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I once taught a rites-of-passage class to a group of African American and Caribbean American teenage girls. The workshops included lessons in history, self-care, and literacy. These classes weren't supposed to be like school. I was there to help deepen their understanding of their world and their place in it.
I created a lesson called the Mogya Line. Mogya is the Akan (Ghanaian) word for blood — so, a bloodline. I had the young women line themselves up and assigned a time period to each one in descending order. Every girl represented a generation, so each was separated from the person behind her by a period of about twenty-five years. The first person in line was the daughter or granddaughter or great-granddaughter, etc., of all the mothers behind her. That way, the girls were able to have a concrete visual image of what it looked like to be part of a long line of women. We discussed the time periods in which each mother would have lived and came to the conclusion that the sixth or seventh mother on the line would have been the first free ancestor. The remaining mothers behind her would've lived under slavery — a period of almost 250 years, or about ten generations; and the last person of those ten would've been the ancestor who experienced the Middle Passage, given that she was amongst the very first Africans to arrive in the New World during the 1620s.
A few months ago, activist DeRay Mckesson started the Twitter hashtag #GenerationReader, asking his followers to acknowledge how many generations of readers they had in their families. I shared that I was a second-generation reader on my mother's side. Meaning: my mother could read, but not my maternal grandparents. Had I known to pose this question to the girls on the Mogya Line, we might have realized that there were more ancestors who were enslaved than there were ancestors who could read, with a few possible overlaps — those who were both literate and enslaved.
I've never been able to think about literacy for black children without thinking about the historical effects of slavery. Black children were not allowed to read for far longer than there have been books that feature them. And in my case, my own mother did not read English until after she emigrated from Haiti. While she's read plenty of textbooks, I'm pretty sure she has never read a whole novel in English. And here I am building a life writing novels for children.
When I was pregnant with our first child, Abadai (now thirteen), my husband built a bookshelf. I thought it would be the most important piece of furniture in our daughter's life. The first book I bought for Abadai was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I'd read it to her in our local bookstore, and like any other toddler who loves repetition and rhyme, she'd shout out "Again!" when we reached the final page. We had graduated from the simple board books that we'd get for free at the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) program at the library, which, while much appreciated, were barely enough to fill our bookshelf.
When I started working outside the home after my second daughter, Bahati (now eleven), was born, we made fewer trips to storytime at the library. This left us with occasional Saturday mornings to visit the library (when the RIF cart was not readily available), and I searched the shelves for books that both my daughters and I would love. I soon discovered the green "black interest" stickers on certain books. My and my daughters' worlds opened up when we read about Niki Daly's Jamela and her many adventures, Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen's Elizabeti (illustrated by Christy Hale), John Steptoe's Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, Rachel Isadora's Caribbean Dream, and at long last, a picture book set in Haiti, Denizé Lauture and Reynold Ruffins's Running the Road to ABC.
I made the decision to actually purchase books by and/or about people of color in order to start building a home library for our daughters that would resemble our own public library. I needed the classics written during the Harlem Renaissance — a collection of children's poems by Langston Hughes. I needed the children's books that documented the civil rights and black arts movements, literary award-winners, lowbrow commercial books, and a children's book equivalent to everything Octavia Butler ever wrote. I tried and, for a time, I succeeded.
Last year, Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackall's picture book A Fine Dessert received criticism for its depiction of slavery, showing what was intended to be a tender moment between an enslaved mother and daughter sharing some forbidden blackberry fool dessert. One of the critiques was that this black mother and daughter would have been risking severe punishment by hiding out in a cupboard to enjoy a bit of sweetness during one of the darkest times in American history. In this book, blackberry fool was the common thread connecting four centuries of European and American families, and I imagine this dessert can be like storytelling. In the same way that recipes are handed down through the generations, so can stories.
Had this mother and daughter been part of my own Mogya Line, I wonder at what point their descendants, my ancestors, would have been able to actually write down the recipe for blackberry fool and preserve it for the next generations. I also wonder if this dessert would be worth preserving if it was something they'd inherited through slavery — having to learn the beloved recipes of their masters, under fear of violent punishment, in order to continue a tradition that they themselves could not fully claim, one that was not handed down by their own mothers before them.
And what would be different if instead of a forbidden dessert, this enslaved mother and daughter were stealing words from a page — teaching themselves to read and trying to capture the sweetness of story in hopes of finding a bit of what was lost on that long, forced journey across the ocean?
When my daughters were toddlers, I tried my best to tell them stories. I made them up because there were few stories that my mother told me as a child. She was an immigrant and worked long hours, so there was no time for such tender moments. As a Haitian immigrant myself, I believed that the oral tradition was something I could proudly pass on to my children. But those stories were lost to me. I had to search for them in books such as Diane Wolkstein's The Magic Orange Tree and Virginia Hamilton's Her Stories and The People Could Fly.
When my elder daughter was a kindergartener, I taught her how to look for those green "black interest" stickers in the library. We would crouch down near the low shelves in the children's book section, and maybe she thought it was a fun game of Hot Peas & Butter. I would smile, too, because the sweetness of the moment was sharing the joy of books and reading with my children. But the larger, darker reality was that those green stickers we searched so hard for were on a mere fraction of all the books in the library. If these mirror books are so few and far between, and the stories of their ancestors are lost, what, then, can I pass on to my daughters that is rightfully theirs — something they've inherited from the mothers on their Mogya Line?
The books on our homemade bookshelf represent a patchwork of sorts — a quilt much like the one in Jacqueline Woodson's Show Way. Through determination and persistence — and with the help of those (now-defunct) green public library stickers — we've managed to piece together what has been lost on the journey across the ocean. Somewhere amongst the African American poetry collections, biographies, and classics, our children will find the seeds of those lost Anansi tales and the Haitian Bouki and Ti Malice stories. I'm especially grateful for Tracey Baptiste's recent middle-grade novel The Jumbies, based on both Haitian and Trinidadian folklore. And through that particular book, my daughters have shared a sweet moment with their Trinidadian grandmother discussing jumbies and other Caribbean legends.
Now that they are both in middle school, whatever it is that my daughters are learning about their world, they can contextualize with the books on their homemade bookshelf. Their reading tastes have matured, and they choose their own books, ones that don't always feature brown girls or have a (metaphorical) green sticker. I've built a foundation for them with the relatively few empowering mirror books I could find. And out of those planted seeds sprouted two brown girls with a deep love of story coupled with razor-sharp critical thinking skills.
Family stories, recipes, and traditions often take the place of books in the home. Even if they don't go as far back on the Mogya Line to predate slavery and the Middle Passage, these sorts of unwavering traditions, regardless of the dark epochs in history out of which they emerged, are cause for tender moments and maybe even a smile. What I've taught the girls in my Mogya Line workshop and my own daughters is that someone lived long enough to give birth to them, and to their mother, and to the many mothers before them. The survival stories are what we can hold near and dear. Like blackberry fool dessert and carefully curated books on a homemade bookshelf, stories are the stuff of ancestors, pieced together to preserve ideas and beloved traditions. Certainly, all people have their own tales of survival and triumph, their own versions of history. However, what can exist within each family, on every Mogya Line, are stories that build on a common humanity.
The final part of the Mogya Line activity (which in itself can be a lesson on mitochondrial DNA) is a math exercise of sorts. While the girls were able to experience being part of a long line of women, I had them draw out what it looks like to be part of a family tree. Through a series of math games, we were able to calculate that the tenth mother on the Mogya Line would've been just one member out of 1,024 members of the eighth generation. One mother's story on the Mogya Line is the story of everyone on that particular family tree, and the story of that family tree is the story of humanity. And much like the Anansi Spider tales, our collective stories are intricately woven into a fine web. If books are to act in the same manner, the words and pictures ought to validate the family traditions and the recipes, while upholding the truths in our collective history — however dark, however broken.
Ibi Zoboi talks with Edwidge Danticat and Rita Williams-Garcia
Authors Edwidge Danticat and Rita Williams-Garcia (who, like me, also have two daughters close in age) offer some insight on how books, writing, and mothering have affected the reading lives of their daughters.
IBI ZOBOI: Do you think being a black woman author has affected how you share books with your daughters?
EDWIDGE DANTICAT: I think I would have shared books with my daughters no matter what. Though I didn't have a lot of books growing up, I was told a lot of stories. I'm also a voracious reader, so I would definitely share that with my kids. There's been a kind of extra perk for my daughters in having the privilege of sometimes meeting the authors we read because of my work. I always love seeing the delighted look in their eyes when they realize that the author is a real person, that these words didn't magically produce themselves.
RITA WILLIAMS-GARCIA: Being a part of the writing community made it easy to usher my daughters into a world of books by authors of color beyond what we had at home. When my daughters were young, I brought them with me to my friends' and colleagues' readings, as well as to art exhibits. Exposing the girls to a range of images created by artists of color was as important to me as sharing the written word. Imagine the impression derived from seeing Faith Ringgold's story quilts at a gallery and then reading her iconic Tar Beach! Imagine the connections made.
My daughters were also my helpers at book fairs. When they finished working at my booth, they scoured the festival grounds (Harlem Book Fair, African American Children's Book Fair, etc.) in search of books by favorite authors.
IZ: Did you tell stories to your daughters — folktales, family and cultural stories, etc.?
ED: We alternated between reading and telling stories. I like to encourage my girls to make up stories with me. I say one line and they complete the story. We take turns. We get the craziest and funniest stories that way. I also tell them Haitian folktales, which are better told. Sometimes we also read them in translation and sing the Creole songs that come with these folktales.
RWG: I know I did, but honestly, I was too busy working a job, writing a book, and going to school. That's where the elders and their father came in! My daughters had the benefit of talkative grandmothers and great-grandmothers from the Caribbean and the South. Not to be outdone, my father told funny stories about growing up Southern and under his mother's rule. During my grad school days, their father read Langston Hughes poetry to them while they waited for me to get out of class. He encouraged their storytelling by engaging them in "pass the mic" story starters. In our case, community built literacy, starting with our elders.
IZ: How have you built and how will you continue to build a "fine bookshelf" for your daughters?
ED: My girls have read Toni Morrison's picture books, the ones she wrote with her son Slade. I'm really looking forward to my girls reading her adult books and other books by black women writers. I can't wait for them to read Maya Angelou, whom I read when I was in my early teens. I think these books will give us great opportunities to talk about what it's like to be young black women. I also want them to read lots of Haitian literature. Maybe we'll start with Masters of the Dew (Gouverneurs de la Rosée) by Jacques Roumain. I really don't want to put limits on them. I want them to feel free to read whatever they want. My oldest read the kiddie versions of Oliver Twist and Pollyanna and really loved them and now wants to read the adult versions. I'm all for letting kids read whatever they feel they can read in terms of genre. There is no hierarchy in terms of age. No erotica at ten, of course. But so many writers I know said they sneaked reads of Lady Chatterley's Lover or some other forbidden book when they were kids, so that might be one way of creating a writer: hide a book from them and let them find it and hungrily read it and feed their love for reading.
RWG: There were so few books back then, and not everything available would have necessarily appealed to them. We were a Just Us Books family for fun activities and picture books. As Michelle and Stephanie became independent readers, they chose their own books. Our bookshelf was open to what interested them and what they could read, without restriction. Because our children were surrounded by our books, our political and cultural point of views, I didn't require particular reading; it was in the air they breathed. I remember Peter (Garcia) had Michelle read Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero when she was about twelve. No Laughter Here didn't exist at the time. However, I did say no to CosmoGirl and Seventeen magazine when my daughters were pre-tweens. As a result, Michelle became a magazine fanatic at twelve and is now a journalist by profession.
From the March/April 2016 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.
To commemorate Black History Month, we are highlighting a series of articles, speeches, and reviews from The Horn Book archive that are by and/or about African American authors, illustrators, and luminaries in the field — one a day through the month of February, with a roundup on Fridays. Click the tag HBBlackHistoryMonth17 and look for #HBBlackHistoryMonth17 on Facebook.com/TheHornBook and @HornBook. You can find more resources about social justice and activism at our Talking About Race and Making a Difference resource pages.


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Invest Offshore in UCITS Funds
What are UCITS Funds?
A growing number of investors are including hedge funds and other alternative strategies within their portfolios as a way of providing better portfolio diversification during adverse market conditions, as well as potentially boosting risk-adjusted returns over the long term.
However, the recent financial crisis and a number of high profile fraud cases have highlighted challenges associated with the traditional hedge fund structure, particularly the lack of liquidity, transparency and effective regulation. For retail investors, higher barriers to entry due to minimum investment size can also make gaining exposure to hedge funds difficult.
As a result, investors are increasingly turning to regulated open-ended funds, such as those covered by the European Union's UCITS regulations, as a way to gain easier, more liquid, and more transparent exposure to alternative investment strategies.
UCIT Funds are not marketed to US Investors who Invest Offshore, nor are SIF: Specialized Investment Funds (3 Trillion invested worldwide), or AIFMD funds (16 Trillion is currently invested in AIFMD funds globally). None of these 3 investment classes are available to USA person's, when Investing Offshore BUT they are ALL available when Investing FROM an Offshore Investment Account.
Most American's are totally confused as to why there are problems for them when they want an Investment Account that is Outside the U.S.A..
How we help Americans set-up Offshore Investment Accounts
We organize a Luxembourg Investment Account for you by means of the Administrator/Trustee of a Regulated, Registered, Recognized Retirement Plan. This is required so your investments are NOT a Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) and there are no FATCA Foreign Financial Institution Withholding Issues.
We have simplified your IRS reporting to IRS Form 8938 and FBAR only.
This is a Hong Kong Excluded Employee Trust plan (it is called excluded because you are not resident in Hong Kong) that is supervised also by the International Organization of Pension Supervisors.
There are 60 member Countries. We have selected Hong Kong because the plan gives you control, allows for the greatest investment choice and because of the Financial Security and Safety of Hong Kong Regulators.
The Internationally recognized Foreign Retirement Plan is Regulated, Registered and Recognized. You receive annually a 3rd Party Accounting Audit of your Account from a Hong Kong Government regulated accounting firm.
The Retirement Plan Administrator Trustee opens up a nominee investment account for you in Luxembourg. We selected Luxembourg because of it has a "Triangle of Security" 100% Asset Protected segregated account safe and secure Regulator System. What I mean by nominee account is that the account is yours in number only rather than in your name. You have access via the internet.
From your Luxembourg Investment account you can purchase any marketable security in the World, including UCITS Funds, SIP and AIFMD Funds. Most of our Clients purchase registered Mutual Funds, ETF's, Stock, Bonds which means any security with an International Security Identification Number (ISIN) can be achieved via the internet while purchasing other marketable investments require paperwork.
All Transactions in your account are directed by you and are supervised by the Plan Administrator, the Custodian Bank in Luxembourg, and the Investment Account Administrator. Which means you are secure in knowing that you 4 must agree that this is for your own directed purpose.
Just let us know if you'd like us to introduce you to the Plan Administrator, Attorney, Custodian Bank in Luxembourg. Contact us today.

subset: commoncrawl


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i think something is wrong with me and molly. we've never been friends in the traditional sense of the word... like, we don't go clubbing, and for the most part, we don't go places or do things... but we still like each other. we play video games, or card games, or we work together on cooking, just so we can talk. and no, we don't have serious conversations, but we always have something to talk about, and we can always keep each other entertained... or that's how it used to be. i think it's turning funny, though.
i first noticed it the night i went to visit nikki. when i came back, i told molly how nice nikki's place was, and how i couldn't wait to live off-campus. our plan, ever since the beginning of last year, had been to move off-campus as soon as we both had cars. the apartments are nicer, bigger, and cheaper, and the landlords will actually fix the toilets when they break, instead of letting your bathroom flood for a few weeks... on campus, landlords take advantage of the college kids, because they know that they can. this year, i got a car, but i got it too late for us to get out of this lease, so i figured next year, we'd definitely move off-campus... but i told her about nikki's place, and she said, 'yeah, well, i don't know what i'm doing next year. i might live by myself.'
this shocked me... i thought i was a good roommate... maybe not for alana and lauren, but compared to molly, i'm on the neat side. i do my fair share of stuff around the apartment, and i pay half the bills and everything... what's going on? i answer, 'oh.'
she says, 'cause i don't think i want to live off-campus. i don't think i care what kind of place i live in... i just care about location. if i'm drunk, i want to be able to walk home. if aaron is over here and we're both drunk, i want him to be able to walk home. and i want to live close to aaron. it's convenient.'
i'm used to boyfriends winning over me... it's happened with every friend i've ever had, and molly had been the only exception... but when it became clear that she liked him enough to change from little christian good girl into an atheist pothead, i kind of figured that he was pretty important to her. so it's not surprising that she's structuring her life around him... so i was ok with that. i figured i could stand another year on campus, if it's what she wanted. nikki's place was nice, but now that they've finally fixed our toilet, this place isn't that bad, as long as you don't mind a few stains on the carpet, cracks in the sink, chips in the floor... it's not a nice place to live, but it's tolerable. i'm a college kid; nobody expects me to have a nice place to live. if it means that much to her, i'll stay on campus. i might try to talk her out of it, but in the end, if she won't be talked out of it, i'll do what she wants. i'd rather live here with her than off-campus, by myself.
but that conversation ended, and the next day, things seemed funny. ever since then, they've been funny. i don't know if it was the conversation that changed things, or if it just took that conversation to make me notice the change, but i think it's there...
it's like she's mad at me... but not really. if she were anybody else, i would conclude that she's mad at me. but molly is blunt. if she's mad at you, she tells you. you never have to wonder if molly's mad-if she is, you'll know it... at least, that's how it worked until now. she's never been like this before... she's quiet around me, and she lets me talk to her, but i get the feeling that she's just trying to escape, the first chance she can get. and usually, that's how it works. i show up, and within 10 or 15 minutes, she's going over to aaron's. sometimes she just picks him up, and brings him back here. then he talks to me a little, and then they go lock themselves in her room and get high and... well, and whatever else... so i would think that she's mad at me... but it's not like her to be mad in silence.
maybe it's just that we don't have much in common any more... we're not in any of the same classes. she still works at the grocery store, but only once or twice a month. when she says 'work,' she's thinking about her other job. and her other job is at an odd time, so we never have free time together... and when we do, she's getting high with aaron.
but the changes don't bother me... i still like her. i saw them coming a mile away...
maybe it's just because she has been sick lately, and that's been bothering her.
maybe it's a coincidence that she seems to leave as soon as i arrive.
maybe she's depressed about something else, and i'm just jumping to conclusions.
maybe i'm imagining it all, or thinking too much.
but i feel like it's real. and i feel like without molly, my life is falling apart. i guess my life has always been falling apart, but with molly in it, just being there and being consistant, i never noticed it. so what if we never had serious conversations? so what if i never told her the truth about me? she kept things from me too, i'm sure.
it's just that she was always there. when things went wrong and i felt awful, molly was there when i got home, ready to ignore the signs that i was upset, and carry on like normal. it's not the ideal friendship, i suppose, but it worked for me, and i thought it worked for her. she was reliable and she helped me to carry on like normal. and our relationship was just consistant. everybody else has their ups and downs, but with me and molly, it was always the same. in 3 and a half years, i've been mad at her once, and it lasted less than a day. it's just how it works. i don't get mad at her and she doesn't get mad at me. we don't get jealous of each other. we don't fight. what's mine is hers and what's hers is mine. in that sense, she was almost like an extension of myself. i never had to stop and think, 'i wonder if molly would care if i did this...' if i don't care, molly won't care, and vice versa. i don't even know how to describe it... she's kinda like a couch. like you can go out and fuck up everything else in your life, but when you come home, your couch will still be sitting there. you're probably not going to pour your heart out to your couch, and you'd be crazy to think that the couch is going to talk it over with you, or help you solve your problems... but isn't it comforting to know that your couch is still there, and that it still holds you up when you sit down? it's just doing what it always does, but on a day when nothing else has gone your way, that's a wonderful thing...
it's a wonderful thing, and i don't want to lose it. without molly, i stop to look at my life, and what have i got?
i still claim katie as a friend, but i haven't seen her in 3 months. on average, we go 6 months between get-togethers. i think i should move her into the category of 'people i once knew.' katie was my high-school friend. when we get together now, she introduces me as her 'friend from high school.' we go to the same college... but 'friend from high school' is probably the best description.
nikki is my friend. she just called the other day, to see if i wanted to go home with her, but nikki and i have streaks. we'll find a time to get together, and it will remind us that we like each other, and we'll stay in touch for a while, but she works too much and i work too much, and it won't work, and then we'll go a few months without speaking, and then we'll start again. so sure, i guess she's still my friend... but we're pushing it...
alana is my friend now because we have a class together, and i talk to her every time i go. when she sees me, she can ask me if i'm on vacation, and ask when i have free time, and we can plan times to get together. but i have a feeling that when this quarter ends, if we don't have any classes together the next quarter, that friendship will end. i'd like to believe that she values our friendship... but i know better. she has her boyfriend, and if it's more convenient for her to make plans with him than with me, i have a feeling that she will.
lauren likes me, and i like her, but we hardly ever talk, unless we're communicating through alana. and lauren and i are different... she likes me because i amuse her and i like her because she knows how to knock some sense into me, and she can do it in a good-natured way. but she wants to flirt with the boys and i want to play with my legos. she wants to go out dancing and i want to go jumping in puddles. when i don't see alana any more, i won't see lauren any more.
extra is alana's boyfriend, and i like him. he likes me, and so does aaron, for that matter, but if i don't have molly or alana, i'm sure i won't have extra or aaron.
marie? i put her on here, not as a friend, but as more evidence that my life is falling apart. she's losing her grip on me, and i think i might be getting over her... but if i get over her, i know i won't have her to call my friend. i won't have her to call my anything, and it's just another way that i'm alone.
i miss my family. michael wrote an entry about a family dinner, and i miss that. i can't remember the last time i've seen my parents, my brother, and my sister, all at once. my freshman year, i would come home for all the breaks, and for weeks or months, i would be with my family... we would eat and sleep and watch tv and go places and just do family things... i miss being a part of the family. now, when school lets out, i'm here til the last minute for work, and when i do make it home, half the time, fly's not there, because she's in school too. i guess that's what happens when you grow up... but i don't like it. i miss my parents, and i especially miss my sister.
as far as relationships with other people go, i've got nothing. and as far as how i feel about myself, it's even worse... i'm in school but i hate it. i'm in the closet but i hate it. i work two jobs but i hate it. i waste time and i hate it. right now, i'm not doing anything that i want to do, but i don't even know where to change it. i want to come out of the closet, but in light of recent events, is that even practical?!?! if molly already hates me, how is telling her that i'm gay going to change that? it certainly won't fix anything, and chances are, it will just make her become more distant... it's true for molly, and it's true for the rest of them, too. coming out of the closet puts a strain on a relationship; it doesn't mend it. and when all your relationships already need mending, you should know better than to strain them-they'll break, and you'll regret it.
i wish i could just start over, with everything. i would have come out to my parents in 4th grade, when i first realized i was gay. i would have entered college out of the closet, so i would never have to worry about losing friends over it-if they didn't like it, they would never have become my friend in the first place. i would have worked less at my first job, and certainly never gotten a second job. i would have thanked christine before she left, because i hate thinking that she'll never know how much i appreciate everything she did for me, and how much she means to me. i would have worked harder at keeping my high school friends, and at making and keeping college friends, because your college years are supposed to be about friends and fun... i'm supposed to be making memories, not working and working and working and working and sleeping and then working some more...
i want things to change, but i don't know how to change them. i guess i have to wait to find out for sure what's going on with molly, and maybe i'm dreaming this all up, and i can start there...
i don't know. i'm not depressed or upset, really. i just feel kind of dazed... like this whole molly thing startled me awake, and i opened my eyes and wondered, where am i? how did i get here? where am i going? what's going on? i just feel confused and lost... how did things get to this point without me ever noticing?
( 2 comments — Leave a comment )
my opinion....you and molly are just growing apart. it happens sometimes, and i know it sucks. maybe you should try having a "real" conversation with her about it. sometimes that's better than driving yourself crazy with your thoughts. :)
I can't believe how in common our lives are...we're growing apart from our friends, we're in the closet, we work at Kroger...and on and on. By the way, I love reading your journal; I wish I could write long, flowing entries like you as I once did. It does sound like you are growing apart from her, and unfortunately, if Molly's not giving and effort to this friendship, it seems that there is nothing you can do. I've had that happen several times...sometimes I was the distancer, and sometimes I was the distanced one. The only thing to do is just to let her be...I think of it in the terms that if someone like that isn't bothering to continue being a friend, then they aren't worth your time. Even though she was a friend in the past, right now she doesn't want to be, and there's nothing much you can do. It's not pleasant, but it happens...I've been on both ends. Yeah, and I miss family dinners very much...I'd love to return to those days where Mom cooked meals and we ate a plate of delicious cuisine every night...I long to eat with my family every night like we used to also.


text: On Jul 6, 2012, at 6:50 PM, Peter Dyballa wrote: > > Am 07.07.2012 um 00:38 schrieb Alain Schremmer: > >> OK, first I will google "input encoding" > > Not necessary: 'texdoc inputenc' on the command line. Or 'texdoc > fontenc' from the same place. In TLU (TeX Live Utility) you can > lookup the latex package inside which you can find the encguide. > (The inputenc and fontenc documentation is there also. Somewhere.) I will do that Monday because I am trying to finish a chapter before I have to go do my construction stint. Best regards --schremmer


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Using hair extensions in the summer can be a great solution to getting rid of that frizz problem that burdens so many women in these hot, humid and/or dry months. However, when it is time to venture out to the pool with the girls, you may find it difficult to enjoy it out of sheer fear of losing an extension in the pool. But never fear! There are certain styles that that will remain stylish as long as you don't completely submerge under the water!
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Who doesn't love a good braid? With so many options, styles, and textures that you can play with, braids are not only perfect for those with natural hair, but can be the perfect way to protect your extensions from unwanted damage. If you are going to be near the water, you can braid your hair in reverse to create "space buns" on top of your head for a late 80's early 90's throwback look; or you can braid your hair into a crown to add a bit of whimsy to your overall look.
Another braided option is Hairdo's French Braid Band | Shop
Now the word messy may scare you, but don't you fret! This is the kind of mess everyone will be lusting after. These styles can be perfect for any occasion and don't need to be too complicated or fussed with as you go through your day. Low maintenance, and help keep your extensions and natural hair healthy, where do I sign?! Just like the undone updos, a messy top knot is a simple style perfect for relaxing at, in, or near the water. All you will need is a hair tie and a couple of pins to secure your locks and you are good to go! If you are looking for a bit more dimension, however, let a few tendrils fall into your face to frame your face and add a bit of softness to the overall look.
Whether I am working with my natural curls or helping my sister with her extension care, we both find that the best way to protect your hair is by going full 1960s and using a scarf or a turban to add something a little different to your summer look. Turbans and scarves are seeing a large uptick in usage in recent years and that trend isn't slowing down. While this can add an element of fun or elegance - based on pattern and material - to your look, hair gurus everywhere are raving about them because the are doing double duty as a style accessory and as a protector of your strands and scalp from the sun's damage! It also is great for extensions to help protect your closures and the bonds of the actual extensions from humidity and excess moisture that can weaken bonds. Whether you want to put all your hair up underneath it or style it with a side braid, ponytail, etc.
What are your favorite summer pool hairstyles?
Please note*: Our extensions.com guest writers share their opinions and experiences and we appreciate them!


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Field Lane, Litherland £86,000
- One Bedroom Apartment
- Very Popular Location
- Spacious Lounge
- Modern Fitted Kitchen
- Modern Bathroom
- Beautiful Canal Views
- Residential Parking
- EPC Rating: C
James Kristian are delighted to offer For Sale this beautifully presented new build style one bedroom upper floor apartment, located in the popular residential development of Canal View Court. The property offers scenic views of the canal, and is in close proximity to Rimrose Valley. The apartment briefly comprises of; a spacious lounge, a modern fitted kitchen, with integrated oven & hob, one bedroom and a spacious bathroom with a modern suite. The apartment which is decorated to a high standard also benefits from double glazing, a small balcony, convector wall heaters, communal gardens and a parking space. To appreciate the property in full, early viewings are highly recommended
Litherland L21 9QE
Entrance Hall
3' 8'' x 3' 2'' (1.106m x 0.962m)
Access door from communal area, access to lounge and electric circuit board.
15' 6'' x 11' 7'' (4.718m x 3.533m)
Double glazed French door to front aspect which gives access to small balcony overlooking canal, two electric wall heaters, TV and phone aerial points, phone style intercom, spotlights, access to kitchen.
11' 6'' x 6' 1'' (3.497m x 1.858m)
A range matching base and wall units with contrasting work surfaces, inset stainless steel sink with chrome mixer tap, inset oven and hob with extractor hood overhead, part tiled walls, uPVC double glazed windows to rear aspect and spotlights.
6' 2'' x 5' 2'' (1.872m x 1.584m)
Access to bedroom, bathroom and storage cupboard which contains electric water heater.
14' 3'' x 9' 3'' (4.334m x 2.813m)
uPVC double glazed window to front aspect, electric wall heater, TV aerial, spotlights, loft access point.
6' 10'' x 6' 8'' (2.095m x 2.028m)
Three-piece suite comprising of; wash hand basin, low level WC, panelled bath with mixer tap, shower overhead, fully tiled walls, extractor fan.
Litherland L21 9QE


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Tofino Coast Guard crew also helped rescue passengers of Leviathan II
TOFINO – As quickly as the capsizing of the Leviathan II attracted the world's media to this once-sleepy fishing town at the end of a road, they're now gone.
I've been out on the West Coast since late Sunday night, covering the accident. It's a change from my normal coverage of city issues, and it was a welcome respite, even if the circumstances of the trip were tragic.
I'd gone to Ahousaht on Monday to write a narrative story about how the folks of that remote First Nations were largely all that stood between life and death for the 21 survivors of the wreck of the Leviathan II.
This morning, before pulling out and heading back up that fairly rotten road to Port Alberni, I stopped in at Coast Guard Station Tofino to say hello.
I had wanted to take some shots of the station for our newspaper archives; we used to keep updated pictures of various Coast Guard ships and stations that we could use in illustrating articles, but what with the Internet and the constant cutbacks in staffing of newspapers, we don't often deliberately capture such images any more.
The accident and the resulting media horde had put many in Tofino on edge but the town is now trying to get back to normal. All the publicity and attention can be overwhelming. Tofino really was no different, although the folks at Ahousaht were less reserved and appeared more open.
As is so often the case with government officials, people clam up and point to senior official or some remotely-operated communications department far removed from the scene.
Instead, the crew of CGS Tofino welcomed me and didn't once think to say the words "have you called the communications department?". The station's officer in charge, a young captain named Matahil Lawson, asked engineer Alex Tranfield to show me around their Cape Class motor life boat, the Cape Ann.
Tranfield, who's been with the Coast Guard for 28 years and clearly loves his job, pointed out the nearby inshore rescue boat they'd used first in the rescue operation Sunday night. He also pointed out the two RCMP boats tied up at the ends of the dock. He then took me on board the 41-foot Cape Ann, one of the self-righting ships now standard equipment for stations along B.C.'s rugged coast.
Tightly shipshape, gleaming and clearly a source of pride for Tranfield, the Cape Ann had been built 11 years ago by Victoria Shipyards but looked like it was brand new.
I was surprised to find in the cockpit that there was no ship's wheel; instead, there are what look like joy sticks on the arm rests of the two cockpit seats. There's a pretty useful wiki page on the Cape Ann.
I met the other members of the four-man crew, including Rescue Specialist Ken Paterson and deckhand Raphael Bruhwhiler. These were the Coast Guard crew who responded so quickly when Kenny Brown and Clarence Smith, the two Ahousaht First Nations fishermen, frantically called for help after recognizing the Leviathan II had capsized.
Lawson told me he initially thought there were four people in the water, so they jumped into the inshore rescue boat and were on the scene within 10 minutes.
But later, the Cape Ann was tasked to help when it became apparent this was a much more serious accident.
What with the closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, the oil spill of the MV Marathassa in Vancouver Harbour and the resulting city criticism of the slow response (see the independent review) the Canadian Coast Guard has had its lumps. Even Premier Christy Clark alluded to that in her brief visit to Tofino on Tuesday.
But that can't be the case here in Tofino, at the end of the world – or at least the end of the coast – where the station's crew stand on guard.
There isn't a doubt that all those who responded saved many lives. The passengers and crew of the Leviathan II had been in the water for the better part of an hour before they were rescued.
I am sure the Canadian Transportation Safety Board's investigators will give us a much better timeline of what happened, who responded when, and whether improvements can be made to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
But not enough can be said about the brave Ahousaht fishermen, water taxi operators and Coast Guard crew who came to the rescue of the Leviathan II in those critical moments after Brown looked up from his boat and saw a single flare.
After Tranfield showed me around, I offered to take a photo of the crew as a thank you. I didn't intend to publish it, and it was meant just for each of them. But Lawson said it would be alright to use it publicly. So here are the faces of Coast Guard Station Tofino.


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Rekindling a Marriage As Empty Nesters
Now that our kids are gone, what can we do to revitalize our relationship? I thought our marriage was healthy and vibrant – that is, until the last of our three children left home. I realize now that it was the kids who brought life into the house, and that so much of our marriage was centered around them and their activities. Without them, my husband and I are lost. I have too much time on my hands. The two of us have nothing in common, and my husband is spending more time at work and with his buddies so that he doesn't have to deal with our issues. What should I do?
Before doing anything else, you and your spouse need to take time for a bit of serious soul-searching. Review the history of your relationship and ask yourselves some honest questions. Are the problems you're describing really a new development? Or, upon reflection, does it seem to you that they've been there all along? Perhaps they were simmering just below the surface, but were obscured and held in check by all the "busy-ness" that goes along with raising kids-soccer games, ballet lessons, orthodontic appointments, school conferences, band practices, etc., etc. Is it merely the emptiness of the "empty nest" that's troubling you, or is that emptiness forcing you to face up to struggles and conflicts that go back to the very beginning of your marriage?
It's not unusual for couples at your stage of life to find themselves in this position. In some cases the alienation has grown so deep that mom and dad are actually waiting for their kids to leave so they can bail out and get a divorce. If you want to avoid this, you'll have to examine the internal dynamics of your marriage. Then decide what it's going to take to restore balance, wholeness, passion, romance, and mutual love to your relationship.
Is one of you domineering or controlling? That can be deadly when there's no one else around to act as a buffer between you. Are there attachment issues you've never had time to address? If so, it's critical that you go back to square one and hash them out. Have you forgotten how to communicate? Good communication is vital to any relationship at any phase of development. What are your expectations of one another now that the parenting role has come to an end? Are you simply grieving the passage of a significant phase in your lives – not an unhealthy thing in itself – or are there negative factors that need to be identified and rooted out before you can move forward?
If after pondering these questions you come to the conclusion that you are grappling with problems that run deeper than basic "empty nest" issues, we would urge you to seek out the help of a professional Christian marriage counselor. It's important that the two of you go to counseling together. If your husband absolutely refuses to participate, you shouldn't hesitate to initiate the process on your own.
If, on the other hand, your inventory leads you to believe that you're still on relatively stable ground, we'd suggest that there are some practical things you can do to shore up your relationship and give yourselves a new lease on life. The first step is to agree that you have a problem that requires attention. If you honestly feel that you "have nothing in common," try to discover some new interests that you can explore together. Naturally, this will take some effort. But if you're willing to expend the energy, you may find that the quest itself becomes a unifying and revitalizing experience. Here are a few simple strategies you may want to implement:
- Make an intentional effort to improve communication in your marriage. A counselor can help you in this area. As a part of this process, you may want to explore the possibility of attending a marriage enrichment class at your church, or signing up for one of Dr. Emerson Eggerichs's Love and Respect conferences.
- Get involved in social activities, a church fellowship group, or a ministry project (such as Habitat for Humanity) that you can tackle together. You can find some excellent suggestions in this regard in David Platt's book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream.
- Connect with other "empty nesters" who are facing similar challenges.
- Consider the possibility of mentoring a young person in your community who is separated from his or her mother or father and who desperately needs the influence of older, wiser, and more experienced Christian friends.
- Take up a hobby or recreational activity (for example, golf) that the two of you can learn to enjoy together.
If you feel you need professional assistance, call us. Our Counseling department would be happy to provide you with referrals to qualified marriage and family therapists in your locality who specialize in this area. They would also consider it a privilege to discuss your situation with you over the phone.
Related Video
When You Lose Respect for Your Spouse: Gary Smalley explains how to increase love, respect, and affection for those in our family.
Thriving in the Empty Nest Years
Re-Investing in Your Marriage: The Key to a Stronger Family I-II
Rekindling the Romance in Your Marriage
Barbara & Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream
Creating an Intimate Marriage: Rekindle Romance Through Affection, Warmth & Encouragement
Rekindling the Romance: Loving the Love of Your Life
Marriage Alive
Keeping Romance Alive


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#1720 – Batteredon January 24, 2013 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Comics
Have you ever noticed flashlights will always have dead batteries when you need them most? It's no coincidence. Ghosts are running the batteries down while you sleep so that they are ready when there is a power surge in the spirit world.


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Add some spice to your Thanksgiving with this Mexican twist on twice baked potatoes.
- 6 russet potatoes
- olive oil
- 1/3 cup cooked bacon crumbles
- 3/4 cup Mexican crema
- 2/3 cup half and hlaf
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
- kosher salt and cracked pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Scrub the potatoes and pat dry. Coat them evenly with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until skins are crisp and potato is fork tender. Allow to cool slightly before handling.
- Halve potatoes lengthwise. Scoop out flesh into a bowl, leaving approximately 1/4 inch of flesh lining in each potato skin.
- Place hallowed out skins on baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine mashed potato flesh with bacon, Mexican crema, half and half, butter, and most of the scallions. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fill each skin with potato mixture and return to baking sheet.
- Bake 3-5 more minutes, then garnish with remaining scallions and serve.
Photos by Stancy Higley of Half Orange Photography.


text: This fiery red bikini will show off your confidence and the body you've worked hard for. Perfect for IFBB or NPC bikini competitions, the red biflex fabric has a bold and brilliant color and will ensure your comfort during competition. The bikini top features a triangle-shaped cup with just the right amount of padding, enhancing your natural bust. One set of straps conveniently clasps at the mid-back, while the other ties at the neck. The pro cut bottoms are compliant with IFBB rules, covering about 20% of the gluteus in the back with a v-shape in the front. All EleiraFit suits are fully customizable for your body type and preferred style.


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Heads up, this post may contain affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission.
I do not get a lot of sleep. It is 1 o'clock before I go to sleep, and then I wake up at 6 am because I am so excited about moving to the Grand today. My alarm is not set until 8 o'clock, so I surf on my iPad, checking Facebook, playing Words With Friends, checking email, the usual. The big wagon of dirty towels is still outside our door. We dodge the crabs on our way to the breakfast buffet, where we meet Chris and Helen. I am not going to miss those crabs!
There are mimosas, there are omelettes, there are those things from the Mexican station that I have enjoyed so much.
There are more mimosas. The guys talk about cars. There are more mimosas. It was a good thing that Chris had an appointment to go diving or Helen and I might have gotten toasted. As it was, we sat and talked for two hours. We say our good-byes and then Zung and I go back to our room, where the wagon full of dirty towels STILL is. Seriously? It was still there when we left a short time later.
We pack. That always takes longer than you think it will. I try to call the bellboy, but I just get a message in Spanish. We decide to just take our bags ourselves. We have to ride in the funky smelling elevator. We have not used the elevator because it has a really funky smell. We get a ride to the lobby, check out and ask for a taxi.
In 50 minutes we go from the lobby of Secrets…
…to the lobby of the Grand.
We are so happy to be back at Iberostar. It is so beautiful. There is an abundance of flowers and trees and greenery. The taxi driver comments on it. Roberto greets us with a warm welcome. He takes us to the front desk. Of course the bellboy who greets us always takes us to the front desk, even though he knows that we know where it is. This is in contrast to Secrets where nobody told us where to go.
Priscilla and Sarah are at the front desk. Alberto, the new GM comes out to introduce himself. We see Eder. I am not sure if our room will be ready since we have arrived several hours before check-in, but we are assured that our room is ready. Hector gives us a ride to Building 71. Mauro, one of the butlers, greets us. He gives us more champagne. We have to walk up to the third floor because the elevator is broken. We have booked a corner suite because we enjoyed it so much when we we last here, last December. Jesus, the butler comes to see what we need. We ask for Havana Club rum, a couple of down pillows for me and foam pillows for Zung. We catch up with him and find out he has two children, a three year old daughter and a ten month old son. We ask to see pictures. What cuties! We unpack and then go to La Brisa for lunch. I am downright giddy to be here!


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The 2010 World Cup is without doubt one of the most anticipated sporting occasions of the 21st century, thus far. Thirty two of one of the best nationwide groups from all around the globe will probably be heading to South Africa this summer time for the 19th World Cup.
On the draw for the match the groups have been seeded, with the 7 highest ranked groups, plus South Africa, making up Pot 1 Piala Dunia 2018.
The South American groups have an amazing file at World Cups and Brazil and Argentina have gained seven between them. The little Argentine, Lionel Messi might be essentially the most in kind participant on the planet presently and will probably be hoping to repeat the feat of his compatriot, Diego Maradona, in South Africa. Regardless of having a troublesome group, Brazil will once more be amongst the favourites this summer time. Essentially the most profitable World Cup workforce, with 5 wins, they're at all times one of many prime nations.
The 5 nations that made up Pot 1were all from Europe. Present holders of the European Championship trophy are Spain, who're additionally the favourites for South Africa 2010, and with one of the vital artistic midfields and possibly one of the best strike drive it is hardly stunning.
The remaining 4 groups from Pot 1 are holders Italy, England, Netherlands and match specialists Germany. The 2nd most profitable workforce, behind Brazil, Germany will probably be bidding to succeed in their third consecutive semi ultimate in South Africa this summer time. Nevertheless, regardless of reaching 2 semis in a row, Germany have not gained both of the tournaments. They may hope that they will go one higher this yr.
England followers speak about 2010 as 'their yr' and with the type of Wayne Rooney and the expertise all through the workforce you possibly can perceive why. A big proportion of England's gamers have appeared in earlier World Cups and in Champions League finals, and so they have one of the vital skilled sides going into 2010, and can hope they will do what Italy did in 2006.
The opposite two favourites for the match are Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and the controversial French workforce, who solely certified for the World Cup after beating Eire in a playoff determined by a doubtful aim.
The World Cup at all times throws up a couple of surprises and this yr will probably be no exception. Other than this although, the three favourites will probably be Brazil, Spain and England.


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Romania. Corn S&D balance, April 2017
According to preliminary estimates of Romania's Ag Ministry, farmers in the country expanded corn planted area for the 2017 harvest to 2620 Th ha because of a shortfall in last year's fall planting. As of today, planting has been completed almost all over the country in good weather conditions.
A sharp cold spell with snowfalls on April 19-20 did not cause any considerable damage to corn crops because it was of short duration. Moreover, this precipitation replenished soil moisture whose shortage had concerned farmers, reports UkrAgroConsult.
At the moment, crops develop in favorable weather conditions. Romanian meteorologists forecast moderate temperatures and sufficient precipitation in May that will lead to moisture accumulation ahead of the dry summer. However, they predict another precipitation deficit in the south of Romania as soon as June.
UkrAgroConsult forecasts yield remains at the current season's level with crop is somewhat higher than last year.
Full version of the article is available to subscribers for weekly market report "Black Sea Grain & Oil" and "Online market review" by UkrAgroConsult.


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Franco Noreiga does NOT like clothes.
Remember Franco Noreiga, the chef and former model from Peru, who taught the world to make chia seed pudding in spectacularly revealing boxers? If not, why not refresh your memory with this video?
Well, we've had a little rummage through his Instagram and it turns out he spends quite a lot of time just in his pants – probably because he spend several years as an underwear model. We thought you might not be convinced, so we took it upon ourselves to sift through his Instagram (a tough job, but someone has to do it) and present the evidence to you directly. You're very welcome.


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What a truly lovely weekend! The weather has been fantastic and we've had a wonderful time together all weekend. I took a bunch of photos yesterday while out and about. This week's shot for project 52 was taken yesterday.
#14, 2009
I've seen this sea of blue flowers all week on my way to work. Yesterday I made Johan go out of our way so that I could photograph it. I absolutely loooove spring!
Here are two other photos from yesterday that I really like, for obvious reasons.
My bebe
Chocolate and banana milkshake
The man also took a photo of me. It needed some editing; a crop and a PW action (Seventies) set at 50%. I don't hate it.
In other news I am waiting on the papers for that wedding invite I briefly mentioned a while back to arrive. I am itching to get started, it involves a lot of cutting and folding, so let's hope they get here soon. I will share once I have one finished.
Also, I have started working on the book for our Milan trip. Unfortunately I have run into writer's block the scrapper's edition and have only finished the cover and the very first spread. But I'll keep staring at the blank 24x12 page in PS and hope something pops up behind that scull bone of mine.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Project 52, week 14 and more
5 comments:
I love seeing photos of you two ... both of you have stylin' eye glasses!!ReplyDelete
What kind of flower is that sea of blue? What a beautifully uplifting thing to see every day on the way to work, huh?
You are beautiful!ReplyDelete
Your photos are beautiful, especially the photo of you!ReplyDelete
Underbara bilder!ReplyDelete
Hey Linda, I love your photos. I love the effect of action you used on the photo of you. I can't wait to see your Milan book too! Keep 'em coming ... I will never get sick of your layouts. :)ReplyDelete
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Crunched for time? Have a family that never seems to be full? Look no further! Here are some speedy, no cook appetizers/snacks that will keep everyone satisfied during the holiday rush.
Cheese & Fruit Plate
Cheese & Fruit plates are mainstays for a reason, they cater to your biggest of meat eaters and your pickiest of vegetarians – everyone can enjoy! Our favorite trick for assembling? Choose one or two of your favorite cheeses and then ask your local cheese monger which cheeses he/she recommends to accompany and balance out the cheeses you already picked. As for the fruit, we recommend a mixture of dried and fresh in a variety of different colors! Some of our faves: grapes, dried apricot, asian pear and strawberries!
Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Rye Bread, Scallion Cream Cheese and Cucumber
This is one of those appetizers that look so sophisticated, but really is a cinch to make! First, you'll want to cut the cucumber in thin slices – put those aside. Next, take two pieces of rye bread and spread the scallion cream cheese on both. Tear the salmon into little pieces and put on top of one of the slices of rye bread, followed by a few slices of cucumber. Place the other slice of bread on top to create a sandwich. Lastly, cut the crusts and then cut into 4 squares and enjoy!
Prosciutto Wrapped in Melon
The perfect combination of sweet and savory, this prosciutto wrapped melon appetizer will definitely be a BIG hit. All you need are three things, how easy is that!? To save yourself time, we recommend buying pre-cut melon. Cut each piece of prosciutto in half and wrap it around the melon and secure with a toothpick – voila!
Chicken Salad Towers
Our West Coast Mom whips these up bad boys for lunch a lot, and trust us, she's a great cook! Check out her recipe for her delicious, quick Chicken Salad Towers here.


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Two summers ago I strained my shoulder at work. After eight months, I noticed it was still painful and thought I'd better do something about it. Some physio and it seemed to be getting better – but just as it suddenly got a lot worse, the physio signed me off. And then the pain really began, along with the worsening factor of mobility. By the time I got to see the NHS physio a second time, I was virtually disabled. I can't begin to describe the despair of not being able to do perfectly ordinary things – getting dressed, bathroom functions, getting a mug out of the cupboard….let alone my job, where I had to fight to get a ladder to reach the top shelves and forced myself to put a brave face on every day because I was terrified of the dole queue (…been there, done that…) The physio thought I might have a frozen shoulder and gave me one treatment that really helped, then a second treatment that nearly killed me. By the third appointment, he was referring me to a specialist for a steroid injection.
A year and half had now gone by since the initial injury, which at the time hadn't even seemed that bad, just rather persistent. Both the physio's ill-advised second treatment and the specialist's inspection of my shoulder ("mmmm, let's see, does your arm go in this completely impossible direction….?" force force shove shove scream scream pain pain) left me in agony. My shoulder was so inflamed that the drugs stopped working and nothing brought relief. The pain pushed me into deepest despair about ever being able-bodied again, though I did keep telling myself that there are many, many people who are far, far worse off than I am, with dreadful illnesses and no life expectancy. It's only a sore shoulder, I repeated, over and over, though it didn't help.
The weirdest thing was that the original injury occurred when my arm was in the exact same position as it used to be when writing longhand. Imagine you're sitting at a desk, head bent over, body curved to the left, right elbow out, hand writing on paper at a slant – yep, it's the WRITING POSITION. At the back of all this is some psychosomatic thing to do with writing. Since my whole life is writing – though these days it's done with a rather better posture at a desk top computer – it's immensely interesting that the underlying injury is connected. All my school and college work was done in longhand as computers hadn't been invented yet – indeed, I am that prehistoric. And not being able to write is, to me, the most painful circumstance of all.
On New Year's Eve, I had the first steroid injection which was so horrible it made me cry. What a way to end the year. For the next month, there was still pain but it was more tolerable and more manageable: no more NSAIDs, just a whole lot of Volterol gel. Today I went along for the next injection and dreaded it. By the time I got to the lovely hushed clinic (it felt private rather than NHS – are they smartening up?) I was extremely stressed while waiting. Finally, the rather marvellous doctor/clinician/specialist/person-armed-with-large-needle did another ultrasound, noted that the bursa was no longer inflamed but that my shoulder was unstable. And finally I got the right diagnosis (which is exactly what the physio had thought it was) – I had a frozen shoulder. I had already figured this out and had been following the advice of a truly fantastic website called – appropriately – www.frozenshoulder.com
I didn't get a second steroid injection but something else equally horrible. This time I was prepared for the mind numbingly awful pain, got myself more comfortable and while that damn needle got shoved into my shoulder joint and hung around in there for several thousand years, I took the nurse's hand and held it. This moment was probable more monumental for me than anything else because I NEVER ask for help. I NEVER admit weakness – to others, though constantly to myself. The nurse said it made her feel better too because she could feel my pain. Afterwards, the anaesthetic made my arm feel like Harry Potter's when he lost all the bones in it because of that arsehole wizard (whose name I've forgotten) and in Costa, I had to ask them to carry my tray for me because it – my arm – felt so weak.
It's weird feeling so dazed. The Costa clock was utterly blank. I couldn't see the arms at all. Have they fallen off, I wondered. Why can't I see properly? Why do I feel so disconnected from the universe? After my flat white and a muffin, the arms reappeared. Yes, arms – arm – shoulder. I get it. Everything is really weird.
I just want to be able to write again.


text: Press release 2 April, 2019 Axis 7th generation of own ARTPEC chip brings powerful capabilities to cameras Axis announces the 7th generation of its own ARTPEC chip, optimized for network video. The new chip will power an array of new capabilities and features coming to Axis network cameras. These features include even better imaging, enhanced security features, powerful compression and a possibility to


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4th July, 2015
The week ahead in the stock market will see investors wake on Monday morning to results of the Greek referendum on European demands for austerity measures in exchange for a bailout. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has urged a 'no' vote. If voters agree, it could prolong the crisis.
Also on Monday, at 10 a.m., the Institute for Supply Management services index for June will be released. The May reading was 55.7. A reading above 50 indicates growth in the services economy.
Besides the Greece debacle, markets will be still searching for clues as to Fed thoughts during the week ahead in the stock market, particularly after June's jobs reports cast doubts on a 2015 rate hike.
One area that will be examined carefully, which may bring some light to the Fed thinking, will be the minutes of the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting, released Wednesday afternoon.
Other resources will be Fed officials talking on the economy, including Fed Chair Janet Yellen, who speaks in Cleveland on Friday.
Other important economic reports will also be experienced for the week ahead in the stock market, such as trade and the JOLTS job openings and turnover report Tuesday, and ISM service sector data on Monday.
There will also be a few companies reporting earnings in the coming week, which will include Alcoa and Pepsi, ahead of the following week's deluge of reports from major banks and others.....
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Options traders win because they are successful.


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Seven rules to prepare for change
How to handle a specific change depends on what the goal of the change is, and what the change may be.
Many methods for handling change are in practice. A search on Google for Organisational Change results in 2.480.000 entries.
Learning a method or methods is practical when that method fits most situations. There is no method that fits all situations. It is better to prepare for any change.What is important in preparing for any change? Seven Rules
A normal question in cooperation is: To whom should I go when I see a mistake or an undesired effect?
But when something goes wrong and everyone is looking away, or walking away saying; 'this is not my problem', this problem exists longer then necessary.Always the tension between taking care of my own responsibilities and serving others.
Improve cooperation between relative independent units
In a hospitaal the director says that the cooperation between the service units and the units that serve the patients is perfect.
But the service units do not share knowledge, experience and solutions with each other, although they have many challenges in common and will have to cooperate more as resources will be restricted.A detailed description of a one day conference
In-company training of educators in the use of soft skill training
Trainers who lecture on content and methodology are satisfied when they present the knowledge and applications in the proper way. Participants are satisfied when they can remember most of what is presented.
They know more is needed to develop new habits and say good bye to old ones.Design of a training in group process and habit handling
Cooperation improvement
The founder of a successful marketing firm is aware that all basics for the company are on his shoulders. clients are tied to him; middle management is weak; no successor available.A two day workshop to open up all internal communications
Schumpeter stated that business success is the yard stick for innovation.
The key to success is in the ability to really imagining an added value. In a training people enhance their sensitivity.Design of a training: White space ideation


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Hi everyone! It's my day to post at Jaded Blossom and I am sharing this gable box I made using the monthly spotlight stamp set, Halloween Panels.
I started this project with the SVG Cutting Files Elongated Gable Box and altered it to fit 3 Panel Dies on the front.
I stamped the Panel Dies using the Halloween Panels stamp set and paper pieced the ghosts, moon and gravestone.
I used a white gel pen to add the dots to the centers of the stars and then used a Wink Of Stella glitter pen for the background dots.
I stamped the sentiment onto the top of the bag using the Halloween Treats 2 stamp set and topped it off with a bow cut from the Bow Dies.
I hope you all liked my card for today and thanks for visiting!
Have a great day!
Don't forget that you can get the Halloween Panels stamp set at a great price this month!
Don't forget that you can get the Halloween Panels stamp set at a great price this month!


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If you are a tax paying US Citizen...
Know that the IRS considers some RVs to be second homes,
which means you are eligible for the 30% Solar Tax Credit!
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