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Zero Dark Thirty – Tortured Logic
After a couple of aborted attempts I finally managed to see Kathyn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty at the weekend. While perhaps not quite the equal of its Oscar-winning predecessor, The Hurt Locker, it's nevertheless a remarkable piece of cinema, deftly depicting an extremely complicated chronology of the real life events which culminated in the death of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011.
One of the things I love most about Bigelow's films – certainly these last two – is the way she presents location as a catalyst of tension: taking the focus off character scenes are frequently preluded with gloriously wide shots of the mountainous Khyber or tighter, lingering glances through a bustling Pakistani market; several seconds longer than others might dare and accompanied only by a natural background bustle. It's not that something will happen, but that anything could; when the audience is so familiar with the nuts and bolts of the story this is quite a feat.
Jessica Chastain as Maya, the CIA operative at the centre of the hunt for America's most wanted, is extremely plausible – certainly more so than Homeland's Carrie, supposedly based on the same individual – as she doggedly, and arguably coldly, pursues her quarry. While her superiors might challenge Bin Laden's strategic significance to the war on terror, Maya goes hard not home and it comes as no surprise when she get what she wants.
Nevertheless, as impressively as Bigelow presents the "where" and the "who", this is a film driven by the "how", and it is this "how" that has provoked the shitstorm of controversy. Amongst them Glenn Greenwald has said that Zero Dark Thirty "glorifies torture by depicting it as crucial to getting bin Laden" while philosopher Slavoj Žižek states that the film depicts the "normalization" of such methods, analogous with their endorsement. There are numerous others out there like them but these two seem to me to represent the main schools of objection to the film. Falling very much within my wheelhouse, having seen the film – unlike Greenwald before he had his say – I can't help but engage with the critique.
In my view Zero Dark Thirty does:
Suggest that torture can elicit truthful information that sometimes amounts to useful intelligence.
At the same time however, the film does not:
Depict torture in a morally neutral way.
The first of these forms the basis for Greenwald's objections. Unfortunately, as difficult and distasteful as it might be for many of its opponents to acknowledge, subjecting someone to torture in order to get them to reveal useful information will – sometimes – do just that. Reduce someone to a powerless, helpless, subhuman state and there's a fair chance that, if they know something, they'll give it up.
Sometimes they won't, of course.
Sometimes, even if they don't have what's being demanded of them, they'll likely want to say something – anything – that might make the pain stop. It might be a lie, deliberately delivered to mislead and misdirect, to waste time for and to buy it. It also might be the truth, but not a new truth as far as the intelligence agents are concerned, rather something that they've already picked up, or could pick up, somewhere, or from someone, else, in some other way. Because there is always some other way.
Some other way might require more patience, more energy, more money or more luck but it will not require that someone, as Žižek correctly characterizes it, "forsake his or her soul". But what Žižek seems to conclude is that either no soul is shown to be sacrificed in the making of this movie or that only one is and that's okay, because she gets her man in the end.
The truth is torture cannot be depicted in a neutral way and if it is, then what's being depicted isn't torture at all. Thankfully the interrogation scenes are brutal as they ought to be: no shot conceals; no cut is premature; every close-up is agony. We are also told nothing of who this man is or what he might have done to find himself in a CIA black site and see him only as helpless, hopeless, and terrified. The worst of the worst? Hardly.
For further evidence of the immoral weight of torture remember that the New York Times for a long while avoided using the term entirely, opting instead for such grim Orwellian euphemisms as "enhanced" or "intense" interrogation. Yet Mark Boal's script twice reaches for the correct term – one instance of which sits atop this post – and does so pointedly enough to tell us what the film's authors think about it. Make no bones about it, Slavoj, there's nothing "normal" going on here.
Greenwald's fear is that by showing torture as even loosely effective, Kathryn Bigelow serves to justify its practical utility. What he and Žižek both seem to forget is that morality is far more robust than that: if they allow the debate to become about the extent to which torture works – implying that it can be justified or supported if it works 100% of the time or a majority, or occasionally – then it's the left that has made the moral concession, not the right. Just as murder is murder, torture is torture and Zero Dark Thirty is a very good film.
Droning On
Much has been made recently of the existence of Barack Obama's "kill list" and his use of unmanned "drone" aircraft to eliminate America's hard-to-reach enemies. "George W. Bush on steroids" was the label, coined by Aaron David Miller, to which The Guardian took a particular liking.
The idea that this seemingly smart, likeable, liberal (surely?), black* president should occasion to order the extra-judicial targeted killings of suspected terrorists by pilotless bomber planes flying at 50,000 feet is, to so many, a disturbing cognitive contradiction and represents, to the Guardianistas, a deep betrayal of the messianic expectation that they felt they had invested in him four years ago. Never mind the fact that it was all projection – they saw the word "change", combined it with "black" and "democrat" and arrived at "utopia".
What were they expecting?
Change means "different" and can also mean "better", but "change" is not synonymous with "transformation" or with "immediate"; for while the position of president of the USA arguably makes the holder the most powerful individual in the world, it is not a role without constraints. The individual elected to the presidency, while he has the power to shape the office over time, is not afforded carte blanche over policy and does not get to start the job from scratch. As distasteful as a new president might find them, many of the policies bequeathed to him by his predecessor must be taken on and "owned". For Obama this meant operational responsibility for the Global War On Terror.
Yes, that old favourite. While the term might have been rendered obsolete – legally it was always on shaky ground, not that that mattered much to the Bush administration – from a military and policy perspective, it is still very much being fought.
Because 9/11 really did change everything. That was what the hawkish right, as they thumped their war drums, insisted at the time and what many "intelligent" lefty doves decried as propaganda and opportunism. I myself wrote five years ago that the Bush administration was not confronted with a "new paradigm" but constructed one – that it could not be deconstructed upon Bush's departure is a disappointment but should not be a surprise.
What Obama's drones proves is that the right were right, even as their prophecies were self-fulfilling. While occupations can be ended and wars scaled back there could be no question of Obama deprioritizing the threat of Islamic fundamentalist extremism – from a domestic political standpoint this would have been tantamount to treason, while the amount of money at stake means defense industry lobby groups and their chosen congressional candidates would take up arms, so to speak, to resist anything more than a modest reduction in budget. For whomever occupies the Oval Office, now and for the foreseeable future, the number one foreign policy priority is and will be the prevention of another 9/11.
The only variable is what tactics the occupant chooses to employ.
And so, to the drones.
Airborne bombings are not nice – their purpose, as almost any tool of war, is to end life – but they are not radically worse than any other traditional projectile weapon and are, in fact, better than many. It's true that a bomb dropped from eight miles high, on a house or camp in North West Pakistan does not discriminate between civilian and terrorist or between man, woman and child, but it is somewhat more targeted that any one of the thunderstorm of cruise missiles that constituted the shock and awe phase of attacks on Iraq in 2003. As a further comparator, the NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia in 1999 caused the accidental deaths of at least five hundred civilians as (amongst other things) a bus, a Belgrade hospital and the Chinese embassy were all hit.
Those that charge that unmanned drones reduce warfare to a computer game, distancing the soldier from his target and from the consequences of the weapon he's just fired, have obviously never seen a tank, a rifle, a bow and arrow, or a catapult. I bet they've never thrown a stone in anger either. Every advance in the technology of warfare has served the same purpose and drone aircraft, rather than marking a radical departure, represents just the latest.
Do I believe that Obama enjoys playing judge, jury and executioner over the fates of these men and their families? No. He does it because it's part of the spec of the role he signed up for. That he has designated himself the principal signatory of the "kill list" is not, it seems to me, indicative of bloodlust but of a sense of sovereign responsibility – the same responsibility that Bush and his cronies refused to take as it denounced the few "bad apples" – and a will to safeguard and minimize the number of instances of such extralegal executions. Unlike Bush, I suspect causing the deaths of civilians, women and children does give Obama moral pause.
I do not want to act as an apologist for President Obama, to endorse or make excuses for him. I don't think that drone attacks on the sovereign territory of another state are legal and they're certainly not desirable, but they are different to and better, truly, than many of the alternatives. Obama would, I suspect, prefer to be able rely on the Pakistanis, Yemenis and Somalis (to name but three feeble or failed states) to apprehend terrorist suspects but that option is seldom available to him to any satisfactory degree. Until it is, "better" is the best we can hope for.
At full time in his presidency Bush had invaded two countries; was directly responsible for the overthrow of two sovereign governments; opened an island prison camp designed to be a "legal black hole"; instituted a program of the extraordinary abduction and systemic torture of terrorist suspects in CIA "black" sites. Under Obama's administration one of those aforementioned invasions has ended, while the other is drawing down; extraordinary rendition has been paired back, if not abandoned entirely; CIA black sites have been closed and the torture policy ended. Although domestic politics ultimately stymied Obama's efforts to close Guantanamo Bay, signing the executive order to do so was indeed amongst his first acts upon entering the Oval Office.
How is this not different? How is it not better?
Andrew Sullivan, not someone I normally find myself agreeing with, has similarly come to the defence of drones:
if you'd asked me – or anyone – in 2001 whether it would be better to invade and occupy Afghanistan and Iraq to defeat al Qaeda, or to use the most advanced technology to take out the worst Jihadists with zero US casualties, would anyone have dissented? And remember the scale of civilian casualties caused by the Iraq war and catastrophic occupation: tens of thousands of innocents killed under American responsibility for security. The awful truth of war is that innocents will die. Our goal must be to minimize that. Compared with the alternatives, drones kill fewer innocents.
Of course, we need to be incredibly careful to limit civilian casualties even further. Counting every military-age man in the vicinity of a Jihadist as a terrorist is a total cop-out. We should see the real casualty numbers and adjust accordingly. But we also have to stop the Jihadist threat. It is real. And a president does not have the luxury of pretending it isn't.
Don't you know there's a war on?
I know I've already posted an essay from the term just passed but there was another and, having received a much better grade than anticipated, I considered that it might be of interest to some. I'm only posting the conclusion because I can't believe anyone has the stomach for the full 4,000 words but if you're really that
much of a keen bean bored, drop me a line and I'll forward it on.
Can Foreign Policy Ever Be Moral?
Derrida wrote that "justice exceeds law and calculation"[1] which is to say that morality, and judgements about morality, are beyond scientific evaluation and must be made with the uncertainty of human reason. If we ask, is it possible for the state itself to be moral then we must find that it is probably not. Is it possible for a state's foreign policy to be consistently moral? I equally think it is probably very difficult. However, is it conceivable that a state could conduct itself in a moral fashion or in accordance with a moral consensus or common moral principles, even those common only to a state's only citizenry? I think it is. I do not agree that for a state's foreign policy to be considered moral it must conform to externally established moral standards but instead must try to live up those it sets for itself. Whether the state has the right to a moral foreign policy, as Kennan calls into question, we must distinguish between a state conducting itself morally in the society of states and conducting interventions that violate the right to sovereignty of another state. The former takes exceptional circumstances into account the latter does not.
One of the problems with morality in foreign policy is that we need it to be consistent and this we see as necessitating codification. To write morality into law purports to contradict an intrinsic characteristic of the common understanding of what constitutes morality, which is to say the freedom to choose. However, Just War aspires towards a codified moral sphere that the state can inhabit and a regular if not exactly regulated code of conduct that states can practically adopt.
While true morality may be beyond the capacity of the state, as we understand the state to be a function of statesmen, it can nonetheless serve to further morality as a determinant of behaviour, both by example and by didactics. To say, as George Kennan did, that it is not the business of the state to concern itself with morality is not only outmoded, it also demonstrates a very narrow view of the state's purpose and what constitutes "interests". Kennan, speaking as a veteran actor of the Cold War at a time when it was far from over and the threats were still very real, can be forgiven for subscribing to this perspective. The Cold War and the perpetual threat of nuclear annihilation did make greater demands of states and require an approach to statesmanship that was perhaps much colder in character, if not cruel.
While for the individual and even societies morality may be considered to be a non-negotiable, an imperative force in the determination of behaviour to the state, morality and its exercise might reasonably be regarded as a luxury. Thucydides' Melian dialogue, in particular the line that "the strong do what they can while the weak suffer what they must"[2] may have been intended to serve as a lesson in the inevitable amorality of states it can also be read in a more encouraging light. As the human is an evolved creature, so is the state. If we believe that the state under strain will be motivated by reptilian instinct, the state liberated from that strain and existing in a state of relative comfort will have at least the political capacity to exercise its limbic system, to act out of regard for a sense of right. Whether or not it will avail itself of this capacity is not enough to render it either moral or amoral but the freedom of choice is enough to provide for that possibility and to which states should aspire.
[1] Derrida quoted in Willy Maley 'Beyond the Law?: The Justice of Deconstruction', Law and Critique
[2] Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, CHAPTER XVII. Sixteenth Year of the War – The Melian Conference – Fate of Melos as found at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/melian.htm


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As a third shift worker, Friday is my favorite day of the week. It doesn't matter that yes, technically, I've worked the same five day work week that most others do. I just love feeling like I got a jumpstart on my weekend.
So when a celebration like Cinco de Mayo falls on a Friday, it's twice as fun.
I began my day with a stop at the Café at the Pfister Hotel on E. Wisconsin Avenue.
My cousin and I sit down there to just grab coffee and catch up every few Fridays or so, but this time, our server informed us there were new food items on the menu, including fried avocado tacos. I'm not quite sure whether she had me at fried, avocado or taco, but I was sold!
The tacos were delicious. I loved crunching into the avocado, which was perfectly ripe. The tacos were so easy to pick up, and disappeared within five minutes.
I think it's safe to say I'll be back for another round at some point in the very, very near future.
That wasn't the only taco excursion I made this Cinco de Mayo. In fact, I was fully aware when we ordered the tacos at the Café that I would be ordering another round of tacos just a few hours later… no regrets about either order!
A group of friends from work made plans for lunch/dinner at Bel Air Cantina on N. Downer Avenue. With all of our shifts ending at different times throughout the week, it's pretty rare that we can all coordinate free time together, but somehow, this one came together perfectly.
The place was absolutely packed by the time I walked in Friday afternoon, and the crowds got bigger as the day went on. While waiting for a table, I went over to the bar to order a drink.
I was promptly carded. I chalked it up to the fact that the restaurant happened to be near a college campus, shrugged it off and gave the guy my ID. The rest of my friends arrived. They ordered. They were not carded. Just me. Come to think of it, this may be a recurring theme in the blog.
Anyways, I can't really complain too much, because my strawberry margarita was delicious! I'll admit, of all the alcoholic drinks to order, tequila is not high on my list. But add a little hint of strawberry and I'm good to go! I ordered the first drink on the rocks, and later tried a blended strawberry-mango margarita. I've never had mango in a margarita before, but I'll definitely be trying it again soon!
Now onto the meal:
After spending way too much (or not enough?) time eating chips and dips, we eventually got around to the $2.00 tacos special that we came there for in the first place. I once again ordered… a fried avocado and bacon taco. I'd like to say it was so I could compare and contrast two restaurants' fried avocados, but honestly, I'm just hopelessly in love with avocado anything.
I also ordered queso asado and pollo verde tacos. The pollo verde has become one of my FAVORITE tacos at Bel Air Cantina. With a full page of taco options in Bel Air's menu, I do try to mix it up whenever I go, but I always order the pollo verde for a guaranteed good dish.
After a couple hours of fun at Bel Air, I called it a night… at 5:30 pm. I mentioned that whole overnight thing, right? Well, I went to bed on a full and satisfied stomach, falling asleep almost instantly. After a few hours, I felt refreshed and ready to begin my next adventure: assembling a Kentucky Derby-themed meal for the 143rd Run for the Roses!
Stay tuned, I'll be sharing a look at my dishes and the fantastic recipes that inspired them soon!

subset: commoncrawl


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This frozen mango margarita pie is a pie that I wanted all to myself. I snuck small slices out of the freezer for too many days in a row. (The last couple of slices I had were a bit freezer-burnt, which didn't stop me at all from eating them.) This frozen mango margarita pie a grown-up welcome wagon for summer. It's the pie version of a frozen cocktail with a salted rim – icy and smooth. You won't get drunk from a slice, but if you lived my dream of digging in with a fork and devouring the entire pie in one sitting, you would be both stuffed and tipsy.
I developed the frozen mango margarita pie recipe as part of a
You can download a PDF of the whole cookbook for free at The National Mango Board's website. There are so many mango recipes that I want to try, like overnight oatmeal with mango and coconut milk and spicy mango sweet potato hash.
If you shy away from using fresh mango because it's a pain to cut, you might want to try this tool. I haven't personally used it, but it has incredible reviews. (View on Amazon)
Frozen Mango Margarita Pie with a Pretzel Crust
Crust Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Filling Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 18 ounces mango pulp
- 1/2 cup tequila
- 2 tablespoons triple sec
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup lime juice
Crust Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine all ingredients and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until pretzels are lightly toasted.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool. While hot, the pretzel crust will still be loose; handle with care.
Filling Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Pour into prepared crust.
- Freeze for at least four hours.
- Once frozen, eat immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and eat within five days.
Special thanks to Brooke from Sucre Shop for the adorable forks!


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Zambia is in Southern Africa. Roughly the size of Texas or France, Zambia is a landlocked country, bordered by Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, a narrow strip of Namibia known as the Caprivi Strip to the southwest, Angola to the west, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the northwest.
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man chooses man
man's law
where genesis, is your knowledge
old blueprint unfolding, fractal repeating
6 and 2 more 6's
the sign
wolf in sheep's clothing
mascarading as love
oh world, how can you not see complementarity
man as self-giving, woman as receptivity
equal in dignity
an image in biology and life living
God as masculine, mankind as feminine
no more?
you say 'I make the rules'
far reaching is the decision
blinding some, distortion of nature
sensuality, love, all gifts from divine
genesis the blueprint
intended as wisdom, a path to home
oh sad day, homeless many become
who believe the illusion
that marriage is not between a man and a woman
what is love
God is love
love is loving another person to paradise
to the final destination, eternal heaven
or not?
it IS a choice after all
666 man choose's to make his own law, true law forsaken
oh world why do you forsake holy
for God is our spouse and heaven our home


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Everyday Folding Card ~ You Are Magic
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Eco – friendly sustainably harvested real birch wood Greeting Card. Wood grain varies from card to card. This card is great for an original note, gift or small piece of art. Write with ease using a pen, pencil or marker. Measures 4" x 5.5" when closed. Designed by Los Angeles based artists. Requires standard postcard postage. Sold individually. Comes with a envelope, packaged in a clear sleeve.


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Hand-spun and made of a highly durable copper and tin alloy, Yugi bronzeware celebrates traditional Korean metal work. Naturally sterilizing and toxin detecting, the bronze will change color when in contact with impurities, like pesticides. Heirloom quality and stunning at any table, these cups are ideal for soju, sake, and other libations. Also great as pinch bowls for salt or snacks.
*Remaining cups have slight discolorations, which is why they're on sale*
Made in Korea Solid bronze, an alloy of copper and tin Small: 2 1/2" x 1" Large: 2 3/4" x 1 1/4" Hand wash only, dry immediately


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Greenwich, The Crystal and the Society of Garden Designers Spring Conference
Posted on Apr 27, 2014 by Rebecca Smith
To be honest, I am a creature of habit. There are parts of London which I would like to get to know but cannot be bothered. Work, family, dogs, all take up my time and free time in this part of the year is spent in my garden. So I left the SGD Conference in South Kensington and boarded the Tube to North Greenwich slightly annoyed I was not going straight home to Hampshire. By the time the train stopped at North Greenwich, the carriages were full of hyper teen girls, resigned looking fathers and smelled like a sports hall. No photo needed really.
The O2 and ther surrounding area is a bit of a mystery to me. We did not attend the Millenium celebrations held at the site and until Mr Smith went to see Rush in concert there last year, neither of us had actaully ever been there. (I was busy that night btw if you wonder why I did not go too...) It all came as a bit of a revelation. Not just the sheer scale of it and the facilities inside but the way the surrounding area has been transformed.
But after hearing James Wong speaking about the garden city that is Singapore, what I really noticed is a distinct lack of planting in the area around the O2. There is gorgeous paving. A spendid obelisk. And some beautiful quotes and thoughts to ponder whilst walking. I would love the scene above to be softened by more trees...
We wandered and discovered the Pilot pub. It is well worth having a drink here, there is a shaded rear balcony and garden, there is a splendid wall of peacock blue and some rather smart glass balustrades on the balcony.
To get to the Pilot from the O2, leave via the bus station of North Greenwich tube station on the opposite side from the O2 entrance. You exit, walk past the David Beckham Football Academy (sadly he was not there),
There is an open green space (yay!!!) with some rather beautifully planted trees underplanted with daffodils and a good ground cover of pretty indestructible ivy.
Go down these rather lovely gentle granite steps to the pub.
As we had many hours to kill before McBusted finished at 10:30ish we kept wandering and discovered the BEST THING EVER.
The Emirates Air Line.
Seriously, if you ever have people staying who want to see London, take them there. This cable car above the Thames travels between North Greenwich and the Royal Docks and for a return fare of £8.80 you are suspended 295 feet above the river looking towards Canary Wharf and London City airport. It was amazing. We left from North Greenwich and this is what it looks like...
You carry on, looking at Tate & Lyle's Docks, London City Airport, the O2 and Canary Wharf.
And down at the Thames. Which looks very cold this time of year...
And just when you think it cannot get any better than this...
I saw this!!!
What on earth is it???
I was like a kid at Christmas. Poor Mr. Smith.
We landed at the Royal Docks end and I literally ran to find out what the totally intriguing and, yes, EXOTIC, creature was. It is The Crystal, billed as 'a sustainable cities initiative' by Seimans: 'the World's largest exhibition dedicated to urban sustainability'. Designed by the architectural firm of Wilkinson Eyre, it is an all-electric building which uses a ground source heat-pump and solar power. It harvests rain water. The website www.thecrystal.org will explain more about the building and events held there but I cannot seem to find any information about the garden and planting which surrounds the building which is a shame.
The garden reminded me of the Lurie Millenium Garden in Chicago which was designed by Piet Oudolf; the swthesof naturalistic planting against a backdrop of silver gleaming buildings creates a frisson and is so exciting. Here at the Crystal, the beds are planted with large groups of plants:
I could have stayed for ages taking photos but it started getting cold and the wind got up...
The paving, by the way is very nice.
The view on the return journey was just as fabulous as on the start:
We headed back to the O2 to await the end of the concert...
There are trees planted there and they have nice uplighters...
But lastly, a reminder that Greenwich is, and has been, the site of Greenwich Mean Time since 1884 and the place from which all time zones are measured. The line at Greenwich represents 0 longitude, the prime meridian of the world.
All in all, I had a great day on Saturday.
Tags: Emirate Air Line, The Crystal, O2, gardening, gardens, London, Skyline, James Wong, SGD conference
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About Us
Aroma Imports is a family run Specialty Foods Distribution Company started in 2014 out of Dearborn Heights, Michigan. As Importers we are dedicated to getting our products for the greatest possible value from the most reputable sources.
From Spain to Dubai, our products are delicately chosen with great taste and quality in mind. You can find our product collections under catalog or by clicking here. Our product list ranges from Hispania Extra Virgin Spanish Olives and Olive Oil, as well as Al Ameer Halawa, Tahina, and Aseel Ghee. Here at Aroma Imports, providing our customers with healthy, high quality options is something we take pride on.
To Contact visit our contact page here.


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Free Runescape Membership Codes 2017
Are you looking to get a free Runescape Membership so that you can play the game without limitations? Isn't that what every online gamer wants? The ability to play a game to its fullest potential without paying a fee? With help from us at freecpmemberships.com, you will get the chance to do just that! Keep reading for more info on how to do this.
About Runescape
So what is Runescape anyway? Well, it has been said to be a very comparable game to World of Warcraft simply without the massive funding behind it like Blizzard gives Wow. Simply put, Runescape is a fantasy based MMORPG that you can play right from your computer. In a sense, it is a virtual world where players can play a ton of quests and raid dungeons while also interacting with friends or other players.
Did you know that in 2013 Runescape became recognized as the most popular free MMORPG in the world? At that time it had over 200 million accounts that had been created and is continuously growing.
To get into more detail about the game lets talk about the game world. RuneScape takes place in a world called Gielinor which is a fantasy world taking place in the medieval times. It is divided into multiple Kingdoms, Regions and other cities. As a player of Runescape you can travel throughout this game world on foot, ship or even by using magical spells. Each region of the world features different monsters, loot, quests to take part in and resources to collect.
Free Runescape Membership Codes & Cards 2017
When you become a Runescape premium club member, you get a bunch of benefits that the free members do not! When you compare what members actually get vs free players, you will never be satisfied playing Runsecape for free again!
So are you looking to get this free membership for 2017 so that you have access to absolutely everything on Runescape? If you are, then you have come to the right website.
On FreeCPMemberships.com, you can earn any three of the Runescape Memberships that are offered on their website. It all depends on how many points you earn before you feel like turning them in! The membership will be in the form of a prepaid card which can be sent to you via mail or we can simply email you the code.
Like I mentioned earlier, Runescape offers 3 different memberships to their users. To earn points towards these memberships, please read this guide! See below for info on each of them!
- 1 month – $9.49/month
- 3 month – $8.67/month at $25.99 every 3 months
- 12 month – $7.50/month at $89.99 a year which is the best value!
Now that we know the different memberships Runescape offers, let's look at what you get when you become a premium club member!
- Over 178 members only quests. Basically you get 8 times more quests as a member then you would on a free to play account.
- You get complete access to the multitude stories.
- The ability to unlock countless unique members only weapons, armor and equipment.
- 11 exclusive skills which include Agility, Herblore, Thieving, Fletching, Slayer, Farming, Construction, Hunter, Summoning, Divination and Invention.
- 37 different mini games including Pest Control, Castle Wars, Agility Pyramid and the Mage Arena.
- Ability to create your own home and port which includes designing your own home.
- Ability to earn loyalty points in which you can use to purchase over 200 items at Solomon's General Store.
- 3 Times larger world to explore where you will unlock and explore new kingdoms and dungeons.
All of the features mentioned above and more is yours with a free Runescape Membership won from freecpmemberships.com! So what are you waiting for?
Sign up today and start earning your way towards one of those 3 free Runescape membership codes!


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This is the most common course combination for divers that already made up their mind to become full cave divers and explore further the fascinating world of overhead environment diving.
Prerequisite: OWD with 25 dives, 18 years
Duration: 8 days, 16 dives if previous experience in technical gear configuration.
1 additional day if no experience in diving with backmounted doubles
Maximum capacity: 3 students
Includes: Transportation from dive center to cenote, theory and skill practice, dive briefing and dive site orientation, 16 dives with air, debriefing, personal equipment of instructor, entrance, water and snacks
Students that decide on this option will start their training immediately in technical gear configuration.
The indicated length of the course is no guarantee that you pass when you did the amount of training days. Remember in technical diving, you pay for the training days and not for the certification.
Auch verfügbar / Also available in: Deutsch


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Rivers and stars fill the valley – a hymn some days
I write to elephants the colour of stone
Sage green olive trees – sharp points push a hymn some days.
My heart no longer beats rough and ready
I am in it – a hymn someday.
Rivers and stars fill the valley – a hymn some days
I write to elephants the colour of stone
Sage green olive trees – sharp points push a hymn some days.
My heart no longer beats rough and ready
I am in it – a hymn someday.
Childhood Garden – a paradelle
Cracked birdbath – enough water for a canary –
cracked birdbath – enough water for a canary –
sandstone steps laid sixty years ago,
sandstone steps laid sixty years ago,
cracked years – enough for sixty steps
laid a sandstone canary ago – birdbath water.
Seeds of sycamore – little wings –
seeds of sycamore – little wings –
hydrangea heads in colours of rusty pink,
hydrangea heads in colours of rusty pink;
little rusty wings, heads of hydrangeas,
of sycamore seeds, a pink colour.
Green lichen on a dead branch,
green lichen on a dead branch,
leather-brown leaf falls to ground,
leather-brown leaf falls to ground,
leather branch, dead, falls to ground
a green leaf – on lichen brown
Enough years fall cracked – little leather wings –
of sandstone, sycamore seeds,
a brown branch for leaf and lichen,
a canary – the colour pink –
of birdbath, green water, dead hydrangea heads –
sixty steps laid on rusty ground.
Summer Drought – a Drabble
The cracked birdbath held little water. She wondered who filled it, or was it rain. The chaffinches couldn't fly for the thirst of summer. How had they survived two hundred years? Rhodes missed English songbirds – only chaffinches survived. How did anything endure without help – the sycamores, the oaks? Her own garden? The neighbour taps water from his borehole, but her garden is a tinderbox. Now he wants her help. When he removed his hedge he saw her spring garden – the leucadendrons, the buddleias. He's agreed to share his water. In return she will offer him plants and cut his grass.
I've learned to love the sunrise – I used to sleep
long into the morning –
growing pains, childhood seemed so hard
to get up for school, to study early for exams
the frost still white on the lawn
the milk cart delivering milk and orange juice –
vitamin C in icy winter, the Western Transvaal
so cold the water froze – long icicles
from the garden tap, the bedroom windows all misted up –
I could blow a hole into it to see outside –
the dog's paw marks as they tracked over the grass
his yellow piss a steaming puddle near the willow tree.
I've learned to love the night –
dark velvet sky, stars like holes punched into a blanket –
although some nights were frightening when my parents fought
their battles at the other end of the house.
I woke and held my breath – the shouting subsided
and then I heard the sound of my mother
feeling her way along the dark passage –
her hand dragging the wall. I still hear that sound some nights –
even though it's over forty years ago.
I've learned to love the ocean – yet I lived
a thousand miles away and I only saw it once
a year – a seaside holiday in the Eastern Cape
and like an English child I had a net and a sunbonnet
and ate rock candy. I think I married
my husband because he lived by the ocean
and now we walk on the beach
every day – whales blow. We take our dogs
to Sunrise beach sometimes at sunset.
The moon rises there too –
I never knew I loved sunrise.
Early Spring
First standing still on a
day dancing, prancing, pretty – a tale
of falling flowers, fluttering.
Spring sprung –
I find a dandy lion, a daffodil;
keep it close, safe, a secret snowdrop.
Thinking of kings and queens – and I'm quiet
about the hidden hoekkie high in
the top of the garden – lost in the
end of never. The ever-never memory
of flowers – of those first spring days now
autumn is almost all about left of my life.
My feet are the ground;
decades of here
like the elephant.
I am about to be the person who,
leaving my shadow, the storms of the past,
is home at her feet.
A plateau of pain –
here is where I need to make,
alongside this forest,
The elephant sees what I am doing;
the herd of her eye
watching me.
She listens forever
to what I want.
Leaving my shadow,
coming through the storm,
the bird shows its face;
life awaits an island.
I hasten to heights
I have longed for.
Healed now I am still,
my body, my cells renewing
my life – a quiet place.
The big storm is out.
Coming through,
I walk across the years,
the storms of my life.
I came to my marriage,
I find it, waiting
for the place to reveal itself.
I am home. It is a place
of thirty years
and I am surrounded by
the brink of hounds
and birds beautiful.
Stepping into it means
rewiring the elephant,
to be under her reorganizing eye.
I'm washed up on this garden
years after I had shipwrecked.
I wait;
I am a plant.
I shake myself, the soil has settled.
I am rewired for the process – to go
The thunder is over.
The sky is singing.
pewter angel
It's 5.30 am and I'm in the Gardens and there is a pewter angel sticking out of my mouth. It's like she's a fekking emblem on the front of a car or on the bow of a ship. Words, ideas explode in my head because I just can't get them past her – she's taken up residence, the bitch. I can't say a thing. People stop and stare at me walking here in the Gardens – it is like I'm a bloody Rolls Royce or something. "That's beautiful," an old woman says and stops to reach to and touch it, I want to say, "Fuck off! Leave me alone!" but I can't so I stare at her – stare daggers at her eyes until she says, "I'm sorry. I beg your pardon," and slinks off. I'm walking around the tall pear tree – it's Van Riebeeck's blasted pear tree. Lightening should strike it down properly next time. A boy points at me and stares. I hiss – that's a relief. I can make a sound even though I sound like a snake. He skittles off to his mother. "Mommy's boy," I hiss after him.
My heart is cleft in two. Half of it lies on the gravel at my feet. A trail of blood, like a string, pearls its way to me and everyone can see it's my fault. I don't know how I did it but I'm guilty as hell. There's blood on my hands. People cluster around, One points at me and I hiss, steam escapes my nostrils. It's a pressure release. He fucking left me and now it's all my fault. My blood is what's on my hands and I can't even tell them what happened.
A policeman is coming – he parts the crowd like he's fucking Moses. His arms are stiff wings and he takes hold of my arm making as if to lead me away but I buck like a fekkin bronco and he misses. He shouts into his walkie-talkie thing. Don't they have cell phones these bastard cops? It's the bloody 21st century! I wish I could scream that idea to him but my mouth is full of angel and it's hurting my teeth, teeth I wonder about them. Would they have survived? I had nice teeth – the one nice thing about me and my sister was jealous. Her teeth were like bad mielie pits. But here's the hero Moses again parting the waves and it's fucking Joshua with him, they've brought their chariot and I suppose they will take me to fucking heaven now.
He envied the world –
the world and the eternal earth .
I carried a pebble
in my pocket –
a keepsake for you.
My word, a small grain,
a granule in my hand.
Language and rhymes were
a way to sustain you.
It was a long voyage –
my breath the tides
looking for you
down a dead-end street.
I look – a mere eye
just eyes looking past.
I thought I heard
a quiet laugh
but it was just an echo
of emptiness.
You never found us –
the place
or the moment
like a wave.
Dog Days
The family dogs are all dead,
echoes of children abound.
I count the spots, sigh my longing.
They are a constellation dotted
with love. My empty ears insist on sound
but there are only echoes, the window rusting.
The wind on dog days, the small familiar pain,
a head beneath my hand,
tongues and smiles ever panting
open up my lonely land.
But the echoes remain
of loss, my memories shifting,
blueing the day bereft;
phantoms now on the right, on the left.
He windows to me – I get the message quickly and look out far away to the distant mountains. They are clear. They cut a purple silhouette into the sky. I wonder how the day can be so crystal after the heat of the past week – then I remember it rained just last night. During the night.
I remain staring out across the sea and into the distance waiting for a signal that I can stop. A flock of cormorants – long lines fly across my sight roading it into black lines to hang notes of music by. I begin to hear the tune of the birds – a crochet here and quaver there. Black Mist – a searing and beautiful symphony. They are gathering in the autumn warmth, circling ever thicker until they night the sea ahead of me, a dark swirling mass hovering above on the surface of blue, some landing softly. A night symphony against a blue autumn sky.
Tiaan comes over. I am lost by the music before my eyes and have forgotten him and the meeting with Raubie but Raubie's presence fingers me as I look at Tiaan. I can see the long lingering poison like strands of seaweed draped around his head. They reach out to tangle me too. I take Tiaan's arm and pull him around and I point to the sea and the dancing night on the waves.
"Look at all the cormorants," I say. "They are gathering to move to their winter roosts."
"Let's go home too," says Tiaan.
In water I was formed.
I had to push up hard
into my parents' arms.
I grew up in the slums,
cradled by the ground,
by the belly of the mother city.
There was no one there
except a mountain.
I played alone;
my legs hooked over a branch.
I stared up at the high peaks;
I knew I was born to higher things.
I embraced it all.
I knew this was never for me;
I'd just gone into the wrong room.
Sometimes I was so angry
people were afraid,
they'd climb over me.
I had no chance to talk;
I'd just swing upside down.
The longing for the cliffs,
the clouds whispering my forehead.
They said I should reach
my arms to the ground.
I fumed with fury,
wanting to change it.
Then one day my father came
and took me to the mountain.
The weather turned and
the images of my geography
came searching for me.
High among the clouds
I saw angels.
I made a leap, reached to them.
Sandstone and magma gave birth to
a person no longer me.
Someone forgotten
drew me like a bee
to my dreams.
I melted and allowed
them to come.
Now I was a mother city,
managing the controls.
I flashed my eyes
I was the cup holder,
known as the Flying Angel.
My name was my lucky star,
young and beautiful.
Someone with golden wings
gave me a hand up,
and taught me to fly.
We met quite by chance
and I flew by his side.
After all the years
I am alone again.
Peace comes over me like rain.
An angel like me
I have time to write my memories;
I paint pictures
and dream
of hanging upside down
in clouds.
Standing on a ledge of shale,
a peeling shelf of red,
the edge of the world;
I am here.
Below me are
folded belts of mountains.
I'm a statue of silent trembling,
frozen from fear.
I crawl
backwards at first.
I let go,
dust covers me
and little stones
pierce my knees.
Down the valley
eagles soar below,
plants grow in cracks;
a tiny yellow daisy smiles.
A trusty ficus and
bushes in crevices;
they balance me
on my hands and knees.
I want to survive, to find
a level. Then I see
the rocks have formed steps.
they lead me down,
to black ironwood and tamboti;
an umbrella space.
I am here on earth;
a heavenly place.
And the day is ending.
The heat that sucks up all the air
sucks in again and out;
at last is gone. The wind returns
chasing the red hot day,
stampeding the dry fields to ground.
A strange mob of panting
trees, towering green blue-gums hide,
drop their gaunt sad faces
melting in long swags. They gasp grey
breaths of stinking resin;
the only sound; all day the heat.
Little Sparrows
Words fall from inside my wrists,
rise like little sparrows.
Short stories enter
places like songs;
poetry etched on a river.
Words walk along my spine;
the sounds of lives,
unfinished things,
places like song.
An earring of words
keeps my life
in leaps of faith.
Word fall from inside my wrists,
rise like little sparrows
cautiously and slowly.
They see into the corners of things –
a broken shoe,
a sagging heart.
My words choose to be owned,
they come to me easily –
the furtive ones.
Accessing magic,
they peer from behind, from in-between;
phantoms, weary travellers and bards.
sun like fresh juice;
carrot spiced with ginger –
the jasper sands of the Namib
just dawned.
The Mesa – the road to Formista (from Christina's Camino, a work in progress)
I had walked a long and bitter road that day. The morning tasted like gravel – little bits of it on my tongue; it ground against my teeth, and my tongue breathed dust. My shoes kept filling with the little white stones and I had to stop often to free them. Eventually I just kicked my foot into the dry air to dislodge them. Some left. Others stayed. I hobbled on – the road a long white blistering belt. Whatever trees that may have been had left – the disgust with the place was felt by the grass too – the fields looked like the badly shorn cheeks of the old men in the village; stalky stubble of hard straw. The village itself offered no respite – only a stinky bar was open. I stumbled in, throwing my pack to the filthy floor, asking for the servicos. The lumpen black-clad woman growled her direction. I walked past her to a latrine that should have been banned.
All afternoon the cruel white road stretched out under the blazing sun. I aimed towards a sole tree – a measly palm and fell under it to drink from my heated water bottle. I must have fallen asleep – and begun a dream – a strange pale dream of falling stones. They changed into feathers and tickled my nose; for when I opened my eyes two angels were standing there over me. They offered me cool water and when I looked up the sun had disappeared behind their wings. I drank and then rested in the welcome shade. When I awoke again white butterflies, so common on the route, danced before me and led me to the next Refugio.
Her voice howls moon, her night voice
surges like water ploughing the tall white stinkwood.
Below she roots herself in the misty hollows,
scents the dark fungi.
The midnight rain is bitter as cardboard soaked in caustic soda and mixed with pork fat, rolled into balls and fried and then sold as dumplings to feed the poor and hungry. The cardboard over my head – my paper roof – is soaked with rain tonight; the cardboard sucking up the rain like caustic soda, disintegrating it, mashing my squatter home like those dumplings, so that my chest will heave and my cough will rack the night – the bitter night rain in this thin ragged box. The taste of poverty is like those caustic pork dumplings they sell to the poor in China.
the moon
in mist and
like a snail's crawl
leaves shiny trails across the
night stone. Bright open
eye watches as
spirit calls


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This is just a quick announcement to say that my official blog, WPR, is currently undergoing a migration to a new, community-based blog-hosting platform. There will still be all of the usual posts like my book reviews, new album updates, thoughts on current events, and my usual amount of quirky weirdness, but there will be a couple of new features on this site starting very soon.
In the meantime, come on by and check out our new digs.
Thanks for reading!!
I wanted to start a new instalment here on WPR about the books that I have been reading. I've been an avid reader all of my life, and I just love it. In my opinion, it offers far more to its audience than watching television does. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind television at all, but it is incredibly passive. Everything, including the plotline, the visuals, dialogue, and the performance is handed to you on commercialized and glossy plate. There is often very little, if nothing at all, that is left to the imagination. (Don't even get me started on all of the advertising. That's a whole other can of worms.)
To me, the beauty of reading is in its simplicity. First, you can grab a book (or e-reader) and take it anywhere. Whether it's in solitude, on the train heading to work, in the bathroom, or in bed before you go to sleep at night, you can read. It's unbelievably convenient. You can also go at your own pace or stop completely if you don't like the book you chose.
Reading a book also offers something incredibly vital. It invites you to use your imagination. I often create scenes in my head and imagine faces and foreign places when I read. It also invites you to contemplate different meanings and ask questions. Everything isn't offered right off the bat. You, the reader become engaged and invested in the content. It is among the most active things you can do without lifting a finger (outside of actually turning a page, that is).
So there. Reading will save the world. It is an age-old practice that has inspired great art and started revolutions. Give it a try. Find a book about something you like or are curious about at your local library. Find a cozy spot, and read.
As a gay man, I've never quite known what to think about marriage. It has always been just something that was available to someone else.
Sure, I've fantasized about what my wedding could look like, but I've never believed those dreams.
There are two new segments I wanted to add to my regular roster of posts here at WPR.
First off, there will be a new segment called Creativity. I want to discuss and explore the process of creativity across numerous platforms. In my case, I play piano, sing, perform shows, write songs, write poetry, run this blog, draw, take photos, knit, and do a bit of web design, and so the creative process seems to permeate through my entire life. How does the creative process differ between various forms of expression? How is it the same? How does one stay motivated and inspired? These are all questions I hope to find answers to. I'd also like to interview other creative people across various fields and see how they feel about what they do. This should be fun.
Secondly, I'll be doing a new weekly segment called The Weekly Pic Pick. Over the last few years, I've been growing more and more interested in photography. Now that I have both a very good digital camera as well as a solid cell phone camera, I'll be posting one new pic per week from my adventures out and about in my life. Whether it's something striking, humorous, or just very editorial, I'll be posting the best of what I've photographed every week.
These new segments, in addition to my book reviews (Reading Will Save the World), thoughts on current events, and posts about simplicity and simple living, will begin over the next couple of weeks.
Well, here it is!! After months of research and planning, you are now looking at my official website. More and more features will be added in the coming months.
Consider yourself forewarned!! The look and feel of the site will be changing constantly over time. This site is an ever-evolving art piece.
I decided to go with a blog format for my site and, by so doing, engage in an ongoing dialogue with the world at large. This is now the central hub for all things Gordon Roque. Photos, weekly features, and all the latest news about shows and my forthcoming album can be found right here.
Please feel free to subscribe to this blog's feed or to leave a comment!!!
I've also just announced my Featured Artist of the Month for April 2008--the poet Kathy Skaggs. Be sure to stop by the featured artist page to read this wonderful profile.
So, during the past few days, I've been thinking a lot about smiling. This might sound weird, but who cares? I think of all kinds of things.
Lately, every time I go to a supermarket or a store, I make sure that I smile at the cashier and make direct eye-contact. (This is part of a much bigger thing that I've been lately enamored of, but more on that later.)
What I've found when I've done this is that I get much better treatment from these people, and I get a smile back!! There seems to be a very innate response to seeing a smile, and this seems to occur in all of us. Of course, I have to clarify. I'm talking about the kind of smile that grows out of sincerity, kindness, and gratitude. If, for example, you are smiling just to flirt. This is another thing entirely (and a whole other blog post).
To me, a smile is a nonverbal way of giving kindness. Right now, I'm all about carrying out random acts of kindness--to be thoughtful, generous, sincere, and caring particularly without wanting anything in return. I feel that our world is in desperate need of more kindness.
Some of you might be wondering about the song "Sailing" that is in my music player right now. This is a song that's been in my repertoire for quite a while. When I wrote it, I wanted to compose an escapist sort of song. If I could go anywhere, be anywhere, and be with the love of my life, where would that be and what would it look like?
I actually wrote this song during a particularly rough week, and working on it helped me to get out some aggravation. As many of you know, I grew up in the South Pacific, and so, home is anywhere the ocean is. I spent countless hours when I was a teenager sitting out at a beach and staring out into the endless blue--lost in thought and enjoying every minute of it.
I've been land-locked living here in Nashville and having been in Charlotte, NC for so long, and I sure do miss the blue.
I'm glad I wrote this song. These days, it makes me quite happy.
So, I woke up early this morning, and I'm not really sure why. I have every reason to stay in bed and sleep in, but it's as if something was summoning me into wakefulness.
The sunlight pours into my window as my curtains do all they can to mute it's brilliance. They do so to no avail. There is perhaps nothing more formidable than the sun. I've joined them now, my dear sweet curtains, in conceding to the onslaught of day.
I took a shower and made a mental note in my head to tidy up my room (we'll see how that goes). My mom called. She has this funny habit of calling me in the early morning--which is just fine. She makes me smile.
So, now, here I sit in front of my computer--overcome with the need to say something but not knowing what to say. I'm thinking about the week that is to come. It will be one of my busiest weeks in a long while. A voice in my head is telling me to soak in the quiet and absorb the peacefulness of this moment. Just a quiet hum from my computer is all there is to hear.
Before too long, my world will shift and grind its gears. Engines will rumble. Soon enough, I'll be whisked away--a million things will be calling for my attention.
I wanted to give a little preview of the album and talk about one of the songs in particular.
Early on in this process, I spent a great deal of time figuring out which songs would appear on this album. There was one song specifically that I knew belonged on "Seahorses". It's exactly one of the songs that exemplified all of the ideas and themes behind this album. Foolishly, I decided to leave it out. I did this because I could not figure out the best way to present this song. Of all my songs in my repertoire, this one demands a certain degree of reverence. It did not feel right to go for something fully produced with a complete band of instruments behind it, and I felt that it would cheapen its intention and its meaning by making it available on a commercial album.
Well, as it turned out, I changed my mind, and of course, I did it at the worst possible time. The deal-breaker was that, as the recording sessions were coming to a close, I felt more and more that excluding it would be a mistake, and I would physically beat myself up for this many years down the road. Furthermore, this actually is not a commercial album. I would certainly love to sell many copies of it, but if only one was sold to someone who really connected with it, then I would be very happy. It is, more than anything, a work of art--my art, that is. It is a series of thoughts, stories, musical compositions, and feelings that I am compelled to share.
On the final night of recording, when the main vocal parts for several of the songs were done, I said, "To hell with it!! Let's do it!!". Given our constraints in time (studio time is so not cheap), this last minute inclusion required a certain degree of determination. I decided to just record it live. By this, I mean that I was going to just sit at the piano and play while singing into a mike. This meant that there would be no full band or rhythm section behind it, and unlike all of the other songs, the vocals would not be recorded separately from the music. So, even though I knew my voice had reached it's limit after already singing so much, I performed it anyway. Ben, my producer, just hit the "record" button, and I just played.
It was about 2:00 am (very late!) by the time we did this. We recorded the song all the way through twice over, and by the time I heard the second recording, Ben and I knew that I got it right on the first try. In fact, I honestly believe it is one of the best versions of the song I've ever performed. Perhaps it helped that my voice was tired and that it was so late at night, but the finished recording delivered everything that this song needed to give---every intonation, every lilting cadence being so honest, with every word and every note nestled upon the crest of a tidal wave of emotion.
Constant vigilance. I feel like this is something we must all keep--a faithful, undeterred watch over ourselves. I've had several times in my life when I feel as if I lost myself in the fray of everyday living--a busy 40-hour work schedule, endless to-do lists, doing more for others and increasingly less for oneself.
First of all, there seems to be such a premium for selflessness. If we constantly do unto others, then we are kind and chivalrous. I don't disagree with this, but I believe we could do better by doing unto others AND ourselves.
Secondly, it's so easy to abide so strictly to one's priorities that everything becomes more of a chore. Things that once were fun and meaningful devolve into shear drudgery. Our true needs and desires somehow eventually get lost in the shuffle.
For myself, this week continues to be one of the most hectic I've had in a while. In spite of the fact that I will be off from my day job in the next couple of days, my schedule will reach its most frenetic during this time. (I can't wait for this week to be over!) I'm not doing so badly right now though. Past experience has taught me a few things that I try to live by with a vengeance. I list them here now in hopes that they might be of assistance to you.
1. Whether it's just ten minutes or two hours, take some time every day to do nothing and decompress just a little. Turn off the radar (and your cell phone too, for that matter), and just relax. Personally, I like to fit in a little power nap on particularly hectic days. Doing this helps me pace myself better in order to get me through what I need to do.


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Eid Festival 2017
Everyone is invited to come and celebrate Eid on Trafalgar Square on Sunday 2 July.
Thousands of Londoners and visitors come to this free event every year to celebrate the end of Ramadan and enjoy an array of entertainment, delicious food and family fun.
Come along and enjoy:
Join our host, award-winning radio and TV presenter, Noreen Khan, for a line up of fantastic performers on the main stage in Trafalgar Square. From Cheb Nacim to Safe Adam and a line up from Shubbak Festival – there'll be contemporary and traditional acts from across the world on the Eid main stage, including special guest Harris J.
It's time to feast! From Moroccan to Malaysian, enjoy delicious cuisine in our Global Food Market. Feeling the summer heat? Cool off with refreshing lassies and shakes. And look out for our special guest Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, Masterchef Winner 2017 - she'll host a cooking demo at the event!
Explore our market with clothing, jewellery, arts, crafts and books from London's talented artisans and creatives.
Creative kids will love storytelling, art workshops, face painting and can even have a temporary henna tattoo!
Watch highlights from last year's celebration
Who will be performing?
Our mainstage line up includes Harris J, Essex born Nasheed Artist, Safe Adam, stunning Balinese Theatre and Rai music star Cheb Nacim. There'll be breakdancing from Hakim Saber and beatboxing from Omar Summur, too!
Don't miss the heart-warming sounds of the Voice of Peace Children's choir. Through music the group aim to empower young people, connect communities and spread a message of peace, love and tolerance.
This year, we're lucky to have artists from Shubbak Festival performing at Eid:
- Syrian virtuoso Maya Youssef, whose innovative approach to playing the kanun, a 78-stringed plucked zither, has brought her international acclaim and appearances at BBC Proms.
- Paying tribute to the 'Nahda' era, Oxford Maqam embraces the sounds of the Arab Renaissance, an extraordinary period of creativity and musical innovation.
- Highly acclaimed Sudanese artist Rasha developed her musical style with eclectic instrumentation, including oud, percussion, backing guitar and bass accentuating Rasha's spectacular vocal skills. Her work is influenced by Arabic poetry, Sufi music and hints of reggae.
- Straight from Egypt comes Afro-Egyptian band Hawidro — a blend of sounds, capturing the diversity and creativity of contemporary Egyptian and African heritage.
There's much more to be announced so stay tuned!
Harris J - Save Me From Myself
Markets at Eid Festival
It's time to feast! Our Global Food Market includes delicious Halal food, including:
- Turkish kebabs, Turkish delight & baklava pastries from Mani Caterers
- Koshari Street's delicious Egyptian vegetarian and vegan cuisine
- Refreshing coconut water from Shocka's Coconut Hub
- Gourmet halal burgers from HS & Co
- Moroccan and North African cuisine from Exotic Tagine
- Bliss St's Saj bread from Levant region
- Halal treats from Sweet Lounge
- The London Ice Cream Cab
- Waffle Island desserts, macaroons and waffles
- Big Apple halal hot dogs
Our bazaar market will be chock-full of fashion, arts, crafts and more, with:
- Contemporary Islamic art by Siddiqa Juma
- Works by Disability artist, Rachel Gadsden
- Activities and competitions from Halal Food Festival
- Halal Gems Magazine – first interactive digital magazine for Halal foodies
What's on for families?
Writer Hajera Memon returns to Eid Festival with pop-up and play books 'The Story of the Elephant', 'My First Wudu Book' and 'Hats of Faith'. Visit Hajera for storytime, games and colouring in.
Creative kids can create beautiful Islamic patterns on tiles and canvas, and be able to contribute to a shared art project. Led by The Prince's School of Traditional Arts, who specialise in teaching and promoting the arts and crafts of the world's great traditions.
There'll also be henna tattoos, calligraphy, games and face painting!
Cookery Theatre
Inspired by the food market at Eid Festival? Head to our Cookery Theatre where a fantastic lineup of Chefs will host demonstrations throughout the day:
- Lina Saad – award winning author. Born in Sierra Leone, West Africa until she left for Lebanon to attend school in Beirut at the time of the Civil War. Lina's debut cookbook, 'Land of White,' won a World Gourmand Cookbook Award, 2016. Her second book, Ramadan Express was UK's first Ramadan cookbook launched in April 2017. Ramadan Express includes practical mealtime tips and has over 85 creative ideas for entertaining family and friends.
- Meryem Mortell – Born in Morocco. Owner of the Michelin star restaurant Zayane. Zayane is a modern Moroccan restaurant situated on Notting Hill's iconic Golborne Road. Meryem's menu combines the vibrant flavours of authentic Moroccan cuisine, with modern culinary techniques and European influences. Meryem uses a mixture of British seasonal ingredients, and spices imported from Morocco, to create contemporary Moroccan cuisine.
- Saliha Mahmood – Ahmed, current champion of MasterChef 2017. Twenty-nine-year-old doctor, Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, became the MasterChef 2017 champion on 12 May, becoming the thirteenth amateur cook to claim the title. Saliha will be cooking a special dish for the Eid Festival, 'fennel and pomegranate lamb with mint and peas'.
- Hamza Harrak, the Great British Halal Chef. Co- Owner and head Chef at halal steakhouse
HS&Co. Hamza creates delicious and innovative British meat dishes with a halal twist. Hamza is famous for his signature dish English Pie Trio, consisting of Scotch egg, minced beef & onion pie and Cornish pasty. World cuisine is also an integral part of his cooking palette given his mixed heritage, which allows him to prepare Spanish, Moroccan, Lebanese and Pan-Asian dishes.


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A student who feels they have already acquired the basic content of a course on their approved schedule should inquire about credit-by-examination. Some exams are offered through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and others may be offered within colleges. Interested students should obtain additional information from their advisors or Testing Services.
Credit earned through one examination program may not be duplicated by another examination or course. The following limitations should be recognized:
- CLEP credit will not satisfy USFSM's residency requirement.
- Credit for the General Natural Science examination will be granted for non-majors only.
Certain General and Subject CLEP Examinations may be found at http://www.uc.usf.edu/testing/ and may apply to the General Education Requirements. Some programs do not award credit toward the degree for certain CLEP examinations, and certain graduate or professional schools such as law, medicine and engineering may not grant equal recognition to students with extensive examination credits. An academic advisor should be consulted to ascertain the applicability of a specific CLEP examination toward a student's degree requirements and the advisability of taking the examinations in a student's specific situation.
USF System Policy 10-017 Credit by Examination
I. INTRODUCTION (Purpose and Intent)
In order to provide greater flexibility and opportunity for students to shorten the time required to obtain a baccalaureate degree, the University of South Florida System (USF System) grants credit-by-examination equivalencies for the following acceleration mechanisms: Advanced Placement (AP), Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE), International Baccalaureate (IB), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES/DSST and Excelsior College exams.
The University of South Florida System awards credit-by-examination based on the minimum guidelines as established by the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) available on the flvc.org website, pursuant to Florida Statute 1007.27(2), and approved by the State Board of Education and Board of Governors.
Effective fall 2009, a maximum of 45 credit hours in any combination of the examinations provided by the Advanced Placement (AP), Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE), International Baccalaureate (IB), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES/DSST and Excelsior College exams will be accepted by the USF System. Course equivalencies for credit-by-exam are posted on the Undergraduate Studies website. Students who enter the USF System with more than 45 credit hours of examinations completed will work with an appropriate academic advisor to determine the most advantageous selection of the credits to be applied. Any requests for an exception to the 45 hour rule must be submitted to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies within 30 days of first attendance.
Credit earned through these examination programs also applies toward satisfaction of the 9 credit hour Summer Attendance Requirement but only if the student enters the USF System with 9 or more credit hours from all acceleration programs combined (i.e. the listed examination programs plus Dual Credit).
The University of South Florida System will accept credit-by-examination included on transcripts from all accredited colleges, provided the scores earned are at or above the minimums as stated by the ACC.
Regional campuses and separately accredited institutions may have unique characteristics. Students, faculty and staff must check with their individual campuses and apply policies in conjunction and consistent with the specific characteristics, guidelines or procedures applicable to those campuses.


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In the process of scanning old pictures, I am following two strategies. First, take an event, and scan the whole strip of pictures. At the moment, this is on going for the SBAC 1978 at Farnborough. It also gives me the opportunity to improve my reports.
Mail: F-BUYR
F-BUYR at Rotterdam (see full report EHRD 19830223
The second process is to look up all pictures of a certain model. A mail I received from Michel Sauvaget, once piloting F-BUYR, led me to scan all BE.58. And I just finished scanning my Bandeirantes.


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As a way to comprehend the way internet sports betting gambling will work, it's necessary to acquaint ourselves with the fundamental'sports gambling' theory. Figuring out the sport gambling theory is truly not tough to comprehend, since it entails wanting to foresee that teamsplayers or even gamers (or creatures, just in the event of creature sports such as horseracing ) will be very likely to secure virtually any event, then placing some income contrary to this forecast along side the other particular person (or some variety of different men and women ) using all the alternative forecast, to ensure at the instance of one's forecast coming correct, you must pocket exactly what your competitors needed placed – in terms of funds – contrary to their stakes; together with exactly the contrary happening within case of one's prediction growing to be erroneous, at which it will be those who'd need to pay for anyone (or individuals ) you're gambling contrary to the numbers you'd stake for if their forecast proves to become the one.
Sports gambling isn't just a fresh job. Truly you can find listed examples ever sold moving far back of folks gaming away enormous bundles in some specific sport functions. In much more modern past, yet, athletics gambling has been be this wide spread and successful which a firm was made from this, " the firm question being the bookmaking industry, that strives to'disperse the hazard' in sport gambling that minus the intervention of this book-maker, will have been quite a risky endeavor really as persons bet contrary to incidents on that they will have no controller (unless of course they participate'video game adjusting' that will be deemed untrue ) แทงบอล
Like most issues with life, sports betting gambling was heavily influenced from the'Web revolution' which has happened throughout the previous 2 decades or so so – also it was outside with the, just, that on the web sports gambling has been hauled.
During its heart, on the web sportsbetting is due to innovative sampling of conventional sportsbetting, bookmaking along with the equipment of engineering that have the ability to get folks partaking inside this to gamble occasions carrying part throughout the globe.
On account of the bookmaking part onto this, on the web sportsbetting is normally just one among'distribute threats' instead compared to original'winner takes all' form – to ensure chances of the assorted groups, animals or players is gambling winning a special sporting celebration are worked outside, subsequently priced (as in, thus many bucks each strange ) therefore ultimately, you realize that you are gambling for or contrary to'therefore several'odds-points' of the certain staff, participant or creature profitable. In this manner, it's still feasible for that workforce, participant or creature you gamble onto drop the big event, and it's still true that you have to make out something of one's'erroneous forecast ' Put still another way, that really is approximately gambling or from each and every (determined ) strange of this workforce, participant or creature profitable, as opposed to gambling against or for the full likelihood of the group participant or creature profitable – that is rather insecure'winner takes all' circumstance.
On-line sportsbetting has really received a significant push against the simple fact sports betting it self is prohibited in several regions of the planet (for example, in the majority of nations of the united states ), therefore it is just by planning on line which sportsbetting buffs in all those regions of the planet could possibly access to have pleasure within this particular activity. It really is, but also deserving noting some of the on-line sports gambling internet sites may possibly perhaps not make it possible for participants out of the regions of earth where sports betting betting is prohibited to function as their own associates out of the panic of lawful reprisals, consequently the constraints which they have a tendency to Puton members, even though cute individuals usually discover methods of bypassing those.


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No, please do not take pictures or record video during the general sessions. Photos, videos, or live streaming are not permitted during general sessions.
During ATD events, photography and videography by individuals for personal use at social events, in the EXPO, in session rooms, and in public spaces is permitted with the understanding that it not be disruptive to other attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, or the overall event.
We ask that at all times, you respect the intellectual property, copyrights, or trademarks of exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, and ATD. ATD reserves the right to stop any activity in violation of these guidelines.


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Tabbouleh is an Arab Middle Eastern vegetarian dish traditionally made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur and onion, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
Parsley is the easiest herb to grow. Once established, and as long as you let it flower and go to seed in the garden, you will never need to plant it again if you live in a Mediterranean type climate. I only need to water after a very hot spell.
It never gets bugs and you have a constant source of that wonderful salad called Tabbouleh or Tabouli.
Home made Tabouli recipe.
- at least 2 cups of fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup mint leaves fresh (if desired)
- 1/2 cup fine burgul soaked in water for a good 20 minutes.
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- salt
- pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (can omitt)
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- green shallots
- Juice of 1 sour lemon
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes.
Preserved lemons.
Divide lemons into segments. Pack in jars with salt and slices Leave to absorb salt and soften for two to three months. Discard the flesh and prince before using. Popular in middle Eastern dishes.
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Welcome to Gap Control, the marine automation and propulsion control specialist in Singapore. We specialize in the design, manufacturing and supply of control components and systems in Southeast Asia.
GAP Control Pte Ltd is a subsidiary of Group Automation Pte Ltd ( Authorized agent for Bosch Rexroth )
GAP Control Pte Ltd started out as a premier supplier of vessel alarm monitoring and safety systems in 2002. Since then, we have grown from strength to strength, and currently, we have built up an extensive product portfolio ranging from propulsion control systems to tank gauging systems.
We are also the sole authorized agent for Aventics (Formerly known as Bosch Rexroth) in Southeast Asia and we work with world renowned brands from Norway and Holland to fulfil our customers' stringent requirements.
As a total solutions provider, our professional and experienced engineers are there every step of the way to ensure our customers get the most reliable systems that perform above their expectations. Because if you perform well, we perform well too!
Group Automation is a member under the ITI Corporation group of company.
We specialized in design, manufacturing and supply of control components & system for the marine industry.
We are committed to provide quality services to the shipbuilding and ship repairing industries, the ship owners, builders and operators and other related industries.
We offer our clients quality products at competitive prices, fastest delivery time and best after sales services.
We are always in the look out for innovation products to introduce to our clients to improve their competitive edge.
With our experience and resourcefulness combined with our commitment and trust, we believe we are able to serve you better.


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My take on new update
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Midnight Music
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Joined: 27 Apr 2011
Points: 36
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Posted: 20 Apr 2013 at 10:42pm
Okay, we're getting there. The new contact points in the new update help. I still maintain that you need autorudder on in the aircraft realism menu to be able to guide the plane to the runway, otherwise it drifts off course, especially with a cross wind. The other thing I found that works is commenting out the differential brakes in the aircraft.cfg. The problem with the differential braking is that when you land with a cross wind and you are correcting and braking the plane slides off the runway. With the differential brakes off it stays straighter on the runway. I have a lot of AC in my FSX, this is the only one I have had these problems with. However, with the new points and my suggestions it is behaving much better!
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Congrats! You just secured your next round of funding—now the real work begins. Cheques signed, it's time for you to push your company forward. You need more than just a vision for your business or brand—success comes from building and empowering a team who can turn that vision into a reality. Here are three key ways to nurture your employees and, ultimately, your company as it continues to evolve.
Give 'em some love (and incentive)
Your company wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't backed by a team of hardworking people. Showing your appreciation will improve employee engagement, which trickles down to impact every single part of your business, including corporate culture, customer service, creativity and productivity.
There are different ways to show your appreciation—raises, retreats, bonuses—but employees also want to know that they're an indispensable member of your team. And there's no better way to do that than by promoting them to higher-level positions. Being able to demonstrate that you've promoted existing employees helps in your future recruitment efforts, too. It's this sort of positive culture (and room for growth) that will attract top talent, and in turn, please investors.
Show 'em who's boss (it's not just you)
Whether you call it entrepreneurialism or ownership, companies benefit when employees are as invested in its success as you are. If everyone at a company starts to think like a boss, innovation will follow. Empower your team members to speak up, even if the topic is outside their department—perhaps by hosting a quarterly offsite meeting. By checking your ego at the door and acknowledging individual pain points and solutions, the entire organization can benefit.
The more information you have (from mid-level employees, managers and investors), the more capable you are of making intentional decisions. But remember: you're also responsible for keeping the company on brand and on mission—communicate and brainstorm with the team, and then take what you've learned to lead everyone towards the same goals. Need another strategy? Take a vacation. Some leaders believe their absence gives team members an opportunity to step up, which benefits the growth of the organization as a whole.
Push 'em to the brink (of innovation)
Newly founded (or funded!) companies are inherently agile. There's no decades-long legacy restricting the company's movement. Take advantage! Companies that can quickly evaluate and adjust strategies (ideally by utilizing intel from across the organization) have a major advantage over competitors. Deliberating for long periods, even with good intentions, wastes everyone's time—and likely creates a roadblock for other team members, minimizing their productivity. As long as you're confident in your ability to retain customers, taking calculated risks to expand the business will increase productivity—it has to come from the top.
As a leader, it's easy to start new projects, open new positions and try new tactics. The tough part is knowing when it's time to stop. Just because tactics worked to get you to this point doesn't mean they're the right choice going forward. There are probably plenty of "make work" projects that are actually slowing down your company's progress. Subtracting those items from everyone's workload is necessary to free up time and energy for more important things.
You've got the funding, and you've got the leadership tactics:
- Appreciate your team and make sure they know it.
- Empower your employees to call the shots.
- Practice agility to stay ahead of the corporate game.
Lead with your vision, and the rest will follow.


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Electronic controller for progressive, single-, dual- and multi-line lubrication systems
The LMC 2 is a controller for the electronic management and monitoring of lubrication systems. It combines the advantages of a specially developed printed circuit board (PCB) and a PLC in an economical, compact unit. For progressive systems, it controls the pump unit and the metering devices.
Features and benefits
- Integrated, flexible lubrication programs
- 8 inputs / 5 outputs; suitable for complex lubrication systems
- Time- or cycle-dependent control of lubrication intervals
- Can be interfaced with common field bus systems