certain items that require additional shipping and handling are excluded from this promotion and do not apply towards your $100.01 subtotal minimum. Offer subject to change.
This lemon verbena soy candle makes it a cinch to create a bright and cheery environment. Each candle is crafted by hand in small batches, which is awesome. But we're even more excited about the fact that this particular scent is a creamy citrus, made even better with subtle floral and sandalwood notes. And since this candle burns cleanly for up to 90 hours, you'll be smelling all these wonderful things for quite some time.
- Natural soy wax
- Packaged in a 16 oz. mason jar
- All-natural essential and fragrance oils
- Cotton wick
- Burns up to 90 hours
- Phthalate-free scent
This product ships from the maker within 5 days, via USPS
Unused and unopened items may be returned within 14 days


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composure prob my fave abr track, yeah
Album Rating: 4.5Yep ^
Album Rating: 3.5Composure is my fav track as well. I always went nuts over the power invested in the message of that song. Fucking amazing
Album Rating: 2.5Zzz
Album Rating: 3.0not too big on messengers
Digging: Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness
Album Rating: 2.5'Composure' is their best song tbh
Album Rating: 3.0nah a couple of songs off this and constellations are better tbh
Album Rating: 2.5Maybe Meddler and Backburn hmmm
Album Rating: 3.0crusades, marianas trench, the first step and creative captivity >
hi pleb
Digging: Geotic - Abysma
Album Rating: 2.5Marianas Trench is a goodun yea
hi bachy :]
Its 7:46 am and I'm awake.
this blows
i wake up weekdays every day at 5:45 something something ~japandroids lyrics~ NOW WE WORRY ABOUT DYING
Album Rating: 3.5"Maybe Meddler and Backburn hmmm"
Blackburner is from Messengers pleb
Album Rating: 2.5damn, its like 11:57 am here.
@Moreira ok :]
Album Rating: 4.5Another good song from Messengers
Digging: Arcane Roots - Melancholia Hymns
Album Rating: 2.5Gonna jam Composure now and re-live dat nostalg.
Album Rating: 4.5Still need to jam to Constellations.
Album Rating: 2.5Its better than this.
Album Rating: 4.5Nah. I listened to the first two track on it and they didn't compare to this.
Not by a long shot. Still though, they were pretty good songs nonetheless.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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According to a recent report released by the Pew Center on the States, preventable dental conditions were the primary diagnoses in 830,590 visits to ERs nationwide in 2009 a 16% increase from 2006.
This means that what could have been a $200 filling at the dentist is now a $1,200 emergency root canal.
Here are some additional dental emergency findings from the report:
- Florida: More than 115,000 hospital ER visits for dental problems produced charges exceeding $88 million in 2010.
- New York: The average charge per emergency visit for young children with dental ailments increased from $18.5 million to more than $31 million during a recent five-year span.
- Washington: A trip to the ER was the first dental visit for one in four children overall.
- Illinois: From 2008 to 2011, hospitals in the Chicago metropolitan area had nearly 77,000 emergency patient visits for non-injury, dental-related ailments.
- North Carolina: In 2009, there were more than 69,000 ER visits due primarily to disorders of the teeth or jaw. These conditions were the 10th common reason for emergency trips in the state.
What Can You Do?
To prevent a high-cost dental emergency run to the ER, here are 4 low-cost dental insurance alternatives to help you get the dental care you need:
- Discount Dental Plans: These plans offer savings from 10% to 60% on most dental care procedures for one low annual payment. DentalPlans.com offers more than 30 of the leading discount dental plans in the nation.
- Dental Schools: Local dental schools offer preventive dental care to the public by supervised students for free or at discounted prices. Remember, taking care of your teeth before it turns into a problem is key.
- Free Clinics/Health Centers: Based on an individuals ability to pay for dental care, these community programs also offer discounted or free services. Check outFreeDentalWork.org for listings of free dental clinic events in your area.
- Pro-Bono Dentistry: If you cant afford dental work, ask your dentist if he or she does pro bono work for needy patients. Youll never know unless you ask.
Find out more about :DentalPlans by calling our :DP AtYourService Customer Care Representatives at 1-800-238-5163.
Have you been putting off going to the dentist due to cost? Let us know in the comments section below.


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Forum on Rural Youth and the Law: Successes and Challenges
Centre for Rural Regional Law and Justice Deakin University
Wednesday, 21 August 2013 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm (AEST)
Event Details
Forum: Rural Youth and the Law – Successes and Challenges
How well does the justice system respond to issues for young people in rural and regional communities?
The Centre for Rural Regional Law and Justice at Deakin University invites you to participate in a free rural law forum discussing the successes and challenges of rural youth and the law.
What is working well and where is there need for improvement? Come along to this free Q and A style interactive forum and share your stories and experiences and pose questions and comments to our panel.
The panel will discuss current needs and initiatives aimed at improving access to justice system services and programs for young people in Rural Victoria. We will also hear about the role of the recently established Victorian Commission for Children and Young People as it relates to rural youth.
This forum will be hosted from Melbourne and video conferenced to 10 locations across Victoria.
Panel members include:
Judge Peter Couzens, President of the Children's Court of Victoria.
Prior to his appointment in May of this year, Judge Couzens served for over 20 years as a Magistrate in Victoria, most recently based in Ballarat as Co-ordinating Magistrate for the Grampians region
Bernie Geary, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People
Bernie Geary OAM has worked with vulnerable young people and their families for over 40 years. During this time he has been an advisor and advocate on issues relating to vulnerable children, young people and their families. He has previously served on the Victorian Youth Parole Board.
Katrina Wong, Lawyer, Youth Law
Youth Law aims to provide an accessible legal service to young people, focusing on areas of unmet legal need. To address systemic legal and social justice issues in Victoria through community education, advocacy and law reform both for and with young people and their advocates.
Jen Morris, Human Rights Officer, Youth Disability Advocacy Service
The Youth Disability Advocacy Service is a state wide service for young people with disabilities in Victoria.
Questions will be welcome from all sites during the forum and we encourage you to let us
know in advance if you have a specific question you would like to ask. Please email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
When & Where
Deakin Prime
Level 3, 550 Bourke Street
Victoria 3000
Wednesday, 21 August 2013 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm (AEST)
Add to my calendar
Centre for Rural Regional Law and Justice Deakin University
The mission of the Centre for Rural Regional Law and Justice is to enhance access to improved justice systems and services for rural and regional Australians through research, education, engagement and advocacy.
The Centre for Rural and Regional Law and Justice (CRRLJ) is a unique centre of the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University which draws on cross disciplinary knowledge and expertise, and provides an opportunity to engage meaningfully with regional communities, services, industry and government.


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"NHA's Most Worthwhile Endeavor."
To be considered for a NHA Scholarship, an applicant must be ...
I am a prospective or current high school graduate, high school equivalent, or college undergraduate/graduate student and...
a natural / step / adopted son, daughter or grandchild of an active duty, former or retired Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard rotary-wing aviator, aircrewman or maintenance/support personnel or...
I am a spouse of an active duty or former Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard rotary wing aviator, aircrewman or maintenance/support personnel or...
An active duty or former Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard rotary wing aviator, aircrewman or maintenance / support personnel.
Online Form Submission: Personal Information • Applicant Activities • Personal Statement • Rotary Wing Affiliation
Teacher/Counselor Recommendation (Minimum one recommendation per application). For Active Duty Applicants, a Letter of Recommendation from their Commanding Officer.
High School and/or Undergraduate / Graduate Transcript.
Documentation establishing eligibility.
Upload online application, letters of recommendation & proof of eligibility to online database no later than 31JAN17. Official transcripts must be mailed to to the address below & postmarked no later than 31JAN17:
copyright 2008-2015 NHA Scholarship Fund | all rights reserved


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Copyright 1996
Distribute freely for noncommercial/nonprofit and include this header.
When you find a child's baptism, write down the sponsors ! ! Also write down all other records where the parents sponsor other people. And also their sibling's sponsors both ways. And even the sponsors of the sponsors ! !
You have to realize that most of the sponsors (or witnesses, or whatever you want to call them) were relatives. By putting the names of one generation in a circle, you often find a connected graph. Each person sponsoring their brothers, married sisters, and eventually their children. Many times, the older sponsors of the first couple children are the grandparents, but not always. Expect this analysis to take a long time ! !
OK, now that I said how great they are, here's the flip side. When a person moved into a new area, they didn't have any relatives nearby, so all their sponsors were just friends their age, local leaders, senior folks in the area, childless folks, church elders, etc. This is obvious, but be aware of it.
The other trap would be two brothers that marry two sisters. This happened, and your sponsorship circles will go around to the wrong families (you'll keep seeing the wife's sisters at both families' baptisms and think they're sisters of the brothers. Follow that ? ? )
I found that the most significant sponsors are the earliest. The couple chose their immediate relatives (and probably close, well-liked relatives) first on the list of sponsors, then with more children, started picking friends and prominent folks. That's my observation.
Here's a trick that sometimes helps with old church records. Sometimes only the man's name is given (eg, Jacob Conrad and wf). But since they often named the child after a sponsor, check the child's name. If it's a girl, often (not always) that is the same name as the sponsor's wife. You may have to hunt around for several records from the same time frame to predict a wife's name.
I've also found that cousins show up as sponsors. Hey, they fall into the friend classification above and didn't realize (or care) that it would confuse the genealogists later ! !


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PSG rout Nantes with Ibra's brace
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Nantes 5-0 to maintain their five-point lead over Monaco at the top of Ligue 1 on Sunday.
PSG took the lead from a corner in the 10th minute when goalkeeper Remy Riou saved Edinson Cavani's header and the rebound fell perfectly for Thiago Silva, giving him an easy finish from close range.
PSG doubled their lead in the 36th minute when Ibrahimovic sent Riou the wrong way from the spot after defender Issa Cissokho had tripped Marco Verratti just inside the penalty area. The Sweden international has scored six penalties this season.
Brazilian winger Lucas came on for Argentina's Ezequiel Lavezzi at the start of the second half and within minutes he was involved in PSG's third goal in the 51st. His deep, floating cross from the right was headed back by Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta reacted quickly to slide the ball in from close range.
Ibrahimovic found himself in space on the right wing and curled in a perfect pass to give Cavani his 13th goal of the season in the 58th minute, and Ibrahimovic slammed the ball past Riou after Matuidi and substitute Javier Pastore combined to set him up in the 64th minute.
Cavani missed two chances to make it 6-0 when he swiped a shot wide and then hit his shot straight at Riou after going clean through in the 87th.
PSG never let up and could even have added further goals against a dispirited Nantes side. They will meet again next month in the semifinals of the Coupe de France.
Earlier, Monaco won 2-0 away to Toulouse.
Left back Layvin Kurzawa put Monaco ahead in the 36th minute with a low shot after being set up by midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, sweeping the ball in after running onto Kondogbia's cross from the left.
Lucas Ocampos came off the bench to add a second with a spectacular bicycle kick in the 88th minute.
The Argentine winger replaced Colombia forward Radamel Falcao, after he missed three chances. Falcao has only scored once in his past five games for Monaco and appears short of form.
Resurgent Lyon extended their unbeaten run to 10 games in all competitions after securing a 2-0 win at Reims.
Goals from striker Alexandre Lacazette and midfielder Gueida Fofana moved the seven-time French champion up to eighth place.
Lacazette took his league goal tally for the season to 10 after turning in left back Henri Bedimo's cross to give Lyon the lead in the 25th minute.
The only downside for Lyon was a dislocated shoulder for defender Miguel Lopes. He landed heavily following an aerial challenge and was replaced by Mehdi Zeffane midway through the second half.
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Heavy Electronics Highway 77 Distortion
A set it and forget it distortion rock box. The Hwy-77 is designed to simply feed thick and meaty IC distortion into your amp. Simple in function, Level and Gain controls are sensitive and accentuate playing style. No "die-off" as gain is decreased. Rather, lower level gain tone is open and warm. Decadent response to humbuckers and plenty of punch for single coils. Luxurious headroom to aid in recording and driving other pedals and amps. Voiced openly with fantastic response to bass. Voice knob creates a low-end off with thick and massive low end that slowly rolls back off and reveals screaming highs and mids.
Sounds even better coming off a wall of 4x12s!
Heavy Electronics Highway 77 Distortion Features
- Voiced openly for guitar and bass
- True bypass switching
- Single point mounted PCB
- Flying leads to pots and jacks
- Neutrik ¼" signal jacks
- 9v power jack
- Hand signed and numbered
- Hand made in Minneapolis
We kick them, stomp on them, toss them and play them hard. They can take it. But on occassion a pedal may break down on us. PGS offers a One-Year Platinum Replacement Warranty that covers all new pedals purchased with us from manufacturer defects. Any manufacturer's defect in your pedal within one year of purchase will result in the replacement of that pedal free of charge. Units returned defective due to user error or incorrect powering resulting in a non-functioning pedal are not covered under our replacement policy. In this case please contact the manufacturer for repair.
Please contact us for more details on this policy or if you would like to use this policy on an item your purchase with us in the last year. (503) 670-4949.
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PGS One-year Replacement Warranty on All Pedals
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Please contact us for more details on this policy or if you would like to use this policy on an item your purchase with us in the last year. (503) 670-4949.
Lifetime Product Support to Original Owner for the Life of the Product


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Changes between Version 19 and Version 20 of Commentary/Compiler/RecompilationAvoidance
- Timestamp:
- Dec 2, 2010 12:21:53 PM (7 years ago)
- Unmodified
- Added
- Removed
- Modified
v19 v20 434 434 depends on, and hence will trigger recompilation. 435 435 436 This is perfectly safe, but implementing it exactly as described above 437 would lead to unnecessary recompilation. For example 436 In fact, we don't need to include the instance itself when fingerprinting C or T, it is enough to include the DFun (dictionary function) Id, since the type of this Id includes the form of the instance. Furthermore, we ''must'' include the DFun anway, because we must have a dependency on the dictionary and its methods, just in case they are inlined in a client module. A DFun looks something like this: 437 438 {{{ 439 c3e94597bf9a532e094067b08c216493 440 $fEqBool :: GHC.Base.Eq GHC.Bool.Bool 441 {- HasNoCafRefs Strictness: m 442 Unfolding: (GHC.Base.:DEq @ GHC.Bool.Bool GHC.Base.==2 443 GHC.Base.$s$dm/=1) 444 }}} 445 446 Making a type or class depend on its instances can cause a lot of recompilation when an instance changes. For example: 438 447 439 448 {{{ … … 444 453 }}} 445 454 446 now the instance `C T` will be attached to `T`. But we really don't 447 want to include `C`'s fingerprint in `T`'s fingerprint, because that would 448 register an unnecessary dependency of `T` on `C`: every time `C` 449 changed, we'd recompile anything that depended on `T`. The dependency 450 is unnecessary, because we know anything that needs the instance will 451 already depend on both `C` and `T`. 452 453 So instead of creating a fingerprint that depends on the instance 454 declaration and everything it mentions, we fingerprint ''just the 455 declaration itself''. This works by fingerprinting each name in the 456 declaration as its literal string, rather than the fingerprint of the 457 name. 458 459 But what about the ''contents'' of the instance declaration? With 460 optimisation on, the compiler may inline instances and their methods, 461 so if an instance changes we need to trigger recompilation for any 462 module that actually used the previous version of the instance. This 463 works as follows. An instance declaration looks like this 464 465 {{{ 466 instance GHC.Base.Eq [GHC.Bool.Bool] = GHC.Base.$f10 467 }}} 468 469 Here `GHC.Base.$f10` is the "dictionary function", i.e. the value 470 representing this dictionary. `GHC.Base.$f10` has a declaration of 471 its own, in the same interface, complete with a fingerprint. 472 473 {{{ 474 c3e94597bf9a532e094067b08c216493 475 $f10 :: GHC.Base.Eq GHC.Bool.Bool 476 {- HasNoCafRefs Strictness: m 477 Unfolding: (GHC.Base.:DEq @ GHC.Bool.Bool GHC.Base.==2 478 GHC.Base.$s$dm/=1) 479 }}} 480 481 So we ensure that any module that used this instance registers the 482 fingerprint of `GHC.Base.$f10` in its usages (this is the single 483 exception to the rule that the usages only contains names that are 484 explicitly mentioned in the source file). 455 now the DFun for the instance `C T` will be attached to `T`, and so `T`'s fingerprint will change when anything about the instance changes, including `C` itself. So there is now have a dependency of `T` on `C`, which can cause a lot of recompilation whenever `C` changes. Modules using `T` who do not care about `C` will still be recompiled. 456 457 This seems like it would cause a lot of unnecessary recompilation. Indeed, in GHC 7.0.1 and earlier we tried to optimise this case, by breaking the dependency of `T` on `C` and tracking usages of DFuns directly - whenever a DFun was used, the typechecker would record the fact, and a usage on the DFun would be recorded in the interface file. Unfortunately, there's a bug in this plan (see #4469). When we're using `make`, we only recompile a module when any of the interfaces that it directly imports have changed; but a DFun dependency can refer to any module, not just the directly imported ones. Instead, we have to ensure that if an instance related to a particular type or class has changed, then the fingerprint on either the type or class changes, which is what the current plan does. It would be nice to optimise this in a safe way, and maybe in the future we will be able to do that. 485 458 486 459 === Orphans ===


text:
Rethinking Impact: Understanding the complexity of poverty and change; Key issues discussed at the workshop
This paper presents six key issues from the Rethinking Impact: Understanding the complexity of poverty and change Workshop (RIW) held in Cali, Colombia, March 26–28, 2008. The workshop discussed how agricultural and natural-resources research can be more effective in generating solutions for poverty alleviation and improving gender, social inclusion and equity, and how such research can be brought into the mainstream and how its impact can be assessed. A diverse group of over 60 participants (42% women) from 33 organizations (54% CGIAR and 46% non-CGIAR) attended the meeting. In this paper, we do not purport to represent a consensus of opinion among this diverse group, but rather our perspectives as the meeting organizers. These 'take home messages' were informed by an active dialogue before, during and after the meeting. We are associated most closely with the CGIAR and much of the discussion at the meeting was focused on the CGIAR. Therefore, the key issues are primarily oriented toward the CGIAR, but they would certainly be relevant to other organizations with similar goals and challenges.
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text:
Stars Turn Out to "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" Premiere
American screenwriter producer director and all-round comedy genius Judd Apatow took his adorable girls Maude and Iris to the premiere of his latest movie, You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Judd cowrote the flick with Adam Sandler and Robert Smigel so it should be a riot!
Adam Sandler was also there with his stunning wife Jackie Titone Sandler. Just look at that gorgeous baby bump of hers!
Images used with permission from www.splashnewsonline.com
← Previous Story Ashlee and Pete Confirm Pregnancy


text:
Birthday Mee Sua (Longevity Noodles)
Update (19 Aug 2014): First posted in Aug 2009, now updated with new photos and improved recipe.
Get this recipe on the next page >>
It's the SO birthday tomorrow, and last weekend I cooked him this bowl of birthday longevity noodles (aka long life noodles, or 长寿面, "Chang Shou Mian") in advance. For the soup base, I used my favourite chicken soup recipe from Teczcape. My family loves the chicken soup as it tastes homely and boosts immunity (with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, onion and ginger).
You May Also Like: My mum's simple egg mee sua recipe
I served the chicken soup with mee sua, baby abalones (birthday treat) and hard-boiled quail eggs.
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Longevity noodles are eaten by Chinese on birthdays and special occasions such as Ren Ri 人 日 (7th day of the Lunar New Year, commonly known as "everyman's birthday"). The long strands of noodles symbolize a long life. Therefore, when eating the noodles, one tries not to break the noodles using the chopsticks or teeth, but instead chew on the noodles when they are inside the mouth. Quite a challenging task if you'd asked me ;) Instead of mee sua, you can use other long noodles such as bee hoon, udon, soba, yee mien and even spaghetti. The noodles can be dry (stir-fried) as well. Sometimes the eggs are dyed in red food colouring as red symbolises auspiciousness. As for the soup broth, anything goes – you can use any type of soup stock, including instant ones.
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58 Responses to "Birthday Mee Sua (Longevity Noodles)"
My parents used to order me longevity fried noodles everytime I had my birthday and we went to a restaurant together. But since I don't live with my parents anymore, I don't have longevity noodles for my birthday any longer. Maybe I should try and continue this tradition by cooking it for myself everytime I turn a year older ?;-)
No one cook this for me now too. I'm also considering cooking this for myself on my birthday haha :P
Let me cook for u :D
So sweet bro. I am touched. :halo:
we only have longevity noodles in restaurants too. Normally fried one though.
I've never had longevity noodles, I don't think they even have them in restaurants out here. Looks great though. :)
Nice touch with the abalone, crab sticks, carrots and cucumbers, giving a special twist to an otherwise traditional dish. Yummy, thanks for the thoughtfulness! :D Yeah, pretty challenging slurping the noodles without breaking them!
I love this tradition! Your noodles look so delicious with all the special touches you added to it!
Beautifully assembled. I love your clean and simple presentation. Let the dish speak for itself … well done!
How nice of you to cook this :)
My family cooks mee sua with meat balls and of course, an hard-boiled egg :)


text: Ok, I watched game all the plays in 30 minutes via DirecTV's Superfan package and did not realize how good we looked in places and how awful we were at a couple of positions. By the way, watched the Jags game and Matt Jones is going to be scary. Firstly, The offensive line played very well on Sunday. I counted one sack allowed. The rest were Davis's, Murphy's and a receiver's (was out of the picture on the edge) fault. Run blocking good, pass blocking good. Bravo to the O Line. Secondly, Greenwood and Wong needed to bring thier A game and they brought their mighty mite game. I do not doubt their physical capabilities nor their intelligence, but they were constanttly firing into the backs of our defenders or right into their blockers. There were not many times that these guys fired into the gap and had an opportunity to make a play. This needs to be watched more than anything as the season progresses for the 3-4 haters. Thirdly, defensive line was not as bad as you think, they got pressure, thye made tackles, but had their share of some negative plays. They get a C- because they gave effort the whole game. Peek and Babin, man if they can get consistent and not have bonehead plays we could be watching the start of something special. They both ran down thre RB s the play was going away from them, had some nice rushes. But yes the near miss by Peek and the offsides to be addressed. I think we will like what we get from these guys moving forward. PBuch - Yes he gave up 5 catches, but nothing to go crazy over. Tackled much better than I thought he was capable of. I want to see him again, but I think we will like the results of this acquisition. Dunta - All over the place, no fear. Get ready for people to start talking on ESPN about him. CC Brown - Great quickness on the blitz. Good pick Cass. DDavis - Better learn how to protect your QB or you may be on the bench. Murphy - Scary how poor of a blocker this guy is. I never realized how glaring our problem is at TE. At the leaves us with Carr and man was it worse than even I thought it could be. I started out counting how many seconds he had when he dropped back to pass. I conted around on average of 3 seconds, which I think is fair amount of time to go through a couple of reads and step into the pocket for your other progressions. What is happening is that David drops back and is locked on a receiver and one of three things happen - 1) he throws and it ain't pretty; 2) he takes off and runs; 3) he takes off an tries to create something. Only taking off and run is the good thing. The point here is that the guy has happy feet, plain and simple. If he would just step up into the pocket (and yes OLINE haters there were planty of pockets) and get anohter look, this may solve our problems. I felt much better about the way we played, after the emotion was stripped away. Moreover, I believe Carr will watch this film and see what the hell happened. He can lead this team if he does a mea culpa, that is if he has not lost them already.


text:
Snowboard Mag's 10th Birthday Bash & ZEAL Floodraiser — Party For A Purpose!
Our crew here at Snowboard Mag is teaming up with ZEAL Optics to 'Party for a purpose' — Not only is it the 10th anniversary of Snowboard Mag, but what we have here is a chance to rally funds to help support the families and friends who fell victim to the floods that ravaged Colorado in September. A silent auction will be held, the taco trucks will be out in full force, and the drinks will be flowing. So come help us help Colorado, and celebrate 10 epic years in the process!
All the dirty details can be found in the flyer below:


text:
Watsonville >> A fire at a packaging business on West Riverside Drive destroyed a home next to it and caused about $1.4 million in damage Monday night.
No one was injured in the 10 p.m. blaze, but a woman sleeping in the home near Locust Street was woken by a bystander and escaped unharmed. A few firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation, authorities said, but no one was taken to the hospital.
"It was dramatic," said Beau Saunders, a Santa Cruz photographer who initially saw flames from miles away as he was driving. He was among dozens of people who watched the fire from Riverside Drive after police closed the street.
"Even standing a block away, you could feel the heat on your face," said Saunders.
Tuesday, authorities said it was not clear what started the fire at Robert Mann Packaging Inc. at 223 W. Riverside Drive. Mark Comer, chief financial officer of the Salinas-based business, surveyed the 6-foot-high piles of burned plastic and cardboard remnants as a smell of burned plastic permeated the air.
He said the packaging company had a similar cardboard fire about 10 years ago in Salinas.
"We'll recover from it," said Comer. "It's always a shock when something like this happens."
The fire was reported a few minutes before 10 p.m. Monday, said Watsonville Fire Capt. Kirt Vojvoda.
Rows of cardboard flats and plastic "clam shell" containers for strawberries were stacked about 30 feet high in the roughly 40,000-square-foot yard, which is surrounded by a chain-link fence, authorities said. When the materials caught fire, flames jumped more than 50 feet high as firefighters attacked the blaze.
About 70 percent of it was cardboard and 30 percent was plastic, Comer said. Heat and flames spread to a single-story home next to the yard at 225 W. Riverside Drive.
"Because the house was so close, the heat just built up on the house and caught it on fire," said Rosa Meyer, a spokeswoman for Watsonville Fire.
House fire
A couple in their 60s lived at the home with their son, but only the woman was home, firefighters said. Someone knocked on the door and told her to escape, Vojvoda said.
Members of the American Red Cross of Santa Cruz County arrived and found the family a place to stay.
Firefighters controlled the blaze within about 90 minutes and extinguished it by 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Meyer. Firefighters remained there through the morning Tuesday to stamp out hot spots.
An adjacent agricultural supply business torched home, Green Valley Farm Supply Inc., largely was spared from the fire. Paint on the store's exterior bubbled up and windows were damaged, firefighters said.
Four utility poles on Riverside Drive also were charred in the blaze, but they remained standing Tuesday morning. Vojvoda said the heat was so intense that the poles spontaneously caught fire from the base to the top.
Vojvoda, the fire captain, said about $1.4 million in property was saved by firefighters who attacked the blaze, including Green Valley Farm Supply and the Robert Mann Packaging warehouse next to the yard.
Still at work
Leaders of Robert Mann Packaging said the warehouse and storage yard contained packaging products for strawberries and other vegetables grown in the area. Tuesday morning at the business' adjacent warehouse, its clients continued to pack trucks and pickups with cardboard flats to be taken to the strawberry fields.
"We're still serving our customers. We're still open for business," said Comer, the chief financial officer.
About 20 people work at the company's Riverside Drive location. It also has other facilities in the state.
Comer said he was puzzled as to what started the blaze.
During the company's fire at a similar cardboard storage area in south Salinas on May 19, 2004, more than $2 million in damage was reported, according to news reports.
Firefighters did not determine the cause of the blaze, but California Department of Forestry investigators said cigarette embers might have sparked it.
Monday night, six fire engines and two fire trucks from Watsonville Fire, Aptos/La Selva Fire, Cal Fire and North Monterey County Fire responded, as well as American Medical Response and Watsonville police.
Police closed Riverside Drive, also known as Highway 129, from Industrial Road to Main Street from about 10 p.m. Monday to 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Sentinel staff reporter Calvin Men contributed to this report.


text:
Can You Change Your Nose Profile Without Affecting the Front of the Face?
Hi, I was just wondering whether its possible to make a nose smaller from the side view (tip deprojection) without affecting much how i look from the... READ MORE
Bulbous nose with thick nose tip...any solution?
What procedure can be done that does not bring a dramatic change to the face but contours the nose tip to look more refined? READ MORE
How to get rid of nasal tip bossae?
I had rhinoplasty in 2009. Since then, my nose developed a bossae near the tip on the left side. It makes my nose look deviated to the left and longer... READ MORE
Do I need cartilage removed on the right side of my nose? I have a deviated nose tip and was wondering what would be done to fix
Devastated after Rhinoplasty cause my nose is wider.Can feel the bones are more widely spaced. Don't think it's swelling.(photo)
Before rhino I was pretty from the front. My narrow bridge made my eyes look big. I wanted a better profile so had closed rhino to remove hump. Told... READ MORE
Post Rhinoplasty- Do I Have a Polybeak Deformity? Why Does my Front Look So Distorted/weird? (photo)
I had rhinoplasty 1.5 months ago and i am very concerned about my front view. why is it looking so distorted? do i have the beginning of a deformity?... READ MORE
Rhinoplasty: Possible Bulbous Tip? (photo)
I feel like the tip of my nose doesn't have much "shape" and is too fat. I don't have much of a problem with my profile view, it's my frontal view... READ MORE
Why Does my Bridge Look So Flat and Wide from the Front? 3 Weeks Post Op- is It Swelling? (photo)
Why is my bridge flat and wider from the front? I had my bump removed, tip thinned, and my septum straightened. Did the doctor do something wrong or... READ MORE
Unhappy with Front View of Nose Since Nasal Hump Removed? (photo)
I had surgery in 2008, a hump removed & slight work to the tip. I am very unhappy with my nose from the front now it looks wider, flat, has no... READ MORE
How do I avoid getting the uplifted triangular shaped nostrils I see so often on westernized Asian rhinoplasties? (photos)
My nostril holes are already slightly high and lifted, I certainly want to avoid the pig nose and unnatural triangular shaped nostrils. Is it possible... READ MORE
My Nose Looks Strange Front View 7 Months Rhinoplasty?
Ok so I'm 17, male, had a rhinoplasty done around 7 months ago the profiles from left and right look good but my front view looks very weird, my nose... READ MORE
Does removing a dorsal hump on a thick nose result in a wider appearance from the front?
I've spent literally hours reading through reviews on this site, and I've come to an alarming conclusion. It seems that many people who have thicker... READ MORE
Revision Rhinoplasty? Surgery 3 Years Ago and it Doesn't Look Much Different From the Front? (photo)
I had rhinoplasty 3 years ago but they didn't really touch the tip, just straightened the bridge, which although has improved my nose has left me... READ MORE
Nose widens when smiling (Photo)
The front view of my nose is narrow when resting, albeit the tip is slightly bulbous. However when I smile, my nose widens greatly and the tip lowers... READ MORE
Revision Rhinoplasty to Improve Frontal View? (photo)
About 8 months ago I underwent a rhinoplasty to improve the Profile view of my face... Deprojection, Nasal hump reduction, reducing nasal spine. The... READ MORE
I Am a Laser Cosmetic Therapist. I Need to Wear Goggles for Work, but After Rhinoplasty?
Hello, I plan to have rhinoplasty to shave the hump on the bridge of my nose, and I'm only allowed to take 2 weeks recovery time off. I am a Laser... READ MORE
I would like to know if rhinoplasty is recommended for a nose like mine? (photos)
I'm afraid of getting rhinoplasty and disliking my front view I really hate my profile but like my front view. I would be okay with a dramatic change... READ MORE
Nose from side view I like, front view I am not happy with because it seems a bit wide/fat from front & nostrils uneven? (photo)
Look at my right side nostril/ it is different than the left. One is higher than the other. I think that I would look more attractive with a smaller... READ MORE
How many rhinoplasties should the ideal surgeon perform a year?
I have only picked to see one surgeon because I do not have the funds to be paying 100s just for consultations. Through my online searching, I have... READ MORE
How can I make my nostrils less noticeable? (photo)
I had a primary rhino/ septoplasty in 2009. I was pretty pleased with the result, but now I feel I would benefit from my nostrils being made less... READ MORE


text:
AVON — All summer, Crushers pitcher Matt Rein has told manager Jeff Isom he wanted to be the team's big-game pitcher.
Sunday he showed why.
Rein took a no-hitter into the sixth inning as Lake Erie defeated Traverse City 5-1 in Game 2 of the Frontier League Division Series and evened the best-of-five series at a game apiece.
Rein, who went 8-6 in the regular season with a 2.37 ERA, retired 15 of the first 17 Beach Bums he faced.
"(Rein) always talks about being a big-game pitcher, and being down 1-0 in a playoff series is about the toughest stage you're going to find," Isom said. "It was an outstanding effort from him tonight."
Lake Erie also got an offensive boost from the most unlikely of sources, second baseman Max Casper. Casper hit .176 over the final 10 games of the regular season, but went 4-for-4 Sunday and gave the Crushers a 3-0 lead with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the fourth inning that scored Anderson Hidalgo and Andrew Davis.
Earlier in the inning, Hidalgo drove in Daniel Bowman with the game's first run.
"Max stays in the lineup every day because of his defense," Isom said. "Whatever we get from him offensively is a bonus. Tonight he took care of his business with four hits and those RBIs. That was really huge for us."
Beach Bums starter Johnny Omahen allowed four runs over 5⅓ innings to take the loss. He was the first of four pitchers manager Gregg Langbehn used.
"I've been struggling a bit lately and pulling my head off the ball," Casper said. "I was focused on seeing the ball all the way to the bat today. We didn't hit with two out yesterday, but you just have to keep swinging. Today it was me with the big hits but all season it's been the other guys in the lineup. All season everyone has been contributing. Tonight it just happened to be my turn."
Rein, who left the game after allowing the first two batters in the seventh inning to reach base, said the team wasn't tense going into Sunday's game despite losing 8-0 in Game 1 Saturday.
"We were just excited to be in this game," Rein said. "It doesn't matter if we're down 0-1 or not, we worked all year to get to this point. We want to be playing these games. My fastball was working for me and I was able to mix in my change-ups when I needed to. Later in the game, I started going to my breaking ball more and it all seemed to be working."
The Crushers outhit Traverse City 11-3. Lake Erie scored a run in the sixth inning on a Craig Hertler RBI walk and another in the seventh when Bowman came home when a Burny Mitchem pitch bounced in front of home plate and went all the way to the screen.
Traverse City scored its run on a its first hit of the night, a Marcus Nidiffer solo home run to lead off the sixth inning.
Jordan Wellander recorded the final nine outs of the night for the Crushers to earn the save.
Games 3 and 4 of the series will be Tuesday and Wednesday in Traverse City with the Crushers returning home Thursday if Game 5 is necessary.
"I'd like to be 2-0 but that wasn't going to happen after Saturday, so we had to refocus and worry about this game," Isom said. "We'll go up there 1-1 and just try to win Tuesday and worry about the next day from there.
"Traverse City is a good club and we're going to see some good pitching, so we just have to do things fundamentally right and not make mistakes. All things considered, we're happy with the position we're in."
Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or email@example.com.
WHO: Lake Erie vs. Traverse City
WHAT: Game 3, best-of-five series (tied 1-1)
WHEN: Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.
WHERE: Wuerfel Park, Traverse City, Mich.
PITCHERS: Alex Kaminsky (7-5, 3.28 ERA) vs. Mike Devine (6-2, 3.95)


text:
Debeli vrh from Laz meadow
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Debeli vrh from south, from Laz alpine pasture. November, 1983.
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Blueberry Pond Observatory
355 Libby Road Pownal, ME US 04069
Enjoy a guided tour of the stars that you will never forget! See the Moon, planets, galaxies, nebulas, star clusters, and supernovas through a big 12" telescope... Then digitally photograph your favorites to print and take home. Nighttime observing: 1 or 2 hours, up to six people.
Call for your appointment today!
10 minutes from Freeport
Evening tours start at about 8:30 PM, cost about $140 total for two Adults for two hours. Children 12 and under are free.
Each tour is by appointment just for your group, and the tour is customized to your level of experience with stargazing.
Ask about our advanced astronomy and digital photography courses for all ages, and remote access to the observatory telescope / camera.


text:
Story and illustrations by Ia Uaro.
Humour. Socio fiction. Coming-of-age. Love story.
2013 Finalist in Humor
Early November 1999
"This is how you cheat using an Orange Travelpass," an Irish voice penetrated my gloomy thoughts.
I was standing against the wall outside the Asquith Leagues Club at Waitara, where my training sessions for Sydney's public-transport inbound call centre were held. This was the second Monday of my training at work. I can hardly tell you about the first week. I don't remember much. My parents had abandoned me. The shock made me unaware of my surroundings. I had not noticed things.
Looking back, I would label this period "Life as a Zombie". The walking dead. When my best friends Lucy and Brenna were in Queensland's Surfers Paradise for schoolies burning the floor dancing to "Walk Like An Egyptian", I Walked Like A Zombie.
My dog Dimity was the love of my life. But she was at home. And I was stuck here, training. I couldn't form any opinion about this job yet. My mind was not here most of the time.
The company I signed with was a branch of an American call centre. They had just landed their first big contract in Australia. A government one. Our job would be to handle integrated transport-information systems within Greater Sydney—area bordered by Lithgow, Port Stephens, Goulburn and Nowra—which had two-million public-transport trips a day. We would feed requests into our computer and it would spit out the answers.
So far I had been rather oblivious of my colleagues. Vaguely I knew they were a bunch of boisterous young people. And numerous nice oldies. Those were my first impressions of them. I was totally unsuspecting of how great a role they would play in my life very soon after.
Today before the training some of us chatted outside. I stood silent, dark sunnies on, trying to hide my eyes just in case tears welled up, which after my recent issues was a common occurrence. But the backpacker kids were disgustingly cheerful on this bright, beautiful Australian morning.
Several male voices with Pommy accents responded to the Irish girl. About a third of the new recruits had non-Australian accents, many of them backpackers. I turned to look at them. Before today, I had barely noticed these kids. For whatever reason, perhaps because of that imposing Irish girl, I watched them now. The red-haired girl was in the middle of delivering a dissertation on how to cheat using an Orange Travelpass.
"You must make sure you board the bus only when there are other passengers with you," she lectured.
"You must hold your ticket up when you step onto the bus, so the driver will see it in your hand. Then you let other people put their tickets in the machine, while you continue to the back of the bus still holding your ticket up. The driver won't notice whether you put your ticket into the machine or not."
They all hung on to her every word with mesmerized looks on their faces. Perhaps they were interested in what she was saying, trying to save a few cents of their hard-earned money, or perhaps they were interested in her.
"So one ticket gets you from Lane Cove to the City to Bondi Beach to Manly to Narrabeen," she concluded. "By bus and ferry unlimited."
"But an inspector may show up," piped a Pom. "He'll check the trip prints at the back!"
"That's a Travelten," the girl told him breezily. "With a Travelpass bought from a newsagent, you won't get into trouble because it doesn't print the date of first use."
"Are you that desperate?" An American accent. Handsome black-haired guy. "Are you really using the same ticket week after week?"
"Sheesh," the girl bristled. "I hate it when you're being goody-goody. Haven't you ever, ever been so broke? Now I also have to buy a weekly train ticket from St Leonards to Hornsby!" She turned to the other boys, "There are times we can't even afford grog, and that's worse, isn't it?"
There was a chorus of agreement.
I wondered what it felt like to be this girl. To be that confident and at ease. To have an interesting life that she apparently enjoyed. Travelling. Drinking. Cheating. Not a care in the world. Perhaps I should get a life. Save some money and join Alex, one of my best friends, backpacking wherever he might be. No one would miss me anyway.
This thought depressed me again. Absentmindedly I followed my co-workers into the training room.
"You smell very nice," commented a girl to my left.
I turned to her with a start. It was the Irish girl. "Sorry? What did you say?"
"Woolgathering, are you?" she grinned. "So early in the morning?"
"Sorry. Yes. I guess. I was lost."
Her smile broadened—an engaging smile that reached her eyes and produced a very deep dimple on her right cheek. She had very neat, not very white teeth. She had curly bright red hair tamed with a twist and a chopstick-like hair ornament at the back, and cute little freckles on her prettily-shaped uptilted nose. Blue eyes.
"I'm Sinead," she introduced herself. "From Dooblin."
"Yes. I noticed the accent."
"I saw you outside. Dark sunglasses on. Trying your best to look aloof and unapproachable."
I choked. If only she knew why! "Nothing like that. I—I'm Sydney."
"Hi Sydney. You smell very nice." She inhaled. "Very subtle. You're good at choosing a perfume."
"Not me," I became flustered. "Mum. She knows things like that."
"Oh blessed!"
"So, you travelling? How do you find Australia?"
"Grand! I loov Australia," she kissed her fingers, blowing a kiss. "Quite an education. We work and we travel." She gestured towards her backpacking buddies, some of whom sat nearby. "That's Pete. He's from Boston. I met him while working at Mt Buller. We were ski instructors last winter. And that's Lindsay from London. I met him while Pete and I were planting baby pine trees for the Forestry Department around Tumut. Do you know where that is?"
I shook my head.
"Do you know Batlow's apples? Tumut is a small place near Batlow. Well, your Forestry people planted new pine trees in the mountains there near the end of winter. Gosh, it was so cold! But very good money. Shame about that job, the team moved to work on Kangaroo Island. Too remote for me to go along..." She sounded wistful. "Then we headed north. Hard to get a job though. We've been spending and spending. Until this job."
"So you'll do 1300500 for the Sydney Olympics?"
"No no no. We backpackers are temps. Casuals. They took us on to support the opening of 1300500's Hornsby centre. They guesstimate we'll assist for the first three months. The plan is, when permanent employees get some experience and speed, we temps will be dismissed."
"You'll have to find another job?"
"Not here. It'll be getting cold here. What's the use of being in Australia if we don't feel warm? I've had enough cold at Mt Buller and Tumut. And hell, I'm from Ireland! I'll go to the sunshine. Queensland."
Next we had to be quiet because the trainer, humorous Matt, started speaking.
"Most inner streets of a suburb are designed to get a bus every half an hour. So that when they hit the main corridor on their way to the City their combined frequency is every five minutes. Think of it like small creeks flowing into a river."
I had lunch with Sinead in the Leagues Club café. I had a turkey sandwich. She had hot chips—and nothing else.
"When you travel you have to be really careful with your spending," she explained. Right. Seemed like if she bought something to go with her chips, she would have less funds for booze. "Are you from around here?"
"Yes. Beecroft. Been there all my life."
"Where's that?"
"Northern Line. Eight minutes' train-trip away."
Our location was confidential, perhaps out of fear callers would bomb us for giving out wrong information. But since it was more than eleven years ago and they have since moved away, I guess it wouldn't matter anymore if you knew where we were, right? The training did take place at the Asquith Leagues Club, but my office was going to be on George Street, next door to Hornsby Library, several minutes' walk from Hornsby Mall's water clock—our emergency meeting point in case of fire.
The suburbs Waitara and Hornsby belong to the green and leafy Hornsby Shire, Sydney's northern gateway if you are travelling north to the Central Coast or Newcastle. Vast and sprawling with residential suburbs and eucalyptus forests, Hornsby Shire is located 25km from Sydney's city centre and 130km from Newcastle. It has a population of 160,000, roughly 22,000 among them in the suburb Hornsby and 11,000 in my suburb Beecroft.
"I'm staying at Lane Cove," Sinead volunteered. "That's by bus from St Leonards. With the English boys. Lindsay and Mark and Gareth. Pete—you know, tall, black hair, green eyes? He used to travel with us, but he's so lucky he has relatives here in Roseville. He's staying with them rent-free. So he can afford to pay proper fares. Did you hear him this morning? He's the only American. I hate it when he starts to moralise. 'Pay proper fares. Drink only when you can afford it'," she did a poor imitation of his accent, "Where's the fun in that?"
"Maybe he's concerned you'll get into trouble."
"He always is. But then he's old. He's 22, you know. All the others are under 20. Come on, follow me, I'll introduce you to them." She dabbed her mouth delicately with a paper napkin.
"They've been curious about you. The very pretty, very silent girl."
Oh? Had my silence made me stand out? How embarrassing.
Before long I found myself in front of a group of boys. A tall and very handsome blond hunk stood next to the tall and handsome American. There was also a scruffy dude with brown, curly hair. Another one with very short blond hair looked stern. They gave me inquisitive stares. I did not know what to say.
"This is Sydney, guys," Sinead cheerfully introduced us. "Kevin. Pete. Gareth. Lindsay. Kevin's an Aussie."
I nodded to their "Hi", "Hey", "Hello", and "How do you do?"
"I've seen you at the station," short-haired Lindsay told me. This guy was of medium height, gym-honed, with piercing silver eyes. I was to find out later that he never, ever smiled, although at times he would laugh. Shiny blond hair covered his muscled arms. "But you catch the train from the wrong platform."
"Wrong for you," Sinead interjected. "She has to go to the Northern Line."
"Join us for drinks after work," Lindsay moved in. "Then it'll be the right platform."
I looked at them warily.
"After work?" Sinead pressed.
"Um—I can't. I'm not 18 yet."
"Ahh, a baby... But that's no problem," Kevin said with a devastating killer smile. Later I was to find out that he was 19, a student of Pure Physics at Macquarie Uni, partied hard and changed girlfriends on a regular basis. "We adults will get the drinks." He winked.
"Then we'll all go somewhere to get foxed," Lindsay added.
I contemplated them. Perhaps they could see my apprehension, because Pete—the spunk with blue-black hair—came closer. This guy exuded calm. He was not as athletic as Lindsay, but with his height and magnificent broad shoulders he radiated strength. And there was grace in his movements. It was in the way he walked and in the way he tilted his head. I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck.
"Have you ever been totally drunk?" he asked in a very pleasant voice. Questioning eyes. Very, very alluring eyes. Deep-set. Exquisitely shaped. Beautiful brows. Long thick lashes. I felt entranced, lost in his eyes.
I shook my head.
"Wanna try it?" he asked slyly.
I shook my head, feeling really, really worried.
"Then stay away from this bunch!"
Ohh... he only meant to scare me away? For a moment he had given me a bad impression of him. Whew!
"Confound it Pete!" Sinead punched him. "You're such a wet blanket!"
He stepped back but looked unfazed.
"Ignore him. Pete's a killjoy, a goody-goody prude," Sinead told me. Really? What was he doing, hanging out with this lot himself? "We'll convert you yet. We'll have you hitting the pubs and cutting loose with us soon."
"Just look at her," Pete warned Sinead. "You've frightened her."
"You did," Sinead retorted.
"Did not."
"Did too. No need to force your stitched-up wowser values on the rest of us. Now sod off!" Sinead glared at him before whirling back to me. "Sydney? Come with us? It'll be mighty fun!"
"I—," I took a deep breath. "I don't think I'll try it. Yet. Um—I'm not ready."
During the next training session my eyes kept darting towards the gorgeous American. At one point he looked straight at me and made eye contact. I shivered but refused to look away. He nodded imperceptibly.
That afternoon I saw Sinead and Kevin laughing aloud together, arms around each other, as they climbed the steps of Waitara Station. When we reached the platform Pete was already up there, loosening his tie.
"Too hot for you, mate?" Kevin asked him.
"This is the first job I've had to wear a tie for outside the States," Pete grumbled. "Today sure is hot."
"You'll get cooked next month!" Kevin informed him cheerfully, before continuing his outrageous flirting with Sinead.
I took the train home from the wrong platform, from Waitara to Hornsby and changed to a Beecroft train. I thought about Sinead's invitation. Was I a coward? How was I going to get a life if I was a coward? But was life about drinking for the sake of drinking? How essential was getting totalled for its own sake? Could a person have fun without alcohol?
If they were prepared to get completely hammered and have sex too, would they also take drugs? Was being high on drugs the only way to achieve true liberation? How lasting would that be? If I went out with them to drown my sorrow, what guarantee was there that I would not wake up in anguish as I had been doing lately?
I drove to Freshwater Beach and surfed by myself, needing the adrenalin
One of the early chapters
The Bloody Bus Just Drove Past Me!
"The bloody bus just drove past me!" I yelled on my phone to Nicholas at the administration desk. Although it wasn't considered a profanity in Aussieland, earlier I could not bring myself to use the b-word. It definitely took Sydney's public transport to force it out of me. "I'm going to be late!"
"Sydney... you shouldn't…" This week my rolling shift began at the indecent hour of 6am again. "You'll lose your Attendance bonus."
"I know I know. Can't help it. Sorry."
This was a Saturday morning in December. I had planned to take the N80 bus because the first Beecroft train would arrive in Hornsby at 05:56. I still had to run up the station stairs, and cross the George Street pedestrian bridge to my office. Fat chance I could make it.
I was furious with the N80 driver. Nightride buses were supposed to help customers while the trains stopped between midnight and early morning. I had planned my trip meticulously. But I had stood there in my bright jacket—impossible to miss!—waving, and the inconsiderate bus driver ignored me!
Unhelpful people should never apply to be bus drivers!
I sat on the first train feeling sooo upset.
My miserly office only paid the lowest minimum Australian salary. They gave us various bonuses if we were disciplined and good at what we did.
Attendance bonus was yours if you didn't call in sick at all, and were never late even for a single minute.
Adherence bonus was yours if you logged in to take calls the precise minute you were supposed to.
If they monitored you, and you gave out accurate info in a polite way, you received the Quality bonus.
If you received the Quality bonus, and your Average Handling Time was less than 106 seconds, you would also get the AHT bonus.
But if you did not pass the Quality, you wouldn't get the AHT bonus, no matter how fast you handled the calls.
This Saturday, because of a nasty bus driver, I lost my Attendance bonus for the month. It meant my pay would be nowhere near decent.
As I logged on a few minutes late, I noticed a spill-proof computer mug on the desk next to mine: 'PETE's. DO NOT TOUCH'. Its handsome owner was talking on the phone, his tenor voice soothingly pleasant, and his tone of speaking lovely. Somehow it calmed me down a bit.
My manager Justin called me. He talked for 15 minutes because he was obliged to admonish me for arriving two minutes late.
My mood worsened when the Newcastle Line trackwork victims whinged. The maintenance crews were required to check the tracks on a regular basis to avoid accidents. There was always trackwork on some line every weekend. Except on election days.
A very rude young boy shouted, "You say your (bleep) trackwork bus from Gosford is every ten minutes? I don't (bleep) believe you! Are you (bleep) sure?"
"Would you talk politely or would you like me to terminate the call?" And buy some soap to wash your mouth before the next call.
"I just don't believe the bus is so frequent when your train is only every half an hour," he argued.
"The train has eight double-decker carriages. The bus is way shorter."
"Yes. When a train runs, 2000 cars stay home." There. What was so hard to understand?
Next, "I want to go to Silverwater!" an arrogant lady demanded.
"Which part of Silverwater please, Ma'am?"
"Just show me how to get there! You should know! Why do you work there if you have to ask me?!"
"Anywhere in Silverwater, Madam?"
Right. So I whipped up a travel plan to get her to Holker Street near Silverwater Road. The address of Silverwater Jail. I hoped she would be very happy there. Have a nice life!
But then a meaner lady (two in a row!) wanted to go to Frenchs Forest, address unknown.
"But Frenchs Forest is very big, Madam. Bigger than the City. Where specifically, please? So we can send you to the correct location."
"You should tell me where it is!" she snapped. "It's your duty! Call your supervisor! NOW!!!"
For the next 20 minutes she spitefully dobbed my ineptitude and unhelpfulness to Justin. Since she refused to be put through to Your Say, our feedback section, these 20 minutes added to my handling time. There went my AHT bonus.
It did not stop there. Next, harassed Justin assigned me to assist her again, assuring her I had been fully trained to do so. Grudgingly she granted me the dubious "honour" of advising her about every single bus that went to Frenchs Forest.
"I plan to buy a house in that area," she announced now, "I haven't decided on what street it's going to be. It will depend on your advice."
Ohmygod, now I'm a real-estate adviser?
"How about we mail you the buses' Region Guide for Frenchs Forest, Madam? Also all bus timetables there. You can peruse them carefully and decide for yourself."
"No, no, no! Don't you try to get out of this! You're being paid to take this call! Now just tell me what's available!"
So I read her departures and arrivals of every single direct bus as well as every combination of buses—both government and private buses—for weekday mornings, weekday nights, Friday nights, Saturday mornings, Saturday nights, Sunday mornings, Sunday nights.
Of course she just had to ask, "And where would I catch a taxi if I missed them? Where's the nearest train station and major bus stop?"
"Have you written down all this information?" I asked.
"Yes yes, just tell me the nearest place for a taxi now!"
I was dying to transfer her to Pizza Hut. But I duly advised her that the nearest train station was Chatswood. She then demanded I read the departures and arrivals of trains and Nightride N90 bus between Wynyard and Chatswood.
Next I had to advise her that the main bus corridor was Pittwater Rd in Dee Why. For this, too, she made me read the schedule of the nightride 151 bus between Wynyard and Dee Why. Weeknights. Weekend nights.
"Right," she said after all that, "What bus was it again that went direct?"
"But you said you'd written them down." Ma'am, I'm about to kill you!
"No. No… I think it will be better if you send me that Region Guide after all. And all the bus timetables of course. Please take my mailing details now. My name is Fu Lyn …"
I looked away to the streets of Hornsby, visible from our northern glass wall, remembering Winston from Pennant Hills High School. A brilliant Chinese Australian, he was one of the most pleasant people alive, even when we always badgered him with questions. If only Mrs Fu was half as nice.
Mrs Fu then felt justified to end her call with the following farewell, "I'm very disappointed with your service today. Not good customer service at all. In the beginning you deliberately pretended not to know anything about the services in Frenchs Forest so you could get rid of me. You're such a lazy person you tried to get out of your duty to provide me with information. I've spoken with your manager and reported your refusal to help a customer seeking assistance. People like you should never get a job in customer service. You're a disgrace to your company and to Sydney's public-transport provider. I'm extremely appalled at you."
She railed on and on in this condescending tune for the next ten minutes while my bruised heart was screaming, "Daddyyyy... can you see me? Can you see me now? Would you allow this person to batter your daughter to pieces? Daaad... take a look at me now. How can you let this happen to me? Daad... you promised to always be there for me. I need you now. Dad, heeelp!"
"I hope my words will stay with you and help you improve, because I feel very sorry for all your customers. I pity those unfortunate people who call this number and get you on the line. I've never before encountered such a lazy and deceitful customer-service person such as you."
Very thorough, was she not? Blah blah blah. Ra ra ra. Mrs Fu was simply unstoppable.
"You're also disgustingly incompetent. You dawdle when delivering the information, taking over an hour of my very precious time. Do you know I get paid over 200 dollars an hour at my work? Would you care to compensate me? I don't think so. I hope never to talk with you again."
Though reaching the end of my dwindling patience, I closed the call with a cheerful "No worries. Thanks for your call!"
Surprised? It was obligatory to thank callers, even revolting torturers, or you lost your Quality bonus. I had become so robotic I even hung up my home phone automatically saying "Thanks for your call!"
I logged off the phone despite having missed my allocated break. Hang my Adherence bonus! I had been abused by a malicious woman. I was feeling very sorry for myself. I had nobody to talk to while somewhere in the world my parents were blissfully happy. How could they be?
Blurry-eyed and depressed, I ran to the disabled toilet in anguish. I locked the door, closed the toilet lid, sat down and cried. And cried.
One heap of a mess. That was me. I had been there at the office every day, battling my depression. Tears could still well up when I thought of my parents.
I was scared of being home alone. I dreaded my loneliness. Feared my suicidal thoughts. To keep playing with a full deck, I had to get out of the empty house and keep working before uni started.
With my limited talent and abilities, hardly any appealing career path was available. This job sucked, but at this stage of my life I was not ready to cope with anymore changes. I had no mental energy to enter a new work environment. Or to face contemptuous strangers. I had to stay within the current sphere because I felt safer with the devil I knew.
Soon fury began to stir and flare. Tears subsided. I was now angry with myself. I shouldn't let hostile people shake my composure. Shouldn't have allowed a mean bus driver to make me cross. Shouldn't have disintegrated when aggressive customers insulted me. I was above all that! Nobody would ever, ever have the power to make me swear again. No customer would bring me down.
I would not allow them!
Chin up. I would face my problems. I would not hide, cowering and morose. They would not beat me.
Sadly, from the 5,219 calls I had taken, the majority of torturers were of my own gender. I decided not to copy them. I was very determined to grow up NOT to be difficult like them. I would be kind and wise. And I could not wait to be a wonderful old lady of 70...
I looked into the mirror and cringed when I saw my mutinous eyes. Taking a deep breath, I tried to soften my expression.
The open-floor call centre was accessible either from the rest rooms through the reception, or through the busy break area with its internet café and table-tennis room. I was intensely private. To evade nosy co-workers' interrogation I opened the opposite door.
Pete was sitting right in front of me, long legs stretched out from the reception's black-leather sofa. He made eye contact, scrutinising me with an expressionless face but thoughtful eyes. As always I could not help but notice how beautiful his eyes were. Along with the rest of the package, actually. With skittering heart I nodded and strode briskly to the centre door. I swiped my electronic security pass and went in.
Our American management introduced a system called E-time. Excused time. It meant agents could take an unpaid break or go home early if the floor was over-staffed when we were not busy.
Not busy meant there was no possibility of a call queue. Also no special events, games, concerts, bushfires, flood. No wild wind hitting signal wiring. No hurting soul committing suicide on the rail track.
Businesswise, E-time was a sound cost saver. Only willing agents volunteered to take it. Ranging from 10 minutes to many hours, we took it to go shopping, watch movies at Hornsby cinemas, or simply go home.
"Yellow pages," I requested with fake cheerfulness. That was where they recorded E-time.
"No deal," red-haired Nicholas replied. He was monitoring the call volumes and the graphs showed we were on red. "It's Saturday, our busiest. No way can we give agents E-time. Sorry."
Just my luck.
Tall and slender Justin approached me with a beaming face. Some managers had an abrasive personality, but Justin was your friendly Aussie kind of guy—down-to-earth and always helpful. Very gay, too.
"Tough one, wasn't it? Poor Sydney. I feel for you. Some of these customers are pains in the butt. Man, you guys earn your money. The good news is, though you may have lost your AHT bonus by that long call, and Adherence bonus by having to talk during your scheduled break, you've definitely passed your Quality for the month! Ryan was monitoring your calls then. He was very impressed by your handling of Mrs Fu. Well done!"
Wonderful! I mentally gave myself a pat on the back. With the Quality bonus in, I just saved myself from being the lowest-paid Australian. Oh Dad, weren't you happy for me?
I sat down and logged in.
Soon I became aware that my co-workers—who on other days sat elsewhere—were gossiping about Sinead. As Sinead had the weekend off on this roster, her followers didn't camp around me. Except for Pete, who was still on his break.
One of the gossipers was Monashi. Unlike several other Indian agents, Monashi seemed to think it was cool and very Australian to use a swear word in every sentence. She even swore—while pressing MUTE—when callers were difficult. What if the expletives slipped the MUTE state and got to her customer's ear?
"So our single agents, managers, and IT guys have been hitting the pubs frequently?" elderly Susan queried.
"Yup," Thomas clarified. "We have Friday social drinks."
"A hard night's drinking will end with pairing within the group," Monashi added. "Sometimes they can't even (bleep) look at each other the next morning!"
"Agent-manager pairing is against our workplace policy!" Susan protested.
"Who's going to play law enforcement on consenting adults outside office hours?" Thomas countered.
"Sinead drinks the hardest and f(bleep)s the wildest!" Monashi announced. "All the boys are (bleep) crazy for her! They all wait to see who'll be chosen to get (bleep) lucky. It's (bleep) pathetic."
"Wow," Susan was wide-eyed. "You never know, do you? Sinead's not a flirt. Here she's very decent and friendly. Smiles at everybody. She respects us oldies."
"She's enjoying her backpacking heaps," chipped in Thomas. "Said she was going to uni in Dublin and would be sober by then."
"She likes to choose her own moments," Susan commented good-naturedly. "It's up to her who to drink with. Or to be with afterwards."
"It's been Jack," Monashi gleefully imparted her broad knowledge of others' private lives. "Earlier it was Kevin and some of the (bleep) managers. But Pete's often around her at the office." One shapely eyebrow arched, "You think?"
No one could exclusively own Sinead who valued her freedom. I remembered her flirting with Kevin while Pete looked on with possessive eyes. Did he have a thing for her? Foreign agents loved to flirt with the locals, but Pete sort of sat with expressionless dignity near Sinead. Now, why would I bother about other people's lives when I had my own to live? This flitted through my mind as they gossiped. Until Pete returned to our pod and silenced this line of conversation.
Noting Pete's permitted-only-on-weekends casual clothes, I remembered him complaining that this was the first time he had been forced to wear a tie outside the US. Absently I wondered what he was doing working at a call centre. Or in Australia, for that matter.
And I wondered what my fun-loving rowdy co-workers would be doing after work. I loathed my isolation, yet feared mingling with others. I was not a fan of my appalling self. In my misery I could hardly relate to people and, being 17, I still had a legal excuse to dodge their invitation. I did not want them too close to see the real me. I could not be like Sinead who was enjoying life immensely with lots of friends. Lots of sleep partners too, by the sound of it.
I did not judge people or begrudge their choices. Before my parents' divorce, I'd only hoped to save myself for that special someone who might happen by, strolling into my life. Since it was obvious true love did not exist, shouldn't I go party and throw my reserve to the wind? That was what my friends would do with their freedom—instead of endlessly taking photographs or sitting among my roses drawing cartoons.
But I lacked courage. I was terrified of getting hurt. A coward, still.
With and without friends, I was a loser.
One of my callers wasn't a coward though.
"I want to get happy tonight," she confided in a hush-hush tone of someone imparting a secret. "I'll go pubbing. But if I don't pick up a guy, how safe is Campbelltown Station after midnight?"
It was a secret. I was the only one privy to her thoughts. Her first time to step out? Alone? She sounded cute, shyly deliberating her wild night out but determined to carry it out. Who was she rebelling against? Strict parents? Revenge against a faithless partner? Or simply to break free from boredom?
After my shift I walked fast to the station. My Northern Line train—the red line on Sydney's Rail map—departed Hornsby from platform 3. While waiting, I saw Pete going down the stairs to platform 1 for his North Shore train to Roseville. No Sinead today, they had different rosters.
Pete lifted his hand to wave. His beautiful eyes still looked at me in thoughtful assessment. I had the impression he was trying to really look at me. As he held my gaze with his appraising one, I felt stripped of all pretensions. Time stood still. I felt, he saw me. He knew what loneliness was like. I sensed he understood what it took to present a dignified front when all you wanted to do was howl at the moon.
Had he seen me running from the pod in a terrible state? Had he sat at the reception area waiting for me out of concern? How mortifying! I was normally cautious and shy about showing others my feelings.
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I jumped onto my train.
"The ferries don't go on the Bridge."
They go under it, in case you didn't know.


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Reviews - Stowford Mill Bed and Breakfast4
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
100% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
We had a very lovely 2 nights at the mill house, it was peaceful and a beautiful house.
Breakfast was lovely and really enjoyed the homegrown sausages and bacon and fresh unpasteurised milk. We would like to come back next year .
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Country Escape
We booked a last minute night away and were not disappointed with the lovely accommodation and wonderful food.
Would stay again.
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A gem of a place with charming hosts, comfort & good food.
This was a perfect place for an exhausted stressed out couple, it was so quiet and peaceful with beautiful surroundings.
Our room was gorgeous, with freshly picked flowers, spotlessly clean with extra little luxuries in the bathroom, very comfy bed, proper coffee and little treats etc and beautiful views. Our breakfasts were outstanding, super fresh everything and plenty of choice, they kept us going for most of the day. The B & B is situated in an ideal position, central to the quintessentially English villages and towns and the city of Bath, and after a "hard" day of exploring, one comes back to the peace and tranquillity of Stowford Mill house. The whole experience would not have been the same without the absolute charm and hospitality of our hosts, who obviously give their all to making people feel welcome and comfortable. Faultless, highly recommended!!
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The secret of Anglo-American civilization has been its ability to combine the two elements of order and liberty at successively higher levels of both. To think constructively about our future we shouldn't be thinking about a zero sum tradeoff between order and freedom; we should be thinking about how to build the kind of order that extends our liberty in new and important ways.
An example of this thinking might involve new approaches to illegal drugs. As we've argued on this site, simply abolishing all drug laws is likely to create serious problems, but the status quo can hardly be called satisfactory. What's needed isn't the abolition of all laws about drugs but the creation of a legal, social and regulatory infrastructure that provides for more personal liberty about drugs but guards against certain potential consequences of the wider use of the these drugs: strong penalties for sales to minors, routine drug testing in many jobs, taxes on drug sales to support treatment for addicts, greatly expanded DUI laws and enforcement procedures and a major overhaul of the drug prescription system. There would have to be methods established to test newly created recreational drugs for safety and there would have to be laws aimed at preventing narco-trafficking cartels from dominating the legal drug business. There presumably would be zoning laws to keep drug dispensing retail outlets away from schools. There would be mandatory warning labels and, one suspects, there would still be stiff penalties for violating the restrictions that remained (selling to minors, reselling prescription painkillers, black market sales without paying tax, selling bootleg meth instead of the official, certified stuff and so on).
People would have more freedom to take drugs recreationally than they do now, and there would likely be many fewer people serving jail time for drug offenses, but we might also have more drug laws and a larger enforcement and treatment complex than we do now. The social order would be more complex, but the zone of individual freedom would grow.


text:
In Living Color
|Photos by Jenafer Gillingham
Sweats, platform flip-flops, a faux fur over a studded baby T you see outfits similar to this on women all over L.A. every day. Designer Marco Morante has tapped into this tossed salad of comfort and pizzazz thats a uniquely Angeleno uniform and infused it with calculated, off-the-cuff glamour. His breezy MarcoMarco line features blouses, skirts and dresses that are a gorgeous pastiche of stitched-together stretch, cotton and knit-silk fabrics: Clothes look finished but are as comfortable as the ancient bathrobe you should have thrown out yet throw on the moment you get home.
And, as they say in the fashion biz, he goes from day to evening with a change of accessories. Translated into real life, this means you can wear MarcoMarco while dashing from the gym to an audition, the post office or the dog park, and then throw on a pair of heels for a dressed-up date. Morante uses the female form as a canvas wedges of color nip in waists, unexpected ruffles accentuate the curve of a hip, crescents of fabric ripple over a shoulder highlighting a babelicious bicep (and if youre lacking there, not to worry, its implied by the drape of the sleeve). Formfitting and body-conscious, Morantes clothes show a gal off without making it look like shes trying too hard.
Swimsuit-Lycra dress with
braided strap and stitching
with Monika Matiss hand-
blown-glass belt buckle
He started out as a painter not surprisingly, given the Mondrian flourishes found in his work. He attended CalArts as an aspiring scenic designer and was told he should do costumes. To earn cash, he began making T-shirts and selling them in the cafeteria. His patchwork style developed then. I couldnt make real patterns, and cutting smaller pieces was easier. It was the only way I could get the stuff to stay on the body, he says with a laugh. It went from being an accident to being on purpose, and now its a theory!
The cafeteria T-shirts Fast Fashion, he called them sold better than junk food, and Marco knew he was onto something when he saw not just students but faculty sporting his originals. At CalArts, he also met partner Chris Psaila, who oversees the business end of things. I think he was the first person to buy a shirt! Morante cracks.
Stretch lace and cotton-
knit Mondrian minidress
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Four years ago, after a brief stint at Petro Zillia, he began his own line in earnest, designing, cutting and sewing, with Psaila handling the representation. Morante and Psaila have been doing brisk business with custom designs Mary J. Blige, Julia Mendoza and Courtney Love are fans and his pieces can be found at Fred Segal Santa Monica, O Boutique on Sunset Plaza, Xin on Melrose and Lolita in Woodland Hills. At the beginning of November, he and Psaila are opening their own boutique in Hollywood, which will feature ready-to-wear as well as custom designs (starting at $150 an hour, but we work really fast, Morante assures).
Everyone says my clothes are flattering to the body, Morante says. But the best part is that they feel like pajamas!
Custom eyes:
Designer Marco Morante
MarcoMarco, 1641 Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, (661) 755-0641.
Model: Shar Michelle/L.A. Models (Runway) Makeup: Veronica Chanel
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