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Insider by WPZoom
Kedokato | Oct 22, 2013 | Comments 0
Insider WordPress theme from WPZoom is latest business theme with elegant design. Insider Theme will work for any business website need to display all the contents in featured style and using portfolio. The theme will work on WooCommerce WP plugin to sell your product and services from your website. Working with this eCommerce plugin will become more flexible and easy to manage most of the operation of your online store. The theme customization will work smoothly like ABC, no hard manual coding id needed.
Insider WordPress Theme has dynamic page builder. It helps you create different layouts for homepage. Front page can be built with drag and drop widgets. It means you can create desired layouts that suits your needs. Homepage includes tab slider with many configurable settings. Slideshow allows to showcase main products or services.
Homepage contains 3 featured box where you can showcase main features or services. It also includes testimonials and option to showcase latest blog post on front page. In header section, you can show business details like contact number, email address and contact address with icons. Option to show clients logo whom you have worked with.
This theme is uses media queries that automatically adapts different screen resolutions and fits perfectly in any device. It is fully responsive and supports all devices like Android, iPhon, iPad and other smartphones.
Insider includes 15 different looking color schemes. It has numbers of custom page templates that offers great flexibility.This theme has 5 different post types to manage your content easily. These post types helps you add / edit items including it's own categories.
Fully customizable WPZoom Framework helps you configure many settings. It comes with automatic updates from WordPress dashboard. This feature keeps framework updated with latest version. It notifies you when new updates are available. It allows you to customize colors, fonts and many more.
Using WooCommerce plugin, Insider WordPress Theme takes care for shopping cart, smooth checkouts, payment gateways, coupon management and other eCommerce features. With help of this plugin, you can sell variable, grouped, simple and affiliate products. It also manages orders, shipping, emails and products.
Insider theme has 7 ready to serve page templates. Select from built in layout for pages and post. Manage content with detailed archives and full width page. Service and event page template helps you show latest events and list down all the services that you provides.
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- Dynamic homepage builder
- 15 stylish color styles
- Custom shortcodes to use styled web elements
- Generate shortcode to add buttons, columns, list etc to build desired layout
- Multiple post and page layouts to organize your content
- Designed for business and service display website
- Optionally sell your products or services
- Blog page template for news and updates
- Option to insert slider in post
- Customize font, color and other settings
- Upload custom logo image with built in logo image editor
- Set custom background image or select any color
- SEO settings or use third party WordPress plugins
- Built with WPZoom WordPress framework with automatic updates
- Custom widgets with widgetized footer and sidebar
- Utilizes best HTML5 and CSS3 coding practice
- Install widgets with single click and replicate theme structure like WPZoom demo
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For Insider WordPress Theme Standard License : $69
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Preview & Related Themes - Purchase Themes
Filed Under: Best WordPress Themes • Cms Themes • Ecommerce Themes • Portfolio Themes • WPZoom Themes


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Do you have an idea that would make this blog great? Itching to collaborate on a post? I'd love to hear from you!
Email me at: [email protected]
You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
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text: Funny Pictures – February 4, 2017Odd Stuff Art imitates life. via The unfortunate way her jersey was photographed in today's paper. via My boss has talked to me several times about leaving a note while I'm away from my desk. Today I made this convenient slider. via A long, sad chapter of the drug war is brought to a close as investigators finally arrest marijuana. via They wouldn't stop knocking on my door so I had to improvise. via The grind is real. via Well played, biology textbook. via Just another day at the office. via Ralph. via When you're so bad at catching smurfs you need another job. via Me after eating some tacos. via Plastic Toys. via Peyton Manning's forehead is so big it couldn't fit the billboard. via My wife and I did one of those couples' paint classes. We had different visions (mine on right). via Gonna be some picnic! via This sandwich shop knows what's up. via Hibachi! via Jeremy Clarkson when he was a little girl. via Kids these days will never know the struggle. via Accidentally accurate. via Everybody's a critic… via Add to Flipboard Magazine. FacebookTwitterPinterest


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Anne Imhof graduated from the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main in 2012, and was awarded the Preis der Nationalgalerie three years later. She went on to produce the opera Angst, which was performed at Kunsthalle Basel, the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, and the Biennale de Montréal in 2016. Imhof represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 2017, where her work, Faust, was awarded the Golden Lion for best national participation. Her art has also been featured in solo exhibitions at institutions including MoMA PS1, New York (2015), the Carré d'Art at the Musée d'art contemporain de Nîmes (2014), and Portikus, Frankfurt am Main (2013).
Back to contributors


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Hi! I'm Eric, and I am part of Novartis' Scientific Data Analysis team (Sep 2017). Prior to that, I was an Insight Health Data Sciences Fellow, and defended my doctoral thesis in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT earlier in 2017.
My life's motto is quoted from the Gospel of Luke:
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
I am an open source contributor and developer, a speaker and educator at Python conferences, and take a particular interest in melding data science with molecular biology to build new cures for patients.
I'd love to connect with you. If you'd like to schedule a coffee chat with me, Doodle is the best way. Other ways to connect are linked at the bottom of the page as well.
For the curious, this website was hand-crafted using Bootstrap 4 and Lektor, with a little bit of custom CSS weaved in. Color scheme, however, follows Nord.


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The Ashtanga Series A Sun Salutation is a more vigorous version of the Classical Sun Salutation. Series A builds upper body strength, physical endurance, and power. Sun salutations are practiced 2-6 times in a row and traditionally practiced at sunrise.
Level: Beginner to Intermediate.
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Butternut & Spinach Lasagne
This recipe is another version of the traditional italian dish and a good alternative for your schools menu.
You can serve it with some garlic bread.
For the Sauce
Butternut Squash 1.2 kg
Vegetable oil 30 ml
Baby leaf spinach 300 g
For the Béchamel
Water 660 ml
Grated Mozzarella 80 g
To assemble & cook
Lasagne Sheets 240 g
To serve
Garlic bread slices 200 g
For the Sauce
- In a large oven tray mix the butternut squash with the vegetable oil, and roast for around 30 minutes or until the squash is golden and soft. Set aside.
- Meanwhile place the KNORR Tomatino in a pan and place on a medium heat until simmering. Add the spinach and cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Keep warm and set aside.
For the Béchamel
- Place the water in a suitable pan and heat until boiling, whisk in the KNORR Béchamel Sauce and cook for 5-6 minutes or until a creamy consistency.
- Add in the mozzarella and whisk until melted. Keep warm and set aside.
To assemble & cook
- To assemble the lasagne; spread a quarter of the spinach and KNORR Tomato & Basilsauce on the bottom of a large oven proof dish.
- Add a layer of the KNORR lasagne sheets, then scatter on half the roasted squash.
- Repeat this process until you have three layers of pasta and finishing with the last quarter of spinach and KNORR Tomato & Basilmixture. Top with the KNORR Béchamel Sauce and spread evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden and the pasta is tender when pierced with a knife.
To serve
- Serve with the garlic bread and a side salad.


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Mary Shelley, Editor
Mary's achievements as the first editor of Shelley's poetry and prose
'The ungrateful world did not feel his loss, and the gap it made seemed to close as quickly over his memory as the murderous sea above his living frame.'
Mary Shelley, preface to Shelley's Posthumous Poems, 1824
Mary Shelley gathered together all the manuscripts of Shelley she could find. She was determined that the poet's name should be better known, and in 1824 published his Posthumous Poems. She intended to follow this with an edition of his prose, but Sir Timothy Shelley threatened to withdraw her allowance if she did so. He wanted an end to the notoriety his son had attached to the family name, and demanded that no further editions, nor any account of Shelley's life, be published.
It was not until the late 1830s that Sir Timothy, then approaching ninety, finally relented. In December 1838 Mary agreed to sell the copyright of Shelley's writings to the publisher Edward Moxon, and to edit the poems. In 1839 she produced a four-volume edition of Shelley's poetry, with long biographical introductions. Her two-volume edition of his prose was published the following year.
The completion of these editions was an heroic achievement. The work was emotionally demanding, and the manuscripts themselves were a huge challenge. Mary told Moxon, 'you cannot imagine how confusing & tantalizing is the turning over Manuscript books – full of scraps of finished or unfinished poems – half illegible'. She compared the work to cracking a code: 'The M.S. … consisted of fragments of paper which in the hands of an indifferent person would never have been deciphered – the labour of putting it together was immense.'


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Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Indonesian Rice
November 5, 2017
Aunt Suzy says . . .
I recently made this mash-up of two previously posted recipes here on S&SK, acorn squash with Indonesian rice and stuffed pumpkins. This was so delicious, I thought I'd create a post of its own! I think my favorite thing to stuff these days is Kabocha squash, also called Japanese pumpkin, because of their creamy texture and superior flavor. Even though the picture in this Wikipedia post is green on the outside, I have only seen the red variety in our local coop. I imagine the flesh inside is equally delicious in both!
Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Indonesian Rice – directions
Purchase squash of 2-3 pounds. Each squash will serve 2-4 people depending on size and other components of the meal.
Make the Indonesian rice, as specified in the acorn squash recipe. It should be on the wet side.
Follow the directions for preparing and baking the squash in the stuffed pumpkin post. To recap, pre-heat the oven to 350F. You'll then cut a "lid" from the top of the squash and then remove the seeds. Don't throw away the lid! Rinse out the inside and then stuff with the rice. Put the lid back on the squash. Place stuffed squash on a rimmed baking sheet lined in foil. Bake in the oven for 90 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes. You should be able to easily pierce the squash with a knife or cake tester. Remove from the oven, put lids back on and let sit 20-30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve! Here's a pic of the finished product before cutting.
Lemony Summer Squash Risotto
July 28, 2015
Aunt Suzy says . . .
There has been an abundance of beautiful summer squash at our farmer's markets and produce stands lately, so when this recipe from the NY Times "recipes for health" showed up in my Facebook feed recently, I knew I had to make it. I've made quite a few of Martha Shulman's recipes from that column over the years and they are always reliable and delicious. (You'll also see I made a couple of adaptations to the recipe cuz that's how we roll here!)
If you know us at S&SK, you know how much we love lemon. You can see all kinds of "lemony" recipes, both sweet and savory, on our blog. I predict this one will be a favorite up here in the Minnesota branch of our cooking team. If you love risotto and love summery, lemony dishes, this one is a winner!
7 to 8 cups chicken (or vegetable stock for vegetarian)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 pound summer squash, diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
Zest of one small lemon
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, preferably lemon thyme
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the stock in a pan and keep just below a simmer for use in the risotto.
In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil till it shimmers over medium heat and then add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the summer squash and a little salt. Turn up the heat and saute a further 5 min until the squash is just starting to get soft. Add in the rice and garlic and give a few stirs to coat with the olive oil and create the signature nuttiness of the rice in this dish. Add the wine and stir till absorbed.
Turn down the heat and add about 1/2 cup of the hot stock. Keep at a low simmer, and stir until the stock is absorbed by the rice. Repeat by adding 1/2 cup stock at a time, stirring till absorbed until the rice is just about cooked through, about 25 minutes total. Add some more stock, the lemon zest and juice, the thyme and the Parmesan. Stir to blend. The dish should be creamy, not too dry and not too wet and the rice should be al dente. Best served in bowls with a refreshing glass of lemony Pinot Grigio.
Notes on ingredients: Two medium squash added up to one pound for me with apologies for not measuring the amount of diced squash before adding it to the pan. I used one yellow squash and one striped zucchini. I used Pinot Grigio for the white wine, but a Sauvignon Blanc would work well too. Avoid anything with oak in it like a California Chardonnay. Use the best quality Parmesan that you can find for the flavor and creaminess that really makes this dish. We recommend grating it yourself vs. buying it already grated.
Italian Chicken Casserole
February 28, 2015
Margaux says…
Back in the relaxing days of only having one small child, I used to watch a lot of daytime TV. My son would only nap for long stretches when he was laying on me…if I tried to lay him down in his own bed, on our bed, or on the couch, he would wake up within 10 minutes. And then would be crabby for the rest of the day. Luckily he was my first born, and got lots of snuggles on the couch, every day, for the first 2.5 years of his life. It got frustrating: dirty dishes would sit in the sink, phone calls would go unanswered, laundry would sit in the dryer, dinner would go un-prepped. I had no smartphone, so no emails, Facebook, or Words with Friends. So, I watched A LOT of television. And after I had marathoned Doctor Who, Firefly and Veronica Mars on Netflix (thank goodness we had Netflix), I turned to daytime TV. And a whole bunch of Food Network. And I'm actually glad for it, because I learned a bunch of really great cooking tips from Ina, and quick meal ideas from Rachel and Giada. This was one of them, and I make it on a pretty regular basis. I remember it was on an episode when Giada was cooking with a child, so it's meant to be a good recipe for a kid to help with. Which is true, my son has helped me make it many times. It can be prepared in about 30 minutes. A great weeknight meal!
Italian Chicken Casserole
This makes enough for 4 people, in an 8×8″ glass baking dish. I like to double the recipe and bake in a 13×9″ dish so we have plenty of leftovers.
1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Note: This can also be made with already cooked chicken. Just saute the onion and garlic on their own, and add the chicken to the bowl with everything and toss.
Cliff's Okra, Smoked Sausage and Shrimp Stew
September 5, 2014
Aunt Suzy says . . .
I learned how to make this Creole okra stew from friend Cliff Domio many years ago . . . let's just say decades! But I haven't made it in several years, and I'm not sure why it fell off my rotation. Maybe the difficulty finding okra here in the upper Midwest of the U.S. When I first moved here in the 90's I almost never saw it at the farmer's markets or grocery stores. Or maybe it was because not many people here were familiar with okra or avoided it because of its slimy reputation. So I had sort of forgotten about this dish.
All of a sudden this year it seems that many of the farmers at the market have oodles of okra, especially the Hmong. (They are a great study in adapting to market demands and I wonder if the recent immigration from countries where okra is a staple has prompted them to grow it.) On a recent trip to the big farmers' market downtown, I thought the okra looked really good so I decided to revisit a favorite. Serve this over rice for a satisfying meal. You might also consider a side of cornbread or a baguette to round things out.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, small dice
1 medium green pepper small dice
3-5 garlic cloves, minced (to taste)
1-2 links smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch rounds (I like andouille)
3-4 cups okra, cut in 3/4-inch pieces
4-5 cups diced fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small can tomato sauce, optional (I rarely use)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
10-12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup dry rice, cooked according to directions (we used brown)
Saute the onion and green pepper in olive oil on medium high heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic and the smoked sausage and saute for another minute or two. Add the okra and saute, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Note that if the heat is maintained, it won't get slimy. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, if using, and crushed red pepper and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 45 min or so till okra is done but not massacred.
Add the shrimp and simmer for another 5-8 minutes till shrimp is just cooked through. Serve over rice – we used brown rice. Enjoy!
Late Summer Veggie Saute – 3 Ways
September 1, 2014
Aunt Suzy says . . .
I've been making these sautés for a while now, using veggies that are in abundance this time of year. The source of my idea was this sweet corn sauté from a couple of years ago. I thought it would be delicious with other vegetables and maybe some pasta. And maybe a little Parmesan . . . what's not to like when Parmesan cheese is part of the equation?!! This is ultra flexible and the "3-Ways" reference is that it can be served as a side with a couple of variations and as a vegetarian main dish with small pasta shapes added. I made it last night in about 45 minutes, including chopping and cooking the pasta. Pretty fast, I would say!
Margaux says…
When Aunt Suzy mentioned a new easy pasta dish for dinner, I was all for it! I love the sweet corn saute dish that she mentioned, and make it pretty often in the summer. I loved the idea of adding pasta to it, along with the kale, zucchini and tomatoes. And it's beautiful when you add the tomatoes! We were all oohing and aaahing about it while I was taking photos. I will definitely be making this again before summer is over. It's delicious with the pasta and Parmesan!
Late Summer Veggie Saute
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium yellow onion, cut in thick slices then in quarter rounds
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
4-5 small garlic cloves, or to taste
2-3 ears of sweet corn, husked and kernels cut from the cobs
1 bunch Lacinato (Tuscan) kale, tough stems removed and cut in 1/4-inch slices cross-wise
1 zucchini, small dice (optional)
10-12 large cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 pound pasta, small shapes of your choice, regular or whole wheat, cooked al dente, 1/4 cup pasta water reserved
1/4 cup basil leaves, cut in chiffonade
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare all veggies before starting cooking because there is no time to chop once the cooking is started! Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it is shimmering, add the butter. When butter is melted and bubbling, add the onions and turn up heat slightly. Cook the onions for about 5 minutes till they become translucent. Add the thyme, oregano and garlic and stir/cook for about a minute. Add the sweet corn and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the kale ( and optional zucchini if using) and cook stirring for about 3 minutes. Put a lid on the pan and cook another 2-3 minutes. You can serve this as a side dish – way #1.
However, if you want to keep going, add the tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring then place a lid on the pan and cook another minute or two. This is way #2 – an awesome side dish as well! Maybe add the fresh basil or serve as is. To make the main dish with pasta, add the pasta to the veggies with a little of the reserved water. Stir to combine completely and add the fresh basil. Once served pass the Parmesan!
Greek-Style Chicken Kebabs
August 28, 2014
Margaux says…
We recently got a new gas grill, which replaced an ancient double hand-me-down (it was handed down to us from someone who had it handed down to them). Our new one is also a hand-me-down, but much much newer, with no rust and *GASP!* it actually evenly cooks the food. The other bonus to the new one is I can use it! The old one had all these quirks, and it wasn't easy to get started. I could do it, but not very easily, and definitely not on a weeknight with two crazy kids hanging on me. This new one is easier to use than the stove! So I've been grilling every other night…no pan to clean up, and the kitchen stays nice and cool. This is one of my favorite grilling recipes, an adaptation from the recipe magazine I use all summer long. It's not as quick as some of them, and doesn't take 30 minutes like the magazine says, but it's still quick enough that I can do it on a weeknight. Plus, I kind of make it more complicated by doing veggie skewers for my vegetarian son along with it. The recipe calls for serving it along with grilled pita, but I usually also serve with grilled veggie skewers and a green salad.
Greek-Style Chicken Kebabs with Grilled Flatbread
adapted from America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers, Fall 2010 edition
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2″ chunks (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 red onions, cut into 1″ chunks
4 pita bread rounds
1. Whisk yogurt, 2 tbsp oil, garlic, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in bowl. Toss oregano, cayenne, and chicken with half of yogurt mixture.
2. Thread four 12-inch skewers with chicken and onions. Grill over hot fire, turning skewers every 2 minutes, until onions and chicken are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer skewers to platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Brush both sides of pita rounds with remaining oil and grill until lightly charred and warm, about 1 minute. Transfer to platter with chicken.
3. Toss cucumbers with remaining yogurt mixture. Season with salt and pepper and serve with chicken and pita.


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At a young age Eric had a fondness for Classical, Jazz, Flamenco music and Pop music. Spending days listening to guitar giants like Carlos Montoya, Al di Meola, John McLaughlin, John Williams and Alex Lifeson had an enormous affect on Eric's sense of melody throughout his early development. Eric began studying the guitar at age 14 and was performing professionally with local rock groups by the age 16. Eric attended Florida Atlantic University where he studied Classical and Jazz guitar. He was the first guitarist to complete the Honors Performance Program at F.A.U. and graduated with academic honors in 1996. During his time in college, Eric also studied Flamenco and Latin American music with musicians from Spain and Peru.
In 2001 Eric began his solo career and landed his first distribution deal with Neurodisc Records. Eric's first two releases,
Without Words
spent many weeks on Billboard's Top 25 New Age Music Chart. Eric went on to release two more albums under the Neurodisc label with
Colores del Alma
Across the Universe, a Beatles Journey
Colores del Alma
featured collaborations with Latin Jazz guru Ed Calle who arranged horn sections on two tracks.
Across the Universe, a Beatles Journey
was a departure from the Spanish guitar genre and featured original Classical guitar arrangements of the music of the Beatles. Having satisfied his contract with Neurodisc, Eric continued to display his versatility by releasing his fifth album, a Smooth Jazz endeavor entitled,
360 Blue
which features collaborations with renowned soprano saxophone player, Marion Meadows as well as some of South Florida's finest musicians. In March, 2011, Eric released his sixth album entitled
String Theory
. Having come full circle this album returns to the Spanish guitar genre with an ideal blend of Flamenco, Jazz and Classical music combined with Latin and Middle Eastern percussion. This release also includes Eric's fiery rendition of the Eagles' tune, Hotel California which has been a crowd favorite since it was first performed.
In addition to his own music, Eric is a member of
Turnstiles, The Ultimate Tribute to the Music of Billy Joel
. Turnstiles was founded by Tony Monaco (keyboard player in Eric's band, Hansenhaus) and has quickly become one of the hottest tribute acts in south Florida. You can check out more information on
by visiting the website:
"Eric Hansen really struts his stuff through Without Words, and it will be interesting to watch his sure to be stellar career. He has a real passion for guitar, and nowhere on this album does he just "phone it in". It is always exciting to listen to a recording that was obviously made with a deep sense of pride and love. Without Words is truly a shining example of how fantastic instrumental music can be. "
Eric Hansen


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3111b Havenwood Lane 202, Colwood
Fabulous main floor condo in Ocean Grove. This SW corner suite has approx. 1600 sq ft, 2 bdrms & den, 2 baths, 9 ft ceilings, and an open concept floor plan. Gourmet kitchen with stainless Fisher Paykel appliances, Asko dishwasher, 5 burner gas cooktop, plus a dual temperature wine fridge. Custom carmel bamboo veneer cabinetry for lots of storage. Large island with breakfast bar and granite wrapped countertops. Walnut engineered wide plank flooring in main living area. Master suite with large walk closet. Spa like ensuite with soaker tub, separate shower, his and hers sinks, granite countertops and heated floors. Strata fee included geothermal heating and cooling for year round comfort. The huge 14x17 private west facing covered patio is a great area to enjoy morning coffee or evening barbecues with friends. Includes separate storage and underground parking. Pets and rentals permitted. With walking/hiking/biking and waterfront just minutes away this is a lifestyle you will truly enjoy.
Blinds, Closet Organizer, Dining-Living Combo, Flrs/Wood, Soaker Tub, Storage Separate, Bar, Dining Area, W/W Carpet
Air Conditioning, Heat Pump, Gas Fireplace, Geothermal
Pemberton Holmes Ltd. - Oak Bay
NOTE: MLS® property information is provided under copyright© by the Victoria Real Estate Board. The information is from sources deemed reliable, but should not be relied upon without independent verification. The website must only be used by consumers for the purpose of locating and purchasing real estate.


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Are Chinese Leaders Ready to Take on Vested Interests?
When Premier Li Keqiang was asked at a press conference in March whether deeply vested interests in China were a roadblock to reforms, he answered unequivocally.
"It is now more difficult to deal with vested interests than it is to touch the soul," Mr. Li said, drawing nervous laughter from a room packed with journalists and a number of officials.
More In Third Plenum
- 5 Things Vote: What Was the Biggest China Story of 2013?
- Xi Jinping's 'New Deal' a Bid to Consolidate Party Power
- China One-Child Change Won't Boost Growth
- Parsing the Plan: China's Plenum and Business
- Investment Opportunities in China's Impending Baby Boom
- Getting a Different Reading From Chinese Tea Leaves at the Third Plenum
Chinese leaders have set high expectations for a four-day policy meeting that opened in Beijing on Saturday and that is expected culminate with the assembled Communist Party notables endorsing a blueprint for reforming China's economy in the coming years.
Among the central questions facing Premier Li, President Xi Jinping and the rest of the leadership: Are they willing to dismantle entrenched interests that some economists and many other Chinese say are standing in the way of economic overhaul?
China's hardly alone in having vested interests. Yet, given that the Communist Party controls large swaths of the economy as well as the government, the patronage networks that sustain interest groups are deeply embedded and the rewards can be rich. Many believe this connected web is at the heart of China's endemic struggle with corruption and inefficiency in state-led sectors.
Some of the competition between interest groups is generic. Central government ministries fight for influence and funding; local governments are keen to protect industries at the heart of regional employment and growth; and state-owned enterprises resist measures that subject them to greater market competition.
The big state companies are seen as particularly powerful. Some of that clout is a holdover from the state-planned economy of the Mao era. These big enterprises act as proving grounds for the ambitious, who then go on to careers in the upper ranks of the party. Those ties have helped some companies resist environmental regulations or orders to stop spending on new production lines and real estate.
The detention earlier this year of current and former top executives at China National Petroleum Corp. was seen by some political commentators as a shot across the bow of all state enterprises to heed Beijing's directives.
Leaders have signaled political reform isn't in the cards at this plenum. A commentary in the party's mouthpiece People's Daily newspaper on Friday reiterated a frequent line by the government to resist those calling for western-style democracy in China.
But defeating vested interests in the system is impossible without enabling political reform, says Deng Yuwen, previously an editor at the party's Study Times newspaper. He argued in a recent commentary that without greater transparency in China, vested interests would continue operating in the shadows, their backers and motives unknown to the public.
"The government must launch a set of laws and systems to regulate the development of interest groups," Mr. Deng wrote earlier this year in a commentary on the Hexun.com website.
Some Chinese officials have long maintained that political reform would follow economic development. Now, some are wondering whether politics itself is one new hurdle to a much-needed economic overhaul.
--Brian Spegele, follow him on Twitter @bspegele
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Grove RT890 Rough Terrain Crane - 90 Ton - 2015
Peak Crane and Equipment has a 2015 90-Ton Grove Rough Terrain crane for sale. The Grove RT890 is a 90 ton Rough Terrain crane with a maximum 90 ton capacity. The Crane has a main boom is 142'of hydraulic boom and a 56' Swing away offsettable fixed jib.
This crane is a 90 ton capacity Grove RT890. The crane has a full power boom . It is job ready and rent ready. The crane is ready for work. The Grove RT890 is a durable machine with 4X4 capabilities. This RT has one of the best charts in its class. It has unmatched ease-of- use and productivity.
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Reflective Practice in Child and Youth Care
A Manual
By Donicka Budd
SubjectsChild and Youth / Early Childhood Education
January 2020
Print ISBN: 9781773381398
A unique manual to the discipline, Reflective Practice in Child and Youth Care addresses the need for distinct models of reflective practice across all Child and Youth Care (CYC) sectors. This seminal work contextualizes the history of reflective practice and provides readers with the necessary tools to develop their own approach to reflective practice. Special topics and key concepts include reflective practice theory, the mindfulness-reflection connection, and transformative learning techniques. Aligned with the CYC Code of Ethics and the CYC Competencies of Professionalism, this book promotes self-awareness and critical self-reflection through case studies, end-of chapter discussion questions, reflective writing templates, and self-assessment exercises. Fostering reflective methods and self-care strategies that can be used in practicums and professional settings, this unique workbook is an essential resource for students at any stage of a college or university program in child and youth care.
- connects to concepts that are covered across child and youth care program courses, strengthening student comprehension
- provides exercises that range in content and depth to ensure student engagement throughout the completion of the textbook
Related Titles
Table of Contents
Table Contents Acknowledgements Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Reflective Practice Reflective Practice Radial Foundational Elements of Child and Youth Care Practice Child and Youth Care Characteristics Core conditions; noticing and curiosity, meaning making Exercises Reflective moments References
Chapter Three: Reflexivity and Reflection Self in relation to the other Assumptions, beliefs, values, strengths, social location Reflexive Radial Individual exercises Reflective moments References
Chapter Four: Reflection and Reflective Thinking Aristotle, John Dewey, Donald Schon Dewey's 4 criterion of reflective thinking Schon's reflection in action, reflection on action Challenging your assumptions through the questioning process Individual Exercises Reflective moments Case Scenario References
Chapter Five: Mindfulness- The connection to reflective practice Defining mindfulness Obstacles, risks and benefits Mindfulness practices Reflective moments Resources References
Chapter Six:
Worldviews, Context: Redefining meaning of experiences Introducing the concept of worldviews Child and Youth Care Characteristics: Context Formulating questions Blooms Taxonomy of Cognitive Thought Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory Exercises Case Scenario Reflective moments References
Chapter Seven:
Reflective Learning The Reflective Process Model Dealing with Uncertainties Alternative perspectives Schon's Reflection in action Schon's Reflection on action Formulating questions Case scenarios Individual Exercises
Reflective moments References
Chapter Eight: Critical Thinking and Transformative Learning Defining critical thinking The critical Thinking in action process Case Studies Critical Reflections Reflective moments References
Chapter Nine: Collaborative reflation Defining collaborative reflection and impact on practice The importance of safety in groups Case Scenarios Case Presentations Reflective moments References
Chapter Ten: Reflective Tools for the reflective practitioner Mind mapping Creative imagery Small Moments Story Telling Reflective Blogs Digital maps
Chapter Eleven: Reflective Writing and Journals Small moments Reflective Blogs Templates Chapter Twelve: Conclusion
Assessing outcomes for learning Appendix I: Foundational Attitudes of Child and Youth Care Appendix II: CYC code of ethics Appendix III: Child and Youth Care core Competencies Appendix IV: Beliefs Appendix V: Values 1 Appendix VI: Values 2 Appendix VII: Worldview Template Appendix VIII: Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System Template Appendix IX: Reflexive Questioning Guide Appendix X: Challenging your assumptions guide Appendix XI: Blooms Taxonomy Cognitive Model Appendix XII: Noticing and observation log Appendix XIII: Key Theoretical Frameworks of Child and Youth Care Practice Appendix XIV: Reflective Process Model Appendix XV: Reflection on Action Process Appendix XVI: Critical reflective Process Tool Appendix XVII: Transformative Learning Acquisition Form Appendix XVII: Reflection Tools Template Appendix XVIII: Reflection
Student Resources
General Student Resource - Download


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Product Description
Precision Turntable.
A larger and more massive version of SME's well known Model 20/2. It will accept nine, ten and twelve-inch arms but is especially directed at the exciting Model 312S. This offers a performance some 27% better than a nine-inch arm in respect of angular error distortion. The wand and headshell are pressure die-cast in magnesium and are 27g lighter than they would be in aluminium. Probably the stiffest and lightest twelve-inch arms ever made these dual problems are at last addressed and on listening, the benefits of minimal tracking error and harmonic distortion are clearly revealed. A turntable should address the problems of extraneous vibrations. These emanate from numerous sources including air and structural vibration from loudspeakers, groove modulation, stray electrical fields and mechanical imperfections in moving parts. In the Model 20/12, superb instrument quality machining is allied with fundamental physics. The higher the mass and stiffness of a body the less it will flex and vibrate; the duration of a vibration can be shortened by suitable damping.
Model 20/12 weighs approximately 33.5Kg (73.7lb), significant in relation to its size because it is density that matters. For example, the same weight of metal spread over a large enough area would be aluminium foil! The sub-chassis measures only 20 1/2" (520mm) by 14 3/4" (375mm) but weighs 8.0Kg (17.6lb). Its thickness, 5/8" (16mm) resists flexing at low frequencies whilst high frequency resonance is attenuated by efficient extensional damping.
Model 20/12 has no `sonic footprint'. The sub-chassis is suspended on forty purpose moulded 'O' rings which ensure freedom from feedback. A large centrally placed fluid-damper disciplines sub-chassis movement with a pleasing sense of security when handling records on and off the platter.
In addition to a cartridge's electrical output, mirror image acoustic signals reacted in the arm and record, will pass into the sub-chassis in the course of dissipation. However the usual closed loop design does not address the problem of their differing phase so in the Model 20/12 the structural interfaces concerned have received special attention to provide paths of the required impedance.
This control of vibration is fundamental to the design of the player and goes much of the way to explaining the stunning tonal and dynamic neutrality that it exhibits.
- Stable four point suspension.
- Sub-chasis suspended on eighty strands of rubber in the form of forty purpose moulded 'O'-rings.
- Trimming screws for suspension adjustment.
- Central fluid damper controls sub-chassis motion and offers resistive ground-path for acoustic signals.
- For transport lock down screws secure the sub-chassis and seal the damper.
- 19mm diameter main spindle machined from high-chrome steel hardened, ground and super finished. Runs in a sealed oil bath.
- Reflex clamping system minimises record resonance.
- 6.5Kg (14.3lb) machined platter with unique Isodamp face.
- Generous use of extensional damping and resistive loop construction ensure sonic neutrality.
- Adjustable ball feet with optional compliant inserts.
- Four jacking screws built into the sub-platter allow the thrust bearing to be off loaded for transit.
- Driven by a 3-phase, 6 pulse, inductance motor, with 8 pole Neodymium magnets and 3 integrated Hall position sensors.
- The power supply houses an electronic controller using a high performance microcomputer, optimised for motor control. Closed loop speed control is implemented using a pseudo sine wave commutation sequence and a proportional-plus-integral (PI) algorithm.
- New design incorporates a 4 layer surface mount technology pcb with on-board user adjustable speed variation control.
- Large diameter strobe disc supplied allows precise adjustment of standard speeds.
- Speeds ranges: 33.3, 45 and 78 rpm.
Series V-12 tonearm
Based on the multi-award winning Series V pick-up arm, the Series V-12 incorporates the same design and engineering that have made SME a byword for excellence. Coherent musical control is held over the entire frequency range in terms of tonal quality, stability and stereo imaging. Startling dynamic range, neutrality, structurally inert, the Series V-12 embodies every worthwhile feature in a pick-up arm. The 12 inch tone-arm is pressure die-cast in magnesium complete with an Integrated headshell to eliminate tone-arm resonances in the audio spectrum and offers a 27% reduction in maximum angular error distortion over 9 inch models. Listening: the benefits of minimal tracking error and harmonic distortion are clearly revealed.
- The 12in pressure die-cast tone-arm utilises the advantages of magnesium and exploits the reduction in maximum tracking error/distortion afforded by the greater arm length when compared with 9in models.
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- Stainless steel vertical shaft, ground and thread ground, with integral Ø16mm flange to couple shaft and yoke.
- Ø23mm steel pillar, heat treated, ground and honed, carries two Ø17mm precision ball races, widely spaced to resist tilt.
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- Fine adjustment of horizontal tracking angle (HTA).
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- Advanced jig/template system guarantees correct positioning
"It delivers both precision and flow whilst delving into the deepest details with ease." - Hi-Fi Choice. Read review here.
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- Speeds ranges: 33.3, 45 and 78 rpm.
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- Packing: Substantial case.
- Net weight with power supply: 35.5kg (78lb)
- Shipping weight approximately: 45.5kg (100lb)


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Discussion in 'Rugby Video Games & Apps' started by sackman, Jan 10, 2005.
Does anyone know anything about teams , how many players and etc???
If I could be the first to jump on the speculation bandwagon (no one knows anything exactly as of yet, sackman) I would imagine it might be similar to Rugby 2004 with the pools of players available from all the clubs of your respective nation you're playing with.
I'm sorry that I ended that sentence in a preposition. Forgive me.
Does anyone know if they have officially licenced the European teams this time round? Because the unofficial kits they used in Rugby 2004 were absolutely awful.
The tourney is def. licensed, so im guessing the teams and players are too
yeah but each team has their own licence in the Zurich Premiership. They aren't directly part of the RFU like the way the irish and welsh provinces are.
they are part of Premier Rugby
Separate names with a comma.


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|Batman Road Work
|Description: Batman Road Work is a 10 levels physics-based game themed in Batman style. Your job is fixing the road potholes in order to let Batman pass through in his bat-mobile, bat-bike or bat-truck. You will get to see Catwoman, Joker and Penguin, cheering up for him, and will learn few interesting facts about Batman along the way.
Category: Batman
Total Views: 2663
Rated 2.5/5 (2 Votes)
|Bored of this game? check these out!


text:
I am going to do a small sort of show-and-tell on my A5 Sketch Filofax that I am using for my Project Filo-Pal. I think I am going to try and do a more in-depth video on it as well.
I have had a few people express interest in sharing their addresses with other people involved in Project Filo-Pal. If anyone is willing/wanting to reach out to other participants please email me directly and I will compile a list of addresses for those wishing to write to other members.
The A5 Sketch (no longer being used as a SMASHfax..really wasn't working out for me at all)
Inside front cover. I have some jotpad sheets, return address labels, outgoing address labels, some personal sized filofax paper, a letter I need to finish, a note card from a Filo-pal
A printed page of addresses of Filo-Pal members
I use the index tabs to organize the letters. It is in order of first name.
This is an Avery page protector with some larger coloured envelops in it
Coloured A5 paper at the front of the book to respond to letters (or write first ones lol)
A pad of Filofax paper in the notepad slot, for more letter writing.
Thanks for checking out my post and as always if you like what you see, I would love to have you as a follower.


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Saturday, 16 November 2013
6 Really Good Running Books
And since it's the off season, I've been busy buying new running books as well as re-reading old ones.
Here are my top 6 running books:
Tied #1
Born to Run (Christopher McDougall) This is the book that started it all for me. It's what set me and most of the world down the path of rediscovering minimalism. You can tell that it was written more from a storytelling perspective than instructional; I have little doubt that a large number of the stories shared were exaggerated. Even so, Christopher McDougall ably revealed the lives of the Tarahumarans and managed to capture the world's attention and imagination about the joy of running free.
Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running By Feel (Matt Fitzgerald): When it comes to books on running, I find that most authors write very mechanically, i.e., they are very good at explaining how to get from point A to point B but not much else. Matt Fitzgerald, on the other hand, has an excellent grasp of flow in his writing technique. The result? A true instructional running book that is very engaging and easy-to-read yet contains all the appropriate information to help all levels of runners. I truly believe that this is must-read for anyone interested in running especially for those who would like to complete a race.
The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition (Matt Fitzgerald) Despite its clunky sounding title, this is an excellent resource for all runners who have ever wondered what kind of diet is appropriate during training, how to taper, how much to drink, and what kind of tips and techniques that a runner may employ to help them run their best race.
Once again, Matt Fitzgerald manages to fit in a lot of information into one book that is easy to read and follow.
Tread Lightly (Peter Larson & Bill Katovsky) If you don't know who Peter Larson is, you're either brand new to running, been living under a rock these past four years, or do not have access to the Internet. Peter Larson is runblogger.com, which is probably the number 1 running blog for the past few years. His book takes us through an anthropological adventure on how humans became one the best distance runners in the animal kingdom. In the process, he also manages to provide information on the biomechanics of running touching on everything from proper form and foot strike to shoes and barefoot running.
His book reads like a college thesis but is quite readable as he manages to avoid using too many scientific and anatomical terms.
Anatomy For Runners (Jay Dicharry) To be honest, 3rd and 4th place is a toss-up. These books discuss the same topic (proper running) but analyzes it from two totally different perspectives. While Peter looks at it from a 500-ft platform, Jay digs deep down and looks at all the tiny details that make up healthy running. He provides amazing insight and explanations into the muscles and supporting structures used in running.
The best part of the book has to be the exercises that he prescribes to either prevent or rehab injury. I've been following his routine (which are easy to understand and comes with full colour pictures) to help recover from my last race and it has helped tremendously. I've never seen his exercises prescribed by anyone else.
The only weakness here is it's not very well written. The prose is awkward and some of hte analogies used are confusing. This can be easily overlooked due to the fact that Jay Dicharry is an expert in movement and really knows his stuff. I'd rather read an instructional book as told by an expert than by an author pretending to be one.
Advanced Marathoning (Pete Pfitzinger) The Pfitz 18 and 12 programs are some of the most popular used by intermediate to advanced runners. In his book, Pfitz effectively explains the concepts behind his training plans. He lays down the framework for his programs and offers a myriad of options depending on how much time you have before your race and your present level of fitness.
This book by itself will help you improve your current half or full marathon time but combined with Matt Fitzgerald's Run, I am willing to bet that you'll be able to smash your PB easily.
And the One That Doesn't Belong
Be A Better Runner (Sally Edwards)
My initial review
The author is an accomplished triathlete and marathoner. The title says it all. It should be a decent book, right? It turns out that I cannot possibly dislike this book any more than I do now.
Edwards is a traditionalist. She firmly believes in chunky shoes and is a heel striker and she vigorously defends it. I can absolutely respect that. If this is what works for her and she wants to promote then I wish her all the luck in the world. I may disagree with her perspective but I can respect her position.
She proceeds to bring down minimalism and barefoot running and calls it a passing fad that will disappear as quickly as it came up yet devotes an entire chapter on this very same topic. She also manages to poke fun at Barefoot Ted and Daniel Liberman.
The exercises and stretches prescribed are a product of old-school thinking and some of the advice she gives don't really need to be said (wear bright clothes when running at night).
I find her very similar in thinking as Simon Bartold (some research guy for ASICS) in that they'll take a hard line on a certain way of running but change their answers depending on the audience. I would rather they grow a pair and defend their positions as vigorously as they can because that is what they believe to be true. I can at least respect that.
6 comments:
- Anonymous17 November 2013 at 07:59
Born to Run is one of my favorite books too! The rest I'll check out from your list, thanks for the recommendations.ReplyDeleteReplies
You're welcome Anna. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.Delete
i hope by the end of today to be able to say that i've read both of your #1 choices!ReplyDelete
two other books that i really like are owen anderson's "running science" (http://www.amazon.ca/Running-Science-Owen-Anderson/dp/073607418X) and dhar finn's "running with the kenyans" (http://www.amazon.ca/Running-With-Kenyans-Discovering-secrets-ebook/dp/B0077ROL40). i can't wait for finn's next book as he's immersed himself in the japanese running culture this time - it's bound to be as insightful and captivating as his first one.Replies
Thanks Patrick. I'll certainly check out your recommendations too. I hope that these books will help you achieve your goals.Delete
here's another list for you: http://www.rockcreekrunner.com/2013/11/20/best-running-books/Delete
Thanks for this Patrick! There are a lot of good books on this list. I really need to read Murakami's book. The Run Faster book by Hudson and Fitzgerald is on my stocking stuffer list :)Delete


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SEXY REDHEAD SIZES UP HER MAN KNOX MARTIN (Evaluating a masterpiece by Knox Martin through comparisions)Friday, March 31st, 2006
In today's session, I intend to destroy the myth that proclaims: "One cannot really compare two works of art under any circumstances!" It is a myth spread by those who essentially have no understanding in Art, but managed to set up stores in an elite class in the society, complete with postgraduate degrees and award medals that are as worthless as trampled pennies.
I intend to return the simple pleasure of comparison between two paintings, even two forms of Art to the public so we can boldly embrace that which Beauty and Poetry has promised to all humanity. Henceforth we may freely exercise our intuitive judgments instead of getting bullied by self-proclaimed gurus whose sole aim is to make Art an elitist commodity despite their own ineptitude and blindness.
1976-77 witnessed the creation of Redhead– and Knox Martin is at the height of his power! This analysis will suffice, in my opinion, to assign to Knox Martin to the proper status he rightfully deserves.
Redhead has established the status of Knox Martin as one of the greatest masters of all times since Ancient Egyptians.
Figure 1: Redhead by Knox Martin ,Oil on canvas, 9X9.5 ft. 1976-77
For those who are not familiar with Master Knox Martin's use of metaphors regarding the nude, here are some basics:
1. Try to locate the eyes, the nose/and nostril, the mouth (to the immediate left of the nostrils).
2. Find the tubular breasts, then the hands (the more prominent one is located to the left of the mouth, occupying a good portion of the upper area in the composition).
3. Locate the extremely elegant looking buttock, the legs, the foot with high-heel and the sexual organ complete with overflowing pubic hair.
4. Finally find the turf of red hair for which this painting is named after.
Two things, when put next to each other under comparable scrutiny, cannot be dissimilar by nature. That is the first law of comparison! For example,one cannot compare a hen with a duck or an apple with an orange because there is no common ground between the two entities. So let us first compare the painting, Redhead, with Woman with Robe, created by the same artist before we reach out for further comparisons.
Since hens and ducks are in the same category of birds, there then exists a commonality on which comparison can be made. By the same token, one may compare a masterful calligraphy with a masterful painting since we can identify the commonality between them on which comparison can be made.This commonality has come to be known as Supreme Mathematical Relationship, a term invented by me to describe the phenomenon of artistic greatness. To be more precise, we can now reach out beyond the boundaries of different disciplines to compare a masterful painting with a masterful calligraphy. It is possible since because both disciplines have been geared towards the attainment of Supreme Mathematical Relationships, or SMR in their compositions.
Woman With Robe by Knox Martin is, without a doubt, a fantastic masterpiece in her own right! It shows a half-naked nymph with perfectly manicured hands and fingers, her ivory white fragrance flesh seductively wrapped up in an extraordinary robe of fine silk with fantastic patterns that appropriately reminds one of exotic bombshells or hand grenades–her left hand holding her chin, probably waiting for her lover to come and claim her silken lady-hood… . Let us now look at this rare beauty with all her merits and charm and let the process begin.
Figure 2: Woman with Robe, by Knox Martin Oil on canvas
9X10 ft. 1970-71
The Alpha Seer's comment: A is far less fragmented than B. All other things being equal, A would then appear to be the composition less fragmented, and therefore give a more compact look. Compactness leads to a crystalline, gem-like state in the presentation of a beautiful woman's metaphor. For that reason, it would be given more weight by comparison.
Now, let us ask the following questions:
1. Why have I placed a masterful calligraphy next to those two works?
A. For easier visual reading______. B. For setting up the ultimate common goal of Painting, Calligraphy, Poetry, Music and Sculpture________.
2. What is the ultimate common goal of Painting, Poetry, Music, Calligraphy and Sculpture?
A. Mathematics______. B. Beauty________.
3. Which of the above paintings, A or B, has come closer to the achievement of such an ultimate common goal as revealed in C?
A. Painting A_____. B. Painting B._______.
4. Which painting strikes you as the more powerful work in terms of its composition and forms?
A. Painting A______. B. Painting B._______.
5. Which composition points to a more elaborate geometric ground plan?
A. Painting A_____.
B. Painting B______.
6. Which one has the more unique quality in the metaphors that have thoroughly evolved so that the metaphor itself is the composition ?
7. Which composition is more fragmented–with the understanding that fragmentation may cause the dissolution in the compactness of forms.
8. Which one relies more on narratives? Narratives/meanings are peripheral in character and irrelevant to SMR, the main goal of timeless beauty.
Let us ask similar kind of questions as we move out towards other great work of art by Alpha Seers such as Picasso, Matisse, Frans Hals and Van Eyck.
The next step is to pick your favorite masterpiece to be placed next to the painting Redhead. That particular work is presumably the best work one can find by another master that we decide to place next to Redhead for comparison.
Finally, let us eyeball both paintings, forgetting about the color–just focusing on the painting's "black and white" in the composition. Simultaneously let us also pretend that each line or form within the composition has become the brush strokes in a single Chinese calligraphic word. That is called the "control" in any experiment, scientific or otherwise. The control is set up to provide a common ground for our comparison. At the same time we shall eyeball the Chinese calligraphy to regularly remind ourselves that we are seeking the ultimate common goal of SMR in all three work of art.
The Alpha Seer's comment: Picasso's work is marvelous but its composition is chiefly fostered by the entanglement of the major black and white forms, spread out like the Chinese Yin and Yang symbol. It is prominently centered in the composition. It is figuro-centric* ( * My invented term to mean a figure being centered in a composition.) Knox Martin's composition, on the other hand, has far greater dynamic and is not centered on a localized zone. Its wild, frantic interwoven playfulness of black and white permeates and embraces, negotiates and seduces. A small part of Picasso's painterly energy, by contrast, has been expended on the rendition of details with a predilection for narratives, while Knox Martin directly takes his painterly theme back to the very root of art, and nonchalantly takes a short cut to the ultimate goal of mathematical beauty, which eventually becomes poetry! "No baloney!" said Master Knox to Pablo.
The Alpha Seer's comment: Matisse's main black form is the S shape compounded by a wonderful parallelogram in the central portion. By comparison, Matisse is very much behind versus Redhead's dynamism. Knox Martin's playfulness of interwoven forms loudly proclaims themselves making the Matisse composition appear shy and passive, if not outright boring.
The Alpha Seer's comment: The relatively subdued Van Eyck composition, when compared with the active, lively, all-encompassing and powerful Redhead, appears less of a visual magic, and more of an exercise in drudgery! The wild and frantic outcry of Knox Martin's metaphors, the strangely seductive forms of Redhead have set the Inventor of European Painting aside almost as being irrelevant to the revelry that is going on in Painting of our time! A look at the dynamism in the upper left corner of Redhead would convince you that I am right about that assessment. What is going on there –WOW!!!– one simply cannot find anything quite up to it in the Wizard's composition!
The Alpha Seer's comment: Much of the color in B4 was probably oxidized and turned dark in the ravage of time. Notwithstanding, it is till a superb composition by Frans Hals–one of my favorite paintings. Compared with Redhead, however, the Frans Hals composition appears as too fragmented and gloomy.
Conclusion: Knox Martin's composition, Redhead, clearly stands out in all of the above comparisions.
Comparisons aside, let us not forget that Master Knox Martin is the proud inventor of a new paradigm in the painting of the female nude! He has reinvented the nude in ways so significant that a breakthrough in European art is at hand!
The revolution is here! Alpha Seer is here!
Knox Martin , like all Alpha Seers, is a law unto himself. New laws have been set up and the old are broken. Through his invention, it is possible for future painters to reveal microscopic beauty in one breath with the structuring of the bigger poetic form, allowing the big picture to be enjoyed simultaneously with the microscopic brush strokes, thereby promising enormous space for future expressive and inventive freedom. The way of painting is never the same again with Master Knox Martin's innovation!
What Knox Martin did went beyond the breaking of new grounds–what he did was a total revolution! He has just moved painting from its narrow European scheme to the world at large and has given 21st Century painting a name and an address! He had created a new universe in Painting, not just move European art to a new horizon,–making painting a whole new ball game–like they say.
However, it is not due to the newness per se that we should find cause for celebration. Here is the greatest master of our times and we are part and parcel of this episode in history–if you put things in its proper perspective… The celebration is with regard to a brave new frontier that Knox Martin has opened up whereby female nude painting can be attempted with the wildest seduction possible–no longer a subdued, timid erotic art form! And we, instead of going about in the apathetic mode, should congratulate each other for this privilege granted to us by a native son in our midst.Our son in the perpetual bid for greatness–a supreme race with great ancient civilizations. Knox Martin has offered the best assurance and promise.
But how has our time treated "our best hope to glory"?
My latest report had it that Master Knox Martin is living a pauper's life in Spanish Harlem, trying daily to make ends meet. Fancy that: a most insignificant gladiator (e.g. a football player in our time) can get paid several hundred thousand times more than the best poet at the time of the Roman Empire!
But that is the accursed time we are living in,–a time of shabbiness… .How would History register it in her log book?
I have recently attempted just such an entry. but I certainly hope that it will never be!
Here is how it runs:
There once existed in America an existential civilization, the inhabitants there were a barbaric, war-mongering race who could best be described as little more than knaves of the spirit because no evidence of their greatness from excavation or elsewhere was ever known to exist… .
But I certainly hope that it will never be!
Ben Taishing Lau
Answers: 1B/ 2B/ 3A/ 4A/ 5A or 5B/ 6A or 6B/ 7B/ 8B/


text: Share SHARE PRINT JLT's Life Science conference 2016 - Preparation is key 16 August 2016 The JLT Life Science 2016 Conference was our ninth. Held at the Savill Court Hotel & Spa near Windsor, it gave risk managers and chief executives in the industry as well as insurers an experts-eye view into a variety of key topics. The session on claims management brought up some key issues for the industry. This is what caught my eye. Good communication is what it's all about. The key to successful claims management is stakeholder engagement – ensuring that all parties are fully involved in delivering the outcome. Nobody likes surprises and the way to avoid them is greater control. One of our speakers told of a claim for a new power plant in Asia. The failure of one unit led to uncertainty around insuring a second unit. Was it a design defect? Or poor workmanship? Was there insured damage that would trigger the business interruption cover? The policy-holders wanted certainty but that isn't possible until the insurer has gone through the investigation process. In quantifying a claim, the burden of proof lies with the policy-holder. But it is possible to iron out peculiarities relating to a claim by agreeing parameters in advance. Calculating business interruption claims is, by its nature, subjective, because of the need to calculate what might happen before an event occurs. It comes down to the quality of the evidence provided and documenting the evidence properly pays big dividends too. With the right sort of co-operation in this area the insurance industry can often be extremely innovative in the way it settles claims. A speaker cited a company that was within days of agreeing the sale of a business when a fire in the property next door upset the deal. By valuing the business at USD 1 the insurers facilitated the sale by paying the sellers the diminution in value they had suffered – a result which worked for all parties. Good settlements depend on good preparation. Businesses need a claim plan and that involves nominating a team and deciding who does what. Losses need to be quantified by knowing where data is stored and how to capture it. But above all it is essential to "stress test" a policy by looking carefully at limits, deductibles, and the policy language. The reporting process is a key factor. Prompt notification models allow businesses to assess the likely business impacts. That means that it is vital, for example, to understand the way the supply chain works to avoid unnecessary surprises. By working out in advance what will happen when a loss occurs you ensure that the claim is settled in a much shorter period, and you remain in control of the risk. Product liability risks call for the same disciplines as business interruption. A strategy on disclosure is essential to avoid insurers being forced to act in a vacuum. So again it is important to have conversations in advance. You can also learn an awful lot about how you manage a claim by rehearsing scenarios internally. Claims will come unexpectedly. But with a plan in place to communicate with the insurer – through conference calls and keeping everyone in the loop – you will reduce downside risk and ultimately achieve a better outcome. The latest thinking on claims, along with other key topics for the industry, appear in the recently published reports from the JLT Life Science Conference 2016. To request a copy please email Adrian Donald on email@example.com.


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The Land Ferry (LF) is a new type of intermodal service that integrates the long-haul advantages of trains with the door-to-door service of trucks.
The LF is designed to provide an intermodal option to independents, small and mid-size trucking companies which make up over 95% of long-haul trucks
on highways. The LF will reduce energy use and emissions, save billions of dollars in highway reconstruction costs, reduce congestion and save lives.


text:
- Land
[MLS®#: 2397513] Historic BOSUN'S RANCH, 240 acres of pristine property located between Silverton and New Denver. The carefully preserved natural beauty of this property is surrounded by mountains, meadows, lakes, streams and forest and backs onto Crown land on... Read More
Listing Provided By: Coldwell Banker Rosling R/E Co
All information displayed is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. No warranties or representations of any kind are made with respect to the accuracy of such information. Not intended to solicit properties currently listed for sale.
The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS® and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by CREA and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA.
REALTOR® contact information provided to facilitate inquiries from consumers interested in Real Estate services. Please do not contact the website owner with unsolicited commercial offers.


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Our June 2015 event saw a very informative presentation from Louise White, White Social I Social Media Boosters on "How To Run A Facebook Campaign For Your Business".
As Louise pointed out, Facebook is now a "Pay To Play" platform. Free promotions now get limited reach from newsfeed. The best way to get traction on Facebook is using Boost which is a paid service. Eighty per cent of people now use their mobile to stay connected. Facebook's audience targeting capabilities can help target and match the message to the profile of your target market.According to Louise, you should treat your business' facebook page as your mini website where attractive images and video help you connect to a wider audience.
Dr Micaela Becattini from Refresh Counselling ran an exercise to help identify key emotional health danger areas in our lives. The first step in cultivating self expression and discovering the real you is to lay a foundation of understanding and awareness.
Our thank you to the Beach Club Collaroy for the great venue.
Karen Newall from Karen Newall Photography was unfortunately away for this event so our photos are not to the usual high quality!
Louise White, White Social I Social Media Boosters


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Have you ever felt like the thing you don't want to do is the thing God is drawing you to? For me, that was the Book of Job.
Years ago when I first started to read Job, I didn't get very far. To be specific, I didn't get past the beginning when God tells Satan he can test Job. I didn't like that part. At all. So, I stopped reading.
And then over the years, there were times I felt drawn to Job. I underlined a verse or two, read a chapter here and there…and I started to see Job's enduring faith in the midst of the unrelenting storm.
I saw his strength and faithfulness to God when his wife urged Job to curse God for all that was happening to him. Job refused.
His wife said to him, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:9-10 NIV
Not only was Job losing everything, but Satan was wearing him down, using his own wife to convince him to blame God.
I often wonder if I could stand up under the pressure like Job did.
Sometimes we get the opportunity to find out…
This past year has tested me in various ways. Exhausting I-can't-do-this-anymore ways. And sometimes I want to tell God I quit. I quit trying to keep up with everything in life. I quit trying to love others when that's the last thing I feel at the time. I quit trying to stay faithful to Him.
But when God leads us somewhere, it's for a reason. One night I realized why, despite my protests and digging in my heels, He led me to Job.
Because I was being worn down…to the point of thinking that if I quit being faithful to God, the enemy would let up.
But God intervened, as He often does. At the moment I was thinking of quitting, I remembered Job and how he was tested—and how he didn't quit.
I imagine Job felt frustrated and angry, maybe worn-out tired. He complained, he cried out to God, and he questioned his suffering.
And then God showed up. Not to condemn Job, but to remind him of His omnipotence.
Job learned that suffering is indeed a part of life…but God was there with him.
Just like He was there with me that night.
Life is hard. But God is with us through the good days—and the bad—giving us strength when we have none…cheering us on when we're worn down and the enemy is prowling…refining us for His purpose.
Through it all, Job endured. So will I. And so will you.
In Christ,
[This post can also be read in its entirety at Gloria Dei / Stock photo: Worship at Sunset]
In Christ,
[This post can also be read in its entirety at Gloria Dei / Stock photo: Worship at Sunset]
Linking up with #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, Everyday Jesus, Winsome Wednesday, Recommendation Saturday


text: CV Born in Hong Kong, 1977 Education 2006-07 MA Photojournalism, London College of Communication 1997-01 BN (Hons) Bachelor of Nursing & (RHV) Health Visitor, Uni. of Liverpool Monograph 2019 Combing for Ice and Jade, Jiazazhi Press, China 2019 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Dewi Lewis Publishing & Lianzhou Musuem of Photography, UK/China 2011 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany Solo Exhibitions 2021 Finding Krampus, Inn Situ, Innsbruck, Austria 2020 Combing for Ice and Jade, Grote Kerk, Breda, Netherland 2019 In the Still of the Night, Dai Bing, Hong Kong 2019 Combing for Ice and Jade, Les Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France 2018 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Rugby, UK 2018 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Lianzhou Photography Museum, Lianzhou, China 2018 源· , Zhongshan Art Museum, Zhongshan, China 2018 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Gallery 1401, Philadelphia, USA 2017 Combing for Ice and Jade, Lianzhou Foto Festival, China 2017 Combing for Ice and Jade, Shanghai Himalayas Museum, Shanghai, China 2017 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Ffotogallery Penarth, Wales 2017 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Ireland 2016 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Impressions Gallery, Bradford, UK 2016 Threads of Sisterhood, Lumevisum, Hong Kong 2015 Pondering Tree, Zhongshan, China 2014 Echoed Visions, Identity Art Gallery, Hong Kong 2013 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Galleri Image, Aarhus, Denmark 2013 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Victoria Gallery and Museum, Liverpool, UK 2013 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Pulse, NYC, USA 2013 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Lange Nacht der Museen, Bestattungshaus Haller, Stuttgart, Germany 2012 The Queen, The Chairman and I, The Horse Hospital, London, UK 2012 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Jen Bekman Gallery, New York City, USA 2011 The Queen, The Chairman and I, Identity Art Gallery, Hong Kong 2011 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Kemistry Gallery, London, UK 2011 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Street Level, Glasgow, UK 2010 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, UK 2010 In Case it Rains in Heaven, Voirie, Biel, Switzerland. (Bieler Fotoage) 2010 Memories, Dreams; Interrupted / In Case it Rains in Heaven, Photofusion, London, UK 2010 People's Park/Farewell in Labrador, Lighthouse, Wolverhampton UK Public Collection Compton Verney Museum Chinese Collection,UK, on permanent display Victoria Gallery and Museum, Liverpool, UK Les Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France Cleveland Museum of Art, USA Zhongshan Museum of Art, China City of Biel, Switzerland St Bart's Primary Care Trust, UK Group Exhibitions 2020 Up Gallery, Photo London, Somerset House, London, UK 2019 Dimensions of Family, Times Art Museum, Beijing, China 2019 Photo Fair, Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China 2019 Mt Rokko International Photo Festival, Sorakuen Garden, Kobe, Japan 2019 Print Sale Gallery, The Photographers' Gallery, London, UK 2019 Kaleidoscope, Somerset House, London, UK 2019 Let Us Return Home, UP Gallery, Hsinchu, Taiwan (2 person show) 2019 The Abode of Anemnesis, OCAT Institute, Beijing, China 2019 Potentiality, Finnish Musuem of Photography, Helsinki, Finland 2018 The Survey Show, Cattle Depot, Hong Kong 2018 Sweet Water Bitter Earth, Pictura Gallery, Bloomington, IN, USA (2-person show) 2017 SWPA, Somerset House, London, UK 2017 WMA, Comix Homebase, Hong Kong 2016 Lianzhou Foto Festival, Main theme exhibition, Lianzhou, China 2016 Retrieved, Chinese Culture Centre and SF Camerawork, San Francisco, USA 2014 Asia Express, Brugge Foto, Brugge, Belgium. 2014 Earth To Heaven, Medicine Wheel Productions, Boston, USA 2014 Chine Today, L'Atelier Cinq, Arles, France 2014 Wyng Masters Award exhibition, Innovation Gallery, Hong Kong 2013 The Foyer, Seoul, Korea 2013 Flash Forward Festival, Boston, USA 2013 Review, Identity Gallery, Hong Kong 2013 There is a Time, The Photocrafters, Hong Kong 2013 China Stories, Museum of Modern Art, Tbilisi, Georgia 2013 Jen Bekman Gallery 10th Anniversary Show, New York City, USA 2012 Flash Forward 2012, Regent Park Arts and Cultural Center, Toronto, Canada 2012 Pimp the Timp, Vol II, Cologne, Germany. 2012 DIY: Photographers & Books, The Cleveland Museum of Art, USA 2012 Terra Cognita, Noorderlicht Festival, Museum Dr8888, The Netherlands 2012 Anniversary Show, Identity Gallery, Hong Kong 2012 Art Asia, Art Melbourne 2012, Melbourne, Australia 2012 New Artists, The Photographers' Gallery, London, UK 2012 Festival Circulation(s), Gallery Côté Seine & Trianon, Paris, France 2012 Open Salon, China House, Penang, Malaysia 2011 Encontros Da Imagen, Braga, Portugal 2011 Open Salon, Galerie Huit, Arles, France 2011 For You, Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, Germany (2 person show) 2011 Flash Forward Festival, Flash Forward Group Show, Boston, USA 2011 Wish you were here, The Little Black Gallery, London, UK 2011 Print Sales, The Photographers' Gallery, P3 Ambika, London, UK 2011 22 Steps to the Sea, Format Festival, Derby, UK 2011 Photography and the Landscape, George and Jorgen, London, UK 2010 A Transient Life, Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong 2010 Pieces of a Song, Host Gallery, London, UK 2010 2nd Singapore International Photography Festival, Lim Hak Tai Gallery and 2902 Gallery, Singapore 2010 Simulated Alternate Realities, 1A Space, Hong Kong 2010 Flash Forward 2010 exhibition, Flash Forward Festival, Toronto, Canada 2010 Format Festival Preview, The Front Room Gallery, London, UK 2010 Chroniques Hongkongaises, Diorama Rue Raspail, Arles, France 2009 Christmas Show, Little Black Gallery, Chelsea, London 2009 Fotofest Int. Discoveries II, Vine Street Studio, Houston, USA 2009 Hey! Hot Shot showcase, Jen Bekman Gallery, New York, USA 2009 Summer Exhibition, Crane Kalman Gallery, Brighton 2009 Summer Show, Host Gallery, London 2009 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London 2009 152nd International Print Exhibition, Allen & Overy, London 2009 Jerwood Show, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales 2009 Jerwood Show, Impressions Gallery, Bradford 2008 Jerwood Photography Awards Winners Exhibition 2008 2008 Jerwood Space, London 2008 AOP Best of the Awards Show, AOP Gallery, London 2008 Summer Show, Host Gallery, London 2008 The Butterfly Effect, 23rd Biannual ALNAP Meeting, Madrid, Spain 2007 Photo Meeting, Abbaye de Neumunster, Luxembourg 2007 Retrospective Exhibition, French Institute, Edinburgh 2006 Chinese Photographers' Association, Chengdu, China 2006 Ian Parry Scholarship Show, Getty Images Gallery, London 2005 Luis Valtuena Int. Humanitarian Photography Award touring exhibition, Including La Casa Encendida, Madrid, The Frontline Club, London, 2005 Hope for Homes, Hoopers Gallery, London 2004 Ian Parry Scholarship, Tom Blau Gallery, London Awards 2019 The Reference Asia Photo Award, Winner 2018 Photo Folio Award, Rencontres d'Arles 2017 Punctum Award, Lianzhou Foto 2017 Wyng Masters Award, Winner 2017 Song World Photography Award, Landscape Category, 2nd place 2012 European Publishers' Award, Finalist. 2012 Magenta Foundation, Flash Forward, Selected UK Winner 2011 STD Emerging Award, Encontros da Imagen, 2nd Place 2011 Magenta Foundation, Flash Forward, Selected UK Winner 2010 Hey Hot Shot Ne Plus Ultras 2010 Troika/Format Exposure Award, Winner 2010 Magenta Foundation, Flash Forward, Selected UK Winner 2009 Photography.Book.Now Editorial Category Winner & 2nd runner-up 2009 Hey Hot Shot, 2009 1st Edition, Winner 2009 Leopold Godowsky Int. Colour Photography award, Nominee 2009 Joop Swart Masterclass, Nominee 2009 SFCP project competition, Finalist 2009 Review Santa Fe, Participant 2008 The Jerwood Photography Awards, Winner 2008 Lens Culture/Rhubarb Photo book Award, Winner 2008 AOP Open Award, Finalist 2007 Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award, Finalist 2006 British Journal of Photography/Nikon Endframe Award, Finalist 2005 8th Luis Valtuena Int. Humanitarian Photography Award, Winner


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|Chomsky the Cat, fond of cornflakes and sparrows.
And now for something wonderful. Yes, even more wonderful than my cat doing his reindeer impression. My endo did as promised, and wrote a letter:
|A letter from my Endo, cc'd to the fertility clinic!
Dear Colleagues [Fertility Clinic, GP, Diabetes Nurse Educator, Patient],
I saw [Kaitake] for her brittle Type I diabetes. Since the last time I saw her she has changed jobs and initially work has been a little more unpredictable. She is trying to get very good control because she is wanting a pregnancy. Today her A1c is 6.6% which is the lowest she has ever had and is actually lower than it needs to be. She is having still unexplainable variation but no blood sugars below 3 which is a vast improvement for her. She is still going quite high after lunch but seems to be doing much better with carbohydrate counting partly because she has got a calculator to calculate the exact dose of insulin.
There is just an incredible story that she has been turned down for IVF - for which the IVF provider acknowledges they would otherwise be the ideal candidates. However, they haven't "waited long enough" - they have had unprotected intercourse for six years but the mandatory waiting rules only start when you have your first medical appointment with IVF provider. We are going to search her diabetes records to see if it was ever written down. There is also a delay because her husband had a vasectomy in his previous relationship. A vasectomy has got to be considered a good thing for society and yet now the couple is being punished for having done that. All of this is just frighteningly unacceptable and ignores the biology, sociology, psychology of IVF. I suggested that she go see her Member of Parliament. The other thing that is illogical and dangerous about this apparently official rule of having to wait longer for IVF treatment is that there will be an increased risk of morbidity and mortality for [Kaitake] and it will increase [the risk of] Down's syndrome in her child. Both of which are just idiotic for society and the patient.
The patient is going to call me if she needs some help reviewing the arguments when she goes to see her member of Parliament and I will call [the Fertility Clinic] myself to see who has written these stupid rules.
Yours sincerely,
[Consultant Endocrinologist]
So that is pretty amazing to have some help, and to know that we're not alone in thinking this whole situation is rather insane.
I am in the process of composing a letter to my Member of Parliament. This is rather a hard thing to do, I'm finding, as I have to explain our situation carefully and fully - yet it is very uncomfortable to have to tell a non-medical person all this stuff. It's rather a curious and embarrassing thing to have to plead with your MP so you can reproduce! But hey, if it works out, it might get us treatment, and save some other couple from going through the wringer. I just hope he can help, I'm just not sure how??
In other good news, I no longer have 2 and a half months unemployment facing me. Yay! I was only on a fixed term teaching contract, and my permanent contract doesn't start until next year (Feb!). My boss wheedled another week out of the HR department, and then the good folks in the staff advisory department have taken me on for 3 weeks as an e-learning consultant and video editor. Cool! I will be the only one in the art department taking only 3 weeks holiday (most of them are taking more like 10 - 12 weeks!!) but I'm fine with that.
What I'm not fine with is the weather. It's only 3 days until Christmas, and the drought we were having has turned into a torrential downpour of the highest order! Seriously, the humidity is sticky and horrid, and everything seems wet. The biscuits (cookies to you folks in the US) are soft, the Christmas gift wrap is damp, my hair has gone mental, and the garden needs weeding - desperately!
Here is a tour of my back garden, taken between rain showers:


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I doubt I get many readers who doubt evolution. But, some of these are kind of cool and might help if you end up debating nutjobs who think we were created by God in our present state sometime after the actual human invention of agriculture.
I doubt I get many readers who doubt evolution. But, some of these are kind of cool and might help if you end up debating nutjobs who think we were created by God in our present state sometime after the actual human invention of agriculture.
I can't believe people actually think like this. What a load of horseshit! Holy horseshit, that is. This is actually a serious page with step-by-step instructions for trying to convince atheists to become Christian.
This will convince no one! <== Click this for laughs.
How to Persuade an Atheist to Become Christian: Provide evidence. Hard scientific evidence.
Then, when you're done with that, be prepared to convince that former atheist that your god is worthy of worship rather than contempt.
Good luck!
As someone with type 1 diabetes, I can assure anyone who thinks otherwise that the effects of undiagnosed and untreated type 1 diabetes are beyond unpleasant. I ripped a hole in a lung and a hole in my esophagus from extreme vomiting.
These have healed, though my doctor still checks carefully 26 years later.
Once diagnosed, it took some time to get under control. I was on nothing by mouth for 2 more days after vomiting my guts out for a day or two prior to the hospital. I got motion sickness in a wheel chair on my way to radiology. I passed out quite thoroughly on a cold, hard, metal x-ray table.
26 years later, I am a healthy diabetic in tight control with no complications.
Children of the Followers of Christ, Christian Scientists, and other psychotic morons who believe they should
prey on pray for their children rather than actually doing something to help them regularly allow children (yes children) to suffer far more than I did at age 25. It makes me physically ill to think that such people exist and worse, reproduce.
For years, I've been saying that the Bible says nothing about abortion. Since abortion predates the Bible by centuries and was commonplace in the area where the Bible was written, I used this as an argument that there is no Biblical foundation for any religious objection to abortion.
However, someone just pointed me at a section of the Bible I've missed.
Numbers 5:11-31 actually mandates that women who are unfaithful to their husbands undergo abortion and even gives the recipe for making the Biblical version of RU-486. So, the next time some wacko religious freak who thinks that the government has more to say about a woman's vagina than she does because … Jesus/God/Bible, point them at Numbers chapter 5. Read it for yourself here. It's quite amusing.
Here's the New International Version if you prefer.
This isn't really a big deal. But, I thought it was kind of cool. I had been on reddit for about 10 months and had just broken the 1000 mark in my karma. Then I happened to respond to a Christian's questions on the atheism subreddit. That thread got a lot of traffic. My single response more than doubled my karma. And, someone gave me reddit gold, which I had never had before.
So, I'm kind of pleased with the external validation and thought I'd share the post here.
[edit] For any who are unaware, reddit gold actually costs money. So, when someone threw gold at me, they were actually putting their money where their mouth was … so to speak. The thousand plus karma points are a big compliment to me, but clicking upvote on a post costs nothing. The gold was a real thrill. A month of reddit gold is $2.50 by the year or $4 by the month.
Background for people new to my blog: I am an atheist and antitheist. But, I ask this question seriously and am hoping for a real discussion on the subject.
It occurred to me recently when thinking about eternity just how long we're talking about and that even in heaven, were I to believe in heaven, I think I would end up so incredibly bored by the monotony of it that oblivion would be very welcome indeed.
Sure the first million years would be a blast!
Nearly all of us would like more time than we get on this planet. But, how long?
Yes, it's true that the cartoon is not truly accurate to the bible verse in question. The authors embellished a bit. And, the fucking took place on two different nights, not the same night. Here's a link to the original text.
As you read Gen 19:30-38, keep in mind that these are the same two daughters from Gen 19:8, just a few paragraphs earlier, whom Lot offered to sell into sexual slavery to the men from Gen 19:4 "the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter."
Isn't it nice to know the daughters, even after this attempt to sell them into sexual slavery to a whole city full of men, still loved their father and wanted to "preserve seed of [their] father."


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Facebook's Like button has made it easy for hundreds of millions of Web users to share content with their friends on the social networking site. The button appears on more than one-third of the top thousand websites and has been integrated into everything from Bing search results to countless blogs around the 'net. What users may not realize is that the soft blue thumbs-up is tracking their surfing habits, even if it doesn't get clicked.
Any time the Like button is displayed, information is zapped back to Facebook's servers. As long as you've been logged into the site in the past month, Facebook happily continues warehousing your whereabouts. Data which is gathered is retained for three months — substantially longer than the two weeks Google stores similar information it receives from users. So what exactly is Facebook doing with the browsing data it gathers?
Facebook says it's not using the data to track you, per se, but rather to help power targeted ads which get displayed when you share a link with your friends. It's also trying to ascertain how effective the Like button and widgets are and help websites figure out how to attract more traffic. Facebook CTO Bret Taylor told the Wall Street Journal, "We don't use them for tracking and they're not intended for tracking."
Yes, somehow the company believes what it's doing doesn't qualify as tracking. Despite the fact that data about where you go and what you read online is being used to customize advertising delivered to you and your friends, you're not being tracked. And while Facebook is busily analyzing usage to help site owners boost pageviews and interactions, you're still not being tracked.
More at Wall Street Journal


text: Welcoming our newest Registered Massage Therapist, Christina Barrett. Christina has come to us with 25 years of experience and specializes in Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD). This is a technique that can be used to treat conditions such as; headaches, chronic sinusitis (swelling), whiplash, acne as well as other skin conditions, and scar tissue. MLD reduces edema, removes waste and toxins from tissue, reduces bruising, and speeds healing after surgery. Christina also takes an interest in treating jaw pain (TMJ), paediatric massage, as well as a passion for sinus and concussion treatments.


text:
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text: ABOUT US COMPANY PROFILE Conceptualised by Singaporeans Dominic and Chloe in 2011, STUDIO DAYDREAM is a homegrown commercial photography company. STUDIO DAYDREAM's Dominic encapsulates portrait & lifestyle photography while Chloe brings food & still life photography to the table. Brands that STUDIO DAYDREAM have shot for includes Apple, JW Marriott, Robinsons Group, Spotify, Uber Eats and W Hotel, just to name a few. Based in Singapore, both photographers are available for overseas assignments as well. -- DOMINIC PHUA A Singapore-based advertising photographer, Dominic specialises in portraiture and lifestyle projects. In the course of his career, he has shot for both local and regional campaigns such as Pringles Japan, Air Asia and Quicksliver. When he's not busy sourcing for props, casting models or writing about himself in the third person, Dominic enjoys engaging in personal projects such as music and architectural photography. Dominic's pursuit of new experiences and inspiration continually pushes him to evolve his vision and craft, while reminding him of the importance of carrying his camera with humour and curiosity. CHLOE CHENG Specialising in food and still life, Chloe turned her passion into an art. Leaving the corporate world behind, her foray into photography started with still life before branching out into food. She finds inspiration in the quiet moments, where her photos capture the essence of the world around her.